Happy October everybody! We’re back with a new WebToon feature, and as promised, it’s another recent series we’re putting in the spotlight today. ‘Homesick‘ by Ms. Freaky, is a fantasy thriller set in the midst of an apocalypse. I know, first horror, now a thriller, spooky month mood has gotten to me good. I’m both happy I started reading this early on, and completely terrified of the fact that I can’t just binge the whole thing, have it give me nightmares for a couple days and move on.
Before we set off to explore this brilliant series, a very important note; Content warning: The story contains gore and references to suicide, mental health and self harm.
Originally released as a Canvas series, ‘Homesick‘ was picked as a WebToon original soon after, and came back with even more polished and incredible looking art. Based on the comments, there are changes to the story itself as well, including new characters.
Homesick
Rayne wakes up on a rooftop, holding a knife, with no memory of who she is or how she got there, nor of the ongoing apocalypse. Samael is just a guy who happened to be using that same rooftop to hide. There are flesh eating monsters roaming and if you lock eyes with them you’re as good as dead. And we thought waking up on Mondays was unpleasant.
Once she begins to grasp the situation, the two decide to band together to escape the ‘murks’. Despite feeling useasy about trusting Samael, working together might be the key to survival. Hopefully, along the way, she will figure out her missing past.
The verdict
Where to begin? This WebToon, so far, is truly solid on all fronts. The artwork is beautiful and captivating; it’s a perfect medium for the storytelling. It solidifies this feeling of fear, of mistrust, of not knowing what’s around the next corner. The distinct purple hues really feel immersive and up the creepy vibes by 100%. I especially love how detailed and expressive the character close ups are.
Rayne is a great heroine to root for. She’s no helpless daisy, and despite not remembering her past, she doesn’t lose sight of the present. A rather crucial attitude to have when your life is constantly threatened. It’s interesting to see how she carefully observes and decide if and whom she can trust – turns out an apocalypse doesn’t exactly bring out the best in some people. Shocking. The storytelling with her in the center, poses the reader to essentially experience her emotions. For example, Samael is initially a tentative ally but there’s underlying suspicion.
The writing is excellent – there’s a good balance between introspection and plot progress. The chapters are neither too short nor too long, and timed perfectly to maintain that thriller vibe and haunt you until the next week’s episode is finally out.
All in all, if you can handle the content warnings, this series is simply unmissable. There’s just an odd 21 episodes out, but it already looks set for greatness.
