No Rules Tonight Proves Self-Expression Worth Fighting For

Written by Kim Hyun Sook and Ryan Estrada. Art by Ryan Estrada. Coloured by Amanda Lafrenais. Published by Penguin Workshop.

Banned Book Club (by Kim Hyan Sook, Ryan Estrada, and Ko Hyung-Ju) turned many heads when released in 2020. The graphic novel takes the experiences of Kim Hyun Sook’s life during the Fifth Republic of South Korea, a de facto dictatorship, in the 1980s and creates a fictional story out of them. The result was a tale about the political awakening of a group of young people through a secret book club that read literature banned by the government. It resonated with many readers when there was an escalation of book bannings throughout US schools and libraries – with Banned Book Club getting caught in the crosshairs.

Kim Hyun Sook and Ryan Estrada return with a sequel, No Rules Tonight. Set under the same political conditions, the graphic novel follows Hyun Sook and her friends in the Masked Folk Dance Team on a winter break trip to Jiri Mountain on Christmas Eve. There, the group of university students can express themselves in ways they can’t at home, school, or in public.

No Rules Tonight cover by Ryan Estrada and Amanda Lafrenais.

Don’t worry if you haven’t read Banned Book Club. No Rules Tonight makes connections to the previous graphic novel. However, enough exposition is given in the opening chapter to get everyone up to speed. From there, it drives in its own direction to explore its own themes.

No Rules Tonight uses this scenario to feature romance and characters finding themselves – staples of young adult fiction. However, this graphic novel rises to the top by using these beats to circle back to the story’s core theme of self-expression. Here, being yourself and figuring out who you are is a political statement by its very nature. Sometimes, this is self-expression to defy a repressive government, such as reading banned books. However, some characters use the opportunity to express themselves in ways that their parents disallow, whether that be talking to boys, expressing their sexuality, or pursuing a passion for cooking when it doesn’t align with gender norms. With about a dozen characters, many different angles of self-expression are explored. Some readers might find some subplots are a bit meagre and don’t have enough real estate in the book. However, all of them together help drive the book’s thesis.

No Rules Tonight page by Ryan Estrada and Amanda Lafrenais.

There are times when No Rules Tonight can get heavy. Where the themes and scenarios of the book can weigh on the characters. Humour is inserted to break that tension so things are not always so bleak. A great example is Jin and Jee, two characters who are sometimes the comic relief. These two are destined to join the military in the coming months – a reality finally dawns on them, leading to a sobering conversation between the pair. A joke about their competitive nature lightens the mood and helps transition to the next scene.

Moments like these are elevated by Estrada’s cartooning, where his style can blend the serious and the humorous. The artist’s output is expressive, highlighting a range of emotions – whether that’s a nervous panic while hiding a banned book or the beaming smile when your crush enjoys the food you’ve just prepared. Characters feel lively in a way where their form of expression can be visually portrayed on the page. No Rules Tonight benefits from it, considering the book’s core theme is self-expression.

People’s right to freely express themselves are under attack in some parts of the world. As a result, a book like No Rules Tonight is an invaluable read, showing those who need it that they can express themselves, whether that be creatively, politically, or sexually. Through multiple plots and great cartooning, the central theme of self-expression is carried throughout and thoroughly a satisfying read.

No Rules Tonight can be found at all good comic book shops, book stores, online retailers, and Amazon/Kindle.