News culture Solo Leveling, Tower of God, The God of High School … the Webtoons not to be missed

High Shool Mercenary

This overview of webtoons begins with High School Mercenary or Mercenary Enrollment (Iphagyongbyeong / 입학 용병 from its original title) published from 2020 by Naver in South Korea and in 2021 by WEBTOON in France. This manhwa scripted by YC (I Kill Zombies in Wasteland, Living Will, Memoria, etc.) and illustrated by Rak Hyeon takes for framework a familiar environment, that of a high school student … with one difference. Ijin is not an ordinary teenager. Supposedly dead following a plane crash, the latter returns to his family after 10 years of absence, a decade during which he survived as a mercenary. A new challenge now awaits him … to lead a normal life. No animated series adaptation has yet been formalized (September 2021). Not even a rumor arouses the curiosity of fans.

• Read High School Mercenary

Omniscient Reader

Omniscient Reader or Omniscient Reader (Jeonjijeok Dokja Sijeom / 전지적 독자 시점 from its original title) is initially a web novel written by Korean author Sing N Song. This apocalyptic fantasy story is subsequently adapted into a webtoon with UMI for the script and Sleepy-C for the illustration. This manhwa published in 2020 by Naver in South Korea and by WEBTOON in France tells the story of a young author who after finishing his novel, a publication that has remained confidential, sees his life change the day the world describes through 3149 published chapters become reality. In this post-apo universe, he is the only one to know the unfolding of events in their entirety, and to be able to influence them. A Live Action film saga adaptation by Munpia and Realiza Pictures is currently in production. Five films are already planned. No animated series is currently on the agenda (September 2021).

• Read Omniscient Reader (French translation)

Nobility

Now make way for vampiric beings and genetic mutations with Noblesse scripted by Son Jae Ho and drawn by Lee Gwang Su. This webtoon published between 2007 and 2019 by Naver in South Korea takes place in a universe of Dark Fantasy, and tells the story of Cadis Etrama Di Raizel. This nobleman with uncommon supernatural powers wakes up from a long slumber of 820 calendar years, and discovers our contemporary world, but this time of peace is about to end with the arrival of enemies determined to eliminate him. . Among the various animated adaptations of Noblesse, it is worth highlighting the 13-episode series produced by the Japanese studios Production IG (Ghost in the Shell Arise, Pokémon Origins, Psycho-Pass, etc.) and broadcast on Crunchyroll during the last quarter of 2020.

• Read Noblesse (English translation)
• Buy the manhwa Noblesse on Amazon (French version)

Solo Leveling

The origins of Solo Leveling or Only I level up (Na Honjaman Rebereop / 나 혼자만 레벨 업 from its Korean title) resemble those of Reader Omniscient. This web novel mixing action and fantasy was born in 2016 from the pen of the author Chugong. Completed in 2018, Solo Leveling was quickly adapted into a webtoon by the Redice (or Dubu) studios, and was a resounding success in its native land. This manhwa published by D&C Media and Kakao in South Korea, and Verytoon (Delcourt) in France depicts a world victim of the appearance of portals from which hordes of creatures emerge. In return, some humans are given supernatural powers in order to repel the threat. Solo Leveling focuses more particularly on Sung Jin-woo, a hunter of lower rank who, by a combination of circumstances, will obtain the status of “player”. In a universe where the aptitudes of each are capped, he is the only one able to increase in power without knowing any limits. Warner would be interested in its adaptation in drama, that is to say a series in real shooting. Anime level, Solo Leveling is for the moment at a standstill, despite a fan petition on Change.org. However, it would be surprising not to see an animated series land in the more or less near future.

• Read Solo Leveling (French translation)
• Buy the manhwa Solo Leveling on Amazon (French version)

The Boxer

We put on the gloves, and step into the ring to face The Boxer (더 복서 of its original title) edited from 2019 by Naver in South Korea and in 2020 by WEBTOON in France. This manhwa scripted and illustrated by Jeong Ji Hun is to a lesser extent reminiscent of one of the most popular sports manga, and more precisely boxing manga. Fans of Hajime no Ippo should immediately take an interest in this work, and find certain similarities in it. The Boxer focuses on Yu, a professional boxer also called The Devil and placed under the tutelage of the legendary trainer K. This manhwa with a graphic style identifiable at first glance tells the evolution of an athlete from the status of outsider (or underdog) to that of champion in the making. No adaptation whatsoever in live action or animation has yet been announced (September 2021).

• Read The Boxer

The God of High School

We stay in the ring to face another webtoon focused on action and martial arts. The God of High School (Gat Obeu Hai Seukul / 갓 오브 하이 스쿨 from its original title) is a manhwa by Park Yong Je published in 2011 by Naver before arriving in France in 2019 on the WEBTOON platform. The 517 chapters (series still ongoing as of September 2021) focus on the character of Mori Jin. This 17 year old teenager, disciple of a martial art by the name of re: taekwondo, wants only one thing … to become the strongest. One day, he is invited with his classmates, experts in karate and saber, to participate in a tournament between the best high school students from all over the country. The winner will see his wish come true, regardless of the nature of the latter. This is the reward promised to the victor. A 13-episode animated series produced by Japanese studios MAPPA (Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan Final Season, etc.) was broadcast in South Korea, Japan as well as on Crunchyroll during the summer of 2020.

• Read The God of High School

Tower of God

This journey to the lands of South Korean comics ends with one of the pioneers who paved the way for many of the works cited above. Tower of God (Sinui Tap / 신의 탑 from its original title) is a manhwa by the author SIU (Cloud Atlas) edited since 2010 in South Korea by Naver and 2019 in France by WEBTOON. This ongoing series with 486 chapters on the clock (September 2021) follows the adventures of Bam, a young boy who has always lived with his friend Rachel at the foot of a huge tower. When this one disappears, Bam is devastated. He then decides to enter the famous Tower and climb it without being officially invited to find Rachel at the risk of losing her life along the way. Tower of God was adapted into a 13-episode animated series by Telecom Animation Film. The latter was broadcast in spring 2020 on Naver Series On in South Korea, then in Japan, as well as on Crunchyroll In Occident.

• Read Tower of God
• Buy the manhwa Tower of God on Amazon (French version)

+ Webtoons to discover

• Jungle Juice
• The Boy with the Gun
• The Tutorial Tower Expert
• unOrdinary
• White Blood

Discover the KBooks label from Delcourt editions on Amazon