The Tarot Cafe, Volume 1

I picked up this Manhwa because the art was just too beautiful. I didn't even care about the story because I wanted to study Sang Sun Park's drawings to help improve my own drawing. I did enjoy the storyline and I have been scrambling to catch up all the copies up to volume 5. Volume 6 is supposed to release this month, woohoo! The story is about a mysterious and very loveable clairevoyant woman name Pamela who has opened a cafe where she reads Tarot for a host of unusual customers, from vampires to Sidhe (dark fairy folk) and tree spirits. At the same time, Pamela's interesting history is slowly unveiled. I can't tear my eyes away from all of the jaw-dropping beauties (male and female) that grace the pages.

If ever I were to name off a more under-appreciated manga series, it would be The Tarot Cafe. Each manga volume compiles several, separate stories of customers who come in to the cafe to have a tarot reading with the cafe's elusive owner, Pamela. Cleverly interwined within these highly enjoyable, smaller stories is the bigger story - the story of our heroine, Pamela, and the answers to questions such as why is she so elusive? Why does she give these tarot readings anyways? Why does she not accept money as payment and only small marble balls? What is she? In a way, it follows a formula set up by manga series such as Petshop of Horrors: little stories integrated and wound together to create a much bigger story than you or I could imagine. The little stories within The Tarot Cafe can be absolutely heart-rendering and sometimes hold more impact than a pivotal moment in a linear shoujo series. The characterization is so elusively deep that after reading a volume of The Tarot Cafe, I feel like I've just arrived from a long, full journey. Also it's nice that the manga takes a backseat to damsel-like heroines, because Pamela is anything but. The artwork on display definitely gives an added advantage. The artwork is so incredibly detailed down to the right-most eyelash. It still awe-strucks me everytime. I have only read perhaps one manga series that could rival such detail, but overall the artwork in this manga takes the cake. Every character is a model of beauty in his or her own way, the concept of which is amazing to see. This manga series really has the full package - a story riddled with mysteries but plentiful with enjoyable stories that distract you from any frustrations you might feel with the mysteries, interesting characters which double as gorgeous eye-candy, and glamorously over-the-top artwork. I would reccomend this to ANYone who reads manga, regardless of what genre they prefer, because really, anyone who reads manga can appreciate this series.

When I first picked up this book I took one look at the drawing style and layout of the pictures and put it back on the shelf. I eventually bought the first volume only because I loved Park's other series - Ark Angels I then read it and was literally blown away. Park's illustrations are the most beautiful I have seen since the Angel Sanctuary series, a mixture of gothic and art nouveau. The detail that she puts in is amazing. Every picture is stylised and lovingly crafted. The first volume is made up of short stories like Pet Shop of Horrors as described through tarot card readings. Each story is a lesson is love - full of anguish, emotion, sacrifice. For those who have read Loveless, you may love the first story about a cat demon. All characters are beautiful and sexy, but Park shows that beauty on the outside is not always reflected inside. Park pulls of the difficult task of introducing new characters in her short stories and making us care for them. Each volume gets better and better as it goes on. The second volume concentrates on the story of a werewolf boy and starts to explain the mysterious background of the tarot card reader Pamela. Volume three concentrates on a sultan who has fallen in love with his servant and Pamela's own story. The fourth explains Pamela's connection with Belus. It also has the story of a step daughter confined to an attic by her wicked step mother and the tale of a musician who has promised his soul to a sprite. With so many gorgeous guys this is definitely a manwha for girls to read. However, how much you enjoy it will depend on how much you enjoy shonen-ai. If you love it like me then you too will be addicted to this series as Park creates imaginative and heart-wrending shonen-ai stories as well as many other types of love stories. I loved this and hope you do to.

Tarot Cafe is one of the best mangas I have ever come across. Pamela is the young owner of the Tarot Cafe, set in downtown London, where customers come to have their cards read. But some customers aren't human. San-Sun Park creates delicate figures and incredibly detailed art that will have you oohing and aahing. This is a Korean manga, and the little sound effects you see are the Korean script, not Japanese. Volume One of Tarot Cafe contains three full stories and the beginning of a fourth, which is continued in Volume Two. In the first story, a special cat falls in love with a human. This story is along the lines of The Little Mermaid, and some would say it was a ripoff, but it will touch your heart nonetheless. The second story is a "tribute" (again, some will say ripoff) of Interview With a Vampire. Set in Paris, a vampire has fallen in love with a human, with tragic consequences that have carried on three hundred years into the present. Third, a sprite with an attitude seeks to lift a curse so she can return home to marry her fiancee. The last story is about a Gepetto-like alchemist. Seeking to capture the heart of a beautiful princess, he has created a living doll to entertain her. Don't delay in buying Tarot Cafe.

I absolutely love this manhwa series. The characters are original and every page is beautifully drawn and put together very well. Park has a unique style that most can't help but be drawn to. The Tarot Café, owned by Pamela, gets quite a few strange visitors, and as Pamela reads their pasts, presents, and futures, their stories flow on the pages. Many of the stories were heart-wrenching, like the first one, that of the wish-fulfilling cat. Also, the story of the alchemist and the jester was a very good one that continues into volume two. The Tarot Café is a fresh read, if you're looking for something new. Park Sang-Sun provides sumptuous artwork as well as great and straightforward stories to go along with them.