Subtle Disaster Webtoon/Manhwa Review

Webtoon writer, Songshin Ha, is being driven crazy by the noise from upstairs. The battle for quiet begins with a complaint and grows to encompass the whole building. His crazy neighbor next door is fanning a manipulative spark which unleashes the worst in humanity. The final ending is a tragedy no one ever imagined.

My Thoughts

Ha. Just you wait Songshin. This is going to become the building
from noise hell

Subtle Disaster was my webtoon pick simply because it is a scenario most of us who have experienced apartment life can relate to. The noisy people from upstairs who make you wonder just what the hell they are doing to be so loud at 2 am on a weeknight. For Songshin Ha the situation is even worse. He chose the building specifically because it was so far away from the city. Problem is the people he confronts about the noise level end up turning the situation constantly on him. 

This is one of the elements I do love about Subtle Disaster. The constant evolution of what happens when one person decides to return a simple complaint

The nightmare gets rolling with a 500,000 won fine

with unnecessary action. Subtle Disaster provides the extreme scenario where one noisy apartment leads to a place so loud cows in a neighboring farm die from the stress. To make matters worse once money gets involved people become downright evil. Seeing it in the webtoon is a bit like the crazy reflections in reality. Where people do actually hurt or kill for the stupidest reasons (like a teen being to loud).

Is this our reality now? Instead of helping our neighbor sitting back
and finding entertainment in his misery?

The ending of the webtoon felt a bit like a warning. When we are selfish innocent people get hurt sometimes irreversibly. Also a cautionary tale to be careful of taking scenarios at first glance instead of investigating first. I am left with a strange feeling over Subtle Disaster. Something it will take me a while to digest.




The art in Subtle Disaster is not one of my favorites. It's almost a bizarre mix of simple with then complex

BOOOM! This page was one of the few dynamic ones.
Most of the art otherwise kinda bombed....

aspects. For example I really was impressed by this page. The lighting with detail against rather bland character look makes the explosion colors pop. This is not the norm though. I understand part of the character is his bland dark look (the other characters complain over it). This provides a contrast to the wild colors of the noisy neighbors upstairs but then we seem to lose much of it. After a while his look just becomes almost as flat as most of the art. Overall it is the storyline which sticks with you because honestly the art is forgettable.

To the Reader

If action means crazy women with metal crowbars
then this manhwa is filled with action

If you are looking for a feel-good comedy then stay away from Subtle Disaster. Initially I thought this manhwa was going to have humorous potential but even with strange ways for noise revenge it fell flat on laughs. These characters get crazy but not in a 'haha' type of way. For adventure fans you should look to a manga like Alive-The Final Evolution (read my review) or The New Gate (also check out my review). Subtle Disaster isn't about a fighting adventure. There's fighting just not in the typical way.

In August we adopted a rescue dog. My dog
is getting better but it's a slow process to show
him abuse is not okay and we love him.

I want to also mention this is not a romance. The main character is in a relationship but most of it is spent fighting. Personally I just cannot see a single romantic moment there. Subtle Disaster is also a manhwa I would describe as being for mature readers. Not because of nudity or gore. The swearing (although some of the time they **** it out) is extremely prevalent. After reading half of it I was like f**k this is some crazy sh**. Yes. If I am reading swears/hearing them enough I start getting back into my old habits. You cannot be doing that f***ing sh*t. So be on the awares of the swears (ha it rhymes). The other issue is the aspect of animal abuse. We adopted a rescue dog last month and the poor little guy is still learning to just be a puppy without fear. I ain't even gonna go into that sh**. 

Don't take advice from a woman who 'talks' out her problems
with a crowbar! Be suspicious of those who manipulate
your feelings so easily.

Now you may say...well who the heck is the manhwa for?! Those who enjoy the drama of human nature should check it out. If you are into the psychology of a human mind it is definitely interesting. Subtle Disaster is a prime example of when humanity is lost in the face of greed. This leads to the final genre recommendation which is for those who seek a tragedy. In many ways the whole manhwa is filled with tragedy but the ending really fits the bill.

Details

Name(s): Subtle Disaster

Artist: Sungho An

Author: Sungho An

Release: 2014

Chapters: 44 

Genre: Drama, Tragedy, Psychological

Status: Ongoing (complete except we are waiting on epilogue chapter)

Webtoon: Yes