My Top Ten Best Webtoon Stories

So, my last Webtoon list had to do with the amazing art of Webtoons. Now, I want to talk about the stories of Webtoons, as there are some that may not have quite as beautiful art as others, but have creative, interesting, and innovative ideas, or either stay away from clichés or present them in new ways.

Let’s start with a few honorable mentions:

Nightmare Factory- Snailords:

Miss Abbott and the Doctor- Maripaz Villar:

Dice- Hyunseok Yun:

The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn- Tri Vuong:
And now, here is the list:

10. Siren’s Lament- instantmiso

Link: Siren’s Lament

Content with her ordinary life, Lyra is somewhat of a wallflower. However, her comfortable lifestyle suddenly goes astray when she accidentally plunges into the world of sirens. Entangled in a curse, Lyra will learn that her world may be a lot bigger than she had ever imagined.

Oh, how I avoided this Webtoon for so long. After all, it has been one of the most popular Webtoons for a long time now, and when I checked the summary, all I thought was that it sounded cheesy, cliched, probably had a ridiculous love triangle, and that people only read it for the art. While it does have elements of these things, most notably the love triangle, it still has an interesting story that the summary hides. The story is not just Lyra picking between two hot guys ( Shon, one of her best friends,  and Ian, the siren who is sharing Lyra’s curse). It’s about her breaking out of her comfort zone, trying to find the reason behind her curse, dealing with her unrequited feelings for Shon, and also trying to help Ian understand humans again. It’s a romance for sure, with a love triangle to boot, but it’s also interesting, and has mysteries intermixed the romance and lives of the characters: Is the “Poseidon” real? How did the siren system come to be? And most importantly, why did Lyra and Ian become cursed?
9. Distant Sky- Inwan Youn/ Sunhee Kim:

Link: Distant Sky

Gangnam in complete darkness… “Am I the only one alive? What’s going on?…” A boy wakes up to find himself in a building full of dead people. No cars, no electricity and no stars in the sky… Not only Gangnam, but the entire city seems deserted.

This story is… Unpredictable, let’s just say that. Just when I think something will happen, it doesn’t, and the twists are really… Strange. I can’t describe this without revealing spoilers. No, I really can’t, and I haven’t even finished it yet! The plot follows Haneul, who awakens in Gangam with…dead people around him. No, not zombies, they stay dead. He’s freaked out  (who wouldn’t be?) and goes around the town looking for answers. The sky has also gone jet black. On his way, he meets Heyool, a girl who has somehow survived whatever has happened. The story just gets weirder from that point on. I don’t recommend people with weak hearts reading this; it’s quite chilling and strange. This is mainly a two character story, but there are still other characters, they just don’t appear often.  I just want to get to the end and find out what happened to Gangam, and what makes Haneul so special.
8. About Death- Sini/Hyeono

Link: About Death

The borderline between living and death. Who would be there… and where would it be.

This Webtoon is really thought provoking. It is not a continuing story (okay, some of them are, but not all of them). They’re a series of short stories. Basically, it revolves around “God” (this Webtoon is not religious, just keep that in mind), who is unlike any depiction I’ve seen. People come to him after they die, and before they are taken to a new life, they tell him their stories. Sometimes they don’t, but their stories get revealed anyway. It’s really hard to explain, but let’s just say that this Webtoon can go from heartwarming to heartbreaking to even alarming in just a few panels. It can also be quite deep and makes you think after you’ve read.
7. Gepetto- Jewon Yeon:

Link: Gepetto

The inheritance from Professor Gepetto! People are now trying to get the inheritance to rule others, survive from the world, and earn love.

This story is deceptive; it hints at dark elements early on in the series (a war between humans and androids), but that didn’t prepare me for the twists and turns that happened. Not at all. The main character is called Colodi Carlo, and at the age of eight, he finds an escaped android named “Whale”. He doesn’t realize that she is the last android that Dr. Gepetto, a famed android maker, made before he died. He also doesn’t realize that she holds a clue to Dr. Gepetto’s inheritance, and that both sides of the war, humans and androids, want her so they can find the inheritance for themselves. Whether the inheritance has been found out, I don’t know, as I haven’t finished it yet, but I’m sure that it will be very interesting.

6. Space Boy- Stephen McCranie:
Link: Space Boy

A girl who belongs in a different time. A boy possessed by an emptiness as deep as space. A story about an alien artifact, a mysterious murder, and a love that crosses light years.

Space Boy is more than it appears to be, and while it may venture into darker territory at times, it doesn’t remain there for a while, unlike others. This is about Amy, a girl who has synesthesia, which causes her to see every person as having a specific flavor. She lived on a mining colony in deep space before an incident happened that caused her and her family to move to Earth. Once on Earth, she encounters Earth life, which includes school, friends, clubs, and net gear, which is sort of the future’s version of our iPhones. The characters are more than they appear as well; everyone is developed, and they feel very realistic. She meets a strange boy named Oliver, who doesn’t seem to have a flavor. He is consumed by the “Nothing” of space. We don’t really know much about him, except that he was involved in some sort of accident, and that his adoptive dad is a robotics expert. Make of that what you will. This story can be heartwarming, but chilling and filled with questions that haven’t yet been answered. It can go from being a sweet coming of age story to a mystery very quickly. Amy is trying to uncover Oliver’s history while dealing with school, clubs, and life in the future in general.
5. Hooky- Miriam Bonastre Tur:

Link: Hooky

Dani and Dorian have missed the bus of the school of magic. Now, they must find someone who teach them how to be a great and good witches… Or maybe not.

Out of all the deceptive Webtoons, Hooky is probably the most deceptive of them all. It’s kind of  like Puella Magi Madoka Magica, in that it seems all cute and fun, yet has dark elements in it, but that doesn’t matter much…until a certain point. Of course, with Hooky, it takes a little longer, but it’s still shocking. Hooky could be called a mix of Harry Potter, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and  Howl’s Moving Castle. Anyway, the story follows Dani and Dorian, a witch and wizard, who miss the bus to the School of Magic, kind of like a situation in Harry Potter. Except Dani and Dorian instead try to find another teacher to teach them magic. After one incident, they find an old wizard named Pendragon who can see the future, and he takes them in to become his apprentices.  This story is full of magic and adventures, but there is a mystery that plays a key element; which twin will become the King of Wizards, Dani or Dorian? Hooky also touches on themes of discrimination and the development of people through their backstories, as well as the present.
4. Dr. Frost- JongBeom Lee:

Link: Dr. Frost

Lauded as a genius, psychologist Dr. Frost uses his belief that all humans are basically the same to guide his practice. His keen mastery of the human mind will strike your heart. This Webtoon was recently adapted for TV in Korea.

Dr. Frost is similar to shows like House M.D and Sherlock in several ways. It is similar to Sherlock, as it has a cold hearted genius with beyond exceptional observation skills as the main character, and a smart, but not genius, and much more warm hearted secondary main character. It is similar to House M.D, although rather than dealing with physical ailments, the two main characters solve mental illnesses. Dr. Frost follows the titular main character, Dr. Frost, a psychologist who works at a college in Korea. He can’t feel most emotions. These include sympathy and empathy. The secondary main character (or the Watson character) is Seonga Yoon, the counseling T.A. Unlike Frost, she is incredibly emotional, but she has the potential to become a great psychologist. The main plot is of Frost and Yoon ( Or Korean Holmes and Watson), finding the root source of their clients’ mental illnesses, and how they help cure them. Each arc has plenty of plot twists, and is educational while being interesting and entertaining.
3. Annarasumanara- Ilkwon Ha:

Link: Annarasumanara

Yun Ai wanted to be a magician when she was little. But now in reality, she is a high school student who cannot even afford new stockings. Since the day she met a real magician at a fair, she desperately wants to follow her dream.

If you read my previous list, you should know that this was my number one choice for art. However, it’s not just eye candy; it has a fantastic story and characters to support the stunning art. It’s about Ai, a highschooler who wants to become an adult as soon as possible. This is because her father has abandoned her and her younger sister due to his debts, and her mom… Well, you’ll find out. Because of this, Ai has become cynical and has lost her dreams. Anyway, there’s a rumor going around about a crazy magician who lives at the local amusement park. Ai finds herself at the amusement park one day, and then she meets the magician herself. What follows is a story about being an adult and being a child, mental health, following dreams, the expectations of others, and of course, magic. Is it real? Is the magician a real magician? What, exactly, is real magic? This all leads to the answer to one question: Do you believe in magic?
2. Cheese in the Trap- soonkki:

Link: Cheese in the Trap

Seol Hong is a hard-working student, who has returned to college after a long break. Jung Yu is a senior at the college known as Mr. Perfect. Seol feels like her life took a turn for the worse since she got involved with Jung. Is Jung intentionally turning Seol’s life?

This story is reminiscent of romantic thrillers like Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. How? Well, both stories center around a normal woman who encounters a shady, rich, handsome man who is incredibly mysterious and who the woman and reader second guess at every turn. Cheese in the Trap is about Seol Hong, a college student who met Jung Yu, the most popular guy at college the year before. He seemed to really dislike her during the first year, but after her break from college, he suddenly seems interested in her. They begin to become friends, although Seol is still confused about the previous year, which involved a stalker and an attack, both of which can be connected to Jung. But their developing friendship (and possible romance)  is complicated with the arrival of InHo Baek, a loudmouth who could be considered tsundere. He used to know Jung when they were younger, and he also hates Jung for unknown reasons. This story may seem like a typical romance in the beginning, believe me. I couldn’t get into it at first. But it does become very mysterious, and very interesting. It is a romantic thriller, with mysteries and eeriness around every corner.
1. Bastard- Youngchan Hwang/Carnby Kim:

Link: Bastard

There is a serial killer in my house! 

Bastard is easily the hardest to explain Webtoon on the list, as the entire plot is a huge spoiler, which is revealed in episode three.  Let’s just say that this Webtoon is the reason you don’t judge books by their cover; you never know what’s inside. The story, spoilers removed, is about Jin Seon, a boy who is attempting to protect a girl named Kyun Yoon from a serial killer, who he knows the identity of. He is also trying to become stronger so he can finally face the murderer and win. Why doesn’t he go to the police? Well, that can’t be explained, due to huge spoilers. But the reason why makes this the one Webtoon that keeps me on the edge of my seat, and I’m always scared to read the weekly update. This Webtoon is quite creepy, but it is so well done. It is worth the read.

Which Webtoon do you think has the best plot? If you viewed this, please do the author (me) a favor and either comment or follow. Thanks!