Webtoon Spotlight

Spotlight #50: Why Lookism is My Favorite Webtoon Cast

I have seen plenty of different casts in Webtoon in over three years of webtoon. Some favorites that come to mind happen to be Noblesse Let's Play, Tower of God, and others. But I don't think anycast can truly compare with that of Lookism. And considering this post has been in 2-year development hell, I think that now is the perfect time to discuss why Lookism is my favorite cast in all of Webtoon.

Note

This post will be analyzing the characters and themes of Lookism and how they work together as of ch. 287, so major spoilers ahead for pretty much all of Lookism. I admit the series has problems, but I also feel like this series is more than just gay ships, wacky action, and lusting over high school students despite the show's message. To those unfamiliar with the series, here is a short synopsis.

Lookism is the story of Daniel Park, a heavily bullied loser that is fat, short, and ugly. Realizing her son's situation, his mother decides to send him to Jae Wae High School in another city. This is a new start for Daniel in more ways than one as he soon wakes up in a body, not his own! The new body was strong, fast, and, most of all, beautiful. Soon realizing that Daniel can switch between the two bodies, he decides to use this gift on a one-of-a-kind journey of self-improvement and self-discovery. Now please leave and watch this series already; I'm warning you!

Intro

Like the title says, Lookism is a story that talks about the unfair prejudgement the world grants people based on their appearances. Through its 287 chapters, we have had this message get shown in so many ways I can't even count. I won't cover everything so let's break down the most important characters, their developments, and what lessons we can learn from them. 

Right off the bat, though, I should note that almost every character in Lookism never gets forgotten, and they have surprising appearances throughout the story. That already is important since it gives numerous perspectives and depths to characters initially thought of as boring or lackluster. It's always a surprising twist that I like.

Daniel Park

I would be very remiss if I didn't talk about Daniel Park, the main character of Lookism. Because I think the fandom can sometimes get taken for granted in the grand scheme since I think he is one of the most genuine protags I've ever read. Right off the bat, one of my favorite things about Daniel is that he has every reason to be just as bad as the bullies who tormented him after he gets his new body. However, that never comes to pass as he more or less uses his new dynamic to help people in the long run.

But this doesn't make Daniel this perfect little boy that needs protection. The series points out many of Daniel's flaws, which leads to my favorite aspect of Daniel. Throughout the story, we see numerous characters that could be seen as parallels to what Daniel could've been if he had never learned. Johan of God's dog is what Daniel would be if his mother's health had taken a darker turn and if he threw away his friendships. 

Jiho repeatedly proves what Daniel would have been if he kept going on his path instead of learning from his various mistakes. Duke would be what happened if Daniel never lost his determination through his massive adversity. 

That stalker from 28-33 is what Daniel would've been like if he had laid down in pity and blamed the world for his problems. What's even better is that these characters are still very different yet similar besides the last one. This all proves that Daniel can copy his friend's moves and their examples as he starts to grow.

Finally, the beauty of Daniel's unique perspective makes it so he can get seen as hypocritical in a sense. He effectively spits in the face of the most prominent and experienced fighters in verse with his perfect body. Daniel is a creature that must overcome unfairness but must also be unfair to others to achieve his goals, which leads us to our other main characters.