Introduction

We’ve all had those moments where we want to get back at someone for wronging us. I mean revenge is the ultimate payback and while I’ve never done any form of revenge other than minor pranks on a friend/coworker.

There’s a beauty to unleashing said revenge and watching it come to fruition. In the case of Sangwoo Choo, his not-so-great personality leads him to make a decision that will change his college life in a pretty serious way. Yet, his suffering is why I’m here, today.

I was given an early release of volume one of Semantic Error thanks to Yen Press, and while BL isn’t exactly my usual genre to read, there was something interesting about this story.

Want to know more about Semantic Error Volume 1? Then dive into my review and let’s see where this rom-com ends up.

Art Style

Semantic Error’s first volume had a very distinct art style and while I don’t judge a manhwa by its cover, the cover is what pulled me in. When artist ANGY puts in details, this is where Semantic Error pops with visual style and flair. With simple design being simple, I felt the sillier designs looked overly simple but even those moments looked good. The characters themselves are where I’m a bit mixed.

The two main leads, Sangwoo Choo and Jaeyoung Jang, are very profound when the artist wants them to be and I liked how they show their personalities in what they wear, but I wished our main lead didn’t always look like an edge lord. Then again, that is his whole design so ANGY captures that well.

The colors are where Semantic Error shines, though. I feel they do a great job showing emotions and effects. When Sangwoo Choo dreads dealing with his now constant pain, Jaeyoung Jang, the darker tones and over-emphasized red/green/black make those moments feel alive.

I think the cover alone will entice readers to glimpse at the synopsis on the back.

Story & Characters

Can I say, I really am not a fan of Sangwoo Choo, but equally give him props for doing something I couldn’t. The reason we even have the revenge-driven Jaeyoung Jang in this story is that Choo refused to add him to the project, now working on it.

As someone who has done many, and I mean many, class projects almost all alone, I would have loved to exclude other classmates’ names from the project but it would have been kind of mean. That’s why I understand Sangwoo Choo’s actions but his overall demeanor makes me dislike him.

Meanwhile, the super cool and kind of stalker-driven Jaeyoung Jang is a bit more relatable and I tended to laugh at his drive to anger our main man for his move.

In my mind, Semantic Error is a story that works as a unique BL because of the central characters. Author J.Soori took a chance by making these two strange MCs the central characters and I like that about the story. This BL tale would be another BL if the characters weren’t so different. In the few, and I mean few, BLs I’ve watched or read, usually the characters are always the same.

You have a cool/odd MC who ends up in love with a complete weirdo or oddball that complements them. I feel Semantic Error has that same premise but these characters are both weird and odd. I could see myself continuing this story just for its original theme.

I dislike Sangwoo Choo, as he seems like a smart man with zero kindness and social skills. Though I think that is what makes this story ironically funny, seeing such a detestable lead be targeted for being such and yet, growing because he’s being given a taste of his actions.

I’m equally not in love with Jaeyoung Jang as he has qualities I can’t stand in people but he’s still pretty cool, nonetheless. Semantic Error has a very strange romance/comedy element but I think it will make BL fans enjoy it for its originality.

Pacing

Volume 1 of Semantic Error goes at a slow pace at first, almost too slow but then begins to ramp up when Jang finally throws revenge at Choo. Without spoiling anything, near the end, I think the story ironically goes from slow to super-fast and makes me wonder how long this series will be.

I do know the live-action version of this story–more on that in a minute–was only 8 episodes so it would explain the quick pacing but that might be an issue if this series only ends up with a few volumes, which I can see happening. Semantic Error’s pacing is all over the place and I say that not as a bad thing but, one that might turn off those who like slower-paced BL manhwa.

By the end of volume 1, our two main male leads have feelings for one another, and that happens extraordinarily fast for a romance plot. Still, the pacing isn’t horrible just a bit too chaotic for me.

Panel Layout & Flow

Manhwa can sometimes be harder to follow compared to manga but Semantic Error had little issue here, in my mind. I think the flow is easy to follow due to the lack of extreme moments in the story. I feel the panels can be a bit overloaded with imagery. An example of this is when Sangwoo Choo is looking at his phone after realizing the person he’s been blocking the entire time is Jaeyoung Jang.

I found myself trying to read everything including seeing how Sangwoo Choo was reacting and his inner monologing. Other than that though, the panel layout and flow work well in Semantic Error and I rarely ever had any issues.

Themes & Tone

Again, I’m not an expert on BL and while I don’t love the genre, I’ve read and watched enough of them throughout my lifetime. Series like Gravitation, Super Lovers, Given, and a few others I’ve read/watched so I think I can at least say I have a good grasp of how the themes should be handled.

Semantic Error does a great job of not pushing anything on the reader right away and doesn’t equally make it a romance from the gate. Yeah, I could already guess from the way Jaeyoung Jang was acting when he finally started to ease up on Sangwoo Choo this would be a BL romance plot but it wasn’t forced in my face right away.

Semantic Error eases readers into this tale in that it is a story of two opposites who hate each other, beginning to realize their hate isn’t just because of their actions towards one another but because they don’t understand their grand differences.

As I began to finish volume one of Semantic Error I realized that neither Sangwoo Choo nor Jaeyoung Jang should be hated for their various moves towards one another but be thought of as how relationships can be born from anything. I feel the tone makes Semantic Error an easy read. I finished the first volume in ten minutes because the tone works so well for an easy BL story to read and dive into.

You don’t need to have tons of backstory to the characters or learn more about their various lives. This romance comedy is done simply and sets up a nice brisk tone.

Manga vs. Anime

I didn’t see the live-action for Semantic Error but when I realized I’d be reviewing a manhwa adaptation, I had to at least glimpse at the original to talk about it briefly. From what I can see, Semantic Error’s manhwa adaptation is pretty close to the live-action, in terms of character designs, themes, and overall atmosphere.

I won’t say they are on par with one another as I didn’t watch more than a brief part of episode 1 but I can bet people who like the live action will like the manhwa.

Conclusion

I don’t believe I will ever love BL as a genre but I can appreciate how it’s popular in the manhwa world. Semantic Error Volume 1 is a fun read with some solid art, a simple premise, and characters that could be polarizing to some and a breath of fresh air to others.

Will I keep reading the series? I’m not sure just yet but after reading the first volume I do find myself intrigued about what will happen next to our oddball MCs. That should be a good indicator to those on the fence about this manhwa adaptation. If I could like this BL tale then I’m sure those who love the genre or are iffy about it might want to give Volume 1 a chance.

–Aaron