WEBTOON's global export momentum continues... Animation of a WEBTOON original released in China
- , a WEBTOON original, is released as an animation on the Chinese multi-video platform Bilibili and the Netflix original series will also be released.
- Min Songah, the original webcomic creator, said, "Webcomics could be produced into animations and TV series because WEBTOON always supported creators by providing support in areas where individual creators could not do on their own."
- WEBTOON recently announced a series of collaborations with global entertainment companies, expanding opportunities for its creators.
The global export momentum of WEBTOON original series is tremendous. Recently, after announcing collaborations with global production companies such as GMMTV (Thailand), Aniplex (Japan), and Toei (Japan), the company has disclosed plans to collaborate with Chinese multi-video platforms such as Bilibili. As interest in webcomics and web novels has increased overseas, opportunities for WEBTOON creators to enter the global IP business are also growing.
On April 20, WEBTOON announced that , a popular webcomic on the WEBTOON platform, will be produced into a 22-episode animation series on Bilibili, a video streaming and sharing platform in China. Korean subtitled versions can be viewed on NAVER SERIES ON and Laftel and will be released on the same day.
Bilibili is one of China's most active video platforms and is a cultural community where many young Chinese generations gather. According to Bilibili's Q4 2022 earnings release, the monthly active user (MAU) is 326 million.
An animation based on WEBTOON's is also scheduled to be released through Bilibili in April. In September of last year, an animation based on , another webcomic on WEBTOON, was released on Bilibili. was also produced as a Chinese movie titled last year and became a hot topic with a record-breaking box office ranking of 2nd place in the entire Chinese box office in 2022.
Recently, as interest in filming original webcomics in China has increased, collaboration between sizeable local video platforms in China and WEBTOON is steadily growing.
In February of this year, Kuaishou(快手), one of China's major video platforms, introduced a short-form drama based on WEBTOON's webcomic , and in the same month, iQIYI, one of China's leading OTT also released a drama based on WEBTOON's .
is a popular webcomic serialized on WEBTOON from July 2019 to July 2022. It's the story of Lee Wonjoon, who moves into shared housing to attend college and finds out that an ex-idol, Duna lives downstairs. The webcomic was serialized in eight languages, including Korean, Japanese, English, and Chinese, and recorded about 500 million views. A Netflix series of the same title will be released starring actress Suzy Bae.
A Korean animation studio, Red Dog Culture House, handled the animation production. Red Dog Culture House is a 2D animation studio that has stood out by participating in various global projects. It also participated as the only Asian production company for the Netflix original animation series "Love, Death + Robots." As animation projects based on Korean webcomics increase, work with Korean animation studios is also rising.
Creator Min Songah of the original webcomic expressed her expectations for the animation, saying, "It really feels like a big festival when so talented people recreate the webcomic I've drawn with affection for a long time." The creator continued, "Thanks to NAVER WEBTOON, which always supports the creators and helps with things that individual artists cannot do, creative works that individual creators developed can now go into the wider world in various forms, such as animation, music, and TV series. I think being able to work with a company that a creator can trust is the greatest blessing a creator can receive."
An official from WEBTOON said, "Inquiries for webcomic-based IP business are increasing in the global entertainment industry, with a focus on adaptations. WEBTOON aims to become a trustworthy and reliable partner so that the IPs of WEBTOON creators can advance into the global market in various ways."