Jungle Juice

Weekly Review

The premise of… bug people… might sound a little icky. But Jungle Juice makes it work.

You can read Jungle Juice on Webtoons.

Premise: 3.5 out of 5

What’s the catch, the hooker, and what makes this stand out?

Handsome and top of his class, Jang Suchan is widely admired and respected at his university— but he’s convinced that his popularity will change if the secret that weighs heavily on his back (almost literally) ever gets out. The dragonfly wings attached to his spine have been haunting him since the day they mysteriously appeared in junior high. 

Alas, he’s right to be paranoid: after an unfortunate incident reveals his wings and gets him shunned by his crush, Suchan is desperate to get rid of them. He is brought to a place called the Nest, a safe haven for “insects” like him. Suchan learns he is one of the many victims of “Jungle Juice,” a mysterious bug repellant that appeared on the Korean market a few years back. By releasing it on an insect, the human user acquires certain characteristics of the insect, with the extent of the transformations varying; Suchan finds himself feeling lucky that wings are the only thing he has to hide after meeting humans who have had full limbs replaced.

At his new school, he learns of a potion with the ability to reverse insect-hybrid transformations. The rare potion is only awarded to the valedictorian of each class. And so, Suchan finds himself studying harder than ever.

How hard would you study to get your life back to normal?

Plot: 3 out of 5

Jungle Juice begins by following the stereotypical blueprint of any superhero story: a life-changing event causes the main protagonist to be thrown into a new world. But with Jungle Juice, Jang Suchan doesn’t discover a newfound power. His trials and tribulations come with having to unlearn the deep-rooted hatred and disgust he feels for his wings, and therefore, a large part of himself. Suchan’s battle is reflective of the psychological struggle that comes with internalized xenophobia, homophobia, racism, and other identity struggles that may be relatable to several of Jungle Juice’s readers.

At the nest, he meets other students his age who have already grown to utilize their insect parts to their advantage. Suchan no longer has to hide his wings, but he struggles to catch up with his classmates and realizes that being at the top of an insect-hybrid school means more than being book-smart. The university setting almost feels a little too normal at first, but the competitive and high stakes make it exciting—imagine having to physically fly and fight for a spot during class registration (I only had to refresh a page and I still didn’t make it). 

Suchan finds himself welcomed by those who are supposedly his rivals, who understand his trauma as no one in his original life could. If self-acceptance were the only issue Suchan had to face, his school life might be easier—but as it turns out, there’s another organization with a mission that rivals the Nest’s: to turn the entire world into a jungle and leave it up to survival of the fittest.

World-building: 3.5 out of 5

What is the world like? The rules?

Jungle Juice takes place in modern-day Korea. 

The Nest is the main setting, a sanctum hidden in a remote part of Korea, but the students frequently travel in and out of Korea’s main cities for class projects and adventures. The Nest is its own world, full of fantastical elements that are presented as the results of experimental science. The students wear clothes that adjust to their insect parts and have weapons that adapt to their skills—Suchan takes to these discoveries very quickly with no questions or demand for further explanation. 

For the sake of story progression, a lot of technicalities like this that are ignored or unaddressed. Even though the Nest is supposedly a safe haven for these insect hybrids, the rules of their society are barely established; for example, the occasional act of violence is regarded as in their ‘nature,’ without elaborating on what this nature is. During Suchan’s first week of school, another student is nearly murdered on the outskirts of the city, and all of his fellow insect hybrids are entirely unaware of the event, despite their heightened senses. Seems a little too convenient.

Meanwhile, the leveling system is entirely dependent on something Jungle Juice’s readers might be familiar with: grades. The valedictorian is the highest possible level one can achieve, and all the insects at the Nest are vying for that role. 

What are your thoughts on Jungle Juice’s world-building around bugs and insects, as compared to other high-fantasy and LITRPG storylines?

Character: 3.5 out of 5

Suchan is immediately introduced as a likable character: he’s popular, kind, and handsome, with a mysterious secret. Very quickly, he is thrust into a new world where he is now the bottom of the food chain; it’s inevitable for readers to root for him to get back to the top.

His fight with his identity feels very real. It might not be over dragonfly wings, but we all have struggled to accept things about ourselves. Suchan’s journey to accept himself is just as engrossing as his fight for valedictorian—in one episode he’s having fun with his wings, but in the next his trauma renders them unusable. Still, Suchan is a good person at heart that is determined to win, and his good heart is ultimately what overcomes the mental barrier and brings him closer to his humanity.

Of course, no one can survive university without friends, and Suchan happens to have some great ones. Even though Suchan and the other students in his course are all desperate for a taste of Cinderella, many of his peers and friends have managed to hold onto their humanity. The class president, Park Huijin, is one of Suchan’s first and dearest friends, and her high moral ground despite the odds against her is impressive and inspiring. Within the first ten episodes, Suchan manages to surround himself with people he admires, and that respect quickly become mutual.

In the jungle, there’s a food pyramid. At the top of that hierarchy is the predator, and at the bottom, the prey. Jungle Juice utilizes this natural order of things in the story: certain characters get into altercations with their “natural” enemies, raising tensions and stakes. One of Suchan’s initial battles is overcoming that fear of his natural enemy in order to survive.

Art: 4 out of 5

Jungle Juice has a very soft art style that is uncommon, but welcome, in the action-fantasy webcomic space. Despite its warm colors and soft lines, the artist is skilled at capturing dynamic movement and making the battle sequences just as appealing.

Sure, there were a few places where the warm coloring felt out of place with the intense action, but it also left room for a more shocking contrast when body parts are dismembered and blood spurts all over the screen. Tied together, it makes for a aesthetic read. 

The use of shadows and highlights makes the characters feel three-dimensional and realistic. It’s especially impressive given the extra body parts—insect parts—that a lot of the characters have. The character designs revolve around their respective insects assignments, and the team clearly has a deep knowledge of insect anatomy. The integration of insect parts to these humans are seamless. Predictably, the likeable characters are more human-appearing while the antagonists hold more monstrous characteristics.

Final: 3.5 out of 5

Jungle Juice tackles a premise that seems a little odd upon first approach, but that itself makes it worthy of a chance. I imagine that the author probably got some questionable looks when they pitched a story of humans that turned into bugs after inhaling bug spray, but I’m glad to see it worked out.

Let me know if you have any hesitations when it comes to this title, or anything else you might like to know before you jump in.

And of course, please leave any recommendations for titles you think I might like—or heavily dislike—and let’s talk about it!