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Book Review: Annarasumanara by Il-Kwon Ha

Book Review: Annarasumanara by Il-Kwon Ha 

(link at the bottom)



Quote: You know there is an amusement park on the hill...That went out of business.
There is a magician that wanders around the amusement park.



Yun Ai's life is harsh, her father is on the run from debtors, she lives with her younger sister in a single room complex, she can't afford new stockings and skips lunch to manage the household. When Ai was young her dream was to become a magician, but reality bit hard.
One day in an old abandoned amusement park she meets a handsome L, who is a magician with a talking parrot. L shows her magic and from there story is a bewitching tale of lavishing and experimental art and narrative.
On another hand Il-Deung the handsome class topper, who is suffering from mental pressure has a crush on Ai, they share seats and notes, he too becomes interested in magic when he wants to win over Ai. This comic also draws focus on the cause and effect of parental/social pressure on teens, L tells Deung that he is walking on a cold ashplant road, a planned life of soul-sucking success. L has rejected society, that stamped him insane. So he built his own world.
I loved the art, each chapter made me have a mental orgasm. The basic art is in black and white, but when colours are used, they demand the attention, the magical red mailbox, the reddish-pink lit up of the amusement park when Ai is running away from L, Ai's pink lips, the use of 3d art and merging with paper cut-outs was brilliant! Deung's art makes you question why is he called handsome because he looks like a giant cock with glasses on!
Ai's practicality was refreshing, she is desperate, she considers dating Deung because he is rich and if she clings to him she can save her sister and herself.
The amplified facial expressions given to each character stood out against the beautiful backdrop; when the expression of nice burger joint owners turns into a sexual predator was scary or Hanna's crush turning into evil rage.
But it's L's storyline that steals the show in the end, you never know if he is a real or fake magician. L has the innocence of a child, he a thirty-year-old man yet he keeps repeating 'Do you believe in magic?' to Ai.
This is a beautifully created must read webcomics!
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