So, what are webtoons you ask? Well, to put it simply, they’re a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea. They’re written in a long vertical strip rather than multiple pages, optimised for reading on smartphones or tablets. This ease of access has definitely contributed to the medium’s growing popularity.
The first such service was Daum Webtoon, followed by Naver Webtoon. Naver launched an international version of the app and the website (Line Webtoon). It features many original webtoon series translated into English, opening up the fandoms to the rest of us. Actually, fans can add translations to their favourite webtoons themselves through a handy feature in the app, so many series also have Spanish, Portuguese or even Greek translations available.
Today, there’s also tons of content from international creators as well as translated Korean originals. If you’re a creative soul yourself, you can even start uploading your own comic. There’s a section called ‘WebToon Canvas’ for community creations. The website actually does a lot to encourage creators, like running a short-story contest!
Now, if there’s a tiny voice in the back of your head that’s saying “Wait! You’ve heard this somewhere before…”, fret not, it’s because you probably have.
Have you watched ‘Flower Boy Next Door’? What about ‘Orange Marmalade’? ‘What’s wrong with Secretary Kim’? ‘Cheese in the Trap’? Or more recently, ‘My ID is Gangnam Beauty’ and ‘Extraordinary You’? Yup, you guessed it, those were all adapted from webtoons.
I personally started reading them when I decided to watch ‘Cheese in the trap’, and I got curious about how certain things were portrayed in the original story. Fast forward to four months later and I’m obsessed.
Here’s a few excellent series to get you hooked:
True Beauty
Also known as the ‘Goddess’ Advent’, this series centers around Jugyeong, an average looking, horror manga fan, who becomes a make-up expert and transforms into a certifiable goddess. There are cute boys (*any resemblance to BTS members purely… intentional, the author is a huge ARMY*), there’s comedy, there’s romance, and the ships are intense.
At first glance, it may seem shallow, but other than giving us serious make-up skillz envy, Jugyeong is a likeable heroine you want to root for. The author has seriously perfected the art of the cliffhanger, making you want to keep reading. A drama is coming out later this year, so get in ahead of the curve!
A good day to be a dog
A high-school teacher, Hana, is cursed to turn into a dog every night if she even kisses a guy, and the only way to break the curse is by kissing that same guy again. Tiny problem, kissed the wrong guy, and he happens to be afraid of dogs!
Yes, the synopsis sounds weird. But this webtoon is so well written and it just works. Hana and Seon are the cutest couple, the art style is adorable, and you get hooked so fast! It’s already completed and it’s not too long, so give it a read before the drama comes out, also later this year.
Tower of God
‘What do you desire? Money and wealth? Honor and pride? Authority and power? Revenge? Or something that transcends them all? Whatever you desire—it’s here.’
(from Webtoon description)
A boy called Twenty-Fifth Bam follows his only friend, Rachel, into the Tower and starts climbing, floor by floor, until he finds her. As the story unfolds, we begin to understand what the Tower is, and how this strange world works.
This is a fantasy webtoon, and honestly, it’s spectacular. It’s very well written, and the plot is compelling. The art style improves significantly as the chapters progress, so don’t let it turn you off at the start. The trailer for the much anticipated anime of this is already out.
Siren’s Lament
Lyra was quietly living her life minding her grandmother’s flower shop and pining for her friend Shon. One night, she falls into the sea, and a merman kisses her. He was supposed to break free of the curse by passing it on to a human, but something goes wrong and now both Ian (i.e. aforementioned merman) and Lyra are stuck as sirens part of the time. Suddenly nothing is the same, and Lyra’s world begins to unravel.
This is the absolute best romance webtoon out there. Even other webtoons and creators occasionally reference it! The chapters also occasionally feature background music from WebToons’ own @KennyComics, which really compliments the atmospheric artstyle. Usually with these love triangle situations, you lean one way or the other, #TeamIan or #TeamShon, but here it’s impossible! My heart will break no matter who gets the second lead treatment in the end. I need y’all to read it and weigh in.
UnOrdinary
In this world everyone has some special ability or power, and this is what defines everyone’s standing in society. This elite school is no different. Meet John, our powerless “cripple” protagonist, who nobody pays attention to other than to pick on. He has one friend, Seraphina, whose power level can only be described as godly. But John has a secret that could upset the school’s entire social order- and much more.
What makes this webtoon amazing is that it really keeps you on your toes; While it may initially come across as a simple superhero-type shounen story, it goes so much deeper. You soon find yourself unsure of everything you’ve learned about this world, and who you should be rooting for. All the characters are well-rounded and we slowly learn more about all their motivations, and while our boy John has ISSUES, you want to keep going and see where the story takes him. What we can all agree on is that John’s hair gel is the real enemy.
