Under the Oak Tree
Original story: Suji Kim
Adaptation: namu
Illustration: P
Translator: Sena
Editor: No.7, Lina Choi (Manta); Logan Balestrino (Penguin Random House)
Letterer: Madeleine Jose
Platform: Manta (digital); Inklore, imprint of Penguin Random House (physical)
Publication Date: January 29, 2021 (digital); September 3, 2024 (physical)
Rating: Teen (16+)
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Under the Oak Tree is one of the most popular romantasy series on Manta and for good reason. The story follows Maximilian Croyso, the disgraced daughter of the Croyso Castle who has a speech impediment. Maxi is forced into a marriage with Riftan, a lowborn knight, by her father and after a rough first night as a married couple, Riftan disappears for the war for three years.
Three years later, Riftan returns a war hero and sweeps Maxi away to his estate in Anatol. Maxi is a bewildered and confused because Riftan is not the same man she met years ago. While it takes some time for her to find her footing as the lady of the estate, Maxi slowly starts to grow in her confidence that she can stand on her own.
The physical version is high quality
I had to take it outside for some photoshoots, because…well, just look at it. How could I not? I’ll be the first to address the elephant in the room. Let’s use our imaginations and ignore the very-much-not-an-oak-tree background and imagine, instead, that I’m…under an oak tree.
This is a hefty book. I thought my wrist was going to break when I was holding it up to take a picture. I absolutely am in love with the overall quality. The paper quality is thick and so nice to touch, and the art quality in the physical version is the same as in the Manta digital version. There is no distortion or blurring of lines. Most webcomics, when they come out in print form, are in paperback and are not so wide, but I’m starting to think this format is the way to go.
The first volume also has beautiful details like artwork inside the covers and a double-page spread of Maxi and Riftan. It also includes art extras of rough sketches of each character and their wardrobes. There is also a Season 1 cover sketch of the webcomic and a sneak peek of what readers can expect in the next volume.
Overall, the panel layout and organization are done quite well. There are some parts I feel could have been shifted a little differently to cover some of the empty spaces but the parts that should have been blown up, like a shirtless Riftan for example, are appropriately large. I especially liked the panel that ends the first volume. It’s a great cliffhanger and will surely keep readers on the edge of their seats for the next volume.
The physical print version doesn’t have any chapter numbers, which isn’t a huge deal because it’ll feel more like a continuous story, but it would have been nice to have those to remember when I paused my reading. Under the Oak Tree Volume 1 also does not have any page numbers which, again, not really an issue, but it would have been nice to have that.
Nobody talks in Under the Oak Tree
I’ve read the online webcomic version before but it had been some time since so rereading it in the physical version was a refreshing experience. Somehow, I managed to forget just how poorly Maxi and Riftan communicate with each other. No, scratch that. The two don’t communicate with each other at all. It’s a lot of assumptions on both parties with Maxi fearful that Riftan will discard her and Riftan assuming that Maxi is used to splendor and riches because of her status as a daughter of the Croyso household when her experience has been the opposite.
Neither of them tell the other of their struggles. Granted, this is only the first 24 chapters so there’s more story to tell, but as a reader, it’s extremely frustrating to watch the two walk on eggshells around each other when their relationship could have grown so much earlier. It’s understandable. I get it. Despite being “married” for three years, the two have only started to get to know each other. The problem is, they don’t sit down and talk. It’s Riftan taking the reins in the relationship and Maxi getting pulled along. He doesn’t really give her time or space to say anything.
Riftan is the dictionary definition of going from 10 to 1 thousand. His temper changes in the blink of an eye. He’ll be sweet and gentle one moment and then infuriated the next. Maxi will be eating a grape and the next second, he’ll be dragging her back to their chambers to have his way with her. It works for a steamy romance, but you two really need to just talk!
That being said, you can tell that Riftan is changing in small, imperceptible ways. In the beginning, he’s brusque and rough. But when he’s with Maxi, he blushes slightly. He admires her beauty and he takes care of her well-being. Even his soldiers notice and when they see his switch in personality, they’re thrown off. Freaked out. Wondering if this is the same commander.
Maxi’s trauma from her father’s abuse runs extremely deep. Every time Riftan does something, it triggers a memory of her father berating her or her father hitting her. She thinks that if she makes a single mistake, she’ll be sent back. Maxi is self-conscious and insecure of her stutter but you can tell how much she’s grown by the end of the first volume when she forges ahead and asserts her authority as the Lady of Anatol. In giving her the freedom to do whatever she wishes (because Riftan is under the wrong impression that Maxi has been living a life of luxury when she was living with her father), Maxi has the freedom to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes, which in turn, gives her a small boost of confidence.
P’s artwork is beautiful to look at and I especially liked how they accurately depicted light and shadows like sunlight shining through the leaves of a tree or the sunlight hitting the characters’ faces. The detailing on the dresses is fairly simple but still conveys the rich quality of the fabric through the vibrant colours.
Under the Oak Tree Vol. 1 is definitely a must-have for those who loved reading it on the Manta app and those who like romantasy.
Thank you to Manta Comics for sending me a review copy!
