I have been an active reader of webtoons on Tapas, Tappytoon, and Webtoon for the past three years (though more so on Tapas and Tappytoon). I have “collected” dozens of webtoons, with completely unlocked episodes, that I can read at leisure.
Recently, however, I decided to start collecting some of them in physical form. Here’s why.
Last fall, around September, Tapas did an update that totally changed my reading experience. One of the perks of reading on Tapas was that you could wait for a period of time (Wait Until Free or WUF), and then you could unlock an episode for free. You could still pay to read ahead, or you could wait.
What made that perk so nice, compared to Webtoon’s platform for example, was that it was permanently unlocked on Tapas. So even if the webtoon was to be removed from the Tapas collection, any reader who had unlocked the episodes and saved the webtoon to their library could continue reading.
But then the perks changed
But this new update removed the “wait-until-free permanent unlock” perk. Instead, they introduced a faster WUF of a 3-hr time frame. Unfortunately, that update didn’t offer a way to get around the WUF pass in order to purchase the episodes with ink (Tapas’ currency).
Currently, the only working way to get around that is to wait for a sale on the webtoon of choice, and hope you have at least one other non-WUF episode that isn’t unlocked. That way, you can unlock all of the episodes through the sale. If not, you’re stuck, because there is currently no way to get around the WUF otherwise. (Apparently, the developers are working on that, but it’s been well over six months and no improvement).
So why do I bring that up?
Because going through that experience reminded me that even if the episodes are currently permanently unlocked, the ones purchased with ink, the apps may decide to update in the future that changes that. And there are quite a few webtoons that I would hate to lose (and I’d rather not have to look for them in the grey part of the internet).
I decided to start looking into what webtoons were available as physical copies (with English translations because my Korean isn’t THAT good yet), and here’s what I’ve started collecting so far:
Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke’s Mansion
This was the first webtoon I looked into when looking for physical copies. I have it fully unlocked on Tappytoon, but it’s one of my favorites. I’ve reread it many times! In total, seven volumes should be released, and they just released the 3rd last month. Also, they just started airing the anime based on this story, and it’s been interesting to watch. I haven’t decided if I completely love it like I love the manhwa, but I’m giving it a good chance because I still love the storyline. It’s such a cute and well-written storyline; I absolutely adore it.
Villains Are Destined to Die
This, along with Raeliana and the Abandoned Empress, was one of the first physical volumes I purchased. It has beautiful art, and while it hasn’t been fully released yet, even on Tapas where I first started reading it, the story is incredible, and I love it. I know it’s one that I’ll want to have in physical form. I don’t know how many volumes it’ll be in total, but I just collected the 3rd today (May 19th), and I got lucky, because technically, it wasn’t supposed to be out yet, but they had just received the shipment today.
The Abandoned Empress
This is another of the first group of physical copies I bought, and it’s a personal favorite. Not the best story around, but I love it just the same. I believe there should be eight volumes, and four have been released so far (I have all of them). This is another that I have unlocked completely on Tappytoon.
The Remarried Empress
This is a relatively new one for me, though I do have the first two volumes. It’s one I’ve been reading on Webtoon, and I quite like it, so I decided to take a jump on collecting it. It hasn’t been fully released on Webtoon, but I don’t mind getting ahead on the collecting.
The Business Proposal
This is a recently acquired manhwa for me, and in fact, it only just started being published in physical form. It was one of the first webtoons I ever read on Tapas; in fact, I remember when it was first released back in 2020, which feels so far away now. It’s another that I have unlocked completely online, but it’s one I love so much that I know I’ll love rereading it in physical form.
I am keeping an eye out on the publishing websites for some of the webtoons I’m collecting, to see if other digital favorites of mine will soon be released in print. Will my wallet scold me for starting this collection? Haha, perhaps…but they make for great reading, and I love seeing the art. Also, if it means I can read the stories without being on a screen, I’ll take it.
Do you read or collect manhwas (or manga/manhua)? What are some other things you like to collect? Share in the comments below.
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