Happy Spring Break, everyone! If there ever is a time to start reading WEBTOON, a weeklong break is definitely not a bad opportunity. The WEBTOON I’m talking about today is How to Become a Dragon, by eon (who is quite well-known as a WEBTOON creator). It is a relatively new series, as the first episode came out in April 2020 and is still currently updated every Saturday morning. Due to the author’s popularity, How to Become a Dragon had a strong start and now has over 20 million views with a 9.77/10 rating. Though viewership is slowly dwindling, it still has a strong fanbase returning every weekend.

Brief Introduction:

We return again to South Korea, where we meet Young, an extremely smart tutor who is motivated by money yet fails at every chance to accrue more wealth. He is followed by an immortal imoogi who has cursed him for the sins of his ancestors (Context: an imoogi is a Korean dragon, and in this story, they are immortal serpents who can ascend to dragonhood and rule over rivers and seas). The imoogi, Bari, forces Young to help him on an upcoming exam to clear his karma which stops him from becoming successful. The exam in question is a trial to become the next dragon of the Nakdong River and it is only available to those who had failed their previous ascensions. Bari is one of these imoogi, whose ascension was sabotaged by Young’s ancestor, along with his two friends, Miri and Yeongno, and twenty-some other imoogi.  To pass, they must understand humans and how they would relate to the life of the Nakdong River.

Review:

I am a big fan of the premise of this WEBTOON as it sets up a lot of fun characters and scenarios. Each imoogi has their own human companion whose ancestor has wronged them in some way. Some choose to violently force them into obedience, some sweet talk their way into trust, while others actually bond with their companion. We actually get all three with Miri, Yeongno, and Bari, respectively. Everyone also has their own past, their connection to the ancestors, and how they failed to become a dragon. You become so emotionally invested in the characters (and even some who you didn’t think you would) as the author scrap-feeds bits of background in the story.

The art is also extremely adorable in the author’s distinct style. Many who were early WEBTOON readers are familiar with eon’s first webcomic, Super Secret, and seeing the art of How to Become a Dragon is totally reminiscent of that. How to Become a Dragon’s art is simple and cartoonish, yet also detailed at times. It’s easy to look at and you can tell each character’s expressions simply from the panels.

Lastly, this is also a plug to check out Super Secret because it’s another fun WEBTOON with a fantasy premise and a romance plot. Here are some screenshots that might entice you to check it out!