When it comes to digital manhwa, Webtoon is the place to go. The platform has been around for a decade or so and is growing rapidly. This is true for the accessibility as well, compared to the paperback versions. It draws in readers, but there’s a catch to that as well.
The platform might be digging its own grave with the CEO’s approach. Not only that, but it mirrors MCU’s bad decision and might follow in its footsteps. This ties in well with Solo Leveling, ultimately proving why quality should be prioritized over quantity.
Webtoon mirroring MCU’s approach
Webtoon is one of the largest platforms providing manhwas of different genres and styles. One would expect manwhas to be constricted to South Korean audience but that isn’t the case. From creators to readers, the platform has around 8000 spanning different genres.
The digitization has surely helped us all, especially with accessibility. It has an upper hand against the print version, however, it isn’t exempt from cons either. And while there are manga leaks, the platform is quite strict about copyright infringement and violation but that is not all there is to it.
Over the years, manhwas have garnered popularity and their fanbase. With millions of readers jumping on the bandwagon, there are calls for an animated adaptation. It is, however, a risky area considering failed adaptations but with the CEO’s latest update, they are screwing the pooch in every sense.
CEO of Line Digital Frontier Kim Shin Bae revealed his plans for the webtoons in an interview published in Hankyung. He said:
We are launching a project to produce 20 webtoons as animations this year. We will release more webtoon-based intellectual property (IP),
Shin Bae also revealed Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, Dark Moon and Red Ice to be among the animated adaptations that are slated for release. At this point, everyone is looking forward to ORV’s anime, be it readers or viewers. But there are downsides to this move as well.
It mirrors MCU’s ambitious take and decisions that were eventually regretted. Twenty adaptations in a year is bizarre, yes, but it also shows the lack in quality as well-done manhwa adaptations are a true rarity. This is where Solo Leveling takes the cake.
Solo Leveling proves why quality should be the priority
Is it overhyped? Yes. Is it overrated? Yes. Does that mean Solo Leveling is a bad manhwa? No, considering how well put the story, characters, and other elements are. A large part of it concerns the pacing, which the animators worked out pretty well.
Interestingly, A-1 Pictures studio is founded by Mikihiro Iwata who previously worked as a director and an animator at Sunrise Studio. Now we all know Sunrise Studio and its glory in the animation sphere but this is a big win. A-1 has produced some fine works in the past but this one is top-tier.
The series exemplifies quality in every sense, be it visuals or animation; the studio did a great deal to it. Mostly, people praise it for its fight sequences, but that is not all. The voice acting, sound, setting, and the nitty-gritty make it a splendid masterpiece, which proves one thing.
One does not need 20-30 adaptations a year. It is a strange move which would further affect the mangaka and the readers. And we all know one thing, no one likes badly done animated adaptations.
Solo Leveling is available for streaming on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
