Honestly, I’m a very dark person right now. All my interests are a bit mature and psychological when it comes to anime. It doesn’t only stop there. I also get intrigued by horror and just plain dark anime as well. I read a lot of yaoi manga so I know which way those types of manga range from. However, KILLING STALKING isn’t only about yaoi.
[warning… some spoilers ahead so if you haven’t yet read the manhwa, start reading it if you don’t like spoilers.]
Now here me out, I just wanted to say I appreciate the author who created it and that they are a genius. The manhwa kind of depicts a story at the beginning about a stalker (Yoonbum) who fell in love with a killer (Sangwoo). You can see where the title gets its name. Although, it is very important to note that Yoonbum did not know that Sangwoo was a killer at this time. For all he was concerned, it’s just a good looking man who he owes his thanks to.
Yoonbum
Yoonbum is a cinnamon roll…. until you add in the stalker and mental issues to his character. He then kind of comes off as a little creepy. I gotta excuse him though. He had an abusive/rapist of an uncle. Besides that, I still like his character. He is timid, weak, and shy. It’s perfect for a main character (IN YAOI LOL!). I felt for him so many times. Everything about him is sad and failure, and that is very realistic (except for the stalking part). I waited so bad for the time Yoonbum can get away from Sangwoo, yet as usually, that did not become the case. As a default, [SPOILER] they end up becoming a couple.
Sangwoo
Ah, Sangwoo. Yeah, I don’t really like him all that much. He was a decent character but I don’t really like him. Of course for the obvious reason: he’s a killer. It’s not only that though. Deeper into the story you come to understand how really mental this man is. The manhwa tries so hard to sway your opinion of him. The fact of the matter is, this man is a sociopath. That’s it. Nothing more nothing less. You’ll be scared of him from the beginning of the story to to the end of season 2. In season 3 his character finally gets some growth and explaining. I really liked learning about his past and what his parents are like. It’s very important for parents to raise their children right. Mental parents creates mental children.
There are multiple parts in the manhwa where they kind of tell you how and why Yoonbum started to like Sangwoo. It was in the military where Yoonbum was being attacked and almost raped, is where Sangwoo kinda saved him. I don’t think Sangwoo really meant to save him though. In my opinion, it was just a situation that was created that Sangwoo did some sort of action at that particular time. That however does not affect Yoonbum’s feelings at the slightest. Sangwoo is still an angel to him at this point.
At the beginning it was pretty gory and scary because Sangwoo turned out to be some sort of sociopath. But then again we cannot say Yoonbum isn’t a saint either. He broke into his house after stalking him and learning his house key. So in Sangwoo’s defense it’s self defense. It kind of got to point in the manhwa where things kind of changed. At first I thought Sangwoo was straight but I found it really odd that he would date women and kill them afterwords. It wasn’t until I kind of understood why he had some weird distaste for women. I originally thought he was a sociopath and just hated women and loved to kill them. I’ll get onto that a bit later.
Anyways, to connect from earlier, Sangwoo ended up kidnapping Yoonbum. It was so peculiar. He broke his legs and temporarily disabled him. This was when Sangwoo found him in his basement.
Moving on, the story got really depressing and the more it did, the more I wanted to read it. There were so many occasions where there were women and men who would become dead after Sangwoo brought them home. It was to a point where I really wanted Sangwoo to just be caught already. Throughout the whole first season of the Manhwa it was just Sangwoo killing, looking crazy, and Yoonbum, kidnapped, forced to do chores and stay inside. Of course Yoonbum wanted to get out at first. I don’t think anyone wants to be kidnapped. Even if the kidnapper was someone they liked. So, Yoonbum tried his best to escape. And I was here for it. I wanted Yoonbum to get away as soon as possible. Personally me I usually connect myself to characters to understand a story/or show better so you can sort of understanding where I’m coming from with this.
Unfortunately, Yoonbum caught stockholm syndrome and gave up on leaving Sangwoo. During this time I found a new interest in a another character that was introduced earlier.
Seungbae
Seungbae became my favorite character. He was always trying to find a way to capture Sangwoo. Season 2 was just for this. I yearned so bad for Seungbae to get Sangwoo. It was so earnest to the point that I didn’t mind that Seungbae tried to frame Sangwoo. After all, Seungbae had good reasons to arrest him. I wanted to know more about Seungbae after finishing season 1 and 2. I was a bit sad when they didn’t really talk about Seungbae in season 3 that much. What hit me more was that Seungbae too became delusional and insane (or sick). I deeply understand his feelings too. If you read the manhwa you’ll kind of understand what caused his depression and lost in life.
I somewhat have some conflicting feelings about Yoonbum because [SPOILER] Yoonbum ends up killing someone under the guise and pressure of Sangwoo. Then again, it was under duress. Yoonbum could have still made a defense under duress saying that Yoonbum coerced in into killing her (Jieun). Actually, in second thought I think Yoonbum has another defense of going in insane. It was completely different than what I’m used too. Sangwoo has the ability to make Yoonbum kill for him by delving deep into his consciousness. (There is another occasion where Yoonbum kills some one but that one was more of an accident. You could say they(Yoonbum and Sangwoo) killed “him” together.
Jiuen
Jiuen was one of my least favorite characters. She was annoying. Usually in any form of show, anime, manga, or book I don’t really like female characters who are bratty, pretentious, obnoxious and outright rude. And honestly it was hard for me to feel sorry for her. I was trying so hard to feel bad for her but she kept giving me reasons to dislike her. She kind of acted like the girl in Yoonbum’s story of when he was in highschool. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying she deserves to be dead. I think people should live no matter how awkward they are with the exception of evil, predator, or murderer. That was pretty much what gave me faith to feel sorry for her character. After that, she pretty much got herself into that mess.
Anyways back to the title of this blog. I this manhwa for me felt so much more of a psychological horror type of manhwa than a yaoi. In fact, when I first heard about Killing Stalking, I wanted to avoid it. I thought it was some dark yaoi and I wasn’t into that stuff. My friend recommended it to me so many times and I just avoided it at all costs. But it was actually because of a video I watched from MistyChronexia that I decided to read this manhwa. The video was on types of illnesses or something of that sort in Anime. And he listed this explaining how a character had Lima syndrome. Which is Sangwoo. At first I didn’t understand how could Sangwoo possibly have Lima syndrome. It eventually became clear after understanding that Yoonbum has stockholm syndrome. Sangwoo ended up having actual feelings for Yoonbum. Season 3 is all about that. It showed their relationship and how their relationship kind of progressed. At first, I was prepared for Sangwoo to do a 360 on Yoonbum. I was waiting for a moment to see that Sangwoo would go completely psycho on him again like in season 2. Yet, that is not the case. He seemed to have genuinely wanted to go out with him and I see a shift in Sangwoo’s character. I’m still a bit skeptical because I believe that Sangwoo is still evil, but I sorta have conflicting feelings about him. Later in season 3 we kind of get a glimpse of Sangwoo’s life when he was young and how his mother and father were like. Before season 3 we only get incite on Sangwoo’s father, where he is abusive and demanding. You know, same old stuff pscho people usually have. However, it kinda changes in season 3. So this is where I kind of understand why Sangwoo is not a pyschopath but instead a sociopath. He wasn’t really born a pyschopath he turned into a sociopath. Usually people who at first seemed really good and then had a sudden turn in their life where they change and just switch to a pscho (Usually killer) this would be sociopath.
[For my information on the differences between Sociopath, Psychopath, and Narcissists watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dv8zJiggBs%5D
I want to talk a little bit about Sangwoo’s Mom before I wrap this blog up. When I first learned about Sangwoo’s mother, I sympathized her. She seemed so nice and motherly. I thought Sangwoo loved his mother as well. It was sweet and dandy only to find that there is a huge twist! I was shocked. I never really understood the dangers of a narcissistic mother. In fact, I didn’t really understand much about those at all. Luckily I had prior research before reading this part and I began to really get why Sangwoo is the way he is.
Mother
I started to dislike this women. She was the epitome of all women who are bad. She was a mother but also a slag at the same time. I don’t know if she was the cause for Sangwoo’s father’s abusive nature, but I will connect it. Frankly, Sangwoo did not have a good childhood. There was too much crazy going on. It started off with his mom being crazy, but then progressed into his father becoming crazy. I originally thought that Sangwoo hated his father. Later we found out that Sangwoo did not hate his father. He just did not want to become like his father as he pretty much mentions in chapter 54. At this point I finally can connect to Sangwoo’s odd obsession with killing women and perhaps being gay as well. I also find a connection to some of his behavior as well. I begin to realize why he did some of his actions much earlier in the story. His mother was 80% of the root to his misery. When you read the manhwa you’ll get a good idea of what I’m talking about.
On the topic of parents let’s finish this blog with Yoonbum’s Uncle.
Uncle
Yoonbum’s uncle is another character I despise the most. Although way after Jiuen and Sangwoo’s mother of course. He’s a very unpleasant person. He’s your typical creepy and unneeded uncle. Remember when I mentioned that there should be an exception to someone who doesn’t deserve to die? Well, (although I don’t condone killing) he’s a perfect exception. I felt so much for Yoonbum and I was hoping that at one point of the story Yoonbum would get his revenge. It was also weird watching Yoonbum tell his story to Sangwoo. Sangwoo seemed so disinterested and disconnected. But later on it is revealed that Sangwoo did not forget that. The only good thing I like about Sangwoo is that he loves revenge. So not just for himself but for Yoonbum too. It’s a little cute if you don’t think too deeply on it.
In conclusion, I love this manhwa and I’m here for it until the end. I haven’t yet decided to drop it and I wont. (I mean, I never decided to drop “This doesn’t feel like me” yet so I think this is beyond that at this point. That’s going to be another story for another time. Oh the pain I get from reading these).
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Thank you! ❤
– Sunny
sunnylubby 