Hi,

I have two requests this time, but they probably overlap.

I really enjoy a lot of Korean webtoons, but for some reason can't bring myself to like any manhwa. I think this is because I really haven't been exposed to that much of it. But it's a little sad, haha! So my request is basically: what are your favorite manwha? Nothing overly sexual or gory, please.

My second request is about manhua. I seriously don't think I have ever seen any Chinese comics, ever. But surely there are some, right? Can anyone suggest any of these? (I am learning a little Chinese, and thus got quite interested in how it would be similar or different in terms of this type of entertainment.)

Thank you!

The only manhwa I really enjoy (excluding webtoons) is witch hunter~

https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=14809

And ofc, there are a lot of awesome manhua!

Feng Shen Ji (my favourite)
https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=73685

Heroes of Spring and Autumn
https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=85395

City of Darkness
https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=70135

There are more but I can't think right now...

Well, this whole comic VS webtoon comparison itself is a bit weird, since those overlap in these days as well.

Can't say that I've read either that much, but I like The Breaker and it's sequel The Breaker New Waves and Noblesse. Both of them have their latest chapters published in the 'net for free, so they are "webtoons", but both of them are also published on paper.

I also like Gwisin Byeolgok. I can't remember if I've even read any other Manhwa title, so I guess those are my favourites by default.

Honestly, for myself, I find most of the Manga/Manhwa/ManWhatever classification to be quite pointless. I read stuff that I find good.

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As for Manhwa Zippy Ziggy is my favorite. Manhua I don't know, there are very few of them translated and I didn't find anything interesting yet either.

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Well my favorite Manhwa is Ares. Which is violent but not gory, and has an art style many hate so I don't know if you'd like it. My second favorite is probably The Breaker also violent, but not gory, very nice art.

I also really like Trump!, and it seems like something you might like (I peeked at your lists), but its was dropped by the scanlators a long time ago.

For you I'd suggest
- Memory Eaters - is a short 2 volume manhwa, that seems similar in vibe to webtoons, even though it wasn't one.
- They, Too, Love - a comedic, high school set, ensemble following the students growth. Some light romance, only problem was the last volume was seriously rushed, they author had a major writers block abandoned it for a year (or two?) before releasing one final volume to wrap things up as best a possible. I'd still recommend it though.
- H20 - is definitely the best romance I've read.

I also suggest staying away from Hwang Mi-Ri except for Cutie Boy, her (or their) only good one. It happened to be the first I've read, and I tried many of her other works hoping it might come even somewhat close to being as good - THEY DON'T!

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As far as Manhua I haven't read much. If what you like about webtoons is the color, I recently discovered the Manhua author Benjamin who puts out full color one-volume type of stuff, really beautiful art. His stuff is kinda tragic/bittersweet though, I'd say Orange is his best.

The only other Manhua's I've read are
-1/2 Prince (Probably my favorite)
-The One - A modelling coming of age tale, really good for what it was, but I dropped it because it was getting to long for me. I definitely recommend though id it looks like your thing
(and technically the first few chapters of Close to My Sweetheart, it was all that was scanlated at the time and I never got around to reading more when new chapters were finally released so I can't comment much on it)

My experience from those few Manhuas are that the art style (except for Benjamin) is actually more similar to manga's art style than Manhwa is, so I'd think it be easier to jump into. But they also happen to all be from Taiwan (except for Benjamin), much of Manhua I come across when searching is. Since you said you want to see how similar it is to manga, keep in mind it might depend on whether it's from Taiwan, or Mainland china, or possibly any other Chinese speaking country.

Last edited by Vesey at 6:17 pm, Nov 2 2013

Manhua
Choukakou

Manhwa:
Hannune Banhada! Season 1 & 2
Nocturne (Park Eun-Ah)
Flowers of Evil or/and Savage Garden
Siesta

Manhua:
Lovely Everywhere
Choukakou
The Other Side of the Mirror
Scarlet Palace

A list lacking variety in genre due to me being an avid shoujo reader.



Last edited by Sphear at 6:49 pm, Nov 2 2013

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Favorite Art:
Oboreru Knife
19 Days
Gangsta

Manhwa:
Shin Angyo Onshi
The Breaker & Sequel

Seconded. I always like Xia Da's work, even when some of them are too short or poetic for me.

As for Manhwa:
Ciel
Immortal Regis
Shin Angyo Onshi
Novel:
The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor (Novel) & The Legend of Sun Knight (Novel)

I'll try my best to give you a diverse set of recommendations, but there's only so much a shoujo/yaoi addict like myself reads.

======== Manhwa: ==========
Saver - Exceptional swoon-worthy heroine! Strong sword-fighting heroine who's calm, collected, and charismatic, a rarity in manga. She's also not one of those "fake strong" heroines that have to end up being saved. Plus, no idealism/friendship/let's-save-everyone speeches. (Don't let the first volume fool you into thinking it's an angsty romance.) I guess the downside is the plot is pretty standard, in comparison to the character interaction.

Normal City - In general, this author writes really good stories. Interesting characters and a plot with enough twists to keep you going. Ends on a bittersweet note, FYI. I thought it was beautiful, if a bit sad, so it might not be for everyone. If you've ever read works by Shimizu Reiko, the "feel" of Kang Kyeong Ok's works are similar.

The Tarot Cafe - Dark josei with horror elements. If you've ever read Pet Shop of Horrors and xxxHolic, you've got an idea of what this manhwa's about. It starts out episodic, but you eventually learn more and more about the main characters

Talking About... - Very good slice of life JOSEI. No petty high school drama! Deals with the lifestyle and relationships of three very different women (and their men) who end up as friends.

If you read enough shoujo manhwa, you'll probably eventually encounter works by Hwang Mi-Ri & Han Yu-Rang. (Their stories, plots, characters, art are so similar, I have a hard differentiating works sometimes.) In general, their works are a hit or miss. After you've read a couple, you've read them all. Some will stand out from the others while others are so formulaic of their usual works, it hurts. If you discover you like their works, space them out, otherwise you'll get really sick of them. (Though, it's interesting to mention that Hwang Mi-ri's older works are somewhat dark, rather than mindless comedy of her recent works.) A nice starter would be Hot-blooded Woman (IMO, the manhwa that started the scanlation scene for Hwang Mi-Ri's works), but don't expect anything too deep.

======== Manhua: =========
Scarlet Palace - Seconded! Intense drama involving royalty and politics. Anticipate scheming, manipulations, and getting trolled.

Legend of the Sun Knight - It's actually not quite shounen or shoujo, contrary to whatever's it's currently tagged as. (Though it does have girly art, which leads people to get the wrong idea). No romance in sight. Great comedy/action with a very two-faced sneaky vengeful hero. (The story gets darker later on). God, I love this hero! If you like this manhua, you should definitely read the novel. It's so amazing later on. I plan on reading everything by Yu Wo. I like her works that much.

1/2 Prince - Another story by Yu Wo. I believe 1/2 Prince was her first (novel) work. Very entertaining, comical and filled with action. Strong heroine (if a bit dense/simple-minded). Subtle romance later on. Does drag in some parts though.

Melancholic Princess and the sequel Fire King - Both of them deal with reincarnation, gods, and magic in both the past and present-day China. Gives you a nice "feel" for what Chinese mythology is like (I'm pretty sure it's not based on any real Chinese myths though). I hesitate to recommend this since names/faces can get extremely confusing though. It's a shame the scanlator for Fire King disappeared. Life happens, I suppose. (If anyone wants to translate Fire King, I'll do the editing!)

Feng Yu Jiu Tian - Time-travel to fantasy ancient china YAOI. Feng Ming is one of those characters that end up growing gradually. He's somewhat naive and innocent, but he's actually quite intelligent and perceptive at times. I liked it quite a bit, so I ended up reading the novel translations found here (vol.1-2+) and here (vol. 1-3+, note: the latter translation is rough at times).
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If you have more specific things in mind, I could probably give you a better list.

Last edited by SilverStorm at 11:51 pm, Nov 2 2013