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Feb 18, 2017
An Na Ra Su Ma Na Ra. I'm not even sure what this means, probably the author's own spin on the ol' "abracadabra" but it grew on me after its repeated use in each chapter. The story of a girl struggling to survive amidst poverty is not an original plot for a manga or manhwa. However, with the introduction of the magician, the story becomes surreal. I wasn't even sure what to believe or even what was going on until the last chapters of the series. Overall very short but incredibly thought-provoking and though I did not cry, the feeling was definitely there. It was
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almost personal for me as I have had parallel thoughts to both what L and Ai believed: the conflict between securing social and financial security or pursuing your passion.
The art in this tiny 27 chapter series is stunning. The art style is very sketchy (in the sense of rough-draft and not suspicious) and the use of thin lines gives the whole story this delicate aura; most characters (Ai and L) are beautiful. Evidently, there is a dark, monotonous palette that lends the eerie vibe of some indie horror game or dystopian wasteland occasionally contrasted with a splash of color. The use of color in a gray background really does wonders for emphasis and the author's use of real life images, backgrounds, as well as some homestyle paper animation made me feel like the entire series was some sort of art piece. You can tell from the variety of art mediums and detail of drawing the amount of work and effort that was put into making this series. Each and every component has purpose and meaning.
Ai's character really clicked with me. Not unlike other manga heroines, Ai is smart, hard-working, and responsible, having had to pull up the remnants of her family by the bootstraps. But I find she's also a lot more realistically portrayed and three-dimensional than your typical shoujo lead, something the author does fantastically well with the other characters as well. She struggles, she feels resentment, she is flawed (though if I'm honest, not by much. Most of her faults lie in her family's state of poverty.) L, the star of the show, is also another amazing character. Something about him, so whimsical, random, mysterious, immediately draws you into the story. I was quite confused about his character initially, wasn't even sure if he existed or not in the beginning, but he gets his own explanation towards the end. I do wish that his character consisted of more than just the dude who does magic throughout the story; it seemed as if we didn't see his entire personality until the conclusion. And then Il-Deung. What was up with his head, right? I think the author did a great job with his character development especially in the short amount of content she had, I turned out to really like his character in the end. For the other characters--rather typical; they fit quite neatly into those character tropes you always see in manga. Clearly, the MCs were given the most attention.
Ultimately, it boils down to this: I wanted a quick read and chose this relatively short series that exceeded expectations. Annarasumanara, though not perfect, is definitely one of those obscure manga that deserves higher praise and more coverage. Surreal is the word I would use to describe it and I honestly regret not giving this series the full attention it deserves (if I had, there would've been tears I'm sure). Read this if you want something different, something kinda sad, or something that makes you think!
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jan 7, 2017
As a fan of the sci-fi and psychological genre, I was super excited to watch Ergo Proxy--I had heard of its similarities to Psycho Pass, Darker than Black, Ghost in the Shell to name a few, all great animes. However, while I did enjoy the characters and story, it did feel like the plot was getting out of hand, increasingly so as the series neared the end.
One of the first things I noticed about Ergo Proxy was its art style, particularly how the characters were drawn rather realistically in comparison to current anime. The muted tones and intense expressions suited the mood of Ergo
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Proxy well and at times made for some really badass wallpapers. Plus, normal proportions is always something I look for in an anime.
I can't recall the sound of Ergo Proxy too well which might as well say it wasn't all that memorable to me. However, the English opening and ending (Kiri by Monoral and Paranoid Android by Radiohead) are both awesome songs that suit the anime perfectly.
I loved the main characters of Ergo Proxy: Lil Mayer, Vincent Law, and Pino of course. The instant friendship between Vincent and Pino was adorable and how they broke down Lil's walls throughout the series was honestly heartwarming. The character development in the series I felt was pretty natural and not too sudden. It was interesting to see how some characters opened up and grew as a person while others went more and more off the rails. I did feel like there was a definite lack of depth and background overall but that ties into the show's general vagueness...
Which brings me to say that Ergo Proxy has got to be one of the most confusing animes I've ever seen. While I generally appreciate plots open to interpretation, this show took that idea and ran with it. (I know I watched episode 14 at least three times before I got it and that was with reading several different explanations.) Half the time I was lost. It certainly doesn't help how some episodes seemed like single episode stories instead of following the overall storyline. It felt like there were gaps in the story that too often left me confused on how they got there or who that person was. Ergo Proxy never really gives direct answers (well, rarely) and most of the time I had to go by the assumptions and interpretations of other watchers. Thankfully some of our fellow viewers are smart cookies and their explanations make sense; it's because of them that I can appreciate the genius, albeit confusing as heck, plot. Even so, there were frequent differences in explanations and honestly? at some point, it takes away some enjoyment of the anime when you have to do extensive research to understand it. Despite all the confusion, you can tell that the writers did their homework in creating Ergo Proxy and I think it's a pretty smart show. They pepper allusions and foreshadowing all over the place and even though yes I have complained I must admit I did learn things from watching this show. But only after completion of the show and reading my fair share of analyses do I kinda get what's going on. Just gotta say... if you really want to fully appreciate Ergo Proxy, you're in for a rewatch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 11, 2016
Back in July 2016 during my summer vaca, I remember discovering this hidden gem amidst a monotonous and seemingly endless pool of lackluster, repetitive shoujo manga. Really, I don't know why I bother with the shoujo genre as I have unrealistically high standards (a fault of mine that makes it too hard to find something I enjoy :/), but my efforts always dig up gold in the end. Of course, when I found CITT, it just happened to be midnight but I really needed to end the day with something good so I delved into it, having long since stopped caring. Long story short: it
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was awesome, blew my expectations out of the water, and I ended up falling asleep at 6 am, satisfaction satisfied and sleep schedule ruined.
-STORY- Cheese in the Trap is actually a Korean manhwa and it's set accordingly in a Korean university. Unlike a traditional manga, Hong Seol is a college student, not a high school student, although the plot of the manhwa is still pretty much slice-of-life, revolving around her life in school and work, as well as her relationship with her family and friends. The manhwa focuses especially on her relationship with Yoo Jung, the mysteriously pretty and perfect resident Definition-of-Success who just has to complicate Seol’s life with those darn befuddling emotions. Argh, emotions, always ruining everything! However, I don’t think the plot of CITT is especially special; what is, is the way it’s played out. Instead of high school drama (which let’s face it, is frequently too annoying and shallow), we have something even better: college drama, the more sophisticated and interesting version of high school drama. Characters that are more independent and mature, I find, are more engaging. CITT is also more realistic which I find to be a fresh breath of air from mangakas that are writing out the wet dreams of their ideal high school experience. (That was a low blow, sorry). The events and actions in the story are not completely unbelievable and there are no (not many) weird coincidences. One thing that soonkki, the author, does in the manhwa is switch back and forth from the past and the present multiple times, something that I’ve grown to like. It might throw some readers off but it adds insight to character development, gives background, and also is a method that makes it easier for the author to integrate new information, particularly in an on-going series.
-ART- From the first page, the art in CITT is noticeably different. Its darker hues and bold, sharp lines diverge from the traditional soft colors and watercolor-esque style of shoujo manga. It may take a little getting used to, but it matches the more mature tone of the manhwa. In fact, even though the art is relatively simple, the emotions of the characters are conveyed very well. (There’s some scenes where one of the characters does a scary-face and it’s really quite intense). Once you get into the story, the art grows on you and even though it’s nothing exceptional, it becomes weird to imagine Cheese in the Trap with a different style.
-CHARACTER- Hong Seol is the protagonist and the story is largely told from her perspective. An ambitious and savvy young woman living the broke college student life, I found Seol to be extremely relatable and likable. Her no-nonsense attitude and ability to actually get shit done really warmed my heart. Like all good heroes, she has her flaws but instead of asking her “why, why??” and staring numbly at my computer screen because of yet another incomprehensibly dumb protagonist (something that I find myself doing disturbingly often), I found myself rooting for her. Her reactions to the ups and downs of the plot are again, realistically portrayed, andI gotta say one of my favorite things about her is her common sense. The other characters of CITT, namely the two male leads, are well-developed in their own right as well. Jung may seem to conform to the handsome-rich-boy stereotype initially, but let me tell you, our hombre here has some problemas. The other lead who shall not be named brings a solid different third personality to balance out the trio. Without going into more details, the two leads as well as the rest of the characters are all distinctive and have their own strengths and flaws; you can even sympathize with the dislikable characters (though I find it takes great effort).
In Conclusion: I'm honestly surprised at how the most recent review for CITT was written two years ago. Two years ago? People are missing out. The realistic approach to a slice-of-life plot, engaging and (mostly) likable cast of characters, as well as the story’s humor and drama makes Cheese in the Trap one of my favorite mangas of all time. Highly recommended! Go read it! (Disclaimer: rating does not apply to the K-drama of the same name... you have been warned.)
EDIT: I found CITT under the shoujo tag on the site I was using so I referred to it as such even though it's actually josei.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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