Description
Book Introduction
Drama first airing on Saturday, October 12, 2024
Top-rated tvN drama [Jeongnyeon] Original webtoon volume
The best popular art of the 1950s, ‘Women’s Gukgeuk’. The story of women who became princes and walked the stage
“I want to become a national theater actress. I want to make money!”
The best popular art of the 1950s, ‘Women’s Gukgeuk’, a comprehensive art combining singing, dancing, and acting. Jeongnyeon, a girl from Mokpo who was born with singing, dreams of joining a national theater troupe and becoming rich. Genius student Heo Yeong-seo, lead actress Moon Ok-kyung… Will Jeongnyeon be able to become a star with these people who dream of becoming a prince?
Publisher Review
2019 Today’s Our Cartoon Award, 2020 This Year’s Gender Equality Cultural Content Award, 2024 Bucheon Cartoon Grand Prize.
A popular traditional Korean opera stage and a dramatization featuring the best actors! The story of women who dream is the masterpiece of this era and a representative female narrative of today, 『Jeongnyeoni』.
『Jeongnyeoni』 was serialized on Naver Webtoon from 2019 to 2022. During the approximately three-year serialization period, each step of 『Jeongnyeoni』 was surprising. In the unusual year that it began serialization, it was selected for the [Today’s Our Cartoon Award], which is given to only five works a year, and the following year, it received the [Gender Equality Cultural Content Award of the Year], the first for a webtoon. In 2023, it was adapted into a stage play at the National Theater, receiving encouraging reviews that it stimulated interest in traditional arts among young women in their 20s and 30s. In 2024, it was selected for the [Busan Cartoon Awards] as a book and swept the nation’s leading cartoon awards. And finally, the ‘drama adaptation’ that readers and fans have been waiting for the most among 『Jeongnyeoni』’s good news will be realized in the fall of 2024. The drama [Jeongnyeon], which has been a hot topic every time the casting was revealed, will become the most successful female narrative with its solid story, production team, and the best actors.
“Listen carefully to me, Bu-yong. I will perform a national drama. One day, I will become a nobleman and hold a brush, and another day, I will become a general and swing a sword. I will become an emperor who commands the world, and a crown prince who raises a country. I will sing, dance, and act on stage. I will become the most wonderful female national drama prince in the world. So if you want to see me… If you want to be with me… Come to the theater anytime. I will always be on stage. Just like now. You are my number one fan, and I am your actor.” _From the final episode of Volume 10 of 『Jeongnyeon』
『Jeongnyeon』, which has been read and known as a female narrative, has a variety of rich charms. The fact that it deals with the rare ‘art with women as the main characters’, women’s national theater, more deeply and centrally than any other work, and the fact that it faithfully researches and studies the materials in dealing with this subject matter, so that it allows one to feel the women’s culture and history of the 1950s as realistically as any other historical work, are like that. In addition, if you look at the love stories of women, including Yeongseo and Juran, Okgyeong and Hye-rang, Jeongnyeon and Bu-yong, that dramatically develop in the latter half of the work, it is also a masterpiece as a queer work. Above all, the influence and significance that ‘Jeongnyeoni’ has as a female narrative are enormous. In the field of Korean comics and webtoon content, it is a work that everyone thinks of when they think of ‘female narratives’, and it is a work that everyone will remember in the future.
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Amelia Grayson from Chicago, Illinois (verified owner) –
Within the vibrant pages of Jeongnyeon’s first comic book series, an intoxicating tapestry unfurls, drawing us into the elaborate and colorful universe of mid-20th-century South Korea. The representation encapsulated within its visuals mesmerizes—the juxtaposition between joyous song and challenging circumstance resonates deeply with me as I pondered my childhood in Chicago’s lively neighborhoods. To behold characters steeped not only in ambition but authentic emotional resonance prompts reflections on perseverance amidst personal struggles for success akin to stages many aspire to attain across various backgrounds. Artworks conjuring reminiscent glimpses transport one not merely through ink upon a page but ingeniously breathe life pulsating ever so distinctly against silences yet yearningly waited until summoned.
田中 和子 from 岡山県、日本 –
最初は漫画としての真価を見抜けずにいましたが、 は時代を超えた魅力があります。1950年代の女性芸術を掘り下げたそのストーリーは、単なる夢物語ではなく、多くの社会問題や女性らしさ、自立への渇望が巧みに描かれています。主人公ジョンニョンと彼女の仲間達が劇場で成功する過程には、大きな感動があります。一方で各キャラクターはそれぞれ独自性豊かで、それぞれ心打つエピソードに彩られており、一冊一冊読み進めるうちに強い親近感すら覚えます。この作品から受け取れるメッセージも強烈です。本当に見るべきものだと思います！
Luisa Caballero from Valparaíso, Chile –
Jeongnyeon captivates through its raw portrayal of ambition amid post-war societal shifts. The artistic interplay resurrects a lost cultural nuance that resonates today, reflecting both strife and hope.
Mireille Chanda from Kigali, Rwanda (verified owner) –
The heart of Jeongnyeon echoes across decades, merging raw ambition with artistry. Each volume breathes life into the challenges faced by women, invigorating historical narratives.
Lúcia Andrade from Recife, Brasil –
Os volumes da série ‘Jeongnyeon’ revelam um mergulho vibrante na rica tapeçaria cultural das décadas de 1950. Com uma narrativa que brilha por sua sinceridade e crítica social, cada quadro conta a história de mulheres corajosas navegando suas ambições em meio à opressão de seu tempo. O desenho é deslumbrante; as expressões são profundas e cativantes, enquanto os diálogos transbordam autenticidade e resiliência. Isso nos faz refletir: será possível sonhar numa sociedade onde todos clamam pelo mesmo estrelato? Recomendo enfaticamente aos amantes da arte gráfica que valorizem histórias envolventes como estas! Cada volume captura não apenas momentos, mas a essência do desejo humano.
Marisol Vázquez-Rios from Valparaíso, Chile –
Draped in nostalgia, ‘Jeongnyeon’ immerses readers into the vibrant tapestry of 1950s Gukgeuk. A powerful exploration of ambition and artistry shines throughout each volume—transformative! The characters resonate profoundly.