Model, Volume 7 Book

This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:


The story concludes with Model, Vol. 7. Ken's origin and nature are finally in the open. Ken's very existence has been used thus far as a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when mortals and immortals love one another, but this book brings in a measure of hope. Because of his father's sacrifice, Ken is not as doomed as was once believed, and has the chance to live a normal life. He prepares to leave Michael's house, and intends to take Jae with him. Jae intends to go, believing that if Michael does indeed return her feelings, it will doom him to an eternal life of sadness when she inevitably ages and dies. But never fear, Model is the type of lighthearted and fluffy story that ends happily ever after.

Now that I've finished the series, some thoughts that jump across all of the volumes…

I enjoyed the bishonen art style tremendously. It's an aesthetic that works for me. The angular and almost androgynous look that the Michael and Adrian have is beautiful. That said, there were many places in the story where it was a bit ambiguous which characters were involved in a scene. When many of the characters have long flowing hair and clothing, it can be hard to tell who is who. Michael at least had his own font that he used when he spoke, but there were some parts that I had to reread to clarify who was speaking. And some of that is probably the art style, but some is also probably me still getting used to reading manga rather than novels.

Model is the type of series that reminds me of a paranormal soap opera. Every character interaction is filled with drama, and every named character has their fair share of secrets and intrigue. It's easy to read, and easy to binge. Kind of like the literary version of potato chips. By the time I finished the series, I was invested in the characters, and it mattered to me whether Jae and Michael would end up together or whether she would take the path of least resistance and end up with a mortal (or mortal-ish person) instead.

Overall, I'm glad that I decided to take a chance on this series. It's not "serious" reading, but it was oddly satisfying.