펄

PERLE

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
5
RELEASE
March 8, 2025
CHAPTERS
54

DESCRIPTION

Jean Erhardt debuted in Joachim Empire as a successful capitalist infamous for buying his noble title. Despite his seemingly innocent intentions, Jean yearned to spark a revolution from within high society. But first, he must gain a powerful friend. A chance encounter with Maximilian, the hedonistic Crown Prince of Joachim, presented Jean with one such auspicious ally. This proved tricky as Maximilian knew of Jean’s past as an escort and the prince hungered for Jean’s return to decadence…
(Source: Tapas)

Note: Includes five side stories.

CAST

Maximilian Joachim
Jean Erhardt

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

Kirbyslunch
99/100
The most jaw-dropping, beautiful piece of work I've read in a long time...
(MAJOR spoilers ahead for the main story as I have yet to read the side stories!)

For a historical manhwa, I was genuinely surprised at how well this was written and comparatively portrayed European Imperialism from the use of language, clothing, setting and overall story, managing to exceed my expectations greatly-- both in quality and in angst...

From beginning to end I was just stunned and my jaw DROPPED for so many reasons. And I do say this quite often since I like to rate and compare different works based on medium, genre, literary and art style, but I don't know if anything of the likes would be able to live up to this and manage to garner the same intensity I felt throughout the entire read. (I'm trying to write more formally for this review but in reality I am NOT nonchalant about this at all)

~ Art/ literary style:

For one, it was unique as a manhwa as it chose to use a black and white style, which I have seen before but it's usually very rare. The formatting is a combination of both mediums, which in my opinion took what I liked about both and combined it: the sectioned and increased amount of compact panels meant that movements and the details of each scene can be depicted more precisely and intricately, while the manhwa top to bottom format meant that it was less messy and allowed for a slower, clearer reading flow than that of traditional manga.

Furthermore, the black and white style meant that when the author did choose to use any colour at all, it was incredibly impactful and was particularly striking, emphasizing the importance of that moment for the characters, and it was just so beautiful all throughout… In particular, I really liked the scenes when Jean was stunned by Maximin, for his beauty or his figure under the light. They felt so delicate and beautiful, and the look on Jean's face showed how much he was enamoured by Maximin all throughout the story whether he admitted to it or not.

Not only was the author’s own style in of itself breathtaking and stayed consistent throughout the entirety of the manhwa, but their writing felt so poetic and intricate and I could feel the author's (& the translator’s) research, passion, and absolute care in wanting to make sure every word carried the intended meaning and purpose while the visuals matched the same tone. The writing was genuinely so beautiful at times I needed to take a moment to myself and really let it sink in. Mind you I’m not one to read really, I don't doubt that the writing in this is common in classic literature, but to ME? I am only comapring this to the other webcomics and mangas I’ve read (and of course the books that I have read…), and from that comparison I can confidently say that the impact Perle had on me alone (it’s genuinely embarrassing how worked up I got especially near the end), regardless of its objective quality, is enough for me to say that this is a work of art in my eyes. (And I for one believe that it is objectively of high quality)

~ Plot:

The story/plot was unusual compared to other historical manga’s I’ve read. The image I have of that genre is very vivid especially since a lot of the webtoons I read early on were historical (granted, they weren't BL), and right from the start, I know that Perle was different. Once again I have to iterate the author’s style, which I feel has its own flair to it compared to others. The way they presented European imperialism and nobility felt like they came from a place of great knowledge of what they were trying to portray. Story wise, it was a very linear plot line in the sense that the goal was very clear from the start, it was not dragged out for side stories or extra hinderance that I’m used to seeing in other historical manhwa, and in that sense I felt like it leaned towards a more classic and cliche type of love story and form of storytelling. It felt like a complete story from start to finish, and every chapter served its purpose in a meaningful way, and with that, it meant each chapter was able to leave me wanting more and I truly did not intend to finish this in one setting but look at me now haha!

In terms of the content itself, I liked the idea of a revolution setting place, led by a person such as Jean, motivated by a mysterious benefactor (whom we all knew was Maximin…). I think with that pretext in mind, you can kind of work out how the ending of the story would look like, and yet I grappled with the idea of a happy ending still… how delusional of me…

~ Characters:

Something else I really liked was HOW Jean’s character development came directly from this pursuit of a revolution, this straight line he was supposed to follow yet somehow managed to get something so precious and bittersweet out of it. His internal conflicts with his goals, which are larger than he himself, all of which motivated by someone he really does owe to and someone he loved on a much deeper level. But that conflicted with his growing interest and eventual admission to love for Maximin, and as cliche as it may be it made for genuinely one of the most gripping romance ever. Seeing him go through this conflict, trying so hard to convince himself that he wasn’t little pearl, and then finally admitting to loving him REGARDLESS of his identity was genuinely one of the best character journey’s I’ve seen, at least one that focused more on the romantic feelings of a character.

Their chemistry was truly palpable but I don’t think I say this in my comments for other manhwas usually but the tension was SO good from start to finish. Both of them were such fascinating characters especially Maximin and their personalities, goals, and appearances all created this tension that was both scary ngl, but also very sultry.

Also, as much as I like a righteous character, Jean was definitely more motivated by his love for Maximin than anything else, and the little romantic in me ate every part of that up. The idea of them living a secluded, quiet life after the end of all of this was such a beautiful fantasy and I was fully on board with Jean despite the sacrifices that would be made. But of course… Maximin was not like that.

Maximin’s character was the most surprising to me and honestly, the most well written in my opinion. I knew he was little pearl because obviously why wouldn’t it be him… but the way he presented himself was so crude at first that I was genuinely questioning how and why he was like that. But that just showed how good of an actor he was. Despite the noble side of him rarely showing, even until the very last moment of his life, I felt intensely how amazing and truly virtuous he was through so many other signs. His support of Jean at an early age was one, and the fact that he chose to play the long game, never once faltering and even willing to sacrifice his love for such a cause, all for the betterment of the country. All the moments he showed the slightest bit of care for others, only to then hide it as to not give himself away, all of it so that the plan he had incited, one he had hoped for and supported for all long would not go amiss… is that not someone worthy of honour and praise? And it’s truly tragic how his life ended, because from the moment he was born, it didn’t matter if he had riches or status, comfort or indulgence, he always knew that as the crown prince, no matter how much he wanted for a better world, he was never fated to see it. His character was so much more than a prince, so much more than an indulgent mess... but that was the role he had and the role he chose to utilise for the sake of the revolution.

That aspect of his character was so hidden and blurry, yet the impact of every word he spoke and every action he committed was so strong and powerful, and in the end, you could see how in virtue, he stood above Jean. Though I find the irony of Maximin being the reason why Jean would throw away HIS virtue to be fascinating as well.

~Climax & end (Major MAJOR spoilers):

Those last chapters oh my god… the very idea of Jean accepting Ariel as little pearl WHEN WE ALL KNOW SHE ISN’T was so painful. Don’t get me wrong I love Ariel, I gasped when she first showed up LMAO she was so beautiful, and its clear why Maximin chose her to act as Little pearl since she was really intelligent too. But watching Jean fall for it oh my god that hurt so much I felt SICK bro- after ALL of that, I was not going to accept him throwing his love for Maximin away just because he wasn’t little pearl, and gurl bffr he was trying so hard to convince himself with that long dialogue like who r u fooling (me, he was fooling me). So imagine how happy I was when he chased after Maximin, and admitted to loving him regardless.

After reading that, I was glad the author chose to add that last bit of diversion even though the readers were certain he was little pearl, because it allowed for Jean to admit and prove that he truly loved Maximin for who he was and what he had made Jean feel regardless of his identity or not. That alone showed the significance of their relationship and how Jean was even willing to let go of this long admiration and love for his benefactor.

YES, the ending was brutal. In all honesty I knew it was going to be a sad ending… with all the comments I knew it wasn’t going to be them living out their lives in seclusion happily together… However, what I didn’t really expect was him to kill himself. To be honest I had really believed Maximin left the city and it was Jean who would die in some way (I’m gullible), so when I saw him sitting on that throne, as beautiful as ever, wearing the suit tailored for him by Jean… I genuinely gasped. Should’ve seen it coming I guess…

I felt that Maximin was someone who would sacrifice himself for the revolution, the hints were there yet I naively believed he would listen to Jean’s words. To add here, I want to praise the writing once more because the author was able to add in this conflict in such a tasteful way. I understand FULLY why Maximin would do this. It’s not as simple as him just leaving and the revolution would still take place. It was stated that without him at the castle, it would mean more people would die, and the revolution may go south. That established a clear motivation for Maximin to stay despite Jean willing to sacrifice that for him. It was so in-charcter of Maximin to do that, to not want to sacrifice the lives of more of his citizens, to not let this cause go wrong, and as the last symbol of the monarchy, he wanted to end it with his life. (I think part of it does contribute to his mental state, he always carried this sombre and dreaded air, covered up by opulence and grace. But he seemed to have been at a point where he no longer valued his life as much). And so despite how painful it was, it fitted the story and the characters so so well, and further proved to how noble of a person Maximin was, even though only Jean (and Cornwell) knew of his sacrifices and efforts.

~ Conclusion:

Haha in conclusion I don’t know how to feel anymore! For me I’d be happy if Jean died and they could live happily in the afterlife because I do not believe in hell and I believe in a peaceful afterlife where their souls would remain together forever! Kind of like Achilles and Patroclus... But oh well... </3 (I feel like I'm a particularly dramatic and passionate person when it comes to webcomics and manga, but at the same time, if a piece of work truly impacted me in such ways, I have no reason to hide it or suppress it...)
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