Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“Him Her That” by Wisut Ponnimit is an abstract collection of short stories, most of which explore love, romance and desires. The first one starts off in an underwater world inhabited by humans because the surface got overpopulated and uninhabitable. A girl laments how romance is no longer possible, because underwater dwellers always wear protective helmets & communicate via devices, so there’s no way to organically meet anybody anymore. The rest of the book follows a similar dystopian thread, with characters caught in complex, bizarre, or nightmarish situations while they look for love.
Wisut Ponnimit’s art looks like rough drafts of Manga Godfather Osamu Tezuka’s works (Astro Boy/ Kimba/Ayako/Buddha). They are like raw scribbles, just engaging enough for you to keep turning the pages. Translated by Matthew Chozick, the English version reads like a conventional comic, unlike the right-to-left format typical of manga, making it easy to follow for international readers.
The theme of individual alienation in a romantic relationship stands out best in this collection of illustrated stories. It’s conveyed intriguingly in a story where a woman in a serious relationship constantly gets unpleasant memories with her boyfriend removed with the help of a magical being, so that she doesn’t obsess over their problems and can live in a happy bubble, where their ugly moments don’t exist anymore. The author looks at love and courtship in various shades, so each story might hit a different chord with readers, depending on their own experiences or opinions.
Rating: 3 on 5. Him Her That is also on Kindle Unlimited.
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