Today's Webtoon (2022)

Great moments rather than a great story.

This could have been a perfect warm, cheerful, positive and destressing show with some fun and quality characters and great messages and dialogues, if it only had a solid direction of the plot. But it turned out to be a bit of a mess, with few gems here and there and a lot of unresolved frustration for me.

At first, they set the stage perfectly. We know who the main characters are and what their goals are. Who they need to fight against and what are the stakes. And then it all gets sidetracked and everything loses focus as we get more and more not well established side conflicts that are resolved in a half-assed manner.

Instead of truly diving deep into these underdogs trying to survive and strive in the company, keeping their webtoon team on board, we got a lot of random side stories and problems that were loosely related to the overall plot. Honestly, it’s the first time when the villain did not have to do anything, because the issues kept showing up even without his involvement. Things started moving forward in that aspect only in the last few episodes. Quite a weird and not engaging plot progression, if you ask me. Overall, there were just too many side plots and characters, so nothing felt truly developed and all conclusions anticlimactic.

The good point in how some messages were delivered was the fact the viewers get the "lecturing" and life lessons WITH the main character, and not delivered BY main character. Thanks to that, it never came across as preachy.

Onto the characters, On Ma Eum was amazing, until she wasn’t. Extremely optimistic and hardworking. What's important - she did not think things would just go well, she believed she could work hard to make them go well. She bet on her work, not luck. While she is a bit stuck in her "positive" world and attitude and fails to instinctually see how other people might have different approaches, once confronted, she tries to understand other people and act according to the new information.
Where her character failed was any and all interactions with Shin Dae Ryuk. Calling her approach as “ignorant” would be a compliment to how it truly went. On the surface it was all cute, nice and uplifting, but by the end, I just wanted this girl away from this child.

Seok Ji Hyung and Jang Man Cheol were amazing seniors and great mentors. I appreciated how I got no romantic vibes from Ji Hyung and Ma Eum. I loved to see their mentor-mentee dynamics. They tried to stir the pot with previews, but I learned not to trust them early on. I think we as viewers are conditioned to see romance everywhere, so even deep, platonic relationships seem to hint at romance for us.

Goo Jun Yeong might have seemed like this asshole cold main lead, but he was actually quite cute and harmless. He was straightforward with what he said, reacted well to people guiding him and took suggestions and advice to heart. He was far more open to new things than I thought he would be. It’s true that he had his ups and downs, but that’s what made him an interesting character.

All that said, with the great cast of the main characters, the one that truly stole my heart was Shin Dae Ryuk. It’s literally a crime how such an interesting character with such a complex background was not more of a prominent figure in the show. That wasted potential just makes me sad, and the conclusion to his story - mad. I don’t say it a lot when thinking about dramas, but this was truly offensive. It was so bad, I cannot even simply dismiss it as an ignorant take.

I don't have that much to say about the acting - everyone did a great job. Kim Se Jeong's existence is just unfair to us all. Not only is her singing just phenomenal, but she is also an amazing actress. She is so natural, no matter what role she takes. Also, the scene stealer, show stealer and hearts stealer - Im Chul Soo.

Production wise - typical kdrama. It was not breathtakingly beautiful, but it had some great moments screenshot worthy. Can’t remember one song, so that sums up the OST quiet well.

Overall, it was a nice watch. You know how there are some books with amazing quotes, but when you have to talk about the plot, you have barely anything to say? This drama is similar.

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Take the 50-50 chance.

Created by ‘Studio S’ and combinedly produced by ‘Binge Works’ & ‘Studio N’, “Today’s Webtoon ()” is a coming-of-age office drama with urban settings based on famous 2012 Japanese manga series “Juhan Shuttai!” authored by Naoko Matsuda which has been previously adapted as a Japanese drama with the same title in 2016. Written by debutant writers Jo Hyun Joo & Cho Ye Rang and directed by Jo Soo Won, the drama was broadcasted on SBS TV.

The story follows the lives of a webtoon editorial team that is on the verge of being dismissed due to mediocre performance in profiting a top IT company, NEON, which acquired it 3 years back. It begins with On Ma Eum (Kim Se Jung) and Gu Jun Young (Nam Yoon Su) joining the team as new recruits and soon becoming PDs in order to assist different artists. As the drama progresses, we see them struggling do their individual tasks and worrying about the team’s issues along with others, as everyone attempts to save their positions while also putting best of their efforts to comply with the artists.

Ma Eum is a former Judo player who could never look back after a hiatus following a major accident, while Jun Young is a fresher with high qualifications. Jang Man Chul (Park Ho San) and Seok Ji Hyung (Choi Daniel) are the Chief Editor and Asst. Editor of the team. Other familiar faces in the drama in major roles are: Yang Hyun Min, Ha Do Kwon, Im Chul Soo, Kim Gab Soo, Ko Chang Suk, Hwang Young Hee, Kang Rae Yeon, Ahn Tae Hwan, Kim Do Hoon, Jeon Hye Yun, Hal Yu Ri, Baek Suk Kwang, Jang Sung Yoon, Son Dong Woon, Baek Hooo Hee, Nam Bo Ra, Jang Hye Mi and Yoon Seo Ha.

Plot development is not very unusual, rather follow a feel-good flow in the premise of the office. The pilot episode created a good impression for me and the follow-up was nice. The basic elements and simple issues used to portray the odds and evens of a office worker in a webtoon editorial team and their interactions with the artists were in fact beautifully introduced and explained. The progression was smooth for a long time. I was honestly tip-toeing from the very beginning bc the comments on MDL were not very kind, but I enjoyed it till the 9th episode. However, the visible regressive changes in the flow and the quality of the story took place and that’s where you know that the writers are gradually losing it. By the 11th episodes it actually becomes boring and few aspects becomes weary and exaggerated. The ending was okay.

IMO, the debutant writer duo has done their best and it is natural and okay to be average on your first attempt, though the others in the production team could have guided them for better. The script is like half good and half bad; the first half was actually likable with good amount of creative efforts but the second half fell through badly. This is because the writers were free-minded at first but realized around the interval the manga has too much left to be told in another 8 episodes. I don’t know how good the original work is but I think I’d have not liked it much if the basic plotline of the story is actually like this. Nevertheless, the screenwriters have done a good job pouring the Kdrama essence into it.

Maker of many modern dramas of both light and intense genres, Jo Soon Won PDnim took charge of an office setup for the first time but the feel-good essence is surely preserved. The premise has been well-developed and the screenplay is well-executed. The urban vibes of the show with mostly light hue was very much suited. The sound production and screenplay editing were decent. So the directorial values remain consistent throughout.

There are 5 OSTs in the drama…
# “I FLY” by Jihyo
# “Bring it on” by Layeon
# “Today You” by O.WHEN
# “How is your day” by Kim Tae Woo
# “Walking Girl” by Kim Ye Ji

Unlike a lot of watchers who’re on this drama, I am very glad with the amount of romance. They never mentioned romance or tagged the show with romcom at all, so it’d have been okay with none of it. But its appreciable how there are several dynamics to portray workplace likings, love, attractions, confusion, infatuation, admiration, etc.
All these came in different versions and shown between different characters. Also, funny how some were mad about the makers confusing the audience with the first male lead to be paired with On Ma Eum, but no! the show wasn’t about it and their concerns were not to find lovers. The kind of chemistry Ma Eum has with the two male leads separately was beautiful; one being friend and the other being a superior. And, the way it was shown to have been both admiration from working together and attraction from spending time together, was actually realistic in many ways.

The main problem with the show was they introduced so many contexts but they failed to finish them in their due times, instead exaggerated each of them till the very end. The situations that could have been dealt with immediately and solved in a blink of moment, were unnecessarily and horribly dragged to a point that it became shabby and shoddy by the end. Extending Shin Dae Ryuk’s story and giving unnecessary twists just to fill the gaps was something I hated the most. Even Ju Young’s back story was a inessential element.

Typical tropes like family reunion, terminal illness, public opinion as well as appeasement, etc. did annoy me at points, provided that all these were accumulated in the 2nd half only. Some scenes were unnecessarily longer than required,

Final Remarks… Not a must watch but ypu could try either for the leads or if you are fond of feel-good office dramas, but don’t expect a lot because it actually turns choppy in the latter half. Anyways, I would not discredit the entire effort and the fact that it was simple and decent for 9 episodes, my overall rating will be a fair 6.5.

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Too optimistic for their own good

To be honest, when I look back again on why did I even stick around with this drama, I can't explain it really well. But I sometimes would pick up this kind of slice-of-life drama to watch while airing because it's a good palate cleanser amidst all the other heavy dramas I am watching

But, this drama turned out to be too optimistic, that it became stupid. I notice the pattern of this drama from the start, where they will encounter a conflict that will be settle in such a simple way; with few motivation words and encouragement, with the use of courage and passion. It is the typical positive drama that should have made you feel like everything will turn out okay

Well, they're just too much. And this drama turned ridiculous with what they decide on how to handle Sin Dae Ryuk's storyline. From the start I already predict they will not handle his problem really well because for so many episodes, the breakdown and panic attacks that Dae Ryuk faced are not handled well at all from any of them, especially Ma Eum who should've been the first to realize that Dae Ryuk has a serious mental health problem. Again, the drama is too positive that they even make mental health capable to disappear just like that over some few words

But it get worse, when they decide to pull a plot twist on Sin Dae Ryuk's trauma and made it all a misunderstanding, turning abuse into an act of love and turning an evil abusive mother into a sympathetic mother with serious illness, all in just one episode. That plot alone, along with how they buildup Dae Ryuk's character arc for so many episodes only to crumble him apart like that, made this drama turn from a 7.5 to a 5.5 real fast for me.

And honestly, the WebToon team claimed to care for their artist, but now that I look back, they only care for the comic that those artist are creating, not the people themselves. As I mentioned, too optimistic for their own good, too much of positive vibe and the 'everything will be sunshine and rainbow' made this drama feels so stupid.

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Watch the original instead

The best part for me was the opening scene. I hoped this went with the quirky "live actioning" their webtoons as a theme instead of copy pasting the problems from the original and dragging it to death

The original felt like Misaeng, the fl was "out of toon" with the business world since she never worked, the manga world looks detached but the editors were mentors, managers, supporters, cheerleaders and sometimes parents to manga writers
It takes several layers of attachment, social interactions "normal" workers don't usually do, and more severally our fl
But she brought a new outlook from her own experiences in life, she didn't react in ways to please the writers and instead she was sincere


And those are the things I felt lacking in this adaptation , mauem felt like a company maknae that has worked in several companies so she always had a "people pleaser" attitude. She was always bright, social, fun loving, self centered, and insensitive. She always said what's her on her mind without thinking of others

The problems were the same from the original but dragged out and boring


I loved seok jihyung the most, the world needs more bosses like him, and I'd have loved a romance focused with him

Their main big conflict was also flat.. their villain just a dude that was doing his work.. so what the company wants to close their webtoon section? one can easily make their own company. In Misaeng, the ml was too desperate for his work life to take off, and he's desperation felt raw and his connection to his position was like a baby duck finding his mom. Here, no one cared cuz honestly it'd that simple. It's just a job, there'll always be more cuz the webtoon world is successful and huge, editors won't disappear

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Should've spent more time in the drafts

I know this was adapted from a manga and a Japanese drama but I haven't read or seen either of those so my review isn't comparing the originals & is only based on what I thought watching this version. I'm a fan of Sejeong, slice of life, & webtoons so this drama was catering to my likes. From the start, this wasn't a great drama but it was tolerable enough - until it kind of wasn't & I was just finishing it because of how close to the end it was.

What I liked about the drama was seeing the issues webtoons & their artists faced. As a webtoon fan, I've seen artists talk about some of the problems presented in the drama (deadlines, unhappy fans/comments, rivalries, health concerns, etc.) so I think it's a good thing to show viewers who didn't consider those things. Maybe the problems may have come off over the top for some but, though dramatized for entertainment purposes, they do exist.

For me, I really didn't find any of the characters likeable (in terms of saying I connected with them or was attached to them) but they weren't dislikeable either - except for Director Heo (the loser antagonist), PD Kwon (who wasn't a good co-worker), Hanseul (who wasn't a supportive gf to artist Na), & Ma Eum's sister (who I found annoying). I will say that I actually found the supporting characters & their stories to be more interesting than those of the leads. (For example, I actually enjoyed Donghee & Daeryuk's storyline of jealousy & coming to terms with their own futures probably the most.)

What stopped this from being a good drama was the directing & having too many episodes. At times, the drama felt all over the place as if they didn't know who or what to focus on. There were 5 artists, & 2 rookie ones, who we were introduced to & we saw through the show but their storylines weren't balanced well. What I mean by that is they weren't really interconnected, which I had no problem with, but they'd focus on an artist only for the story to then focus on something else, & the artist would disappear for episodes before returning. Because of that, this drama could've been less episodes, like 12, especially with the main issues basically being resolved around then. (Ep 15 was when they were resolved & it felt anticlimactic the way that they were resolved & being before the final ep. At the end of ep 15, they were creating new issues to drag out something for the final ep.)

But, the main reasons why I can't say this was a good drama is because of the way toxic work culture was lowkey romanticized & how they dealt with Daeryuk's arc. From the start, for the most part, the PDs showed lack of concern for their artists as human beings. They were more concerned with making sure the artists made their deadlines than anything else. In PD Kwon's case, they tried to justify it by sharing how he used to care too much but then their previous company failed so that's why he doesn't show as much care now. (He caused a rookie artist to fall sick & kind of give up on their dream of being an artist yet he never asked her how she was doing.) A lot of the times they were trying to deliver a message & make it heartwarming, or whatever, but failed to do that because of the way they tried getting it across. As for Daeryuk's arc, I never have high expectations for dramas when it comes to dealing with mental health but this surprised me & not in a good way. They gaslight his abuse by playing it off as his mother caring for him (because handcuffing your child & leaving them home alone while a fire broke out is a way to protect them apparently) & having her have dementia so he feels sorry for her. It left me disturbed & made my rating for this drama go down.

I don't remember any of the songs used & I'm not really interested in going back to listen to them so that's why I gave music a 1 star rating. This is one of those dramas that I finished, was happy it was over, & won't remember (at least not for the good things). So, I won't rewatch again but had to give a 1 star rating. I still wouldn't consider it one of the worst I've watched but I wouldn't jump to recommend it.

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Plenty of room for improvement

This could've been a good series if the producers/director/writers had enough courage to improve on the original story. There are glimpses of potential for brilliance but just fell short and never quite hit the spot.
Some of the acting is questionable and not Kim SeJeong's best performance. Certainly not on the same level as in Businesses Proposal or Uncanny Counter. NYS awful as always. Some of the best performances came from a few of the support role and Choi Daniel's character Seok JiHyung may just be the series' saving grace as everyone's ideal line manager/mentor.
I love webtoons and I must say my favourite part of the series was getting to see great artwork every now and again.

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We can change the future if we work hard

Today's Webtoon (2022)

Likes
1. I love the first half because the workplace issues and challenges are so relatable.
2. I would love to have On Ma Eum in my team though sometimes she is too emotional. Great job for the editors to see her potential.
3. I love both editors, they were great mentors to the team. And also PD Kwon and his story. I wish the girl editor also had her own story.
4. I love the different webtoon artists. And special mention to dimpled Donghee and his story (ep 7).

Dislikes
1. Gu Jun Yeong was a terrible character for most of the story, I didn't want Ma Eum or Pomme to end up with him. But he redeemed himself in the end.
2. The rookie editors were left alone in the second half, that's why there were too many mistakes. These could have been avoided if the rookies escalated to their bosses instead of hiding the issues. The editors should have also closely watched them.
3. Sin Dae Lyug's story went for too long. I didnt like that no one tried to get him to therapy and how easy it was to resolve his issue with just an apology from his mom. Doesn't justify what she did to him.
4. Director Heo should have been fired earlier. Dont know how he gets to do what he wants and bypassing the MD.

Rating: 8/10

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It's up to you !!

I just suddenly felt like I needed ti write something about it. You know It's an underrated serues cause It was on air with lots of other popular series like Big Mouth or Adamas which made this ine so underrated. I actually watched while It was on air and you know It's not a series that you can watch each episode after the last one.

Let me tell you how it is and then you can decide wether you want to watch it or not:

1. you don't really have to expect any special story or any romance !! It's all about webtoon and how the main character is struggling with everything to move on from her previous life and become better in her new life.

2. You can smile the whole 1 hour that you're watching this series and relax and stay away from the thoughts that are eating your mind and become motivated ( maybe with some cliche also )

3. If you want to hear beautiful dialogues that are deep and meaningful between two main characters that are totally different from each other, this series is waiting for you.

4. Kim Sejeong actually did a great job acting and I think she is also a great reason for you to watch it.

All in all, I liked it but you know It's not something that you might like to watch contiually but maybe every night when you are tired of everything and you want something to make you smile, It's a good choice !

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needs developing

I just finished watching it, half an hour ago, and must i say, i am not satisfied.
I had very high expetations on this drama, mostly because everyone on tiktok was praising it. I had to see for myself the potential this drama had, after watching the first 2 episodes i was glued, like literally. It had sort of an mystery atmosphere, with the girl and white and that man from the company who was continually plotting against them. I found myself very curious about it and everyweek i would wait eagerly for a new episode. At first i wa expecting a "problems of life" themed drama. But it seemed there was love blooming bewtween on ma eun and junyeong, and i was there for it, but after some episodes it slowly began to dissapear and i hated that fact, i knew this was a "problems of life" them drama but i was rooting for them, they had so much potential, but it dissapeared and it was converted to a one sided love.

Some parts of the drama were all over the place, i was confused most of the time instead of creating a blooming love scenes, the should focused on the "problems of life", for instance that story with the comic artist who is grieving his late spouse, i felt like it was too short. The one side story i loved was the one of junyeong sister, it was the part that most touched me the most. Another one that touched me the most was Shin Dae Ryuk story, i understood that one the most, child trauma is something that needs to be talked about the most

Do you know the satisfied feeling after watching a kdrama, i didnt feel it with this one. Other people ma like this drama, but i don't. It was good, but just in some parts

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Great potential dragged out pointlessly

Okay, firstly this drama shouldn’t have been sixteen episodes at all. I don’t think we would have had so many emotional arcs if it was 12 or so. I enjoyed the first Episodes quite a bit and then the charm fell off. While the FL is bright, cheerful personality, it doesn’t naturally come off. The writers intention to portray positivity in a workplace seems almost one dimensional. Any character who struggles to enjoy their work and sees it simply as their means to make money is pushed into a direction to feel for it. But this isn’t the biggest issue I had with the story or the characters. What annoyed me the most was how abusive characters were given so much leeway! The abuse they inflict on other characters is seen in an almost sympathetic lens. I’m sorry I don’t care if they have a sob story which justifies their behaviour. It doesn’t matter because their actions are horrible towards others. Especially with the employee who nearly gives up her dream, and the artist Shin and his abusive mother. The latter was the last straw, I simply couldn’t get behind the forgiving arc they were playing for her.

I wish the drama delved more on the plot than emotionally connecting the characters together, would have been so much better if they focused on healthy ways of healing instead of pushing the abused characters into forgiving the abuser arc. If you want to watch something without this emotional abuse romanticised, do give the Japanese version a watch. That’s so much better than this adaptation!

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Tangled web of subplots with bonus bait and switch

This is not a bad show but it could have been better.

From advertising to the opening sequence and during the first couple of episodes, Kim Sejeong was the focus and it was assumed that the show is her starrer. However, once she join the webtoon department, her role faded into the background and she was just a rookie in a small struggling team. A lot of her "jobs" are quite mundane and largely involve putting out spot fires involving webtoon artists. We do see her growth but other aspect of the storyline suck the oxygen from her narrative.

This is a natural segue because the collection of artists are actually a lot more interesting than the FL. They are a diverse bunch but some are neurotic prima donnas. The Show does try to shine a light on how much hard work is involved in the creative process and the constant grind just to meet the deadline which I appreciate.

So rather than the show focusing on the FL, it is really an ensemble show with the plot switching from office politics to dramas with the talents and then occasionally we get a bit of the FL's backstory. That would have worked ok but some of the narratives involving the artists are tropey and flow oddly. One particular subplot involving a young male artist was very impactful and troubling but the Show whitewash the issues in the end. That was disappointing and feels like a cop out. Other times the subplot would end abruptly only to have the character pop up again several episodes later involved in a different subplot. It all sort of pulls together towards the end but it does make the show feel scatty.

A relevant but minor issue is a lack of romance. This show is definitely made for it. There are multiple possible pairings but nothing concrete happens. There are some side-eyes and meaningful looks but everything is literally left unsaid. Even the "confession that has to happen" is last minute and unanswered. I'm not saying that all shows need to include love lines but this show tease us constantly and delivers very little.

Acting wise, it is generally decent. The more experience actors anchored the Show but some of the roles are tropey and one dimensional. Even unto the end, I'm not a 100% clear on the efficacy of the male and female leads. Yes, KSJ is technically the FL but her role is marginalised and lacks depth. She laughs and cries on cue but she is hardly the focal point. Ditto the 2 male actors who can be considered ML's but doesn't seem to want the job either. LoL

Now that I have finished the show, I can actually say that it is watchable but I would have enjoyed it more if the show was more upfront about its genre and composition rather than try to capitalise on the popularity of KSJ.

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Delves into the Webtoon Industry and give behind the scenes knowledge

I think that the Korean Drama ‘Today’s Webtoon’ is a special hidden gem. It stars Kim Se-Jeong (Business Proposal) as On Ma-Eum, and Nam Yoon-Soo (The King’s Affection) as Goo Jun-Yeong.

Fresh from her starring role in the RomCom Business Proposal, Kim Se-Jeong moves from high energy comedy to expose her softer realistic side as a personal developer of young Webtoon cartoonists in ‘Today’s Webtoon’. Kim Se-Jeong, playing On Ma-Eum, could not be a more empathetic drama character. I love her strong presence in this Korean drama. Empathy means the ability to wear the other person’s heart in your chest. On Ma-Eum really understands her young creative charges and really knows what they need. She garners the romantic attention of everyone looking for a safe haven. Nam Yoon-Soo plays Goo Jun-Yeong, who is the exact opposite in personality. He is too logical to understand feelings, but senses that he should latch on to On Ma-Eum. Goo Jun-Yeong is a business genius a tactician. You will not know whether to love or hate him. This drama also has great music. Stick with this one for the long haul. It just keeps getting better and better with each episode.

The character I am most drawn to in ‘Today’s Webtoon’ (because of the realistic rawness) is Sin Dae-Lyug. Few people understand a Webtoon genius and how to soothe that quiet beast within. In this drama, all of his Webtoon storylines are very dark, but autobiographical. Sin Dae-Lyug is played by Kim Do-Hoon from ‘My Absolute Boyfriend. His performance is very gritty and emotional and it may put him on your list of young talent for which to watch out.

What ‘The Liar and His Lover’ did for explaining the Music Industry, ‘Sh**ting Stars’ did for explaining the intricacies of handling the egos of drama stars in the Drama Industry, ‘Today’s Webtoon’ will do this for Webtoons. This drama explains the ins and outs and back door cutthroat dealings of the Webtoon Industry, while showing how creative genius Cartoonists are cultured as Webtoon Artists. Each drama character has his own dynamic backstory which adds richness to the drama. While enjoying this Korean drama, I learned so much about design and production of web cartoons, how to develop them, and what makes one web cartoon fun while another one is not.

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