Kpopmap reviews: Netflix’s latest original “The Sound Of Magic” is a modern adventure for the aching soul

“Do you believe in magic?asks a mysterious shadow figure behind the screen, and before we can answer with conviction, we are drawn into a world of dreamy adventures, risky dates and a cathartic growing age that speaks to the inner child of the whole world. This is “The Sound Of Magic” and we are as enchanted as we were promised.

Spoiler Alert!

Starring Ji ChangWook, Choi SungEun and Hwang InYoup, “The Sound Of Magic” is a fantasy musical melodrama that leaves you questioning the very essence of reality or the lack of the same. The series is based on a webtoon called “Annarasumanara” by Ha IlKwon and a wonderful echo of the unpredictable excitement of the same, as we are taken on a vicarious journey of change, transformation, and acceptance.

Choi SungEun plays Yun AhYi, the main character in the story, who is constantly regretted by the world of adults. Abandoned by his mother at a young age and again by his father later, AhYi is the sole guardian of himself and his younger sister. Though she stretches thin, no part-time job is enough to support the family of 2. Although she is fully aware of her financial inability to go to college, she refuses to give up her education and is actually one of the best students in her class, second only to Na IlDeung.

Na IlDeung, played by Hwang InYoup, comes from a family of wealth, wealth and power. His father is a chief prosecutor who exercises enormous control over IlDeung, setting his future in stone (or asphalt) without any regard for his preferences. The boy has obsessions that stem from stress and anxiety, which cause him to scratch his neck, but even that is ignored in favor of his characters. The financial abundance that AhYi can only dream of is a curse for IlDeung that holds him back from realizing his true desires.

These shackles that imprison AhYi and IlDeung in their inferno are displaced as they meet RiEul, a strange, enigmatic magician, played by Ji ChangWook. RiEul lives in an abandoned amusement park, a symbol of innocence, which is abandoned, and at the end of the story, he finds a permanent home in our hearts. His only purpose in life is to share the joy he finds in magic and bring hope to the cold world around him, but he is avoided by society as a whole to disrupt the status quo. From rumors of his insanity to criminal suspicion, the world does not allow, or rather cannot, allow RiEul to exist freely. He confronts this collective infidelity with even more mystery, determined to open our eyes to the truth. This mission is reflected in his very name: “RiEul”, pronounced “right” in a marvel of poetic symbolism, which further extends to AhYi (meaning “child”) and Na IlDeung (meaning, “I am number 1”). IlDeung represents RiEul as he once was (Ryu MinHyuk), and AhYi is who he wanted to be. With these bright young children on the verge of losing their faith in the universe, RiEul appears to them as a reminder that the flame of magic lies still inside; all you have to do is let it breathe.

AhYi’s relationship with RiEul is one of constant oscillation between trust and denial, attachment and dismissal. She wants to believe in his magic, but is forced to decide against it for the premature adult reason that beats on her psyche. In one moment she indulges in hypnotism in RiEul’s world, and in the next she shakes herself up in guilt. The complex back and forth takes a heavy toll on her identity until she finally gives in to the dreams she left behind. On the other hand, it’s much simpler (though not easier) for IlDeung to believe in RiEul, simply because he can afford it.

Through trials, tribulations and tests, AhYi completes his transformation into the magician, and RiEul disappears into the void. However, the question remains: was RiEul’s magic really real? Now it is more complicated to approach the elephant in the room than you might think. Putting the rose-colored glasses aside, it’s easy to see how RiEul’s existence can be postponed to AhYi’s imagination. It’s almost as if AhYi creates RiEul out of a need to recapture his lost childhood, which is why RiEul is a magician in the first place (AhYi dreams of becoming a magician as a child). As she begins to stand in her own power, it again inspires IlDeung. After a time jump, we see AhYi and her family flourish together, indicating that things would go well anyway, but without a touch of “magic” to keep her going, she might not have seen this day.

While this is the adult interpretation, one can not just make up for the spectacular imagination this show has to offer. From the untimely snowfall to the magical butterflies, everything does not have to be a metaphor! RiEul’s backstory exposes him essentially as the “chosen one” who has awakened to the mysteries of the world. It’s up to him to make us believe, and although he often resigns with simple tricks, true magic is at stake forever. RiEul is not an almighty, omniscient being, he is simply enlightened enough to harness the power of faith.

Ji ChangWook does such an incredible job of portraying the childlike vulnerability of RiEul as opposed to his overwhelming confidence that you can not help but get lost in the spirit. This is without comparison one of Ji ChangWook’s finest works of all time and speaks volumes about his versatility as an artist. His performance is magnificently complemented by Choi SungEun’s layered depiction of AhYi and the nuanced brilliance of Hwang InYoup as IlDeung. Hwang InYoup in particular deserves special praise for carefully bringing to life a character whose existence is drawn as a symbol (in webtoon, IlDeung is perceived as a handsome boy, but his comically elongated face is a sign of arrogance). A cast like this really comes once in a lifetime.

Finally, we can impossible finish without proper appreciation of the music. While musicals can be a bit of a hit or miss, especially in long-form works, “The Sound Of Magic” incorporates them so seamlessly into the narrative that they amplify the immersive manifold. The dreamlike sequences are out of this world, especially when accompanied by the songs, most of which now live rent-free in my head. The series successfully finds a delicate balance between music and magic and creates an iconic mix that is as unique as it can get and we just can not get enough.

At the end of the day, “The Sound Of Magic” is for its viewers what RiEul is for AhYi and IlDeung: respite, security and a breath of fresh air. This is an experience we did not know how desperately we needed and I could not be more grateful to the cast, crew and creators of “The Sound Of Magic” for bringing it to us.

What did you think of “The Sound Of Magic”? Share your thoughts with Kpopmap in the comments section below!