Design Rationale
This graphic novel
follows the events of the late King of Thailand, Rama XIV, Bhumibol Adulyadej.
When his brother, King Rama XVIII, passed away after only serving 11 years, it
was Bhumibol’s responsibility to take the throne. However, being too young to
rule at the time, he had no one to teach him the duties of leading. As Bhumibol
reached 18 years of age, he was coronated, but returned to Switzerland to
complete his studies. After leaving, the young King heard someone cry “don’t
desert your people”. Upon his return, the King spent several years in rural
Thailand to improve the country’s agriculture by using the methods he studies
abroad for.
Thailand
has a monarchy but is not run by the royal family. The monarchy is only a
figurehead, yet plays a fundamental role in the social structure of the
country. In Thailand, the royal family is revered as semi-holy, and the King as
a godly figure. It is illegal to insult or threaten the royal family, and can
lead to up to 15 years of imprisonment if done so. This graphic novel revolves
around this idea by having the King’s authority challenged when the innocence
of a child appears rude. The royal guard acts appropriately to confront the
child, but the King must recognize his duties and reasons for being revered.
The
art style as well as the background changes dynamically depending on the
characters and their role. The King is always drawn with detail because of his
status and how he is depicted and idolized by people around him. On the other
hand, the child is drawn with less detail because he is of lower status
compared to the King. Furthermore, the King is always seen in front of an open
sky as background whereas the child has the ground behind him. It’s only when
the King recognizes the child and speaks to him that the child can rise to the
King’s world with the open sky behind him and is eye to eye with him; a
depiction that of being spoken to as an honour and privilege. Furthermore, the
guard acts as a bridge between the two world, Earth and Sky. He is introduced
as present in the sky, domain of the King, but can descend to the Earth to tend
to lower class citizens. At the end, however, the King holds hands with the
child under a white background, signifying unity and equality.
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