As Ize Press expands their collection, some sacrifices with quality while developing a library base are bound to happen. With quite a few titles already related to the action/fantasy genre like “Solo Leveling” along with some recent titles such as “Tomb Raider King” and “The World After The Fall” might feel a bit overhung especially if you’re collecting HYBE releases and are a knopper. This is overall kind of a nag when looking over “Overgeared”. The series has an interesting plot having a mix of a video game alongside a real life plot, but it is still reliant on the bland RPG factors of the leveling system alongside items equipped with different stats. It isn’t new rather a miniscule alteration of the traditional. Regrettably this does in a way make “Overgeared” into a dull as the previous series came out making trying to read as many titles within the time limit with the budget more limited.
In this first volume, Youngwoo Shin doesn’t stand out as a character: he is a rather bland gamer who has a pessimistic approach to everything and constantly tweaks about being broke and spending too much time on games. It is hard to root for him; chance and contempt certainly do not make an appealing protagonist. Nevertheless, because it is just the first book in a series, we can wait for his character growth to exceed that annoying filter presented in the first volume first.
Nonetheless, with the humor often being stale or, in some cases, offensive, there are other factors that contribute to this discomfort. Youngwoo Shin, for instance, has a blacksmith who seems to take a strange liking to him. The man is stalkerish and Shin finds it exasperating to say the least. In my opinion, such instances are not problematic or mean-spirited but rather just plain in bad taste and datetime. Indeed, in this type of comic, which is written in a modern setting, such a plot is implemented in a crude and uncalled for way.
In terms of character and armor, I think the series had a lot of flair. Armor is very important in a series when equipment is emphasized. As for the first volume, the action was very little, so it is hard to say how how this element will be fitting in future volumes. For now, judging from Redice Studio games like “Solo Leveling” there is every reason to have hope that as the series shifts into an action ride, it will be composed of stunning visuals. The only real drawback is the absence of any elaborated backgrounds that would pull the reader deeper into the illusion of a virtual-reality made fantasy universe.
If “Overgeared” was released together with the first bunch of Ize Press titles, it could have built up a bit of anticipation for what was to come, as the series does bring some entertainment to the table and incorporates concepts that have become big in other series. Sadly enough, the book itself seems rather ungainly and uncomfortable, more so if the mediocre comedy and the irritating main character are considered. A lot depends on whether the viewer is able to empathize, or at the very least, endure, with Youngwoo Shin. In the end, if you are searching for the very best content out there in the paper form to make a soft introduction to manhwa, try “Tomb Raider King” instead, which does the ‘unlikeable main character’ much better than the one mentioned here, or even more interesting and sophisticated, if not more complicated, but these titles will work just fine too.
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