Welcome, one and all, to the first Manhwa & Manhua shout-out! Looking for a new series to read? Curious what the heck Manhwa and Manhua are? We've got you covered.
Manhwa and Manhua are a lot like Manga but they come from South Korea and China respectively; and carrying the added benefit of usually being in color. Sound interesting? Good, because today we present to you three Manhwa from a variety of genres for your reading pleasure: The Gamer, Girls of the Wild's, and HIVE. Learn about each series and see where you can start reading and discussing them below.
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The GamerBy: Sangyoung Seong & Sang-A
Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Status: 105 Chapters (Ongoing)
Where to read it: Webtoons.comWhere to discuss: Our The Gamer community section.What if your life was like playing a game? Han Jee-Han, RPG obsessed gamer extraordinaire, doesn't wonder that anymore because he lives it. Ever since he gained a power called "The Gamer" he sees stats in everything, levels are visibly floating above people's heads, and household chores show up in the form of quests. In a dangerous hidden underworld filled with magic and strange powers his is definitely the strangest. The question is "What's he supposed to do with it?".
The Gamer takes a different approach to the LIT RPG genre. While stories like Sword Art Online and Log Horizon are set inside game worlds, this story is about someone living in the real world whose powers apply game mechanics to his everyday life.
Leveling up and allocating stats to get better at things. Learning and mastering skills. Grinding for EXP and items. There is a certain comical bizarreness to it all, which isn't lost on Jee-Han or those around him, and it puts a pretty funny twist on a fantasy action series. With tons of comedy and action, and even a dash of romance, this is a must read for RPG fans of all kinds.
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Girls of the Wild'sBy: Hun & Zhena
Action, Romance, Comedy, Drama
Status: 208 Chapters (Ongoing)
Where to read it: Webtoons.comWhere to discuss: Our Girls of the Wild's community thread.Jaegu Song is a young man who was abandoned by his mother after his father's death. Since then he's lived in poverty and devoted himself fully to supporting a younger brother and sister; along with harboring a deep mistrust of women. When an offer for a full scholarship to a prestigious private high school comes along he thinks he's finally caught a break, but there turns out to be a catch. The school he finds himself attending is actually Wild's High School, a top tier formerly all girls school with an athletics program famous for specializing in MMA and catering to the wealthy.
This is the story of the relationships he builds there, how they change him, and he changes those around him.
As you might expect, there is lot of romance and comedy along with some gorgeously drawn martial arts action to be had here. What you probably won't expect is the heartfelt drama and thoughtful representation of a slew of strong yet funny female characters who contrast with the perpetually weak and downtrodden, yet still admirable, main character. The girls and Jaegu start from a common point of not really understanding what love is, how to deal with it, or even how to deal with each other. The process of them working through it all ranges from tragic to downright hilarious. If you like character driven love stories, this is a series that you should definitely check out.
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HIVEBy: Kyusam Kim
Horror, Drama, Suspense, Action
Status: 84 Chapters (Ongoing)
Where to read it: Webtoons.comWhere to discuss: Our HIVE community thread.Are you afraid of bugs? Well, in HIVE you should be. Giant insects have appeared out of nowhere and are destroying South Korea. Ants the size of cars. Caterpillars the size of trains. Bees the size of... giant bees. You get the point. And in the midst of it all is Lee, a humble family man in a dead end salaryman job, who gets knocked unconscious only to wake up in a world gone mad. It's a story of him racing to survive and find his family while teaming up with the people he meets along the way.
If you read that and thought it sounded like The Walking Dead, but with bugs, you thought correctly. HIVE is similar to that in a lot of ways while also injecting influences from classic monster movies like Them. It's bleak. It's dramatic. It's horrifying. All while capturing the strange B-movie appeal of seeing people getting eaten by giant insects. Put all that together and you get a story that thriller and horror fans shouldn't miss.
