Banya: Volume 1

Banya or to give it its full title 'Banya: The Explosive Delivery Man' is a fantasy adventure created by Kim Young-oh. It is the only manhwa that I own and while it is technically not a manga I still count it as part of my collection.

I first encountered Banya four years ago while I was browsing my local comic book store. They were having a stock clearance sale and I love a bargain so when I saw that the complete set of Banya being sold for the princely sum of £8 I had to buy it. I felt pretty confident that I'd got a good deal as it is a Dark Horse series who consistently licence quality titles. When I got home I read through all five volumes in one sitting and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. At the time I thought it was possibly the best £8 I had spent in a long time. The question is, how does it hold up to a reread?

The story follows the trials and tribulations of the eponymous Banya, who is essentially a post man, as he carries out his work delivering messages to clients. The plot of this first book flows very nicely and its easily digestible. I think I finished it in about forty minutes. Its pretty action packed and surprisingly violent but there are enough slower scenes so it feels balanced. I do like the characters in this series, they have an energy about them that makes them feel quite real and I think Kim's use of comedy really helped me to form a connection with them. Banya is a good lead for the story, I like his cheeky nature and the obvious enjoyment he gets from his work.

The art is very slick, it has a distinctly different look to Japanese art, its clean lines and character design make each page exciting to look at. For me the stand out element for this manhwa are the monsters. Kim has created some fantastic beasts to populate his world, I particularly liked the Gabble, a reptilian scavenger that hunts in packs. The giant hound was also impressive and so much more interesting than a wolf or a bear.

My only gripe is the dialogue. Its full of colloquialisms and slang terms which to me felt a little forced and, considering the setting, quite anachronistic. I don't know if it was like that in the original or whether it was a decision made by the translators but its a bit annoying. Still it doesn't effect the way the story plays out so its not really a problem.

Does Banya hold up to being reread? Yes, I think it does and I'm looking forward to reading more tomorrow.