A car crash orphaned Mun when he was a child, left him comatose, and permanently injured one of his legs. Despite this trauma, he hides his sadness behind a cheerful demeanor when drawing comics for his friends or greeting his grandparents. He starts having strange dreams, while trying to help his best friend Woongmin fend off extortionist bullies. Some of those dreams involve his parents. And one involves a woman as old as his grandmother, whom he understands despite her speaking in German and him speaking in Korean.

Meanwhile, in town, strange vigilantes lose one of their own. A Counter gets beheaded by a mysterious foe, and the others swear revenge. Concurrently, they need a replacement. Counters help manage the boundaries between the real world and the afterlife; this afterlife is called Yung. In Yung, some spirits are not ready to move on because they have loved ones still on Earth. Returning to Earth will erase their existence, but they're not ready to let go. Some spirits bond with the living and help them fend off ghosts that haven't changed in death and are still "scum" when wanting to resume their Earth life. As Mun learns from the woman recruiting him after she saves him from said extortionists, he has a connection to Yung because of the car crash and coma. He's the newest Counter, and the German woman was a ghost working with the previous deceased comrade.

Mun believes Hana and the Counters after seeing Yung, but he does have questions. First being how useful will he be with his leg, and second how is he going to balance school and secret vigilante work. And not helping is that despite his desire to keep Woongmin save from the school bullies, the idiots keep coming back for more fights. He also can't tell Woongmin or their mutual friend Juyeon, despite the latter two understandably getting suspicious. But Mun agrees to be a Counter, since once he completes his duties, the ghost Wiyen will give him time to say goodbye to his parents, who are in Yung. Not needing much sleep and getting his leg mended also helps.

This story is compelling. Probably a more experienced reviewer could examine if Mun's leg being healed runs the risk of a cure narrative or not, but the Counters make it clear that healing does not stop death. It only mitigates serious injuries. Mun could die in the line of duty, or sustain chronic conditions. Plus, there is the risk of emotional trauma given that he has not fully found closure with the accident that killed his parents.

Though the Counters have enhanced strength and fighting skills, they are still human. When they die in action, the others mourn and prepare the body for a funeral. And they make food for the town. Noodles mean normalcy. That's why the Counters run a noodle shop, to provide routine as they try to save people from ghosts that aren't ready to leave Earth and will possess humans to continue their business.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this manwha, which is my first one ever. Cannot wait to read volume two and find out if Mun can keep his double life secret.

This is an interesting story about secret heroes called Counters, who hunt down renegade souls who have escaped the afterlife in order to prey on the living.

Mun is a teenager in high school, who has been injured in a car accident that killed his parents. When he is given a chance to join the Counters he embraces this new world in the hope of seeing his parents. This is an interesting story which introduces this series. It is well drawn and a good intro. It left me wanting more.

Thank you NetGalley, Yen Press, and Ize Press for this arc!

4/5 stars

This was a really exciting and fast paced graphic novel! I really enjoyed this story, it was imaginative and the supernatural element seems pretty unique. I like that it's full colour, the art is quite well done! I did notice some translation and grammatical errors which took me out of the story a bit.

SLIGHT SPOILER BELOW

I did like how our main character Mun has a disability from a traumatic injury he got from a car crash and I was interested to see how that would play into his ghost hunting, but then it's magically healed up? That trope always gives me the ick, so this could've been better lol but I still enjoyed it and will continue the series

Thank you Yen Press, Ize Press and NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Mun So is an 18 year old student who lives with his grandparents. He lost his parents 7 years ago in a car accident, ending up badly injured and even in a coma for a while, himself.

Mun loves drawing and is part of Team Jokada, together with his 2 closest friends. They want to win this year’s Webtoon contest but soon Mun gets other priorities. It all starts when he gets struck by lightning? And the owners of a ramen shop, who are also secretly evil spirit hunters, recruit him.

A LOT happens in this graphic novel and it’s all explained very well too! Cool, action packed and supernatural, I loved it!

One minor point of critique is the easy well known way to not have to deal with a disability.. Boom it is cured now by magic.. That trick always makes me feel a bit uncomfortable..

This was a fun managa, but I wasn't as enthralled with it as I was with other series. I think there is definitely a amrket for it, but I am not it.

This is my first Webtoon Arc and I enjoyed reading it! While this supernatural counter thing might be unique, the basic premise is pretty common. Hunting down escaped demons. The start was really good! Mun is a sweetheart and he also found a shortcut to getting curly hair! You just need a ghost!

His relationship with his friends is also just goals. They notice the slightest change and come running when help is needed. Definitely need friends like them. I did get a little emotional when reading about Mun's past. His grandmother just adds salt to his wounds.

The whole mystery around the noodle shop and the people who wore all red was also really good but later when we get to know about the truth behind them, it does get a little cliche. Maybe it would appeal to a younger audience.

It's just that I have read many comics with these themes: Gaining sudden super powers, Getting revenge on bullies, Training to control powers, Finding out you are OP etc. it felt a little monotonous towards the end. It also might have to do with the fact that I don't read a lot of action webtoons. It was a good read regardless.

In summary if you like supernatural stuff, hunting demons, revenge themes, found family etc. then this is for you.

I just didn't find the story engaging enough for me... The drawings were cute but the story never got anywhere for me unfortunately...

While I don’t see myself continuing this series, it was an interesting read!

Mun’s life isn’t all that great. 7 years ago he and his parents were in a car accident and he was the lone survivor. After being in a coma he awoke with a permanent injury. He’s living a somewhat normal life (not popular in school, though) but one day something changes.

What is the afterlife? Is it real? What happens to your soul when you die? Mun is about to be asking these questions and questioning the reality he has lived his life once a disguised group tells him they need his help.

When So Mun was a child he and his parents were in a car accident leaving his parents dead and him disabled in a coma. Years later So Mun is hanging out with his friends when he is unexpectedly possessed by a spirit. Now he has a choice to make, help these spirits capture the demons escaping from Yung, or ignore his new mission.

The good: The concept of this is really good. I love the idea of a ragtag group of grannies and misfits going out and fighting the forces of evil all while maintaining the front of running a noodle shop. There's also a good mystery being set up in the first volume involving So Mun's parents and just why he's so susceptible to possession even though he's not currently in a coma. I also like that there's a diverse cast both living and dead.

The neutral: The art here is fine. It's not bad by any means, but it's not spectacular.

The bad: My biggest dislike is that all the "villains" are comically overacted. I can't imagine that school bullies would get away with so casually and blatantly physically assaulting someone enough to kill them SEVERAL times. The pacing is also an issue. It's just go go go the whole volume, but doesn't pause long enough to explain stuff or bother to set things up sufficiently. It feels like the volume is just going through the motions in terms of plot. Tragic backstory? Check. School friends? Check. Possessed by spirits and have to prevent a murder. Check.

The magic erasure of disability. This story would have been so much more complex if they had just let So Mun exist as he was. Instead, they magic away his disability and give him superpowers almost instantly so we don't have to worry about his "pesky leg". What's more, nobody in the story seems to notice or care even So Mun himself. He takes about three panels to be like "oh I can walk without a cane now" and then the subject is changed. I can kind of get over all the other flaws of the volume but this one. It's convenient to garner sympathy by showing a disabled character, but it's even more convenient to disappear that disability when the plot no longer needs it. This could probably be done in a story, but the execution here is terrible.

Food, fights, and fantasy—all wrapped up in one badass punch!

The story was good. It mainly consists of establishing the foundation and laying out the plot, which was indeed well done!

As for the art style, while it does stand out, I was not a fan. For the record, I haven't watched the K-drama yet, but man, does this make me want to—so bad.

First, I requested this book just for the cover. I love the style. At the time, I didn't know it was a webtoon or Netflix series.

While this manga was okay for me, many would love this series. The world-building was intriguing, but I believe more time could have been spent on the side characters to deepen their personal interactions. Nevertheless, I appreciated the unique style and technique and hope the characters will be further developed in the series.


Thank you to NetGalley, Jang E, Ize Press, and Yen Press for sending me an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

**ARC provided by NetGalley for honest review**

The Uncanny Counter, Vol. 1 by Jang E is a magical realism story about a young boy who gets bullied but then becomes entangled with a group of vigilantes who are possessed by strong people from the spirit realm trying to take out evil doers/demons. The story was a bit confusing for me to follow, but wasn't bad. Probably won't continue though.

2/5 Stars. The pacing of this manga is a little wonky. It jumps straight into action but then spends a fair amount telling you what’s happening versus showing. I appreciate the concept and world building of evil spirits taking advantage of a crack between the worlds to live forever and good spirits coming back to counter these evil attacks, but the plot felt predictable and the art style wasn’t necessarily for me. It felt very cartoonish and not in a way that complimented the concept. I think this has potential to be something unique and grow from here, but Vol 1 didn’t leave me wanting to read more. Thank you Yen Press, Ize Press, Jang E, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for review!

Netgalley Review

Star Rating: ★★★☆☆

Glad I read it, will probably read more.

Super simple plot line, easy to follow and easy to know where it's going.

It's not going to give you anything super special when you read it, but it's definitely one that I got done reading and didn't feel like I just wasted time of my life that I'll never get back. I got exactly what I expected and I enjoyed that fact.

Like always though, read it and decide for yourself

I have to admit this was a complete choice by cover. I am obsessed with anything blue and this cover was well, very blue.

This is a unique story and interesting concept. The story follows So Mun who experiences a tragic accident as a child, leading him to fall into a coma and with a limp in his left leg. However, the coma allows him to connect with the afterlife, Yung many years later and soon after, he gets recruited as a Counter. As Mun navigates his new life as a Counter, he tries to balance his regular life with friends and family.

Personally I felt the execution could have been better, however it has its own charm. The story begins quite choppy starting from a past flashback to present day with So Mum’s world colliding with the Counters indirectly. It’s closely followed by quite an informative session before getting to some action. The transition and flow between each part is awkward as well as the comedy and snarky remarks don’t fit in with the overall dialogue. This made it hard to connect to the characters and the story.

That said, the characters are quite fun. I liked the short representation of a disabled main character as well as So Mun’s realistic reaction to hearing about Yung and the world surrounding it. I also like So Mun’s friends because they genuinely cared about him and immediately knew something had changed with So Mun. The other Counters are interesting but I don’t know enough of them yet to form an opinion.

This story contains dark and sensitive topics both directly and indirectly. It contains but is not limited to bullying, abuse, sexual harassment, murder, death and many more. I recommend researching the trigger warnings thoroughly because I have not listed all of them.

The artwork in this manhwa feels more like a comic. It doesn’t follow the common manhwa layout and instead uses a yonkoma style panel or comic layout. It took me a while to get used to but it made reading much easier and coherent. The artwork also uses a variety of darker tones in varying colors, which makes the artwork standout.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and am looking forward to the next volume. Although the plot has a slow start, it was nice to have the information relayed early on, so as a reader we can focus on the plot going forward. I’m hoping So Mun and his friends stay safe and there are no unnecessary misunderstandings. Also, I’m excited to see some more action as So Mun continues his training as a Counter.

I really enjoyed this supernatural world of spirits and demon-fighting humans with powers. The only thing I think would’ve made it more enjoyable is if the lore behind it was presented earlier so that some of the scenes were easier to understand. Even though I was consistently interesting in the plot, I found myself confused at times and not able to fully understand until background information was given several chapters later. And I’m still a bit confused about how the territory works lol. But I liked Mun and his backstory. Maybe this’ll be addressed in future volumes, but I also really want to know if the person his parents were after - and seemingly killed by - was a demon. I felt like that would’ve really tied everything together, but it could still happen!

This one felt a little predictable to me. It follows the same basic plot of the bullied underdog suddenly gaining powers and standing up against his bullies while being thrust into an unfamiliar world. While this might not be a dealbreaker for some, for me, I would have preferred a little more originality. (Like the underdog actually standing up to the bullies before they get powers, at least. Or leaning into working around his disability instead of erasing it.) But I can see why the story is popular. There’s plenty of action and humor and worldbuilding to make it interesting.
I have to say though, for a first volume, this one didn’t catch my attention as much I would have liked. The action started off slow, a lot of the worldbuilding was a little hard to grasp, and we didn’t get to see much of Mun as a person. His character comes off as a little flat and very plot-driven. I think Mun could have used a little more character development to make us really care about him. I feel like his friend who is constantly being bullied had more character than Mun.
On the other hand, it was definitely interesting to see a more realistic art-style and the action was pretty well-done. The supporting characters were very intriguing and I definitely found myself wanting to learn more about them. Unfortunately this volume didn’t capture my attention enough for me to want to read more.
Overall, The Uncanny Counter is a fun story perfect for those who love the underdog trope, well-thought-out action, and more realistic art.
NOTE: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes only. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm not usually a fan of graphic novels/manga, so I have to be really invested to love one. This volume was mostly world building, and I found myself wanting more. This one just wasn't my jam.

I've first seen this work as K-drama and really like it so I'm probably a bit biased. The plot is mostly the same but there are a few difference I thought was better in the drama like Mun's grandmother. The evil spirits so far were really good though.
All in all it's pretty similiar so of course I liked it too.

I have watched The Uncanny Counter before (it's available on Netflix and 2 seasons are out), and omg I love it soo much! The counters are so precious, I hope they stay safe throughout the series. The artwork is so amazing, the action scenes gave me goosebumps! I'm eagerly waiting for more volumes to come out 😍