webtoon

The Economist: Japanese Manga are being eclipsed by Korean webtoons

Tuesday, December 13, 2022


Article: Economist says Japanese Manga are being eclipsed by Korean webtoons

Source: Money Today via Naver [Economist article]

1. [+296, -22] You could combine all of the Korean webtoons together and still not come up with something that is even comparable to 'Naruto'. No need to even mention stuff like 'One Piece'.

2. [+160, -7] What are they saying? 'Pokemon' is one IP alone that makes $4 billion a year. The Japanese manga market and Korean webtoon market aren't even comparable ㅋㅋ you could actually combine every webtoon market globally and still not be able to beat 'Pokemon' ㅋㅋ Perhaps they're getting their markets from the actual manga book market shrinking and thinking that's the decline of Japan's manga generation? ㅋㅋ If you're going to add 'Itaewon Class' being turned into a drama, then you should include the sales that Japanese manga characters bring in through merchandise too ㅋㅋ

3. [+78, -9] 'Demon Slayer' alone makes 600 billion

4. [+73, -10] Just because Korea's had a few webtoons become hits doesn't mean we're even close to the Japanese animation market

5. [+14, -2] But I did see a 'True Beauty' poster hung up on Akihabara... and I thought that we had finally reached the end of the world when I saw it

6. [+11, -0] Come on, this is embarrassing and not factual... we're not comparable...

7. [+11, -2] Korean webtoons are beating Japanese mangas? ㅋㅋ Most of these webtoon plots are rip-offs of Japanese mangas with all the same themes of past lives, supernatural powers, etc... As much as we loved to tease Japan for its ridiculous themes, we still went ahead and copied them 

8. [+9, -1] Japanese mangas are created with care and craftmanship, and the messages they impart stay with you for a long time whereas Korean webtoons are made for commercial value so after all the flashiness fades away, you don't even realize what happened in it..

9. [+8, -1] I think the main difference lies in the fact that Japanese mangas are difficult to translate into live action whereas Korean webtoons are very easy to turn into dramas...

10. [+6, -1] Articles like this make me feel embarrassed. Are webtoons like 'Itaewon Class' and 'Reborn Rich' popular internationally? Or are 'Pokemon', 'Naruto', and 'Dragon Ball Z' more popular? Can our webtoons even compare to the likes of 'Attack on Titan'? Maybe something like 'Squid Game' would stand a chance. Rather than 'Itaewon Class' the Bongchundong jumpscare ghost is probably more famous with foreigners.

11. [+6, -2] Sorry to say this but all of the Korean webtoons combined couldn't live up to 'Demon Slayer'

12. [+5, -1] Comparing our webtoons to Japanese mangas is like David and Goliath

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