What Is The Plot Of Stop Smoking Manhwa Volume 1?

Rather than presenting the addicted person in a melodramatic way, Volume 1 presents addiction in an intimate and unsensationalized way. It looks at the same details as other volumes but focuses on them as part of a routine. There are morning cravings, there is the mental haggling with oneself, and there are the social triggers that repeatedly suck the person back into addiction. The ways in which the protagonist of the story is trying to give up smoking are presented in short vignettes, such as a scene set in a workplace where the smoking corner of the office becomes a perilous obstacle course, and a long and haunting sequence that follows a late-night craving of the protagonist’s back to memories of his father.

It is great how the secondary characters to the main character reflect different sides of his personality. A young coworker who is casual about his use of vapor products is contrasted with an older neighbor of the main character who is straightforward and unhygienic in his advice to quit. There is also the main character’s romantic interest who responds to his attempts to quit with exasperation followed by gentle concern. Volume 1 does not moralize about the main character’s relapses into smoking and contains plenty of humor in the main character’s attempts to distract himself from wanting a cigarette, as well as the strange unusualness of his attempt to manage his cravings by chewing gum endlessly. The ending of the volume is as always ambiguous but hopeful, and it is the type of storytelling that keeps me wanting to read more about the protagonist’s struggles to stop smoking.

In contrast, the image of ‘Stop Smoking’ Volume 1 conveys a sense of stillness and quiet intimacy. The comic follows a protagonist through the first few challenging days of cigarette withdrawal, detailing the physical discomfort of withdrawal, the ruined plans caused by mood swings, and the tensions within friendship and of relationships as he navigates a world in which smoking is a huge part of both stress relief and socializing. Instead of a climactic rescue from addiction, the volume explains how a lost lighter, a kind word from a stranger, or a row with a partner can add up to increasing pressure to give up.

The symbolism is subtle yet powerful, as an ashtray is used to highlight a relation to past habits of the protagonist. The body’s betrayal and recovery is stressed through closely framed panels of breathless images. The creator has skillfully infused the story with humor which stops the story from becoming too heavy-handed. By the end of the story I felt a hope that the protagonist would make it but also that he wouldn’t give up for too long.

Right from the first pages of ‘Stop Smoking’ the whole thing grabs you with the tiny details of a persons daily life and his or her combusterible tensions. In the first volume we meet a man who, against his better judgment for part of the reason, stops smoking after a health scare. He’s a man in his 40s who struggles through a week of Nicotine Withdrawal and is repeatedly tempted by his cigarettes in social situations as well as through his daily routines. We see him in his corner cafe smoking a cigarette after his smoke break at work as well as staying up late into the night to smoke. We also see him in situations with his ex-colleague at work and how smoking was a big part of their friendship.

It’s also very funny, in a sitcom kind of way. As our hero tries to find ways to stave off the pangs of withdrawal, he is mistakenly assumed to be losing weight or becoming ill. Scenes like these are juxtaposed with those of extreme physical and mental distress, where our hero is shown to be physically and emotionally shaken by the simple act of his hands shaking. It’s very moving, in a small way, and makes his success all the more sweeter. He has good moments and he has bad moments. The book ends on a realistic note with our hero having experienced both good and bad moments in the time covered in the book.

The artwork itself has a somewhat muted palette that works well within close-up shots of the characters’ faces that highlight the breathing and silence between them. It was a really uplifting read that left me feeling good and also of a somewhat tender nature as I felt I was watching the main character take the first steps towards leading a harder but hopefully better life.