I am just sitting down here at my desk, and looking through some korean web toons at http://comic.naver.com. I actually like a lot of these web toons. There are fans of these web toons who translate them into English for others to read and enjoy. I read a number of them faithfully each week. I just wish I could read Korean myself.
I remember when I was studying at Stetson University for my Bachelors. I made a lot of friends from all over the world. I met people from Uzbekistan, India, Thailand, Korea, and Japan. Most of whom I am still friends with, and try to keep in touch from time to time. I know hind sight is always 20/20, but looking back it would have been nice if I had taken more time to get to know these friends better. It would have been good to learn about their language and culture, and about the things that make us different. I think back then we were all a bit caught up in ourselves. I mean, don’t get me wrong… we did spend some time together, even out of class, but I think it is just as important to learn from personal interaction, as it is to learn from class.
For me right now, I find myself drawn to mostly eastern forms of storying telling… albeit, most of what I like is the form of mangas and manhwas. I love fantasy stories, and I love the artists’ rendition of the characters and their actions in these eastern comics. I think that what separates mangas and manhwas from our western comics like Marvel and DC comics, is that they tell a continuous story, with evolving characters, and intriguing plots. It is not all about “Super Heroes” who dress up in costumes and fight the “Super Villain”.
I really wish I could learn to read and understand Korean. Then could read them manhwas myself and be able to contribute to their art directly. I would probably buy their works directly if I could, instead of relying on others to scanlate them.
Does anyone know any good resources to practically learn Korean?
Thanks for reading!
