5 Webtoons Which Need a Drama Adaptation

Whilst you can read webtoons published by people from all over the world, Korean webtoons are what introduced me to this form of comic. With webtoons like Dr Frost, Orange Marmalade and Cheese in the Trap having already been adapted to drama, I figured I'd list some of the webtoon that would look really good on the small screen.

Honorable Mention: Cherry Boy, That Girl

Strawberry (Shin Dal-gi) attends a school recently turned co-ed, meaning the few girls there are worshipped like queens if they are pretty. So it sucks that the only girl prettier than Strawberry is her narcissistic boyfriend in disguise.

  I enjoyed this webtoon. Not immediately, because the main character was awful so I couldn't relate to her, even if her boyfriend was just as much of an asshole. But this webtoon went on to say good things about physical appearance and how much people, particularly teenagers, obsess over it. This webtoon didn't quite make the list because the entire last season was pretty weak, and eventually it fizzled out into a useless ending. The author probably ran out of story a little too early.

5. Nineteen, Twenty One

A girl loses two years of her life to a coma, and lives a sad existence where she still feels nineteen. She meets a nineteen-year-old boy with a sunny personality and a love for cats who teaches her how to feel alive again.

  I liked how quiet and slice-of-life this webtoon felt, which is rare for Korean drama but would definitely be done well. It's a small story that's warming to the soul. Rather than romantic comedies with all of the standard tropes, a simple love story like Nineteen, Twenty One would stand out for it's realistic nature.  

4. Annarasumanara

Yoon Ai is too poor to dream, but she once wanted to be a magician. When a rumour goes round that a mysterious magician resides in an abandoned amusement park, Ai is too curious to stay away.

  Annarasumanara was an intriguing psychological story with captivating artwork - with the right director, it could translate just as beautifully on screen. The focus on mental health is rare, and the bleak tone to the webtoon is what made it so unique and enticing. I love how it focused on the pressure society puts on students to succeed, and then covered this moral under layers and layers of metaphors you had to peel away. It was thoughtful and breathtaking, so imagine what it would be like with capable actors at the helm.

3. Bastard
Jin's Dad is a serial killer. From a young age, Jin has been subjected to the horrors the victims suffered through. Jin is forced to be his accomplice for his own survival. When his Dad targets his new and only friend, Jin decides it's time to fight back.
  I'm still mentally traumatised from reading Bastard, so I don't have enough words to describe how engaging and terrifying it was. You would need incredibly good actors to make Jin and his Dad anything near as chilling and mystifying as they are on paper. As a thriller, it would be quite similar to the level of gore in Voice, therefore I have no problem imagining this being taken up by OCN. But aside from the intensity of living in a serial killer's palm, Bastard tells Jin's coming of age story and how his first love saves him from potentially becoming a monster. It leaves you guessing and guessing right until the last moment.

2. My Beautiful World

It figures that my two top webtoons were written by Maru. My Beautiful World is about Yu-rim, a girl afraid of the darkest in people that she  can see in a way no-one else can. Then she meets Joo-eun, who quite literally lights up her life.
  Maru is a master storyteller. Everything about his works please me; the interesting characters, set-ups, and unique story lines. The fantasy elements would be easy to incorporate with some slick directing, and the drama would be a breath of fresh air since My Beautiful World's leads break all the standard stereotypes.

1. One Winter + Pinocchio
And no, I'm not talking about that Pinocchio. This is the story of Ga-on, a ghost who has wandered aimlessly without his memories since the day he died. One Winter is a short back story, and Pinocchio is about how he meets Ha-ram, a girl he comes to love devotedly.
  Pinocchio astounded me with it's heartwarming ghost romance, long before the plot twist was used in Let's Fight, Ghost and became a predictable conclusion. Maru is good at building a light-hearted feel before sucker-punching his readers with drama and tragedy. I'm sure it would make for a hit, given enough advertisement and some star power.