Ask John: Why Aren’t Many Manhwa Turned Into Anime?

What are the chances of Jack Frost getting adapted into an anime? The manhwa Kurokami’s adaption into an anime has made me hopeful that other manhwa will soon follow suit. Do you think this is likely to occur?

Answer:
Relatively few Korean properties get adapted into anime, and Jinho Ko’s manhwa series Jack Frost is likely to be no exception. The anime adaptation of the Kurokami comic series is an unusual case because, in a certain sense, Kurokami is not a manhwa. Despite being created by Korean artists Dall-Young Lim and Sung-Woo Park, Kurokami is published in Japanese language in the Japanese monthly magazine Young Gangan. So Kurokami is widely considered a Japanese manga series, not a Korean manhwa series. The 2001 manhwa series Sinamhaengeosa was published in Japan under the name “Shin Angyo Onshi.” It was also adapted into a 2004 anime feature film co-produced by Japanese and Korean sponsors. Other anime based on Korean properties, including Maple Story, Ragnarok the Animation, and Arad Senki ~Slap Up Party~ have been co-productions based on popular Korean computer games. In other words, the only Korean comic series that have ever been adapted into anime are ones which have been published in Japan. The Jack Frost manhwa series does not have a Japanese language publication.

I don’t know the attitude of Japanese animators and animation producers, so I can’t judge whether cultural discrimination is responsible for the absence of Japanese animated adaptations of Korean comics. I can’t exclude that possibility, but I suspect that the primary explanation is more practical. Anime has a tradition of adapting Western novels, primarily works originating from Europe and North America. Chinese stories including Sagokushi and Saiyuki have also been popular source material and inspiration for anime because these foreign stories are accessible and appealing to Japanese viewers while remaining distinctly foreign and novel. Typical contemporary Korean manhwa, however, often exhibit influence from, and similarity to, Japanese manga. When many manhwa series are stylistically and narratively similar to Japanese comics but are unknown to Japanese audiences, it just makes practical sense for anime artists to work with local Japanese artists and adapt native Japanese comics instead of similar but lesser known Korean comics. In effect, I don’t think that the reason so few manhwa are adapted into anime is explained by discrimination. It’s just a simple matter of convenience and business practicality. Basing anime on Japanese, instead of Korean, comics is more convenient for Japanese artists, and results in anime productions that have an already existing Japanese audience.