The Broken Ring is a romance that has the audacity to begin with a betrayal. At first, we are introduced to the male lead, Cárcel Escalante, through incredibly negative lenses: he’s a public womanizer who appears to have none of the normal characteristics of redeeming qualities. From there, it is easy to dismiss this manhwa as just a story of infidelity.
This manhwa is a seriously heavy psychological study of the two leads, Inés and Cárcel, by unpacking the traumatic pasts which led them to develop the harmful defenses that they have. If you can stomach heavy topics and are open to exploring the extremely dark backstories, you will find this gorgeously drawn manhwa enjoyable.
Only those who have died know how long a lifetime is. Inés Valeztena’s first life ended at the age of twenty-six. The manhwa adaptation of CHACHA KIM’S webnovel is now available in English print for the first time.
Inés Valeztena, daughter of a powerful noble family, and Cárcel Escalante, cousin to the crown prince, have been engaged since they were six years old. Their long-delayed marriage has been the talk of high society for years, and although her fiancé is the empire’s most notorious playboy, Inés seems inexplicably content to keep the arrangement. In fact, she encourages him to do whatever he pleases even after their wedding, as long as they maintain order among the nobles.
What the gossips – and Cárcel – don’t know is that Inés has plans for her marriage of obligation, and they have nothing to do with love. But when Cárcel suddenly declares he is ready to reform his rakish ways, marry immediately, and prove to Inés that he is worthy of her true affection, she must to keep her wits about her or risk losing everything she’s spent lifetimes of heartache and desperation to obtain.
The Broken Ring Vol. 1 Story Review:
The Broken Ring is a psychologically intense story that gets very deep into the minds of both main characters: female protagonist, Inés Valeztena, and male protagonist, Cárcel Escalante.
You are first introduced to Cárcel through a very negative lens. You see immediate cheating in public and you are initially told about his reputation for being a womanizer. As a reader, I am generally terrified of stories with a male lead who is a cheater because infidelity is often a plot point I despise. But, this story grabs you in from the very beginning, where you are left asking yourself, “Is this story even any good? Do I even want to keep reading?”
What makes this story interesting is that you are able to quickly see the reason behind the behavior. I want to be clear, there are no excuses for unethical behavior, however, there is certainly context that is relevant. In a more traditional story, you would reveal a cheating plot point much later in the plot; however, this plot point occurs instantly at the start of The Broken Ring, which leads to good character development. This is what I loved most! You start with a negative view of Cárcel, but, as the story evolves you got help but learn more about the characters and see them evolve. I am always a fan of stories that make me think of my own views and investment in character development.
For Inés, you see that she is incapable of breaking away from a very rigid view of trying to force herself into a “storyline” she made for her life. It’s tragic to understand the reasons she has come to this and what trauma and events have unfolded in the past. It’s the kind of traumatic, damaging back story that causes you to build up defenses that shape not only your own life, but the lives of others. This is another reason I see it as psychological storytelling. Her thinking moves and manipulates what is around her in an immediate way. It is sad when you think of it as real trauma, it can hurt to read because it is real to some extent, even if it is fiction.
Content Warning: The story includes depictions of harassment and suicide. Please be cautious if you are sensitive to these topics.
Even with its heavy themes, I still think it’s a solid story. The pacing is quick, so you learn about the characters quickly. The art is also beautiful, the artist does a good job with the characters’ emotions, and I really enjoy the little chibis.
The romance pacing is pretty good, mainly because they have such a rocky beginning. Inés gives off black cat energy and Cárcel gives off golden retriever energy, which I find adorable. If you like that dynamic, I think you’ll probably love them. I also like that the story gives off the vibe of “he fell first, and he fell harder.” That’s one of my favorite tropes. I just think that seeing the guy of a romantic pairing build and show his love is incredibly satisfying.
The plot also involves past lives, so if you enjoy that, then this is a good story for you. Another great aspect of this story is that it has a dual perspective. Many romances will have a major focus on the female lead’s thoughts and actions and little to no focus on the male lead’s thoughts, but this story carefully balances the perspectives of both characters so we get to experience the whole story.
Volume one begins strongly. If you disregard the initial cheating plot point, I think it presents a very good story. The fact that they addressed this serious topic head-on in the first volume is a good sign for an author taking their narrative seriously, in my opinion.
The print will be available on October 21.
You can use the following link to check out The Broken Ring Vol. 1
Please note that, although this series is known to be R19-rated, the physical prints of The Broken Ring series will be R16-rated.
The Broken Ring Vol. 1 Print Review:
I received the gallery (physical print) version of The Broken Ring. Since this is a preview copy, I can only comment on the front cover and the few pages included.
First, I really like the cover design. I appreciate the text they used and how it’s placed on the artwork. I don’t have many complaints about the physical presentation.
However, I wanted to compare the interior to another licensed manhwa I’ve reviewed before, Father, I Don’t Want This Marriage! In that print, the sound effects (like footsteps or other noises) include both the original Korean text and the English translation. I find this really interesting because both series are licensed by Tappytoon, and on their platform, the sound effects are only in English.
For The Broken Ring, the print version only has the English text for sound effects, without the original Korean. It’s interesting to see how the publisher changes its approach for different titles. Other than that observation, I don’t have much more to say since I only have the gallery version to look at.
The Broken Ring, Volume 1, by CHACHA KIM, illustrated by Cheong-gwa, published by Inklore.
© 2024 DCCENT
English translation © 2024 Contents First, Ink.
Disclaimer: Anime Corner received a copy of The Broken Ring Vol. 1 in exchange for a review.
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