par Plushie, février 17, 2018
110

Korean webtoons' adaptations are nothing new to us, with a variety of titles like Cheese In the Trap, Orange Marmalade, The Girl Who Sees Scents and many others that sometimes we aren't even aware they were an adaptation. However, among a sea of new, fresh ideas, I selected a few webtoons from my personal list that could end up being great watches (in my not so humble opinion).

*there might be some spoilers from the respective webtoons ahead.


 Cherry Boy, That Girl

Genres: Romance, Comedy, High School 

Cherry Boy, That Girl is about Berry, a formerly fat girl who thinks her boyfriend Darin is actually "prettier" than her. However, she ends up going to a school with so few females that she basically becomes their "goddess" due to being considered the prettiest. Overwhelmed by all the attention and tired of Darin's bad treatment of her, Berry starts to enjoy the attention of the most popular boy at her school. But Darin won't let that happen...

Why It Should Be Adapted:

  • Every character undergoes major development. Some start downright unlikeable but grow so much it's easier to cheer for them
  • A different kind of heroine. Berry is selfish, vain and inconsiderate. She's also pretty materialistic, openly enjoying what her rich suitors can give her.
  • A swoon-worthy second male leader. SLS ALERT!! But worry not, he gets the girl
  • Likeable and funny secondary characters
  • A good story about personal growth 

unTOUCHable

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural

(This one actually got a loose Chinese adaptation called I Cannot Hug You, but I'd like if it got a Korean one that is truer to the original.)

unTOUCHable takes place in a world where vampires no longer need blood to survive. Instead, they are fed by touching humans. The story is about Sia, a beautiful vampire that takes advantage of her model career to satisfy her "hunger"  due to the constant need of skin to skin contact. One day she comes across a man and is instantly fascinated by him, making her life goal to "feed" from him. The bad news? he's a huge germaphobe.

Why It Should Be Adapted:

  • A  good new take on the vampire mythos with genders reversed no less.
  • The romance is cute and well developed.
  • The story is more than it meets the eye. At first, it seems like your typical rom-com with vampires but as the plot progresses it becomes more than just a rom-com.
  • The male lead, although cold and dismissive at first, is not a bastard and is indeed really sweet when he starts to care.
  • Side characters have their own sob story to tell.

Link: unTOUCHable


Lookism

Genres: High School, Slice of Life, Fantasy

Lookism tells the story of Park Hyung Suk, an overweight, short and overall unattractive high school student that is severely bullied at school but manages to be transferred after the bullying is discovered by his mother. But will things really be different once he changes school? Luckily one day he wakes up in the body of a super attractive boy. However, his original body is still around, sleeping. The deal is: he now has one mind and two bodies! Whenever one is asleep, the other is awake and vice versa. How will it play out now that he transferred to a new school?

Why It Should Be Adapted:

  • Hot guys. Lots of them.
  • It shows the cruel truth behind the beauty standards of South Korea and how people react to it in general.
  • An intriguing plot that asks you: "what if you had the chance to be drop dead gorgeous"?
  • Multiple characters and their backstories.
  • The friendship is strong in this one. The bonds made and lessons learned to make a good youth story.
  • Hot guys. Everywhere. And bromance. Even the freaking author is hot!!

Link: Lookism


DICE: The Cube That Changes Everything

Genres: Fantasy, Game, Psychological

DICE is possibly the most original on this list. The story is about Dong Tae, someone who is lacking in "everything": looks, grades, athletics, popularity. Suddenly a new boy, Tae Bin, transfers to school and, opposite to Dong Tae, he seems to have everything. What is his secret to be so good? Dong Tae learns that there is indeed a way to make all ends meet. To be more attractive, athletic... He just needs to play the dice, and fulfill his tasks, but he soon discovers that not everything is so simple.

Why It Should Be Adapted:

  • DICE is one of the most interesting fictional games. It is presented as something relatively simple in the beginning, but as the story unravels everything gets more and more complicated.
  • The game can get some Battle Royale undertones sometimes. Not as brutal though.
  • There are different perspectives on dice throughout the story. It's not entirely villanized, but also not an entirely good thing.
  • Characters are relatable and easy to cheer for.
  • There are some pretty heavy themes like bullying, suicide, prejudice, which turns everything all the more interesting.

Link: DICE


Bastard

Genres: Thriller, Psychological, Crime

Bastard is the darkest on this list. It tells the story of Jin, an unpopular and sheltered boy who has a dark secret: his father is an infamous serial killer. Not only that but Jin also has his own share of guilt by abducting the victims and handing them over to his father to do whatever he wants before killing them.  With dark secrets like these, he barely has any will to live but soon his views start to change.

Why It Should Be Adapted:

  • It's not a mystery at all, but it's gripping enough to keep on edge and wonder what will happen and why does Jin behave the way he does.
  • Although very dark, it has sweet romantic moments. However, it's not a healthy romance by any means.
  • Jin's dad is the scariest webtoon character I've seen so far. I would love to see him in live action.
  • Everything is at least a bit twisted in this one, but even the most toxic of friendships that are portrayed here can be pretty interesting.
  • It knows how to play with your emotions. You'll at first be in horror, but then you start to feel sympathy, then you'll feel the horror again...

Link: Bastard


How about you? Would you watch any of these if they became dramas? I would love to read your opinions and hope the list was good enough.

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