Welcome back to a new semester of WEBTOON reviews! Today’s post is on Dr. Frost, a mystery comic that has had one of the longest hiatuses in WEBTOON history (at least for the English site). It is also one of the earliest WEBTOONs to be published, with the prologue released on December 27, 2014. Dr. Frost was created by Jong Beom Lee and is still running with weekly updates. As I stated earlier, Dr. Frost was on hiatus for about three and a half years as there was no official English translation for the webcomic after the third season. Once it returned, viewership dwindled, but it is still a well-known WEBTOON by name, with 40 million total views and a 9.8/10 rating.

Brief Introduction:

As a common setting for WEBTOONs, Dr. Frost takes place in South Korea at the illustrious Yong Gang University. The titular character, Dr. Frost, is a bartender who practices psychological tricks on his customers. Still he has also recently returned to Yong Gang University as a psychology professor and head of the psychological counseling department. His appearance at the university sparks the attention of students and professors, as some are familiar with him. Past issues resurface, and controversy surrounds the psychology department for hiring this “Dr. Frost” (who is only known by this moniker). But the craziest part is Dr. Frost’s unconventional methods of counseling: breaking into homes, impersonating others, and speaking seemingly without a care for those around him. Dr. Frost acts aloof and is the complete opposite of a stereotypical therapist, but he does his job.

Review!

Dr. Frost was such an important WEBTOON for me when I first found it all those years ago. I fell in love with the characters, how they interact with each other, and the mystery of Dr. Frost’s identity. The cast is so powerfully connected, and each of them is given their chance to shine to be more than background characters.

The comic heavily focuses on psychology as the author defines terms and psychological tests for the general audience, as well as references and cites psychologists at the end of each chapter. It is not bogged down by all the details, but it gives a lens into how each character views counseling and its effects. Another small detail by the author that I appreciate is the naming of each chapter relating to each session. Most authors only title their chapters by number, but adding them gives each patient a little more story.

Lastly, the mystery behind Dr. Frost. We get bits and pieces of his past, but there are always more questions. Who is he? What is his connection to the head of the psychology department? Why does he lack the ability to express certain emotions? With every case he solves and every patient he helps, we get to see this mystery unravel.

I have reread Dr. Frost possibly about five times: three times before the hiatus ended and two times to catch up to whatever the current chapter was. I know this WEBTOON is always one I can return to feel for its characters. Though it has lost many viewers, Dr. Frost is a WEBTOON I will never fail to recommend.