Great webtoon that kept me awake last night. Bastard is a great example of what a good thriller means. Compelling story and action that keeps you in suspense.

Characters

I would mainly like to refer to the relationship between Jin Seon and Seon Dongsoo. A father who from an early age literally tortures his son mentally and actually changes his perception of the world, and deprives him of all emotions, such as any empathy, joy or love. Our main character does not even know what the true friends are, which also, whether we like it or not, has a tragic effect on his psyche. It has been fantastically presented how the boy’s father is a crazy psychopath, without any scruples.

In the manhwa, a very apt definition of this man as a demon was used, because there is probably no other name for this madman. Mass murderer of innocent people who will meet his sick tastes, if that’s how you can describe his sick thinking. We have to notice how incredibly clever this character is. He works slowly and thoughtfully, leaving no traces behind. He donates money to charity so that people do not suspect him of the committed murders, he is always kind and helpful to everyone. And that’s what really is the most terrifying thing about this man. Just how good an actor he can be. Perhaps it is because of his so corrupted perception of the world. Because of which he does not care about the suffering of other people, and does not feel any empathy for them. He is only interested in satisfying his own lusts for murder. It is also interesting how he drove many people mad and to the point of losing their senses. The way he drove his wife crazy is very cruel as befits this sick demon. Now let us turn to his son. He is undergoing a complete metamorphosis. From a person dependent only on his father, not knowing the world, he turns into a rebel, hence the name of the manga “Bastard”. A beautiful love thread of a callous person with a person who is able to understand it and destroy its hard shell without feelings. It is from her that he learns many basic things and it is thanks to her that he wants to fight evil. It is she who even without knowing it gives him the motivation to fight his dad, even though he does not fully understand it, because after all, he does not fully know what love is… By the way, the ending of the manga was exactly what I expected, but I do not understand why the main character went to jail… I thought that as a child who literally suffered from brainwashing by his father, he will not be held responsible for his actions… Maybe it looks different in Korea.

Graphics

The graphics in this manhwa are really nothing unusual, although some of the facial expressions showing the face and anger are drawn phenomenally and make the reader identify with the main character of this manhwa. Overall graphics made reading pleasant, but it wasn’t something that I would call a masterpiece. The smooth transitions that gave this manhwa an impression of dynamics were also a big plus.

Would I like Bastard to get anime adaptations?

Honestly, I wouldn’t. I don’t think the anime can convey these great facial expressions and show the madness of the main character’s father. Sure it could add more drama to some scenes with the music, etc., but still I think it’s not the manhwa that should get an adaptation.

Overall thoughts

As I have been a long-time fan of crime stories and suspenseful thrillers, I enjoyed this manhwa very much. A great plot combined with a pleasant manga graphics means that we can really empathize with the fate of the main character, and every time he feels pain, we also feel it internally. This good thriller in my opinion deserves the rating of 8.5/10