I was told once that Webtoon aims for a 13 y/o age demographic, hence all the high school stories, big exposition dumps and hand held narratives. Kinda sucks, I feel like they should make a mature section for older audiences. With more mature characters and nuanced storytelling
This makes sense but then I don't understand why they're pushing more and more for people to pay to read. (I mean....I know why it's just how all businesses are. Hook people with a free/very cheap model and then add a price model later) but tweens/young teens are more likely to not be able to pay and just move onto pirating.
@@htsunmiku exactly what I what I always say! Kids don’t have money, so I don’t know what they expect, that why they really need a mature section or more stories with older themes
@@aaronmontgomery2055my dude, when did I say that they should drop catering to young audiences? I’m saying it wouldn’t kill them to add a mature section to expand their viewership. Kids have more time to consume content, yes. That’s why they’re a great demographic, but they usually don’t have direct access to money at all times. That’s why having a mature section would be great for older audiences that DO have money; who don’t care for some sappy high school comic and would rather read something more heavy
@@allyberg2792 I'm telling you why they do it... OK lets look at a comparable industry the Japanese manga. The manga industry is able to do so because they sell books and other merchandise. So the biggest direct profit are LN, the manga, and other merchandise. On the other hand webtoons lack that. Ads and such are their biggest profit. I believe the site doesn't want their name associated with anything actually mature because it is a Korean site directed at more "shonen" levels of maturity and the public may not like having the two types of thing connected so outwardly but most importantly the companies paying for ads don't want it. There are sites more dedicated to this type of material though that have ads that are geared towards adults. Lezhin and such fit your bill.
yeah! it was def a favorite of mine when i first began reading webtoon series. the creator of the series actually just came out with another new comic called Marionetta!
A trope I dislike in webtoon is just the villainization of timid, slightly overweight girls with glasses? Like idk, I feel like too many of them portray these types of girls as either someone who needs a makeover (True Beauty) or someone who's psychotic and envious of the main character because she's so "ugly" and insecure (My Deepest Secret). Like as someone who sort of looks like that, it does hurt that even webtoons that I like such as Sweet Home fall into this :((
I feel you :( I would say that in a lot of webtoons (personal opinion!) the main character and their friends often look flawless (I would say especially females) whereas there'll be a couple characters that just look totally different and portrayed as usually overweight and ugly. I do feel there are a couple webtoons that break this mold though, but then again I've only recently become so aware of these issues.
i'm reading 'marry my husband' and BOTH the mc and love interest stopped wearing their glasses! JUST LET THEM WEAR GLASSES! STOP TAKING AWAY THEIR GLASSES
:( Aa someone who wears glasses, like what?? Why??? Characters with glasses can look good, and if they were already established to have glasses, then WHY TAKE AWAY THEIR ******* GLASSES??
shaking your hand so so much as someone who reads thru webtoon and manhua at the speed of light everything you have said is SO REAL. literally read a manhua where the guy had fucked up scars allll over his face and i was like YESSS YESSS THIS RULEESSS and literally. ten chapters in. he loses the scars. i honestly couldve CRIED. HE WAS SO HANDSOME W HIS GANKED FACE GRRRR i was genuinely sooo mad. and yes oh my god girl protags will either have red hair with green eyes or black hair with purple eyes or blond hair with blue or green eyes AND SHE IS NEVERRR BROWN. AND NEITHER IS THE MALE PROTAG its always one (1) side character that has anyyyyy melanin its so . (EXPLLODES) RAHHRRGGH diversity LOSS!!!
OMG! I had to check the name to see if this was one of My older posts!!! I feel the same way. All the "handsome" guys all look the SAME!!! I am reading one where I cannot distinguish between three of the main characters' dudes. They're all the same height, and build and skin color with subtle differences in hair. It's even worse in school uniforms!
@@KimberlyPinkney OH MY GOD AND ALL THE MALE PROTAGS HAVE THE SAME COOKIE CUTTER ABS LIKE BRUH HES A FLORIST HOW TF IS HE SO JACKED AND THEY NEVER SHOW ANY EMOTION OR MAKE EXPRESSIVE FACES LIKE UGHH
well tbf it’s really hard to get a scar on your face bc of how quickly your skin heals ( unless you get like a burn or something that would cause disfiguration it’s a little different) but if you get a cut on your face it usually won’t scar, even if it’s really deep
i want to add that i do agree that a lot of webtoon realllly lack diversity in character design, so i don’t disagree with you but i just wanted to share that tidbit
the repetitiveness of webtoon honestly makes me want to go ahead and make a webtoon, not to blow up but just to give someone out there something different even if its 1 person
I know I’m a year late lol but I’m on the same boat as you! I’m saving up for digital drawing equipment like drawing pads and what not. I haven’t seen anything other than two comics which haven’t been updated in years about both world wars, hopefully by the end of the year I should be able to start! 😁
if youre looking for a romance webtoon featuring black characters i suggest daybreak !! both the main characters are black and trans along with a few other poc characters in the friend groups
i love the art and the diversity of the character designs but i think the actual storytelling is poopy doodoo. like the art and character design was like the only part of it i found enjoyable.
You should read the WEBTOON original "Shiloh". It doesn't really have a main character but most of the cast is POC. Hell, the poster children, Chloe and Sawyer, are black and Indian. It also just has a really interesting supernatural-mystery plotline, wrapped up in complicated relationships, systemic criticism, and subtext. I also think something it does quite well is use the scrolling vertical format to its advantage rather than as a deficit. There are so many cool transitions that couldn't be done on any other format, and I love it.
I haven't read shiloh yet, but it's made by the same person that made nevermore right? Nevermore is an amazing webtoon in my opinion, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were made by the same author, but I was just wondering hahah
For the high school topic, I'm pretty sad that the genera is so badly treated. I don't know if it is just because of my social circle (im between 20-15 yo), but teenagers in this age range in my opinion, can be used in such interesting ways to tell compeling stories and can be just as interesting as adults. Alot of kid have gone through shit but due to their lack of experience usually dont know how to deal with themsleves as well as just discovering how to be a person in general. You can touch on so many subjects such as social anxiety, addiction, the struggle of the parent child relationship that is changing so brutally and other stuff. This genera is just so badly used, only told through the lense of cheeky romances and that's it. Almost 90% of the genera suffers from a big lack of substance that makes me sad compared as to how in real life, this age range is the most interesting and chaotic time for a person, full of insecurities and change. I really hope people will one day salvage it.
Maybe she was just reading the western made ones. My Life As A Loser, Weak Hero, Lookism, Viral Hit, Bully In-Charge, Annarasumanara, Duty After School all feature high schoolers. Especially those last two, they'll always have a special place in my heart Edit: I just want to add To Not Die, Distant Sky, and if you're looking for that coming of age story New Normal: Class 8, I highly recommend this one.
I felt like a majority of the comics on Webtoon had no passion behind them, and the creator came up with the plot within one minute. So I started reading manga instead, and it's refreshing to read something that has good pacing, dialogue, and an actual plot.
I think that the comics were initially made with passion, like when they were on the canvas/discover portion. But a lot of creators end up burnt out from the weekly originals schedule and are mostly at the whims of Webtoon itself, so thats why they end up feeling soul-less.
The fact that you roasted Yoo Junghyeok (the guy you said had more play than anyone in America) makes me respect you ten times more lmao. I love the guy, and the webtoon he's in is genuinely amazing, but he legit has the hairstyle and face of every black haired love interest in romance manhuas 💀 Your whole video basically described the reason I stopped reading webtoons. Amazing art btw!
@@Ri-tr2lv yeah, that's what makes it so funny lol. He's literally the representation of all those good looking manhua love interests/protagonists and the mere fact that they all stick to the same aesthetic so well that he gives off that feeling is hilarious to me.
A WEBTOON that I personally love is “I am the grim reaper” featuring a woman who died and was sent to hell and now has to work for satan as the grim reaper. The art and action are amazing but the story also has time to be introspective and questions what makes a good vs a bad person. The main characters are very likable despite their questionable morality. it’s honestly probably my favorite WEBTOON.
The thing about highschoolers is why I love Manhwa tbh. They have super interesting stories that mostly feature adults in their 30s. One of my favorites is Match Made in Heaven By Chance, it's really good, and the characters are so interesting, the story really keeps you interested.
5:48 I actually saw another person cover that before, apparently when webtoons go from canvas to original, there are certain things webtoon will change about the artists’ comic and will even change some character’s personality to cater to an audience
for a story with black characters/ older MCs i suggest Shoot Around. it’s about a young basketball team and their coach surviving a zombie apocalypse it’s my fav on webtoon!
omg one of my favorite comics ever! i shoulda added it to my list but i read it years ago (2016, maybe?) before i even knew what webtoons was 😩 totally forgot about it. def vouching for it for anyone who comes across this comment ! :]
I love all the points you've said in this video. Maybe that's why I've slowly stopped reading there even though I know there are still stories that are good. One thing tho, the vertical format. As someone who has been reading comics since I was little, I think vertical formats are something that has a lot of potential. It's a fairly new concept and not everyone knows how to make it work (given that webtoon started the format, I'd say it is new). I've read a comic that blew my mind, they utilized the format in a way that added impact to the panels. It felt as if I was watching a movie. Ex. Song of the Skypacers by Xia Da (not from webtoon), Ilkwon Ha's works, LICO's works Think of vertical format as a medium where readers take part on how the story is read. I think there are only a few videos giving tips on how to utilize the format. It can be used greatly to aid the story telling. When done right, it makes it more immersive like a movie. (For example, huge white gaps in webtoons are similar to how white noise is used in movies.) Sorry if it's all over the place. I'm writing this late at night.
no its okay, i understand you! :D i actually agree, right after i published this vid i talked with a friend and we came to the conclusion it might not be that the vertical format is limiting, but that no one knows how to use it correctly LOL. any comic ive read with it has been somewhere between "this is pretty okay, id still prefer traditional formatting though" and "jesus this is just terrible". so ill definitely check out your recs !! and thank you for the comment ! :]
@@cinnimani Last thing I wanna say, there's this review I saw years ago and I was reminded of yesterday but couldn't find it. I found it now. It's one of scamboli's videos. Here's the link: ruclips.net/video/h8ucLhe1ZLY/видео.html
The vertical format has potential, but it bothers me that you're kind of expected to use that format (like the way the websites are set up lend themselves more to infinite scroll than page format) because I personally get a bit motion sick if I'm reading a lot of infinite scroll comics.
The infinite canvas idea isn't new -- it's been long thought of since online comics was becoming a thing back the late 90s-early 2000s. I remember Applegeeks experimented with the concept a few times.
@@anonymouswitness3835 the only horizontal scroll comics I know of on webtoons are those of Donghoon Lee, creator of "Yumi's Cells" and "Daily Life of Jojo"
The one webtoon I totally miss is LMLY it was so adorable, but it's been on a 10 month hiatus. They are totally different from what you currently see :)
I would like to point out that a lot of artists complain about how webtoon treats them and their work. Webtoon restricts a lot of artists freedom in order for the comic to follow the webtoon format. This leads to Webtoons feeling bland or like they have no passion behind them, which is really sad because the artists see their work become like this and are unable to do anything. Webtoon artists are also no given much time to complete episodes or chapters. They got like one week to create at least 40 panels, which can become tedious for a person working alone. This is why they have to take shortcuts and results in boring looking comics. I would love if you would make a video discussing the bad choices Webtoon makes that causes stuff like this.
6:24 yes!! I get so peeved cause so many authors abuse the scroll to not draw stuff. Like they add squares or gradients and you miss out on so much story. I don’t mind it if it’s small transition but some skip a whole a page. I like reading comics like the old school manga or comic style. It’s just the panels are so cool and zig zag through the page meanwhile the format is mostly just top to bottom. Ugh sorry for the rant. It’s just a peeve I have.
Yeah not a lot of African representation out there but hope through my Webcomics I can bring through that diverse mix of South African that I love so much about my country, keep up the great owrk and stay awesome
As for the poc issue, I can relate. I've tried finding stories with more pocs especially black people, so far I've only found: LMLY (black lead but in high school, love interest who has a rare feature. Also I just loved how they show the black lead doing her natural hair and wearing her bonnet and stuff lol) End of You (black lead, lots of black characters, adults over 21) Edit: just realized you mentioned this already lol Opposite of Always (black lead and love interest, college aged) First Ones Out (has poc lead and main characters) So yea, it is difficult to find poc webtoons with the criteria you menitoned. Also I just have to mention Tales of Greed. It might not meet a lot of the criteria you listed but the stories told are just so different from any webtoon I've read. I'll definitely check out tapas.
I highly recommend Daybreak…! Black leads and love interest! Diverse cast, very queer and wholesome AF very beautiful art as well…!💖 That webtoon got me kicking my feet and giggling in my pillow!😭💀
10:00 OMG finally someone said it! Thank you so much, you have no idea how frustrating it is to have to explain this to people who expect everything to be there in those first 3 chapters /episodes. I mean I get that webtoon is the one that set those standards and got people used to it but like I'm my own creator and I have no obligation to pace my story the way they are used to. It's ridiculous and yet you are the first person that actually mentions this. Cmon just let creators create and real readers that actually care about getting invested in the story to discover that story, not to get everything on a silver plate. When I'm watching /reading something, be it movie or a comic I don't want to know everything two minutes in cuz then I have zero motivation to continue. And this especially sucks for writers who don't fit with webtoon 'standards' and have detailed long stories with their vision etc but it gets pushed back by webtoon cuz it doesn't 'fit'. That's most likely why so many people out there sacrifice their story telling in favor for getting noticed and getting that audience. I've been told by people that if I don't stick to the formula how our comic wouldn't get audience. And guess what, I don't care xd I would rather have that then to ruin my story cuz I'm a passionate writer and webtoon can eat it! Sorry for this long angry rant, but I just couldn't stay quiet after you hit right in the topic. I agree that current state of comics variety on Webtoon which is supposedly the biggest online platform for comics is pretty damn sad. Unfortunately I can see why, the pressure of not getting noticed if you don't apply or if you go your way to not get accepted cuz there are people who are too stuck on that formula. I really hope one day we break the system and these things get changed.
I agree so much. Especially with the passion one 😭. I’m passionate about my OC’s and their story and I post about them all the time on my insta and I’d love to make a comic, but well, the story isn’t finished yet and I don’t think I could have the patience necessary for one so I just infodump on my stories :,)))
The same looking mcs are so relatable 😭😭, that’s why when I go on like Webtoons or Tapas I go through the community ones instead, because most of the originals are like what you described. I remember at one point I was in the romance genre and I swear I saw the same character in 4 different covers 🥲
As someone who avidly reads webtoons, I absolutely agree with everything! Sometimes when keeping up with story’s honestly, I can’t keep track with who is who from different webtoons, because everyone looks and acts the same in so many of them. It’s always refreshing when there’s a unique lead and characters, and honestly I look forward to those story’s so much more when they update.
The way you showed the pic of Yoo Jonghyuk and i was like "Oh hey i know that character" almost immediately its funny how in both the actual novel and the manhwa theres always some mention of how "Handsome" and "pretty" he is ORV in it of itself is a really good story and Webtoon is just the platform where the ENG translation Manhwa is I feel like more often than not on webtoon I come across what were clearly some sort of passion project for the creator but it simply died out or moved off the app, while the typical stories with the same general plotlines and characters thrive in comparison, trying to make a comic specifically for webtoon is just a deathwish for anyone who wants to put their passion on the internet
I'm glad readers care about passion projects 😭 I was afraid that ppl prefer the usual webtoon romcom style or something. My artstyle is nothing like that webtoon artstyle and isnt a romance so I was worried about how many readers ill attract. With having a black lead, supernatual genre and an overall diverse cast. ive had these series in development since 2015!! cant wait to share with everyone this fall. ALSO YES! I also not a fan of the Webtoon panel layout. Too much negative space!! I hate scrolling past huge blank spaces :(
"I need Webtoons to have more ADHD/autism because y'all go harder-" This is all the convincing I need to use Webtoons as a platform to post my webcomics. I need to inject some neurodivergency into the corporate wasteland.
Daybreak, Lovestruck, LMLY, High Spirits Neoma, and The Witch and the Bull for anyone looking for more diversity in character designs and backgrounds :)
I honestly agree with most of your points. My only gripe is that a lot of the focus is on the creators rather than the platform webtoon. Most webtoons are forced to be rushed to meet deadlines. Like I understand disliking sloppy qaulity but it sorta feels like it's not acknowledging the hard work already put into keeping a weekly upload going as typically a one or two person project.
Omg, yes thank you for pointing out how the short cuts are too much, the 3d assets against a stiffly drawn 2d character is the biggest pet peeve, and I can only blame the platform itself for pressuring artists to have to take this shortcut every time! Edit: Also, I think Webtoon is aiming for a teen audience most of the time, which might explain the easy reading style (the exposition, weird fast passing) with the style that still popular with that demographic, being the pretty anime style characters and whatnot. And I keep thinking cause its from Korea that they might not be interested in other POC stories, since they tend to dump a lot of their manwhas which explains why there's so many on the platform.
I still read webtoon, but far less than I used to. Im still on there for like,, three. I’m very VERY into High Class Homos, Ghost Eyes, and Jackson’s Diary. I love them, and most of the comics I read otherwise are on Canvas, which is where the passion is. I started on Always Human, so meeting that creator’s passion or unique style is going to be hard lol.
All your critiques are super valid and, I dunno in my opinion, most of this comes from people who have little experience in writing/storytelling for comics suddenly finding themself in this very fast-paced and demanding schedule that most webtoons operate with. The pacing issues, the lack of a lot of panels on the scroll format, and short cuts with 3d models; it all comes down to this toxic workflow they feel they need to keep up with to get noticed on the platform. I plan on posting my comic to the platform, but it's my baby and I've been planning it and working on it for so long, but I'm also a little older than some webtoon artists and have failed a lot to learn my lessons. A LOT haha. With time, the webtoon format will get to a place where the creators have gained the experience and have failed enough to figure out a better flow that produces better work. That's my hope anyway :)
ughddhhs i totally agree with this video so much, i rarely comment on videos now but I just had to for this one. I feel like i’m always seeing the same kinds of covers on webtoon or same style of promotion art because all the characters look the same or have the same art style, it doesn’t feel like an art style that’s unique to the artist/writer but more of an “easier style” to mass produce chapters every single week. It sometimes makes the plot feel like it’s pushing itself into a corner because you can tell it’s not a story that the writer / artist is even interested in or passionate about. I thought I was the only one who thought this so I’m so so so glad more people are noticing the same issues. There’s definitely some AMAZING webtoons out there though but you have to really do some searching and once you find great artists and passionate writers then it’s definitely worth it and there’s some great webtoons for sure
I have a comic idea in progress that I want to put on webtoon where most (like 95%) of the cast is mixed and its so fun. This is a passion project I've wanted to execute since I was about 9 years old, but i don't want to put it on webtoon because I feel like the algorithm won't treat it well (this is very much a passion project haha). Most of your points pretty much summarize why I don't feel like I should put my comic up on webtoon :/
Honestly, i really dont recommend publishsing it on webtoon at all. 1) the algorithm is gonna be a problem and 2) even if it gets popular and recognized by webtoon and becomes an original, webtoon is literally going to control your whole story and how it goes itll make your passion project into a horrible chore youll loathe to do everyday because it wont be what you like doing and itll be what webtoon wants you to so. Webtoon treats its artists like shit and theydont care about you, they care about the revenues you bring so i really dont advise you to do publish it on webtoon
@@Galf1eld I think i'm going to do everything in my power to keep it as a canvas project, even if the algorithm won't treat it well at least it will be out there. I might try to get it somewhere else in the future
OMGOMG If youre looking for a good webcomic to binge I HIGHLY recommend Countdown to Countdown by Velinxi!! her art is incredible and you can feel the legitimate passion behind her work, shes been working with those ocs since she was in highschool and she rebooted her og comic(which was coincidentally originally on Tapas) . Her art style is just gorgeous and her characters actually have variety!! And ofc the actual premise itself is intriguing, however, it is still ongoing. REGARDLESS I still think its really worth checking it out
CTC rules, I screenshotted the page of Lillium diving through the ceiling (iykyk) to send to my friend like "DUDE LOOK AT THIS PANEL IT'S SICK" Hiveworks comics in general are pretty cool (I also like Paranatural), I think it's because afaik you have to be invited on so there's more quality control
Yuna and kawachan is definitely my favourite that I’ve read. It’s set in the apocalypse in Japan. The characters are what rlly hooked me in!! One of the characters, kawachan, walks around in a mascot outfit. They developed a fear of taking it off and talk with paper (and sign I think?? It’s been awhile) but I love how they end off the whole comic.
I think some of the webtoons I do like are probably ones such as ‘Hooky’, ‘spirit fingers’ and ‘Yumi cells’ It’s hard looking for good series that engage you all the way through the story cause I won’t lie they drag a lot. Also some webtoons are just binge with worthy, meaning I’d rather just binge them in one go than wait. I guess you could say this about this for ‘Yumi cells’ but personally ‘lookism’ is just one to binge, rather than wait for episodes to come out.
As a writer/comic maker, your point about authors explaining the plot/lore. It’s mainly used by young creators who aren’t sure what their doing, I would know my first fan fiction explained the main character was a yandere for their crush which made it seem like I thought the readers wouldn’t understand. It can make a story seem boring, I 100% agree, it can be okay if it’s played well, fun to read not bland. I also have barely seen any black internet story. The only time I really see it is in Episode or Chapter because you can customize them, it feels better to have a character you can relate to and feel them, so you want to see them succeed and their life. Some people also try to make the character into a bland stereotypical Y/N which can feel also weird, and is rarely done well. Correct me if I’m wrong but how many times have you seen a Y/N that feels interesting and not just a *Mary Sue, or Gary Stue* I bet you can’t name many, but if can you can gimme a link please
if anyone ever comes across this comment, i highly, HIGHLY recommend gourmet hound and castle swimmer!! i'd say that they both do really great in the diversity and interesting design aspect, but ESPECIALLY in their writing. i didn't expect it when i first read them, but MAN their stories and themes are really compelling!! not sure if it's just the nostalgia speaking since i've been following them for years now, but i adore them and the passion that's so obviously put into both stories sm
I think the worst thing about Webtoons and webcomics in general is the insane demand for new pages and the impatience some readers have. Even if some are able to keep up with the demands it promotes an unhealthy culture where artists have to use any means they can to speed up the process. Things like pre-made 3D assets instead of carefully crafted environments and flat stereotypes instead of characters with any kind of depth. It's such a shame when speed and amount of clicks become the factors that decide whether art is seen and appreciated or not
I'm really glad to hear that there are plenty of people who are reading webcomics outside of webtoon. I've been working really hard on my own webcomic (including making an html website for it) and hearing this gives me so much hope that it could possibly gain a bit of traction :)
[Ik this is an old comment but] The downside of individual comic websites is that there's no central hub to find them. You could probably ask for recommendations on reddit or a forum or something, and just being more involved in comic/art spaces in general tends to help (indie comic artists will often give shoutouts to other comics so that can be a good way to find more)
Its literally why After school lessons for unripe apples is my favorite webtoon ever, it actually has chemistry and the mc isnt so 2d and neither is the love interest. Its funny and cute and everything comes together naturally even if it is in a highschool setting but ig this is bias bc i am a highschooler Edit: also in this comic Cheol (live interest) isnt the Webtoon cutie you usually see and same with Miae (the mc)
I know this is from a while ago, but I agree with you on the point that everyone looks the same. The picture perfect characters really annoy me to a certain extent and the lack of diversity sometimes too (depends on setting though, like if it was super historical or something). I wish the characters had variety in their appearances like heterochromia, vitiligo, glasses, scars, freckles, moles, maybe a missing limb or something etc. Add a little or more spice to your characters pleaseeeeeee. 😭
That was really interesting to hear. I am totally agree with every word about what is good and what is bad in webtoon/comic. It's just like hearing my own thoughts from someone! Thank you and good luck!
Pretty much summarized everything I think of webtoons. Thank you for the recommendations! But also from what I've seen, artist are paid very poorly on these plataforms, so I never expect much from it.
Yeeeeeees. The cute gay mermen! But with well written characters! And a slowly unfolding story that leaves plenty of space for theories and brainstorming!
I don't mind seeing most ML in his black short hair. As a very Asian person, this is the most normal look to me. We have black hair, and there're so many men in reality who would never dye their hair and it's considered modest, clean (and hot at the same time) if they maintained their hair short. So unless there's some fantasy, their hair should be just that way. We like it 'cos we can relate it.
i wanted to share some of my favorite webtoons at the moment, there probably not for everyone and have there flaws but ive been enjoying them recently. suitor armor and cursed princess club (which are a bit basic) but my absolute favorites are "The Beast of Hadingley Hill" and "Encore!" :3
I agree with most points except the traditional comic panel layouts. Depending on the type of composition, text and images get small bc yknow, its a phone. I don’t want to zoom in or squint every time to read it. Not all comics are like this but I find myself running into those a lot. Obviously this problem is only on phones. That’s what I like about scroll comics, it’s more engaging bc I see them closer, to me at least
Yes tapas is the best when looking for stories Last year I found this black magical girl type comic and it was so relatable and it made me so happy It went into stuff like generational trauma and how some people would get looked down on for following a career that’s artistic and yeah it was just cool I just finally got the time to look over it again
It’s not on webtoon but I know a series that has a older main character it’s called “another typical fantasy romance” I found it was way more interesting and different I hope this helps a bit
My favorite Webtoon is a french one, it takes place in a future where winter doesn't exist anymore, it's really good, but unfortunately it's only available on the french webtoon
Honestly, I only have a select few stories that I stay on WEBTOON for, and I can’t really find any others that have caught my attention as much as these. *Lumine, Castle Swimmer, Watermelon, SHELTER, and Crush3d* are my top picks and I really like these stories, but I haven’t found any that meet the expectations like those do. There are a few others that are good, such as *The Four of Them, Down to Earth, Cursed Princess Club, and Everything is Fine* and I read through them, but they’re more like extra stories to pass time while I wait for my favorites to update. Other than that, I’ve tried to explore around the app, but there just isn’t much else for me to enjoy.
I’ve seen so many canvas comics go original and lose all their flavor and I call it commercialization. It’s so tragic everytime. It feels like the world ended everytime. I won’t name names for respect to the artists but it’s just… 💔
I think on your point about webtoons feeling very devoid of passion might be because of how tropey they are. Theyre made based on what gets popular, like you said, conventionally attractive charas, romcoms/dramas, same kinds of boys and girls, etc... They don't feel like they're based on somebodies experience or life, they don't even feel like much thought was ever put into them. The characters are almost never, ever more than the trope they portray, and they always lose any semblance of relatablity by like chapter 5 (ch 10 if you're being generous) It just lacks so much creativity and personality sometimes.
What I hate about web toon is how they blocked 90% of Miss Abbott and the Doctor. The web toon is finished and they decided to block a giant portion of the comic from casual readers! It's a good story and the art is lovely, how could they do that?!
There *is* one where there is a black MC with a black friend group! It's a Shonen action webtoon called, "Ordeal". It does a bit of exposition but only tells the necessary details at the very beginning. From what I seen so far via The Black Mastodon, it's pretty good!
2:48 They all have a levi hair cut, bushy eyebrows, and black hair and are bossy, and somehow have pretty complex and really good backstories and are usually really interesting with the most boring fl love interest and loves her for her "personality"
My favourites (just throwin them out there) are Melvina's Therapy, Castle Swimmer, Everything Is Fine, Jackson's Diary, and of course, my most favourite, Revelation of Eros, the best webcomic I've ever read tbh.
I read this one webtoon called Holy Hell that had an all black main cast and one main character that was white. It was a canvas webtoon. But any of their webtoons they promote aren't going to have black characters. But most characters are Korean since it is a Korean platform, not white.
There are a lot of webcomics that are immensely popular that you can tell were just pumped out of a factory. It’s as if the studio were just checking off boxes and making something boring and “safe” that they knew would get clicks. If you really wanna find the good stuff on WebToon you gotta dig a little deeper. Also I recommend that you avoid the romance genre entirely. It’s almost guaranteed to be vapid garbage with a frustrating plot that gets nowhere after 115 episodes. Usually other genres like fantasy/sci-fi have romance subplots anyway (with only 1 love interest thank god) and are a lot more well rounded with tons of lore and world building.
ALSO BROO i thought i was the problem for the longest time becs im making a webtoon and the main trio are all black characters and i was like "....am i doing too much?" cuz the way i consume so many webtoons with white or east asian mcs and see so many people who call it trying to be "woke" when it comes to webtoon creators who include more than one black/brown/dark skin character like???
@@LACHRYMA Bro just add whatever you want. Those people who call writers or artists woke for drawing people like them or having diverse characters are stupid. I mean having 3 main black characters is fine cause think about all the all white main protags. Nobody rips on everyone being white or het but when it's black or anything diverse they call you a bad writer or a self insert writer.
I'd recommend Suitor Armor, Lovebot, Luff and Seniorita Cometa. If you like more diversity in character designs, adult romance, and big tiddy men. These are mostly latine characters coded characters though. If you don't mind ridiculously horny comics I'd also recommend the Princesses Jewels. A bit white and pretty, but the harem is kinda diverse and it's like if Men of the Harems female lead was really really really into the important men she collected. Edit: Gonna do a takebaksy on the Princesses Jewels. Artist turned out to be highly problematic
The issue with The Princesses Jewels(apart from the creator) is the way the FL treats the men( one gets forced into the harem after the girl blackmailed him and threatened to castrate his father) If the roles were reversed, the webtoon would be cancelled
They claim they're Korean or Japanese, but they look super whiteboy white with Ethinic names. The ones who look ethnic are usually depicted as losers or ugly.
A good black rep webtoon I would recommend is Day Break, the main characters are both black and their whole friend group is POC. It is also a very good lgbtqia rep story but it is a highschool love story. I would still read it though, because a lot of it story takes place out of school so it's nice.
I totally agree, i know tapas has similar problems, but with the way tapas is formatted its a lot easier to find comics that arent copy and paste, passionless money factories. I only have a dozen two comics i will follow on webtoon, where as tapas i had a hundred or more, and i tend to be a lot more invested in. (i know I'm mentally ill but this is my truth)
THANK YOU!! The clip studio models one specifically angers me. 2015-2016 webtoon had such fun and dynamic styles, and now they all feel stiff and cookie cutter because it’s just a direct tracing of 3D models. It’s okay to use them, but at least alter the way you’re tracing over them so it’s not the exact same. So many webtoons are focused on following the same structure so many other webtoons are that they’re losing their personality. I can’t exactly blame them though as webtoon has become such a disgustingly capitalistic website over the years and nowadays a good story and solid art isn’t what webtoon is looking for anymore. They look for a hook that is sure to lure in audiences, and a clean (but occasionally) daring storyline that is easy to market without much controversy. Videos like these are so useful for up and coming webtoon artists and people who are interested in even general storytelling. Thank you for making this!
Watching this video to see what people do and don’t like before making a webcomic. I want to focus mine on neurodivergence as well as LGBTQIA+ and the struggles people with these go through. Also it’s fantasy :)
I'm really trying to avoid so many of these things with my comic (it's not up yet, as I just barely am finishing page 4 in print format and have yet to reformat into scroll for webtoon). My favorite stories are character-driven rather than heavily plot-driven, which means I have to make my characters interesting and flesh them out more.
Oh I agree with all of this. Honestly I don't mind it most of the time, problem is there doesn't seem to be a space for more mature and dark works/stories..
Honestly, I agree- it takes forever to find a good webtoon and you have to shift through such much mid-content to find one good one. The only Original I have a liking for is Not Even Bones.
Lol at this point sifting through comics is a habit now. If your looking for great reads, I recommend Rose Tide Rising and Holy Hell (if you aren't already subscribed).
A great webcomic is “Puu”, a webcomic set in India that explores themes of love, identity, trauma, sexuality, gender, religion, spirituality, and politics.
For webtoon I can recommend these comics: Fairetown, Novae, Icy Copper, Suitor Armor and Cursed Princess Club. Also if you don't mind non-humans: Loving Reaper, Tardigrade Chronicles and AstralSounds are fun.
Honestly I'm so happy I found this video I thought I was going insane with how it seems like every story looked the same. I'm really into villaness stories at the moment so my picks are painful. Like it has come to a point that unless the story sounds really interesting I just won't pick it up if the designs for the main leads are boring. Like if I see another blonde or white hair villainous with her black or white haired lead I will fight something.
I use webtoon mainly to read horror stories and occasionally some queer romance (the good ones) so I only encountered some of these problems very few times
My biggest webtoon issue is how long a lot of the popular stories drag like I had to drop a lot of the webtoons I used to follow because they JUST. KEPT. GOING. like dear god its nearly been a decade and some of these mfs still going damn! (There is something very sinister about the fact that Space Boy and unOrdinary have been going on since I was a freshman in hs... Im literally going to be 21 in a few months) My favorite webtoons of all time are the ones that have ended lol ShootAround and Heir's Game are my absolute faves and Under the Aegis is up there too tho it's not as diverse. I tend to end up reading less romance bc there's where all the diversity ends up at and they usually have a planned ending😭
i really love covenant! it's a supernatural lgbtq webtoon with poc characters!! my friend also has a dnd inspired comic called flabbergast with lots of neat character designs!
I really agree with you. Don’t get me wrong I like a good romance high school comic every once in awhile especially when done well-in particular Daybreak (Ik someone else mentioned it but it’s so underrated) As someone who writes a lot (more of a hobby than a full time thing but still) most things WEBTOON does is like a writers 101 of what not to do. Please never *never* info dump on the first page-its just a major turn off. Like people do not want to read your lore dump it’s boring and they’re not going to remember it. One other thing is that I wish ALL romance (or not) comics would do is show the characters fight, have a disagreement and just show that characters bad traits. Daytime Star is one that does this and people were getting mad about it? It’s like some of them expected the relationship to be perfect which really annoyed me. ALSO I LOVE HERE THERE BE DRAGONS ❤ it’s so good and all the characters are in depth and well written It really isn’t afraid of showing characters flaws which makes everything so much more interesting. And I’ve ranted too long If you made it this far thank you I suppose
One you might like if your looking for a WEBTOON with older people is coffin jackson the main character is probably in his 40s maybe 30s and his right hand man is an older man of age I would assume 60 or above
BROSKI, everything your saying is some of the reasons why I'm making a webcomic- I've always felt so bad because my art style wasn't the perfect webtoon lingo, but I've learned how to love myself for that and because I'm not a webtoon MPC- (jk)
The second you mentioned nobody on Webtoon seems passionate about their comics in the same way as someone who's had their OCs since they were five and have this one story that's like their passion project I was like oh shit that's me haha! What I have for my comic premise at this moment in time is a total culmination of almost 25 years of me just... Living life and making characters and drawing those characters as though they were real people, coming up with little bits and pieces about them and trying to weave that into something cohesive and larger-scale. I can't think of any other way to develop a story really. My characters are not perfect, neither is my story as a matter of fact, but I'm passionate about it, and to me that's really all that matters. I'm no great artist, my writing is even less great, and I know that I won't be up there WITH the greats if it ever gets to publish, but this is something that means the absolute world to me regardless. Webtoons, unfortunately, is not a place I see my comic thriving in any sense of the word. It's too bizarre a premise in comparison to everything else that's on the platform, and since I have adult characters that I plan on doing adult things with I can't take my story there anyway lmao. Webtoons is... Homogenized. It's very formulaic. If your comic doesn't have a certain look, if it's not what's typically popular on the site it doesn't get a chance in hell to be anything or get anywhere, so although my comic's not even ready to launch yet, I'm fairly certain I won't be posting it either there or on Tapas (because Tapas, although a lot better than Webtoon in terms of art and story diversity, still has a strict ban on anything remotely adult or risque). Anyways, thanks for this video I feel extremely seen and validated and you made a lot of really good points! Sorry for the wall of text lmao
I've been watching videos like this and others along the lines of "Why this series failed" or "Why this series is a masterpiece" and just reading fiction in general to get an idea of story telling. I always enjoyed story telling but never had the gut to actually turn it into anything and show anyone but thanks to some randomly gained confidence and some semblance of a concept I want to string together a story that I can eventually turn into a webcomic, it wolnt be something I rush myself on as I want to take time and get advice from other while its in the works or at least the more early stages of it. For now while I work on my art in the background I play videos like these to help myself learn and to also have backround noise while I doodle. And you know what? it has worked in helping me improve at least art-wise as of now, while its no were near perfect or anything of that sort I'm still proud of myself when I compare were I am now mainly with character design and overall anatomy then earlyer on. I dont want to get to ahead of myself so I plan to take it slow and if I do eventualy being publishing it wolnt be on a weekly scedual or anything like many comics on webtoon are, I know my limits and I know thats something that would not be appropriate for me currently, physically and mentally and I dont want to rush out chapters and end up putting out lazy and trashy work. As for the general and simplified theme ( I dont think thats the right word but I cant remeber the other one ) Somewhere around fantasy / distopian / action - kind of basis. If anyone dose have any tips on constructing a story I would appreciate it much. ( ( before anyone points out I am aware my grammer and spelling can and might be bad in this commit, you can correct any mistakes I made if you want I don't care, I'm just kind of crap and spelling and grammar - Not a child or nonnative English speaker I just have difficulties with learning some things and I guess those two things never picked up well for me ))
Most of this is totally understandable, except for the point regarding re-used assets and traced poses. That's usually because Webtoon has a track record of mistreating/underpaying its comic creators and burning them out while they're forced to put out chapters weekly.
i havent finished the video yet but i think your OCs are adorable (im new here so yeah), but up until now i agree with everything you said (like the highschool thing is just idk, it kinda feels like they all go to the same school? As somebody who goes to a german school it just seems so weird to see the same japanese school over and over agian lmao) I also hate the "im explaining all the lore in the first episode :D" thing so much. But yeah some Webtoons i really enjoy "My Daddy is a Villain!" (its just pure wholesomeness), "Modern Mogal" (Havent read the whole thing yet, but its basically like Meme Girls where its a compilation of short stories) and ive recently started reading "Evelyne and the Occult", but im like on episode 8 so yeah... im very happy that i can finally share some of my favorites lol (Feel free to recommend some webtoons!)
Also about the number of panels, it's a webtoon requirement to I thing 75-80 panels per chapter in order to be eligible for being funded. As to the the plain look, not shaded heavily etc. It has to do with the deadline and I believe file size, although file sizes are large enough for music and animation if funded so take that part with a grain of salt. But in order to be funded you have to be able to pop 1 per week consistently that matches these requirments. I've done my research through the last several years. However I'm I write my stories as books first, then go to my favorite script and slowly go through the details to make a readable version. I plan to fully release my story later on as a novel, and not at all light. The way I write as you can tell here I already calculated it would probably be three novels. As for telling teh story at the beginning. I heard something recently that that's something to do with anime or rather the fault of it, since I guess last 20 years anime has moved to tell the important information in first episode or cram it in rather tehn in several episodes and alot fo comics have gone to adapt to taht. For me I agree I hate info dump, as someone whose taken college courses on stage writting, film acting. and directing in both theres importance in all forms of writting and media "Show dont tell" nd it's what I repeat to myself in writting. For me I give hints theres a bigger story, theirs something supernatural/unusual going on in the mundane. But that's the hook, what's going on, why is this event particularly important... etc then we go into a story fo anormal day. Only thi g I tell is the flash from the catch cause like a novel which again is how I started the process you need to give the hook the reason to care in the first chapter. I literally give the realization of what I say in the description then bam back to what led to this. Telling the story, from there. Up to that point and beyond when things unravel. Sadly Webtoons is mostly focused on Romances, and I agree it's wrong. But its cause it's what sells, if suddenly ly teh amount of interest hoped from romance over to say mystery or horror then they'll put their focus on that. Cause despite everything ik g their a buisness first and it's what entertainment does sadly focus on what the masses interact with. I've done alot my research on the topic just to knwo if it's the write Avenue for me to gain interest and eventually with hope gain interest to release the novels after each big act. Cause gaining a following as a first time writer is a big thing and this and others are oen fo teh ways. I hope that helps many of your topics I had some knowledge on to be answered. I agree we meet more diversity one of my favs bakc before 2019 was Messenger staring a LGBTQ But moving on Messenger had both major lgbtq and was originally supported heavily, it was a dark skinned lead and her girlfriend was rad. Sure I liked the crow guy but her girlfriend was a awesome character. There was a huge break near the end and sadly I never picked it bakc up but In starting to read all those I dropped due to breaks again so I hope to finish it soon. I do agree we need more webtoons like that.
the part about a lot of webtoons having no passion behind them i think is mostly because of what happens when they become Originals. webtoons often wants creators to rewrite their characters in a more stereotypical way when these creators get in a contract with them. the lack of originality also stems from this there are a few that got lucky but its really not all of them and there's also just a lot of competition on the platform to get the Most Popular Comic Possible which just ends in people making romance comics when they don't even like romance comics so basically i guess what im trying to say is... hard to have passion when webtoons (especially wtoriginals) in itself is an environment pretty much counterproductive to it i'd even say many are better off just posting on other platforms (or, if you're ridiculously lucky, your own website). wont get as many views but then you'll know what your reason for making comics is: are the views needed, or a fun little thing to be appreciated?
Definitely recommend 21st Century Knight. Even has a black creator and a black mc, and the story doesnt hold your hand through the expsition. Definitely a good read on webtoons
I was told once that Webtoon aims for a 13 y/o age demographic, hence all the high school stories, big exposition dumps and hand held narratives. Kinda sucks, I feel like they should make a mature section for older audiences. With more mature characters and nuanced storytelling
This makes sense but then I don't understand why they're pushing more and more for people to pay to read. (I mean....I know why it's just how all businesses are. Hook people with a free/very cheap model and then add a price model later) but tweens/young teens are more likely to not be able to pay and just move onto pirating.
@@htsunmiku exactly what I what I always say! Kids don’t have money, so I don’t know what they expect, that why they really need a mature section or more stories with older themes
@@allyberg2792 Advertisement... That age range is the most important group to advertise to.
@@aaronmontgomery2055my dude, when did I say that they should drop catering to young audiences? I’m saying it wouldn’t kill them to add a mature section to expand their viewership. Kids have more time to consume content, yes. That’s why they’re a great demographic, but they usually don’t have direct access to money at all times. That’s why having a mature section would be great for older audiences that DO have money; who don’t care for some sappy high school comic and would rather read something more heavy
@@allyberg2792 I'm telling you why they do it... OK lets look at a comparable industry the Japanese manga. The manga industry is able to do so because they sell books and other merchandise. So the biggest direct profit are LN, the manga, and other merchandise. On the other hand webtoons lack that. Ads and such are their biggest profit. I believe the site doesn't want their name associated with anything actually mature because it is a Korean site directed at more "shonen" levels of maturity and the public may not like having the two types of thing connected so outwardly but most importantly the companies paying for ads don't want it. There are sites more dedicated to this type of material though that have ads that are geared towards adults. Lezhin and such fit your bill.
I think the best comic I’ve ever read on WEBTOON was Hooky. It started off cute and aloof but then it starts getting more serious and high-stakes.
Yesss omg I love hooky so much, it inspired me a lot.
ive never heard of this webtoon! tysm for the rec, ill check it out soon :]
Ahh I love this comic! It's literally in my closet rn lol
yeah! it was def a favorite of mine when i first began reading webtoon series. the creator of the series actually just came out with another new comic called Marionetta!
Yes omg loved hooky
A trope I dislike in webtoon is just the villainization of timid, slightly overweight girls with glasses? Like idk, I feel like too many of them portray these types of girls as either someone who needs a makeover (True Beauty) or someone who's psychotic and envious of the main character because she's so "ugly" and insecure (My Deepest Secret). Like as someone who sort of looks like that, it does hurt that even webtoons that I like such as Sweet Home fall into this :((
Or they're overtly sexualized in an arguably problematic way(Lore Olympus)
I feel you :( I would say that in a lot of webtoons (personal opinion!) the main character and their friends often look flawless (I would say especially females) whereas there'll be a couple characters that just look totally different and portrayed as usually overweight and ugly.
I do feel there are a couple webtoons that break this mold though, but then again I've only recently become so aware of these issues.
-no im nice😭😭😭✋🏻✋🏻✋🏻✋🏻
(c) a bit overweight girl with glasses aka author of this comment
@@a.a.6318 I don’t rlly think Persephone is meant to be “overweight” she’s depicted as more “curvy” I think?
Wait how does sweet home fall into this? I’m sorry I read it a while ago, I just can’t remember
i'm reading 'marry my husband' and BOTH the mc and love interest stopped wearing their glasses! JUST LET THEM WEAR GLASSES! STOP TAKING AWAY THEIR GLASSES
Maybe meant to be is a good one where he keeps his glasses 🫶🏽 and he’s so beefy and nerdy 😻
For real >:[ we nearsighted out in this biiiitch
:( Aa someone who wears glasses, like what?? Why??? Characters with glasses can look good, and if they were already established to have glasses, then WHY TAKE AWAY THEIR ******* GLASSES??
I'm going to take a bunch of pretty boys and make them wear glasses later into the webcomic to counteract this. It's glasses time.
@@TuesdaysArt I'M GONNA GLASS /ref
shaking your hand so so much as someone who reads thru webtoon and manhua at the speed of light everything you have said is SO REAL. literally read a manhua where the guy had fucked up scars allll over his face and i was like YESSS YESSS THIS RULEESSS and literally. ten chapters in. he loses the scars. i honestly couldve CRIED. HE WAS SO HANDSOME W HIS GANKED FACE GRRRR i was genuinely sooo mad. and yes oh my god girl protags will either have red hair with green eyes or black hair with purple eyes or blond hair with blue or green eyes AND SHE IS NEVERRR BROWN. AND NEITHER IS THE MALE PROTAG its always one (1) side character that has anyyyyy melanin its so . (EXPLLODES) RAHHRRGGH diversity LOSS!!!
NOOO HOW DID HE LOSE HIS SCARS ?! 😭 im tired of super ultra pretty boys! let him be a lil rough fr!!!!
OMG! I had to check the name to see if this was one of My older posts!!! I feel the same way. All the "handsome" guys all look the SAME!!! I am reading one where I cannot distinguish between three of the main characters' dudes. They're all the same height, and build and skin color with subtle differences in hair. It's even worse in school uniforms!
@@KimberlyPinkney OH MY GOD AND ALL THE MALE PROTAGS HAVE THE SAME COOKIE CUTTER ABS LIKE BRUH HES A FLORIST HOW TF IS HE SO JACKED AND THEY NEVER SHOW ANY EMOTION OR MAKE EXPRESSIVE FACES LIKE UGHH
well tbf it’s really hard to get a scar on your face bc of how quickly your skin heals ( unless you get like a burn or something that would cause disfiguration it’s a little different) but if you get a cut on your face it usually won’t scar, even if it’s really deep
i want to add that i do agree that a lot of webtoon realllly lack diversity in character design, so i don’t disagree with you but i just wanted to share that tidbit
the repetitiveness of webtoon honestly makes me want to go ahead and make a webtoon, not to blow up but just to give someone out there something different even if its 1 person
That's pretty much what I'm doing with my webtoon "The Black Pearl Saga". Whole cast is black or POC
I know I’m a year late lol but I’m on the same boat as you! I’m saving up for digital drawing equipment like drawing pads and what not. I haven’t seen anything other than two comics which haven’t been updated in years about both world wars, hopefully by the end of the year I should be able to start! 😁
if youre looking for a romance webtoon featuring black characters i suggest daybreak !! both the main characters are black and trans along with a few other poc characters in the friend groups
Daybreak is honestly my favorite it's so wholesome and the art style is amazing
Yesss another Daybreak fan :D
When I read it I just twitch and scream into my hand cuz
That’s all I want in a relationship 😫
i love the art and the diversity of the character designs but i think the actual storytelling is poopy doodoo. like the art and character design was like the only part of it i found enjoyable.
Ahhh finally! A daybreak fan!!!
You should read the WEBTOON original "Shiloh". It doesn't really have a main character but most of the cast is POC. Hell, the poster children, Chloe and Sawyer, are black and Indian.
It also just has a really interesting supernatural-mystery plotline, wrapped up in complicated relationships, systemic criticism, and subtext.
I also think something it does quite well is use the scrolling vertical format to its advantage rather than as a deficit. There are so many cool transitions that couldn't be done on any other format, and I love it.
i agree!! i love shiloh, the art style and designs are super cool :D
I haven't read shiloh yet, but it's made by the same person that made nevermore right? Nevermore is an amazing webtoon in my opinion, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were made by the same author, but I was just wondering hahah
@@viii410 yes! :D same artist too, so theres plenty of cool visuals and world specific fashion and stuff like that
@@spaceraceluce I'll definitely have to read shiloh then!
@@viii410 yea i recommend! :)
For the high school topic, I'm pretty sad that the genera is so badly treated. I don't know if it is just because of my social circle (im between 20-15 yo), but teenagers in this age range in my opinion, can be used in such interesting ways to tell compeling stories and can be just as interesting as adults.
Alot of kid have gone through shit but due to their lack of experience usually dont know how to deal with themsleves as well as just discovering how to be a person in general. You can touch on so many subjects such as social anxiety, addiction, the struggle of the parent child relationship that is changing so brutally and other stuff.
This genera is just so badly used, only told through the lense of cheeky romances and that's it. Almost 90% of the genera suffers from a big lack of substance that makes me sad compared as to how in real life, this age range is the most interesting and chaotic time for a person, full of insecurities and change.
I really hope people will one day salvage it.
Maybe she was just reading the western made ones. My Life As A Loser, Weak Hero, Lookism, Viral Hit, Bully In-Charge, Annarasumanara, Duty After School all feature high schoolers. Especially those last two, they'll always have a special place in my heart
Edit: I just want to add To Not Die, Distant Sky, and if you're looking for that coming of age story New Normal: Class 8, I highly recommend this one.
I felt like a majority of the comics on Webtoon had no passion behind them, and the creator came up with the plot within one minute. So I started reading manga instead, and it's refreshing to read something that has good pacing, dialogue, and an actual plot.
I think that the comics were initially made with passion, like when they were on the canvas/discover portion. But a lot of creators end up burnt out from the weekly originals schedule and are mostly at the whims of Webtoon itself, so thats why they end up feeling soul-less.
The fact that you roasted Yoo Junghyeok (the guy you said had more play than anyone in America) makes me respect you ten times more lmao. I love the guy, and the webtoon he's in is genuinely amazing, but he legit has the hairstyle and face of every black haired love interest in romance manhuas 💀
Your whole video basically described the reason I stopped reading webtoons. Amazing art btw!
lmao that's actually kind of the point of his physical appearance tho 😭he is the Protagonist TM
@@Ri-tr2lv yeah, that's what makes it so funny lol. He's literally the representation of all those good looking manhua love interests/protagonists and the mere fact that they all stick to the same aesthetic so well that he gives off that feeling is hilarious to me.
A WEBTOON that I personally love is “I am the grim reaper” featuring a woman who died and was sent to hell and now has to work for satan as the grim reaper. The art and action are amazing but the story also has time to be introspective and questions what makes a good vs a bad person. The main characters are very likable despite their questionable morality. it’s honestly probably my favorite WEBTOON.
What platform is it on?
@@justvibin1215 webtoon
The thing about highschoolers is why I love Manhwa tbh. They have super interesting stories that mostly feature adults in their 30s. One of my favorites is Match Made in Heaven By Chance, it's really good, and the characters are so interesting, the story really keeps you interested.
a side note is the RUclipsr making fixed art, cause not going to lie that looks weirdly ugly
@@scarlet2766 ????
@@scarlet2766 shes the typical sjw lmao
5:48 I actually saw another person cover that before, apparently when webtoons go from canvas to original, there are certain things webtoon will change about the artists’ comic and will even change some character’s personality to cater to an audience
for a story with black characters/ older MCs i suggest Shoot Around. it’s about a young basketball team and their coach surviving a zombie apocalypse it’s my fav on webtoon!
omg one of my favorite comics ever! i shoulda added it to my list but i read it years ago (2016, maybe?) before i even knew what webtoons was 😩 totally forgot about it.
def vouching for it for anyone who comes across this comment ! :]
DId you read Heir's Game? It's by the same artist with more adult themes and I love it soooo much I cried at the ending lol
@@beebee1794 oooooh i haven’t but i’ll start now. i’ve been looking for something similar after finishing Shoot Around, thx!!
I love all the points you've said in this video. Maybe that's why I've slowly stopped reading there even though I know there are still stories that are good.
One thing tho, the vertical format. As someone who has been reading comics since I was little, I think vertical formats are something that has a lot of potential. It's a fairly new concept and not everyone knows how to make it work (given that webtoon started the format, I'd say it is new).
I've read a comic that blew my mind, they utilized the format in a way that added impact to the panels. It felt as if I was watching a movie. Ex. Song of the Skypacers by Xia Da (not from webtoon), Ilkwon Ha's works, LICO's works
Think of vertical format as a medium where readers take part on how the story is read. I think there are only a few videos giving tips on how to utilize the format. It can be used greatly to aid the story telling. When done right, it makes it more immersive like a movie. (For example, huge white gaps in webtoons are similar to how white noise is used in movies.)
Sorry if it's all over the place. I'm writing this late at night.
no its okay, i understand you! :D i actually agree, right after i published this vid i talked with a friend and we came to the conclusion it might not be that the vertical format is limiting, but that no one knows how to use it correctly LOL.
any comic ive read with it has been somewhere between "this is pretty okay, id still prefer traditional formatting though" and "jesus this is just terrible". so ill definitely check out your recs !! and thank you for the comment ! :]
@@cinnimani Last thing I wanna say, there's this review I saw years ago and I was reminded of yesterday but couldn't find it.
I found it now. It's one of scamboli's videos. Here's the link: ruclips.net/video/h8ucLhe1ZLY/видео.html
The vertical format has potential, but it bothers me that you're kind of expected to use that format (like the way the websites are set up lend themselves more to infinite scroll than page format) because I personally get a bit motion sick if I'm reading a lot of infinite scroll comics.
The infinite canvas idea isn't new -- it's been long thought of since online comics was becoming a thing back the late 90s-early 2000s. I remember Applegeeks experimented with the concept a few times.
@@anonymouswitness3835 the only horizontal scroll comics I know of on webtoons are those of Donghoon Lee, creator of "Yumi's Cells" and "Daily Life of Jojo"
The one webtoon I totally miss is LMLY it was so adorable, but it's been on a 10 month hiatus. They are totally different from what you currently see :)
i know :((
I love that one so much!!!!
I love LMLY and I really hope it comes back some time in this new year. It would be amazing
@@shostysboo what is LMLY? let me love you or something?
@@chuckletcake580 idk, from what I’ve seen, the author hasn’t really said what it means
I would like to point out that a lot of artists complain about how webtoon treats them and their work. Webtoon restricts a lot of artists freedom in order for the comic to follow the webtoon format. This leads to Webtoons feeling bland or like they have no passion behind them, which is really sad because the artists see their work become like this and are unable to do anything.
Webtoon artists are also no given much time to complete episodes or chapters. They got like one week to create at least 40 panels, which can become tedious for a person working alone. This is why they have to take shortcuts and results in boring looking comics. I would love if you would make a video discussing the bad choices Webtoon makes that causes stuff like this.
this is so irrelavant but at 2:46 thats yoo junghyuk from orv and i swear thats the point that hes a basic fictional character cryinhdfsfds
6:24 yes!! I get so peeved cause so many authors abuse the scroll to not draw stuff. Like they add squares or gradients and you miss out on so much story. I don’t mind it if it’s small transition but some skip a whole a page. I like reading comics like the old school manga or comic style. It’s just the panels are so cool and zig zag through the page meanwhile the format is mostly just top to bottom. Ugh sorry for the rant. It’s just a peeve I have.
Yeah not a lot of African representation out there but hope through my Webcomics I can bring through that diverse mix of South African that I love so much about my country, keep up the great owrk and stay awesome
Eleceed. Lots of black characters there and the shade of their skin doesn't stop on mochaccino brown. They're really dark.
@@ajuicyahjussi lol black doesn't mean African bra, I'm talking about actual Africans in Africa 😆
@@TherealChainsawmaniac hmm Westwood Vibrato then. 🤔 Setting is South Africa, no specific country tho
What are your comics called?
@Splendid Sei The 2 big ones I'm working on right now is "Kill all heroes" and " The Merchant of Ignitius "
As for the poc issue, I can relate. I've tried finding stories with more pocs especially black people, so far I've only found:
LMLY (black lead but in high school, love interest who has a rare feature. Also I just loved how they show the black lead doing her natural hair and wearing her bonnet and stuff lol)
End of You (black lead, lots of black characters, adults over 21) Edit: just realized you mentioned this already lol
Opposite of Always (black lead and love interest, college aged)
First Ones Out (has poc lead and main characters)
So yea, it is difficult to find poc webtoons with the criteria you menitoned.
Also I just have to mention Tales of Greed. It might not meet a lot of the criteria you listed but the stories told are just so different from any webtoon I've read.
I'll definitely check out tapas.
I highly recommend Daybreak…! Black leads and love interest! Diverse cast, very queer and wholesome AF very beautiful art as well…!💖
That webtoon got me kicking my feet and giggling in my pillow!😭💀
@@minervajones2585YOU BEAT ME TO IT 😭❤️💞 I was so so happy to find it!
o I remember reading Ola back a few years ago -- very diverse cast & set in the UK too which isn't usual
10:00 OMG finally someone said it! Thank you so much, you have no idea how frustrating it is to have to explain this to people who expect everything to be there in those first 3 chapters /episodes. I mean I get that webtoon is the one that set those standards and got people used to it but like I'm my own creator and I have no obligation to pace my story the way they are used to. It's ridiculous and yet you are the first person that actually mentions this. Cmon just let creators create and real readers that actually care about getting invested in the story to discover that story, not to get everything on a silver plate. When I'm watching /reading something, be it movie or a comic I don't want to know everything two minutes in cuz then I have zero motivation to continue. And this especially sucks for writers who don't fit with webtoon 'standards' and have detailed long stories with their vision etc but it gets pushed back by webtoon cuz it doesn't 'fit'. That's most likely why so many people out there sacrifice their story telling in favor for getting noticed and getting that audience. I've been told by people that if I don't stick to the formula how our comic wouldn't get audience. And guess what, I don't care xd I would rather have that then to ruin my story cuz I'm a passionate writer and webtoon can eat it! Sorry for this long angry rant, but I just couldn't stay quiet after you hit right in the topic. I agree that current state of comics variety on Webtoon which is supposedly the biggest online platform for comics is pretty damn sad. Unfortunately I can see why, the pressure of not getting noticed if you don't apply or if you go your way to not get accepted cuz there are people who are too stuck on that formula. I really hope one day we break the system and these things get changed.
I agree so much. Especially with the passion one 😭. I’m passionate about my OC’s and their story and I post about them all the time on my insta and I’d love to make a comic, but well, the story isn’t finished yet and I don’t think I could have the patience necessary for one so I just infodump on my stories :,)))
The same looking mcs are so relatable 😭😭, that’s why when I go on like Webtoons or Tapas I go through the community ones instead, because most of the originals are like what you described.
I remember at one point I was in the romance genre and I swear I saw the same character in 4 different covers 🥲
As someone who avidly reads webtoons, I absolutely agree with everything! Sometimes when keeping up with story’s honestly, I can’t keep track with who is who from different webtoons, because everyone looks and acts the same in so many of them. It’s always refreshing when there’s a unique lead and characters, and honestly I look forward to those story’s so much more when they update.
The way you showed the pic of Yoo Jonghyuk and i was like "Oh hey i know that character" almost immediately
its funny how in both the actual novel and the manhwa theres always some mention of how "Handsome" and "pretty" he is
ORV in it of itself is a really good story and Webtoon is just the platform where the ENG translation Manhwa is
I feel like more often than not on webtoon I come across what were clearly some sort of passion project for the creator but it simply died out or moved off the app, while the typical stories with the same general plotlines and characters thrive in comparison, trying to make a comic specifically for webtoon is just a deathwish for anyone who wants to put their passion on the internet
I'm glad readers care about passion projects 😭 I was afraid that ppl prefer the usual webtoon romcom style or something. My artstyle is nothing like that webtoon artstyle and isnt a romance so I was worried about how many readers ill attract. With having a black lead, supernatual genre and an overall diverse cast. ive had these series in development since 2015!! cant wait to share with everyone this fall.
ALSO YES! I also not a fan of the Webtoon panel layout. Too much negative space!! I hate scrolling past huge blank spaces :(
"I need Webtoons to have more ADHD/autism because y'all go harder-" This is all the convincing I need to use Webtoons as a platform to post my webcomics. I need to inject some neurodivergency into the corporate wasteland.
I recommend Extraordinary Attorney Woo! Its a great story that centers around an autistic attorney and was adapted from a great kdrama.
@@noname.7474 Oooo, thank you for the recommendation!
@@TuesdaysArt your welcome, I hope you like it! It's definitely one of my favorites, has a special place in my heart.
Daybreak, Lovestruck, LMLY, High Spirits Neoma, and The Witch and the Bull for anyone looking for more diversity in character designs and backgrounds :)
I honestly agree with most of your points. My only gripe is that a lot of the focus is on the creators rather than the platform webtoon. Most webtoons are forced to be rushed to meet deadlines. Like I understand disliking sloppy qaulity but it sorta feels like it's not acknowledging the hard work already put into keeping a weekly upload going as typically a one or two person project.
Omg, yes thank you for pointing out how the short cuts are too much, the 3d assets against a stiffly drawn 2d character is the biggest pet peeve, and I can only blame the platform itself for pressuring artists to have to take this shortcut every time!
Edit: Also, I think Webtoon is aiming for a teen audience most of the time, which might explain the easy reading style (the exposition, weird fast passing) with the style that still popular with that demographic, being the pretty anime style characters and whatnot. And I keep thinking cause its from Korea that they might not be interested in other POC stories, since they tend to dump a lot of their manwhas which explains why there's so many on the platform.
I still read webtoon, but far less than I used to. Im still on there for like,, three. I’m very VERY into High Class Homos, Ghost Eyes, and Jackson’s Diary. I love them, and most of the comics I read otherwise are on Canvas, which is where the passion is. I started on Always Human, so meeting that creator’s passion or unique style is going to be hard lol.
Jackson’s Diary 💃
I read all of them 🙂
I LOVE JACKSON' DIARY AND GHOST EYES OMGGG
i got you, ive had the same few batches of ocs for at least 4-7 years and the worldbuilding and story dynamics makes me insane (I'm autistic)
All your critiques are super valid and, I dunno in my opinion, most of this comes from people who have little experience in writing/storytelling for comics suddenly finding themself in this very fast-paced and demanding schedule that most webtoons operate with. The pacing issues, the lack of a lot of panels on the scroll format, and short cuts with 3d models; it all comes down to this toxic workflow they feel they need to keep up with to get noticed on the platform. I plan on posting my comic to the platform, but it's my baby and I've been planning it and working on it for so long, but I'm also a little older than some webtoon artists and have failed a lot to learn my lessons. A LOT haha. With time, the webtoon format will get to a place where the creators have gained the experience and have failed enough to figure out a better flow that produces better work. That's my hope anyway :)
ughddhhs i totally agree with this video so much, i rarely comment on videos now but I just had to for this one. I feel like i’m always seeing the same kinds of covers on webtoon or same style of promotion art because all the characters look the same or have the same art style, it doesn’t feel like an art style that’s unique to the artist/writer but more of an “easier style” to mass produce chapters every single week. It sometimes makes the plot feel like it’s pushing itself into a corner because you can tell it’s not a story that the writer / artist is even interested in or passionate about. I thought I was the only one who thought this so I’m so so so glad more people are noticing the same issues. There’s definitely some AMAZING webtoons out there though but you have to really do some searching and once you find great artists and passionate writers then it’s definitely worth it and there’s some great webtoons for sure
I have a comic idea in progress that I want to put on webtoon where most (like 95%) of the cast is mixed and its so fun. This is a passion project I've wanted to execute since I was about 9 years old, but i don't want to put it on webtoon because I feel like the algorithm won't treat it well (this is very much a passion project haha). Most of your points pretty much summarize why I don't feel like I should put my comic up on webtoon :/
I'm working on something myself, and I'm hesitant to put it on webtoon, too. Self publishing is probably the way to go.
Hello!!! I hope you do post it to a platform because I'd love to read :)
@@fightingonisiononsight8185 I've figured to just go ahead and post it on webtoon canvas, the art might suck cause I'm not too great at it
Honestly, i really dont recommend publishsing it on webtoon at all. 1) the algorithm is gonna be a problem and 2) even if it gets popular and recognized by webtoon and becomes an original, webtoon is literally going to control your whole story and how it goes itll make your passion project into a horrible chore youll loathe to do everyday because it wont be what you like doing and itll be what webtoon wants you to so. Webtoon treats its artists like shit and theydont care about you, they care about the revenues you bring so i really dont advise you to do publish it on webtoon
@@Galf1eld I think i'm going to do everything in my power to keep it as a canvas project, even if the algorithm won't treat it well at least it will be out there. I might try to get it somewhere else in the future
OMGOMG If youre looking for a good webcomic to binge I HIGHLY recommend Countdown to Countdown by Velinxi!! her art is incredible and you can feel the legitimate passion behind her work, shes been working with those ocs since she was in highschool and she rebooted her og comic(which was coincidentally originally on Tapas) . Her art style is just gorgeous and her characters actually have variety!! And ofc the actual premise itself is intriguing, however, it is still ongoing. REGARDLESS I still think its really worth checking it out
Yes, CTC is awesome!
OMG YESSS im obsessed with CTC, i bought a tier of her patreon just to read ahead of a cliffhanger
@@rizi8844 gonna be me soon fr 😭
CTC rules, I screenshotted the page of Lillium diving through the ceiling (iykyk) to send to my friend like "DUDE LOOK AT THIS PANEL IT'S SICK"
Hiveworks comics in general are pretty cool (I also like Paranatural), I think it's because afaik you have to be invited on so there's more quality control
Yuna and kawachan is definitely my favourite that I’ve read. It’s set in the apocalypse in Japan. The characters are what rlly hooked me in!! One of the characters, kawachan, walks around in a mascot outfit. They developed a fear of taking it off and talk with paper (and sign I think?? It’s been awhile) but I love how they end off the whole comic.
I think some of the webtoons I do like are probably ones such as ‘Hooky’, ‘spirit fingers’ and ‘Yumi cells’
It’s hard looking for good series that engage you all the way through the story cause I won’t lie they drag a lot.
Also some webtoons are just binge with worthy, meaning I’d rather just binge them in one go than wait.
I guess you could say this about this for ‘Yumi cells’ but personally ‘lookism’ is just one to binge, rather than wait for episodes to come out.
As a writer/comic maker, your point about authors explaining the plot/lore. It’s mainly used by young creators who aren’t sure what their doing, I would know my first fan fiction explained the main character was a yandere for their crush which made it seem like I thought the readers wouldn’t understand. It can make a story seem boring, I 100% agree, it can be okay if it’s played well, fun to read not bland. I also have barely seen any black internet story. The only time I really see it is in Episode or Chapter because you can customize them, it feels better to have a character you can relate to and feel them, so you want to see them succeed and their life. Some people also try to make the character into a bland stereotypical Y/N which can feel also weird, and is rarely done well. Correct me if I’m wrong but how many times have you seen a Y/N that feels interesting and not just a *Mary Sue, or Gary Stue* I bet you can’t name many, but if can you can gimme a link please
if anyone ever comes across this comment, i highly, HIGHLY recommend gourmet hound and castle swimmer!! i'd say that they both do really great in the diversity and interesting design aspect, but ESPECIALLY in their writing. i didn't expect it when i first read them, but MAN their stories and themes are really compelling!! not sure if it's just the nostalgia speaking since i've been following them for years now, but i adore them and the passion that's so obviously put into both stories sm
i never see anyone mention gourmet hound omgg 😭 i love that webtoon
I think the worst thing about Webtoons and webcomics in general is the insane demand for new pages and the impatience some readers have.
Even if some are able to keep up with the demands it promotes an unhealthy culture where artists have to use any means they can to speed up the process. Things like pre-made 3D assets instead of carefully crafted environments and flat stereotypes instead of characters with any kind of depth.
It's such a shame when speed and amount of clicks become the factors that decide whether art is seen and appreciated or not
I'm really glad to hear that there are plenty of people who are reading webcomics outside of webtoon. I've been working really hard on my own webcomic (including making an html website for it) and hearing this gives me so much hope that it could possibly gain a bit of traction :)
I'm not to aware of where to read comics webcomics outside webtoon or tapas so if you know do tell
[Ik this is an old comment but]
The downside of individual comic websites is that there's no central hub to find them. You could probably ask for recommendations on reddit or a forum or something, and just being more involved in comic/art spaces in general tends to help (indie comic artists will often give shoutouts to other comics so that can be a good way to find more)
Its literally why After school lessons for unripe apples is my favorite webtoon ever, it actually has chemistry and the mc isnt so 2d and neither is the love interest. Its funny and cute and everything comes together naturally even if it is in a highschool setting but ig this is bias bc i am a highschooler
Edit: also in this comic Cheol (live interest) isnt the Webtoon cutie you usually see and same with Miae (the mc)
I know this is from a while ago, but I agree with you on the point that everyone looks the same. The picture perfect characters really annoy me to a certain extent and the lack of diversity sometimes too (depends on setting though, like if it was super historical or something). I wish the characters had variety in their appearances like heterochromia, vitiligo, glasses, scars, freckles, moles, maybe a missing limb or something etc. Add a little or more spice to your characters pleaseeeeeee. 😭
That was really interesting to hear. I am totally agree with every word about what is good and what is bad in webtoon/comic.
It's just like hearing my own thoughts from someone!
Thank you and good luck!
Pretty much summarized everything I think of webtoons. Thank you for the recommendations!
But also from what I've seen, artist are paid very poorly on these plataforms, so I never expect much from it.
A webtoon I really like is Castle Swimmer. It has a really interesting story and the art is pretty nice.
Yeeeeeees. The cute gay mermen! But with well written characters! And a slowly unfolding story that leaves plenty of space for theories and brainstorming!
@@book-obsessedweirdo8677 I love it so much!
I don't mind seeing most ML in his black short hair.
As a very Asian person, this is the most normal look to me. We have black hair, and there're so many men in reality who would never dye their hair and it's considered modest, clean (and hot at the same time) if they maintained their hair short. So unless there's some fantasy, their hair should be just that way. We like it 'cos we can relate it.
i wanted to share some of my favorite webtoons at the moment, there probably not for everyone and have there flaws but ive been enjoying them recently. suitor armor and cursed princess club (which are a bit basic) but my absolute favorites are "The Beast of Hadingley Hill" and "Encore!" :3
i love encore
Encore is so good
Omg I really love "cursed princess club" honestly one of my top favs
I agree with most points except the traditional comic panel layouts. Depending on the type of composition, text and images get small bc yknow, its a phone. I don’t want to zoom in or squint every time to read it. Not all comics are like this but I find myself running into those a lot. Obviously this problem is only on phones. That’s what I like about scroll comics, it’s more engaging bc I see them closer, to me at least
marry my husband is a romance where the characters are 27+!! the writing is a bit weird at times tho.
Yes tapas is the best when looking for stories
Last year I found this black magical girl type comic and it was so relatable and it made me so happy
It went into stuff like generational trauma and how some people would get looked down on for following a career that’s artistic and yeah it was just cool
I just finally got the time to look over it again
It’s not on webtoon but I know a series that has a older main character it’s called “another typical fantasy romance” I found it was way more interesting and different I hope this helps a bit
My favorite Webtoon is a french one, it takes place in a future where winter doesn't exist anymore, it's really good, but unfortunately it's only available on the french webtoon
Honestly, I only have a select few stories that I stay on WEBTOON for, and I can’t really find any others that have caught my attention as much as these.
*Lumine, Castle Swimmer, Watermelon, SHELTER, and Crush3d* are my top picks and I really like these stories, but I haven’t found any that meet the expectations like those do. There are a few others that are good, such as *The Four of Them, Down to Earth, Cursed Princess Club, and Everything is Fine* and I read through them, but they’re more like extra stories to pass time while I wait for my favorites to update. Other than that, I’ve tried to explore around the app, but there just isn’t much else for me to enjoy.
I’ve seen so many canvas comics go original and lose all their flavor and I call it commercialization. It’s so tragic everytime. It feels like the world ended everytime. I won’t name names for respect to the artists but it’s just… 💔
I just want more dark skinned characters who are the protagonists.
Another good Webtoon is Dragonbourne. It definitely feels like a passion project and there's a pretty diverse cast!
dragonbourne is so cool! :D
Webtoons I recommend are Dr. Frost (Recently had its series finale!), Space Boy, and Nevermore!
I think on your point about webtoons feeling very devoid of passion might be because of how tropey they are. Theyre made based on what gets popular, like you said, conventionally attractive charas, romcoms/dramas, same kinds of boys and girls, etc... They don't feel like they're based on somebodies experience or life, they don't even feel like much thought was ever put into them. The characters are almost never, ever more than the trope they portray, and they always lose any semblance of relatablity by like chapter 5 (ch 10 if you're being generous) It just lacks so much creativity and personality sometimes.
I mess heavily with pretty much every point you made here; thank you for sharing your thoughts, you are absolutely not alone
What I hate about web toon is how they blocked 90% of Miss Abbott and the Doctor. The web toon is finished and they decided to block a giant portion of the comic from casual readers! It's a good story and the art is lovely, how could they do that?!
There *is* one where there is a black MC with a black friend group! It's a Shonen action webtoon called, "Ordeal". It does a bit of exposition but only tells the necessary details at the very beginning. From what I seen so far via The Black Mastodon, it's pretty good!
2:48 They all have a levi hair cut, bushy eyebrows, and black hair and are bossy, and somehow have pretty complex and really good backstories and are usually really interesting with the most boring fl love interest and loves her for her "personality"
My favourites (just throwin them out there) are Melvina's Therapy, Castle Swimmer, Everything Is Fine, Jackson's Diary, and of course, my most favourite, Revelation of Eros, the best webcomic I've ever read tbh.
I read this one webtoon called Holy Hell that had an all black main cast and one main character that was white. It was a canvas webtoon. But any of their webtoons they promote aren't going to have black characters. But most characters are Korean since it is a Korean platform, not white.
There are a lot of webcomics that are immensely popular that you can tell were just pumped out of a factory. It’s as if the studio were just checking off boxes and making something boring and “safe” that they knew would get clicks.
If you really wanna find the good stuff on WebToon you gotta dig a little deeper. Also I recommend that you avoid the romance genre entirely. It’s almost guaranteed to be vapid garbage with a frustrating plot that gets nowhere after 115 episodes. Usually other genres like fantasy/sci-fi have romance subplots anyway (with only 1 love interest thank god) and are a lot more well rounded with tons of lore and world building.
the only romance webtoon ik thats two black people as mcs is daybreak its so cute omg :) >>> theyre such a power couple omg
ALSO BROO i thought i was the problem for the longest time becs im making a webtoon and the main trio are all black characters and i was like "....am i doing too much?" cuz the way i consume so many webtoons with white or east asian mcs and see so many people who call it trying to be "woke" when it comes to webtoon creators who include more than one black/brown/dark skin character like???
@@LACHRYMA Bro just add whatever you want. Those people who call writers or artists woke for drawing people like them or having diverse characters are stupid. I mean having 3 main black characters is fine cause think about all the all white main protags. Nobody rips on everyone being white or het but when it's black or anything diverse they call you a bad writer or a self insert writer.
@@mr.milquetoast9043 ty :)
omg i found someone who likes love sickubus too! :o especially i'm interested in the world building and the actions!!
@@Xherion OMG YAYY
I'd recommend Suitor Armor, Lovebot, Luff and Seniorita Cometa. If you like more diversity in character designs, adult romance, and big tiddy men. These are mostly latine characters coded characters though.
If you don't mind ridiculously horny comics I'd also recommend the Princesses Jewels. A bit white and pretty, but the harem is kinda diverse and it's like if Men of the Harems female lead was really really really into the important men she collected.
Edit: Gonna do a takebaksy on the Princesses Jewels. Artist turned out to be highly problematic
+1 on suitor armor i enjoy big tiddy modeus and i think its very well written
Suitor Armor is a big W
Suitor Armor is easily one of the best comics on Webtoon right now
100% yes on Suit Armor
The issue with The Princesses Jewels(apart from the creator) is the way the FL treats the men( one gets forced into the harem after the girl blackmailed him and threatened to castrate his father)
If the roles were reversed, the webtoon would be cancelled
I found a new comic on tapas about pirates called beyond the horizon. I do recommend!
really awesome video i loved it!!! also SOOOOOO true about the white guy factory its crazy
They claim they're Korean or Japanese, but they look super whiteboy white with Ethinic names. The ones who look ethnic are usually depicted as losers or ugly.
A good black rep webtoon I would recommend is Day Break, the main characters are both black and their whole friend group is POC. It is also a very good lgbtqia rep story but it is a highschool love story. I would still read it though, because a lot of it story takes place out of school so it's nice.
I totally agree, i know tapas has similar problems, but with the way tapas is formatted its a lot easier to find comics that arent copy and paste, passionless money factories. I only have a dozen two comics i will follow on webtoon, where as tapas i had a hundred or more, and i tend to be a lot more invested in. (i know I'm mentally ill but this is my truth)
when you showed the “black haired guy” I screamed cause what my man yjh doing there what
THANK YOU!! The clip studio models one specifically angers me. 2015-2016 webtoon had such fun and dynamic styles, and now they all feel stiff and cookie cutter because it’s just a direct tracing of 3D models. It’s okay to use them, but at least alter the way you’re tracing over them so it’s not the exact same. So many webtoons are focused on following the same structure so many other webtoons are that they’re losing their personality. I can’t exactly blame them though as webtoon has become such a disgustingly capitalistic website over the years and nowadays a good story and solid art isn’t what webtoon is looking for anymore. They look for a hook that is sure to lure in audiences, and a clean (but occasionally) daring storyline that is easy to market without much controversy. Videos like these are so useful for up and coming webtoon artists and people who are interested in even general storytelling. Thank you for making this!
Watching this video to see what people do and don’t like before making a webcomic. I want to focus mine on neurodivergence as well as LGBTQIA+ and the struggles people with these go through. Also it’s fantasy :)
I'm really trying to avoid so many of these things with my comic (it's not up yet, as I just barely am finishing page 4 in print format and have yet to reformat into scroll for webtoon). My favorite stories are character-driven rather than heavily plot-driven, which means I have to make my characters interesting and flesh them out more.
Oh I agree with all of this. Honestly I don't mind it most of the time, problem is there doesn't seem to be a space for more mature and dark works/stories..
Honestly, I agree- it takes forever to find a good webtoon and you have to shift through such much mid-content to find one good one. The only Original I have a liking for is Not Even Bones.
Lol at this point sifting through comics is a habit now. If your looking for great reads, I recommend Rose Tide Rising and Holy Hell (if you aren't already subscribed).
I liked it before they changed the art style.
A great webcomic is “Puu”, a webcomic set in India that explores themes of love, identity, trauma, sexuality, gender, religion, spirituality, and politics.
For webtoon I can recommend these comics: Fairetown, Novae, Icy Copper, Suitor Armor and Cursed Princess Club. Also if you don't mind non-humans: Loving Reaper, Tardigrade Chronicles and AstralSounds are fun.
Honestly I'm so happy I found this video I thought I was going insane with how it seems like every story looked the same. I'm really into villaness stories at the moment so my picks are painful. Like it has come to a point that unless the story sounds really interesting I just won't pick it up if the designs for the main leads are boring. Like if I see another blonde or white hair villainous with her black or white haired lead I will fight something.
I use webtoon mainly to read horror stories and occasionally some queer romance (the good ones) so I only encountered some of these problems very few times
I completely agree with webtoons mostly being set in highschool 😭. I’m in college and I need something to relate too.
My biggest webtoon issue is how long a lot of the popular stories drag like I had to drop a lot of the webtoons I used to follow because they JUST. KEPT. GOING. like dear god its nearly been a decade and some of these mfs still going damn! (There is something very sinister about the fact that Space Boy and unOrdinary have been going on since I was a freshman in hs... Im literally going to be 21 in a few months) My favorite webtoons of all time are the ones that have ended lol ShootAround and Heir's Game are my absolute faves and Under the Aegis is up there too tho it's not as diverse. I tend to end up reading less romance bc there's where all the diversity ends up at and they usually have a planned ending😭
i really love covenant! it's a supernatural lgbtq webtoon with poc characters!! my friend also has a dnd inspired comic called flabbergast with lots of neat character designs!
Omgg yess Covenant!! It’s one of my favorites!
I really agree with you.
Don’t get me wrong I like a good romance high school comic every once in awhile especially when done well-in particular Daybreak (Ik someone else mentioned it but it’s so underrated)
As someone who writes a lot (more of a hobby than a full time thing but still) most things WEBTOON does is like a writers 101 of what not to do.
Please never *never* info dump on the first page-its just a major turn off.
Like people do not want to read your lore dump it’s boring and they’re not going to remember it.
One other thing is that I wish ALL romance (or not) comics would do is show the characters fight, have a disagreement and just show that characters bad traits.
Daytime Star is one that does this and people were getting mad about it?
It’s like some of them expected the relationship to be perfect which really annoyed me.
ALSO I LOVE HERE THERE BE DRAGONS ❤
it’s so good and all the characters are in depth and well written
It really isn’t afraid of showing characters flaws which makes everything so much more interesting.
And I’ve ranted too long
If you made it this far thank you I suppose
One you might like if your looking for a WEBTOON with older people is coffin jackson the main character is probably in his 40s maybe 30s and his right hand man is an older man of age I would assume 60 or above
BROSKI, everything your saying is some of the reasons why I'm making a webcomic- I've always felt so bad because my art style wasn't the perfect webtoon lingo, but I've learned how to love myself for that and because I'm not a webtoon MPC- (jk)
The second you mentioned nobody on Webtoon seems passionate about their comics in the same way as someone who's had their OCs since they were five and have this one story that's like their passion project I was like oh shit that's me haha! What I have for my comic premise at this moment in time is a total culmination of almost 25 years of me just... Living life and making characters and drawing those characters as though they were real people, coming up with little bits and pieces about them and trying to weave that into something cohesive and larger-scale. I can't think of any other way to develop a story really. My characters are not perfect, neither is my story as a matter of fact, but I'm passionate about it, and to me that's really all that matters. I'm no great artist, my writing is even less great, and I know that I won't be up there WITH the greats if it ever gets to publish, but this is something that means the absolute world to me regardless.
Webtoons, unfortunately, is not a place I see my comic thriving in any sense of the word. It's too bizarre a premise in comparison to everything else that's on the platform, and since I have adult characters that I plan on doing adult things with I can't take my story there anyway lmao. Webtoons is... Homogenized. It's very formulaic. If your comic doesn't have a certain look, if it's not what's typically popular on the site it doesn't get a chance in hell to be anything or get anywhere, so although my comic's not even ready to launch yet, I'm fairly certain I won't be posting it either there or on Tapas (because Tapas, although a lot better than Webtoon in terms of art and story diversity, still has a strict ban on anything remotely adult or risque). Anyways, thanks for this video I feel extremely seen and validated and you made a lot of really good points! Sorry for the wall of text lmao
My fav webtoons are ‘your letter’ ‘first night with the duke’ ‘daybreak’ ‘heartstopper’ ‘twilight poem’…and some others I can’t remember right now :)
I've been watching videos like this and others along the lines of "Why this series failed" or "Why this series is a masterpiece" and just reading fiction in general to get an idea of story telling. I always enjoyed story telling but never had the gut to actually turn it into anything and show anyone but thanks to some randomly gained confidence and some semblance of a concept I want to string together a story that I can eventually turn into a webcomic, it wolnt be something I rush myself on as I want to take time and get advice from other while its in the works or at least the more early stages of it. For now while I work on my art in the background I play videos like these to help myself learn and to also have backround noise while I doodle. And you know what? it has worked in helping me improve at least art-wise as of now, while its no were near perfect or anything of that sort I'm still proud of myself when I compare were I am now mainly with character design and overall anatomy then earlyer on. I dont want to get to ahead of myself so I plan to take it slow and if I do eventualy being publishing it wolnt be on a weekly scedual or anything like many comics on webtoon are, I know my limits and I know thats something that would not be appropriate for me currently, physically and mentally and I dont want to rush out chapters and end up putting out lazy and trashy work. As for the general and simplified theme ( I dont think thats the right word but I cant remeber the other one ) Somewhere around fantasy / distopian / action - kind of basis. If anyone dose have any tips on constructing a story I would appreciate it much. ( ( before anyone points out I am aware my grammer and spelling can and might be bad in this commit, you can correct any mistakes I made if you want I don't care, I'm just kind of crap and spelling and grammar - Not a child or nonnative English speaker I just have difficulties with learning some things and I guess those two things never picked up well for me ))
Feel like I read stories that are dark and traumatic fantasies on WEBTOON. 😂 they are usually mid to late 20s so idk maybe you have to look???
Most of this is totally understandable, except for the point regarding re-used assets and traced poses. That's usually because Webtoon has a track record of mistreating/underpaying its comic creators and burning them out while they're forced to put out chapters weekly.
i havent finished the video yet but i think your OCs are adorable (im new here so yeah), but up until now i agree with everything you said (like the highschool thing is just idk, it kinda feels like they all go to the same school? As somebody who goes to a german school it just seems so weird to see the same japanese school over and over agian lmao)
I also hate the "im explaining all the lore in the first episode :D" thing so much.
But yeah some Webtoons i really enjoy "My Daddy is a Villain!" (its just pure wholesomeness), "Modern Mogal" (Havent read the whole thing yet, but its basically like Meme Girls where its a compilation of short stories) and ive recently started reading "Evelyne and the Occult", but im like on episode 8 so yeah... im very happy that i can finally share some of my favorites lol
(Feel free to recommend some webtoons!)
Also about the number of panels, it's a webtoon requirement to I thing 75-80 panels per chapter in order to be eligible for being funded.
As to the the plain look, not shaded heavily etc. It has to do with the deadline and I believe file size, although file sizes are large enough for music and animation if funded so take that part with a grain of salt. But in order to be funded you have to be able to pop 1 per week consistently that matches these requirments.
I've done my research through the last several years. However I'm I write my stories as books first, then go to my favorite script and slowly go through the details to make a readable version. I plan to fully release my story later on as a novel, and not at all light. The way I write as you can tell here I already calculated it would probably be three novels.
As for telling teh story at the beginning. I heard something recently that that's something to do with anime or rather the fault of it, since I guess last 20 years anime has moved to tell the important information in first episode or cram it in rather tehn in several episodes and alot fo comics have gone to adapt to taht.
For me I agree I hate info dump, as someone whose taken college courses on stage writting, film acting. and directing in both theres importance in all forms of writting and media "Show dont tell" nd it's what I repeat to myself in writting. For me I give hints theres a bigger story, theirs something supernatural/unusual going on in the mundane. But that's the hook, what's going on, why is this event particularly important... etc then we go into a story fo anormal day. Only thi g I tell is the flash from the catch cause like a novel which again is how I started the process you need to give the hook the reason to care in the first chapter. I literally give the realization of what I say in the description then bam back to what led to this. Telling the story, from there. Up to that point and beyond when things unravel.
Sadly Webtoons is mostly focused on Romances, and I agree it's wrong. But its cause it's what sells, if suddenly ly teh amount of interest hoped from romance over to say mystery or horror then they'll put their focus on that. Cause despite everything ik g their a buisness first and it's what entertainment does sadly focus on what the masses interact with.
I've done alot my research on the topic just to knwo if it's the write Avenue for me to gain interest and eventually with hope gain interest to release the novels after each big act. Cause gaining a following as a first time writer is a big thing and this and others are oen fo teh ways.
I hope that helps many of your topics I had some knowledge on to be answered.
I agree we meet more diversity one of my favs bakc before 2019 was Messenger staring a LGBTQ
But moving on Messenger had both major lgbtq and was originally supported heavily, it was a dark skinned lead and her girlfriend was rad. Sure I liked the crow guy but her girlfriend was a awesome character. There was a huge break near the end and sadly I never picked it bakc up but In starting to read all those I dropped due to breaks again so I hope to finish it soon.
I do agree we need more webtoons like that.
the part about a lot of webtoons having no passion behind them i think is mostly because of what happens when they become Originals.
webtoons often wants creators to rewrite their characters in a more stereotypical way when these creators get in a contract with them.
the lack of originality also stems from this
there are a few that got lucky but its really not all of them
and there's also just a lot of competition on the platform to get the Most Popular Comic Possible which just ends in people making romance comics when they don't even like romance comics
so basically i guess what im trying to say is... hard to have passion when webtoons (especially wtoriginals) in itself is an environment pretty much counterproductive to it
i'd even say many are better off just posting on other platforms (or, if you're ridiculously lucky, your own website). wont get as many views but then you'll know what your reason for making comics is: are the views needed, or a fun little thing to be appreciated?
Definitely recommend 21st Century Knight. Even has a black creator and a black mc, and the story doesnt hold your hand through the expsition. Definitely a good read on webtoons