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This Week in Anime - Webtoons and K-Dramas

Missing brothers, the truth about the KPop industry, and endless cycles of reincarnation are just a few of the things Coop and Steve find when they open the lid of the K-drama box and discover the darkness within. ― Missing brothers, the truth about the KPop industry, and endless cycles of reincarnation are just a few of the things Coop and Steve find when they open the lid of the K-drama box and di...
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Best New K-Comics to Read in August

Whether you're looking for a romcom, the world's scariest dating sim, or an unusual shapeshifter, browse our picks for what to read this August to make the transition to fall a little easier. ― As the summer winds down, it's the perfect time to settle in with some easy, engaging reads. K-Comics sites have plenty to offer in the usual variety of genres, with a definite emphasis on tales of the ghostly...
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Tower of God Creator SIU Looking Back on the Series a Decade Later

Since its debut, the series has evolved into a full-fledged franchise, with adaptations in anime, mobile games, and other formats. Despite its immense popularity worldwide, its creator, SIU, had never met his North American fans in person before. ― Tower of God, one of the most iconic titles on WEBTOON, has captivated global readers with over 1.3 billion cumulative views. Since its debut, the series ...
interview

Bringing K-Comics to the Next Generation: Inside Ink Pop's Vision for Young Readers

As manga and manhwa surge in global popularity, Penguin Random House launched Ink Pop—a new imprint bringing age-appropriate manga, manhwa, and webtoons to young readers. ― As manga and manhwa surge in global popularity, Penguin Random House has launched Ink Pop—a new imprint dedicated to bringing age-appropriate manga, manhwa, and webtoons to young readers in the U.S. The line, which debuted this su...
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This Week in Anime - Demon Hunting KPop Style

Coop and Lucas discuss the animated film of the summer, KPop Demon Hunters and its incredible appeal. ― Coop and Lucas discuss the animated film of the summer, KPop Demon Hunters and its incredible appeal. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead. @RiderStrike @BWProwl @...
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Raging Clouds K-Comic Review

Raging Clouds is a story about how women can find their way out of a world that seems desperate to tie them down. ― Everyone is holding Amélie down. Dutch society of the mid-sixteenth century tells her that she must be the perfect wife, cooking, cleaning, and supporting her husband, as well as sleeping with him whenever he wants. Hans, the husband in question, tells her that she should focus on house...
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Best New K-Comics to Read in July

This month we're checking out murim time-travel action comic The Frostbound Warrior, plus idol antics, dark romance, and Solo Leveling with a twist! ― July is always a packed month, and I'm just talking about the new season of anime without factoring in the various holidays that fill the month around the world. But busy or not, there's still plenty of new manhwa to read across a variety of platforms....
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Who Made Me a Princess Volumes 7-9 K-Comics Review

The storybook-style epilogue confirms what readers have hoped for since the beginning: that here, living her own life, Athanasia truly becomes the Lovely Princess. ― The fact that Who Made Me a Princess is a double-isekai story has largely been left by the wayside for several volumes. It's easy to forget that this is Athanasia's third try at life: her second as the princess, following one in modern S...
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I Tamed My Ex-husband's Mad Dog Volumes 1-3 K-Comics Review

Don’t pick up I Tamed My Ex-Husband’s Mad Dog if you’re looking for a light, romantic read. ― It may seem disingenuous to say this, but I Tamed My Ex-Husband's Mad Dog is one of those stories that gets very dark, maybe darker the longer it goes on. Certainly, the covers make that case, although as we all know, you can't always judge a book by one. (Or by their titles, for that matter.) But even among...
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Best New K-Comics to Read in June

Horror, self-aware isekai, and of course, romance - it's all here in our June K-Comics roundup. Come find your next read! ― June is traditionally the month of blushing brides, but that's not the case in the webtoon sphere – for some reason, there's a plethora of divorce comics premiering! Aiming for the Alimony, The Dukedom's Men Interfere with the Divorce, Leave Your Divorce to a Professional Lawyer...
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This Week in Anime - Want Your Bad Romance

Lucas and Steve explore the "Toxic Together" K-Comic special on Lezhin. ― Lucas and Steve explore the "Toxic Together" K-Comic special on Lezhin. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead. Every manhwa title mentioned in this column is available to read on Lezhin. @RiderS...
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The Remarried Empress Volumes 1-6 K-Comic Review

With a drama adaptation announced, now is the perfect time to see why The Remarried Empress is worth the hype. ― It's good that we know how this story ends because it is one hell of a ride to get there. The Remarried Empress, originally written by Alphatart and adapted to manhwa by writer HereLee and artist SUMPUL, opens with heroine Navier being granted a divorce from her emperor husband and immedia...
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Lost in Starlight Movie Review

This is a movie drenched in color, from the verdant greenery of Seoul’s parkland to the warm reds and browns of its older buildings, not to mention the vibrant, sparkling starscapes and sunsets, many of which would make Makoto Shinkai proud. ― While Korean animation director Han Ji-won's fame has steadily grown in her homeland, Netflix's worldwide release of her latest, most substantial movie, is the...
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Dear Hongrang K-Comic Review

Dark, bitter, and intermittently hopeful, Dokjin and Hottu's adaptation of Jang Dahye's original novel pulls you in, even if none of those flavors are your preferred reading, making it nearly impossible to put down. ― Complete at sixty episodes (chapters), Dear Hongrang is a journey. Apart from flashbacks, the prologue, and the epilogue, the entire story takes place over one brief summer during the J...
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Best New K-Comics to Read in May

Before May ends, come find your new K-Comic reads in our rundown of the most interesting new titles of the month. From classic Regency romance to lady gangsters selling smuggled cigarettes, there's a little bit of everything to be found. ― Welcome back to our rundown of the best, or at least most interesting, K-Comics released in a given month! April didn't happen because of the Spring K-Comics Guide...
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Best K-Comics to Read on Tappytoon

Whether you're looking for a BL set on a rural farm, want to learn more about Mesopotamian mythology, or need a new action comic to whet your appetite, check out our picks! ― Webtoons have exploded in popularity over the past few years, which means there are many sites and apps to choose from when you're looking for your next read. So, we thought it might be helpful to give you a place to start, espe...
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The Lady and Her Butler Volumes 1-3 K-Comic Review

The real impetus behind the plot is Taesoo and Sooha’s traumas and how they shape their lives and relationships with others. ― There's a difference between being asexual and being sex averse, although it isn't one that many people understand. Jade's webtoon The Lady and Her Butler is not one of them. Protagonist Sooha Lim is sex averse, meaning that she finds sex repulsive while being capable of sexu...
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The Spring 2025 K-Comics Guide

Our companion to the Manga Guide, the K-Comics Guide, is here! With titles ranging from sweet to spicy, adventurous to laid back, and historical to contemporary, come see if you can find your next read! ― Welcome to Anime News Network's Spring 2025 K-Comics Guide, the companion to our manga guide! Every included manhwa was published in March or April or is an upcoming May release, although some are ...
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My Secretly Hot Husband Volume 1 K-Comic Review

The combination of “reborn in a fantasy world” with Beauty and the Beast works better than you might expect. ― You know the story: a person dies in modern Korea and is reborn in a fantasy world with their memories intact. Or maybe you know this story: a man's life is saved by a hideous beast and he's forced to promise one of his daughters to the monster in exchange. My Secretly Hot Husband is what ha...
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The Best New K-Comics to Read: March 2025

From dungeons to Joseon, come find your next read with our March roundup of the most interesting new K-comics! ― March is the proverbial month of lions and lambs, but the K-comics that are debuting don't necessarily follow that pattern. If anything, it's almost all lions, although that may be because the major flavor of comics on the sites/apps that are available in English is “spicy romance.” But th...
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Under the Oak Tree Volume 1 Novel Review

Under the Oak Tree is the sort of series that can consume you, and this hardcover edition allows that to be on full display. ― First things first: this book is gorgeous. There has been a recent surge in decorative volumes, typically bestselling romantic fantasies. While they can't quite compare to the lavishly illustrated decorative books of the early 20th century, they're still a book collector's dr...
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Men of the Harem Volume 1 K-Comic Review

Men of the Harem explores a female power fantasy that we don’t often see. ― You know what they say – what's good for the goose is good for the gander, although in the case of Men of the Harem (from the same writing-and-adaptation team as The Remarried Empress) we ought to reverse those genders. Latrasil, better known as Latil, never expected to ascend the throne of her nation, but after her father's ...
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Getting Started with K-Comics - Tapas

Whether you want to catch up on Doctor Elise, find love in a zombie outbreak, or support characters making bad decisions, you can find your next read on Tapas! ― Webtoons have exploded in popularity over the past few years, which means there are many sites and apps to choose from when you're looking for your next read. So we thought it might be helpful to give you a place to start, especially since m...
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Best New K-Comics to Read: February 2025

For the romance-focused month, we've got sweet BL, a writer in a wardrobe, daring love affairs, and just enough to spice to keep it interesting. ― Ah, February, the shortest month with those two most venerable holidays, Valentine's Day and the even more beloved (and fake) Cheap Chocolate Day. It's no surprise that a lot of the K-Comics coming out across reading platforms are so romance-heavy this mon...
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Getting Started with K-Comics - WEBTOON

From a fantastical cat to an office space in Hell, here are some of the best K-Comic series to start reading on WEBTOON! ― K-Comics have exploded in popularity over the past few years, and there are a lot of sites and apps to choose from when you're looking for your next read. It might be helpful to give readers a place to start, especially since most of the sites have vast libraries that can be over...
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Getting Started with K-Comics - Manta

K-comics and webtoons have exploded onto the scene with lots of legal sites offering readers an overwhelming amount of choice. Rebecca offers a few good series to start with on Manta's site and app. ― K-Comics have exploded in popularity over the past few years, which means there are many sites and apps to choose from when you're looking for your next read. So, we thought it might be helpful to give ...
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Viral Hit K-Comic Review

Viral Hit is very hard to read because of how relatable it is on two major fronts. Viral Hit is very hard to read because it is relatable on two major fronts. The first one is its depiction of modern-day bullying and humiliation. The second is that Viral Hit very much leans into seeing life through the perspective of an absolute self-aware loser. Our protagonist, Hobin, is someone who is physically...
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Best New K-Comics to Read: December 2024

Winter is the perfect time to snuggle in and do some reading. So, let's take a look at what Webtoon, Manta, Tapas, and Lezhin have to offer. ― It's the holiday season, that inescapable time of year when you can't avoid their mention even if you don't participate in the major festivals! For some of us, that means it's the perfect time to snuggle in and do some reading. Luckily for everyone, the major ...
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K-Comic Creator Spotlight: Moscareto

From fluffy to fraught, the office to the palace, and everything in between, there's a lot to enjoy from this prolific author. ― With the increase in official translations of Korean comics, we have the opportunity to discover new-to-us creators, many of whom have several works, if not an entire body of them, available in English. While the sadly defunct Netcomics did a remarkable job of bringing mult...
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I Raised a Black Dragon K-Comic Review

I Raised a Black Dragon isn't perfect, something that mostly comes down to an ending that simply screams for a sequel. But it's also a nice twist on some of its genre's staler elements and a good read overall. ― Have you ever wondered what happened to the person who used to be the owner of a body taken over by an isekai'd soul? Not many books seem to care, but Sottan's I Raised a Black Dragon isn't o...
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Imitation Volumes 1-4 K-Comic Review

The mentions of dieting in this K-pop comic are all so casually done up until this point that I at first thought that I was overreacting by zeroing in on them. ― The idol industry is no joke. It would be easy to forget how vicious it can be, given that a lot of manga, manhwa, and anime try to give us a romanticized portrait, and at first, it looks like Imitation may be doing the same thing. It follow...
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Who Made Me a Princess Volumes 4-6 K-Comics Review

Who Made Me a Princess was good in its first three books, but it's very good in its second. The final three volumes should be excellent if things continue on this trajectory. ― It's practically narrative law that if the villainess character turns out to be good, the heroine must be bad. We've seen that play out over a plethora of series, and while there are exceptions, it happens often enough to feel...
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The Fall 2024 K-Comics Guide

It's the final update of our K-Comics Guide! Be sure to come and find your next series; whether you're into social justice, historical romance, or isekai, there's something for everyone! ― Welcome to Anime News Network's Fall 2024 K-Comics Guide, the companion to our manga guide! Every included manhwa was published in September or October or is an upcoming November release, although some are ongoing...
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Punch Drunk Love Volumes 1-2 K-Comic Review

Seon-woo and Tae-moon’s relationship is almost entirely based on sex for most of these two volumes, so if you’re looking for something that puts the “without” in PWP, this is the series for you. ― Readers of BL manhwa and novels may recognize the name of the author of Punch Drunk Love: Moscareto is also the author of The New Recruit, another office romance. But the setting is the only thing these two...
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The Fall 2024 Light Novel Guide

It's time to crack open your next book! Our guide includes light novels, deep-dives into anime series, and a retrospective from horror manga master, Junji Ito! ― Welcome to Anime News Network's Fall 2024 Light Novel Guide, the companion to our manga guide! Every included novel was published in September or October or is an upcoming November release. This guide focuses exclusively on series premieres...
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Korea's WEBTOON Entertainment In Midst of Labor Dispute

WEBTOON Entertainment's labor union is requesting fair compensation after its CEO was awarded an eye-popping $30 million in cash and stock options. ― Since going public on the U.S. stock market, WEBTOON Entertainment, the world's leading platform for Korean webcomics, has been battling a series of escalating crises. The company's stock price has plummeted by 50%, and disgruntled stockholders have fil...
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From Vertical Scroll to Screen: Anime Adaptations of K-Comics

It's becoming hard to miss: anime is increasingly mining Korean comics for inspiration. Let's take a look at some of the popular adaptations so far. ― It's becoming hard to miss: anime is increasingly mining Korean comics for inspiration. It's hardly a new thing, though – back in 2004, Ragnarok started the ball rolling, followed by Black God in 2009. The former series was based on a game, while the ...
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See You in My 19th Life Volumes 1-3 K-Comic Review

The K-Comic series See You in My 19th Life is a love story that is as much about the tragic past as the hopeful present. ― Tragedy and romance have been linked almost since the dawn of literature. Why else would stories of doomed lovers like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet or historical tales of Cleopatra and her lovers be so lionized? For many readers, the fine line between the potential for a happy ...
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The Tyrant's Etiquette Tutor Korean Novels 1-3 Review

Livia is hypercompetent without feeling overdone, and that's a major strength of this trilogy. ― Unlike its Japanese light novel counterparts, Korean web/light novels tend to favor what they call "transmigration" rather than full-out reincarnation. This does sometimes involve the death of the heroine/villainess (book dependent), but more often, my reading experience has shown that characters aren't a...
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Your Letter K-Comic Review

Drenched in shades of blue and highlighted with earth tones, Your Letter's deceptively simple art and story make it a beautiful book. It's a hopeful story, replete with quiet magic and a terrible familiarity makes it stick with you. ― Magic realism is a more difficult genre to do well than you might realize. Authors need to balance the mundane with the magical, building a recognizable world but with ...
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Father, I Don't Want This Marriage Volume 1 Manhwa Review

If you enjoy a villainess-good tale filled with lovely art of a royal fantasy world, try this. ― Like Not Sew Wicked Stepmother's release before it, Father, I Don't Want This Marriage's source novels were translated and previously published by WordExcerpt. For unexplained reasons, this Korean novel translation outfit has ceased to make its books available outside of the serialized format available on...
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A Magical Girl Retires Novel Review

Why is it that magical girls are magical girls? The answer to that question is the theme of award-winning South Korean author Seolyeon Park's English debut, A Magical Girl Retires. ― Why is it that magical girls are magical girls? The answer to that question is the theme of award-winning South Korean author Seolyeon Park's English debut, A Magical Girl Retires. It's not an attempt to stake out a gend...
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The New Recruit Volumes 1-2 Novel Review

The New Recruit is a treat for office romance fans and a good BL novel series featuring some very explicit content. The New Recruit, a Korean BL novel, is a sign of a changing publishing landscape. By this I mean that by the fall of 2024, it will be available in English in three different formats: this original novel, published digitally by Mullebooks, the all-ages version of the manhwa, available ...
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Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom Volumes 1-3 Manhwa Review

Even when a rival rears her head, author Iru knows how to handle it without making it feel like too much of a retread of manhwa's greatest hits, and it's just a very well-put-together story overall. Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom has an odd history in English. Some years ago, Korean novel translators WordExcerpt released the source novel as I'm Only a Stepmother, but my Daughter is Just Too Cute! as both a...
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Unholy Blood Volumes 1-2 Manhwa Review

With attractive art, a couple of good moments of humor, and a decent take on vampire lore, this is a series that's worth checking out – especially if it keeps getting stronger as it goes on. ― There are vampires, and there are vampires, something most lore agrees on. That means there are two distinct types of bloodsucker in plenty of vampire mythos: the original ones, who may well have been born that...
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Who Made Me a Princess Volumes 1-3 Manhwa Review

Gorgeous art and an interesting mix of subgenres make this manhwa a must-read. ― In The Perks of Being an S-Class Heroine, heroine Ailette's greatest desire is to be reborn into what she calls a “child-raising romantasy,” a subgenre of isekai where the heroine, an ordinary woman in her previous life, ends up starting from babyhood as the pampered princess of a powerful ruler. She doesn't mention that...
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Manga Guide to the Eisner Awards 2024

We have your ultimate guide to this year's competing manga, including sample pages, to introduce you to some of the best series of the year! ― Every year, a jury awards some of the best comics of the year the prestigious Eisner Award. For those honing their artistic craft, from inking to webcomics, the Eisner Awards are the industry's Oscars. The jury highlights the best in the field in over 30 cate...
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The Horizon Volumes 1-3 Manhwa Review

There's a sincerity about the story that goes a long way toward making this readable and engaging, even if dark dystopias aren't your preferred genre. ― It's not hard to see why JH's three-volume manhwa The Horizon has been nominated for an Eisner Award. Something about the series screams “critical darling” in that most literary ways – everything about its bleakness, its metaphors, and its late-break...
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Medicine and Fantasy: An Interview with Doctor Elise Manhwa Artist Mini

In her first-ever interview with foreign media, Mini discusses her background in design and what makes Doctor Elise a fan-favorite series. ― It's getting more common for anime series to seek inspiration outside of its traditional seedbeds of manga and light novels. In recent years, we've seen a rise in the number of series based on Korean properties, primarily webtoons serialized on sites like Tapas,...
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A Returner's Magic Should Be Special Season 1 Anime Review

On the surface, there's nothing remarkable about A Returner's Magic Should Be Special, but somehow, the execution manages to rise above all its basic tropes and clichés. ― Writing off A Returner's Magic Should Be Special would be very easy. On the surface, there's nothing remarkable about it: a standard magic academy, a basic time loop story, and characters whose names are way too on the mark. But so...
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Bloody Sweet Volumes 1-2 Manhwa Review

This is a good series to check out if you like more bite with your vampire romances. ― Going into Bloody Sweet, I expected to find a fluffy rom-com about a girl and the vampire she accidentally gets attached to. Instead, I found a story about a bullied high school girl whose bullies are smart enough to evade all of the checks and balances the school has put in place. When Naerim accidentally awakens ...
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The Dangerous Convenience Store Manhwa Volume 1 Review

The plot is excellent in the romance camp. Everything that happens is to get Eui-joon and Gunwoo together, and it works pretty well. ― You can read The Dangerous Convenience Store in English two ways. The first is to read it on the manhwa site/app Manta, which has all seventy-five chapters and four bonus stories available. The second is to read Seven Seas' print (or ebook) edition, which, as of this ...
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Manhwa and Manga: Similar but Different Art Forms

Manhwa is starting to find its footing in American comic book sphere, but it's not just another version of "manga." Find out what makes Korean comics unique. ― The door to English-translated manga opened in the 1980s, and despite some fits and starts, essentially never looked back. Manhwa, or Korean comics, have had a much more troubled journey to popular visibility in English. Around 2006, manhwa be...
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Dark Moon: The Blood Altar Volumes 1-2 Manhwa Review

Some books are good. Some books read like self-insert fanfiction from the early days of AO3, but you can't stop reading and enjoying them. Dark Moon: The Blood Altar is one of those. ― Some books are good. Some books are not and read sort of like self-insert fanfiction from the early days of AO3, but even though you recognize that they aren't objectively filled with literary merit, you can't stop rea...
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Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Volume 1 Manhwa Review

This is for the ones who knew the Red Wedding was coming, gleefully chuckled when the film Bridge to Terabithia grossly misled parents, and always read the book before seeing the movie. ― This one's for the smug readers, the ones who knew the Red Wedding was coming, who gleefully chuckled when the film for Bridge to Terabithia grossly misled parents as to what it was about, and who always read the bo...
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A Returner's Magic Should Be Special Volumes 1-3 Manhwa Review

Despite hitting a lot of very familiar beats, there's something about A Returner's Magic Should Be Special that's incredibly readable. ― Despite hitting a lot of very familiar beats, there's something about A Returner's Magic Should Be Special that's incredibly readable. Yes, our hero Desir Herrman is the typical overpowered protagonist seen in so many isekai and time loop stories, and yes, he's faci...
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What's Wrong with Secretary Kim? Volumes 1-3 Manhwa Review

A kidnapping incident, a possible romantic triangle, and family business politics make What's Wrong with Secretary Kim? a page-turner. ― Although there are plenty of differences between manga and manhwa, a modern trend seems true for both: originating as a novel. What's Wrong with Secretary Kim? began its life that way in 2013. GyeongYun Jeong's book has been adapted into a live-action television ser...
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Ennead Manhwa Volume 1 Review

Ennead is undoubtedly a must-read if you're interested in Ancient Egypt and its mythology, but it's also just an interesting story in its own right. ― Although it isn't fair to say that Egyptian mythology gets no exposure in pop culture, it certainly doesn't have the same recognizability as Greco-Roman or Norse mythologies regarding ancient cultures. Authors like Pauline Gedge and Danielle S. LeBlanc...
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Manhwa: What Korean Comics to Start Reading

Rebecca Silverman dives into the ever-expanding world of manhwa to find some of the best series to dive into. ― It isn't fair to say that Korean comics being translated into English is new. Back in 2006, Netcomics was releasing books, and bigger publishers like Seven Seas have been venturing into those waters since at least 2012, with titles like the delightful historical mystery series Lizzie Newton...
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Villains are Destined to Die Manhwa Review

Well-written, making use of actual game mechanics in ways that benefit the story, Villains are Destined to Die is simply a good series. ― How many times has this happened to you? You're reading an isekai story that takes place in an otome game, but as you go on, you begin to realize that the story's creator has never played an otome game. Maybe it's the weird way they talk about game mechanics, or ma...
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True Beauty Manhwa Volume 1-3 Review

True Beauty is the newest addition to the category of media I think of as "I know it's popular, but I really don't see why." ― I've gotten the feeling that part of my reaction to True Beauty may be due to unfair expectations from the English title. The original Korean title, which translates literally to The Rise of a Goddess, may give a more accurate impression. The phrase "true beauty" evokes the ...

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