Money and Straight A’s: The Recipe for a Good Life?

Note: This post is the first part of a series that explores the main message of the Korean webtoon Annarasumanara. You might want to read the introduction first.

Il-deung and Ah-ee in chapter 8

Despite coming from different backgrounds, senior high school students Ah-ee and Il-deung share the same view on life. They believe that life is about becoming typical successful adults. To do so, one must attain economic and academic success. Nonetheless, the story conveys that economic and academic success do not necessarily guarantee a fulfilling life. This can be seen through the juxtaposition of Ah-ee and Il-deung themselves.

Between Magic and Logic, Adulthood and Childhood: Annarasumanara's Main Message

Annarasumanara is a Korean webtoon by Ha Il-kwon. The art style and story might put you off at first - like what it did to me - but all things considered, the story is worth the read. In fact, Annarasumanara is among the best stories I have ever read. It narrates the story of senior high school students Yoon Ah-ee and Na Il-deung (spelling may vary across translations) as they find themselves questioning their worldview after meeting a strange magician. The story touches on many interesting topics, but for now, I’d like to focus on its main message.

Violet Evergarden Episode 3: May You Be an Exemplary Auto Memory Doll

 

Violet's well-earned brooch

In Episode 3 of Violet Evergarden, we follow Violet as she attends a class for aspiring dolls. The main focus this time is Violet’s relationship with Luculia, a fellow student. It is in this episode that Violet experiences her first successful “mission” as a doll – the first of her many other successes in the future.

Bleach TYBW Anime Episode 20: Kenpachi and Yachiru

Episodes 20 of the Bleach Thousand Year Blood War anime has just aired, and it sure is phenomenal. We received quite the visual feast, the exploration of an interesting theme, and even a telling moment as to what Yachiru actually is. Now, there is a shot in that episode that I’d like to briefly mention here, so let’s get to it!

Writing Better Stories #1

I love a good old mystery story. What is it that makes the mystery genre so appealing? There are, of course, endless answers to this. One of them is plot twists. Plot twists seem to be a very effective device to leave an impression on the audience. But are all plot twists great? Is going for the most unpredictable the only thing we have to do in order to create a plot twist? Let’s explore a small portion of this issue using one example in this post.

Violet Evergarden Episode 2: Not Coming Back

 

I consider Episode 2 of Violet Evergarden as the start of a format that will be used for most of the remaining episodes: Violet's relationship with one other person becomes the main focus. This episode focuses on Violet's relationship with Erica. Violet’s unwavering resolve in the face of difficulty in her doll training actually impacts Erica in a positive way. I think this line from Cattleya will help us to understand Erica’s character deeper: “What people say isn’t everything. That’s a human weakness. We affirm our own existence by testing other people. Contradictory, isn’t it?”

It Takes One to Know One: Sachi Kouda's Character Development

 

Sachi Kouda is the eldest sister among the four sisters in the Japanese movie Our Little Sister (original Japanese title: Umimachi Diary – Seaside Town Diary). We spend a lot of time with her so she definitely left quite the impression on me. Her story is quite the surprising one. If I had to summarize her character and eventual development in one sentence, it would be “it takes one to know one”. I mean this in both the negative and positive sense.