When I heard about Yen Press’s Ize Press manhwa Your letter, I was a little shocked to see the Hyeon A Cho comic completely wrapped in plastic wrap. With that in mind, I thought, “Wait, what am I about to read?” However, there is a good reason for this, and I won’t reveal it to those who read to the end. However, it was as touching as the story itself. So much so that by the time I finished 180 pages, I was crying (happily) because of this situation.
Editor’s Note: There will be no spoilers for the manhwa. Your letter from the Ize Press comic below.
Sori Lee can’t just mind her own business. This is one of those situations where that’s a good thing. When a girl in her class named Jimin is being severely bullied, Sori speaks up. However, even though it helps, it doesn’t help anything. she. Because now she’s a target too. When Jimin decided to transfer schools because of the harassment, Sori did too. So even though she got into a private school, she’s going back to the public school she attended in her hometown. The PTSD from the trauma she suffered is haunting her, to the point where she can’t make a good impression in her new class.
A letter from a stranger saved her. Under her desk, she found a note taped to it from someone named Hoyeon Jung with a seating chart for the class, a map of the school, and a promise to send more letters. That is, if Sori was willing to open up and go find them.
And so, we have this wonderful story of discovery. Sori gradually learns more about her school and the people around her as she goes on this letter hunt. Because she is so focused on finding the next letter and learning more about the person who sent it, she doesn’t get caught up in her own thoughts and worries. She is connecting and making friends. The events are often so positive and touching that I couldn’t get through each letter. I would get choked up.
This is especially true when we get to Dongsoon’s part of the story. He’s in a similar situation to Jimin. When Sori meets him while searching for the letters, she learns that Hoyeon is to him just as much as she is to Jimin. We get a glimpse of his past and how this person who cared enough to create this elaborate scavenger hunt has also helped him a lot. In doing so, we get another person to join the journey, as one of the letters in the chain is also for him. (That’s another tearjerker moment!) And so, we see the two of them come together and connect, forming a bond and recovering from their pasts.
What moved me and made me cry, and probably made others cry, was seeing how much Sori had and hadn’t changed. She was still someone who wouldn’t give in. She would stand up for others. She would be there for them. She wanted to connect and help others. Even when the consequences were dire. Even when things were going to get worse. Your letter giving us the chance to witness her recovery throughout the comic, then watching that growth and development allow her to still be a good person to the people she cares about later in the comic.
Of course, that’s the end of it. Your letter The manhwa really moved me, as you would expect from such a dramatic manga. As we enter the final quarter, there is a lot of development and progression. I was really worried that the final secret and twist would leave me heartbroken. However, like in most of the previous adventures, there were only happy tears shed.
The Your letter The manhwa is available from Yen Press since July 23, 2024through the Ize Press label.
