The Breaker

[Drakengard]

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General Info

Series Name: The Breaker

Year of Serialization: 2007

Author: Geuk-Jin Jeon

Artist: Jin-Hwan Park

Genres: Martial Arts, Drama, Romance

Current Status: Finished (sequel is ongoing)

Moment of Reviewing: Finished (up to date with sequel)

Other Formats: N/A

Series Summary: Shi-Woon Yi starts off as a weak and cowardly teenager whom is constantly being bullied by his classmate thugs. Tired of not being able to do anything about it, and for the sake of both himself and his friends, Shi-woon vows to get stronger. But how? It seems impossible, until he finds the new teacher at his school completely wrecking several gang members in an alleyway. Shi-woon confronts this teacher (Chun-woo aka Goomoonryong) and begs to be taken as his disciple. Little does Shi-woon know that there is an entire martial arts community called the Murin that lives in harmony with the rest of the world. Chun-woo, one of the most powerful martial artists in history, wishes to break these walls and bring the Murin to ruin for his own goals. Reluctant to train Shi-woon at first, Goomoonryong tries getting himself out of this mess several times but always ends up succumbing to the young man's determination. This student-teacher relationship develops over time, and soon a true pact is made --- if only things were that simple. Shi-Woon is later targeted for being the disciple of a top-ranking criminal, and as the series reaches its climax, he will reach deaths' doors many, many times.

Critical Review: I had the gist of what a martial arts series would be like, but I never truly tried one out. I read this off a friend's recommendation and it was... well worth the read! The classic "never give up" value that many young protagonists of this genre have is not original, but this series proves that it all depends on how it's done. Sometimes I wonder just how it's done, looking at features like the art style, dialogue, pacing, and the like, but I can't quite pinpoint anything that makes me like it so much. It SEEMS generic but it FEELS awesome I sense a bit of TTGL's spirit-rallying factor involved. Now, there's a lot present in this manhwa: humor, thrills, and of course action.

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Humor​

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Thrills​

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Action​

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I also feel like the characters are pretty badass, with the main protagonist changing from this..

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to this

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And this is just the first part I'm on about, not the sequel series which is even more centered on Shi-Woon's development. We also have Goomoonryong, a true sensei in the long run but with a harsher side to him.

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All in all a fun and intense series! You can probably predict the atmosphere of this manhwa by its genre and some manga panels. If you ask me, its most powerful characteristics are the art style and the characters.

 

[ANiMUS]

Yeah, the series is awesome. I have completed The Breaker and am up to date on New Waves this Manwha is easily on of my favorite reads even among popular manga.

 

[cigi]

Mhm great as manga

 

[Caliburn]

I love The Breaker and The Breaker: New Waves. It really has a cool type of artwork and the martial-arts genre has always been one of my favourites. There's also a clear distinction between the two series. The first one focuses on the interaction between Shioon and Goomoonryong. The 2nd series has already got more chapters than the first one, however Goomoonryong has barely been involved so far and it focuses solely on Shioon and the Sun Woo Clan.

On the down side it regularly comes over as repetitive. Shioon gets beaten to a bloody pulp almost in every battle, but still somehow succeeds in being able to stand up and most of the time win the battle or achieve his objective. Secondly it's very unclear as how that's even possible as he was at the start physically extremely weak. Not just due to not sporting much, but his body was just not suited for excessive sports to the point he almost got a heart attack once. Then somehow he survives all the time after a beating that should have killed him from people who practiced martial arts since they were born, while he did it only for a few weeks/months.

He took some weird kind of medicine at some point, but normally that medicine should have killed him. Goomoonryong did something to help him and after that he suddenly became some kind of prodigy. It's still unclear to me whether he now truly was a prodigy and that he had something unique that made him survive or that he did nothing more than in fact taking doping and that other people did everything for him. That is something that has been bugging me.

 

[Paramour]

I just don't see the "greatness" in The Breaker.
I mean the cover looks awesome as shit, but after reading the second chap, I didn't amuse.
Things were so very.. How do I say it.. Too expectable.

 

[Drakengard]

I love The Breaker and The Breaker: New Waves. It really has a cool type of artwork and the martial-arts genre has always been one of my favourites. There's also a clear distinction between the two series. The first one focuses on the interaction between Shioon and Goomoonryong. The 2nd series has already got more chapters than the first one, however Goomoonryong has barely been involved so far and it focuses solely on Shioon and the Sun Woo Clan.

On the down side it regularly comes over as repetitive. Shioon gets beaten to a bloody pulp almost in every battle, but still somehow succeeds in being able to stand up and most of the time win the battle or achieve his objective. Secondly it's very unclear as how that's even possible as he was at the start physically extremely weak. Not just due to not sporting much, but his body was just not suited for excessive sports to the point he almost got a heart attack once. Then somehow he survives all the time after a beating that should have killed him from people who practiced martial arts since they were born, while he did it only for a few weeks/months.

He took some weird kind of medicine at some point, but normally that medicine should have killed him. Goomoonryong did something to help him and after that he suddenly became some kind of prodigy. It's still unclear to me whether he now truly was a prodigy and that he had something unique that made him survive or that he did nothing more than in fact taking doping and that other people did everything for him. That is something that has been bugging me.

Spoilers for anyone new to the series

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Well now we're at that point in New Waves where Goomoonryong is going to show up again. This is going to be Shi-woon's hardest challenge yet, not only because of the difference in strength but also the fact that he's going to learn the truth behind his master. My favorite part in the final fight of the breaker was when So-chun took on the enraged Goomoonryong because of his experience fighting Shiwoon. He basically became the underdog, which never happened to him before. Then, Shiwoon steps up to the fight based on his master's words... words from his current opponent. I wonder how this is going to change in the new fight if there is one.

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Well it's always hard to have the protagonist start off as weak and still get stronger while sticking to his morals without a little boost somewhere. The medicine he took was definitely high-tier stuff, and I'm guessing that's what gave him all that endurance. However, you'd need a strong will to keep getting back up. Just cause somebody has the physical ability to get up doesn't mean they can exceed their breaking point. While this may sound like a cop out, it's vital in fights. Judging from everybody's point of view, even masters wouldn't go as far as Shiwoon would, which means if they were put in his shoes, they would never achieve the things he has.

Now, Goomoonryong did indeed train him and make him part of who he is today. But he was also the one who eventually saw huge potential in Shiwoon. And Shiwoon definitely credits the people who have helped him so far; in fact, the latest chapter has him talk about his willingness to lose limbs for a chance to test himself against true masters. He has a strong motive AND he's got wit to back it up. Remember how Shiwoon instantly caught onto the trick behind foot movements when his sensei demonstrated it? That's credit towards his ability. No random power ups there. Actually, in New Waves he's beaten people in situations where he was crippled due to having no ki center or something similar. He's won a lot of his fights through battle smarts, which makes him a prodigy if you ask me.

^Well it takes a bit for the series to get into its good parts. It's definitely predictable at times but it has more of a GAR factor going for it... reminds me of TTGL in that regard.

 

[Vayne]

Awesome Manhwa to spend time on, though it's a bit dull in the beginning it does get better. In the sequel, well in the sequel let's say there was a point where my fanboyism reached new levels xD "Have I shown you my limit yet doctor Ju sang shiek?" Epic moment xD

 

[System001]

Have to say I preferred The Breaker over New Waves, the whole 'Broken Ki Center' was driving me up the bloody wall. Thank god it's finally fixed now.

From my understanding, Shi-oon always, to a certain extent, had a natural aptitude for Martial Arts. Although those likely only manifested in his spirit and mind. His 3-Yin body type prevented any effective learning of martial arts until it was finally displaced by the One Moon Divine Dan. With the apparent rumour that someone with a cured Yin state having a greater aptitude for martial arts proving true, as demonstrated by Shi-oon's and So-sul's growth. Although, the medicine because of its strength and purity, likely also increased the quality and strength of his Ki. But, clearly, due to the fact that he didn't die after consuming it as he should have, he at very least had a natural affinity for handling large amounts of Ki in the first place.
So it seems to be that his growth attributes to the factors of; his natural aptitude for martial arts + his illness being cured + the rumoured effects of increased potential after a Yin body type is cured being true + the long last effects of the Dan on his body.

 

[Vayne]

Basically it's the same as Naruto, he gets a large chakra 'reserve' from the beast, but one must remember that in order to withstand the beast one must already have a huge chakra 'reserve'.

 

[SSJ3Gotenks]

Have to say I preferred The Breaker over New Waves, the whole 'Broken Ki Center' was driving me up the bloody wall. Thank god it's finally fixed now.

From my understanding, Shi-oon always, to a certain extent, had a natural aptitude for Martial Arts. Although those likely only manifested in his spirit and mind. His 3-Yin body type prevented any effective learning of martial arts until it was finally displaced by the One Moon Divine Dan. With the apparent rumour that someone with a cured Yin state having a greater aptitude for martial arts proving true, as demonstrated by Shi-oon's and So-sul's growth. Although, the medicine because of its strength and purity, likely also increased the quality and strength of his Ki. But, clearly, due to the fact that he didn't die after consuming it as he should have, he at very least had a natural affinity for handling large amounts of Ki in the first place.
So it seems to be that his growth attributes to the factors of; his natural aptitude for martial arts + his illness being cured + the rumoured effects of increased potential after a Yin body type is cured being true + the long last effects of the Dan on his body.

Yeah I was pretty irritated for the first of New Waves when he was dealing with the whole broken Ki Center. But it has gotten better and so has the manhwa.

I just don't see the "greatness" in The Breaker.
I mean the cover looks awesome as shit, but after reading the second chap, I didn't amuse.
Things were so very.. How do I say it.. Too expectable.

Man you gotta read more chapters try to get to at least 20 and if you don't like it by then you probably never will. I mean I think it's great I have been looking forward to that more than some of the big manga like Naruto... Not Bleach though Bleach has just been getting better...

 

[Abysmal.]

Sage pill or w/e it was called... A point of bullshit continuing to this day.
Other than that, good stuff.

 

[System001]

Basically it's the same as Naruto, he gets a large chakra 'reserve' from the beast, but one must remember that in order to withstand the beast one must already have a huge chakra 'reserve'.

Vayne pls, don't compare Shioon to Naruto.

 

[Caliburn]

I just don't see the "greatness" in The Breaker.
I mean the cover looks awesome as shit, but after reading the second chap, I didn't amuse.
Things were so very.. How do I say it.. Too expectable.

You call a manga 'expectable' after barely reading 2 chapters?

the whole 'Broken Ki Center' was driving me up the bloody wall. Thank god it's finally fixed now.

Same here xd It's also one of those things that only gets half and half explained. They kept on saying that his ki center was broken beyond repair repeatedly and that martial arts impossible, but somehow he still succeeds in using it by special medicine among others and then finally out of the blue they have a way to restore his ki center.

It also lost the comical aspect of the series which was quite prominent at the start, but that's probably because it was Goomoonryong, who was the main cause of the comical scenes, hasn't appeared much in The Breaker: New Waves.

 

[System001]

You call a manga 'expectable' after barely reading 2 chapters?



Same here xd It's also one of those things that only gets half and half explained. They kept on saying that his ki center was broken beyond repair repeatedly and that martial arts impossible, but somehow he still succeeds in using it by special medicine among others and then finally out of the blue they have a way to restore his ki center.

It also lost the comical aspect of the series which was quite prominent at the start, but that's probably because it was Goomoonryong, who was the main cause of the comical scenes, hasn't appeared much in The Breaker: New Waves.

Yeah, it was weird, but a saving grace as well. I guess it didn't seem so contrived because we all desperately wanted Shioon to be able to fight again, and while the explanation of allowing him to activate and utilize Ki within his body without drawing it up from his abdomen, but instead releasing it directly from the surrounding area was confusing, it was pretty okay and kinda gave an insight into the body of Murim-ins, which hadn't really been explained so far. ,_,

I can't remember how his Ki Center was restored doe. ._.

I miss the comedy, so, so badly. The perverted moments, the cockblocking, and I really miss Shiho. Shiho's death was, T__T. One of my favourite female characters, and she just had to die. D:

I just don't see the "greatness" in The Breaker.
I mean the cover looks awesome as shit, but after reading the second chap, I didn't amuse.
Things were so very.. How do I say it.. Too expectable.

And Noblesse isn't?
/GG

 

[Super7]

I've been reading Breaker New Waves for a while now and never knew there was a manwha before it, this'll be good, it'll give me the history of him and the nine arts dragon.

 

[Caliburn]

I've been reading Breaker New Waves for a while now and never knew there was a manwha before it, this'll be good, it'll give me the history of him and the nine arts dragon.

Didn't you notice it started quite odd then xd as storywise there isn't really a break between The Breaker and The Breaker: New Waves. You wonder why they exactly number them as two individual series? Well I first also heard of TBNW, but when I read the description of the series it was mentioned that TB came before it.

 

[Paramour]

You call a manga 'expectable' after barely reading 2 chapters?

I read much more now and I will just say the same thing as I said/meant before:
Too damn predictable. It's no fun. It does not amuse me. :/

And Noblesse isn't?
/GG

The manwha writer of Noblesse never chases to amuse me.
Sometimes I'm even like; "Woah, didn't expect that! So no predictable for the readers."

 

[TheLastSamurai]

I read much more now and I will just say the same thing as I said/meant before:
Too damn predictable. It's no fun. It does not amuse me. :/


The manwha writer of Noblesse never chases to amuse me.
Sometimes I'm even like; "Woah, didn't expect that! So no predictable for the readers."

I agree with you Yasmine, Noblesse has by far more "huh I didn't expect that" moments than The Breaker series.
But I still love them both.

 

[Paramour]

I agree with you Yasmine, Noblesse has by far more "huh I didn't expect that" moments than The Breaker series.
But I still love them both.

Exactly! I'll just keep go reading the breaker as well. Maybe it will be entertainingly later on.

 

[Super7]

Didn't you notice it started quite odd then xd as storywise there isn't really a break between The Breaker and The Breaker: New Waves. You wonder why they exactly number them as two individual series? Well I first also heard of TBNW, but when I read the description of the series it was mentioned that TB came before it.

Yeah it did lmao, though I didn't ready the description I just clicked on it by mistake one day and read it hahaha, loved it and now I've read The breaker, which I actually think is much better than New waves! Saying that I think new waves is finally becoming more interesting with gyumoonrong back. I wonder what'll happen when him and shioon meet. Looking forward to it very much.

Miss teh comedy that The breaker had