Results Of The Ragnarok Manhwa Poll

I added a poll from Opinion Stage to this post where I reviewed the Ragnarok: Into The Abyss (#ad) manhwa by Myung Jin-Lee. Said manhwa is not that bad. It's got a lot of pros, but it also has lots of cons. You can check out the many posts I've published about this graphic novel on this blog.

Anyway, for reasons I'll talk about in another post on another one of my blogs, I've decided to replace this poll with one from another site (that website is SurveyMonkey) instead.

This is Fenris Fenrir, one of the good things about the Ragnarok manhwa. It's really too bad she's only a supporting character. Seriously, she should have been the main character. She's way better than Chaos, the actual protagonist of this story

The review was published on Friday, May 30, 2014 at 7:25 AM, but I hadn't joined Opinion Stage until years later. Even then, since I've been busy with a lot of things, it was only on July 09, 2016 that I was able to create this poll on Opinion Stage.

On my dashboard on the Opinion Stage site, the statistics page for this poll looks like this:

This is the new poll for the Ragnarok manhwa review post is what I'd like to say, however, I've decided to create a ratings widget instead, so, here, have a look at it:


The poll choices I'd made for this graphic novel is pretty much the same as rating something from 1 to 5, isn't it? So I thought rating it by stars would be better. There's even an option to share your opinion on the textbox provided. You can also feel free to share your thoughts via the Disqus comments section at the end of this post. I'll be adding this widget to the review post as well, so you can check it out here or there. Personally, my rating for this manhwa is 2 out of 5 stars. What about you? What do you think about it?

*Notes:
- First pic is the cover of Volume 4 of the Ragnarok manhwa from Amazon.com; link shown above
- The rest of the pics are screenshots from my Opinion Stage account

Ragnarok: Into The Abyss Manhwa Review

What can be said about the Ragnarok: Into The Abyss manhwa by Myung Jin-Lee?

Should this series be recommended? What review rating can be given to this comic?

This is a review for all 10 volumes of the manhwa series. However, this will only be a collated overview of the entire series.

The things mentioned here are discussed in greater detail in the many other articles about Ragnarok: Into The Abyss, which you can find by checking out this tag. With that out of the way, let's get started with the review.

First of all, the Ragnarok series is not that bad. It's actually a pretty okay graphic novel, but it's not perfect. It's far from perfect actually and it's not without its flaws. Let's take a look at some of the comic's pros and cons (in no particular order).

Pros:

1. Awesome Art

Seriously, the art in this manhwa is really very good. The characters are all very nicely-drawn including the sceneries and landscapes and the like. Simply put, the comic is nice to look at thanks to its awesome art.

2. Interesting Storyline / Plot

The woman in this image
is Fenris Fenrir, arguably one
of the best characters in the
Ragnarok manhwa

The storyline or plot of the graphic novel is quite interesting.

The fact that it's based on Norse Mythology just makes it all the more fascinating. This is especially the case for all those who find reading about Norse Mythology appealing.

For mythology fans, that's one good reason to want to read this manhwa.

But even those who aren't really into mythology or don't really know anything about said topic can still enjoy this comic if they like fantasy, magic and fight scenes.

3. Some Good Characters

There are some good characters with appealing personalities that just make readers root for them and want to get to know them more. Examples would be Fenris Fenrir, Loki, Frigg and the Norns (Urd, Verdandi, Skuld).

The aforementioned characters are all very likable that it really makes one wish there were more scenes involving or featuring these people. It also makes one wish that we got to know them even more.

4. Good Magic System

The graphic novel has a pretty cool magic system. There are a lot of different spells and rituals and weapons and the like as characters show off their moves and fight against each other. It makes those interested in these kinds of things want to find out more about the magic system in the comic and learn how it works.

Cons:

1. Pages Of Art And No Dialogue

Pages of no dialog disrupt the
flow of the story, bringing the
plot to a stand still

Yes, I know. I just said that the manhwa's art was awesome and it is. That hasn't changed at all.

But who says that you can't enjoy both the comic's art and plot at the same time?

Readers can still appreciate the graphic novel's finely-drawn art even with dialogue blocking some of the drawings.

So there should be no reason why there has to be many pages where we see nothing but art and more art (such as sceneries and landscape shots and even fight scenes) with no words being spoken, and, sometimes, with nothing much happening at all.

All this does is bring the plot to a stand still and annoy readers who want to know what happens next already without all these unnecessary and needless interruptions.

2. Prolonged And Never-Ending Fight Scenes

Those who like fight scenes might not see this as a con unless they also don't like prolonged fight scenes that never seem to end.

There's definitely a lot of that in the Ragnarok series. Many fight scenes take so long to end that it also brings the story to a stand still because the plot isn't advanced as we focus on nothing but fights between the characters.

This can annoy those who just want the fight to end already, so we can move on with the plot.

Examples of very long fight scenes include the one between Loki, Chaos and Skurai as well as the one between Chaos and Himmelmez.

3. Telling Instead Of Showing

There are many instances in the manhwa where there was more telling instead of showing, and, sometimes, all telling and no showing. There are times where we get told things in the previews or the summaries or the 'story so far' instead of in the comic proper itself.

For example, we are told about the shards of Ymir's Heart and how Freya wants this and how she sent Himmelmez to get this in one of the comic's previews and summaries. Things like that should be introduced and showed to us when we're reading the graphic novel itself, not told in this way because it ruins the flow of the story.

4. Some Annoying Characters

Not all characters are awesome and likable, unfortunately. There are some that can be quite annoying at times and some that are not exactly likable.

For example, Iris Irine can act childish and immature at times pretty much most of the time and she can be quite really unlikable. She likes clinging to Chaos and acting like such a brat.

But then there are a few times where she shows that she's actually capable of being mature and even likable such as when she shows off her skills and abilities, making one wonder as to the reason for this inconsistency.

5. Some Confusing Parts

Yes, the plot's pretty interesting, but it's also true that there are many confusing things about it.

There are many things that we wonder about and want to know about, but these things aren't explained to us clearly and some aren't explained to us at all.

For example, we know that Freya is supposed to be the bad guy, but we don't know why she has to be the villain and antagonist and why she's doing what she's doing.

The events that happened 1000 years ago keep being alluded to and there are some explanations, but it's still very much a mystery as to what exactly happened during that time. One thing is for sure though: the Freya in the Ragnarok manhwa is very much different from the goddess Freya in Norse Mythology.

Of course, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that since the comic is only loosely based on mythology anyway. It's perfectly fine even if the characters are different from their counterparts (like Freya being the villain). The problem is that Ragnarok doesn't explain anything to us like we're just expected to go with the fact that Freya's the villain and that's that.

6. Instances Of Deus Ex Machina

There are quite a number of scenes in the Ragnarok series that can be classified as or said to be deus ex machina and that's not a good thing at all.

A deus ex machina makes scenes unbelievable and even contrived.

An example is when Sara Irine was the one who ended up defeating both Bijou and Himmelmez even though she was supposed to be on their side.

This seemed to have come from out of nowhere since the main characters were losing against their opponents and probably would have been soundly beaten had it not been for the appearance and interference of a deus ex machina in the form of the aforementioned Valkyrie.

7. Incomplete / Unfinished Series

Ragnarok: Into The Abyss consists of 10 volumes, but, even with that many volumes, the series remains incomplete and unfinished, unfortunately.

While some may not mind that the series isn't complete, others will surely want closure and will want to know how the conflict is resolved and how the story ends.

It's too bad that we get nothing but a cliffhanger because Volume 10 ends in one.

The entire series just abruptly stops and it doesn't look like it will ever be continued, at least not anytime soon. It's quite disappointing, really, no?

Review Rating

Ragnarok: Into The Abyss Manhwa
Reviewed by Freya Yuki on May 30, 2014
Rating: 2

Overall, I give the Ragnarok: Into The Abyss manhwa series a 2 out of 5 stars (below average). The comic could have been so much better, but, then again, it could have been worse. It has its pros, but it also has a lot of cons, which led to its low score.

The fact that the series is unfinished and incomplete also added to its low rating.

Truthfully, the graphic novel had a bit of a rough start, but things seemed to go pretty well and it wasn't that bad at all as the story was quite enjoyable though its inconsistencies and flaws lessened that a bit.

However, things seemed to go downhill when the Himmelmez arc ended and some of the characters had a makeover where their clothes and even hairstyles were changed.

With that, it seemed like the comic itself underwent a makeover and it wasn't for the best.

Again, for more details, you can check out the Ragnarok tags. The rest of the articles on this series discusses everything else in great detail including what the problems might be, what could be wrong with some scenes, the instances of deus ex machina in the comics, etc. So, what about you? How would you rate this series? Do you agree with the given rating? Why or why not?


*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by Friedrich Wilhelm Heine (Public Domain) from Wikimedia Commons
- Pic shows Ragnarok happening in Norse Mythology, which the aforementioned manhwa series is loosely based on
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget

6 Anime You'll Think About When Reading Ragnarok Manhwa

What anime can you be reminded of when or while you're reading Ragnarok: Into The Abyss manhwa? Why would you be reminded of these anime?

Before we take a look at the anime that you might end up thinking about or remembering when reading the aforementioned comic, let's take note of a few things first.

While several anime and the graphic novel may have their similarities, this doesn't necessarily mean they copied each other or something because, in spite of whatever similarities they may have, they're still quite different from each other anyway.

Moreover, just because you can think of a certain anime while reading a certain part of the manhwa, this doesn't mean that you'll be reminded of said anime all the time.

Sometimes, you'll only be reminded of an anime when you encounter a particular scene or event in the graphic novel that can be similar or likened to an event or scene in another series.

At other times, it could even be just one single term being mentioned that would get you to think about another anime, which might have used the same term in the same or in a similar way or context.

Furthermore, this also depends on what anime you've already watched or heard of since you can't be reminded of something you've never even heard of yet. With all that out of the way, let's now take a look at some of the anime that you can think about when reading the Ragnarok series.

1. Full Metal Alchemist

Volume 8 of the graphic novel tells us about the character known as Skrymir who is, apparently, a homunculus.

When I heard that word, I was immediately reminded of the homunculus that appears in the anime series called Full Metal Alchemist (FMA).

In that series, the homunculi are the result of a failed human transmutation. They are created when an alchemist tries to bring someone back from the dead and fails.

An example of a homunculus in FMA is Sloth. She was born or was created after Edward Elric tried to return his mother from the dead. If you're wondering what else the Ragnarok homunculus has in common with the FMA homunculus other than their names, well, keep wondering. It's unlikely that we'll ever find out but, as this is discussed in the post about Skrymir, let's not talk about this now.

2. Pokémon

In Volume 9 of the graphic novel, we are told that Skrymir is now a golem (yeah, don't ask me how that happened; apparently the comic can't make up its mind or something).

Anyway, when I read that Skrymir was now a golem, I immediately got reminded of Pokémon, specifically the Pokémon known as Golem.

Golem is a rock and ground-type Pokémon. This one starts out as a Geodude then evolves into a Graveler before finally becoming a Golem, its final form.

The 2 golems from the 2 series don't really look all that alike though. Did you also get reminded of the Golem Pokémon when you heard that Skrymir in Ragnarok manhwa is also a golem?

3. InuYasha / Inu-Yasha

The preview for Volume 5 that appears at the end of Volume 4 of the Ragnarok manhwa is where we are first introduced to Ymir's Heart. This thing is said to be the lifeforce of Midgard.

Apparently, this can also ensure that Freya's reign will last for another thousand years, which is why she sent one of her followers, Himmelmez, to retrieve this heart for her.

The summary in Volume 5 gives us some more information about the heart. Midgard was apparently created from Ymir's Heart. Then it was scattered all over the world in shards and pieces.

Freya wants the heart for herself because its power will help her control the world and let her be its supreme ruler for a long time. So Freya sends 3 of her followers, Himmelmez, Bijou and Sara Irine, to Prontera where one of the shards or pieces of Ymir's Heart is located.

Of course, Chaos and the rest of the main characters just so happen to be in Prontera and they do their best to protect the heart piece. A fight ensues and it ends with the bad guys getting one of the heart shards. Now our heroes will have to travel around Midgard to locate the other pieces in order to prevent Freya from getting her hands on them and using it for her evil purposes.

Doesn't this particular event or scene seem somewhat familiar to you? If you've watched the Inu-Yasha or InuYasha anime series, then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Replace Ymir's Heart with the Shikon No Tama and you'll see the similarities between these two items. Both are very powerful, are wanted by many different people and are scattered in pieces all over the world.

The Shikon No Tama or the Jewel of Four Souls or the Sacred Jewel is a magical and powerful jewel that exists in the world of the InuYasha series.

Certain events happening led to the jewel, not only being shattered into millions of shards and pieces, but also scattering to the four corners of the world. The protagonists, consisting of Inu-Yasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango and Shippo (not counting Kirara), travel around in order to collect all of the Shikon shards and prevent the main villain, Naraku, from obtaining the jewel for himself.

In the same way, the main characters of Ragnarok, consisting of Chaos, Fenris Fenrir, Loki, Lidia and Iris Irine, also travel around Midgard, to look for the pieces of Ymir's Heart and stop the main antagonist, Freya, from getting her hands on the heart.

4-6. Flame Of Recca, Yu Yu Hakusho, Hunter X Hunter

Numbers 4 to 6 are listed together because one single event in the Ragnarok series reminded me of these 3 anime. What is this scene exactly? And how can one scene remind one of so many anime?

In Volume 8, the protagonists arrive in Geffen, the City of Magic. We then find out that there is going to be a Festival of Magic.

Thanks to that, all the shops except the inns and booths will be closed, leaving our heroes stranded in this city, unable to leave and head to their destination.

The festival will last for half a month. Obviously, the main characters can't wait that long and would like to leave the city as soon as possible.

Fortunately, there is going to be a Tournament of Magic. In this tournament, only magic can be used by the fighters. The winner will get many prizes (exact prizes have not been specified) and, apparently, one of the prizes can help Chaos and the others with their transportation problem. And that's the reason why Fenris Fenrir is made to join the Tournament of Magic.

Volume 9 is where we see the tournament and Fenris battling against other people and showing us readers just how cool and awesome she is with the way she fights and wins against her opponents.

In the anime series Flame of Recca (Rekka no Hono), there is also a tournament known as the Ura Butō Satsujin.

The main characters, including Recca Hanabishi, Fūko Kirisawa, Domon Ishijima, Tokiya Mikagami, Kaoru Koganei, join and fight in this tournament using magical items known as madōgu (psychic devices).

In this tournament, we saw many different kinds of cool psychic devices and awesome fight scenes between the resident heroes and their opponents.

The anime series Yu Yu Hakusho also has a tournament known as the Dark Tournament (Ankoku Bujutsukai or the Dark Martial Arts Association).

In this tournament, teams of humans and demons fight against each other. The team who wins gets any wish they want.

The protagonists, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei and Genkai, join this tournament and are collectively referred to as Team Urameshi.

As can be expected, they fight a lot of fierce battles but they are eventually declared as the winners of this tournament. Again, as with the other anime with tournaments, there are a lot of really cool fight scenes in this one and we get to see the heroes showcase their abilities and amazing fighting styles.

The anime Hunter x Hunter is similar to the aforementioned series in that there is also a tournament involved however they're not really all that similar.

Being in need of money and some training, Gon and Killua, 2 of the main characters in the series, head to what is known as the Heavens Arena (Tenkū Tōgijō).

This is a place where fighters and martial artists and all those who want to fight and earn some money gather. People fight matches and, if they win, they get the prize money and advance to the next level. Of course, that's easier said than done since many of the best fighters and those that are expert Nen users gather in this place to fight.

In the anime, we see Gon and Killua learning Nen, strengthening their skills and engaging in battles where they showcase what they learned and show how cool and amazing they really are, all the while also earning some money.

These are just some of the anime that you might think about while reading the Ragnarok manhwa. What do you think of all these other series? Do you like them? What other anime or manga can you think about when reading Ragnarok: Into The Abyss?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by Rusembell, CC:BY from deviantArt
- The similarities between the two figures in the image are meant to represent the similarities that can sometimes be found in different anime series
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget
- Last 2 images are also from Amazon.com; links shown above

Why Does Ragnarok Manhwa Like Telling Instead Of Showing?

This post is also known as 'the evolution and devolution of the summaries and previews of Ragnarok: Into The Abyss'.

What does that mean exactly? What are some examples of the manhwa telling instead of showing?

There are actually many times in the graphic novel wherein we are told a lot of things instead of being shown.

It really makes you wonder why the comic loves to tell us all about its plot rather than make things more believable by showing us what happened instead. What's wrong with showing us plot-related events? This is certainly more preferable than being told what happened and then being expected to believe that that is what happened just because the graphic novel said so.

The sad thing is that the comic doesn't do this all the time. There are times when the manhwa actually succeeds in making things believable by showing things to us, which proves that it is quite capable of showing, so why can't it show all the time?

Let's take a look at some of the summaries and previews of the graphic novel and see which ones did more telling than showing.

Volume 5 preview

The preview for Volume 5 that appears at the end of Volume 4 can be classified as telling. This is because this is where we are introduced to Himmelmez for the very first time. She was never mentioned in the previous volumes and yet, instead of properly introducing her to us, the preview does the introductions by telling us that she's a Valkyrie and necromancer working for Freya, the main villain/antagonist.

So, the first time we actually see her in the comic, we wouldn't even have to be surprised anymore since we already know a lot about her.

That's not an exaggeration either because this preview really goes out of its way to tell us all about Himmelmez.

Aside from telling us what she is and who she's working for, we're also told that she's going to be attacking Prontera. We even find out that she apparently has a flying fortress.

As if that wasn't enough, this is also where the pieces of Ymir's Heart are introduced as we're told that Freya has ordered Himmelmez to obtain the shards for her because, apparently, this will ensure that she can rule the world for another thousand years. How that is supposed to work, we don't know, which is a surprise, really, since it seems like the preview doesn't care if it reveals entire plot points to us.

The introduction of Himmelmez and the Heart of Ymir shouldn't have been done in this preview since these 2 were never foreshadowed in any of the previous volumes. It would have been better if we first find out about these two only after encountering them while reading the manhwa.

This preview could have gone much better if we weren't told about things that we've never heard of before. In the first place, these 2 topics have absolutely nothing to do with the ending of Volume 4.

The fourth volume ends in a cliffhanger since we're still in the middle of the fight scene between Loki, Chaos and Skurai. The preview could have given us a teaser of some sort such as making us wonder who will win the fight or if Chaos will be able to save the little girl that got in the way of the fight.

Volume 6 preview

In contrast to the disaster that was the preview for Volume 5, the preview for Volume 6 that appears at the end of the fifth volume is not that bad at all, certainly not when compared to the aforementioned disastrous preview.

In this preview for the 6th Volume, we get that Iris Irine and Fenris Fenrir will team up to battle against Bijou while Chaos and Loki will work together to deal with Himmelmez.

Since this is what we just read about in Volume 5, this makes for a good teaser, enticing the readers to want to find out what will happen next.

The mention of blood being spilled from both sides also makes us wonder who will win as this could actually pertain to either the heroes or the antagonists.

The one thing that this preview could have omitted was the mention that the "prodigal daughter will return". This has nothing to do with the previous volume and appears to have come from out of nowhere, so much so that it ends up jarring what would otherwise be a pretty good preview.

The prodigal daughter might refer to Sara Irine, but why would she be known as that? She's never been called by this before, so why start now and why tell us now when the comic could have just shown us?

Volume 8 preview

The preview for Volume 8 that appears at the end of Volume 7 brings us to yet another telling as what appears to be the entire plot of the 8th volume is revealed to us before we even get started reading said graphic novel.

For starters, exactly why does this particular preview feel the need to tell us that Lidia will be joining the group again?

Why can't the comic just let us be surprised when this happens instead of telling us about this now? Well, at least we're not told how they will meet with Lidia again (small consolation, that).

This revelation doesn't even make any sense right now because the end of Volume 7 has nothing to do with Lidia, so how could we be told that she will appear in Volume 8?

Volume 7 is the end of the extremely long fight scene between the main characters and the antagonists and yet the preview for Volume 8 is telling us about things that have nothing to do with that.

We're told that the heroes will be riding on an airship and Freya will send some of her minions to cause them trouble. But why tell us all of this now? We could have been given a teaser instead.

After all, considering Chaos and the others are the main characters, it's pretty obvious that none of them will be permanently incapacitated any time soon and that the bad guys won't really win against them. So, it's really like we pretty much know what will happen in Volume 8 without needing to read said manhwa.

Volume 9 preview

At least the preview for Volume 9 that appears at the end of Volume 8 is not that bad though it is still telling. We do know that there is an elven archer since we just saw her in the 8th volume, but was it really necessary to give us her name in the preview? We're told that this elven archer is apparently named Reina, but why tell us this now?

Why couldn't we have just found out about this when we read the 9th volume? Besides the main characters don't even know her name yet.

Speaking of what else the main characters don't know yet, they also don't know that Reina is apparently one of the last of her kind and yet the preview readily reveals this to us for some unknown reason.

We're even told what her motive for attacking the heroes is - apparently she wants to protect her people's legacy even if it means fighting the good guys. But what's the need to tell us all of this now?

What's wrong with having the readers discover this tidbit of information at the same time as the protagonists? Can't we find out about all of this later on when we read Volume 9? Geffen and Alfheim were mentioned too, but the good thing about this is how the preview is asking us what secrets can be discovered in these places.

Another good thing is how the mention of these places didn't actually come from out of nowhere since these 2 appeared in Volume 8. This serves as a pretty good teaser to make readers curious and want to find out more about these places. The preview also says something about Skurai, but it's vague enough that it sounds like a teaser. Asking questions helps so it doesn't come across as telling us stuff.

Volume 10 preview

The best preview of the series is the one for Volume 10, which appears at the end of Volume 9, and there is no sarcasm to those words.

The preview for Volume 10 really is the best precisely because there is no telling at all. All we get is a very good teaser with lots of questions about Skurai.

The preview hints that we will soon find out about his past and whatever we will find may be shocking and surprising.

There is even a mention of Talatsu, Skurai's cursed sword, as well as the question of what the swordsman has to do with this sword. All-in-all, this particular preview is very intriguing indeed and makes readers want to read the tenth volume just to find out what will happen.

This is how it should have been for all of the previews. It's really unfortunate that this is the last preview we get to see since the manhwa unexpectedly ends in Volume 10. What are your thoughts on the many summaries and previews of the Ragnarok series? Which one do you like best? Which one did you like the least?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki (CC:BY-SA) based on the image by hayashinomura, CC:BY-SA from deviantArt
- Image is meant to symbolize telling instead of showing - if we're talking about a graphic novel, instead of telling us that the the figures in the image are getting married, we should be shown that they're getting married as well as why and how they're getting married and other such relevant details
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget
- Last image is also from Amazon.com; link shown above

What's Wrong With Frigg's Clue To Find Loki (Ragnarok Manhwa)?

The main characters of Ragnarok: Into The Abyss manhwa are tasked to find someone with their only clue being that this person is "human and not". What could possibly be wrong with said clue?

In Volume 3 of the graphic novel, the Norse queen of the gods and the mother of Balder, the goddess Frigg, shows up to talk to both Chaos and Fenris Fenrir.

As the trio talk, we find out that, apparently, the fate of the world rests on Chaos' shoulders and that he's the only one capable of saving said world.

Why this is the case, I have no idea. But, apparently and supposedly, this is his destiny. Yeah, right (insert eye-roll here?). Let's just forget that for now and get back to what this post is about.

So, Frigg then says that before the main characters can get started with their quest, they first need to "find the one who is both human and not". The protagonists have no idea who this could possibly be. But the readers know that this statement refers to Loki thanks to the very helpful image of said assassin that appears right beside those words.

However, even if we know who the words refer to, we still don't know exactly how and why this is the case. Why is he considered the one who is human and not? How can he be both human and not? I suppose we'll just have to wait to find out when we get to that part of the story.

Well, that's what I would like to say, but, unfortunately, we got to the part of the plot where this should have been explained (when Loki meets up with Chaos and the others and ends up joining their party and it's revealed that he's the one they're looking for) and there is no explanation at all.

This point is simply overlooked and glossed over, practically forgotten as no one bothers to question Loki.

Let's just go back to the trio's conversation before this baffles us further.

Frigg adds that they need to find this person because he's necessary for their success and survival, implying that the heroes will fail in their quest without this guy.

Frigg then says that she wishes she can say more, but, apparently, for some unknown reason, she just can't. Yeah, very believable, no?

Chaos then asks his mother how they can possibly find the one who is human and not. Frigg's answer is simply the word 'west'. Very helpful, no?

With Frigg's departure, the only thing our heroes are left with are the clues that they're supposed to head west. And therein lies the problem. Seriously, look at those supposed clues.

How can anyone even classify those as clues, much less helpful and useful clues? Let's start with the 'head west' clue. While it's good that the main characters don't have to search the entire world, the west isn't exactly a small area.

Frigg didn't even give them an address, just a general direction. How can that help them?

They could traverse the entirety of the western area of the world, but if they don't know exactly who they're looking for, well, how can they find that person then?

And that brings us to the 'human and not' clue. This might be the worst clue of them all. How are they expected to find Loki with such a clue?

It's not like the guy will be walking around with a sign helpfully informing our heroes who he is. What, are the protagonists going to walk around and ask everyone that they come across if said person is the one who is human and not?

Even if they get a response from people with such a question, how will they know that that person is telling the truth? You know that there's something really wrong with the clues and that said clues are really useless when you have one of the main characters agreeing with you.

In Volume 4 of the manhwa, Chaos, Fenris Fenrir and Iris Irine arrive in the city of Prontera. The trio have no idea how or even where to start looking for the one who is human and not. Fenris herself says, "I wish Frigg could have given us more of a clue" and "we don't even know what he looks like". That is exactly the point and the problem.

So, with such clues, how did you think they were going to find Loki? What did you think was going to happen? To say the next scene was rather disappointing would be putting it mildly, to say the least.

With such less-than-helpful clues, it's no wonder that we had to have a deus ex machina in order to have the trio meet up with Loki. Perhaps that's the only term that can be used to describe what happened next. Why, you ask?

It's because the protagonists didn't even have a hard time finding the guy. You think they would have had a hard time especially considering the clues (if you could even call them that) they've been given.

But no. Instead of having a hard time, the person they're looking for is practically handed to them in a silver platter. That's how easily they were able to find him. And the whole 'human and not' clue didn't even factor into it. Or, to be more precise, that's how easily Loki found them.

If he hadn't found them, they most likely never would have been able to find him, not with such useless clues. But, if you really look at it, even the way the assassin found Chaos and the others could be said to be questionable and bordering on deus ex machina (actually, maybe it is really deus ex machina).

This is because of how easily he found the main characters; he didn't have reliable clues either. But that's discussed in another post, so, if you're interested, just check out the tags below and/or this post.

Anyway, Loki easily found Chaos just by seeing the symbol on the back of the latter's shirt. So, how ridiculous does that sound? After all, anyone could wear shirts with that symbol, no?

Besides, for all Loki knew, maybe Chaos just bought that shirt somewhere or maybe Chaos borrowed that from someone or something.

What do you think? Do you think that Frigg should have given the main characters useful and reliable clues in order to find Loki? Were you disappointed at how Chaos and the others met up with the assassin? What do you think is the meaning of the clue that Loki is both human and not?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki (CC:BY-SA) based on the image by MizuSasori, CC:BY-SA from deviantArt
- Image is meant to represent the mystery of the identity of the one who is human and not because the figure in said image is wearing a mask
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget
- Last image is also from Amazon.com; link shown above

Who Is Himmelmez In Ragnarok: Into The Abyss Manhwa?

This post is also known as the 'real and true identity of Himmelmez' and 'make up your mind already'. What exactly is so confusing about this character from Ragnarok: Into The Abyss manhwa?

Himmelmez is first mentioned in the preview for Volume 5, which appears at the end of Volume 4 of the graphic novel.

Yes, this is where we are introduced to a new character since Himmelmez was never even mentioned, much less alluded to, before this particular preview.

Why she couldn't be properly introduced to us in the story itself, I suppose we'll never know. Anyway, the Volume 5 preview tells us that Himmelmez is apparently both a necromancer and a Valkyrie. She's also one of the goddess Freya's followers. Said goddess sent her to Prontera to get the shard of Ymir's Heart. But how exactly does that work? How can you be both at the same time?

It doesn't even seem like the two jobs are compatible with each other considering how different they are. What adds to the confusion is how we are told that Himmelmez apparently commands the armies of Niflheim. How and why are the most important questions to ask about that supposed fact because it doesn't make sense at all.

In Norse Mythology, Niflheim is one of the Nine Worlds that is connected to Yggdrasil, the World Tree. This place is the equivalent of the underworld, hell or afterlife in other mythologies.

The goddess called Hel is the ruler of Niflheim. She's the Norse equivalent of the Greek god Hades. So, if anyone is to be the commander of the armies of Niflheim, it couldn't possibly be anyone else but its ruler, Hel.

If Himmelmez is Hel and has command
over the armies of Niflheim, then why
would she work for Freya?

Himmelmez couldn't and shouldn't have been able to command the armies of a realm she has no control or power over.

In the first place, we don't even know who this woman really is. Could she possibly be Hel? That would explain why she can control the armies of Niflheim.

But, if she is Hel, then why would she work for Freya? Hel is the ruler and commander of Niflheim. She doesn't work for anyone.

She is the one who makes all the rules and decisions regarding the dead and her realm. No one else but her has jurisdiction over the place she governs.

Even the other Norse gods and goddesses have to adhere to her decisions when it concerns her abode and those who are brought there. For example, when the god Balder (or Baldr) died, Frigg, his mother and the queen of the gods, sent someone to Niflheim to speak to Hel and ask her to let Balder return to them.

They couldn't just take Balder back, not without Hel's permission because he was in her abode and it was her decision on what to do. Hel eventually agreed to let Balder return to Asgard, the realm of the gods, but only if everyone and everything in the world will shed tears for him.

Unfortunately for Balder, all but one cried for him and so he was unable to return. This is why it would never make sense for Himmelmez to have power over Niflheim's armies unless she is actually Hel, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

If this is something that is actually not based in Norse Mythology (since the comic is only loosely based on said mythology), then this should have been clarified to the readers so that those who know about mythology will not end up getting confused with statements that don't seem to make any sense at all.

Anyway, let's just move on to Volume 5, not that this part is any better or less confusing than the aforementioned scene.

In the part of the manhwa wherein we see Sara Irine and Himmelmez talking, the Valkyrie refers to Himmelmez as a life-eater.

But what does that mean? Does it mean anything or is this just some sort of nickname that Sara decides to call Himmelmez?

And what happened to Himmelmez being a necromancer and Valkyrie? Why is she only referred to as a life-eater here? What adds to the confusion and strangeness of the matter is how this is the first and last time we hear the term life-eater.

After that statement from Sara, we never hear this being said ever again. It's almost as if it had never even been said in the first place because no one makes mention of this again. Odd, strange and confusing don't even begin to cover or properly describe that particular scene, so let's just move on to the next scene in Volume 5 that makes us ask a multitude of questions.

This part is where we see one of Himmelmez's followers referring to her as the Dark Valkyrie. What does that mean exactly? So, are there Light Valkyries now? What's the difference between the 2 then? If that term doesn't mean anything, then why bother saying it? And what happened to Himmelmez also being a necromancer?

How come she's only referred to as a Valkyrie now and not a necromancer? Things get even more confusing when we get to the summary at the back of Volume 6 as Himmelmez is now referred to solely as a necromancer as well as being one of Freya's generals. There's no mention of her being a Valkyrie, but why not?

Even the story so far of Volume 6 and Volume 7 refer to her as only being a necromancer. What happened to her also being a Valkyrie? What exactly is she supposed to be?

First, she's both a necromancer and a Valkyrie. Then she's a life-eater. Then she becomes a Dark Valkyrie. Now, she's just a necromancer. Why can't this graphic novel make up its mind?

Not confused or miffed enough yet? Take another look at Volume 7 then, specifically the fight scene between Chaos and Himmelmez.

Let's not talk about how this scene lasted way too long and how Himmelmez took way too long to get rid of Chaos even though it was clear that she was more powerful, considering how the main character's attacks easily kept getting deflected as that would just frustrate us more because, honestly, what was Himmelmez waiting for? Why is she taking so much time in trying to off Chaos? It's like she's waiting to lose or something.

Himmelmez's words to Chaos is probably more than enough frustration for one post. She says, "I am the daughter of death in living form."

What does that even mean? And how exactly does that work? Why does death have a daughter? Even if death has a daughter, why would the child be mortal? Shouldn't the child be like death?

Himmelmez apparently has aspects of mortal life, but, with the heart of Ymir, she can apparently become immortal. How that is supposed to work, we don't know as the woman never bothers to tell us.

She even says that there's no earthly weapon that can harm her. She also apparently devours the souls of others, what she calls their life force and this is supposedly where she gets her strength, not that any of that makes any sense at all.

But all of that is yet another indication that Himelmez is much, much more powerful than Chaos, so much so that it really makes one wonder exactly what she is waiting for. Why hasn't she defeated the protagonist yet when it's really clear that she can easily do this? What do you think? What's your theory on who and what Himmelmez really is?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki (CC:BY-SA) based on the image by hayashinomura, CC:BY-SA from deviantArt
- Image is meant to represent the mysteriousness surrounding the identity of Himmelmez - because the figure in said image is facing away, no one can tell who she might be
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget
- Last image is also from Amazon.com; link shown above

Who Exactly Is Freya In Ragnarok Manhwa?

This post is also known as "why is Freya the villain / antagonist / bad guy in Ragnarok: Into The Abyss manhwa?" What could be wrong with the aforementioned being the case?

Aside from being the name of a character in the comic, Freya is also the name of a goddess in Norse Mythology.

But since the graphic novel is loosely based on Norse Mythology, it's not such a surprise to know about this. It's just like how the characters of Loki, Balder, Fenris Fenrir and Frigg, among many others in the manhwa, also share the names of mythological figures.

However, the keyword here is 'loosely,' so it's only to be expected that there are many differences between these characters regardless of the fact that they share the same name. In some cases, the only similarity between these people are the names they share. The same can be said for the two Freyas in question.

In Norse Mythology, Freya is associated with many things including being the goddess of love and beauty. For this reason, she can be said to be the counterpart of the Greek goddess Aphrodite and the Roman goddess Venus. She is also known as Freyja and she's got a brother named Freyr.

In contrast to all that, in the Ragnarok manhwa series, Freya is said to be the bad guy, the antagonist, the villain. When I first heard that that was the case, I had to wonder exactly why it had to be that way because there doesn't seem to be anything at all in mythology that would indicate or paint said goddess as an antagonist.

In fact, there are some sources that paint her or view her as a good person who protects the weak, who helps out the humans who seek it from her, etc. She was even said to have taught the other gods, like Odin (king of the Norse gods), magic, which is all the more reason to wonder why her counterpart in the comic would hate Odin enough to usurp him and take his position as the ruler of Asgard.

More than that though, it's not like the Freya in mythology doesn't already have a place that she presides over. She is actually the ruler of a heavenly afterlife field known as Fólkvangr, which is located somewhere in the realm of the gods (Asgard). Within this place is a hall known as Sessrúmnir. Half of the people who die in battle go to this place while the other half goes to Valhalla.

But, perhaps, one reason why Freya has been made the new ruler of Asgard in the graphic novel is because, in Norse Mythology, she can actually easily be mistaken to be Frigg or Frigga, the queen of the Norse gods and the wife of Odin because their names are rather similar, among some other reasons.

There are even some sources which say that Freya was married to Odin.

However, while she is also sometimes seen as a warrior and death goddess, there doesn't seem to be any mention of her being portrayed as a dark and malevolent entity.

She is even described in a flattering way (some say she is very beautiful and that she is blonde and blue-eyed).

Anyway, the main point is that it doesn't really make all that much sense for Freya to be shown as the bad guy, considering how she really is in Norse Mythology. In fact, it would have made much more sense if some other figure was portrayed as the evil villain.

For instance, if we were told that the main antagonist was actually Hel, then that would have been more believable. This is because, in Norse Mythology, Hel is the name of the ruler of Niflheim, the Underworld. You can say that she's like the counterpart of the Greek god Hades and the Roman god Pluto.

Honestly, even Loki himself could pull off being the supreme evil overlord much better than Freya ever could especially since there's basis for this in Norse Mythology. Loki is actually a trickster and he has done a number of evil things such as cause the death of Balder (now, would you say it's kind of odd to see Chaos and Loki in the comic getting along pretty well?).

Of course, it's okay for things to be different especially since the aforementioned graphic novel is only supposed to be loosely based on Norse Mythology anyway.

However, for those that are familiar with the name Freya and what she is and how she is, it's rather inevitable that when those people hear her name, they will think about the goddess in question even if this isn't the person that is being referred to.

Anyway, aside from the utter confusion and puzzlement as to why Freya just happens to be the main bad guy, there's also the question of exactly what her motives are? Why would she want to usurp Odin? Why does she want to rule Asgard and the rest of the world? In Volume 5, Chapter 44, we find out that Freya wants the shards of Ymir's Heart in order to recreate the world in her image.

That's nice and all, but, seriously, why would she want to do that? What's her motive and her reason for wanting to do something like that? What does she hope to gain by doing that? People should have a reason (believable, realistic and logical) as to why they would want to do whatever they're trying to do.

The same can be said for Freya. She can't just want to do this just because. She can't just be the villain just because. She can't just take on the role of the antagonist just because there isn't anyone else to fill that part. There should be a reason as to why, otherwise all this just falls flat and ends up becoming unbelievable and even contrived.

For example, Sara Irine didn't just hate the city of Fayon and Lord Irine for the sake of hating them. She actually has a good reason as to why she would want to destroy the city and the people in it.

In contrast to that, we know pretty much nothing about Freya's motives and reasons. It's not just that though. Did you notice that we never actually got to see her, as in, at all, ever?

We've never met her. We've never been introduced to her. We don't even know how she looks like. Is she blonde and blue-eyed like how the goddess Freya in Norse Mythology is said to look like?

More than that though, the main question is why haven't we seen her? Why can't we see her? How come she is never shown to us? What's wrong with revealing herself to us, the readers?

After all, we've even seen other characters (for example, we met Arkana even before Chaos and the others met her) that our heroes haven't met, so it shouldn't be a problem to show Freya to us.

Even if the comic wants to keep Freya's identity and look a secret to create an air of mystery around her, we could, at the very least, be told about her reasons and motives. We could have been given just a bit more information about her.

After all, we already know her name and the fact that she's apparently evil and wants to find the heart shards. But why can't we be told the reasons for this? Without knowing much of anything, it just seems like Freya's actions don't make any sense and they don't come across as believable at all.

What do you think of the character of Freya in the Ragnarok manhwa? Does she fit the role of the villain? Does it make sense for her to be the main antagonist? Do you wish that we had been able to see how she looks like?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki (CC:BY-SA) based on the image by hayashinomura, CC:BY-SA from deviantArt
- Image is meant to represent the goddess Freya in Norse Mythology because she is said to be blonde
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget

Is There Ever A Valid Reason For A Character Makeover (Ragnarok Manhwa)?

What is the reason why some of the characters in Ragnarok: Into The Abyss manhwa changed their outfits and looks? Is this a valid or pointless reason?

We first see some of the characters of the graphic novel change their outfits in Volume 8.

This seemed to have come from out of the blue and completely without rhyme or reason because we've already spent about 7 volumes getting used to how these characters look.

We're practically in the middle of the series already (especially considering that the manhwa abruptly ends in volume 10), so, if one or some of them was going to change their look, then it should have happened much earlier. What's wrong and what could possibly be the problem with this change in the getup of some of the characters?

First of all, upon initially being introduced to a character, readers start getting to know this person. Readers will begin to get used to the character's outfit, looks, hairstyle, weapons and the like, so much so that, when this person shows up, there is no question or doubt as to his or her identity because it's easy to tell right away who this person is.

However, if things abruptly change and seemingly without reason, then this just comes across as extremely unbelievable. Let's take a look at a good example of a believable character makeover.

We can see this in the anime and manga series called Card Captor Sakura by CLAMP.

In the aforementioned series, we see the main character, Sakura Kinomoto, is pretty much always changing her resident outfit though she does have a few regular staples.

But why is this not a problem? Why is it that people wouldn't and shouldn't mind if Sakura wears a different costume every time she goes off to capture the Clow Cards?

This is because we are given a valid and believable reason as to why she has to wear different costumes all the time. Furthermore, this costume change doesn't happen in the middle of the series. We see this occurring even in the early parts of the show, so we've come to expect that this is how it goes in this particular anime.

Moreover, even though Sakura's outfits constantly change, her look remains the same, ensuring that readers of the manga and viewers of the anime will always recognize her. This is especially so since her hairstyle doesn't really change and she pretty much looks the same as always, only with a different outfit in each episode.

In contrast to that, let's take a look at Iris Irine and Fenris Fenrir who both undergo a complete and total makeover. With regards to these 2, there is such a drastic change not just in their choice of clothing, but even in their hair style that it makes it difficult to recognize these 2 at first. With how they look right now, it almost seems as if they're new characters.

The question now is why? Why is it necessary for these 2 to change their outfit and looks? Why do they have to look different? What was wrong with how they used to look? Did they have to change their outfits because their fight with Bijou and her troll caused much damage to their old clothing?

This is possible since we did see how damaged and torn their clothing were. However, what was wrong with getting those clothes fixed instead or even just buying clothes that were similar to the ones they always wear? Why the need to change the way their clothes look?

And what about their hair style? Why would there be a need to change that as well?

If you look at it in that way, it's hard to see why there's a need for either of these women to undergo such a drastic makeover.

They were already perfectly recognizable before as readers got to know them and how they looked for the past volumes.

But now, thanks to all these changes, there is a need to get used to these characters all over again.

Could this makeover be just an excuse to give existing characters new clothes and new hairstyles for no clear reason? After all, it's not like their new outfits gave them special powers or something.

Perhaps, if the new clothes were actually special, it would make for a very good reason as to why the 2 ladies had to change their outfits. As it is though, this whole makeover just comes across as completely pointless and useless.

Moreover, even if you can somehow attribute Iris and Fenris' makeover as being due to the fact that their former outfits sustained much damage during their fight with Bijou and her troll (though that wouldn't explain the need to change their hair styles), how can anyone possibly explain Skurai's sudden and unexpected makeover?

Skurai was not part of the fight against Bijou and her troll or even against Sara Irine and Himmelmez.

We never see him get his clothes torn or damaged. In fact, it's more likely that he would be the one to destroy other people's outfits as opposed to getting his own destroyed.

So what's the reason for his makeover? Why the sudden need to change his hairstyle and even his clothing?

At the moment, his new look comes across as more than a bit disconcerting, disturbing and even unappealing.

Simply put, he doesn't seem to look right at all. He looks very strange and odd and weird. If there's no real good reason for him to change his hairstyle and his clothes, then why do that? What's the point of his makeover?

What do you think of the 3 aforementioned characters' makeovers? Do you like their new looks and hairstyles? Do you think there's a good reason why they had to do this or was this just an excuse for the characters to look different and sport new clothing and hair styles?

*Notes:
- Image with added text was modified by Freya Yuki based on the image by Rusembell (CC:BY) from deviantArt
- Image is meant to symbolize the changes in a character's looks and outfits
- The rest of the pics are enlarged product images from Amazon.com; links shown above via Amazon's Native Shopping Ads widget