By Let’s go back to the summer of 2011. The author, now a middle school student, was as usual a Webtoon-loving otaku.
In fact, it might be said that during that period, I was “the most in love with Webtoons in my life.”
The feeling of being able to “read manga anywhere, anytime” on a tiny tablet screen, about the size of my palm, was enough to captivate many middle and high school students, including my younger self.
Since smartphones began to spread in 2010, the experience of reading vertical comics, or “Webtoons,” has permeated our lives at an incredible speed.
Therefore, from the perspective of the author, who was a middle school student at the time, that period could be described as the beginning of the Great Webtoon Era.
Moreover, the influx of middle and high school students into the Webtoon readership began to influence the lineup of popular works at that time. This led to the rise of school-themed stories. Regardless of genre, works that seemed to have some insistence on the protagonist being a middle or high school student began to appear one after another.
『ゴット・オブ・ハイスクール』, 『千年の九尾』, 『オレンジマーマレード』, 『ファッション王』, 『高3が家出した』, 『こんなヒーローはイヤ！』…
Looking at the works that started serialization in 2011, one can’t help but think.
In the midst of various works, the impression that the only thing that changed was the protagonist being a middle or high school student stands out.
This might be a rather arrogant way of thinking, but the adolescent me, who had a mysterious obsession with Webtoons, might have been disillusioned by the trends of that era.
The Sudden Emergence of the “Outlier” Webtoon
『HELLPER』（2011）
“It really is as expected.”
The leader of the Guard Tribe protecting the city, “Jang Gwan-nam.” After he dies in a mysterious traffic accident, a sensory action fantasy manga unfolds from the realm of the living and the dead. (Author’s translation)– Description of 『HELLPER』 Season 1 “MADMAN”
Amidst this, a work suddenly emerged.
A new “outlier” appeared in the Webtoon world, which felt somewhat familiar at the time.
However, despite not being particularly innovative or unfamiliar, I felt a certain discomfort with this work.
“Jang Gwan-nam, the protagonist from the city known as the ‘greenhouse for gangsters,’ gathers local delinquents to form the Guard Tribe ‘Cerberus’ to protect his hometown from gangsters. He was a great leader who protected the town, but he dies in an unexpected traffic accident.
Synopsis of Season 1 “MADMAN”
After death, Gwan-nam is given a black ticket that signifies a trip to hell. Rumor has it that collecting 100 black tickets allows one to go to heaven or be reincarnated. To be reborn as the child of his lover who remains in the present world, Gwan-nam decides to collect the remaining 99 tickets…”
Even now, the unique and diverse art style is striking. The characters’ dialogues, mixed with dialects, can be somewhat difficult to read. Moreover, it doesn’t even belong to the popular school-themed genre of the time, but rather has a surprisingly gritty shonen manga vibe.
At a time when works like 『ノブレス』（2007） and 『神の塔』（2010） were dominating, 『HELLPER』 unfortunately did not receive a very positive response initially.
Romance became an embarrassing word, and sensitivity turned into a middle school syndrome. Only those with leisure can afford it. I miss the days when the word “passion” wasn’t considered lame.
-『HELLPER』 Chapter 175
After enduring hardships since its serialization began, 『HELLPER』 fortunately concluded its first season successfully after four years. Moreover, it gained a significant fanbase at an incredible pace until the final episode, eventually surpassing the aforementioned two works and seizing the dominance of the serialization day.
Its popularity continued two years later, with the second season, which was aimed at adults, boldly climbing to the top of the serialization day’s popularity rankings.
I also loved this Webtoon, which felt somewhat familiar yet still somewhat distant.
From the ever-changing art style influenced by the background to the somewhat unclear but vivid dialogue, the uniquely structured yet properly conventional developments, and expressions that pushed the boundaries of age restrictions…
In short, despite being well-crafted, I want to summarize it as a Webtoon that somehow appears ambiguous.
However, before any misunderstandings arise, there is one point I want to convey to everyone.
The uniqueness of 『HELLPER』 that I will explain from here on is to be treated separately from the aforementioned story of overturning its initial evaluation and seizing dominance.
How did 『HELLPER』 become a successful work? Of course, that is an interesting topic as well.
However, I want to emphasize that the impact 『HELLPER』 has left on the Webtoon world goes beyond mere numerical changes. Above all, let’s not forget that 『HELLPER』 is the work that has brought the most changes to the Webtoon world from the year it started serialization in 2011 to the present month when the second season has concluded.
From the way to read Webtoons to the censorship affecting the entire industry…
What exactly is the “outlier” quality that brought change to the Webtoon world?
What Existing Webtoon Reading Methods Were Missing: The Completion of Scroll Manga Comes from the Reader’s Fingertips
The element that initially drew attention to 『HELLPER』 was surprisingly its “reading method.”
“Webtoons were not originally meant to be read vertically.”
Those who have read previous articles must have come across this sentence multiple times.
From “strong works” (2008), which indicated the reason for vertical reading in “manga simply arranged vertically,” to Holan’s “Ghost at Oksu Station” (2011), which brought awareness to Webtoon readers about “reading comics digitally.”
Even those two works finally overlooked something, and 『HELLPER』 suddenly posed a question.
That is, regarding the reading method of Webtoons, where the reader holds the control, it boldly suggests, “Could you scroll a bit faster or slower here?”
Within the limited space of Webtoons, seemingly meaningless panels continue.
However, the moment the reader sees the author’s note “*Scroll: Faster ▼,” it transforms into a device that brings a different sensation compared to existing Webtoons.
While it is unclear how much a single word indicating the speed of scrolling contributes to the quality of the work, it likely awakens a sense in readers that they hadn’t noticed before.
The elements of reading that we usually take for granted. In other words, we inevitably confront the “rhythm of our own reading” when reading Webtoons.
This scene should be read faster, while that scene should be read more slowly.
By being conscious of this, differences arise in the readers’ perspectives. Readers who usually observe panels carefully experience the tension and intensity of the scenes they are reading, while those who tend to scroll quickly notice the details they previously overlooked.
The completion of scroll manga comes from the reader’s fingertips (Author’s translation)
– SAKK (Chapter 10, Author’s note)
Of course, there will inevitably be voices pointing out that such remarks from the author are “unnecessary.”
However, as SAKK mentioned, this idea likely emerged from the consciousness unique to vertical reading Webtoons, which would not have been reached in horizontally read manga.
Therefore, I want to evaluate that this seemingly joking remark was indeed written towards the proper “completion” of scroll manga.
Webtoon Beyond Manga: From Music to Fashion
There are other notable features associated with 『HELLPER』.
One of them is that the author, SAKK, frequently collaborates with other genres through 『HELLPER.”
For instance, the inclusion of BGM in Webtoons. As explained in Episode 2 of Road to Webtoon, since the emergence of the author Holan, adding BGM to Webtoons has become increasingly common. Thus, while the function of BGM itself was not particularly rare, 『HELLPER』 was recognized for the uniqueness of the songs it featured.
Regarding the selection of these songs, it is known that SAKK has connections in the music industry and received songs directly from acquaintances who are producers. Among those producers were some well-known figures in the Korean hip-hop scene (such as Loptimist).
This close relationship with the Korean hip-hop scene might explain why 『HELLPER』 is so intertwined with it.
An example of this is C JAMM, who is featured above. He has publicly declared his fandom for 『HELLPER』 to the extent of releasing a song that pays homage to Gwan-nam’s line, “It really is as expected.” SAKK was aware of C JAMM’s strong feelings towards 『HELLPER』 and even included a cameo character based on him in the work.
This trend continued to spread within the work, leading to suspicions that famous personalities unrelated to the work were also included as cameos.
For example, characters like “Jappmon” and “Minor,” which seem to parody BTS’s RM and WINNER’s Song Min-ho, appear. There’s also a character named “Lee Jigum,” which clearly seems to be modeled after the famous Korean artist IU.
Consequently, readers of the work have reacted with comments like, “It’s funny to see famous people I know turned into such characters” or “I feel uncomfortable that unrelated people are being used without permission.”
*IU often refers to herself as “Lee Jigum” on social media and in content.
An article showing anger from idol fans regarding the inclusion of famous personalities as cameos.
(Source: https://www.busan.com/view/section/view.php?code=2020091317290798490)
Additionally, 『HELLPER』 has a deep connection with fashion.
The work features a setting where the protagonist, Gwan-nam, gathers his former delinquent friends to run a clothing business. This led SAKK to create a real-world brand called 『KILLBEROS.” As stated on the site, it is the first fashion brand based on a comic (Webtoon) in Korea.
[blogcard url=”https://killberos.com/”]This is somewhat different from the typical merchandise business we usually see, as it incorporates the clothing sold on the site into the world of the story, aiming for advertising effects by having the characters wear them (of course, there are also regular merchandise available).
However, the above features have also sparked considerable debate among readers.
As the serialization of the work continued, discussions arose among readers about whether to view this as the work’s “personality” or as “bad taste” that they would prefer to avoid. Regardless of the author’s intentions, the elements of who the characters resemble in real life and what clothes they wear connect to readers’ impressions.
The seeds of debate that sprouted in this way ultimately ignited an incident that shook the entire Webtoon industry.
To understand the incident, which led to strengthened censorship, one must consider the content of the work and the unique background of Korean society. This may diverge from the previously discussed “outlier” qualities of 『HELLPER,” so I would like to explain it thoroughly in the next article.
To be continued in “The Work that Brought the Greatest Censorship in Webtoon History: A Discussion on 『HELLPER』 Part 2 – Road to Webtoon #5.”
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