Back in 2022, when I first read Bastard by Kim Carnby (story) and Hwang Yeong-Chan (art), I did not think much of it other than that it was great thriller/drama entertainment with interesting subplots of romance and bullying. Of course, this does not diminish its superb overall quality, which can entertain both casual and “formal” manhwa fans. In fact, I originally thought it was a masterpiece without fully understanding why. Now, having undergone a bit more formal education in literary analysis, I decided to reread it since I had forgotten most of it but still remembered its greatness.
So, should you read Bastard? Absolutely, if you enjoy thrillers, dramas, or even romances. The romance subplot carries enough weight to make the journey entertaining. It is not the typical romance you would find in a trivial and “happy” setting. Rather, it is a romance found in extremely dire circumstances. The contrast between the moments of intimate happiness and the terrible external conditions is what makes the romance satisfying to observe. Indeed, we learn to see that, even in horrible situations, there exist sources of true happiness and hope, one of which is romantic love. Friendship, another kind of love, is also explored in Bastard as fundamental support for people in critical conditions. While I will not further analyze these themes on their own and their relation to self-improvement, I will later relate these to one’s ability to break free from their unhealthy mania with social standing and, by extension, its norms.
What is Bastard about? On the surface, it is about a 17-year-old boy named Jin Seon who reluctantly works in collusion with his father, a serial murderer. Importantly, Jin is physically weak and socially awkward, making him friendless and a victim of bullying. The story takes off when he almost dies at the hands of Beau Park, the underling of Manny Kim, a bully. However, he is saved by Kyun Yoon, a transfer student. His father sees her and decides that she will be the next victim of his murderous spree. Although he cannot disobey his father due to his trauma, he does not want Kyun to be murdered and tries his best to resolve this situation without reporting to the police, as he has been an accomplice in the murders. This conflict serves as the overarching plot point throughout the story. Of course, many other conflicts arise later. In many of these struggles, we can attribute an assortment of motives to them.
Yet, upon closer analysis, we see that most of these motives derive from an irrational fixation on the characters’ perceptions of themselves relative to others. What would make them look good in front of others? Can they not determine what is good on their own terms? To what extent would they try to attain a good perception from others, even if it required a sacrifice of important values? Such are the questions that this manhwa explores. This compulsion to look good in front of others can worsen to such a degree that it can lead to a perversion of this obsession, where the one unable to attain a certain self-ascribed social status seeks revenge on others who can, instead of trying to find their own happiness on their own terms. Bastard shows that we, humans, have an increasing tendency to achieve a higher social ranking relative to others as a means of success and personal happiness, even if it is destructive. This tendency can end up opposing and dominating other personal values if not handled carefully. The ability to break free from this ultimately falls on the shoulders of the individual, who may seek powerful tools to do so, such as friendship or love. This is not to say that we should not care about social standards and fully embrace our own selves (society would not function otherwise). Instead, we should rethink and challenge such standards and perceptions to overcome self-destructive behaviours induced by these ideas.
Whether it is in subtle or explicit ways, all characters in Bastard exhibit much care for their social perceptions. It is only after they challenge such perceptions that they truly develop for the better. To demonstrate this idea, I will go through each relevant character and their respective development throughout the manhwa.
Jin Seon (the protagonist): Having gone through isolation, abuse and trauma, Jin does not have much understanding of the outside world or its norms, nor does he care much about these. We could say he is beyond the point of such trivialities, but one major component stops him in his tracks from doing what is right. He cares deeply about Kyun’s perception of him. Indeed, his motivation throughout the entire manhwa not to report to the police stems from the fact that he would have to turn himself in as an accomplice. Initially, Jin had contemplations about reporting to the police, but he soon had a strong conviction not to since he was terrified of how Kyun, his love interest, would perceive him. Up until the last second, he goes so far as to lie and almost create another murder victim to maintain a position of secrecy. Only when exposed, without any possibility to escape, does Jin finally confess the wrongdoings to Kyun in order to keep her safe, as he loves her. It is at this point that he directly faces his past and accepts responsibility. Instead of becoming like his father, a person with cruel tendencies, or worrying about Kyun’s image of him, he changes and is able to act explicitly on what he thinks is good (i.e. confess to Kyun and the police and forgive his father for his own misconception of the past).
Kyun Yoon (the friend): Initially, a friend who saved Jin when he was bullied, she quickly sparks an interest in Jin, who has been in a dark world of his own. Shortly after meeting Jin, she assumes that he is the typical rich, spoiled kid. However, upon learning more about him and his sufferings, she warms to him and their friendship develops into a romance. An interesting thing to see here is that despite Kyun’s lower social and economic status, she still clings to civilized society as it is. She has not given up and fallen into depravity (she nearly does so, but ends up finding a legal job). In contrast, Jin shows no care for society or its social norms. He has fully given up on following the civilized path as he seeks violent revenge on his father. Their pairing works perfectly in such a way that Kyun brings back sense and civility to Jin while Jin allows Kyun to learn and rethink society and its norms. For instance, for most of the story, she assumed Jin, like any normal person, should go back home and patch his relationship with his father by talking it out. She could not conjure up reasons as to why Jin could not go back home. Moreover, on many occasions, she felt as though she was breaking norms, in a pejorative sense, by letting Jin sleep at her house. She could not sustain a social behaviour that would break norms. It is through Jin that she starts to become more open-minded about the world.
Manny Kim (the bully or the “lion”): While he first gave off the impression of the typical bully we would see in a school setting, we soon learn that something else pressures him into behaving the way he does. Although he is definitely at fault for giving in to bullying others, we see that he very much values his social image of power to the point of hiding his friendship with Jin, a weakling. Bastard uses the analogy of the law of the jungle to display the power dynamics of the bullies. In this analogy, Manny is the lion to display his inherent status of power. He, simply, by nature, must be seen as the apex. He must hold the top rank, but at what cost? True to this analogy, Manny avoids displaying signs of weakness, such as being friends with the weakest of the weak. As we are shown, this “ecosystem” is dangerous as it provides no place for the weak, even though we are all of the same species, who thrive in being social. It harms and destroys friendships as it values social status over friendship. There is no loyalty in such a system, which highlights strength above all. Success is based on dominating others. Thus, the main factor of Manny’s character development lies in his inner ability or inability to break free from the powerful social image he proudly holds to maintain his friendship with a true friend, Jin. It is only after getting into an accident and losing all his stature due to his permanent disability that he is able to let go of the “jungle” dynamic and truly care for Jin. While it is significant for Manny to express less investment in social status to care for a friend, it is also important for him to maintain order and civility, which he does as he does not kill Jin’s father in the end. All in all, his character emphasizes the theme of the balance needed to rethink and challenge social systems while not fully disregarding them, since many are present for good reasons.
Beau Park (the bully’s underling or the “hyena”): Beau Park is a minor character in Bastard, yet he remains an interesting character as he represents a path Jin could have taken if he cared to follow the social systems in his school. In the jungle analogy, he is the hyena, or the cunning and devious being. Trapped in this ecosystem, to survive, he has to be sly, which results in him paying his bullies to exert some social power, avoid their attacks, and bully weaker people like Jin. Once again, Bastard displays that loyalty is worthless in this schema. The moment he feels that Manny has been favouring Jin too much, which means he is seen as weaker, he turns on him and joins another gang to take revenge. He simply cannot bear his weakness relative to others, so he must express artificial strength over others, no matter the cost, instead of freeing himself from such trivial social constructs weighing down his self-image.
Faye Kim (the convenience store worker): This character embodies what happens when a “weak” person cannot bear their own weakness and thrives off comparing themself to others to an extreme degree. Just as Beau Park is imprisoned by his mind, where his self-vindication and success rely on surpassing other people, so is Faye Kim. We could say the same about Manny’s initial character, but he soon realizes he does not need any vindication from others as he becomes more protective of Jin, his friend, even if it hurts him socially (before the accident) and physically (after the accident). Faye, the second murderer, is a much more extreme version of Beau Park, who has turned to a perverse version of obsessing over social status. As was written previously, Faye, unable to attain her ideal version of beauty, feels unsuccessful in life compared to others who can. As such, incapable of bearing her own self-assigned lesser beauty relative to others, she murders those with higher beauty out of resentment.
Dong-Soo Seon (the protagonist’s father): Unlike Faye, who murders out of resentment, this character does so for a much more inexplicable, yet deeper reason rooted in psychopathy. This is evidenced by his lack of empathy, conscience and regret, accompanied by his joy and thrill of doing this activity as a father-son bond. Even though he seemingly shows zero care for his serial killing, he displays immense concern for his public image and reputation as the leader of a top company, which is explicitly stated by Jin. This shows that even the most vile of people are consumed by the success gained in prevailing over others.
Bastard is a manhwa you should absolutely read, at a proper pace to carefully observe what I have just described and a lot more that I have not. Just like its title implies, it is about an “illegitimate” child, born outside social norms, and his battle against his inner self to challenge social perceptions, understand what is right, and come back to civilization.````
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