Seinen Ya San by Wang Bang & Huang Jia Wei

[eni]

Title: Ya San (伢三)
By: WANG Bang, HUANG Jia Wei
Original Publisher: New Century Press (2009)
Target Group: Older Teens, Adults
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Horror
Chinese Release: 1 volume (complete)
MH DB-Entry: http://mangahelpers.com/m/ya-san
Manga Editors: Gantz_Waitingroom

Sample Pages:


Description by MU:
An old folk legend tells that hideous beings are born out of the union between a woman and a ghost, and are forced into a sad fate of solitude.

In the present, on the shores of China, lies a remote village in extreme poverty where a mysterious young man named Ya San lives. Found abandoned on a beach twenty years ago, he lives just like the rest of the population in fear of a strange disease that makes you avoid the light. Murders, suspicious deaths, incurable diseases and mysterious disappearances. The village has resigned itself to its cursed fate. Ya San wants to make an end to this when his young friend Xiao Hua mysteriously drowns in the canal... He embarks on a risky investigation to the only factory in the area - deep in the heart of the Forbidden Zone - where he discovers the unspeakable.

"Ya San" is a story that combines old Chinese legends and folktales, the environment, fantasy and science-fiction into one. "Ya San" ventures deep into the human soul.


Eni's Mini-Review: Ya San, a single volume release, is a really nice starter into reading manhua. It takes the reader into a world of modern society and Chinese folklore, with stunning panels, pretty character design and a fascinating story. The artwork, with its sketchy but highly detailed graphics, often reminds me of Samura Hiroaki's manga (Blade of the Immortal) but the style of storytelling is nowhere close. As a typical manhua, a narrator tells the story for the most part which can be weird, if not annoying, to any experienced manga reader. But that's exactly why it's such a nice entry to the manhua world. Try it, and enjoy