Webtoon Spotlight

Spotlight#96: Acception

Have you ever wanted to feel like you belong? If so, then you might relate a lot to the fantabulously fantastic fashion feature: Acception by Clourbee!

Summary

High school is and will probably always be a weird place. Take away the bs teachers or exams, and you get a festering den of hormones of people who will happily tear others down to try and bring themselves up—all to satisfy an endlessly confusing path of self-discovery and to belong.

However, this all doesn't seem to apply to Arcus, the new kid in town draped in avant-garde clothing paired with rainbow hair. Despite all of his bullying and naysayers, Arcus still manages to march the beat of his drum that draws in other people.

Characters

Arcus: Our colorful main character, Arcus, is a literal ray of sunshine for those who know him. He's usually friendly, optimistic, helpful, bold, but he can also be over-emotional, overbearing, and tries to hide doubts with a smile. Despite what many people think, Arcus actually has a flaring passion for fashion and often seeks to consistently seek new looks and ways to inspire himself and others.

Maud: Acrus' big titty goth bf, Maud is often antisocial, grumpy, and harsh to pretty much everybody. However, this stems mainly from a tragic past of repeated disappointments and forcing to grow up far too soon.

Iris: On the surface, Iris is your typical high school mean girl that thinks she can get whatever boy she wants. However, beneath all the heavy makeup and filled-in bras lies a girl with serious self-esteem issues as she desperately tries to fit into the mold of others.  When she does release her fun side, Iris can be stubborn, supportive, and well-meaning while also having a lot of surprising hobbies.

Gabe: Maud's older brother Gale has all the looks of a delinquent but with a heart of gold. Due to their family situation, Gale often puts himself in self-destructive behaviors to try and help others out. Though upon meeting Arcus, Gale tries his best to become a better person.

Overview

I don't usually get to talk about this given the nature of webtoons, but I can't help but bring it up with Acception, so let's talk about fashion without further ado. I usually see the various characters in a couple of iconic outfits or have regular fashion switch-ups for simply cosmetic reasons or fanservice in webtoon.

Acception, on the other hand, ultimately manages to flip the script by having the characters mostly switch up their outfits every chapter, but at the same time keeping them very much in line with their characters. Arcus and Maud are the perfect examples of this because both of them are almost always seen in showy but also very rainbow-like colors and sheer gothic apparel, respectively, while never giving up their color schemes.

That's not always easy to do, but I love the extra mile since even if it doesn't make Arcus look like a fashionista by our standards, I can't say it doesn't overall fit with his unique character. Arcus is generally a bit of an icon in both the story and in real life. However, no matter how often he's given a label, he always wears and does whatever he wants out of genuine cursory and self-discovery, which I feel we all can learn.

I think that's the real message overall with Acception, the importance of accepting various aspects of oneself to be better. From main to minor, pretty much every character has hidden struggles or secrets to their lives that come with judgment from others.

Yet as they grow older, these characters can naturally be more open or confrontational about their issues and get better. Combine all that with the series sprinkling in LGBT representation, self-harm, beauty standards, etc. Teenagers go through all issues that never feel phoned in, and I think Acception deserves more attention.

And if all this mushy, gushy stuff doesn't sell my expert pitch, then stay for the comedy. Reading through Acception rapid fire is a roaring cavalcade of comedy. The cast is large enough to create an alive school filled with a pretty fun and lighthearted range of comedy from slapstick, banter, or just simple irony.

Epilogue

Overall, Acception is a webtoon that I've been following since its days on Canvas. I initially didn't think I would have to say, but as someone who just finished high school, I appreciate this webtoon all the more. It's not like anything mind-bending like, say, The Boxer or My Deepest Secret, but I genuinely think this is one of the stories that's so needed for any high school reader.

Or just anyone in general, self-discovery is, after all, an endless journey in a sense. And while this journey of mine may end one day, I want to be able to experience it so much longer as we keep marching towards 100. But until then, let's dress up the spotlight that will carry us into the home stretch.