This graphic novel is a fun read. Jen Dik Seong (known as Dixie) is a Korean-American girl living in a sort of rough-tough area of Koreatown in LA. She is very talented at hapkido, an ancient martial art, and she's eager to enter the upcoming National Tournament. Unfortunately, her crush on a fellow hapkido student leads her to make some bad choices, including spending the entry fee, which her not-so-well-off parents have scrimped and saved for, on an expensive Hwarang warrior figure to give Adam (her crush) as a birthday gift. (Here's where the title Re-Gifters comes into play) Of course, now she has to get into the tourament the hard way, by winning the Street Sweeps. She doesn't win, and only gets to go to the tournament when her best friend is injured and gives Dixie her ticket. Adam doesn't appreciate Dixie's gift, although he's willing to try to take advantage of her by asking her to throw the match when he has to face her in the finals, and he re-gifts the statue to the girl he has a crush on. I like the black-and-white artwork, and the characters are appealing. Dixie gives some history of her parents coming to America, which helps to show the importance of her performance at hapkido for her family. Review by Stacy
