Heavily shadowed by the Japanese manga industry, Korean webtoons were hidden gems, read by members of the niche who were drawn to the medium’s distinct artistic style, which differed significantly from manga prints.Manhwa, also known as webtoons, has roots in history that go deeper than most realize, dating back to the early twentieth century, with pioneering works likeManhwa Haengjinlaying the groundwork for the industry.
Recently, themanhwa industry’s collaboration with anime studioshas been on the rise. Iconic shows likeNoblesse,The God of High School, andTower of Godset the standard for the industry’s reception among anime devotees.Building on these milestones, the adaptation ofSolo Levelingfinally broke through the manga-dominant space, making it clear to viewers that there might be a rich resource of untapped stories out there waiting to resurface.
A Survivor In An Industry Dominated By Manga & Light Novels
Webtoons Have Constantly Been Overshadowed By Mainstream Manga
Even anime owes its origin to manga, so it hardly comes as a surprise that the manhwa industry has been fighting a losing battle in terms of popularity over the renowned art form. With visible traces in the nineteenth century, manga’s influence had over a century’s headstart in the Asian comics industry. The medium’s success was built even further throughnotable publishers like theWeekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Shōnen Magazine,andWeekly Young Jump,who determined the trajectory of the most popular anime series of all time, likeDragon Ball,One Piece,and more.
To make things worse, light novels had an even stronger fan base than webtoons.Most anime and manga were adaptations of light novels, so the trio-cycle kept the anime industry running for years. However, the manhwa industry had its manga counterparts beat in one regard: illustrations. Not everyone is enthusiastic about reading monochromatic panels, which heavily contrast with the anime they are referenced to. Many anime fans who are curious about the source material behind anime they cherish sometimes find the manga versions unappealing. Webtoons, on the other hand, are colorful, vibrant, and attractive — a glaring similarity to the Western style of publishing comics.
Webtoons, on the other hand, are colorful, vibrant, and attractive — a glaring similarity to the Western style of publishing comics.
However, even with this redeeming trait, the manhwa industry was still far from achieving the success attained by the manga medium. Series likeOne Pieceboasted incredible sales, selling as high as 500 million copies worldwide. The anime space was solely dominated by manga-oriented works, and themanhwa industry had no choice but to slowly thrivein a world where they could barely gather the attention of fans; that is, untilSolo Levelinghappened.
Solo Leveling Pioneering Debut Is Driving Webtoon’s Success
Solo Leveling Performance As An Anime Is Groundbreaking
Before the debut ofSolo Levelinganime in 2024, many other webtoons received adaptations fraught with notable issues that hindered their success. For instance, the webtoon,Tower of God, had a budget-saving animation that reflected in the anime’s failure to animate critical parts of the manhwa.The anime condensed over 70 chapters into its first 12-episode season, resulting in a rushed story with questionable plot holes that received disapproval from fans globally. A similar story unfolded withNoblesse, which featured multiple adaptations without a coherent narrative pattern for fans to follow the story. Adding salt to an already festering injury,The God of High Schoolhad a flashy debut with its attractive battle choreography, which was not enough to hide the anime’s questionable plot.
Solo Levelingwas already successful as one of the most popular manhwa series before receiving a well-thought-out adaptation. The smash-hit animation deviated from the underwhelming path set by earlier webtoon adaptations. Starring a captivating “hero saves the day” narrative, which attracted the attention of even new anime fans,Solo Levelingearmarked its way to success. Adapted by A-1 Pictures, a studio responsible for successful anime adaptations likeSword Art Online, Kaguya-Sama: Love is War, andErased,Solo Leveling’sanimation success was expected.
Solo Leveling’ssuccess is apparent to everyone, as the series secured Crunchyroll’s “2024 Anime of the Year Award” — a breakthrough the webtoon industry needed to gain more popularity. Building on this success, the iconic webtoon on which the story is based has skyrocketed in popularity.Presently, on Tapas, the webtoon has over 27 million viewsand is now serving as a source of inspiration for other manhwa series.
While it’s impossible to animate a webtoon panel by panel, A-1 Pictures adapted the series masterfully, focusing on highlighting every critical moment, as well as the last minute details. Some diehard fans of the original story may complain about the minor changes made by the studio; however, these changes can be justified in the context of the story’s animation. Presently,Solo Levelingflaunts an impressive4.9-star rating, over 800,000+ user ratings, on Crunchyroll, exceeding evenOne Piece, which has about 596,000+ user ratings. The relatively new anime is already carving its spot in the anime hall of fame, serving as a testament to the hidden gems of the manhwa industry.
Many Webtoon Series Have Been Scheduled For Adaptations
Solo Levelinghas set the bar for manhwa adaptations, and fans can expect more webtoons to receive animations that resonate with viewers. There have already been announcements of iconic webtoon adaptations. For instance,The Boxer,a well-written sports manhwa with a dark undertone, is scheduled for release in 2025 by Studio XTorm. This anime will offer insight into the sports genre of the manhwa franchise, and it might very well be the first sports manhwa adaptation. Another rivaling title scheduled to debut isOmniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, a manhwa with as much popularity asSolo Leveling’swebtoon.
Omniscient Reader’s Viewpointlive-action is scheduled to debut in theatres in July 2025.
ORVmirrorsSolo Leveling’spower systems in notable ways; it would serve as the perfect watch for fans who enjoyedSolo Leveling’spower scaling.Although unconfirmed,Eleceed,the iconic friendship-oriented manhwa, may also be getting an adaptation. The popular manhwa weaves a refreshing narrative different from the style evident inSolo LevelingandOmniscient Reader’s Viewpointstories. Apart from these great webtoons, others, such asGosu,1 Second, andTomb Raider King,are also scheduled for adaptations.It’s harvest year for webtoon fansas the medium is finally getting the recognition it worked hard to earn.
