Unveiling the Unprecedented Blend: Exploring the Dynamic Fusion of Webtoons and Manga at Anime Expo

Webtoons, which are vertical-scrolling webcomics, have gained immense popularity in Asia and globally over the past decade. During Anime Expo, publishers, creators, and executives of popular webtoon series discussed the various aspects of this new media, creating a dynamic matrix of topics. These discussions explored the choices between print or digital formats, Korean or Japanese influences, and the distinction between manga and webtoons. The origins of webtoons, their widespread appeal, and their relationship with mainstream Japanese manga raise questions about their significance and impact. Understanding these new mediums involves delving into their rich history, engaging with trivia, and considering multiple factors, much like immersing oneself in the extensive vertical comics or queuing for entry at Anime Expo.

Webtoons—How the Format Affects the Feeling

During a panel at Anime Expo in the morning, titled "Horizontal to Vertical," top-level executives and innovative creators representing various manga and webtoon publishers came together to engage in a discussion surrounding the intriguing history and distinct style of the webtoon format. These esteemed panelists hailed from renowned platforms such as Webtoon (formally known as Naver Webtoon), Yen Press, Tappytoon, and Tokyopop, making way for an in-depth exploration of how webtoons evolved from an obscure niche in the early-2000s to an unequivocal force in today's bustling pop culture landscape.

In the early 2000s, Scott McCloud, a comic artist and renowned "theorist of comics," introduced the concept of "infinite canvas" comics to explore the possibilities of graphic storytelling in the digital age. Unlike print comics, webcomics had the freedom to direct the reader's attention in any direction, leading to exciting new storytelling opportunities. While the internet did not fully revolutionize comics in the way initially envisioned, the ease of vertical scrolling gained popularity over a decade later with the rise of smartphones.

This is where the story specifically shifts its focus to Korea, where "webtoons" have become synonymous with manga in Japan. In the late 90s and early 2000s, as financial circumstances in much of East Asia became uncertain, comic fans in markets like Korea turned to online story sharing instead of purchasing costly manga or relying on sporadic book lending. The convenience of reading comics online gained significant appeal in these circumstances, eventually culminating in the emergence of webcomics with a scroll-based format, known today as "webtoons."

Influence of—and differences from—Webtoons and Traditional Manga

The interplay between "manga," "webtoon," and "comic" creates a complex intersection of culture and technology that is challenging to capture in writing. To simplify the discussion, let's focus on how the physical act of scrolling, specifically tailored for smartphones, impacts the narrative flow. According to David Lee, VP at Naver's Webtoon, the smartphone serves as a cinematic canvas. As readers scroll through each panel, the seamless motion creates a sense of continuity, aligning webtoons with other time and movement-dependent media such as videos.

Those sentiments were echoed by Tony Weaver Jr, the creator of The UnCommons, an ongoing webtoon series produced by the POC-run new media company Weird Enough Productions. With over 600k views on Naver's North American Webtoon platform, Weaver Jr. emphasized the influence of the anime series Eureka Seven from the renowned Studio Bones in shaping his comic's action-packed narrative. He highlighted the significance of vertical scrolling, as it enhances user engagement and amplifies the sense of action in webtoons like his own. This verticality extends beyond the storytelling technique, with certain webtoons such as Hellbound incorporating scrolling to intensify the dynamism of their action sequences. On the other hand, Tower of God strategically employs scrolling to convey a sense of expansive space and emphasize its titular motif.

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Naver's platform for webtoons in Japan is called Line Manga, and many of the webtoons on that platform, which are created in Japan, are considered as manga. Although "manga" is sometimes used as a general term for comics in Japan, popular webtoons, whether from Korea, Japan, or elsewhere, often exhibit certain stylistic characteristics. Unlike manga, which typically uses color only on the cover of its tankobon collected volumes and relies on black and white art for the interior, webtoons frequently incorporate color as a prominent element. They often feature gradients in the spaces between vertical panels and vibrant color palettes. Hand Jumper, an artist Sleepacross's high-school-and-college project, has amassed over 15 million unique views across its various episodes, showcasing these lush and visually distinctive qualities. Moreover, frequent observers of manga and webtoon art may notice that webtoons tend to have a slightly more realistic and subdued art style compared to the highly stylized expressions, particularly the eyes, commonly found in manga.

Webtoons also hold a prominent place in cross-platform synergy, extending their popularity to various mediums. Naver's Webtoon platform has hosted licensed stories from DC Comics to Assassin's Creed. The 2020 anime adaptation of Tower of God, animated by the Japanese studio Telecom, was based on a Korean webtoon. Similarly, in 2022, the original Science Saru anime Yurei Deco received an original webtoon adaptation on Line Manga. This fusion of webtoons with anime and manga offers opportunities for adaptation and exploration of art and stories across platforms, allowing creators from around the world to participate in the traditionally Japanese-dominated industries of anime and manga.

The technical aspects of webtoons serve the purpose of delivering comic stories to fans. As Tony from The UnCommons stated, regardless of the medium, a story remains a story. As long as the storytelling remains compelling, webtoons will continue to thrive.