Nisfihani, renowned for her romance webtoon “Pasutri Gaje,” boasts an impressive 900 million views in Indonesia. (Image from the webtoon SNS channel)
SEOUL, Dec. 2 (Korea Bizwire) —In a world where cultural boundaries are becoming increasingly blurred, Korean webtoons are making waves across the globe, captivating readers from the United States, Japan, Europe, and beyond. The once surprising trend of Korean webtoons being serialized on foreign platforms is now commonplace, with instances of “reverse imports” bringing American and Japanese webtoons to the Korean audience.
Adding to this global phenomenon is the growing popularity of “cross-border” webtoons, where internationally produced hits find a new audience in different countries. Notable figures in this cross-border webtoon movement include Annisa Nisfihani from Indonesia and the Taiwanese artist Piann, both recognized for their contributions to this evolving landscape.
Nisfihani, renowned for her romance webtoon “Pasutri Gaje,” boasting an impressive 900 million views in Indonesia, recently shared her insights in an exclusive interview. Despite initial concerns about cultural differences, particularly when her work was serialized in Thailand under the title “My Pre-Wedding,” Nisfihani highlighted the diverse ways in which domestic and international audiences engage with her work.
“While Indonesian readers are eager to discover what happens next in the story and appreciate cute and romantic scenes, global readers focus more on the storyline, cultural nuances, and relationships between characters,” Nisfihani explained. Interestingly, she noted a common ground between both sets of readers, emphasizing a shared appreciation for handsome and reliable male characters.
Taiwanese webtoon “My Roommate, Handsome Senior (Image from the webtoon SNS channel)
Similarly, Piann, the artist behind the Taiwanese webtoon “My Roommate, Handsome Senior,” which features a Boys Love (BL) genre set on a university campus, expressed optimism about the positive reception from both domestic and international readers. He stated, “This work is based on my personal experiences in Taiwan, and I hoped it would resonate with foreign university students. Love knows no boundaries.”
Both artists didn’t initially aspire to become webtoon creators. Nisfihani, a former comic book artist in Indonesia, transitioned to webtoons in 2014 when Line Webtoon, a major webtoon publisher, entered the Indonesian market. Piann, on the other hand, discovered webtoons during his university days and began uploading his work on amateur platforms, eventually leading him to formal webtoon serialization.
The success of these artists is part of a broader trend where Korean companies, particularly Naver Webtoon, play a pivotal role in driving the global webtoon market. Naver Webtoon actively supports local creators on various platforms like Line Manga in Japan, Line Webtoon in Southeast Asia, and others, fostering cross-cultural collaborations and aiding in localization efforts.
The cross-border nature of webtoons not only allows readers to enjoy diverse and fresh content but also provides creators with opportunities to explore new markets. Popular webtoons have found significant success in foreign markets, with Piann’s series ranking near the top of the charts on Line Webtoon in Thailand.
As these creators continue to produce works that transcend borders, Nisfihani expressed her hopes for global recognition, saying, “I aspire for my works to be embraced worldwide, just like the beloved manga from Japan or webtoons from Korea.”
Due to the widespread popularity of K-Webtoons, there has been a surge in the production of dramas and movies adapted from webtoons. Notable examples include “Itaewon Class” (top), “Amazing Rumor” (bottom left), and Naver Webtoon’s “Sweet Home” (bottom center), which are highly acclaimed dramas served by KakaoPage. Additionally, the webtoon “Seungriho” (bottom right) has been successfully adapted into a movie, which was released on Kakao Page. (Image courtesy of Kakao Entertainment, NAVER)
In a world connected by the universal language of storytelling, the journey of Korean webtoons from local success to global acclaim is a testament to the power of creativity and the ability of art to transcend cultural boundaries.
Lina Jang (lina@koreabizwire.com)
