"My trade merchant mother and father constantly travel from England to India. This is my beautiful and extremely talented family."
Dear My Girls (작은아씨들) is a manhwa published in 2005, drawn by Kim Hee Eun and its original story is based on Louisa May Alcott's Little Women.
It is set in Victorian London, 1870. But it is twisted from the original as in this story, the heroines are rich instead of Laurie. A very obvious example of alternate reality, considering that the heroines are studying in an institute when people deemed it inappropriate for girls to be educated.
The characters are mainly rich people. The manhwa reveals the rich kids' problems and goals while they are studying and living in the cruel reality of the high social class they belong in.
This manhwa provides examples of:
- Action Girl: Beth, who kicks Adrian more than twice; and Jo, who fences.
- Adaptation Distillation: The only things that remain from Louisa May Alcott's work are the names of the March sisters and Laurie.
- Alliterative Name: Adrian Avery. Margaret March.
- Alternate History: This doesn't seem to be the Victorian Era wherein it wasn't yet acceptable for girls to be co-educated with boys in elevator schools, and where the nouveau riche like the March family were looked down upon by real nobility, like most of the other families in the academy.
- Ambiguously Bi: Ravin, who fell in love with Adrian when the former thought that the latter was a girl, but still pursued him even when it's clear to him that Adrian is a guy. Also, Ravin has himself stated that he has many women back in India.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Beth and Amy fight with each other, possibly stemming from the fact that Beth feels like the black sheep especially compared to Amy, while Amy can't understand why Beth can easily draw people in despite being talentless whereas Amy has to work hard at her art for acknowledgement. It doesn't help that Amy is in love with Beth's suitor Laurie. But when worst comes to worst, the sisters stand up for each other, protecting each other from embarrassment and bullies.
- Costume Porn: Victorian clothing in all its decked-out glory. Especially obvious in the official art.
- Crapsaccharine World: At first, the setting seems like the Victorian Era in all its decadent glory, without the anti-female discrimination in terms of education, even. But it's slowly revealed, through the drama with the Averys, that political games are still as harsh on the nobles as ever.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Adrian, who seems to be all dignified and haughty; but later turns up many times to cover up for Beth numerous times.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: At first, it seems that the cold and ruthless Sir Avery is actually a Jerk With A Heartof Gold when he invites Beth and Laurie to his manor, when they help cover for Adrian in front of the school council. But it turns out Sir Avery only invited Beth because he wanted to offer Beth a chance to study abroad, so she would get out of Adrian and Leonora's way, as Adrian is obviously falling for Beth. It doesn't help that Adrian, whose reputation has to be flawless, gets in trouble with authority often because of Beth. And Sir Avery treats Greg like any other servant, going as far as to refusing to eat dinner at the same table with him.
- Love Dodecahedron: Amy loves Laurie, who loves Beth, who can't decide between Laurie and Adrian, the latter of whom is engaged to Leonora for sociopolitical reasons, who has Unresolved Sexual Tension with Jo. Also, Beth used to like Greg, who Meg also loves and gets together with, but Beth is now currently trying to break them apart when she finds out how manipulative Greg can be.
