The 21st century is a time where the grand majority of people utilize technology in different sorts of ways. The century has also fomented long distance communication and has thus been able to flourish easily between countries from all over the world. One form of communication is known as “art,” and artists have shown their talent through social networks, getting views of people from different countries and cultures worldwide.
Comics have been one of the many forms of communication. It uses art and creativity in the telling of compelling stories to the readers. Ever since the final years of the 19th century, comics appeared and have been developed through time to an extent that in the world today, you can read comics online for free and “LINE WEBTOON” is the perfect place for that.
“LINE WEBTOON”, also known as “Webtoon,” is a platform in which any person can upload his or her own story in comic form to be read by an international audience. It all started with the “Naver Corporation,” which is an Internet content service company from South Korea. The “Naver Corporation” decided to create “Naver Webtoon” in 2004 for the Korean audience to experience online comics in their language. It could be used as an application to read comics on your phone, your tablet, or your computer wherever you were. As of 2014, Naver decided to take it a step further and update the platform to “LINE WEBTOON,” where Korean comics were translated into English and gained an even bigger audience than what it originally had. Now not just Korean artists can upload their comics, but also the English speakers too, enjoying a wide variety of genres (romance, comedy, fantasy, thriller, you name it!) and stories on the go.
Many ‘webtoons’ (Webtoon comics) have become popular throughout the years and have gained a wide fan based audience. Here are some webtoons that are definitely must-reads:
1. Tower of God
(Genre: Fantasy)
Created by Lee Jong Hui, also known as SIU, comes the well-known webtoon Tower of God. Ever since 2010, SIU has constructed this fantastical universe of Talse Uzer for the development of a story about a boy named Bam living underground beneath a grand tower with the company of his only beloved friend Rachel. The adventure begins when Rachel decides to enter the mysterious Tower to try and get to the top. Rachel disappears, and soon enough, Bam decides to go inside the Tower to search for Rachel, but what he didn’t know was the challenges that lied ahead.
In “LINE WEBTOON,” the translated chapters to English are still ongoing with the latest release of Episode 325 of Season 2 on October 29, 2018. New chapters are released every Monday! Be sure to check out the “Tower of God Dub” on YouTube with amazing and talented voice actors/actresses bringing the characters to life!
2. My Dear Cold-Blooded King
(Genre: Romance)
Kihara Mei, the simple merchant that later is known as a physician, lives a tranquil life until she decides to save the life of a boy that was being hunted down by assassins. It turns out that the boy is the brother of the feared Blood King, the merciless and ruthless ruler of her country. What will happen when she’s taken to the Blood King’s palace?
Set in a more traditional environment just like ancient Japan, the creator of the story, going by the nickname of “LifeLight,” brings to life a unique and colorful artwork to combine it with her story. The series is still ongoing ever since 2017, the latest release being episode 83 on October 28, 2018, and updates every Sunday! Be sure to check out the “My Dear Cold Blooded King (WEBTOON DUB)” on Youtube!
3. I Love Yoo
(Genre: Romance)
Drama will be everywhere and anywhere with the Hirahara boys. Set in a South Korean environment, Shin-Ae Yoo is a normal high school girl who has suffered a traumatizing event in her childhood with the separation of her parents and her sister. Growing up, Shin-Ae gets to live with her alcoholic dad who works as a nurse. They both struggle financially, and when Shinae finally grows up and is presented as a high school student, she decides to help her Dad in any way possible. All goes down when Shin-Ae accidentally tosses a drink to the incorrect person, ruining the very expensive jacket of the boy wearing it. Turns out that she encounters that same boy at the famous Hirahara Corporation’s party that she gets invited to.
Packed with funny scenes and an interesting plot, you can enjoy a new episode each Friday from this ongoing series by the creator that goes as “Quimchee.” Episode 77 has been the latest episode updated on November 2, 2018! Be sure to check out the “I Love Yoo (Webtoon Comic Dub)” on YouTube!
4. Ghost Teller
(Genre: Horror)
For all those horror fans out there, Ghost Teller is an engaging story within a series of stories told by a group of “ghosts” (who can also be seen as a group of supernatural creatures). In other words, this group of “ghosts” meets up at a circled table taking turns to tell stories about something even more terrifying than ghosts: the tale of humans. Divided into a series of short stories, this comic presents gory and horrible events committed by humans and experienced by one of the “ghosts” from the group that is telling the story. Even though Ghost Teller focuses on the events of humans presented, there’s also a comical aspect to the relationship of each one of the “ghosts.”
This comic is a “Completed” series, but the creator, also known as “QTT,” has let his readers know that more of his work is coming soon! Be sure to check out the “Ghost Teller” dub on Youtube!
5. Let’s Play
(Genre: Romance)
In the world today, there are lots of new game developers who are striving forward towards their goals to see their creations come to life on screen. Sam Young is an indie game developer who put up her new creation called Ruminate, a puzzle adventure game in a famous independent website known as Indigineer. All is well until Marshall Law, a famous “Viewtuber,” gives a bad review of the game she had been working so hard on with her ratings going down because of one bad review; unfortunately, that’s not all. It looks like a new neighbor is coming to live beside her apartment and it’s none other than Marshall Law himself. This story takes you through a great character development from the protagonist’s point of view, experiencing drama and comedy all in one story, and of course, not forgetting the romantic aspects that the readers look forward to.
You can enjoy a new episode from this ongoing series every Tuesday by the creator “Mongrie”, with the latest being Episode 50 on October 30, 2018! Be sure to check out the “LET’S PLAY (Dub)” on YouTube!
6. My Giant Nerd Boyfriend
(Genre: Slice of Life)
This comic series is slightly different than most of its kind, which makes it very unique. My Giant Nerd Boyfriend is perfect for both single people and people that are in a relationship, but the ones with relationships can definitely relate to the events that take place in each chapter even more, such as myself.
This series tells the story of the author herself, known as “Fishball,” and the challenges or funny situations that she encounters with her 6’5’’ boyfriend in comparison to her 5’2” self. Every episode has its own event, which makes the reader wanting to know more about what other challenges or comical circumstances might appear later on in their lives.
It’s still an ongoing series with new episodes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the latest being chapter 230! Be sure to check out the “My Giant Nerd Boyfriend Comic Dub” on YouTube!
To everyone who is reading this: Please check out all of these amazing webtoons and so many more! Artists work hard every day to show and tell incredible storylines throughout the years and personally, I really do admire each and every one of them for putting effort and making their dreams come true.