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'Relationship Guidelines', written and illustrated by EPUM illustrates the story of two girls, Lee Myeong-In and Chae Ji-Won, who are long time childhood friends. However, their relationship is soon thrown into disarray after Myeong-In suddenly kisses Ji-Won out of the blue. What promptly follows is confusion, misunderstandings, and frustration as the two desperately try to figure out what their relationship guidelines are.
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To put it simply, the plot of this manhwa is of the two leads navigating their relationship, which has become very complicated after what Myeong-In did to Ji-Won, which happens at the very beginning.
You may have taken notice of the review summary of this review. That was not just an attempt at a pun, as it does sort of explain how the plot goes.
These two really have no idea how to navigate a relationship.
The reason I am highlighting this is because this is the main point of focus for the majority of this manhwa's plot. The story of 'Relationship Guidelines' centres around the two having no idea how to communicate their feelings to each other, leading to a spiral of misunderstandings and unrequited feelings as a result of their utter lack of proper communication.
Events in the manhwa (more so in the beginning) can be described as this - one person does something to the other person (for example, the kiss), but their feelings are not properly communicated to the other and this leads to misunderstandings. Of course, misinterpreting feelings is a natural part in forming bonds and love, but this happens a lot in 'Relationship Guidelines'. On top of the fact that I personally do not like misunderstandings used as a central plot device (which this manhwa does often), it really soured my reading experience.
Sometimes it can get really annoying due to how dense Ji-Won and Myeong-In can be. Here is an example, after Myeong-In kisses Ji-Won, her behaviour becomes quite strange and Myeong-In is completely oblivious as to why (fret not, the reason as to why Myeong-In kissed her is revealed later). Situations like these happen multiple times throughout the manhwa, all whilst being very obvious to the reader as to what is the true reason behind things. It is clear that 'Relationship Guidelines' likes to incorporate copious amounts of dramatic irony throughout its plot. There are many moments in the story where I was just in utter disbelief as to what they were doing. Whilst this is used to unveil the problems these two have in communicating with each other, it can be overly frustrating. This is sometimes used as an attempt to craft some humour. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not.
Furthermore, 'Relationship Guidelines' has copious amounts of drama intertwined within its story. Just when you think the major conflict of the plot got resolved and it is heading towards calm waters, a new foe or obstacle comes their way yet again. This is not a problem for drama fans, but for those who are not, the first half of this manhwa will be a challenge to get through, if you have not dropped it already.
Something else worth mentioning is that this manhwa likes to bait its readership somewhat often.
Using baits in fiction is nothing new, and is a common technique, to either make the plot unpredictable or perhaps a little amusing. But sometimes it felt like the author was downright teasing me. Then again, that did work, as it did most certainly keep me reading.
Now, the way I have worded the plot does make it seem like it is all bad and boring, but that is not the case. After all, this manhwa does what many others gloss over, the struggle of teenagers exploring their love and sexuality for the first time. Love is not as easy as some romances put it out to be, and what 'Relationship Guidelines' sets out to do is to showcase how long and arduous that road can be. At the time I am writing this review, I am the same age as Ji-Won and Myeong-In, so I can understand their feelings a little bit (although I have never been in a relationship myself).
And so, as the two struggle to figure out how to convey their feelings together, they trip up many times along the way, falling into confusion and anger, but they inch closer to finding their way to each other. As you read this long journey, you can come to appreciate the amount of effort they are putting into their bond, trying to close the gap between them.
However, this goes on for almost 40 chapters.
If it went on for half the time, around 20 chapters, I would not have had as many issues as I did, as I mentioned before, it is an important aspect of love that many other stories gloss over and is an integral part to the plot and characters. Even so, I personally think approximately 40 chapters with very little breaks was too much. That might be a result of me binge reading this and not reading it as it came out though.
But what happens after all of this struggle? What emerges from it all is a plot that is much easier to enjoy, presenting a romance that has actually been properly established and finally they can actually talk to each other. Once I came to terms how far Ji-Won and Myeong-In had come in terms of their relationship, it was really satisfying to finally see them reach the top. From then on, 'Relationship Guidelines' became a much more enjoyable read. If you are able to endure through the first half of this manhwa, then you may just be rewarded. It is a shame it went on as long as it did, I wish that it was either shorter or the end result lasted longer.
It is common for stories to have side plots, and this manhwa has it too. It centres around another prominent character of the story, Jin Se-Yeon and one other character that gets introduced later. What is interesting about this is that this side plot begins almost immediately after Ji-Won and Myeong-In mend their relationship. At first I was not too pleased about this, but as the side plot played out, I got over it quickly. The story in this side plot is of a similar nature to the drama filled beginning of 'Relationship Guidelines', but the shorter time constraints actually worked in its favour, as it forced the relationship to move faster. Since it was much more dragged out with the main couple, here it actually felt well-paced. I swiftly came to enjoy this side plot and I felt it was a great addition to the overall manhwa. Intriguingly, the story does not set itself in stone in terms of the couple it focuses on, as during the side plot there are times where it goes back to the main couple. I am not sure as to whether to say this was a good move or not.
Another thing I want to mention is the implementation of intimate moments in 'Relationship Guidelines'. Whilst moments of this kind of nature could easily be brushed aside as meagre fanservice, I personally do not think this is the case.
To use intimacy for something else other than its most obvious purpose is difficult to do, and not many are able to do it. However, 'Relationship Guidelines' is one of the few stories I have read where I definitively thought that it did it right. At the beginning, it may just seem like needless fanservice, as their kissing and what not is passed as "skinship" (a popular term in Korea). Despite that, underneath its glaring exterior, it does have some deeper meaning to it. What this "skinship" actually conveys is the troubled nature of Ji-Won and Myeong-In's relationship, the fact that they cannot say they are in love in each other. Thus, they put it under a guise of a simple word. This can very easily be linked to the questioning of one's own sexuality seen in many yuri and BL.
Then there are of course moments where it goes to the next step. Those moments too can be seen as fanservice as well, however during these scenes EPUM carefully intertwined character and relationship development. It was during these scenes that the two could really communicate what they were feeling to each other, not through words.
I could just be reading far too much into it, but that is how I read it. As to whether you see it the same way is totally up to you.
Sadly at the end of this story, there are a couple of loose ends within the plot that are never explained within the story, with EPUM having to clear them up through a FAQ at the end of the series. These loose ends are not big enough to cause major issues within the plot, but they are there.
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On top of the main couple, there are numerous side characters in 'Relationship Guidelines', but really only the two characters that appear in the side plot are the only supporting characters worth delving into.
There is a lot to discuss regarding the dynamics between Ji-Won and Myeong-In's relationship. Indeed, their relationship is built upon many differences and contrasts. I just touched upon their manner of expression, but their height, personality, likes, dislikes, even their hair length showcases how different the two are. It is very common for romances to characterise the main couple as complete opposites, bringing back the saying of 'opposites attract' back to mind. The contrasts between Ji-Won and Myeong-In fuel many of the complications seen in the plot.
The other side characters were not fascinating enough to really take my attention, it has become easy for me to forget what they did as they were overshadowed by the main cast. They were most certainly not bad additions to the story though.
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I really liked the art in this manhwa. It was full of personality and charm that complimented the characters very well.
The art brings a lot of life to the story and helps in making the reading experience much more enjoyable.
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I may have forgotten to talk about some things, but I think I have said enough. In the end, whilst I found it hard to enjoy the first half, I really liked reading the second half of the manhwa. I liked the characters, the plot got better, and to top it off the art was great. It is not very easy to recommend this manhwa, mainly because of the first half of it. If you do not mind copious amounts of drama and build up to the relationship, then I would recommend giving this a try. Also, this appears to be EPUN's first work as there are no other works listed on their author page. Whilst this does have its fair share of flaws, I think EPUN did a great job considering this is their first time. I look forward to seeing what they will make in the future. To summarise this review:
- For the first 40 chapters or so, it is full of misunderstandings and drama that can easily leave you worn out and frustrated.
- The first half illustrates the struggles of exploring love as a teenager for the first time, which is something not many romances do.
- In the second half, the plot becomes easier to enjoy, even the side plot is a great read.
- The characters are full of personality and charm, easy to get behind.
- The art is full of character and compliments the characters very well.
This review ended up being longer than expected, but I really enjoyed writing it up. I know it will be a long read, but I am really grateful to anyone who reads my reviews. Hopefully you were able to get something out of this review. If would like to send me feedback on my reviews, please post a comment on this thread or feel free to send me a message.
