Do you believe in magic? Such a silly question but so much meaning and weight to it than you might expect. Before reading Annarasumanara your answer will probably be a no but I guarantee you after reading this you will say I believe in magic. This review is mostly spoilerfree the few spoilers that might come up will be hidden Scoring system My scoring system for manga/manhwa is divided into sections. Plot: 40 points Characters: 30 points Art: 20 points Enjoyment: 10 points Total: 100 points Plot The story is focussed around Yun Ai a very intelligent and dedicated highschool student that struggles with poverty. When she was a kid her dream was to become a magician but due to her situation she gave up on that dream to get a proper job so she can become a wealthy adult. But one day due to a lot of misfortune or maybe luck she ended up in an abandoned amusement park where she met R a man that claimed to be a real magician and asked her a simple question which is the title of this review and central to the plot: do you believe in magic? After saying a cold no Yun Ai got out of there. But that was only the first of many other encounters those two would have. Although it is a very short story it accomplishes everything a good story needs to it has a small but amazing series of events that never feels boring but is not rushed. In 28 chapters it delivers a complete and coherent story with plot twists to keep you invested a strong message and mysteries that are all solved in a satisfactory way. As for the philosophy behind Annarasumanara it is about growing up a life that is not yours but rather what society tells you it is yours. Later in the story R uses the metaphor of an asphalt road a cold colorless and lonely pathway that the people around us put us in and expect everyone to follow the same track the socially acceptable. Since R didnt want to go through that he is seen by everyone as crazy a homeless vagabond that is just a weight for society he is an example of what the kids shouldnt become. But even though that isnt what is socially acceptable he is happy living his life performing his magic and entertaining people and shouldnt that be what matters? The magic that is mentioned over and over again is just a metaphor to the fire in the eyes of a child that has a dream and wants to pursue it at all costs and when they become adults they just forget about it and those bright eyes become cold and grey full of unfulfillment and frustration. The ending is also perfect. Obvious spoilers for the last chapter The only problem I had with the story regarding plot holes is that And because of those details I cant give it a full score but none of that take away the fact that it deserves all of my praise. Plot: 36/40 story + themes + pacing Characters: Annarasumanara has both a great narrative and an amazing cast of characters. Due to it being less than 30 chapters long the main cast is only composed of three people: Yun Ai IlDeung Na and R Ill talk briefly about each one of them and give my thoughts of the entire cast in general. 220https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/character/large/58981.jpg Yun Ai: Our main protagonist is a pretty intelligent yet poor and hopeless young lady who once was cheerful and optimistic but the cruel reality of the world extinguished the fire in her eyes. She was forced to grow up really young and according to psychologists that usually leaves behind trauma and in a worst case scenario depression. You can see that she was pretty sad in the beginning of the story but I dont have a lot of knowledge to state that she was depressed. The fact that she had to become an adult so early in life parallels R really well who Ill discuss shortly after this and make their dynamic onscreen so nice to read. Now going in for more detail Her character progression was some of the most inspiring Ive seen in awhile. Even though she struggled with life daily R gave her back her hope now she was happy once again pursuing her dream to be a magician Her journey is one of recovering her childhood that was took away from her and it is very pleasing to see that she eventually became a magician not in a literal way but rather in a metaphorical way like we talked about earlier. 220https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/character/large/b61021mLfqQw2E4POP.jpg R: A mysterious street magician that performs in an abandoned amusement park and every time he does magic he asks the same question for everyone: do you believe in magic? He is my personal favorite of the cast because of the aura of mystery around him you dont know anything about him until the final 5 chapters or so when you get that flashback and that makes his whole arc so compelling yet painful to read. His Peter Pan Syndrome is something central to the plot since it parallels Ais and IlDeungs characters so well and differently. 220https://s4.anilist.co/file/anilistcdn/character/large/66285.jpg IlDeung Na: He is described as a beautiful and intelligent boy but his character design doesnt quite match with that at first. He is always the n 1 student in his school and sits next to Yun Ai in class. Just like her his character also parallels R but I would go as far to say that he is almost the same character as him. He hates R at first because he is what he always wanted to be but never got the chance to. His development is the best in the manhwa being symbolized by his glow up and what a glow up I must say. Overall the small cast is composed of great characters each one with depth and charisma that makes for an enjoyable and meaningful journey. Characters: 26/30 Art: The art in this manhwa is phenomenal the use of colors as a metaphor is the biggest highlight of the webtoon for me. When Ai is at school work or at home the colors are grey and cold with the only exception being her lips but whenever she is in the park with R the color scheme becomes brightful and magical. 500https://i.pin.com/originals/c9/4d/6c/c94d6c1090e3318d383e0f1d59855c7c.png 500https://maradesu.weebly.com/uploads/2/4/5/3/24532854/723524936.jpg One of my favorite panels is one with the amusement park in grey but that little mailbox is bright red since it is a symbol of hope for Ai. 500https://encryptedtbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTn5e6swc9n4MMqreUifyknLDWlKLgeDMAusqp=CAU The character design and background art is extremely beautiful to look at probably some of the best urban background art Ive seen: 500https://meltingpotsandothercalamities.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/3613.jpg?w=648 500https://i.ur.com/r4gH0.jpg?1 Art: 18/20 Enjoyment: This is of course relative from person to person but in my experience Annarasumanara is an amazing ride. Sometimes I had to stop reading because of how much it made me think about life but it wasnt like I was not entertained by it. It found a ballance for me between fun and philosophy that made me appreciate the manhwa a lot more. Again this is subjective even more subjective than the rest of this review but I will never be the same after reading this. Enjoyement: 10/10 Final thoughts This might not be the best thing youll ever read but it certainly will be one of the most meaningful. It has a simple yet important message about life future and society that can change many peoples perspectives on those topics. It is a very short read too only 28 chapters long + a short prologue. You can finish this in a day and I definitely recommend doing so. If you end up not liking it its fine not everyone has the same tastes as mine but I think it is very hard to give this webtoon less than a 6/10. If you read everything up until here thank you for paying attention to my thoughts of one of my favorite comics of all time even including western comics like Dark Phoenix and The Killing Joke if you have any constructive criticisms please let me know. And to conclude this review I ask you once more: 500https://pbs.tw.com/media/CBppsO6UgAA0DA2.jpg