[Seongchan Eol's Comic Book] A Title That Seems Like It Shouldn't Be Said Casually, Except It's Perfect 「Teenage Dragon」

※ The images in the text are taken from a short story released before the serialization of 「Teenage Dragon」.

Nowadays, with the internet community thriving, many authors debut by directly posting on the web rather than through formal publications or comic companies. Some of these authors, who stand out on the web, create short stories or reveal only the very beginning of something they can serialize, giving readers both anticipation and frustration. Readers call these people 'Episode 1 Villains.'

The webtoon 「Teenage Dragon」, serialized by the author Peanuts from 2021 to 2023 on Naver Webtoon, was also a representative 'Episode 1 Villain' comic. After releasing up to episode 3, there was a long period without serialization, but it turned out that from that time, they were already preparing for serialization with the help of Park Tae-jun's comic company. Thus, 〈Teenage Dragon〉, which took root in the web community and moved to Naver Webtoon, told the story of 'Kim Min-ji,' a high school girl who became a 'dragon,' in 120 episodes.

The story goes like this. One day, Kim Min-ji, a high school girl in South Korea, wakes up to find she has become a gold dragon. Kim Min-ji embarks on an adventure with the village smith who used to offer gold to the real gold dragon to return to her original world. As this summary shows, it is a genre of 'isekai' where a character from modern society goes to a medieval fantasy world. However, unlike typical isekai stories, the protagonist is a dragon, not a hero, demon king, or soldier, and her inner self is that of a high school girl who is innocent and naive, which is the unique characteristic of 「Teenage Dragon」.

「Teenage Dragon」 leads the story with a comical sentiment, as the title suggests. Personally, what impressed me while watching this work is how it uses various types of comedy in the right places. It employs meta-humor that breaks the fourth wall, parodies that poke fun at clichés of the genre, running gags that induce laughter by repeating the same method, and the 'boke and tsukkomi' style often seen in Japanese comedy manga (where the boke acts foolishly and the tsukkomi points it out), utilizing various forms of comedy to evoke different laughs each time. Here, the concise expression of the author Peanuts is the finishing touch, as the expressions of action and reaction are delightful, and the hidden details throughout the cuts stand out. While it lacks the colorful splendor or formal beauty associated with webtoons, it is adept at cut and dialogue placement, making the overall content easily digestible and highly readable. If it matches your taste, it’s a work you can enjoy laughing through all 120 episodes, but the biggest regret I currently feel is that it’s difficult to accurately describe the comedy.

However, if it were just funny, I wouldn’t have cherished 「Teenage Dragon」 this much. 「Teenage Dragon」 has a very orthodox way of building its story. As a comedic isekai, the world-building is not perfectly established. However, it uses or twists elements commonly found in fantasy works to guide readers into the story easily. Moreover, various crises, diverse landscapes, and unique supporting characters that come to mind when thinking of adventures in medieval fantasy are placed in each episode, and the process of developing new comedy or future stories in the journey of Min-ji and her companions trying to return her to 'Duiangminck Soul' (Seoul, South Korea) shows how much effort the author Peanuts put into this work. In fact, during the climax serialization, many readers reacted with, 'I thought it was just going to be funny, but it actually makes sense.'

And 「Teenage Dragon」 even has romance. Each episode features bonus cuts depicting the adaptation of 'Kim Min-ji,' the 'gold dragon,' to Seoul, drawn in about 1-4 panels, which is a treat. While the main story continues with comedy and showcases delicate storytelling, these bonus comics fill readers with laughter while sparking their imagination. The process of Kim Min-ji meeting humans and continuing her own life is both comedic and subtly emotional.

I pride myself on having read quite a few webtoons, but there aren’t many that maintain their genre until the end and conclude satisfactorily like 「Teenage Dragon」, which is why I bring it up as a recommended work. The only flaw is that no matter who you recommend it to, they will inevitably respond, 'What? What’s the title again?' Anyway, if you want a short and impactful comedy, I strongly recommend you to challenge yourself to the world of 「Teenage Dragon」. You will witness a fantasy journey you never expected from the title.

P.S. Currently, 「Teenage Dragon」 has finished serialization, and only the first 10 episodes are free, while the rest are available for purchase. (Although one episode is free daily) If it’s difficult to dive in right away because of that, let’s try the new work by the author Peanuts, 「Hero's Life Record」, which is about a seemingly unremarkable high school student who turns out to have been a hero in a past life (disguised as a comedy).

***** Starting with 'Jo Seong-cheol's Locker,' which excessively attributes meaning to objects in movies, the actor's user manual 'Kim Ji-yeon's Jewelry Box' expecting a rise, the movie music appreciation room 'Choo Ah-young's Music Box' that moved my heart, and the subculture merchant's purchase log 'Seongchan Eol's Comic Book,' Cineplay reporters will begin bi-weekly serialization with their own tastes and perspectives. *****