- Status: Completed
- Platform: Tapas
- Chapters: 116
- Genre: Modern Romance Manhwa
- Creators: Lee Yunji
- Release year: 2014
- tropes: childhoodfriends to lovers
Is Something About Us worth reading? Short review
You know those Webtoons where you start reading and can’t seem to stop? Something About Us was like that for me. I couldn’t stop reading and felt really empty when this Manhwa came to an end. I’m really glad, that it was already completed when I picked it up, so I could binge this beautiful creation. I advise you to do the same, if you want to feel all the feels.
The first chapters of Something About Us
In the first few chapters, their relationship is already pretty clear: they’re best friends who spend a lot of time together. They’re very close, which is why they bicker so much. Woojin always has nicknames for Gahyoung and loves teasing her. Because of their dynamic, everyone around them assumes they’re dating, but both of them always deny it – because, of course, they aren’t at this point.
They planned to attend university together, but Woojin enlisted in the army instead. That’s the first time they are apart for a longer period since high school. After he comes back, Gahyoung realizes how much she missed him: “Woojin, the only person I can punch, fight, and play with. You were missing.” (Gahyoung, chapter 4). When he returns and they walk home after university, Gahyoung is the first to notice that something has changed between them. And although she notices pretty early, Something About Us is still a Slow Burn Romance Manhwa.
Something About Us Manhwa: The characters
There are many characters in Something About Us, but I would say that the romance part revolves around these four: Woojin, Gahyoung, Eugene, and Chanhee. Here is an overview with a quote that kind of characterizes them.
Han Woojin: „You feel like you’re in good hands with me, right?“
Doh Gahyoung. „I need to sort things out.“
Choi Chanhee: „This is my last chance“
Eugene „I envy you. I want to feel secure too“
I love the depth these characters have. Almost no one in this comic is just selfless, or just nice, or just bad, and so on. Even Eugene who messes up pretty badly is just a young girl who was feeling very insecure. I also love how Chanhee realizes that his feelings for Gahyoung may have not been, what he imaged all the time in his head and we get to see the process of it.
Art
The art is beautiful in Something About Us. There isn’t anything extraordinary like special backgrounds or highlights but it is very clean overall. The anatomy is on point and what is most important: the feelings are transmitted authentically through the drawing of each expression. The color range of this comic also contributes to the calm feeling of this Webtoon. They are not „in your face“ and more in the pastel range. Check out my article: Romance Manhwa with good art – and I mean GODLIKE art.
Storytelling
Something about us is one of the best Webtoons I have read and the biggest factor that makes the story so good is the storytelling. It all feels very slow and calm – even when there’s Drama. That’s because the author takes his time to really focus on the feelings of each character and delivers short monologues from the character’s perspective. We get to know WHY someone is doing something in this story – even the sidecharacters.
Even when you don’t agree with some of their actions you know exactly why they do it and that helps to be completely immersed in the story. The pacing is also great. Nothing gets dragged on too long and unnecessarily in my opinion. Although there is drama and there are some misunderstandings, the characters work actively to change that, so it is not dreadful to read.
Protagonists: Gahyoung and Woojin
I really love their dynamic. At first, Gahyoung tries to deny her feelings for Woojin and distances herself – for the sake of their friendship and her friend Eugene. She really tries to work through it all, even though she does some pretty harsh things along the way. I like that she reflects on her actions afterward.
Woojin, on the other hand, is very easygoing and approachable, which is why everyone likes him. But he can also be quite naive. After pushing down any possible feelings for Gahyoung, he just never really thinks about it again and doesn’t always consider how his actions affect others. I still love his character because he means well. I also really enjoy the chapters from his perspective, and he shows a lot of character development. If you wan to read more Romances from a male’s perspective, check out my list.
Ending (SPOILERS AHEAD)
This is obviously a huge spoiler so don’t read any further if you haven’t read Something About Us yet. First of all, I love that the Manhwa doesn’t end with them getting together. We see many interactions from their relationship and it’s really cute and romantic – especially Gahyoung’s graduation project and I LOVED Woojin’s reaction to that. I loved it. The only criticism I have is that Gahyoung didn’t really strike me as the controlling „everything has to be perfect“ type, but kind of gets like that when it comes to their first time.
There is also the side story with Chanhee and Hyung… It’s so freaking beautiful and so sad at the same time. Hyung is such an awesome character – you like him throughout the whole comic because he is always there for his friends but the side story really takes things into perspective.
For me, every open plot point has a lovely conclusion and even the side characters get their happy or satisfying ending.
Something About Us – overall vibe and conclusion
Of course, there are ups and downs – even in this story. But since I read it in one go, some potentially frustrating arcs didn’t bother me at all, and I could just immerse myself in the story. And it really is a beautiful one.
The transition from friends to lovers is handled with care and given enough time, so everything feels convincing and real. There’s no grand wedding, no overly cheesy gestures, no dreamy perfect relationship, and no damsel in distress. Just well-developed characters with real problems and emotions.
If you haven’t gotten the message yet, let me say it again: just go read Something About Us. You won’t regret it.
Read if you…
- Love comics in a college setting and with a very caring ML
- Like it when the girl is the first to take action
- Like very fleshed out and awesome side characters
- Love reading a story with almost perfect pacing and are in desperate need of a calm and realistic love story
Skip if you…
- Don’t like it, when the Mcs explore their feelings with second love interests (at first, and nothing too close)
- are not in the mood for a relationship to develop realistically – even with the negative feelings. It’s not picture perfect
- don’t like it when even the most annoying characters get a chance to redeem themselves – or get what they deserve
They consider themselves the best of friends… but that’s not how everyone sees them. He’s a friend who’s a boy. She’s a friend who’s a girl. That’s all! But still… there’s something about their relationship that’s hard to describe. What will become of these two “friends?”
