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The influence of Manga and Anime in the West

1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?

My reaction to Annarasumanara was that it reminded me a lot of the novel Night Circus by Erin Morgenstein. The character of the magician was very mysterious and left me very intrigued to find out more about him. Another thing that kept going through my mind was character Na Ideling. I spit out my drink when I read the other girls calling him HANDSOME. It was so funny to me. But the question I kept repeating over and over in my mind was... WHY does he look like THAT?! No one else looked like that and when he was compared to that piece of meat? Cheese? I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.

2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss what elements of the story with which you were able to connect?

As far as personal connections go, I related a lot with Ai. I understood her financial struggles as well as the struggle to put needs over wants. I also liked the way the author implemented sexual assault in the workplace, being a victim of it myself it was nice to bring to light this issue.

3. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you choose; what changes would you make?

If I adapted this manga into another medium, it'd be a novel. I'd love to see more character development and go into depth about each of the main characters. I think I'd also combine episodes and expand them further and make a novel series out of them. I think I'd also give an explanation as to why Na Ideling looks the way he does, or just change his appearance in general.

4. In what ways does this story seem more adapted to an online environment?

The obvious reason is the way the pages are drawn. Each chapter consists of one huge, long page that flows down into the different scenes. I also think that the way the chapters, or episodes, are cut up makes it more adaptable for an online environment. Since it's from Webtoons, the author most likely released an episode a week, therefore leaving the audience wanting more. There were no filler chapters, and each episode ended on a cliffhanger.

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