3 Great Reasons Why You Should Read Manhwa…

You may have heard the term ‘manhwa’ in the online anime/manga sphere, but what is it and why should you care? In this article, I’ll give you 3 great reasons why I think you should dive into reading manhwa!

---

First of all, what is it?

Manhwa is the romanization of the Korean term 만화, used to describe Korean-made webcomics and print cartoons. You may have also heard the term “webtoon” used frequently, these generally refer to the same thing. Much like manga, manhwa can be read as a physical book or alternatively as a continuous scrolling graphic on a digital device.

---

What makes Manhwa so great?

#1 – Visuals

I’ll cut straight to the point, manhwa in general has detailed and beautiful visuals! In the physical format, it can be black & white or colored print. However, if you read it through an app it tends to be in color.

In my personal experience, manga artists have individual and recognizable styles that set them apart from each other. In manhwa, the style tends to be consistent across the board, with some outliers! This is just my own observation and might be down to the genres of manhwa I prefer.

For examples of popular manhwa, you can take a look at the “Top Manhwa” list on AniList.

The above are examples of covers for popular manhwa, as you can see the focus is very much on vibrance and polished designs! There are strong similarities in how characters are drawn and are generally all very beautiful, dainty, and detailed.

Let’s consider typical Manhwa and Manga characteristics side by side…

Manga	Manhwa
Typically B&W illustrations	Typically Coloured, polished illustrations
Lots of variation in art styles	Similar art styles across the board
Physical & Digital	Physical & Digital
Swipe to change the page	Continuously scrolling image

---

#2 Manhwa Reading Experience

Personally, I read primarily on mobile apps such as Manta Comics and WEBTOON and the experience is fantastic. It is laid out in a continuous scroll format where the art flows smoothly from scene to scene. You can find manhwa online for free, and there are a plethora of other apps available. Some of these apps operate on a subscription basis, and others on a pay-per-read basis.

The cohesive, linear format does wonders for my attention span. This is because it feels like a journey that leaves little space for me to get distracted.

For the sake of not spoiling content from a manhwa, I won’t post an example of one here. However, Manta Comics has uploaded an introduction video for their app, which I will share below for your viewing! This gives an idea of what you can expect from using apps like this to read manhwa!

---

#3 Adult Storylines!

A vast majority of stories I have read revolve around adult themes and involve characters that are very clearly matured.

Sketchy interactions involving characters that look and sound like children are a HUGE ick of mine in Manga and Anime. I hate when a good story is tarnished by loli characters that we’re supposed to believe are 1000+ years old. I understand that they are not real people, but the principle grosses me out.

So far, I am yet to come across content like this in manhwa – which is a breath of fresh air! At the end of the day – I’m an adult that wants to connect and relate with adult characters.

I’ll warn you, this often comes along with pretty strong themes, and some stories can get really graphic! However, most chapters that have content that could be upsetting come with trigger warnings – which I am really grateful for!

---

What does The Anime Tourist community have to say about Manhwa?

I asked my followers on Instagram to tell me what they think, here are some of their thoughts!

I have kept commenters anonymous to respect their privacy.

The comments are shortened but the consensus is that Manhwa looks amazing but the stories could be more original when compared to manga.

I think this is a fair assessment, especially since there is simply so much more manga in circulation! I agree manhwa is heavily biased towards romance, revenge, fantasy, and “powering up” storylines. These genres aren’t going to be to everyone’s tastes! However, if these sound good to you, I’m confident that you’ll find one you love!

---

Not convinced?

Just like manga and anime, manhwa isn’t going to be for everyone – but you should definitely give it a try. There are plenty of apps out that allow you to trial for free, so you have nothing really to lose!

---

Summary

I’d like to thank you if you’ve made it this far through my article! I hope it has been helpful in your quest for awareness about the wonderful world of manhwa!

Everything I have talked about has been from my own perspective, and of course, it only scratches the surface! I fell in love with reading manhwa as I craved characters that were easier to identify with and stories that catered more to the female gaze in a way that we actually want! This is something that I have found severely lacking in manga & anime, so I am extremely grateful to have discovered it!

If you give any of my recommendations a read I’d love to know what your thoughts are on them! Please go ahead and drop a comment below this article or pay me a visit on my social media where we can talk!

I hope you enjoyed reading, have a wonderful day!

The Anime Tourist