Webtoon Spotlight

Spotlight#138: Elf and Warrior

Have you ever wanted to pull off a crazy adventure? If so, then buckle up, folks, for the last spotlight of 2022: Elf and Warrior by AC Stuart and Victor Rosas II.

Ever since he was a little boy, half-elf and human Basari have always wanted to do good. Too bad he's never had many positive influences. His Uncle Hector, a former warrior now turned infamous thief,, isn't helping the cause exactly. Still, even with his lackluster magic, poor self-esteem, and lack of a support system, Basari is going to help the common folk or die trying. He'll do the latter, though.

Characters

Basari: The light side of our band of miscreants Basari is a young kid whose parents died early. Despite the tragedy and his Uncle's constant prattling, Basari has a resolutely good heart and kind demeanor. On the flipside, his youth makes him incredibly naive, anxious, somewhat incompetent, and emotional.

Hector: A former soldier for the human race, Hector is a man whose seen it all. Perhaps too much. Decades of failed relationships and harsh sacrifices have made Hector a numb observer of the world, intent on simply coasting by and stealing all he can. He continuously tries to show his nephew the works, even if a small part of his soul believes Basari's right.

Overview

Sheesh, and I thought when I spotlighted Unordinary, it was way overdue. Elf and Warrior were one of the first webtoons I've ever read, and I've wanted to cover it for over a year, but the schedule lined up. I've had multiple ideas for this series in my head, but now, with the series' more recent end, I finally have that perfected version right here.

If you've seen my spotlights on Mage and Demon Queen, 1HP club, or Hooky, you've seen something like Elf and Warrior before; a comedic high fantasy adventure comedy that features a deeper plot woven in the mix. A lot this story mainly features Basari and Hector trading their philosophies back and forth across the land.

This could make the story seem aimless with no progression, especially when we get more running subplots and side quests. We are looking back; there's a subtle development that foes on our titular characters and small details that eventually collect together for later arcs.

Speaking of side quests, though, Elf and Warrior have an incredibly diverse cast of characters. Adding to the crew, there's the nihilistic Stumpy, rebellious fish-man princess Gilly, sensible pug Pugleen, and the omnivorous Trunky. In addition, the numerous chapters tell the story of Basari's parents and, by extension, Hector's past leading to a widely expansive narrative.

Course, if the themes of classism, discrimination, mistreatment of veterans, and PTSD don't interest you, what about a comedy? Even upon rereads, Elf and Warrior are incredibly hilarious. Between the ridiculous pun game and the fact, every character not named Hector has one collective brain cell, and we get some fun moments. If I ever did make a list of the top 10 webtoon characters, Stumpy would be top 3 alone for his iconic lines.

Epilogue

All in all, Elf and Warrior is a webtoon classic. While I felt a little bored by the pace and found the ending to be a little rushed, I think it was worth sticking through the years. It's a fun fantasy romp that I'll have gun revisiting. However, with that story done, this cluster is over and, by extension, the Webtoon Spotlight for 2022.

While I know I've been somewhat sporadic given how I started relatively slow, only to extend towards these rapid-fire clusters. Despite a few mishaps and limited pushing, I can't lie and say a part of me isn't proud of what I've accomplished. However, having nearly 40 spotlights underneath my belt, most of them new series and introducing mangas and novels has made me breathe so much easier.

Through the potential burnout and tedious planning, I think I've come out of this year intent on still trying to be a better man. There are still so many stories I wish to absorb and so many I want to tell. Unfortunately, I've had to say goodbye to some formative webtoons this year, but I hope to say hello to many more. Because I think they'll make mine far more interesting. Until then, I'll let you guys have fun and see where the spotlights take us next.