Reviews

I'm sitting at my desk with my Oxford Thesaurus, because I've realized that I need cool synonyms for 'awesome' in order to write what I think and feel about Let Dai (and to make it clear, I DO NOT take out my thesaurus lightly). It is a deep and pensive story about teenagers growing up in what we have come to perceive as the 'normal' world. It is a story that makes you realize that there is no such thing as 'normal' and that the only way you can experience happiness is to find someone you'll love, a friend or a lover, who will support you, and share your misery and pain. The story, the way in which is told, the angst and despair that emerge from every line on the paper, only slightly interspersed with dashes of hope and bliss, is absolutely (referring to her thesaurus) formidable.
It reminded me about how fucking difficult it is to live in a world in which you don't matter, in a world that cares nothing about you or your pain and anguish. Despite its seemingly ridiculous and unconvincing beginning, Let Dai becomes painfully realistic and insightful and you start feeling sorry for how much sense it actually makes.
It reminded me about my teenage days, about how difficult breathing was. It also reminded me that the thing we like to call puberty, when we feel all the world's weight on our shoulders, isn't a period in which we come to realize that world is not such a bad place – it is a period in which we come to terms with the way it is, because it's the only way to survive. And we cling to each other, desperately, to our rules and norms, convinced that those are actually rooted in reality.
If this review is not convincing or clear enough for you to pick up Let Dai, I’ll throw in a few more of those cool synonyms I’ve found. Let Dai is alarming, amazing, astounding, astonishing, awe-inspiring, beautiful, breathtaking, daunting, extraordinary, grand, impressive, incredible, intimidating, magnificent, majestic, mind-blowing, moving, overwhelming, , shocking, ,striking, sublime, stunning, stupefying, wonderful,.
I know this might not seem like a review. I guess it’s more my enthusiastic attempt to capture and publicize my impressions on this manhwa, its story, and the themes it deals with. I apologize for the vague and pseudo philosophical nature of this homage.
In the end, I really, really hope that those of you who had ventured to read this whole review will also venture to read Let Dai, because it is a beautifully written, story, poetic, even. And don’t take it lightly. Because it is not just a story about two pretty boys falling for each other.
I have to thank tarator for referring me to thin manhwa. I masochistically enjoyed every single minute.