Earlier this month Crunchyroll announced that they’d be partnering up with digital comic publisher Webtoon to develop exclusive animated content based on Webtoon’s extensive collection of webcomics. This is huge! There are a tone of webcomic producers out there, but Webtoon offers a wide range of titles from a ton of different genres from romance to action to horror, there is sure to be a comic there that will appeal to anyone. Some of my favorite webcomics are available through the Webtoon app and the partnership with Crunchyroll means that I might get the chance to see the characters and stories I loved in comic form brought to life on the screen!!
I mean there are so many to choose from and with such a huge large selection of titles to choose from. So far Crunchyroll and Webtoon have been hush hush about which titles will be getting the animated treatment. So this got me thinking, about which Webtoon comics I’d want to see animated. With so many great series I compiled a list of the 10 Webtoon I’d love to see get an animated series through the Crunchyroll/Webtoon partnership!!
My Deepest Secret by Hanza Art
Drama, Romance, Suspense
What lengths would you go to to protect the ones you love? Well My Deepest Secret poses that very situation, Emma has the perfect boyfriend in Elios, he’s handsome, kind, and loyal, any girl would be lucky to have a guy like him by her side. But, Elios has a secret, a dangerous hidden side that no one else knows…
Seriously, this series looks like it’s gonna be just your run of the mill cute romance and then it goes sideways real quick! There are so many layers to this series that extend beyond the usual romantic fluff, a twist that would definitely make for a thrilling animated series. Everything isn’t always black and white, each character has their own secrets and trust me some of them you don’t see coming!
Sirens Lament by Instant Miso
Romance, Drama, Fantasy
I absolutely love this series!! A fantasy romance series set in a quiet seaside town, Siren’s Lament follows Lyra, a shy young woman who’s life turns upside down when she finds herself the unwitting victim of the Siren’s curse. Suddenly Lyra learns her world isn’t quite as small as she once believed, but the deeper she delves into the Siren world the more complicated her life becomes.
There’s a lot of great world building in this series as Lyra and the reader learn more about the sirens and the nature of their curse, and each character has their own unique storylines. This is a story with a lot of great twists and turns, Siren’s Lament starts off as Lyra’s story, but soon grows to encompass a wider array of characters which could easily fill out a couple of seasons of an animated series.
The God of High School by Yongje Park
Action, Comedy, Fighting
This Webtoon has been going on for a long time and with over 400 episodes there is plenty of content for a long running animated series. The God of High School checks off all the usual shounen tropes. Loosely based on Journey to the West, the series follows Mori Jin, a 17 year old Martial Arts student and self proclaimed “best fighter” who is participating in the God of High School fighting tournament. But, as the story progresses, Mori Jin learns that there is more going on that just a tournament and soon he discovers he has a special power that may have divine origins.
Fans of Dragon Ball will see a lot of similarities between the shounen classic and The God of High School, since there is a heavy focus on martial arts and fighting. Each character has their own special fighting style based on real life martial arts. While the comic does a great job of portraying the fight scenes, I would love to see them animated!!
Love Advice From the Great Duke of Hell by unfins
Comedy, Supernatural
What do you do when the girl of your dreams barely knows you exist? Summon a super powerful demon of course! Duh. And that is exactly what happens in this ridiculously funny webcomic, in Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell, Paul, an average teen summons Astaroth, a powerful demon to help him woo the girl of his dreams. Hilarity ensues! I mean, if a demon from Hell can’t help you get laid, then maybe you should reevaluate your life choices…
This series reminds me so much of Satan and Me by Orangeplum (I’d totally love to see made into an animated series too), which follows a teen who accidentally summons the devil after bleeding on a demonic sigil printed on her sanitary napkin. The only difference is the summoning in Love Advice is 100% intentional and the story is that much more hilarious because of it!
unOrdinary by uru-chan
Action, Fantasy
Right, so this one is like My Hero Academia, in a world where the strong are at the top and the weak know their place comes a protagonist that will shake up the status quo. John is just a normal high school student at an elite school where everyone except him has fantastic powers and abilities. It’s a dog eat dog world, and every day is fraught with danger for someone like John. But, unlike his peers who want nothing more than to prove just how strong they are, John just wants to live a peaceful life. Unfortunately, his life will be anything but, especially when John’s secret is revealed.
Teens with superpowers isn’t anything new, however unOrdinary doesn’t just play by the rules. Everyone in this series is just waiting for a reason to pop off, so there are a lot of fight scenes, usually involving someone kicking the living daylights out of John. But, what I really like about this series is the idea that a person’s powers are tied in with their status/self worth. The series doesn’t focus on the characters using their abilities to be heroes, but rather the inequalities that arise from people living in a world that puts so much importance on power.
Sweet Home by Youngchan Hwang and Carnby Kim
Thriller, Drama
Sometimes life just doesn’t turn out like we planned. After his entire family dies in a tragic accident, reclusive high school student, Hyun Cha shuts himself off from the rest of the world. However, when the apocalypse breaks out and people start turning into monstrous creatures Hyun Cha and a group of survivors must work together to save the world. But, there’s more than monsters threatening their survival, a mysterious illness also threatens to strip away their humanity and turn them into the very creatures they’re fighting against.
Sweet Home is a mix of a lot of elements from post apocalyptic media, but it’s mostly a story about a rag tag group of strangers forced to weather the dangers of the end of the world together. But, Sweet Home throws in an added supernatural fantasy twist that is reminiscent of Ajin and Attack on Titan. As the story progresses more is revealed about the events leading up to the “end of the world” but more of the focus is placed on how the characters deal with their circumstances.
Purple Hyacinth by Ephemerys and Sophism
Drama, Action
What if you could see through people’s lies? Is it worth it to always know the truth? This is the reality for Lauren an officer with the ability to detect lies, a power that has served her well in her pursuit of justice. But, despite having this ability she was unable to save her loved ones from a gruesome fate, now she focuses on protecting the defenseless by any means necessary. When a criminal organization known as Phantom Scythe starts shaking things up in the city, Lauren must team up with a notorious assassin known only as ‘Purple Hyacinth’ to take them down.
This is a phenomenal series, dark and edgy, full of mystery and intrigue, Purple Hyacinth is a series that will have you hooked from the very first episode. But, what really makes this series shine is the chemistry between Lauren and Kieran. They bicker and butt heads a lot throughout their investigations into Phantom Scythe, but there is also this fun flirty element to their interactions that serves as the core of the series. Everything about this series is perfect and I’d love to see the characters brought to life by an animation team.
Rebirth by 69Michi
Fantasy, Action
What would you do if you are given a second chance to turn back time and relive your past? Time travel has been the subject of a number of stories and each one has their own take on the topic. In Rebirth, the protagonist Noah, travels back in time to the day before a solar eclipse turns most of humanity into flesh eating monsters, and leaves the surviving people with special abilities. Armed with his knowledge of the future, Noah attempts change everyone’s fate by altering the past. But, will his meddling with time change the future for the better or will he cause bigger problems?
Rebirth is a zombie apocalypse wrapped in a sci-fi fantasy, with a dollop of human drama and it’s one hell of a ride. There’s a lot of action in the series that works well enough in the comic format, but would be even better in an animated series. On paper Rebirth should be your run of the mill zombie series, but there is so much more going on here that could easily fill out a couple of seasons of an anime and with Season 2 coming soon there is plenty of story left to tell.
Cursed Princess Club by LambCat
Fantasy, Comedy
Cursed Princess Club is a comedic twist on the played out fairytale princess trope. Meet Gwendolyn, a princess that is about as far removed from a “traditional” princess as you can get. She’s a sweetheart, but her appearance leaves much to be desired… she looks like something out of a horror flick. Like many a fairytale protagonist, Gwen is afflicted by a curse that warped her beautiful features, but she doesn’t let that get her down facing her fate with optimism. One night, she discovers the Cursed Princess Club, a place where other princesses suffering from their own curses support one another as they navigate a world they don’t really fit into.
This is such a sweet series that puts me in mind of Kimi ni Todoke, since both heroines are misunderstood because of their looks, but despite that still manage to be wonderful and caring people. The comedic timing and subversion of traditional fairytale tropes is one of the best things about this series and I would love to see this series animated. I could just imagine the animators surrounding Gwen with that cute pink flower filter whenever she does something sweet or bishie sparkles for the Princes of the Plaid Kingdom.
DICE by Hyunseok Yun
Fantasy, Drama
Dong Tae is at the very bottom of the social totem pole, average looks and constantly being bullied by his classmates, he’s been dealt a bad hand in the game of life. He has a secret crush on the prettiest girl in school Eunju, but she doesn’t really give him the time of day. In contrast, transfer student, Tae Bin is everything Dong Tae isn’t, handsome, smart, and popular. To add insult to injury Eunju and Tae Bin start going out and Dong Tae decides to confront his rival, discovering that all his good looks, intelligence, and popularity were the result of a magic dice game. Dong Tae steals his dice and enters into the game which is run by a mysterious entity known as X. In exchange for completing quests players of the dice game earn points that can be used to improve their own personal stats. Dong Tae uses his points to improve his appearance, but the more he plays the more morally and ethically complex the requests from X become, soon he must decide how much he is willing to sacrifice in the name of self improvement.
DICE asks readers to decide “What lengths a person is willing to go to in order to make themselves better?” Do the ends justify the means? When other characters enter into the dice game and start pushing the limits of their morality, we see just how far some people will go to change themselves. DICE has a bit of a slow start, but once it picks up it really hits the ground running, delivering a compelling psychological drama.
Let’s Get Animated
Webcomics are known for their diverse stories and characters that resonate with readers from all over the world. Webtoons is home to a number of great content creators, but it’s just one publisher, there are tons of independently published comic series out there worth checking our and I hope that this partnership will open the door for independent publishers to also see their works brought to life.
Since this is still new territory, they’ll probably play it safe and go with some of the more popular titles from the Webtoons app. But if like me you’re already familiar with the the quality of the content published by Webtoons we’re sure to get some pretty awesome animated series coming our way in the near future.
So, what are some Webtoons that you’d like to see get an animated series? Let me know down in the comments section!
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You’ve already nailed many of the best options. I’d throw into the mix: Lore Olympus, a modernized version of the myth of Persephone; Noblesse and Orange Marmalade, two very unique takes on the vampire legend; Odd Girl Out, about the relationships of four friends, with amazing character development; and several series just for the awesome visuals, namely Sub-Zero, True Beauty, Age Matters, and Let’s Play.
I LOVE LORE OLYMPUS!!!! Did you hear the Jim Henson Company is going to make an animated series for Lore Olympus (the only reason it’s not on this list lol)
And I think I saw that True Beauty got a K-drama a little while ago, but that one is so good!
Noblesse is on my list, but I haven’t read Odd Girl Out, Orange Marmalade, or Sub-Zero (adds them to my subscribed list)!!
I did not hear about the jhc project, but I think I heard about the other one. I never watched k drama though, so I forgot about it.
Yeah, it’s getting a YA animated series! Here’s the article I saw: https://deadline.com/2019/10/lore-olympus-webtoon-and-the-jim-henson-company-will-partner-for-ya-animated-series-1202757078/
But I think JHC will be able to really bring the characters to life, they’ve done some solid work in the past too.
Argh, so many good recs on a single post! Thank you so much~ I only knew a few of these and unordinary is the only one I have been reading, so it’s time to add stuff my list!
Yes girl!! I love all of these series (and more that didn’t make the list. Ghost Wife is so good too!!