Jump to content

Legend of Chun Hyang

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Fraggle81 (talk | contribs) at 02:27, 24 October 2013 (Reverted 1 edit by 125.60.231.190 identified using STiki). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Legend of Chun Hyang
The bunko version of the manga featuring Mong Ryong (left) and Chun Hyang (right)
新・春香伝
(Shin Shunka-den)
GenreAdventure, Fantasy, Historical
Manga
Written byClamp
Published byHakusensha
English publisher
MagazineSerie Mystery - Special
DemographicJosei
Original run1992 – 1994
Volumes1

Legend of Chun Hyang (Japanese: 新・春香伝, Hepburn: Shin Shunka-den) is a manga by Clamp. Its story and characters are loosely based on a well known Korean folktale of the same name.

Shin Shunkaden was first published in 1996 by Hakusensha in Japan.

Tokyopop licensed the manga in English as The Legend of Chun Hyang but the project was dropped after a few chapters.

Derivative of Chunhyangga

The real story of the pansori Chunhyangga, and the kodae sosol Chunhyangjeon, which the manga Legend of Chun Hyang is based on, is different from the comic. Chun-hyang in Chunhyangga is commonly known as a daughter between Wol-mae and Seong champan (Seong being a surname and champan being a title of government position in Joseon Dynasty Korea). Wol-mae is a retired kisaeng and, therefore, Chun-hyang is considered as a low class being (this becomes an issue when Mong-ryong, a yangban (the highest class) (and son of Lee Han-rim, satto of Namwon), tells his parents he promised to marry Chun-hyang and his parents get angered by the fact he wishes to marry a woman of lower rank).

After Mong-ryong's departure due to his father's promotion, Byeon Satto (Byeon being a surname and satto being a title of government position, equivalent to "mayor") comes to the town. Byeon becomes unpopular figure largely due to his greediness and corruption. Byeon also orders to bring Chun-hyang out to make him happy. As Chun-hyang still misses Mong-ryong, she refuses his order and get jailed.

Meanwhile, Mong-ryong passes as first place in the government exam and becomes an amhaeng'eosa (a secret detective strictly approved by the King of Korea), and comes back to Chun-hyang's house. After Wol-mae tells him Chun-hyang is jailed for not listening to Byeon satto and his order, Mong-ryong punishes and abdicates Byeon for being corrupted.

After punishing Byeon, Mong-ryong reunites with Chun-hyang happily after.

There were number of films and TV dramas based on Chunhyangga such as, Chunhyang and Delightful Girl Choon-Hyang.

Plot

The story follows Chun-Hyang (춘향), the spirited, beautiful, yet headstrong daughter of a mudang in a Korean village. Her name means, "spring fragrance" (the shun-ka in the original Japanese title; Chinese: Chūn-Xiāng). A master of martial arts, Chun-Hyang rises to the occasion when the Yangban, a tyrannical warlord, takes control of her village. He tried to kidnap one of her friends despite Chun-Hyang's bold nature and formidable abilities but there is little hope of freeing her village unless the amhaeng'eosa, a secret Korean government agent, arrives and catches the Ryanban in the act of abusing his powers.

When Mong Ryong, a somewhat lecherous but enchantingly handsome traveler appears, and apparently has fallen heads over heels with Chun-Hyang. She reluctantly accepts his help to rescue her mother, who has been captured by the Ryanban.

Unfortunately, they are too late; Chun-Hyang's mother has already killed herself to preserve her honor. Mong Ryong reveals himself the amhaeng'eosa and passes judgment on the Ryanban, though remains rueful that he could not do so before Wall Mae's death. Devastated, Chun-Hyang does not know what else to do with her life, but Mong Ryong asks her to continue traveling with him. She agrees and they continue on, meeting many more people.

Characters

  • Chun Hyang Chun'yan (春香)
Chun Hyang is a free-spirited, beautiful yet headstrong daughter of Myonfa. She is 14 years old and she is extremely good in martial arts. She is very protective of her mother and her father has died when she was young.
  • Wol Mae Myonfa (明華)
She is Chun Hyang's mother and respected and renown Mudang (shaman) in the town Chun Hyang lives in.
  • Mong Ryong Muron (夢龍)
A handsome traveler who flirts with women, including Chun Hyang, much to her displeasure.

Crossovers

Chun Hyang or also known as Chun'yan, appears in several episodes on the anime of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle. Her counterpart is a young girl whose mother was also a Mu Dang and killed by the Ryanban's sorceress. The Ryanban and his son appear, though they are much different from their respective counterparts in The Legend of Chun Hyang.

Chun'yan appears as a primary character in the country of Koryo and then makes cameo appearances as a contestant in the Dragonfly Race in Piffle World, piloting the Renhi (Lotus Princess) racer. In the anime adaption, she makes an additional cameo as a student in a world where everyone is a chibi character.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Clamp, the chapters of Legend of Chun Hyang appeared as a serial in the manga magazine Serie Mystery - Special from 1992 to 1994.[1] Hakusensha compiled the chapters into a bound volume and published it on December 15, 1996.[2]

In 2003, Tokyopop announced that it had licensed Legend of Chun Hyang for an English-language translation in North America, and published it on August 10, 2004.[3] In late May 2011, Tokyopop's North American publishing branch ceased operations,[4] with all of its Japanese manga licenses returned.[5]

Audio drama

There was a drama CD released in 1994. The script for the drama CD was written by CLAMP.

  • Release date: November 30, 1994[6]

The cast are:

There was also a CD single released in Japan and the song was also included in the CLAMPAZAR Limited Edition Soundtrack.[7]

Kōjin (行人)[8]
Lyrics by: Nanase Ohkawa
Arrangement and composition: Kazuhiko Tōyama
Song by: Eiko Yamane

Reception and legacy

It placed 58th on the list of the top 100 bestselling graphic novels for July 2004, with 1,629 copies sold.[9]

Liann Cooper of Anime News Network reviewed Legend of Chun Hyang positively, writing that its humor and art was characteristic of Clamp.[10]

References

  1. ^ Cavallaro, Dani (2012). Clamp in Context: A Critical Study of the Manga and Anime. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 188. ISBN 9780786469543. OCLC 761369394.
  2. ^ "CLAMP公式ウェブサイト" (in Japanese). Clamp. Archived from the original on February 16, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
  3. ^ "Tokyopop Acquires 5 Clamp Manga". Anime News Network. November 4, 2003. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  4. ^ "News: Tokyopop to Close North American Publishing Division (Update 3)". Anime News Network. April 15, 2011. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ "Tokyopop: Japanese Manga Licenses to Revert to Owners". Anime News Network. May 24, 2011. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  6. ^ "Amazon.co.jp on Shin Shunkaden Drama CD". Retrieved 2007-09-07.
  7. ^ "Amazon.co.jp on CLAMPAZAR Limited Edition Soundtrack Tracklist". Retrieved 2007-09-07.
  8. ^ "Amazon.co.jp on 行人 KOUJIN single". Retrieved 2007-09-07.
  9. ^ "Top 100 Graphic Novels Actual--July 2004". ICv2. August 17, 2004. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  10. ^ Cooper, Liann (August 19, 2004). "Short and Bittersweet". Right Turn Only. Anime News Network. Retrieved July 4, 2013.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Legend_of_Chun_Hyang&oldid=578492092"