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Whale Star: The Gyeongseong Mermaid

Gorae Byul

고래별

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manhwa completed Licensed 2019 - 2021

Yun-Hui Na

The year is 1926 in this retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid”, and Joseon (present-day Korea), is under colonial Japanese rule. Su-A Heo is a handmaiden who spends her days working and swimming in the sea. Her work is her whole life, until one day, when she discovers a wounded independence fighter named Ui-Hyeon Kang washed up on the shore. She nurses him back to health, only to lose her ability to speak in a botched murder attempt by Ui-Hyeon’s comrade, Hae-Su Song. As she travels to the capital, Gyeongseong (present-day Seoul), to get revenge, she finds herself growing more and more intertwined with a strange, brave new world and the people within it.

(Source: WEBTOONS)

Note: Chapter count includes prologue.

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Genres

◆ Historical ◆ Tragedy ◆ Drama ◆ Psychological ◆ Romance

Themes

War Espionage Politics Secret Organizations Angst Death Deception Discrimination Dreams Hostility Irony Lies Little Mermaid Reference Living Double Lives Nightmares Pursuing One's Dream Real Life Facts Rescue Reunion Sacrifice Secrets Self-Harm Sign Language Suffering Traumatic Past Uncertainty Unfulfilled Dreams Violence Courtship › Unexpressed Feelings Death › Suicide Emotions › Longing History › Historical Fiction Military › Army Narrative Themes › Betrayal Politics › Conspiracy

Culture

Japanese Society Korean Society

Emotions

Dead Love Interest Despair Grief Guilt Love Confession Regret

Health

Disability Medical Illness › Physical Handicap

Kinship

Abusive Parents Adopted Children Arranged Engagement Baby/ies Distinguished Family Important Family Orphans Rich Family Abandonment › Parental Marriage › Arranged

Mental Health

Trauma Mental Illness › Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Politics

Revolution Colonization Dictatorship Imperialism Oppression

Romance

Unrequited Love Rescue Restrained Love

Social Issues

Gender discrimination Misogyny Poverty Prejudice Racism Sexism Social Class Discrimination Social Gap Social Hierarchy Xenophobia Nobility › Fallen

Sports

Water Sports › Swimming

Violence

Brutality Cruelty Grudge Torture

Settings

Country Bumpkin Moves To City Dark Ambience Historical Setting Asian Ambience › Korean ambience Historical Setting › Historical References

Activities

Leisure › Crossdressing

Crimes

Organized Crime Attempted Murder Murder

Murder

Mass Murder › Massacre

Audience Demographics

Female Oriented › Josei

Character Archetype

Country Girl Polyglot

Character Traits

Mute Character Braid Cruel Character Determined Character Freckles Hated Character Influential Character Misogynistic Character Naive Character Realistic Characters Scary Character Spoiled Character Strong Character Strong-Willed Character Attractiveness › Handsome Male Lead Human Anatomy › Scars Wealth › Rich Characters

Appearance > Hair

Brown Hair › Brown-Haired Male Lead

Black Hair

Black-Haired Female Lead Black-Haired Protagonist

Hair Length

Long-Haired Female Lead Long-Haired Male Character Long-Haired Protagonist

Behavioral Traits

Ruthless Character Scheming Character

Character Types

Female Lead Commoner Fugitive Rebel Widow/Widower Antagonists › Traitor Cast › Primarily Adult Nationalities › Korean

Female Lead

Ability Female Lead › Hard-Working Female Lead Occupation Female Lead › Maid Female Lead

Appearance Female Lead

Plain-Looking Female Lead Crippled Female Lead Disabled Female Lead Mute Female Lead

Background Female Lead

Commoner Female Lead Independent Female Lead Orphan Female Lead Poor Female Lead

Personality Female Lead

Innocent Female Lead Determined Female Lead Emotionally Strong Female Lead Expressive Female Lead Kind female Lead

Male Lead

Ability Male Lead › Hard-Working Male Lead Occupation Male Lead › University Student Male Lead

Personality Male Lead

Determined Male Lead Kind Male Lead Polite Male Lead

Protagonists

Commoner Protagonist Determined Protagonist Disabled Protagonist Emotionally Strong Protagonist Expressive Protagonist Hard-Working Protagonist Kind Protagonist Maid Protagonist Mute Protagonist Plain-Looking Protagonist Selfless Protagonist Tragic Protagonist

Derivative Work > Based on > Based on Literature

Based on a Fairy Tale Based on a Novel Based on a Fairy Tale › Fairy Tale

Locations

Foreign Mountain Sea Food & Drink › Tea Shop Religious Sites › Temple School › College

Asia

South Korea Japan

Natural

Coastal Ocean Snowscape

Narrative Tropes

Language Barrier Tragic Accident Assassination Attempt Conflicted Feelings Invasion Life-Changing Events Parent's Work Plays a Big Role Rumors Tragic Fate Plot Structure › Past Plays a Big Role Survival › On the Run Time Passage › Time Skip In Final Chapter/Epilogue

Backstory

Dead Family Member Tragic Past

Character Change

Character Growth Friends Grow Distant Lifestyle Change

Death Tropes

Accidental Death Character Death Dead Friend Dead Spouse Death of Loved One

Fateful Encounters

Chance Encounter Unusual First Meeting

Identity Tropes

Disguise Female Disguised as Male Hiding Real Identity Secret Identity

Love Tropes

Love Triangle Female Lead Falls in Love First Love At First Sight Realistic Relationship Subtle Romance Unrequited Love Becomes Requited Unrequited Love Stays Unrequited

Power Dynamics

Abuse of Power Bought by Money

Romantic Dynamics