I've recently caught the Korean webtoon fever, however, I think I've hit a dead end.

Criteria:

- Main male lead (but it doesn't mean it has to be shounen/seinen)
- Mystery, that somehow involves main MC lead, regardless of whether it's his past or the overall situation.
- Good/interesting plot that does move.
- You can't stop reading it factor.
- Contain a combo of: action/adventure/drama/friendship/super-natural/family elements. Doesn't have to be all of them.
- No long battles (for they bore me).
- Less romance, the better. Bromance is okay.
- NO hentai, mature, yuri, yaoi, BL, ecchi, harems, etc. and etc.

Looking for webtoons like:
* Automata - This is one of my top favs right now for webtoons. Has that sense of mystery and pacing that I'm looking for.
* Lessa
* Black Haze
* Crepuscule
* Soul Cartel
* S. I. D.
* The Flow: Stream
* Divine Bells
* Accord
* Fantasy World Survival - This one is okay, but it's more a mystery of each of the characters' backgrounds since it focuses on being a comic adaptation of just about any RPG you've played (that lacks a deep complex story). Yeah, not really looking for a webtoon based on RPGs.

Definitely not webtoons like: Noblesse, Kubera, Magician (KIM Sarae), and Tower of God. The only exception of webtoons like those is Ability, made by the creators of Noblesse. That's the only one that I'm tracking, however, the MC just never catches a break. Not the type of story blueprint I want to re-read in another story.

With that said, I'm sure you guys can recommend something for me that I've yet to discover. Thank youuuu (before I go crazy)!!

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Male lead required, little/no romance (but bromance? ugh), you dislike a few of the better and most notable web comics, no yuri/ecchi/harem, etc... sounds to me you just don't like good things TC, lol. There's not exactly a huge selection for you to be so picky over.

Whoa, there's someone who likes Ability more than Noblesse? (not criticizing your choice, just the first time I came across that I think ^^; )

Well if you like mystery, check out anything by Team Getname. I really liked Hanged Doll and Melo Holic, but if you want more supernatural check out City of Dead Sorcerer.

... Under Prin maybe? It has a bunch of girls though. Not That much romance though.

But yeah, your criterias do narrow down stuff a lot (though, what you like is up to you), Tower of God and Kubera are among the webtoons with the best mystery components (as of now, Tower of God is shaping up to be a veritable conflict between many factions with their many sub-plots, and Kubera turns out to be an epic mystery tying the past of a dozen characters over several realms, several planets, several generations, at least 500 years, and half a dozen races).

Still, I kind rather understand if you you don't like long battles (kind of eliminates Tower of God though its battles aren't long, also eliminates stuff like Trace, The Breaker and its sequel), and only want male leads (crosses off Kubera, though there are 10 main characters and 6 of them are male).

Last edited by Mizura at 5:20 pm, Sep 13 2013

Appreciate your responses/understanding so far.


^________^ *crosses arms* I'm a girl. Now, why would I like something with yuri/ecchi/harem/etc.? Heeeh..... As for the other more "popular" webtoons, not necessary will they be better for me, in my own opinion, as my tastes will differ from other readers. I don't always see something that's popular = good storytelling. Some of the popular ones have dragged out fights, which are ones I rarely find interest in unless they have something beyond that that's worth redeemable. I like to see more talking/drama and plot progression. Not to see people always constantly trying to get stronger as a motivation for living or revenge.

And bromance = guy friendship. Nothing wrong with that. It's pretty much a story that contains a majority guy party with a few girls like in the manga, Karneval. However, that doesn't have to be a requirement. I don't mind some romance too, as long as romance isn't a major focal point. That's all.

As picky as my criteria sounds, I'm sure there are other stories out there. I didn't name others that I've come across that have somewhat alright stories. But, some of those have strength focused stories so not what I'm looking for over here. Perhaps, I forgot to put down "psychological" as another optional genre, but ehh.. That always goes hand-in-hand with drama.


Well, I only took a tiny peek at Noblesse a little (---that was when I was a webtoon newbie---), but I understood from people's responses of a lot of fighting going on so I kind of had an idea of how that went. The story doesn't really bite me as much as Ability does, which is kind of funny, eh? I came across Ability without realizing they were made by the same Noblesse manhwagas. Then, when I did find out, I was like.... "ooooooh. No wonder the MC is constantly being dragged into fights and the plot progression just goes slowly." However, I just like to find out That's why I'm sticking with Ability until its end. It is my only exception. ^_^

I thank you for your recommendations. I did give Kubera a shot awhile back because a lot of people kept saying it's good. When I started reading it, I ended up being a little bored, but that's just me on it so I had to put it on a pause. (Guess it's not my type of story or the characters? Something about it didn't click for me. Oh well. )

I've also read a little bit of City of Dead Sorcerer. It's interesting, but I will have to get use to how the MC dresses. Yeahhh... (I wanted to give him a haircut..., badly.)

As for the other ones you mentioned, I will check them out. Thanks again! :-D

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The Vampire and the Bachelor Next Door is the webtoon i look forward the most for new releases. It has a romance tag, but not so much yet tho.

One of the reasons I like it, is because I have no idea where the manhwaga will take the story, feels totally open to me.


Black Wind is also pretty interesting, but a bit slow so far in my opinion. Has mystery, supernatural stuff and no romance so far and male lead.

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^ Thank you!

On a side related note to Black Wind, I always pass by it in the webtoon listing site, but never got around to reading it. I should check it out....

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Nam gi-han to be an elite
Wonted
TAL

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Ah, Kubera is a bit peculiar, you literally have to read it as a mystery series, or it will seem as interesting as trying to read a detective novel as an action series (which is to say, not much ^^; ). 80% of the fun in Kubera is piecing together all the pieces of the puzzle by connecting all the flashbacks. There are several major dates in the past, and all of them hint at events much bigger than what's currently ongoing. Many adventures have a small mystery component, but it's usually just "x years ago, bad guy y did z", but in Kubera, you have a whole history of successive events affecting all the characters differently, and you slowly discover them through their individual points of view. None of the characters are really villains: depending on the point of view, you will see the same character in very different ways, ranging from a really good person to a heinous hypocrite, which is something else I find really interesting. (Sagara for example seems like a total b*tch, but you'll find yourself agreeing with her point of view)

So anyway! Psychological you say! Then:
Dr. Frost - Psychologist. ^^
Peak (IM Gang-hyeok) - Mountain rescuers, actually, with a heavy psychological component. And manly guys everywhere. <3
Twelve Nights - There's a sort of romance going on, but um... you'll see. The girl feels like a third wheel. Gorgeous art.

A few other series that might fit:
Knight Run - I don't read it, but I know a bunch of people who love it for its psychological aspects
DICE: The cube that changes everything - I haven't read this yet either, but maybe it fits?
The Gamer - brand new series, only two chapters out so far
The Dragon Next Door - Comedy slice of life, but cool so far

I wish Tal would get off hiatus. :\ And I wish Lessa didn't use a term as stupid-sounding as "Deman", I can't get used to that. v_v;;

Anyway, Divine Bells is one of my favourite webtoons as well, but apart from that we seem to have different tastes, so just see which ones you like. ^^

Thanks.

I am reading Wonted. I just didn't put it down in my list in the OP.



I see. So that's the trick. I really do have to read it as a mystery series (so like, forgo the action in a way)? Interesting. Ok, I will try to do that when I feel up to it. :-D Appreciate that suggestion.
As for super annoying whiny or hot-headed characters, yeah... I've had my fair share of them, but as long as they develop or have a reason for being that annoying, I tend to like them after learning about their backstories. (However, certain characters of any story/manga/manhwa, who don't change, will get a nice "present" from me. Mwahaha....^___^)

Thank you for more recommendations! I'll be taking my time examining each and every one of them.

Yeah, the "Deman" term can be a bit jarring. I got use to its spelling after some time, but I sometimes have my mind switch it to "Demon" just for the heck of it. (I've seen other webtoons with either crazier spellings, grammatical errors, or a lot of typos so uh... I went with the flow. )

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I'm glad You got used to "Deman." But still, each time I see it.... T_T

You don't Have to read Kubera, there's still individual taste to take into account. ^^ But yes there's a trick to reading it. In most Shounen manga, flashbacks are mainly used for dramatic effect for a person's death, but in fact, the flashbacks in Kubera serve several layers of purpose:
- To show the character's inner thoughts
- To reveal the history of the world (through the character's POV)
- Also to hint at plot points, that even the character may not be aware of

As examples:

Similarly, Asha's flashbacks are scattered throughout the series, but if you piece them together, you can guess at the enormous things that happened on Carte back then (more than has happened on Willarv so far), though for now you still only have a rough outline. By chapter 99, you'll realize that what's happening is on a whole different scale than appearances so far.

Keeping track of what happened to several dozen characters (even minor ones turn out to have much bigger roles than you thought) across several centuries will turn out to be a confusing exercise, but if you manage, the story becomes many times denser than what you see in the present. In fact, Kubera is a story where the older chapters become "better" with each re-read, because you notice a Lot of things that you didn't at first.

^ So, it really is that kind of story. I'll just have to be patient with Kubera. I also don't mind giving it a second shot. I'll see if it grows on me or not, but the way you're describing it is usually the storytelling I try to find in a lot of the manga/manhwa/webtoons I read regardless of genre. I didn't progress far in Kubera so I probably didn't see the "first" mystery yet. ^__^

And yes, I avoided that giant spoiler box. (Sorry.... Aaahhh...) I appreciate you taking your time typing it all out. o.o To make up for that. I'll come back to this thread one day, after reading a lot of Kubera, and read what you've typed in there. ^_^

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