You’ve probably wondered at some point in your life what it would be like if your favorite cartoon character suddenly appeared in front of you. How would you feel if a 2D drawing made of lines and speech bubbles materialized into a real, live person? Of course, we all know this is impossible. But perhaps the surreality of this imagination is what makes it more appealing. 

Nowadays, these surreal imaginations are getting as close to reality as they can get. “Webtoons” — a combination of the words “web” and “cartoon” describing comics uploaded onto online platforms — are being transformed into K-dramas more and more often. Many well-known K-dramas, like this year’s Itaewon Class and Mystic Pop-Up Bar, were based on webtoons of the same title. It seems this relatively new trend that developed over the past few years will continue, with Sweet Home set to be released on Netflix this quarter and a production based on the popular webtoon Yumi’s Cells announced.

Despite the seemingly increasing popularity of webtoon-based K-dramas, not all receive their share of the spotlight. Some gain an explosive response while others end without much recognition. Even those dramas that were widely promoted and were eagerly anticipated by many fans of the webtoon got neglected after a couple of episodes. So, what determines the success or failure of the K-drama adaptation?

First and foremost, the cast of the show is what draws the attention of most viewers, even before its release. Those who read the webtoon on a weekly basis are familiar with the characters, both in terms of their external appearances and their internal personalities. While it is a challenge to find actors whose images perfectly match the viewers’ expectations, casting plays a big role in ensuring the audience’s immersion into the drama. The popularity of the actors themselves also cannot be overlooked. Nevertheless, simply casting based on appearance and popularity can lead to a disaster. Since a wider variety of emotions can be expressed by a human compared to a drawing, the ability of the actor to convey the nature of the character and to express their emotions is most important. Misaeng, one of the earlier adaptations of webtoons, was successful in this regard — along with the cast’s resemblance to the illustrated characters, it was praised for the actors’ interpretations that made rather flat characters of the original work into more round, realistic characters. As such, the acting in the drama should bring characters to life for the audience.

The plot is also an essential factor. A key difference between webtoons and K-dramas is the amount of time available to develop the plot. Webtoons commonly consist of 100 to 200 episodes uploaded over years. There’s more time to establish elements including the characters and settings, and readers grow a sense of intimacy and attachment to the work over the years. In contrast, K-dramas are challenged to construct equivalently attractive characters and a solid plot within just 24 hour-long episodes. Naturally, the gist of the webtoon has to be compacted, its most characteristic elements and events picked out to be reassembled. It is this reassembling process that is crucial — the storyline shouldn’t be changed drastically from the webtoon, but it should be appropriately sped up for a TV show — and this was exemplified by Cheese in the Trap released in 2016. Despite its relatively high rating, the show was criticized for completely deviating from the plot by changing the main character in the last few episodes.

And of course, the cinematography, set, and choice of soundtrack are givens for the success of any K-drama. Even so, the degree to which the cinematography and set realize the illustrations in the cartoon is especially important in productions based on webtoons. While sticking to the original may be valuable, producers should not be entirely restricted as elements that capture the interest of viewers on TV are bound to differ from online comics.

We would assume that a webtoon-based drama could gain at least a positive response from the public simply by following these general criteria. But reviews of the same production vary immensely from person to person. Those who have not read the comic may enjoy the show, but fans of the webtoon may be unsatisfied with how it was brought to reality. Critics who want a completely familiar rendition may nitpick every difference, while others may entertain themselves by looking for new interpretations. There are always contrasting perspectives, and the producers must search for the solution that will satisfy the majority.

Transforming webtoons into K-dramas requires a fine balance between old and new. In the end, it’s up to the viewers to determine whether the adapted version calls to them. Perhaps, as with all things, a bit of luck may be the key to success.