Hello everyone! This is my second post this week. I just wrapped up my daily learning, and I’m glad I’m not late for Manga Mondays. Without further ado, let’s get right to it.
The manga I want to talk about today was written by Hae-Min. It debuted on December 31, 2019, and was consistently released until December 2024. In fact, it was recently completed, and I finally got a chance to dive into it. So let me give you a taste of the plot.
Legend of the Northern Blade is a manhwa that I’ve been holding onto since I first started reading manga. If I remember correctly, my very first manhwa was The Beginning After the End, and this one has been on my list ever since. However, for various reasons, I couldn’t start it earlier. It was already considered one of the mainstream titles back then.
It wasn’t until earlier this month that I came across it again, through a short video recommendation, and realized it was about to be finalized. That’s when I decided to pick it up. After it was completed, I finally started reading it.
For a very long time in a particular area, the Northern Heavenly Sect defended the city from the evil sect called the Silent Night. The sect always appointed a leader to oppose the Silent Night, from the first-generation leader of the Northern Heavenly Sect up until the fourth generation. During the times when the Silent Night was very strong, the sect managed to hold their ground and eventually stopped them. However, soon after the Silent Night was defeated, many people began to believe that the power of the Northern Heavenly Sect was too great and, if left unchecked, could eventually overpower the city. As a result, the sect was dismantled. The fourth leader of the sect was falsely accused of colluding with the Silent Night and was executed. Ultimately, the sect was wiped out.
The Legend of the Northern Blade follows the story of a boy named Jin Mu Won, the son of the fourth leader of the Northern Heavenly Sect. It is his journey of seeking revenge against those who conspired to kill his father and, at the same time, restoring the prestige of the Northern Heavenly Sect to its former glory.
What can I say! This manhwa is a work of art. Though there are some things I consider to be loopholes, there’s so much I love about this manhwa.
First, the art. As I said, this manhwa is a work of art. They treat their art with great detail, from the smallest and minimalistic drawing to the largest, most intricate scenes. The fighting scenes, effects, and collisions—everything is portrayed with stunning detail. They paid attention to every detail in the manhwa, and this was what I enjoyed the most about the manhwa.
Honestly, while reading it, I thought the illustrations were hand-drawn rather than drawn digitally (well, every manhwa was hand-drawn, but did you get what I mean?). I loved some of the drawings so much that I’m even considering framing them. This shows how much I adore the art in this manhwa. It’s the best art I’ve come across in all my time reading manhwa.
In particular, they skillfully used the power of black in their art. If you’re familiar with manhwa, you know that black, when used well, can enhance many elements—like aura, tension, effects, and more. They utilized this beautifully, making their art unique and outstanding.
Secondly, the storyline was very good. From the very beginning, I was drawn to the story. I didn’t sleep the night I started reading it because the story had such a fast-paced and exciting start. However, at some point, I felt the tempo slowed down slightly, as if the writer couldn’t maintain the same intensity throughout. But by every mean, the overall story is still very good—its "average" moments are better than the best parts of some other manhwa.
Another thing I loved about the manhwa was how it managed to carry the reader along. I’m not sure why, but the plot could’ve been longer. I felt it was deliberately shortened due to certain circumstances (although I don’t know exactly what happened; this is just my deduction). However, the writer skillfully covered that gap through explanations, and all the parts that seemed missing were resolved within a few chapters. This is a remarkable feat, and I give the writer kudos for it because it’s not easy to keep the audience engaged.
By all means, I loved the techniques, combat, and fights. These were enhanced by the incredible art, making the fighting styles look really cool. I can confidently say it features some of the best fighting styles I’ve seen since I started reading manhwa.
At the end of the manhwa, although I really enjoyed it, I didn’t feel the usual sense of emptiness that comes after finishing a great manhwa. For example, I felt that after reading amazing titles like Solo Leveling and even ongoing ones like Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint (ORV) and The Beginning After the End. That feeling wasn’t present here. Additionally, the writer didn’t delve into the romantic relationship between Jin Mu Won and his girlfriend, something I was anticipating from the start. Despite that, this manhwa is still up there as one of the best.
In conclusion, it’s a fantastic manhwa with stunning art and an engaging plot. Even with the few setbacks I mentioned (which are just my personal impressions), it’s still arguably one of the best historical manhwa's I’ve ever read. With this, I’ll rate it an 8/10.
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you next time. Bye 👋.
All images are screenshotted from the manhwa, except where stated otherwise.
