Metal Brain 109 - Searching for a Manhwa, Starting from France to Korea

Aug 25, 2026

An academic independent writing study traces the author’s journey in early 2018 Paris, where limited internet access led to discovering Kim Jun Bum’s Metal Brain 109 trilogy in local used bookstores. The text investigates why the manhwa was difficult to find online, reviews available French reception, and follows clues about Tokebi’s 2004 publication history. Key questions address what Metal Brain 109 is, who Kim Jun Bum is, and why the series remains largely obscure across countries and databases.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages33

Reading Time51 min

AccessFree to download

Contents

Preface

The Context

Tokebi

The Birth of Metal Warrior 109

Who is Kim Jun Bum?

The publication life of Metal Brain 109

What is Metal Brain 109?

In conclusion, what makes Metal Brain 109 so important?

Annotated bibliography

Appendix

Metal Brain 109: Searching for a manhwa, starting from France to Korea By: Erin Ertunga Professor: Dr. Charlee Sterling Course: Independent Writing Study Date: 17 May 2019 Contents I. Preface ...................................................................................................................................................... 3 II. The Context ............................................................................................................................................. 5 III. Tokebi .................................................................................................................................................... 8 IV. The Birth of Metal Warrior 109 .......................................................................................................... 10 V. Who is Kim Jun Bum? ......................................................................................................................... 13 VI. The publication life of Metal Brain 109 .............................................................................................. 16 VII. What is Metal Brain 109? .................................................................................................................. 17 VIII. In conclusion, what makes Metal Brain 109 so important? .............................................................. 21 IX. Annotated bibliography ....................................................................................................................... 24 X. Appendix............................................................................................................................................... 28 I. Preface In early 2018, I lived in Paris, France for 4 months working at an internship. My lodgings atthe time had no internet access, so my entertainment was home media (downloaded content) and books. Specifically, I would read comic books. While I had brought some manga myself (Masamune Shirow’s Appleseed), I needed a different way to find things to read. Luckily, France still has many bookstores, and around me there were several used bookstores: two, specifically, were manga stores. Most of these stores had a sell-back policy, so I would buy a book, and then, once I finished, would be able to turn it back in for some money back. So, my days were spent buying and selling comics I would read during my off-time. While most of them never made it back to the US with me, one trilogy of books did, Kim Jun Bum’s Metal Brain 109. I picked up the first volume of these books by happenstance due to their aesthetic resemblance to some of my manga all-time favorites, such as Akira and Ghost in the Shell. What I read was something very strange, but intriguing and engaging. I had to go back the next day and buy the other books immediately to finish the trilogy. When I finished, I was pleasantly surprised with how engaging the story was presented, and how competent, and even beautiful, the art was as well. Naturally, I looked in the book for other work by the artist, or team1 in the back of the book, only to discover that this appeared to be the only trilogy ever published by Kim Jum Bum. While I found this disappointing, it was not unheard of for manga authors, or manhwa in this case2 , to only have one series or a single one- 1 See: V. Who is Kim Jun Bum? 2 Term defined in: II. The Context. Goucher Symposium 2019 Ertunga 4 off volume to be published internationally3. However, I started to notice a serious lack of information as soon as I tried to look up the author and title on the internet. A standard google search brought a few French reviews of the books. They were the standard fare: quality reviews, art reviews, etc., but they never mentioned any other work by the artist or author, nor any biographical information on the supposed “Kim Jun Bum.”Websites like MyAnimeList, a massive database for Asian produced anime and comics, and

FAQs

Why did the author start searching for Metal Brain 109 in the first place?

The author found the trilogy by chance while living in Paris and became fascinated by its story and art, prompting a deeper search for more information on the creator and series.

What problem did the author encounter when trying to look up the author online?

Search results only showed limited French reviews without author biography, and major databases like MyAnimeList and Goodreads provided no substantial information about the books or Kim Jun Bum.

What does the study suggest about Metal Brain 109’s publication history?

The trilogy is described as having been published by Tokebi in 2004, then not reissued before the company dissolved, with publication seeming limited to France (and possibly Korea).

Aug 25, 2026

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