Loved Viral Hit Anime? Here's Where You Can Read Webtoon It's Based On

Summary

• Viral Hit is a new anime that has gained a lot of popularity.
• It is based on the Korean webtoon of the same name.
• The comic is available on all Naver platforms.

Not long ago, a new anime from a relatively obscure Japanese animation studio landed on Crunchyroll. But despite the studio's low profile, the title is based on an extremely popular Korean comic. We're talking about Viral Hit, whose original comic, published by South Korea's Naver Corporation, managed to rack up a total of 2 billion views less than 5 years after the first chapter was released.

It's an action thriller that explores crime in contemporary South Korea, as well as the many issues faced by today's younger generations in light of an all-consuming entertainment industry and rising societal expectations. And if you're interested in checking out the Korean original, today we're going to talk about where and how to read the webtoon that the Viral Hit anime is based on.

What Is a Manhwa and What Is a Webtoon?

Before we get to the question of the comic itself and where to read it in 2024, it's worth understanding a few South Korean-specific terms. After all, the term 'comic' itself is usually replaced by words like 'manhwa' or 'webtoon'. So what do they mean?

Manhwa basically refers to all comic books, graphic novels, and digital comics published in South Korea. The word is the Korean pronunciation of the Chinese term manhua (漫画) and literally means 'comic book'. Manga has the same origin and is simply a Japanese variant pronunciation.

However, manhwa, manga, and manhua are still not commonly used interchangeably, as distinctions are made between them to separate the comic book industries of Japan, South Korea, the People's Republic of China, and Taiwan.

As for webtoon, the term means roughly the same as webcomic, which is a comic book in digital format published directly on Internet platforms. However, webtoons have their own Korean characteristics — unlike Japanese manga, they are usually in color and presented as long, continuous strips. This is done to make them easier to read on smartphones and computers. They also often have soundtracks and sometimes even animated interludes.

A Japanese Anime Adaptation of a Korean Digital Comic

In the story, Yoo Ho-bin (Shimura Kota in the Japanese adaptation) is an ordinary, nondescript South Korean high school student who is often bullied and harassed by his peers. However, in typical South Korean fashion, he suddenly becomes an Internet celebrity — his NewTube account (a play on YouTube) goes viral from the very first video he uploads.

The secret lies in the fact that a mysterious NewTuber gave Yoo Ho-bin advice on how to keep his defenses up even against much stronger opponents. Violence is the source of bread and circuses, and bread and circuses are the source of money, and now the protagonist's channel is dedicated to how a seemingly average high school kid can easily handle giant boneheads. However, one day Yoo Ho-bin faces a worthy opponent.

Where to Read the Original Korean Webtoon?

Viral Hit might not have achieved such global popularity had it not been produced under the auspices of Naver Corporation, one of South Korea's largest internet conglomerates. The comic was originally published in Korean on a platform called Naver Webtoon in November 2019, and continues to be released to this day.

In addition, the official English translation is also published on Line Webtoon, the global version of Naver Webtoon, and the Japanese translation is published on Line Manga, the Japanese segment of the website. Line is a Japanese company owned by Japan's SoftBank Group and South Korea's Naver.

Whichever language you choose, each of the platforms is completely free (only registration is required). Viral Hit can be read on the official Webtoon websites as well as on the corresponding Android and iOS apps.