Will The Sound of Magic live up to fans’ expectations? Let’s see if the Netflix series matches up with the Annarasumanara webtoon series.
Kodoani.com – Drama adaptations of webtoon series are often very divisive. There have been many successful live-action series based on webtoon manga such as Itaewon Class and Yet. However, there are series, like The Bride of the Water God and Cheese in the Trap, that are heavily criticized for not adhering to the original.
Netflix has a share of the live-action adaptation market. One of those series is Netflix’s new K-drama, The Sound of Magic, based on the WEBTOON series titled Annarasumanara by Ilkwon Ha. The story revolves around a poor high school student named Yun Ai, Yoon Ah-yi from the Netflix series, who meets a mysterious magician named Lee Eul, and he teaches her how to do magic.
The Sound of Magic faithful to the original manga by providing the main plots related to the main characters – Yoon Ah-yi, Na Il-deung and Lee Eul. The series depicts Yoon Ah-yi’s poor life, showing her torn socks and loan sharks who constantly visit her home. The live-action series also realistically depicts Na Il-deung and Lee Eul’s experiences with academic pressure.
However, the live-action series differs from the webtoon by offering a more thrilling ending. A more dramatic ending to the live-action series – the last two episodes focus on the crime thriller about the disappearance of a high school girl.
The epilogue is for fans of mystery and suspense, but the crime-thriller aspect deviates from core themes of mental health and the academic pressures on high school students. These key issues get more emphasis in the webtoon, but they don’t manifest as expected in the live-action.
Besides keeping the plot intact, the live-action series also incorporates some of the webtoon’s unique dream moments. These fantasy scenes are an escape from reality and highlight the inner and emotional struggles of the characters.
An example is Na Il-deung driving a red car on asphalt until he reaches a field of sunflowers, which represents deung’s desire for freedom and happiness in comparison to his parents’ expectations. older brother. Instead of letting viewers know the emotions of the characters, these narrative art moments show emotional depth and promote character growth, an aspect that fans enjoyed in the webtoon. .
However, not all the artistic aspects of the webtoon are present in the live-action. Il-deung’s elongated chin was not used in the live-action series. In the webtoon, Il-deung’s elongated chin is a caricature showing his cocky personality.
As Il-deung begins to know Lee Eul and has an interest in magic, his facial structure transforms into the face of an actual high school boy. The change in his appearance indicates a change in opinion: Il-deung does not see himself as arrogant, instead, he considers himself to be an ordinary teenager with flaws.
Unfortunately, the live-action series loses this important feature of Il-deung. Il-deung’s appearance has no physical change, but his personality change is implied through his actions. Furthermore, Il-deung’s conceit is not present in the live-action series.
Instead, Il-deung is just an ordinary teenager trying to figure out his life and feelings for Yoon Ah-yi, which are typical problems a guy his age goes through. via. Therefore, instead of going through the dramatic character development process like in the webtoon, Il-deung’s character in the Netflix series falls apart and he doesn’t get a healthy conclusion to his story.
Finally, to create a more magical setting for The Sound of Magic, the series seems to be inspired by Disney and the music show’s tunes are incorporated. In the first episode, the opening scene shows high school students dancing and singing about a rumor of a magician living in an abandoned amusement park.
The live-action uses music to balance and mask the persistent thematic dark tones found in the webtoon. The musical aspect of this series is fun for Disney fans, but it can be a bit distracting and cheesy, emanating from the seriousness of certain scenes.
The Sound of Magic does justice to the webtoon series, Annarasumanara by staying true to its plot and characters. However, it is possible that fans will be surprised to see the musical vibes in this dramatic story. Whether you are a loyal fan or a novice, you should read the series first to understand the content and then watch the Netflix series to see the story come to life.
Via: Kodoani.com