The Japanese anime, also known as manga, has spread to other Asian countries such as South Korea and China. In South Korea, manga is called manhwa.
AllKpop reported that on May 23 to 29, a Korean online webtoon platform held a survey among 645 users. The objective of the poll was to identify the Korean celebrities who would fit the title "Male/Female Visuals Straight Out of Manhwa."
It means the celebrity has a face so handsome or pretty that it seemed to have ripped through the ink and pages of Korean comic books.
And not surprisingly, the one who came out number 1 on the survey is “Descendants of the Sun” actor Song Joong-ki with 23.72 percent of the votes. He was followed by Park Bo Gum, Seo Kan Jun and Park Hae Jin.
Among the women, Suzy of miss A came in first place with 13.49 percent of the votes. After her came Seolhyun of AOA, Park Bo Young, Song Hye Kyo and Hyeri of Girl’s Day.
A lot of Korean Hallyu are based on manhwa. My30uplife observed that sometimes the drama is better than the original webtoon, although Korean TV viewers appreciate that they are no longer surprised by the plot when it becomes a Korean drama because they have seen it as manhwa.
The website listed to top 25 Korean dramas based on manhwa and the top five are:
1. “Boys Over Flowers” – from the manga and anime “hana Yori Dango” by Yoki Kamio
2. “City Hunter” – from “City Hunter” by Tsukasa Hojo
3. “Cantabile Tomorrow” – from “Nodame Contabile” by Tomoko Ninomiya
4. “Playful Kiss” – from “Itazura na Kiss” by Kaoru Tada, and
5. “Flower Boys Next Door” – from the webtoon “I Watch Him Every Day by Yoo Hyun Sook.