Sweet Home

My first experience with the website Webtoons was with the webtoon named unOrdinary which left a sour taste in my mouth, considering i completed the 1st season but felt like i desired more. I was expecting alot more from a series that garnered alot of attention;

Either way tho, i stayed away from Webtoons site as i really though my time was being wasted with my first horrible experience with unOrdinary, but my friend insisted on that i read another popular Webtoon named Sweet Home instead, which i felt very lukewarm on reading, but gave it a try. Suprised to say, i was definetly not dissapointed with this read.

Trigger Warning; the series contains topics such as suicide, rape, depression, anxiety, there might be some very gory pictures from the series aswell.

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Plot; 85/100

The story starts out with the introduction of the 18-year old main character, Hyun Cha, a hikikomori who has been planning his suicide for some time, after the death of his family. He constantly keeps himself stuck in his room, glued to his monitor, playing his game and just waiting it out till the inevitable day comes, though things doesnt go in his favour - As he is forced to fight for his life after an epidemic occurs, turning humans into monsters. Hyun Cha also has his own inner demons to conqueor, which makes his character development enjoyable to watch. What will he do, hide in fear of other people or will he fight and try to become a hero?

The premise of it sounds really generic but the way the author manages to keep it fresh with Hyun Cha's problems makes his development very, very good. There are some twists and turns in the story aswell, which makes it even better! Dont get yourself spoiled on the series, it is not worth it!

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Characters; 85/10

Hyun Cha

Though il have to say that Hyun Cha might seem a bit unlikeable in the beginning, it gets much more clear towards the end of series why; he is a teenager who is in pain due to trauma, insecurities and his own thoughts about himself. He hates himself. As you read, you begin to realise he is complex and not a cardboard cutout of a sad MC you are supposed to feel bad for just because "hE lOSt hiS fAmiLy." Little by little, all the dots connect and you have yourself a very good MC, which you feel sympathy for and will enjoy watching, and hoping the best for him.

Jisu

Just what Hyun Cha needed, Jisu was the light in the darkness. Even though their relationship is platonic, they share intimate moments which deepens their friendship, and is what Hyun just needed. She is the embodification of hope; Never abandoning anyone nor risking lifes, which makes us root for her, no matter what kind of ideas she has up her sleeve. She definetly doesnt have the best development but she is still a great character nonetheless!

Art; 90/100

Compared to other webtoons i have read, the art in this one is super great, and shows the emotions of characters which is supposed to be super important in a thriller serie, but...

This is where i think Sweet Home TRULY shines, with some really great fear-inducing panels which is not some cheap jumpscares. The artstyle itself is great but the exaggerated pupils being super tiny when some real messed up shit happens or when a character becomes insane is reflected really well in the panels, which makes it a joy to read through. It urges you to keep going to the next page up until the end of a chapter.

Another aspect of Sweet Home i love are the monsters, which are straight up terrifying. I don't want to ruin the suprise of the other monsters but lets just say that some of them made me stay up for a few nights...seriously. They are well designed and each of them have their own role, which is for you to read.

Closing thoughts

Sweet Home is truly a special piece of work; It has shown me that webtoons/manwha have actual potentional and that they can be absolutely great. Sweet Home has also shown me thrillers can be VERY horrifying, with focus on character interaction being top notch, human sins being shown like jealousy/greed which makes the story even more immersive and that ofcourse, it is serious. I'm glad to say that those things are checked, and that Sweet Home, even though has its fair share of problems (some chapters feeling unneeded, some characters not being fully developed though they are still utilized very well), this webtoon is not one you should miss if you dislike Webtoons in general. In the end, i feel like this was a great read and is goign to stick with me for a while, so will give it a 9/10.

Anyways, thank you for reading my review, as it took me some time to work on, i am quite proud of it. Till next time!