Killing Stalking by Koogi follows a young man named Yoon Bum who becomes infatuated with a peer named Oh Sangwoo who saves him from a horrible attack in military school. Afterward, he begins following him in his daily life and eventually breaks into his home. But this proves to be more dangerous than he once thought, because he’s entered the home of a serial killer that maims him, captures him, and manipulates him into an extremely toxic relationship.
The relationship that’s explored in this series isn’t meant to be romanticized by any means. Sometimes what we think is love is actually quite the opposite and is rather obsession or infatuation, we can be trapped and manipulated by someone, who exploits our emotions, past wounds, and even our hopes and dreams; That someone in this case is a sadistic sociopath.
The fact that Killing Stalking leans so heavily—and I mean heavily into horror—and it is a psychological thriller is part of what makes it so unique, but it’s the intricacies of its two main characters and their personalities that captured me most. Killing Stalking is not for the faint of heart, and this is something you definitely have to go into this one knowing. It’s not a fun, sweet read by any stretch of the imagination nor is it romantic. It’s a deeply disturbing series, but if you are someone who loves horror and psychological thrillers and can deal with potentially triggering and mature themes, I highly recommend it.
Originally, Killing Stalking was only available to read online on manhwa readers, but it’s finally released physically thanks to Seven Seas, who are releasing the series with English translation in a Deluxe Edition format. I always love the quality of Seven Seas manga, but they did an amazing job with the Killing Stalking Deluxe Editions.
The paperback cover is matte black, but the artwork as well as the logo on the front has a glossy finish. The spine features the logo and the artwork seen on the front as well and the back features a montage of panels from the series. I’ve included my own images of the first Deluxe Edition throughout this post so you can see the quality firsthand as well as my review on YouTube below if you’d like to get a closer look at the edition.
In terms of size, they are bigger than Seven Seas standard releases. For reference, they are slightly smaller in height and width than the Devilman Classic Collection also released by Seven Seas and they are about the same size as releases like the Monster Perfect Editions or Tokyo Revengers omnibuses.
How many chapters do the Killing Stalking Deluxe Editions collect? There are 10 chapters in the first Deluxe Edition. The series is complete with 67 chapters, so there will likely be either six or seven depending on how they split up the final chapters. In terms of release so far, Killing Stalking Deluxe Edition 2 is expected to come out on November 22nd, and Killing Stalking Deluxe Edition 3 on February 28th, so it looks like they are releasing every 3 months or so. Keep in mind, though, that delays are possible.
One of the things I love so much about the Killing Stalking Deluxe Editions is their print quality, which is incredible. The pages are heavy and they are printed on high-quality white paper that has a glossy finish. The perfect type of paper for full-color releases, like this one. The panels are crisp and the printing is top-notch. The way the panels were placed, which are normally read vertically online, is wonderful too.
Since these are paperback, they have a glued binding. Because they are thicker volumes too, there are some issues with gutter loss in a few areas of the volume, but they added enough margins to the majority of the panels to prevent issues with visibility throughout. These volumes do have some weight to them because of the paper that’s used within them, so they are heavier than a normal omnibus release from Seven Seas, like Tokyo Revengers or Darling in the Franxx for instance. This is something to be expected with a full-color volume that requires high-quality paper, so this isn’t an issue for me at all. Overall, a beautiful edition as well as high-quality printing.
In terms of extras, the first Killing Stalking Deluxe Edition has a fold-out insert in the back. Every volume is going to have a new fold-out insert in it, so this is something to look forward to in each new volume as well.
I am excited to finally have Killing Stalking in the collection, and after seeing the quality of this edition, I really hope Seven Seas obtains more manhwa releases in the future! They went above and beyond on this release in comparison to other publishers printing manhwa releases and I’m looking forward to picking up the entire series. You can shop the Killing Stalking Deluxe Editions now at a trusted manga retailer!
Shop the Killing Stalking Deluxe Editions
Killing Stalking Deluxe Edition Review Video
In other news, check out all of the new manga, including an omnibus release of Do Not Say Mystery and a graphic novel release of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, as well as the continuing manga volumes you have to look forward to in 2023.
