Given the nature of this series of mine, I've seen many webtoons and made a lot of statements. While I have many strong opinions on webtoon in general, let it get known that lowkey changed my life. I don't think that I would be the same person without webtoon, hence why I've devoted this series to giving these stories credit and light they deserved.
There is something about talking about someone else's story that makes you want to start your own. Given that I've read webtoons for three years with probably over 50 webtoons, I naturally have had many favorites over the years, but the real question is this. What are the webtoons that I believe to be the top 5? Well, let's find this question out together as I shine the light on a mirror as I answer the question.
Note
Despite what I'm about to say, you might want to keep everything I'm about to say with the grainiest of salts. I'm a complicated person with complicated opinions. I eat shonen trash for breakfast, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate a good comedy or romance webtoon. I'm the guy who isn't the biggest fan of rwby or Fairy tail but will defend the literary genius of Yugioh to my dying day.
Webtoon wise Room of swords is the best webtoon for characterization, and The Four of them is the most down-to-earth, but both are nowhere near my top 10 if I had one. The point is it's incredibly unfair in general to judge all these series since some of them peak my interest better, some have been around longer, and others I haven't read, so this list might very well change in a few minutes.
These are my five favorites and not a top 10, and just because they're popular doesn't mean they're not good. I want to talk about these fabulous webtoons that you might like as well. With that out of the way, let the spoiling and gushing begin.
Hooky
Given this series is about to get daily passed, now is the perfect time to read Hooky. So many webtoons like this have come and gone, but I think Hooky is a series I'll truly miss with all my heart as the months go by. What started as a simple series about two witches missing school quickly erupted into a conflict unlike any other to break an endless cycle of hatred.
There is legitimately so much to gush about with so little time. First off, the art is fucking amazing; the storybook-like art style mixed in with the colors adds for some pretty distinct characterization that I love. The cast in Hooky is also probably top 5, in my opinion, as I truly felt like our main characters went from a bunch of stupid ass kids to a well-developed family of young adults.
And I think the message of Hooky has one of the most important messages of any webtoon. It's more than just a story about racism and fantasy. It's something far more important. We see who hatred affects the most and how damaging it can be to young kids through the story.
As cheesy as it may seem, peace, love and understanding is the only way any form of harmony will ever happen. This message doesn't come easy, and it isn't something that makes our characters weak by any means, as they learn this message through incredible hardship that further builds their resolve. It was a one of a kind journey that tested the limits of everyone involved.
Tower of God
Like I said in my girls of the wilds review, Tower of God holds a special place in my heart. It may not have had the best art, it may have been long, but it was still one hell of a ride catching up. When I was younger, there was this sense of euphoria sometimes when I watched a show, a sense that an endless and unpredictable adventure led me.
It is mostly gone now, but Tog made me hold onto that feeling for a while. Binge reading this series is the way to go because as the tower grows, so does the art style and the characters, to the point where I can't help but wish for every nook and cranny of this place to get explored.
But even more than that, Tower of God is a series that relates heavily to a young man who has no idea what he's doing with his life. Through Bam and Rachel, we see a story about how one finds their purpose, resolve, and ambition through the tower.
In the beginning, the series states that whatever you desire is in the tower, and while that is true, you must earn it and know what you want. Tog has an awesome cast with awesome locations, and while I haven't seen the Tog anime, I know that it's relatively well-liked. I'm happy to see manwhas finally get the anime adaptation they so rightfully deserve.
God of Highschool
If I did have a favorite webtoon, God of high school could definitely make the list. So much of the series works, but I'll make my thoughts brief. First thing's first, not only do I think this series is better than Dbz, but I also think that it's the best action webtoon I've ever read.
The usage of martial arts combined with bizarre mythological superpowers to a mythology buff is so addicting. This series really does have fun with its insane action, and no webtoon has done this well in putting actual character development through the action, which brings us to our main characters. The main trio of Mori Jin, Mira Yoo, and Dawei Han is truly something special as we see their bond only strengthen as time goes on.
The fabulous art of this webtoon never ceases to amaze me as every fight, and the major location is a spectacle. Yet, no matter how crazy the webtoon gets, it still always manages to bring the story right back down to earth. Because God of high school is a story about defining and improving oneself, there is always a limit, so surpass it. I hope the anime is a great adaptation since condensing 108 chapters into 13 episodes is a nightmare.
Unordinary
I don't know whether you guys should be proud or sad that it's been over 40 webtoon reviews, and we've never talked about this. But then again, what's the point of shining a light on a goddamn supernova? John and the endless cycle for strong and weak. I'm a sucker for shows like BHNA and The Flash, but unordinary is hands down the most realistic story of them all.
Having the main character that starts weak but then strong gives us an interesting perspective that shows the raw unfairness that this world creates. John's ability makes his opponents come to terms with their flaws and power with a combination of his corrupting frustration.
It gives us a sense of frustration as he can't seem weak or strong without power. Society's expectations of them crush the strong of unordinary while at the same time the weak are constantly beat into the ground to serve the strong. It's much like real life, but we don't have any real counter for this.
Every character gives us a unique perspective on this growing issue, making the school setting even more clever. It's a series with many moral greys, and I love how not everything has an easy answer. It makes you question the fairness in our world as well. I hope the webtoon can come up with a definitive answer to the question. Overall, Unordinary is an interesting story filled with lovely characters that I hope to get a satisfying ending.
Lookism
Look, as soon you saw my 50th spotlight, you knew this would be on this list somewhere. Lookism is many things, crazy, manic, and cartoonish. But I think we don't give it enough credit for everything it gets right. The art style evolves into something utterly fantastic. Like it or not, this series does have real-life messages and situations that can happen when dealing with Lookism. I wish I could go into it more, but I've already made an analysis explaining it, so I won't bother repeating myself here.
Epilogue
And those are my five favorite webtoons right now. Like I said before, this can change at any time, but these are still the stories that I hold closest to my heart. Of course, there are many other favorite webtoons that I'm not afraid to give my opinions and thoughts on, so let me know if you want me to do this again!