From action works such as Solo Leveling to intriguing romances like The Remarried Empress, Korean webtoons are popular, but just what is it that makes this newish form of online entertainment gain traction?
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A Quick Introduction to Webtoons
The term "webtoons" refers to online comics that typically come from South Korea.
Unlike Japanese manga and most print comics which are designed to be read page by page, webtoons are optimized to be read on a smartphone by scrolling down.
You might see webtoons referred to as "webcomics" too. Creators from other countries can also create similarly styled comics meant for the online format, but such non-Korean works are most often referred to as "webcomics."
One such case is the ancient Greek mythology retelling Lore Olympus.
Popular webtoons might still get a print edition, but their design is perfect for the screen.
Why Are Webtoons So Popular?
There are several reasons webtoons are gaining traction as a form of entertainment, so let's delve deeper into them.
Increased Interest in Korean Culture
The increased interest in Korean pop culture, also known as K-Wave, tends to be associated primarily with K-Pop and K-Dramas. However, South Korean comics known as manhwa aren't far behind.
Since most manhwa are released online first as webtoons, the increased hunger for South Korean media led many people to discover these.
The Ideal Medium for a Scrolling Generation
Most webtoons have teenagers and young adults as their target audience and young people tend to scroll a lot.
Increased screen time isn't doing our attention spans any favors, but consuming great stories is better than mindlessly looking at social media for hours.
The format of webtoons makes them ideal for a scrolling generation. Their designs mean that they perfectly fit a phone screen.
Moreover, they tend to be rich in imagery with only short chunks of text, so they grab and retain readers' attention more easily.
More Colorful Than Manga
Most manga are black and white, which makes sense for all sorts of reasons.
As charming as this is, some readers will find themselves drawn toward webtoons, which are often more colorful than manga.
The online format means that coloring isn't always associated with higher costs.
Many Webtoons Are Easily Accessible For Free
There are many places to read Korean manhwa and webtoons online, with Webtoons being the most popular site.
Many of these online spaces don't require readers to pay at all. Instead, they can get tokens just by waiting.
In the majority of cases, the first five or so chapters are also free to sample.
With so many webtoon chapters being easy to access, it's easy to get started out of curiosity and become hooked.
Great Stories and Art
Ultimately, webtoons wouldn't be here to stay if they didn't have a combination of great art and cool stories that readers fall in love with.
Just like manga, webtoons come in many genres, so everyone is bound to find a work that resonates with them.
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