Welcome to the sixth edition of K-Comic Beat’s Monthly Manhwa Recs! Our team has come together to provide you with a variety of recommendations to sample. If you check them out, be sure and let us know what you think of them in the comment section!
Hell Is Other People ⸺ Written by Yong-Ki Kim, Hell Is Other People follows Jongu Yun, a twenty-something trying to get by in Seoul. Strapped for cash, he moves into a gosiwon—a cramped, one-room apartment with shared bathrooms and kitchens. The rent is cheap, but there’s a catch: it’s falling apart, and the residents? Creepy AF.
The landlady insists everyone is nice. But are they really? Jongu quickly begins to unravel under the pressure of the gosiwon’s suffocating atmosphere, feeling watched, disturbed by his unnerving (and sometimes violent) neighbors, and losing grip on his sense of reality. I won’t spoil the ending, but this psychological thriller will make you think twice about how much the people around us shape our mental state.
The story is dark, gritty, and not for the faint of heart. Violence is a recurring theme, so be warned. I first discovered the series through its live-action adaptation, Strangers from Hell, starring Im Si-wan and Lee Dong-wook. While the drama was undeniably creepy (Lee Dong-wook’s performance had viewers half-convinced he might be a real psychopath), the original webcomic has an atmosphere and raw intensity the show couldn’t quite capture.
If you enjoy psychological thrillers or horror, Hell Is Other People is well worth the read. You can find it on WEBTOON. ⸺ HK
Girl Jock Empress ⸺ Written by jinyagi with art by Team Neok Bu Rang, Girl Jock Empress follows Shin Hae-sul, a stunning, athletic, no-nonsense maneater, who suddenly finds herself transmigrated into the body of a frail, timid empress. Much to her horror, she’s no longer curvaceous, strong, or even respected. Instead, she’s stuck in a strange world with a bratty, indifferent emperor, constant assassination attempts, and a royal court out to get her.
Now Hae-sul has to figure out how to survive palace life, win over the emperor, and reclaim her power—all while adjusting to her unfamiliar new body and royal status.
The series currently has 152 episodes (starting from Episode 0) available on Pocket Comics. I’m currently on Chapter 121, which I can’t talk about because… spoilers. But I will say that watching both Hae-sul and the emperor grow as characters has been really rewarding. (He starts off pretty unlikable.) Hae-sul’s dynamic with other characters, like the emperor’s favorite concubine Lady Lin, also adds depth and intrigue to the story.
Some episodes do feel painfully short—I’ve definitely questioned whether my coins were well spent—but the story has hooked me enough that I’m still on board, hoping the payoff is worth it.
If you’re into strong, badass female leads who enjoys reading smut—even as the Empress of a kingdom—you’ll probably love Girl Jock Empress. ⸺ HK
Kill Me Now ⸺ Killing the hitman in front of his daughter, who killed your family in front of you, isn’t something that happens every day. But it’s the mundane reality of Haegu’s life. Not only did Haegu see a chance to take revenge and take it, but she also became the daughter’s guardian, named her Mian (meaning “sorry” in Korean), and decided to teach her how to kill and give Mian a chance to avenge. 11 years later, Mian devises a plan to emotionally manipulate Haegu into falling for her. Will the two continue to live the cyclic life of revenge, or will there come a day for them to break free?
The creator behind the Girls Love VSC Kill Me Now, cosmos, is also credited as the writer behind Winter Woods and other single-chapter stories, available on WEBTOON. Meanwhile, Kill Me Now is available on Tappytoon.
I’ve come to ruin lives. I kind of love doing that. Kill Me Now is a very long (170+ chapters and still ongoing) and very, very violent series. Haegu belongs to a group of people, mostly comprised of women, who take revenge per request. They also hold “shows” where they, for example, rip off the limbs of a man who sexually assaulted kids when alive, in front of their families. It’s unflinching when it comes to depictions of violence and even using a striking tone of blue for blood doesn’t provide enough distance. I personally think it’s a thrilling read, but you should keep it in mind.
It’s a slow but very compelling ride, especially the dynamic between Mian and Haegu. It’s complicated, it’s messy AF, and it’s perfect for readers who complain about Yuri works only depicting high school sweethearts. This is the toxic stuff you’ve been waiting for! Read Kill Me Now and support women’s wrongs. ⸺ MG
Deadpoint ⸺ Hoji is okay at rock climbing, but her real special skill is the ability to see other people’s “talent ceiling” – the highest they can go in their field before they fail, an ability she developed after her mother died in a tragic accident. When she unexpectedly befriends climbing prodigy Aseong Chae, the two of them start training together to discover if it might actually possible to overcome all limitations.
I started bouldering at a local climbing gym recently, so I was really excited to see this comic launch on WEBTOON the week after I started going! Seeing Hoji struggle with way trickier problems than the ones I can climb now is unexpectedly motivating, but I think sports media fans without the personal experience can still find a lot to like in this comic. MAYORAC uses lovely saturated colors and really sleek, elegant lines, and the action sequences are dynamic and exciting. The character designs are fun and distinctive without being grotesque, and I love how all the rivals we’ve met so far are different flavors of weird, confident girls. And the girls have visible muscles, even! Shockingly rare for drawn media about girls doing sports. I’m looking forward to seeing where this story goes. ⸺ MZ
Come back next month for more Monthly Manhwa recs! Click here to check out every entry of the column.
