Viral Hit

Ah, Viral hit. It would be so great to write a review if I haven't done so already.

So, let's talk about Viral hit, the anime adaptation of the popular manhwa.

Yu Hobin (or Yo Hobin? I'm not even sure at this point. For some reason some names are different in the anime) is your typical high school loser who accidentally becomes a ~~Youtuber.~~ Excuse me, a NewTuber (copyright infringement maneuver, lol)

The anime revolves around 2 things; fighting and making a YouTube Channel (called NewTube in the story for obvious reasons) successful. Of course, these two intertwine with one another.

The MC, Yu Hobin, wants to make money in any way possible. Seeing as Social media and ~~Youtube~~ NewTube are the hottest things, a random incident will make him a...Viral Hit wink wink. Throughout the story, Yu Hobin evolves as a person but the character development is...not there. He gets more confident, he gets more muscular but he's still oblivious to the people around him and never really changes.

That applies to every character in the show. They're blund and aside from the main villain, everyone else seems more like an obstacle rather than a side character.

I'll be honest here and say the story doesn't have an incredible depth behind it. There is a lot of fighting and the artist behind the story did a good amount of research mentioning the techniques and martial arts and how to use them/defeat them.

I don't know if he/she is a martial artist himself/herself, but I've learned a lot just by reading the story.

I'm not gonna go into the story too much, but if you're in for a good action anime that includes a lot of martial arts, then definitely this is for you. If you're not that much into fighting or want a "deeper" story, then probably you should look somewhere else.

Now, while I know nobody is gonna go through the manhwa review (and why should you, anyway?), it's an important aspect of the whole experience.

I've read Viral Hit quite a while before its anime adaptation was announced and I gotta say I was excited about it. Fights ARE better when there's movement and sounds. It's just makes them look so good. But that's when it's done well.

And if you just take a look at the first episode....they're not. :(

I don't know if we're too spoiled thanks to studios like Mappa or Ufotable but the animation is mediocre. Imagine watching an action movie and the explosions are made by someone using paint. Yeah...

It's not terrible, but it's lacking. And it's not just the fights. The faces, the actions. The anime feels a bit rushed. You'd think it would be easier since manhwas are colored but apparently, it's that much harder when you gotta do things frame by frame.

What I found myself missing the most was the details. Some of the fights are not given the proper care and just to stretch these things the anime does the Indian series type of edit (zooming in on the character's face thrice. Yes, thrice).

In general, I found the manhwa itself better. The anime does have potential and some fights down the right are even more brutal. I will keep an eye out for a season 2 but the anime lacks in the animation department.

Nevertheless, if you're in for a martial arts type of story mixed in with a slice of life, then this show is for you. It's incredibly fun but lacks any real depth in its characters and story.

Highly recommend the manhwa if pretty pictures and reading don't scare you.