불편한 진실

BULPYEONHAN JINSIL

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
Not Available
RELEASE
April 7, 2018
CHAPTERS
74

DESCRIPTION

Yoseob, normally very quiet and composed, is in the police station convicted of stabbing 8 civilians with a knife. Everyone's wondering whether he actually committed the crime. Does he, a mere high-schooler, really have any reason to have done such a horrifying act? Does his obsessive love for his older brother, Jaeha, have something to do with it?

(Source: Lezhin)

CAST

Jaeha Nam
Yoseob Nam
Taeoh Lee
Yura Hwang

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

UltimateHope
95/100
'An Uncomfortable Truth' will leave you thinking; Maybe we acted honestly too late...?
I want to start by saying that perhaps you come to this series because of the BL category, in fact that's how I came, expecting the 'boys love' but with psychological suspense. And I must say, they couldn't be more wrong. I'm aware that there are several pages that have it in this category and as you might be confused, it's actually quite far away.
"An Uncomfortable Truth” uses very personal language about human relationships, severe trauma, and the importance of communication. I dare say that, if it weren't for the suspense element, we would have a very enjoyable series of self-improvement and personal growth.
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Script/Story:
A story that begins in media res; that is, in the middle of an event. That kind of event that leaves you wanting to know the truth. From the beginning the reader is aware that something very bad will happen in the end, evolving into constant tension as the plot gets closer and closer to that horrible outcome. One of its best factors. Because, although one could say that it is a little obvious from the development of events, there is always a hint of doubt; Who will survive? Yoseob eliminates everyone? What is it that unleashes everything?
It is in that space of doubt where everything else develops. In the middle we have a back-and-forth between the relationships of its characters. Actually a very small cast, which, for this story, is a real advantage. First, it presents superficial characteristics and attitudes that, as we learn about the past, we understand why the consequences will occur.
Personalities so far apart that it is surprising to discover how they conspire. They're high school kids making dumb decisions, like high school kids. Problems and sequences that we have always seen (bullying, selfishness, rumors, jealousy, inferiority and broken families), however, they all revolve around the creepy atmosphere of Yeosob, which gives it the perfect touch of mystery.
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Creepy-light art
One of the first things that may catch the reader's attention is the simplicity of its drawing. A series of a few vignettes where sometimes the speech balloon stands out more than the character's own action. Muted colors, few onomatopoeias and almost no physical action. Which means that the visual weight falls on the main cast and the handling of the expressed expressions.
I think it's a point in its favor, as I said, the really important characters are very few, and we depend only on them to know what happens. When having a thriller series, one would expect that the characters' reactions and their context would rely on the visual to stand out, and that is not always the case. Just as there is no overexposure of gore or explicit scenes, they are actually countable, but shocking and surprising enough to think: “wow, where did that come from?”
Forget about looking for dark or descriptive scenes, honestly, that is not the strong point of this series. But a good effort is made in the visual tools section; distinctions to know the temporality of events and the change in the characters' perspective in the face of a single event that connects them. The best praise is that, within those same tools, it plays very well when trying to find out what is real and what is happening in the minds of young people, which version is a lie and which is not.
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It may be too late...
Returning to one of the points of the introduction: this work could only pass as a dramatic series of self-improvement if it were not for its final twist. Special attention is paid to topics such as forgiveness and miscommunication.
Most of the initial events occur due to the protagonists' bad decisions, but seeing how it affects them years later is the real drama. Personal growth is not about making amends and simply offering apologies, but about understanding the other's position and acting accordingly. There are many important things here in looking around you and stopping clinging to a comfort zone that you know has hurt you. And only then do you forgive yourself... It's complex to explain without giving spoilers, but it's an incredible way to handle character development. Believe me there is, it seems very superficial at first, but there is a lot behind it that at the end of the work will leave you thinking. “Perhaps we acted honestly too late…?”
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Conclusions
It has been a real surprise to continue reading this. I really believe that if you have enough patience and interest you can discover a very well-run and planned series.
As additional information; I have read in an epilogue by the author that it has been difficult for her to express the suspense effectively, and a challenge to maintain a mature character... Let me tell you, author, that she has managed it wonderfully. It is difficult to present a light story and still have readers eagerly awaiting the end, but few series have managed to do so without falling into clichéd elements of the genre.
I repeat that the BL or romance category bothers me a little. I know it's not much, but I think it can really alienate some readers, because while it may be a valid interpretation to some extent, it is very far from the actual message it was intended to give. Since the detail was never in presenting a loving-toxic-dependent relationship of the protagonists, but in how dangerous any relationship with poor communication and insecurities can be. If you are interested, forget about that label and enjoy it, you will find a very good job.
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Cresemuia
66/100
‘An Uncomfortable Truth’ A gathering of troubled people
A história acompanha a vida cotidiana de dois irmãos estudantes do ensino médio: Jaeha e Yoseob. Eles levam uma vida aparentemente comum, mas carregam profundos problemas pessoais e psicológicos. De um lado, temos Yoseob, que possui uma aparência extremamente frágil e delicada, mas esconde uma psicopatia e um ciúme perigoso. Do outro, Jaeha, que possui uma forte dependência em ser aceito pelos outros e mantém um instinto de proteção constante sobre o irmão. A trama desenrola essa dinâmica instável e nos mostra como ela dita o destino de ambos.
__⚠ ️ AVISO: A partir deste ponto, esta review contém SPOILERS da trama ⚠__ 「」═══════ ✦「Arte」✦ ═══════「」
Vou ser bem sincero sobre a parte visual, dá pra ver de longe que a intenção original do autor era fazer um BL (Boys Love). O traço é todo bonitinho, tem aquela pegada delicada e uns momentos de "calor" entre os personagens que funcionam super bem num romance. O problema é que a história é para ser um suspense, e o visual simplesmente não acompanha. Faltou aquela arte um pouco mais sombria, e tensa na minha opinião. Faltaram cores mais escuras e quadros que te deixam agoniado. Do jeito que ficou, até nos momentos de tensão máxima, exemplo do massacre no final, eu não senti nada. A arte continuou muito "viva" e limpa. Parecia que eu estava vendo uma cena cotidiana e não gente morrendo. Se a ideia era chocar, a arte precisava de expressões mais pesadas e um clima mais dark.
「」═══════ ✦「Supporting」✦ ═══════「」
Para mim Taeoh Lee, ele é o personagem mais bem construído da história. A gente descobre que ele tem uma relação muito difícil com o irmão mais velho, que começou a tratar ele mal, após problemas familiares e nunca pediu desculpas. A raiva do Taeoh com o Jaeha nasceu justamente disso, ele viu o Jaeha conversando de um jeito carinhoso com o irmão dele, tendo aquela atenção que o próprio Taeoh nunca teve. Ele comete erros que qualquer um poderia cometer. Ele sabe que errou, se arrepende, sente raiva de si mesmo, mas tem aquela trava enorme de não conseguir pedir desculpas. Ele mostra como é difícil a gente se abrir e assumir nossos erros.
Sobre a Yura, preciso admitir: mesmo eu sendo homem e não vivendo a realidade de uma garota no ensino médio, a dor dela foi palpável. Ela é aquela menina extremamente bonita que vê os garotos que eram seus amigos falando dela de um jeito nojento pelas costas ("vadia", "puta"). Aquilo quebrou ela. O único ponto que eu achei mal escrito foi como ela acabou sozinha. Depois que o Yoseob assedia ela, em vez de buscar apoio, ela surta e humilha as melhores amigas. Ficou muito forçado, parece que o autor só queria isolar ela de qualquer jeito. O que salva é a relação dela com o Taeoh. Eles funcionam muito bem juntos. É aquela amizade real, sem filtros. A cena final, com os dois indo visitar o túmulo do Jaeha juntos, mostra que essa amizade durou anos.
ㅤㅤ 「」═══════ ✦「Main」✦ ═══════「」
A construção do Yoseob é muito bem escrita. O passado dele, onde ele presenciou sua mãe se matar e momentos depois viu o corpo de seu pai morto após beber uma garrafa de veneno, explica a mente quebrada dele. O mais fascinante é como o Yoseob simplesmente não entende sentimentos. Tem um diálogo incrível onde ele pergunta para a própria sombra "O que é gostar?", e nem a alucinação sabe responder. Isso leva ao flashback do peixinho-palhaço, que é a origem de tudo. O Yoseob matou o peixe do irmão só para testar: "Quem ele vai escolher? Eu ou o peixe?". Quando o Jaeha escolheu perdoar o irmão, o Yoseob aprendeu a lição errada, para ter atenção total, ele precisa eliminar tudo o que rouba o foco do irmão. Ele não acha que está sendo mau, ele só está repetindo o teste do peixe com pessoas reais. Já o Jaeha foi o personagem com quem eu menos consegui me conectar. O roteiro força uma fragilidade e uma incoerência enorme nele. Primeiro, a relação com o Taeoh, o cara fez da vida escolar dele um inferno, e do nada eles viram amigos sem um processo real de perdão? Isso para mim não existe, o autor pode estar querendo passar uma ideia de um ser puro para o protagonista mas isso não caiu bem. Segundo, o romance com a Yura. Ela mesmo afirma isso a todo momento que odeia caras que gostam dela só pela aparência. O Jaeha era apaixonado nela sem nunca ter trocado uma palavra (ou seja, só pela aparência), e mesmo assim o roteiro força o casal a acontecer. Faltou lógica.
「」═══════ ✦「Furos」✦ ═══════「」
Se o desenvolvimento teve altos e baixos, o final foi onde a obra se perdeu para mim. Primeiro, cadê os pais? Eles descobrem a verdade, correm para casa e simplesmente somem da história. Não vemos o luto, a reação, nada. Mas o pior foi o massacre. A obra passa dezenas de capítulos estabelecendo o Yoseob como um garoto de 14 anos, doente e fisicamente frágil. Aí, no clímax, esse mesmo garoto pega uma faca e mata oito adultos sozinho? Foi um desfecho preguiçoso que quebrou toda a regra de realidade que a própria obra criou.
「」═══════ ✦「Conclusão」✦ ═══════「」
An Uncomfortable Truth é uma obra que oscila demais. O começo é arrastado e difícil de engatar. O meio melhora muito, principalmente nos flashbacks que explicam o passado, mas o final deixa a desejar com furos de roteiro absurdos nos últimos capítulos. Eu recomendaria? Sinceramente, para quem está começando a ler manhwas agora, não. Existem obras muito melhores. Agora, se você já é fã de suspense e psicológico, pode ser uma leitura válida É uma obra mediana. Ela peca em alguns pontos que eu já mencionei, mas tem um mérito: ela não é "dropável". Apesar de tudo, a curiosidade te faz ir até o fim. É uma nota média para uma experiência média.

In English
using Artificial Intelligence (Gemini). Please excuse any potential translation errors.

The story follows the daily lives of two high school brothers: Jaeha and Yoseob. They lead seemingly ordinary lives but carry deep personal and psychological issues. On one side, there is Yoseob, who has an extremely fragile and delicate appearance but hides psychopathy and dangerous jealousy. On the other, Jaeha, who has a strong dependency on being accepted by others and maintains a constant protective instinct over his brother. The plot unravels this unstable dynamics and shows us how it dictates the fate of both.

⚠ ️ WARNING: Plot SPOILERS ahead ⚠
「」═══════ ✦「Art」✦ ═══════「」
I'll be very honest about the visuals: you can tell from a mile away that the author's original intention was to make a BL (Boys Love). The art style is all cute, it has that delicate vibe and some moments of "heat" between the characters that work super well in a romance. The problem is that the story is supposed to be a thriller, and the visuals simply don't match. In my opinion, it lacked darker, more tense art. It needed darker colors and panels that make you feel distressed. As it stands, even in moments of maximum tension, for example, the massacre at the end, I felt nothing. The art remained too "vivid" and clean. It felt like I was watching an everyday scene, not people dying. If the idea was to shock, the art needed heavier expressions and a darker atmosphere.
「」═══════ ✦「Supporting」✦ ═══════「」
For me, Taeoh Lee is the best-constructed character in the story. We discover that he has a very difficult relationship with his older brother, who started treating him badly after family problems and never apologized. Taeoh's anger towards Jaeha was born precisely from this; he saw Jaeha talking affectionately with his brother, receiving the attention that Taeoh himself never got. He makes mistakes that anyone could make. He knows he messed up, he regrets it, he feels angry at himself, but he has that huge mental block preventing him from apologizing. He shows how hard it is for us to open up and admit our mistakes.
Regarding Yura, I have to admit: even though I am a man and don't live the reality of a high school girl, her pain was palpable. She is that extremely beautiful girl who sees the boys who were her friends talking about her in a disgusting way behind her back ("slut", "whore"). That broke her. The only point I found poorly written was how she ended up alone. After Yoseob harasses her, instead of seeking support, she snaps and humiliates her best friends. It felt very forced; it seems the author just wanted to isolate her by any means necessary. What saves it is her relationship with Taeoh. They work very well together. It's that real friendship, no filters. The final scene, with the two of them going to visit Jaeha's grave together, shows that this friendship lasted for years.
「」═══════ ✦「Main」✦ ═══════「」
Yoseob's construction is very well written. His past, where he witnessed his mother killing herself and moments later saw his father's dead body after drinking a bottle of poison, explains his broken mind. The most fascinating thing is how Yoseob simply doesn't understand feelings. There is an incredible dialogue where he asks his own shadow "What is liking someone?", and not even the hallucination knows how to answer. This leads to the clownfish flashback, which is the origin of everything. Yoseob killed his brother's fish just to test: "Who will he choose? Me or the fish?". When Jaeha chose to forgive his brother, Yoseob learned the wrong lesson: to have total attention, he needs to eliminate everything that steals his brother's focus. He doesn't think he is being evil; he is just repeating the fish test with real people. Jaeha, on the other hand, was the character I connected with the least. The script forces a fragility and a huge inconsistency onto him. First, the relationship with Taeoh—the guy made his school life a living hell, and out of nowhere, they become friends without a real process of forgiveness? That doesn't exist for me; the author might be trying to convey the idea of a pure being for the protagonist, but it didn't land well. Second, the romance with Yura. She herself states all the time that she hates guys who like her just for her looks. Jaeha was in love with her without ever exchanging a word (meaning, just for her looks), and yet the script forces the couple to happen. It lacked logic.
「」═══════ ✦「Plot Holes」✦ ═══════「」
If the development had ups and downs, the ending is where the work lost itself for me. First, where are the parents? They discover the truth, rush home, and simply vanish from the story. We don't see the grief, the reaction, nothing. But the worst was the massacre. The work spends dozens of chapters establishing Yoseob as a 14-year-old boy, sick and physically fragile. Then, at the climax, this same boy grabs a knife and kills eight adults alone? It was a lazy outcome that broke every rule of reality that the work itself created.
「」═══════ ✦「Conclusion」✦ ═══════「」
An Uncomfortable Truth is a work that oscillates too much. The beginning is dragging and hard to get into. The middle improves a lot, especially in the flashbacks explaining the past, but the ending leaves much to be desired with absurd plot holes in the last chapters. would I recommend it? Honestly, for those starting to read manhwas now, no. There are much better works. However, if you are already a fan of suspense and psychological genres, it might be a valid reading. It is a mediocre work. It fails in some points I already mentioned, but it has one merit: it is not "droppable". Despite everything, curiosity makes you go until the end. It's an average score for an average experience.

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