The ending is rush as if the author just want this novel to end immediately without thinking the appropriate logic of all the death of supporting characters. The MC slowly became too cocky confident for her own good that leads her to making stupid decisions.
The dynamic between ML and FL is quite intriguing. The female characters I've encountered so far make sense given the environment they're in. While one might consider the setting a bit gloomier compared to other series, I don't necessarily see a gloomy or depressing vibe. It's not accurate to label the women as depressed; they're simply being realistic. Moreover, while the environment isn't pleasant, I've seen much worse in other stories. Unless it takes a drastic turn for the worse later on, the title seems a bit mismatched with the story. The translation, as usual from this team, is excellent, and the webpage functions well, so no complaints there.
"If I wanted to, I could go anywhere... somewhere that's not here."
Undecided is the narrative of a man's journey from a challenging childhood into an adult life marked by uncertainty. This man is none other than the author himself, Byungjun Byun, who has described Undecided as "a portrait of myself." This cityscape portraiture delves into the lives of various individuals who inhabit it. The stories are often eccentric, startling, and highly imaginative. One tale features an alley cat that falls in love with a human, while another centers on a group of children calmly attempting to dissect the body of one child's sister, who has committed suicide, "like dissecting a frog." The longest of these tales exploring human nature is the second story, which combines two elements of Byungjun's character focus: a troubled child and an "old man with nowhere to stay."
The second short story focuses on the lives of a young girl and an old man, both merely going through the motions of life. We are introduced to the old man, confined in a cluttered apartment watching a seedy porn video. His life appears bleak to the reader based on what we have been presented with. There is no hint of a job, family, or any passion in this man's life. He is simply watching the clock tick, waiting for some kind of purpose to reveal itself. That or salvation. The young girl faces a different struggle. She too is lost in the empty cityscape but unlike the man, she has something else to hold on to. That something else is a desire for revenge. After witnessing the murder of someone she loved, Yeondu's world deteriorates into a bleak city life where her only motivation is revenge ("If I meet them by chance, I'll kill them. That's the only reason I'm still living"). After bumping into each other on the street corner, our two characters begin to discuss, well, life.
Yeondu tells the old man (whose name is not given) that her memories of childhood and of her friend are fading. All she remembers was that it was a happier time. The old man tells her that it's all in the past. "Could you forget your wife?" Yeondu asks. The old man replies that he has already forgotten much of who she was. All that remains is a memory of her smile. This kind of selective memory is common in human nature. We tend to idealize the past much like both the young girl and the old man have. That horrible vacation where you were sunburned and irritable becomes a relaxing getaway years later as you flip through a photo album.
"Write me a letter when you get there"
The story shifts gears when the old man declines Yeondu's request to visit him at his home. He's embarking on a journey, a final emigration to "a place we can't go together" which he calls Tahiti Island. The old man views "Tahiti" as a utopia, a warm and tranquil place far removed from the desolate city life of crumbling apartments and cheap porn videos. Of course, this man does not have the means to make a trip to the literal Tahiti. The final pages open up to a shocking conclusion. The old man has embarked on a final journey to an idealized paradise that may or may not exist.
I chose to focus mainly on the second story of Undecided because I feel that it encapsulates many of the themes presented in the other stories, particularly the damaged child; the man without a steady path to follow; the theme of power over one's own existence and the emphasis on past events rather than present. Each of the stories that make up Undecided has a new take on these issues and is strong enough to stand alone. Byungjun maintains a consistent style throughout despite the standalone nature of many of the stories. The use of cityscape as a way of conveying the desolate and harsh nature of reality, the use of symbolism, the emphasis on personal human struggle, as well as a distinctive artistic style do much to bind Undecided as a cohesive work.
Byungjun manages to successfully execute a rather personal collection of stories without totally alienating his audience. Undecided is as much a portrait of his own life as it is a narrative on human nature as a whole. While Undecided is no masterpiece of Manhwa, it is certainly an intriguing read that will leave you with much to contemplate.
Popular Reviews
Undecided is the narrative of a man's journey from a challenging childhood into an adult life marked by uncertainty. This man is none other than the author himself, Byungjun Byun, who has described Undecided as "a portrait of myself." This cityscape portraiture delves into the lives of various individuals who inhabit it. The stories are often eccentric, startling, and highly imaginative. One tale features an alley cat that falls in love with a human, while another centers on a group of children calmly attempting to dissect the body of one child's sister, who has committed suicide, "like dissecting a frog." The longest of these tales exploring human nature is the second story, which combines two elements of Byungjun's character focus: a troubled child and an "old man with nowhere to stay."
The second short story focuses on the lives of a young girl and an old man, both merely going through the motions of life. We are introduced to the old man, confined in a cluttered apartment watching a seedy porn video. His life appears bleak to the reader based on what we have been presented with. There is no hint of a job, family, or any passion in this man's life. He is simply watching the clock tick, waiting for some kind of purpose to reveal itself. That or salvation. The young girl faces a different struggle. She too is lost in the empty cityscape but unlike the man, she has something else to hold on to. That something else is a desire for revenge. After witnessing the murder of someone she loved, Yeondu's world deteriorates into a bleak city life where her only motivation is revenge ("If I meet them by chance, I'll kill them. That's the only reason I'm still living"). After bumping into each other on the street corner, our two characters begin to discuss, well, life.
Yeondu tells the old man (whose name is not given) that her memories of childhood and of her friend are fading. All she remembers was that it was a happier time. The old man tells her that it's all in the past. "Could you forget your wife?" Yeondu asks. The old man replies that he has already forgotten much of who she was. All that remains is a memory of her smile. This kind of selective memory is common in human nature. We tend to idealize the past much like both the young girl and the old man have. That horrible vacation where you were sunburned and irritable becomes a relaxing getaway years later as you flip through a photo album.
"Write me a letter when you get there"
The story shifts gears when the old man declines Yeondu's request to visit him at his home. He's embarking on a journey, a final emigration to "a place we can't go together" which he calls Tahiti Island. The old man views "Tahiti" as a utopia, a warm and tranquil place far removed from the desolate city life of crumbling apartments and cheap porn videos. Of course, this man does not have the means to make a trip to the literal Tahiti. The final pages open up to a shocking conclusion. The old man has embarked on a final journey to an idealized paradise that may or may not exist.
I chose to focus mainly on the second story of Undecided because I feel that it encapsulates many of the themes presented in the other stories, particularly the damaged child; the man without a steady path to follow; the theme of power over one's own existence and the emphasis on past events rather than present. Each of the stories that make up Undecided has a new take on these issues and is strong enough to stand alone. Byungjun maintains a consistent style throughout despite the standalone nature of many of the stories. The use of cityscape as a way of conveying the desolate and harsh nature of reality, the use of symbolism, the emphasis on personal human struggle, as well as a distinctive artistic style do much to bind Undecided as a cohesive work.
Byungjun manages to successfully execute a rather personal collection of stories without totally alienating his audience. Undecided is as much a portrait of his own life as it is a narrative on human nature as a whole. While Undecided is no masterpiece of Manhwa, it is certainly an intriguing read that will leave you with much to contemplate.