Today we’re reading ‘Annarasunamara’ by Ha Il Kwon. This magical and extremely binge-able WebToon series from 2014 is conveniently short and completed. The title, ‘Annarasunamara’ is not a random made-up word; it’s Korean for ‘Abracadabra’.
Do you believe in magic?
Yun Ai dreamed of becoming a magician when she was little. But real life is harsh, and she’s now a high school student who can’t even afford to buy new stockings. As her dad is MIA, she’s the one who has to take care of herself and her little sister. Now, what she wants is to stay under the radar, study hard, and get a full ride to college, so she can get a decent, normal job.
Na Il Deung is the handsome son of a rich family, walking a straight, paved road to success. He would be top of the class as well if it weren’t for Yun Ai. It’s interesting to note that his name means ‘first class’ or ‘number one’ in Korean.
Their lives change when their paths cross with ‘the Magician’. This mysterious guy seems to be living in an abandoned theme park and offers no name other than ‘the Magician’. He keeps asking everyone if they believe in magic, and keeps getting involved in Yun Ai’s life.
My thoughts
First things first; the art is absolutely unique and enchanting. Unlike most WebToons, ‘Annarasunamara’ is mostly in black and white. It employs avant-garde ‘collage’ elements, which is an unusual visual, and this really creates an extra layer of mystery and wonder which adds to the story. There’s all sorts of quirks that intensify and add to the themes; For example, Il Deung is introduced as extremely handsome but he looks two-dimensional and long, creating dissonance for the reader.
The way the magician is introduced and how the mystery thickens and then unravels, aided especially by all the amazing artwork, is engrossing. Even if this series wasn’t only 27 chapters long, it would still be very much a one-sitting kind of read for this reason.
‘Annarasunamara’ would be an instant classic for the artwork alone. The symbolism, the character development, the very real themes it addresses (like parental and peer pressure, poverty, mental illness), just make it so much more special.
This dark, magical and utterly amazing series is hands down one of the best Webtoons out there. Needless to say, it’s especially popular within Korea, where there was even a stage play put on. It’s definitely worth a read.
