Best One-Shot Manhwa, Ranked

Manhwa is a beautiful medium that lets individual artists express their emotions and feelings in ways that isn’t quite possible through other mediums. The colorful panels and the long strip format allow artists to create unique compositions, and the web-based viewer experience allows artists to try interesting things with their comics.

The length of manhwa varies quite a lot, but they tend to be quite long in general, taking up several weeks to read in their entirety if they are completed. However, one-shot manhwa consist of only one chapter that can be read in a single setting, delivering the oomph of an entire story without all the time one would usually expect to invest.

7

Samsara Hotline

Imperfections In Oneself

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

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

The rough art of this manhwa isn’t a turn-off by any means; in fact, it’s one of its strengths. It creates a uniquely messy mood that fits the message of the comic perfectly and depicts the emotions of the main character 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, Sickness, Moving On
• Author: geumdae

The loss of a loved one can leave a deep mark on a person, and moving on from one’s loss is something that a lot of people struggle with. Happy Birthday to You is a manhwa that explores the process of moving on. There isn’t a lot to the story since it is a one-chapter manhwa, but the emotions behind the art are raw and real, sucking the reader into the image that they create.

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The art style of the manga is simplistic in a way that isn’t off-putting. It feels like a raw expression of emotion that comes from the heart of the author and delivers a punch to the reader’s gut that leaves them breathless despite the short length of the story that it depicts.

5

Will We Live Happily Ever After?

Heartwarming Romance

• Genre: Romance, Historical
• Theme: Girl’s Love, Cute Hijinks
• Author: Park Jep

Romance has no barriers, and there doesn’t need to be a long-winded 20-volume manga dedicated to a romantic endeavor; a one-shot starring an adorable princess and an even more adorable infamous thief works equally well.

Will We Live Happily Ever After follows a rebellious and competent princess who gets up to some comedic shenanigans in order to avoid getting married 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 Got Abducted By Aliens

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

A whimsical tale with sad undertones, Grandma Got Abducted By Aliens follows the story of a young boy who believes that his grandmother was, as the title suggests, abducted by aliens because of a call he got as a child. As a youngster in high school, he is searching for these aliens in hopes of recovering his beloved grandma.

A metaphor for loss or a cute supernatural adventure, the exact nature of the story isn’t set in stone, being up to the interpretation of the reader. How they decide to understand the message is up to them.

3

TURN BACK

There’s Only Your Choice

• Genre: Tragedy, Drama, Time Travel
• Theme: Death, Regret, Loss
• Author: Joo Minsu

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

Though it is quite bleak at the beginning, the comic has an undertone of positivity toward 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 rugged 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 the prolific sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, The Last Question is a tale of science and queries. It is a tale of the long-standing mysteries of the universe, and it is a tale that aims to find the truth behind all that ever was, ever is, or ever will be.

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

1

Welcome To The Island Of Cats

Heaven For Strays

• Genre: Drama, Tragedy
• Theme: Animals, Cats
• Author: Park Soomin

Pets hold a special place in the hearts of people the world over, and cats are one of the most popular house pets, alongside dogs. These beautiful creatures occupy a good portion of the world’s attention because of their cute behavior and adorable antics. However, stray animals suffer despite the great love showered on their domesticated counterparts.

Welcome to the Island of Cats is a short but heart-wrenching snippet into the life of a stray cat, largely abandoned by society as it searches for its kittens on an island that is entirely occupied by other stray cats.

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