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“1926 Joseon: Illiterate handmaiden saves wounded activist, falls in love, unaware of tragic fate like the Little Mermaid.”
Whale Star: The Gyeongseong Mermaid
고래별
8.35
293 rank · 4,990 readers · 162 favorites
Historical
Drama
Romance
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Based on your preference for character-driven stories with layered emotional arcs, this title's exploration of identity and belonging would deeply resonate. The pacing mirrors series you've rated highly, and its thematic depth aligns with your appreciation for nuanced storytelling...
However, the slow initial episodes might test your patience given your history of dropping shows that don't hook you early. The art style shift in the middle arc could also be a concern...
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Synopsis
1926 Joseon: Illiterate handmaiden saves wounded activist, falls in love, unaware of tragic fate like the Little Mermaid.
"If the life that you had regained, was one that I had breathed back into you... Is it too much to hope for you to love me back with that life?" The year is 1926, in Japan-occupied Joseon. 17-year-old Soo-a is an illiterate handmaiden working for the household of a prominent Japanese collaborator. One day, she discovered an injured young man lying unconscious at the beach, an independence activist called Eui-hyeon. The sweet and innocent Soo-a nursed him back to health, and Eui-hyeon told her the tale of the "Little Mermaid," a princess of the sea who saved a prince from his death. Having fallen in love with Eui-hyeon, Soo-a was determined to meet him once again. But she knew not then, of the fate that awaited the "Little Mermaid" on her quest to reunite with her beloved. (Source: MU)
What people say
Community consensus
Derived from 3 sampled reviews
10.0
/10
What 3 readers settled on.
100%
recommend
Score distribution
median 10
mode 10
σ 0.00
Agreement
Strong agreement
σ 0.00 · scores cluster tight
The polarity gap
—
Not enough recommend signal yet
Score over time
↑ 0.00
Running avg · Apr 2021 → Jun 2024
Snap verdicts
· shortest highly-rated reviews
- 10 “Honestly one of the most tragic, beautiful, well written, heart wrenching stories I've ever read. Every character was written with such depth, they all had their stories and it was portrayed...”
- 10 “This is one of the best manhwas I have read and I have read quite a few. The plot was amazingly paced with many heart-wrenching twists, I cannot elaborate more without spoiling so I will leave...”
- 10 “yay i get to be the first to review this total masterpiece (no spoilers here!!) its not finished so i cant say anything about the ending. personally for me the ending either makes or breaks a manga...”
Verbosity
Short · 100%
Medium · 0%
Long · 0%
Read Order & Related
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A Manhwa Publication
- Format 109 × 6 ch × vol
- Total read 14h 32m approx
- Published Jun 2019 – Jul 2021
- Source Manhwa media type
- Ref. BS-M55621 catalog