Goong (translated as “Palace”)

Manga: Ongoing
Drama (Princess Hours)

At 18 volumes and still ongoing, I’m not sure if this is going to go on and on forever. I haven’t seen the drama although I’m sure it was probably very popular (and long).

This manhwa has the usual shoujo storyline, involving royalty, but this is where it gets a lot more complex as there is politics involved. Also, the couple is already married though till now it’s pretty much a farce. There are a lot of court rules/etiquette/material and whilst this gives the artist good ideas for the costumes, it also provides a lot of stuff to digest as the dynamics of the couple unfold. This is pretty angsty sometimes and the girl is crying a lot cos she misses home, etc. and the guy is at his meanest and confused best.

The rival plays a significant part and unfortunately (fortunately?) tends to complicate the issue just nicely cos he tends to appear at the most timely (untimely?) situations when the girl and the guy are just about to have a tiff, etc. so he becomes her main confidante and tries to develop her feelings for him that way (like Spiderman my husband would probably say though I don’t know why).

For someone who doesn’t like more than 6-10 volumes, it is a bit long to plough through, esp as the end is not in sight.