Best One-Shot Manhwa, Ranked

Summary

• Manhwa vary in length but offer unique emotional expression through various artistic styles and themes.

• One-shots offer a quick yet impactful reading experience, delivering complete stories efficiently.

• Art in manhwa, whether crude or simplistic, adds emotional depth and message to the story.

Manhwa is a wonderful medium that allows individual artists to express their emotions and feelings in ways that are not entirely possible with 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 greatly, but they tend to be quite long in general, taking several weeks to read in full if they are completed. However, one-shot manhwas consist of a single chapter that can be read in a single setting, offering the oomph of an entire story without all the time you'd normally expect to invest.

7

Samsara Hotline

Imperfections in themselves

• Type: Psychological, Tragedy
• Theme: Death, Reincarnation, Remake
• Author: catadioptric

Samsara Hotline is a very loosely drawn manhwa that explores the Buddhist concept of reincarnation, where everyone can choose where to reincarnate 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 raw art of this manhwa isn't a turn off at all; in fact, it's one of its strengths. It creates a unique, messy atmosphere that fits the message of the comic perfectly and depicts the main character's emotions much better than a more traditional art style would have done. The story is interesting and gives the reader food for thought.

6

Happy birthday

Of loss and moving forward

• Type: Slice of Life, psychological
• Theme: Loss, illness, moving on
• Author: geumdae

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

The manga's art style is simplistic in a way that isn't off-putting. It feels like a raw expression of emotion 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 describes.

5

Will we live happily ever after?

Moving novel

• Type: Romantic, historical
• Theme: Girl love, cute hijinks
• Author: Jep Park

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 just as well.

We will live happily ever after follows a rebellious and competent princess who does some comedic shenanigans to avoid marrying for political reasons and ends up on the throne. The story is lighthearted and fun, the art is simple but beautiful, and the romance is great. What's not to love?

4

Grandma was abducted by aliens

• Type: Comedy, Drama, Supernatural
• Theme: Aliens, abductions
• Author: Eunbyeol

A whimsical story with sad overtones, Grandma was abducted by aliens follows the story of a boy who believes his grandmother was, as the title suggests, abducted by aliens due to a call he received as a child. As a boy in high school, he searches for these aliens in hopes of retrieving his beloved grandmother.

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

3

GO BACK

There is only your choice

• Type: Tragedy, drama, time travel
• Theme: Death, regret, loss
• Author: Joo Minsu

Another manhwa about loss, GO BACK focuses on the regret a person feels. Everyone has some things they regret, but this manhwa highlights that focusing on the past won't change anything. What is important is to process the loss, move forward and forgive yourself to create a better future.

Although quite dark 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 is conveyed quite well through a unique premise and sturdy art.

2

The last question

Let there be light

• Type: Science fiction
• Theme: Existential terror, hope, artificial intelligence
• Author: Isaac Asimov, Ryul

An adaptation of the classic tale by prolific science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, The last question it's a story of science and questions. It is a tale about the ancient mysteries of the universe, and it is a tale that aims to find the truth behind everything that ever was, ever was, or ever will be.

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

1

Welcome to the island of cats

The paradise of strays

• Type: Drama, Tragedy
• Theme: Animals, cats
• Author: Soomin Park

Pets hold a special place in the hearts of people all over the world, and cats are one of the most popular pets, along with dogs. These beautiful creatures occupy a good portion of the world's attention due to their cute behavior and adorable antics. However, stray animals suffer despite the great love showered on their domestic counterparts.

Welcome to the Isle of Cats is a brief but heartbreaking fragment of the life of a stray cat, largely abandoned by society as he searches for his kittens on an island entirely occupied by other stray cats.