But manga is a general term used to describe it all.Īs mentioned, mangas are typically read as physical books. Further, in Japan, they also use manga to refer to anime-which is a term most international countries refer to television adaptations of mangas. It refers to the cartoon, comics, and animation style that these specific books held. Though they have a long history dating back to the 12 th century, the term manga itself originated in Japan around the 18 th-19 th centuries. They are also most often found as physical books. Most often, mangas are black and white-very rarely will you see them made with color-and they are read right to left. What are Mangas?Ĭompared to webtoons, mangas take on a very different visual appearance. It’s just that they’re not always that surprising to read. This doesn’t mean they’re repetitive, though, each webtoon dives into a theme in their own unique way. There’s almost a lightheartedness to them most end up the way you expect them to and they stick to a lot of themes that gain views and likes. Though this isn’t completely true-there are webtoons for nearly every genre, including Action, Comedy, Romance, and more-there does seem to be an overarching feeling to webtoons that mangas don’t delve into. Many have said that webtoons tend to stick to similar themes and genres. Other popular sites for English translated webtoons include Tapas and Lezhin Comics. For translated versions or webtoons in the English language, you can check out the Line Webtoon app or website (a worldwide service from NAVER-it translates webtoons into various languages, not just English). The most popular websites for Korean-language webtoons include KAKAO Webtoon and NAVER Webtoon.

To read webtoons, you can visit various websites or apps through your computer and phone.

Image from “True Beauty” Webtoon on NAVER Webtoon Some incorporate music to listen to while scrolling, but not all of them do. They’re most often read from top to bottom, left to right. They have vertical layouts, adaptability for various devices, and appealing colors. They originated in South Korea around the 1990s/2000s as computers and smartphones started gaining traction.īecause of their digital nature, webtoons are designed specifically with scroll-related features. In the most basic definition, webtoons are digital/web comics. From the way they’re read to the genres the encompass, they are both great in their own ways. While webtoons and mangas are similar enough for readers to switch between them, they each have their own unique characteristics.

Toon wars