The difference between beautiful and unique (featuring some Webtoons)Has

Note: I am not bashing any Webtoons. All of the ones I am mentioning I either like or love.

Double note: this was originally posted on my Tumblr.

Author’s note: I am so sorry for not posting more often. I’ve been so busy. I mean, I got a part time job, and as I go to college in less than a month, I want to enjoy my time at home. If this means that I can’t blog as much, I’m sorry, but I want to have fun. Anyway, onto the post.

Okay. I wanted to address something that’s been bugging me for a bit: people mistaking or switching beautiful and unique.

How can I explain the difference? First, let’s look at two of the most popular Webtoons that I consider beautiful: Siren’s Lament and I Love Yoo.

You will NEVER catch me saying that these Webtoons don’t have gorgeous art. They do.

They’re just not unique.

Unique, in my opinion, is innovative. It’s using colors and composition differently, different layouts and even a more different art style.

These are two of the Webtoons I think of as unique: Space Boy and Annarasumanara.

Space Boy definitely is influenced by anime. But it still looks more western than most Webtoons. In a way, it has a different “flavor” than most Webtoons, simply by having an art style that blends an anime style and American cartoon style together.

Annarasumanara has minimal colors, which makes the pop of color here and there stand out. But what makes it unique is its visual symbolism and use of real life objects and photography. You won’t see a girl made of money in most comics.

But that doesn’t mean the first two don’t look cool. I mean:

Siren’s Lament has some of the best scenery I have ever seen. And I Love Yoo is very stylish, especially with its backgrounds. I just don’t see anything that’s…groundbreaking? They’re beautiful, beautiful Webtoons, but with the exception of a few distinct scenes, I don’t remember the art too much.

But with Space Boy and Annarasumanara…

Both use colors and unique scenes during important moments. Amy’s eyes don’t usually glow like that, and there’s rarely huge sparks. And in Annarasumanara, it’s usually black and white. Seeing the background in pink, with the figures the same, is incredibly memorable. They’re not only beautiful, they’re fresh, different, things I’m not sure I’ve seen before.

Again, I am NOT bashing Siren’s Lament or I Love Yoo. Both are amazing Webtoons with lovely art and stories. But their art…some of it sticks with me, but they don’t do many innovative things with it. I do love them (especially I Love Yoo; I should do a post on how psychologically deep and deconstructive it is), but I’m simply trying to explain how I view and differentiate the words, “beautiful” and “unique.”

Again, sorry for being pretty absent on the blogosphere, I’ll try to be better. Until next time!