The Fall 2024 K-Comics Guide

Children of the Rune

What's It About? 

After fleeing from his home during a family feud, Boris Jineman is left with only his brother and Winterer, the family's treasured sword. But when his beloved brother sacrifices his life for him, 12-year-old Boris becomes the sole guardian of Winterer in a world where this sword is coveted by all. As Boris struggles to fend off those who are after his family blade, his heart only grows colder and stiffer. Will this young boy be able to survive this winter to reach the spring that awaits him?

Children of the Rune has a story by Minhee Jeon and art by MUNCHICKEN and Kyona, with storyboards by Mogin. English localization by Kakao Entertainment. Published by Tapas Entertainment.

Is It Worth Reading?

In a lot of ways, it feels like I read the prequel to a story before actually reading the story that I thought I was initially promised. Children of the Rune starts off by setting up our main character, Boris, as this tragic hero who had his family stripped away from him. This whole volume highlights Boris' messed up family, history and legacy, highlighting the circumstances that lead him to the place where he is when this story starts. However, while Boris is the main character of the overall title, and is the one I assume we are going to follow in the future of this narrative, he doesn't feel like the main character of these first twenty chapters. He is seen as the one observing and suffering all the consequences of his family, whether it's his brother desperately trying to keep everything together or his father dealing with the betrayal of their uncle. This is a story about too-privileged, yet innocent boys being thrown into chaos.

At first I was originally a bit disappointed that most of the story was just going to be a big flashback until I became enamored with the family drama. The dynamic between Boris' father and his uncle was fascinating, with the family split brought about by a tragic circumstance. I particularly like the foreshadowing and setup that Boris and his brother Yevgnen might be doomed to repeat the same circumstances that led to their fathers' circumstances. This is very much a story about how history truly repeats itself in the worst ways no matter how much you try to avoid it. Granted, we haven't really gotten any resolution to that foreshadowing, but I like what's here.

Honestly, the best part about this entire volume was Boris' older brother Yevgnen. I identified with him a lot and how he's being pulled into despair while trying to keep his head above water. I feel bad for these two and by the final third of the book, I was drawn to them just doing whatever they could to survive. I didn't even care about the magical sword or what it could bring because the human element is what kept bringing me back. There's a part of me that wonders if I would still enjoy the story when it returns to Boris' perspective in “present day”. On the one hand, it's impressive that I was drawn into a story that is mostly setup, but on the other hand, I worry that we will focus so much on this setup that the actual story won't be nearly as interesting. That's not a problem that we're dealing with now though and based solely on what we have here, I think it's more than enough to recommend.

This high fantasy story has quite the pedigree! The novel this manhwa is based on has more than 3 million copies in circulation in Korea, China, Thailand and Japan. It even has its own video game adaptation called TalesWeaver. In other words, this story of magic, ghosts, and intergenerational revenge is kind of a big deal! Which is why I'm sorry to say that I wasn't a fan of it at all. From its large and confusing cast of characters with scant motivations, to its rambling storyline that delves into a flashback of a flashback, Inception style, it served as a poor introduction to this epic tale.

The first chapter of Children of the Rune introduces Boris, who appears to be a child refugee. After one brief scene in the present, Boris reflects on his past for the next 15 chapters with one exception—an interlude in which his father flashes back even further to explain the bad blood between himself and his brother Boris' hateful uncle. Boris's world is bleak, with one exception: his brave older brother Yevgnen. Yevgnen is the wielder of the “Winterbottom kit,” the oddly- named sword and armor set that is their family's chief heirloom. Yevgnen is Boris' one protector, but he definitely wasn't in the sole present-day scene so I suspect even more trials for Boris ahead. Cruelty keeps the plot moving: whether it's Boris' uncle throwing him down a well unprompted, or (after the brothers escape their ancestral home) brigands harassing the brothers at an inn, there is no shortage of evil bad guys with dubious motivations. Perhaps they are all sociopaths who enjoy cruelty for cruelty's sake? Your guess is as good as mine.

I kept waiting for this story to hook me, but I spent most of my time reading it bored and confused. Perhaps because this tale has such renown and legendary status, the manhwa assumes the reader will be familiar with it, and skimps on the details. Maybe because millions of readers and TalesWeaver gamers are already familiar with the characters, settings, and storyline, the manhwa does not linger on any intrigue or mysteries that might inspire me to keep reading. The whole time I was reading, I felt like I was missing out on some critical context to help me understand what was going on. Since the title is something of a household name in its native Korea, perhaps I was right.