Magical JxR vol. 4 by Lee Sun-Young

Magical JxR vol. 4

Author/Artist: Lee Sun-Young

Publisher: UDON Entertainment

Rating: Teen – 13 and up

Genre: Shojo, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

Grade: A

I really love this series! This most recent volume was originally supposed to come out in February, but for some reason it was delayed. Luckily we now have it!

Jay, Aru, and Cho-Ah are kicking butt and taking names on the magic school contract. They've already captured three gems and only have three more to go. The next card shows up in the form of a romance between one of Cho-Ah's friends and their homeroom teacher. You would imagine that things would work out how you would expect but two tan guys and white hair with moons on their cheek show up to thwart this assignment. It turns out that the principal of Jay and Aru's magical school has a sister who runs a rival school that teaches the dark arts, hence the moons. They also have a graduation test: disrupt the other school's students' test and capture the jewels. It seems that there is more on the line for Jay and Aru though because of the opposing power sources they use. There seems to be a disruption in the Magic World and it's going to come to a head.

They were able to pass one test but the next one doesn't seem like it's going to be as easy, especially with the winds of change blowing. What's in store for Jay and Aru?

I have thoroughly been hooked by this manhwa. It's funny, clever, and touching all in one. The characters seem real. I have to say that the one who is the most real is Cho-Ah. She so wants to be someone else even though she is awesome how she is, but Jay and Aru truly respect her for her and like her the way she is - a tough chick with a killer high kick, but thoughtful, kind, and caring. Aru cracks me up. He may seem a little dumb but he has a huge heart and doesn't like to see his friends in pain. Plus he has a soft spot for candy, especially lollipops, which has gotten him into way more trouble than he needs. Jay may be cold on the outside but he truly cares for Cho-Ah and Aru. He just doesn't want anyone to see that side of him. In this volume we don't see much of Mr. S, or should I say Sa-You. He does appear but not as prominently as he does in the other volumes. You secretly root for Cho-Ah and Sa-You to get together, but since there's only one more volume who knows where the story will go.

UDON has done a great a great job with this title. The book is a little larger trim size and there is a fold out, full color cover sheet, it's really beautiful. There were a few spelling and grammar mistakes but it wasn't enough to ruin the story. You can tell by the beautiful art that Lee Sun-Young cares for these characters and this story. It shows in the painstaking execution of the work at hand which makes the art literally jump off the page and into your heart.

Since the economic downturn Magical JxR is one of the series that has been placed on hold. It breaks my heart because we end with a cliffhanger and who knows if we'll ever be able to see the end. In December Ed Chavez over at MangaCast had a list of titles placed on the hold list and UDON had Magical JxR there. It's so sad especially seeing how the fifth book is the last of the series! I support this series and I hope that you will too. The more you support a title that will send a message to the publisher. If the publisher sees that people are purchasing the title it might convince them to bring us the final volume! This is definitely a title worth picking up. I love it and I'm sure you will too!

If you're interested here are the links to my reviews for volumes one, two, and three.

***Review Copy purchased through Amazon.com***