Highlights
- Stories in manhwa challenge societal norms, from discrimination to the fight for equality between humans and werewolves.
- Tower of God explores the lengths individuals will go to achieve their desires, facing dangerous tests and obstacles in The Tower.
- About Death delves into the inevitability of death, prompting readers to reflect on living life to the fullest before the end comes.
When it comes to versatility, manhwa is proving that it can cover as many genres as manga does. Most avid and even new anime fans are aware of manga, and because of that, they likely have ventured into the world of manhua and manhwa at some point. Among the wide variety of genres is the philosophical genre. Philosophy is a complex topic that can make readers think deeply about life, humans, morality, and much more. It is supposed to impose deep questions on the minds of readers.
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As much as philosophical manhwa is meant to make readers think deeply, it would be wrong if it were not mixed with other genres like drama, action, romance, thrillers, and the like. Mixing philosophy with other genres offers readers exciting and unique reading experiences.
7 Days Of Hana
The Fight For Equality
- Creator: Kang Seok Woo
- Release Year: 2017
- Genre: Drama
In this manhwa, humans and werewolves live together, with humans being the superior race. In addition, in this world, wolves are kept as pets by humans, but this fact does not stop Haru and Hana from being friends. Hana is a human and Haru is a werewolf, and these two have actually crossed beyond the friendship stage, as they both begin to harbor romantic feelings for each other.
Days Of Hana mimics life by showcasing discrimination, prejudice, and the fight for equality. The only difference is that the fight for equality is between humans and werewolves.
6 Tower Of God
The Lengths One Would Go For What They Desire
- Creator: SIU
- Release Year: 2010
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
Bam and Rachel were close friends living together. Their lives are far from perfect, and it seems like Bam is okay with it, but Rachel is not. Rachel desired something better. She wanted to escape the life she was living, and The Tower could offer her a better life or anything she desired, as long as she can battle the dangerous obstacles that are in The Tower.
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Rachel takes the risk, and Bam decides to go after his one and only friend. As he ascends the tower, he faces dangerous tests that are designed to break him, but he is determined to reunite with Rachel. Tower Of God depicts what individuals will do to get what they want. There is no easy way, and The Tower is far from easy, but it offers a blank check to anyone who can successfully reach the top. The Tower is designed to push people to their limits, and they either die on their way up, or succeed and get all their desires granted.
5 Annarasumanara
Societal Pressures Versus Personal Dreams
- Creator: Ha Il-Kwon
- Release Year: 2010
- Genre: Drama, Mystery, Romance
Adulthood is far from perfect; there are a lot of bills involved, and a huge chunk of one’s life is dedicated to working and trying to make money to pay bills, thus leaving one with little to no time to partake in hobbies or pursue a passion. Growing up, Yoon Ah-ee wanted to be a magician, but due to the country's economic state, that can only be a dream and nothing more. Ah-ee has to juggle school, work, and looking after her sisters.
Most readers can resonate with Ah-ee’s story because of how realistic it is. Most individuals in the real world have given up their passions and have succumbed to societal pressures to do what can feed them. There is no point in an individual following their passion if they cannot pay their bills or put food on the table, and this manhwa tackles this struggle head on.
4 Dr. Frost
The Importance Of Human Emotions
- Creator: Lee Jong-beom
- Release Year: 2011
- Genre: Mystery
Humans are programmed to feel all sorts of emotions, like love, hate, anger, disappointment, empathy, greed, lust, and so much more. However, Dr. Frost, the star of this philosophical and psychological manhwa, is unable to feel certain emotions—love and empathy, specifically. It might be safe to say these two emotions are important in a human’s life, and Dr. Frost explores that idea at length.
Lacking these emotions does not stop Dr. Frost from being the best at what he does, which is psychology. He is very skilled when it comes to reading people, and readers get to see him use some of his skills on himself as he tries to understand his trauma and know who he is. Through Dr. Frost, readers get to see how important it is to have human emotions. As he tries to do his work, which includes understanding people's emotions and motivation, he begins to uncover his feelings, particularly feelings he has not felt in a very long time.
3 Bastard
The Nature Of Evil
- Creator: Kim Carnby
- Release Year: 2014
- Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery, Romance
Through the story of Jin Seoun, the question of what makes people evil arises. Jin finds himself in a complex situation, as he is his father’s accomplice, not by choice but by circumstances. Things get more interesting when Jin’s father targets someone from Jin’s school; someone who Jin is close to. Jin has never been happy with his father’s actions, but with him targeting one of his close friends, he is torn between helping his father like he usually does or ending the deadly cycle his father has subjected him to.
It might be safe to say that readers will have to do a lot of thinking while being on the edge of their seats, because this page-turning manhwa is not only philosophical, but it is thrilling and has a lot of mystery and suspense. Jin will try to redeem himself from all the heinous acts he has carried out, and this journey is not going to be easy.
2 The Horizon
Hope In A Hopeless World
- Creator: Jeong Ji-Hoon
- Release Year: 2016
- Genre: Adventure, Drama
War is a devastating event, because it wipes away what humans have worked so hard for and separates them from their loved ones. It also showcases the fragile nature of life. It makes one question what the point of life is if it can so easily be wiped away without a trace.
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The Horizon is a deeply philosophical manhwa that tells the story of a young child caught up in a war that took his mother away from him. Hurt, alone, and terrified of what is happening, he pushes himself to keep going. Soon after, he meets another child just like him, both greatly affected by the war. They journey through their destroyed city together, giving each other the hope and strength to move forward.
1 About Death
The Inevitability Of Death
- Creator: Sini and Hyeono
- Release Year: 2013
- Genre: Drama
Once there is life, there has to be death. It is important that individuals live their lives to the fullest and to the best of their abilities, because time waits for no one, and when death comes knocking, one must answer. About Death is a deeply philosophical manhwa about life and death. It tells different stories of people at death’s door, waiting for judgment from ‘God.’
This manhwa causes the reader to reflect on their lives through the experiences of the characters with death and God. It somewhat poses the question of how one will feel when their time is up: happy, regretful, or comforted about the idea of finding peace in the afterlife?
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