Like how India has a host of literary gems which can become a bed for excellent cinema storytelling, Koreans too have a treasure trove. Their alive and thriving webtoon scene provide makers with enough content to sustain a lifetime. There are all kinds of genres from romantic to dark thrillers to zombie apocalypse. A lot of kdramas borrow their premise from them and become equally loved. Directors and writers stay largely faithful to the source material but sometimes they do add their bit to it. For example, the ending of Cheese In The Trap the series differs from the webtoon. From Chanyeol and Punch's Stay With Me in Goblin to Lee Chang-min's Love is the Moment in Heirs - 5 Kdrama Original Songs We Can Hear On Loop.
Although the webtoon fans might find such changes a bit difficult to accept, we have no qualms. In fact, it baffles us that these webtoons are so imaginative and intuitive. So today, we recommend you watch these seven Korean dramas based on webtoons and later, maybe check out the originals too.
All Of Us Are Dead - Now At Our School
The latest Korean sensation that has the whole world at their feet is high school zombie drama All Of Us Are Dead. A deadly virus turns the students of this school into blood-sucking monsters. It's only upto a handful of them to go out alive. This is the basic plot of the webtoon Now At Our School created by Joo Dong-geun and released from 2009 to 2011. You can check out an English translation of the same on WEBTOON. From Choi Woo-shik's The Boy Next Door to Cha Eun-Woo's My Romantic Some Recipe, 7 Good K-dramas You Can Actually Watch for Free On YouTube!.
all of us are dead but happy death day by xdinary heroes is playing in the background | tw : gore blood pic.twitter.com/1ogH4rDJYw
— james (@ycyfilms) February 8, 2022
True Beauty - True Beauty
True Beauty was one of the most loved kdrama series last year wherein the girl hides herself behind layers of makeup because she gets bullied due to her appearance. It has all the typical tropes of a korean drama - a fun heroine, a rude male lead, enemies to lovers twist, a handsome yet cocky second lead, some heartbreak, you get the drift! The series is based on a webtoon of the same name. It is written by Yaongyi and has been published in 2018. The reason we recommend this is because we all need a bit of love lost and found in our lives.
Hellbound - Jiok
Interestingly, Yeon Sang-ho who created the webtoon Jiok, on which Hellbound is based, is also the director of the Netflix series. In fact, there's an 11-minute anime short on the same as well created by Yeon again. Hellbound is a series about an AU where supernatural creatures drag humans to hell after their time is over. The sight is quite scary. The way the series is presented it is simply fascinating.
Hellbound webtoon vs netflix pic.twitter.com/uYaRggzPMu
— 알린 🌷 (@allynsays) October 29, 2021
Itaewon Class - Itaewon Class
Park Seo-jun's Itaewon Class was one of the most talked about series of 2020. The raw energy, the setting, the easily flowing storyline...everything left viewers speechless. The series is adapted from a webtoon of the same name written by Jo Gwang-jin.
This is the website you can read Itaewon Class webtoon in English. However, it was updated to chapter 12. Does anyone know where to read it all?#ItaewonClass #ItaewonClasswebtoon https://t.co/vq62sGdhbF pic.twitter.com/Y6Fy8yXPJu
— Hueestj (@Purple12TJ) February 9, 2020
Strangers From Hell - Hell is Other People
The Kdrama series Strangers From Hell streams on Netflix is perhaps the most psychologically brutal show that there is on the streamer. The series is adapted from webtoon Hell Is Other People written by Kim Yong-ki and is monochromatic. The reason why we recommend this is because Lee Dong-wook has turned completely evil here and with that face on him, he is perhaps the most dangerous villain in the kdrama world. Okay fine, we are a bit biased!
i forgot to say this before, but the webtoon recently licensed in english <Hell Is Other People> is the one which the k-drama <Strangers From Hell> from Netflix is based on ☺ pic.twitter.com/kq0wDz13hP
— hoy (@gingertorte) February 15, 2022
Extraordinary You - July Found by Chance
Extraordinary You is based on the webtoon July Found By Chance written by Moo Ryu and is a high school fantasy series. What's amazing in this series is the main character Eun Dan-oh is that she realises she is an extra in a manga but things happen so rapidly that she suddenly becomes the central character. It's so mindblowing to see the series unfold with each and every episode giving you a new reason to watch it again.
Si os gusta el shōjo o los kdramas de amor os recomiendo Extraordinary You muchísimo, basado en el webtoon July found by chance. No os quiero spoilear nada, pero está súper bien pensado y le da una vuelta a la trama tradicional 🌼 pic.twitter.com/tF1Y2JZLZA
— Princesa Listilla 🦋 (@legendofcelia_) December 23, 2020
Sweet Home - Sweet Home
He just wanted to be alone but he had monsters for company in this extremely shocking kdrama series on Netflix. The webtoon of same name was written by Kim Carnby and Hwang Young-chan. It sets your pulse racing everytime someone turns, someone resists and others react. Highly addictive, deeply gory!
Webtoon drama 'Sweet Home' sweeps up the Netflix charts https://t.co/rUeQMTcZou pic.twitter.com/nDmRF539pv
— Netizen Buzz (@netizenbuzz) December 23, 2020
We are pretty sure there are whole lot of kdramas made on webtoons but these are our favourite. Do share yours!
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 15, 2022 07:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).