Best One-Shot Manhwa, Ranked

Summary

• Manhwa vary in length but offer unique emotional expressions through different art styles and themes.

• One-shots provide a quick but impactful reading experience and deliver entire stories efficiently.

• The art in manhwa, whether rough or simplistic, adds to the emotional depth and message of the story.

Manhwa is a beautiful medium that allows individual artists to express their emotions and feelings in a way that is not entirely possible through other mediums. The colorful panels and long strip format allow artists to create unique compositions, and the web-based viewing experience allows artists to try interesting things with their comics.

The length of manhwa varies quite a bit, but they tend to be quite long in general and take several weeks to read in their entirety if finished. But one-shot manhwa consists of just one chapter that can be read in a single setting, providing the pulse of an entire story without all the time one would normally expect to invest.

7

Samsara Hotline

Imperfections in oneself

• Genre: Psychological, tragedy
• Theme: Death, Reincarnation, Re-do
• Author: catadioptric

Samsara Hotline is a very crudely drawn manhwa that explores the Buddhist concept of reincarnation, where everyone gets to choose where they are reincarnated through an office. The one-shot follows a famous musician who is given this option, and his thought process in choosing what he wants to happen to him in the afterlife.

The rough art of this manhwa is not a turn off by any means; in fact, it is one of its strengths. It creates a unique messy atmosphere that fits the comic's message perfectly and portrays the main character's emotions much better than a more traditional art style would have. The story is interesting and gives the reader something to think about.

6

Happy birthday to you

Of Loss And Moving On

• Genre: Slice of Life, Psychological
• Theme: Loss, illness, move on
• Author: geumdae

The loss of a loved one can leave a deep mark on a person, and moving on from their loss is something that many struggle with. Happy birthday to you is a manhwa that explores the process of moving on. There isn't much to the story since it's a one-chapter manhwa, but the emotions behind the art are raw and real, drawing the reader into the image they create.

The manga's art style is simplistic in a way that isn't offensive. It feels like a raw emotional expression that comes from the author's heart and delivers a punch to the reader's stomach that leaves them breathless despite the short length of the story it depicts.

5

Will we live happily ever after?

Heartwarming romance

• Genre: Romance, historical
• Theme: Girl love, cute hijinks
• Author: Park Yep

Romance has no barriers, and there doesn't need to be a long-winded 20-volume manga dedicated to a romantic pursuit; a one-shot with an adorable princess and an even more adorable infamous thief works just as well.

Will we live happily ever after follows a rebellious and capable princess who resorts to some comical pretenses to avoid marrying for political reasons and ends up on the throne in the process. The story is lighthearted and fun, the art is simple but beautiful, and the romance is fantastic. What's not to love?

4

Grandma was abducted by aliens

• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Supernatural
• Theme: Aliens, abduction
• Author: Eunbyeol

A whimsical story with sad undertones, Grandma was abducted by aliens follows the story of a young boy who believes that his grandmother, as the title suggests, was abducted by aliens because of a call he received as a child. As a junior in high school, he searches for these aliens in hopes of bringing back his beloved grandmother.

A metaphor for loss or a sweet supernatural adventure, the exact nature of the story is not set in stone, as it is up to the reader's interpretation. How they decide to understand the message is up to them.

3

TURN BACK

There is only your choice

• Genre: Tragedy, Drama, Time Travel
• Theme: Death, regret, loss
• Author: Yoo Minsu

Another manhwa dealing with loss, TURN BACK focuses on the regret that a person feels. Everyone has some things they regret, but this manhwa highlights that focusing on the past won't change anything. Processing loss and moving forward, and forgiving yourself to create a better future, is what's important.

Although quite bleak at the beginning, the comic has an undertone of positivity towards the end – as much as a story exploring death can have positivity. The message of the manhwa is quite beautiful, and it is delivered quite well through a unique premise and robust art.

2

The last question

Let there be light

• Genre: Sci Fi
• Theme: Existential dread, hope, AI
• Author: Isaac Asimov, Ryul

An adaptation of the classic short story by prolific sci-fi author Isaac Asimov, The last question is a story about science and issues. It's a story about the long-standing mysteries of the universe, and it's a story that aims to find the truth behind everything that ever was, ever is, or ever will be.

The constant and inevitable increase in entropy of the universe is a fact that will not be relevant on the cosmic level in any meaningful way for an unimaginably long time. The laws of physics bend to no one, but perhaps it is not the laws of physics that need to be bent, but the understanding of humanity.

1

Welcome to Katternas ö

Heaven for Strays

• Genre: Drama, tragedy
• Theme: Animals, cats
• Author: Park Soomin

Pets have a special place in people's hearts all over the world, and cats are one of the most popular pets, next to dogs. These beautiful creatures occupy much of the world's attention because of their cute behavior and adorable antics. However, stray animals suffer despite the great love that their domesticated counterparts radiate.

Welcome to Katternas ö is a short but heartbreaking slice of the life of a stray cat, largely abandoned by society as she searches for her kittens on an island completely occupied by other stray cats.