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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAccording to Sponichi<\/a>, he specifically pointed to the popularity of the manga Demon Slayer as the reason why Japanese manga is \u201ca decade behind,\u201d identifying the manga’s use of the traditional manga format, as opposed to a vertically scrolling webcomic one, as the reason why Japan has yet to fully \u201ccatch on\u201d to the webtoon trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In recent years, vertically scrolling webcomics have gained popularity among comic book enthusiasts. Originating from South Korea, webtoon comics are digital comics that are typically read in a vertical format, allowing readers to smoothly progress through the story via mobile and similar devices. The trend of vertically scrolling comics has grown so much in recent years that some Japanese manga artists have adopted the format as well. With webtoons growing in popularity in a country that already has a long history of manga production, it appears that the new format offers a new way for readers to enjoy comics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although scrolling format webcomics are indeed popular around the world, the entrepreneur’s comments this time around received mixed reactions from online users, with many defending the traditional style of Japanese manga and mentioning the downsides of producing webtoons. Some readers pointed out the fast release schedules of many webtoons, questioning the sustainability of weekly story updates. One user stated<\/a>, \u201cWebtoon-style manga are certainly popular, but do you know how often the manga artists who create them go on hiatus? If it’s a weekly series, you can’t do it without forming a team first, right? Isn’t it unreasonable to publish full-color comics when there are already writers who get sick even with monochrome weekly publications like Jump? Do you want to kill manga artists?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While some Japanese manga also follow a weekly chapter release schedule, the addition of having to color everything adds to the workload, possibly creating a stressful situation for manga artists. Even experienced Japanese manga artist Yayoiso, who successfully adopted the webtoon style herself, found creating a full-color weekly series challenging. (Related article<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, while the colorful visuals of webtoon-style comics may enhance the reading experience for some, others prefer the colorless visuals of traditional manga. One user shared<\/a>, \u201cI think monochrome is totally fine. It\u2019s fun to imagine what colors would be used instead of having them already decided.\u201d Similarly to imagining the visuals of a pictureless book, it seems that many readers enjoy letting their brains fill in the blanks of the black-and-white pages of Japanese manga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231003-22005-002-1620x1080.jpg\")
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