YMMV / Priest (1998)

aka: Priest

• Alternate Character Interpretation: Vascar De Guillon and Betheal Gavarre: Victims of uncontrollable circumstance, or victims of karma?
• Awesome Art: The unique and distinct art style, which mixes incredibly angular character drawings, negative space, heavy contrast of light & shadow, and minimalist shading to create visuals unlike any other Manhwa (or Manga for that matter) on the market. The closest comparison that can be made is that of a mix between the stylish-yet-detailed artwork of Trigun with the stark shadows seen in the original Hellsing TV anime. (and even then, it still looks like its own unique product by comparison.)
• Creepy Awesome: The series as a whole has plenty of this going for it. Main protagonist Ivan Isaacs is the series' most prominent example, however.
• Cry for the Devil: Some fans react this way to either Vascar De Guillon or Betheal Gavarre's backstories. Some even react this way to both.
• Cut Short: For reasons unknown, after Volume 16, the Manhwa just... stopped. The creator Hyung Min-Woo, has said nothing of the what's, nor why's as for the reason, so far, the story has went uncontinued for 13 years without any kind of resolution, or even a reason for the discontinuation.
• Growing the Beard: Volume 3, as noted by Mike Carey.
• Nightmare Fuel: Lots.
• Tear Jerker: The conclusion of Nera's arc is easily the most depressing thing in the series.
  • The latter half of Ivan's backstory is pure Tear Jerker material. The sequence in particular where he finally loses it is almost on-par with Nera's arc in terms of just how sorry you feel for him.
• They Copied It, So It Sucks!: Many less-informed haters of the series who've only read the first volume & 1/2 worth of chapters tend to conclude that the series is this to Hellsing. ^note To their credit, the introductory arcs of both involve a hat-and-coat-wearing, slasher-smiling supernatural gunslinger fighting an evil priest and his army of undead zombies...while unwittingly saving a woman whose group of gun-toting comrades has been wiped out by said monsters.
  • Jossed: Hellsing's first chapter was released in late 1997, less than a year before the original run for Priest started in Korea. At first blush, this fact seems to prove the haters right...until one realizes that these were the years each series was released in their respective countries. Hellsing may technically predate Priest as far as the series' initial release date goes, but neither series was translated/distributed in other countries until the early 2000s. In other words, by the time the first volume of Hellsing was available for Hyung Min-woo (and anyone else) to read in Korea, several volumes of Priest had already been completed & were being sold within the country. ^note Nevermind the fact that both series' major plot points had already diverged significantly from each other by that point.

---