Globally Popular 19+ BL Webtoon To Be Made Into A Series, Already Faces Heated Backlash

Webtoons, or web-based comics, have become a massive source of K-Drama material. They have at least inspired some popular series, like Yumi’s Cells and Friendly Rivalry.

Recently, the news that a popular webtoon would be made into a live-action series received less than positive reactions from netizens.

First released in 2019, Painter Of The Night tells the story of a painter named Nakyum and a lord named Seungho.

The now-completed period series is extremely popular, and one of Lezhin’s webtoons to be printed into physical books. However, the subject material is the source of most of the complaints.

Seungho, known for his insatiable lust for men,  forces Nakyum, who draws explicit images, to be his personal painter. This eventually develops into a “relationship” that begins with a drunk Nakhyum approaching Seungho, whom he believes to be someone else, for sex.

The rest of the series is filled with sex and other instances of dubious consent and rape that not all readers are able to digest. According to reports, the series will be made into a short-form drama with two-minute episodes and rated 15+, except for a few 19+ episodes.

These facts have led many, even those who read and enjoyed the series, to protest its being made into a live-action series vehemently.

• “Please don’t ^^ The only thing fans have been waiting for is the side story.”
• “It’s not about who the actors are… Seriously, is it that hard to use your brain? Why would you turn something that’s clearly rated 19+ into a 15+ show, what the hell.”
• “I mean, how are you supposed to make a live-action version of something that’s 19+? Even someone like me who hasn’t read Yahwacheop knows it’s a super erotic webtoon;; This is just insane.”
• “It’s not even like there aren’t actors who could match the characters… It literally starts with rape, then the victim feels sorry for the perpetrator and falls in love… and that victim doesn’t just suffer sexual assault but is also kidnapped and mentally traumatized… And they’re making that into a drama?”