Webtoon Spotlight

Spotlight#34: The God of Highschool

My patience is finally at an end, no more opening gags, no more time-wasting. Today we will be talking about the undisputed king of all Action webtoons: The God of Highschool by Yongjie Park!

Summary

Everyone has something to prove, whether it be their strength, beauty, or even their loyalty. And no other event proves that event better than the official God of Highschool tournament where all your dreams can come true... if you survive. And with such a glamorous prize on the line and a far more secret plan behind the scenes, limits will get broken, bonds will get forged, and the universe will never be the same as this tournament brings a conflict greater than even the gods themselves.

Characters

Mori Jin: Our main protag, Mori, joins this tournament to prove to the world and his grandfather that he is the greatest fighter in the world. However, as the tournament rolls around and he starts facing newer threats, he soon realizes he is a little fish in a big pond. 

Despite his ordinarily happy, stubborn, child-like nature, he is a very talented fighter that is a force to be reckoned with for his enemies. And as his heritage gets unlocked, Mori will be forced to question the true meaning of strength and identity. His martial art is Re-Taekwondo.

Dawei Han: A normally calm and stoic individual, Dawei has few friends, but he is thankful to have him. Stubborn and loyal to an absolute fault as he rarely ever lets them down. He is often the glue that keeps his friends together. He initially joins the tournament to try and get the money necessary to cure his friends cancer. He often uses Kyokushin Karate.

Mira Yu: Often the most deadly and motherly out of the group, Mira initially joins the tournament to search for a strong man who can pass on her Wolfgang swordsmanship to an heir. However, after she bypasses that goal, she instead devotes herself to helping her new friends. She is the most temperamental and amoral out of her teammates, as she will often go to great lengths to protect them. Even if she never thinks she's good enough, even if it means putting herself through burdens her body and mind can't bear.

Overview

As I said before, God of Highschool is hands down my fave action webtoon, which is no surprise as it's been described as the Dbz of Webtoon. Never before have I seen a story where marital arts and superhuman feats have been woven so excellently. Every top fight of the series is breathtaking with an art style with expert shading that only improves. 

Goh uses a combination of real-life martial arts and its original fight techniques, so while you will get a Brazilain kick, it can also be followed up with a supersonic punch that can hit you a thousand times in one fell swoop. Yet, no matter how over the top the series gets, we never really lose sight of its roots. It's refreshing to have strategy and tactics mixed with overwhelming power, frantic action, and downright perfect emotional beats.

And the series knows the market precisely that it's targeting, as many of the early fights follow with a light but appropriate joke that gives you a sense of camaraderie with the characters. And that tone also means that we can let our characters show just how powerful they are with claims of country-destroying attacks often given little overall reverence. When the series does take its time to have a little bit of fun, it's always a blast.

Another often overlooked treasure is Goh's mythology. Through the magic system of Borrowed Power, characters can draw the abilities and power of critical real-life figures, mythical beasts, and even gods. 

While you don't have to know everything, I suggest you read Journey to the West as it does give a lot of context to many scenes down the line. It's versatile yet simple to grasp, and I feel like an underrated system of power that adds to the over-the-top nature very well and makes almost no battle boring or repetitive.

If I were to say any issues, it's probably in its villains, but even that little chestnut gets mitigated as the enemies become further defined and our characters more complex. While I admit they aren't the deepest Mc's, there is a lot to like this webtoon, simple yet powerful. 

If there were any themes to draw from this story, it is always to fight: to stand up for your beliefs, for your friends, your ideals, and most of all, to never settle for anything less. There is always another limit, so surpass it.

Epilogue

Despite being one of the oldest webtoons, I still hope to see it get the fame it deserves with this new anime release. It looks excellent, and I hope that with the final series arc about to ramp up to its conclusion, we get the mother of all fights to close off this incredible story.