“Your Letter” official plot from Ize Press: “Sori Lee is hoping for a fresh start at her new school—which is easier said than done when every single thing reminds her of why she transferred. As luck would have it, an anonymous letter taped to the bottom of her desk provides a perfect distraction. Little does Sori know that she’s about to embark on the scavenger hunt of a lifetime! What starts off as simple curiosity becomes a healing journey as Sori discovers just how far a small act of kindness can go.”
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A couple of titles per year come across my way that instantly resonate a profound ability to showcase the medium of comics at its best. These works sit with you for days after you read them and find a spot on the shelf among the others that resonate the same joy, waiting to be reread and cherished once more at a later day. Hyeon A Cho‘s “Your Letter” is one such comic.
Focused on youths going through a story of self-discovery as they navigate their school through a series of letters left by another student, “Your Letter” offers up deeply engaging drama that is as picturesque as it is sincere in capturing adolescent struggles. The release does this by melding elements of light fantasy with a relatable story about difficulties fitting in due to a determination that goes against normalcy; in this case, standing up to bullies on behalf of others to personal prosecution. While this angle has become somewhat cliche in comics, Hyeon A Cho masterfully navigates the familiar tropes with precision and clarity, which reminds the reader why such a set-up has become a staple of storytelling in the medium.
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Sori Lee is an ideal protagonist to tackle this sort of story. She is admirable, with a clear vision of what she wants from life, but is still willing to explore the world around her in a quest for deeper meaning and knowledge. Her trek for the letters slowly unravels elements of her personality, and her imaginings of who the mysterious sender may be adds a degree of innocent romance as she forms a bond of trust with an unknown male student. When Sori Lee meets fellow student Dongsoon, who helps search for the letters, this team-up allows for both a male and female perspective of dealing with the emotional struggles in a way that explores a broader spectrum of the precarious ‘coming-of-age’ period of life.
While many sincere moments of interaction endear you to both charchters, Hyeon A Cho understands the use of dialogue-free panels to create a more realistic narrative around the two. Consequently, moments of the two friends side by side taking in the atmosphere of a starlit sky speak equal volumes as their open conversations about their challenges in finding the letters and school life. The flow of the manhwa is relaxed and captures how time flows in a more carefree way during life’s early years.
These moments and atmosphere shine under the artistic direction of Hyeon A Cho, with the soft use of colors and expressive charchters capturing a romanticized vision of adolescents searching for meaning during a precarious point in life. While being assisted by existing assets and textures in the art, these elements are seamlessly incorporated and barely noticeable compared to other manhwa drama titles whose reliance on digital shortcuts gives them an ugly veneer. However, removing the profundity of the story, the art does not present the best of the medium but is ideally suited to the story it aims to tell.
All these elements make “Your Letter” ideal for physical collection over digital, and the release includes a rather heartwarming surprise. To remain spoiler-free as the work demands to be experienced, the final moments are highly emotional. However, the secret tucked into the back of the manhwa is such a thoughtful, poignant addition that honors the skillful navigation of spirited sentimentality and cathartic storytelling from is creator. Ize Press has done a remarkable job with the release of “Your Letter.”
Every year, I come across one or two stand-out single-volume releases that have become instantly cherished additions to my collection; with “Your Letter,” Hyeon A Cho has made a comic worthy of such adoration and praise. The work deserves a broader audience, and its inclusion in any collection will bring that joy that reminds those obsessed with comics why the medium remains one of the greatest and most refined forms of artistic expression. “Your Letter” is essential reading for manga/manhwa/comic fans.
