Webtoon Spotlight

Spotlight#100: Webtoon

Have you ever thought I would make it this far? If so, then I'm glad to report that after dozens of webtoon reviews (that, unfortunately, don't add up to 100), we are finally reaching the one-hundredth spotlight! I've thought long and hard over what I wanted to cover for this special occasion, and I think there's no better place than to shine a light on webtoon itself and my experiences with the app. So let's jump in.

How it all started

Back in the odd year of 2017, a close friend recommended the app after he spent six months on the app beforehand. While he did give me some recommendations, I ignored them all to read my shit because I ain't no sheep. From there, webtoon became part of my daily life. Eventually, in Spring 2019, my love for webtoon got so great I then pondered about making a series based around them. 

At that point, I was already working on multiple stories across Wattpad, but nothing that spoke to my more opinionated side. I wanted to shine a light on stories I felt deserved so much more in a time where webtoon didn't get as well advertised as it is now, which brought me to the here and now. The rest, as they say, is history.

The Rabbit Hole

My first two years on webtoon were my strongest in terms of reading. Almost ravenously, I would spend it reading a whole lot of stuff that makes me a little nostalgic given my recent acclimation to college. From the big manhwa like Tower of God to even the tiny slice of life stories of the Four of Them, I loved the wide representation that webtoon had.

I love how Webtoon started was originally for manwhas but became a place for creators of all different sexualities, backgrounds, and races worldwide. And by extension also create a community of reactors, fans, and creators with deep connectivity.

Hell, some of my favorite webtoon moments aren't even a top comment or epic chapter. Instead, it's when I get to see a huge collab between a bunch of fellow webtoon creators. Or a Q and A chapter that celebrates the large fanbase. Stuff like that is something I genuinely wish to do if I ever get my time in the spotlight. Still, nonetheless, I'm simply glad that webtoon, by extension of its growing popularity, gives content creators the chance to show out a little. Which, I guess, leads to an obvious question.

What does Webtoon mean to me?

While this question itself will probably change in the next few years, as it has now, I think Webtoon both consciously and subconsciously helped me become a writer. Of course, other factors were very much in play. However, I do think that the influence was still there. While I always loved stories, most "comics" and stories I read came from Amazon, which, while fun, became expensive. With Webtoon, though, I was capable of experiencing a larger variety of stories from various creators.

Stories with people who just wanted to create stories that I also wanted to tell to a wider audience motivate me to improve my writing and show me I can live my dream. I want to create stories that touch and impact people someday through my words.

And that's not to say that I think Webtoon is perfect; I'm well aware it's not. The barriers of entry for canvas webtoons to become featured are small, and bots are an increasingly more significant problem. The daily pass system is something I'm still not a fan of, and, of course, not every day webtoon promotes the cleanest of messages. Also, the webtoon anime leave much to be desired. There are still many improvements that Webtoon can and probably should make.

Nonetheless, like any true fan, I can't understate all of the inspiration, motivation, and ideas this app has given me. Without it, I probably wouldn't be making the blogs on the Drako Files or even reading other various mangas regularly. And while I don't read Webtoon as frequently as before, the impact is still plenty there.

Epilogue

Overall, Webtoon still brings a lot of emotion out of me. I'm glad that something that started as a series for fun erupted into one of my popular stories. I know that a lot of my earlier reviews are still basic (lowkey, I was throwing shit at the wall and seeing what stuck), which makes me thankful that so many people supported me nonetheless.

Ironically, I could also bring out other people's love for webtoon by spotlighting other webtoons. I only hope to recommend and voice other webtoons as I keep spinning the spotlight.

 Either way, I'll continue creating and innovating while giving these webtoons the respect they deserve. 2022 is going to be a crazy year for the spotlight. I hope you all are there to see it. Let's bask in the light together.