Summary
Manhwa is similar to other forms of entertainment, divulging in various genres from action and fantasy tohorror and thriller. There are also heart-wrenching manhwa that explores love, loss, sacrifice, and redemption genres. With the help of beautiful story-telling, they can elicit a strong emotional response from the readers.
Here are a few manhwa titles that will masterfully break your heart through well-detailed character journeys, delicate moments, and beautiful storylines. Readers will empathize with the characters' struggles, tragedies, and relatable experiences. Whether it’s a tale of unrequited love, an epic saga of personal growth, or close friendship bonds tested by time and circumstances, these titles provide an unforgettable reading experience. They are guaranteed to leave the readers with lingering thoughts of the fragility of life and humanity long after they turn the final page.
10The Horizon
Great Story Exploring The Crucial Aspects Of Humanity
Fans of theGrave of the Firefliesanime movie will loveThe Horizonmanhwa, as it follows a similar premise. It explores a believable, well-detailed apocalyptic world in which a young boy is on a lonely journey to keep moving forward. After losing his mother in the war, he stumbles across a girl and joins her to pave a new road for them.
Many readers have described the manhwa as nothing less than a brilliant masterpiece. With only 21 chapters, the story forces the readers to get attached to the characters on their journey. Even the art has a dark and gritty style that matches the storyline well. The author does not hold back with heavy questions surrounding war, death, and humanity. It gives the manhwa a beautifully haunting story that makes the readers ponder those questions for a long time.
9Seasons of Blossom
Brilliant Heartfelt Love Stories With Great Depth
Despite the cheeky title,Seasons of Blossomwill surprise its readers with its beautifully crafted stories. It explores four love stories set in summer, fall, winter, and spring. New readers might expect it to haveclichéd romance stories, but it is nothing that simple.
The manhwa does a great job of tackling heavy topics of corruption, cruelty, and bullying prevalent in prominent countries. It simply doesn’t portray it with incredible realism and sensitivity but also explores the character’s journey.Seasons of Blossomdoes a great job of inciting the readers to relate to the character as they find their footing to stand tall again. It adds great depth to the characters and beautifully unravels the story. It perfectly captures not only romance but friendships and overcoming challenges as well.
8Whale Star: The Gyeongseong Mermaid
Beautifully Tragic, Heart-Wrenching Story
Set in a Japan-occupied Joseon in 1926,Whale Starexplores the journey of a 17-year-old illiterate maid who works in the household of a Japanese collaborator. One day, she discovers an unconscious young man at the beach. She nurses him back to health, and during the process, he tells the story of the “Little Mermaid.” Relating to the story, she falls in love with him and embarks on a quest to reunite with him after they parted ways.
Hailed as one of the most well-written, beautiful, and heart-wrenching stories,Whale Staris among the few underrated gems. The author portrays each character with great depth, which resonates with readers. The story also explores peopleliving in the historical eraand the type of choices they had to make. Readers may hate a few characters but eventually sympathize with them after discovering their ordeal. Theprotagonist is the real starof the manhwa, where she continues to fight for what she believes in despite dealing with an unfortunate card.
7Annarasumanara
Creative Story Concept With Layers Of Character Development
Annarasumanarabeautifully explores the journey of children transitioning into adults and losing their dreams after facing the world’s harsh reality. It centers around a poor character, Yoon Ah-ee, who is stuck making ends meet while taking care of her younger sister, working, and studying in her parents' absence. That is until she has a chance encounter with a magician in an abandoned theme park.
Although a short story likeThe Horizon,Annarasumanarais a tremendous thought-provoking manhwa that explores societal expectations and adults who have lost their childhood dreams. Eventually, it shows readers what it means to grow into the person they wish to be. It also teaches them how to face reality instead of escapism. The manhwa has a great art style similar to manga, with black and white panels instead of full color. In terms of the story, it explores how wealth can affect one’s perception of life and humanity. The well-rounded characters teach important lessons about keeping one’s childhood dreams close without mistaking them for immaturity.
6Your Letter
Short Wholesome Story About Friendship With Good Characters
Your Letteris a short and sweet story about a young and righteous girl named Lee Sori. She becomes an unfortunate victim of bullying after she stands up for a friend in middle school. Unable to cope, she moves to her home city and shuts herself off from the world. That is until she finds mysterious letters taped under her desk. As she tries to uncover the secrets, she finds more and more letters.
Despite having only 11 chapters,Your Letterperfectly portrays friendships with a beautiful story and art style. Three main characters, including Sori herself, are on the hunt for the mysterious letters. It isa wholesome readwith well-defined characters that succeed in hitting essential notes. Readers will also experience many small and memorable moments where the characters express their friendship sweetly. Even the setting and scenarios are relatable, which one can enjoy in a single reading session.
5Witch Of Mine
Phenomenal Story Explores Beautifully-Written Raw Emotions
The original synopsis of the manhwa doesn’t do much justice and doesn’t fully explain what readers should expect. An elder witch orders younger witches to use their power to travel in different dimensions and time periods. She does so to help them experience love from a human’s perspective. Witches do not have any concept of love, and the story explores the younger witches' attempts to get into a relationship.
Witch of Minemay have a simple premise, but the author does a great job of depicting heartfelt stories. Each character is well-defined in a beautiful setting. The manhwa explores love from a different perspective from the ground up. It shows how witches eventually understand empathy, loss, and love in its pure form. The pacing is incredible, and readers can get closure to each witch’s story through the side stories.
4Taste of Illness
Tragic Story Exploring Mental Health Issues In A Poetic Way
Yijun is a loner who struggles with anxiety and making new friends. His anxiety only worsens when a mysterious black sludge attacks him whenever he feels overwhelmed without others' knowledge. One day, he gets teamed up with another loner, Suni, for a school project. As the story progresses, it explores their journey of trying to open up to each other in hopes of a new friendship.
The author ofTaste of Illnesshas done a phenomenal job of exploring friendship with an interesting concept. The black goo depicts how it can be physically demanding for people struggling with psychological issues to try and take that first step. Yujin is also a victim of bullying, which will make readers sympathize with him. This only makes the budding friendship between him and Suni shine brighter. It is a must-read manhwa by Ilkwon Ha, who has also authoredAnnarasumanara.
3A Mark Against Thee
Dark Gritty Story Tackles Some Difficult Questions About The World
A Mark Against Theeisan underrated masterpiecedepicting modern society’s dark side. It portrays the story of an innocent manframed for murderwho was released 17 years after his innocence was proven. However, returning to society is different when his friends and family change their perception of him. Eventually, he vows to exact revenge on the parts of society that ruined his life.
The manhwa has an unconventional art style, but it doesn’t degrade the quality of the story in any way. It is bound to break the reader’s heart and make them question the notion of justice. They will also feel pain, sadness, loneliness, madness, sorrow, and the very concept of right and wrong along the protagonist’s journey. As the story progresses, each backstory only adds depth to his character and societal flaws. This manhwa will change the reader’s point of view on how they perceive each person and society as a whole.
2Days of Hana
Tragic Romance Story With Heartfelt Moments
Hana is an average human, while Haru is her childhood friend, a werewolf who protects her. Although exotic beasts have started having rights, society still sees them as mere beasts. Haru and Hana eventually fall in love, but their hardships are no less than ordinary.
At first glance,Days of Hanamay seem like a cute, clichéd story, but readers should beware. It has one of the most heartbreaking stories that will leave them staring at the wall for days. Without divulging any spoilers, the manhwa touches on some pretty sensitive topics in our society. It is an exciting roller-coaster ride filled with emotions. The story starts sweet but slowly turns dark, leaving readers crying for days.
1For the Sake of Sita
Heartbreaking Romantic Story With Great Characters
Sangmin Han is a Korean medical student volunteering in Nepal, where he has a chance to meet a beautiful girl, Sita. She has a tragic backstory: She was previously worshiped as the vessel of a goddess but then forsaken and outcast. Although they fall in love and get married, their love is short-lived with tragedy. Unable to overcome his grief, Sangmin makes a daring sacrifice.
For the Sake of Sitais partly based on the female character of Hindu mythology in the epic tale of Ramayana. As a result, some readers may not find it favorable due to the female character’s depiction. However, it is a short, brilliant story that touches on the topic of “What would you give up in exchange for love?”. Readers must remember that the portrayal is not on par with the mythological Sita and should enjoy the story for what it is. As a love story, the way they show their love for each other is beautifully written.
