Review of 'Metal Heart' Volume 1

(In Korean: 메탈하트)

I'm not an otaku, but I've got to admit that this pretty fun to read. Well, if you're an otaku, you will love Metal Heart because it is about an otaku like you (although, I didn't know that there were otaku's in S. Korea)! This manhwa almost read like a Japanese manga because of the frequency of Japanese terms & phrases like "fu fu fu," "bishoujo," "otaku," "cosplay," etc. If it weren't for the Korean names, which are pretty easy to pronounce, anyone would have mistaken Metal Heart as a fun Japanese manga.

When I was reading Love SOS, for some reason I wasn't all that satisfied with how the sceneries were drawn, and, with reading Metal Heart, I think I can understand why. I realize that the drawing style is almost indistinguishable (with exception of filled, black eyes instead of clear European eyes) from that of most Japanese manga's.

(SPOILERS)

Metal Heart is a romance/sci-fi story.... a dating sim game in real life. So, this major consumer electronics company (Mega Tech?) is developing a powerful android soldier and a dating sim game, "Metal Heart 2," and.... (I don't get this part) the company decides to use the android for Metal Heart 2's development to collect more realistic data (i.e. movement, perspective, etc. ??) for the game's development. The company hires Hyun Min-u, who's a world champ at the fighting version of Metal Heart (think of it as an anime version of Mortal Kombat) to beta test "Metal Heart 2." Here it gets even more confusing. Somehow during the first test, Min-u inserts the wrong DVD (i.e. the fighting game instead of the dating sim??) and causes the android to become uncontrollable; it breaks loose from its egg and meets Min-u in real life when he's at a cosplay event. Thus, the dating sim starts in real-life as well, and it is up to Min-u to end the game successfully and prevent the android, Min Si-a, from self-destructing ??? ...except, Min-u completely sucks at dating sim games!

• Visual quality: 8.5/10
• General plot: 7/10
• Comedy elements: 6/7
• Action elements: 2/3
• Mystery elements: 0.5/1
  
• Otaku elements: 7.5/8
• Realness: 2/4 (it was ok that the sci-fi was a bit too far-fetched, but Si-a's interaction with Min-u was too plastic)
  

Overall: (7.8/10)