Lookism (manhwa)

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For the discriminatory treatment, see Lookism.
Lookism
File:Lookism Volume 1 Cover.jpg
Cover of Lookism volume 1
GenreDrama
AuthorPark Tae-joon
PublisherDaewon and Book
Original runNovember 20, 2014 – present
Volumes19
Original net animation
Gaiken Shijō Shugi
Directed byKwang Il Han
Music byKyung-Hoon Han
StudioStudio Mir
Licensed byNetflix

Lookism is a South Korean webtoon written and illustrated by Park Tae-joon.[1] The webtoon was first published weekly on Naver WEBTOON in November 2014. Its story revolves around a high-school student who can switch between two bodies: one fat and ugly, and the other fit and handsome.[2] A Japanese-Korean animated series adaptation by Studio Mir was originally set for a global November 2022 release on Netflix.

Plot

Park Hyung Seok is an unpopular, bullied high-school student who is looked down on by his fellow student for his obesity. Bullied and harassed every day by a delinquent, he takes out his anger verbally on his mother and asks for a school transfer. Resolving to run away from his problems and start anew, he moves to Seoul and plans to attend a new high school. A few nights before he begins school, however, he receives a new body that is tall, muscular, and handsome. When one body is in use, the other falls asleep; he can switch bodies by waking up the sleeping one.

His days are split between the two bodies: the handsome one for the daytime, and the original for the night. As Daniel Park (Park Hyung Seok) lives with two bodies, he begins to see how much the world discriminates against people considered unattractive or different. He experiences discrimination and hates for his original body, kindness, and special treatment of others. His new body makes him a social-media influencer, a trainee for an entertainment company, and a clothing model. At night, however, Daniel's dream life becomes a harsh reality when he returns to his original body.

Characters

Main

  • Daniel Park/Park Hyung Suk/Keisuke Hasegawa – Daniel Park is a naïve high-school student who is bullied by Logan Lee. Before transferring to Jae Won High School to escape the bullying, he awakens with a slimmer, more-attractive body next to his chubby one. With his new body, he makes friends and learns about the world and himself from a new perspective. He is voiced in Japanese by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka.[3]
  • Vasco/Lee Eun Tae/Basco – Vasco has a reputation of being a Robin Hood-like figure, defending the weak and bullied. A childhood friend of Jace Park, he leads Burn Knuckles – a gang which punishes bullies and other wrongdoers. Despite his tough exterior, he is sweet and seeks the friendship of those he considers good. He is voiced in Japanese by Shunsuke Takeuchi.[3]
  • Jay Hong/Hong Jae Yeol – A quiet, wealthy and mysterious character who uses the systema and kali martial arts.
  • Zack Lee/Lee Jin Sung/Ryūsei Kitahara – Zack Lee is a boxer who was aggressive towards everyone except his childhood friend, Mira Kim, whom he loves. Mira dislikes violence, so Zack stops bullying and becomes more patient. They are friends with Johan Seong. He is voiced in Japanese by Wataru Urata.[3]
  • Mira Kim/Kim Mi Jin/Mizuki Sakane – Mira Kim is compassionate, patient and observant, and sees the good in everyone. Johan Seong and Zack Lee were in love with her. She is voiced in Japanese by Natsu Yorita.[3]
  • Zoe Park/Park Ha Neul/Kagawa Mirei – Zoe Park is a beautiful girl who tried to use charm to get what she wanted. After Daniel's original body saves her from a stalker, however, she develops feelings for him. She is voiced in Japanese by Saori Hayami.[3]
  • Crystal Choi/Choi Soo Jung/Akari Nerima – Crystal Choi, daughter of the HNH company chairman, also has two bodies. First an overweight student who transfers to the fashion department of Daniel's school, she lives in her original body during the day. Her different treatment leads her to believe that the world judges those with a different appearance unkindly. Crystal sees the handsome Daniel as an egotistical bully (based on his looks), and prefers the other Daniel's personality. She is voiced in Japanese by Reina Aoyama.[3]

Supporting

  • Daniel's mother/Mrs. Kim Park – Daniel's single mother is an old, hardworking, and patient woman. After seeing Logan bully Daniel, and Daniel yelling at her, she transfers him to Jae Won High School. She works twice as hard to enable Daniel to attend J High, folding and selling empty boxes and working part-time waiting tables. More than anything, she wants Daniel to be happy. As he matures, Daniel begins to appreciate and help his mother.
  • Jace Park/Park Bum Jae – Jace, the second-in-command of the Burn Knuckles, is a childhood friend of Vasco and helped Vasco overcome his fear of needles.
  • Duke Pyeon/Pyeon Duk Hwa/Hinto Kon – A short, plump student and an aspiring rapper who was bullied by others and rejected by producers. When he meets and collaborates with Daniel, he gains confidence, begins streaming on TV and becomes famous. He is voiced in Japanese by Tsuguo Mogami.[3]
  • Jiho Park/Park Ji Ho – Bullied at J High until Daniel takes him under his wing, he is obsessed with power and societal standards. Jiho shows signs of an inferiority complex, and goes to juvenile prison for the attempted murders of Daniel Park and James Gong. He becomes mentally ill in prison, and is influenced by Jake Kim. He dies after a fight with Daniel.
  • Logan Lee/Lee Tae Sung – A big, strong character who bullied Daniel Park in his former school; after Daniel moved to Seoul, Logan did too. Daniel stands up to Logan in his original body, and they reach an uneasy truce. Logan is expelled after assaulting his advisor.
  • Vin Jin/Jin Ho Bin/Takahito Saitama – Arrogant, he says he is better than everyone else and dislikes Daniel and Duke. He fears losing his sunglasses, and loses control when they are removed; this is later explained by his polycoria in one eye. He is voiced in Japanese by Daisuke Ono.[3]
  • Mary Kim – A pretty, blonde girl who is friends with Vin Jin and is known in Cheonliang (her and Vin Jin's hometown) as the Empress of Two Seconds because she defeats opponents in a fight in two seconds. She hides her past as overweight but skilled in Judo, and receiving plastic surgery.
  • Yui Kim – The leading streamer on Paprika TV until Zoe joins the website. When her boyfriend learns from Zack that she flirted with Daniel, he beats her until Zack stops him. She then develops feelings for Zack.
  • Doo Lee/Lee Hyun Do – Jiho's main tormentor, he stays around Zack and Daniel mostly to increase his popularity but helps them as needed. A streamer on Paprika TV, Tae Joon collaborates with him to taunt Shin Dae Hoon; they are caught by his gang before being bailed out by Vasco, Zack, and Daniel.
  • Tae Joon Park – Will do almost anything for fame.
  • Leon Lee – A mysterious freshman who is revealed to be a girl, her character is a tsundere.
  • Joy Hong/Hong Jae Hye – Jay's little sister and a model who has a crush on handsome Daniel and enrolls in J High to see him more often.
  • Nam Su Lee – A nerdy classmate tasked by Zack to buy shoes for him. He buys a ring and says that Daniel is poor and has no fashion sense, and Jay gives Daniel a collection of expensive clothes.
  • David, Dylan and Sarah Park – Daniel's cousins. Dylan wants to be a rapper, and is Duke's fan; David, a college student, is the star of the Park family; Sarah, Dylan's sister, has a crush on handsome Daniel.
  • Hong Ki Tae – Jay's older brother.
  • Samuel Seo – An executive.
  • Alexander Hwang – Samuel's associate, who disappears.
  • Like What and So Funny – Runaway girls who are first forced into prostitution and then begin streaming to earn money.
  • Warren Chae – Speaks in broken sentences before joining Daniel in his mission.
  • Eli Jang/Jang Hyun – The single father of a baby girl named Yenna, the daughter of his teenage sweetheart Heather. Jong Gun had his eyes on him for his fighting prowess but also because Eli created the original Hostel.
  • Sally Park – Usually seen with Warren Chae, she is an orphan who lives in an abandoned building inherited from her grandmother in the US.
  • Max Kang and Derek Jo – Tteokbokki sellers and club promoters.
  • Olly Wang – Commits suicide after learning the source of his inability to feel pain.
  • James Gong – Jiho's psychotic, sadistic bully.
  • Jasmine Huh – Daniel's classmate, who is a pathological liar. She lives with James and the child soldiers trained by Olly trained, riding a stolen bus.
  • Johan Seong – Zack and Mira's childhood friend. Bullied because he was poor and his mother was going blind, he had a crush on Mira. His mother's mental state deteriorates and a local religious figure persuades her to join the God Dog cult. Johan takes over the cult, taking its mascot as his own. He aids Jace in Cheonliang and fights with Jin before joining the White Tiger Job Center under Tom Lee.
  • Jong Gun/Jang Dong Gun – Crystal Choi's sadomasochistic gangster bodyguard, who is an extortionist.
  • Joon Goo/Goo Kim – A fighter who frequents juvenile centers and succeeds Jong Gun in his extortion racket after Gun loses interest in it.
  • Jake Kim – Leader of a Seoul's Big Deal gang and a good fighter, he was placed in juvenile prison for an illegal betting ring and became influenced by Jiho. He reforms his gang, and is always at odds with Daniel.
  • Jerry Kwon – Jake Kim's number-two, known as Jake Kim's Sword, who cares for the cat Leon. Usually gentle, except when following Jake's orders.
  • Jin Jang – Johan's faithless lieutenant, who begins spying on J High and plots to pit the students against each other. He later revives his K House gang from the God Dog.
  • Kouji/Ko Woo Ji – A hacker, he dupes the illegal toto operators and hacks the security feed of the store at which Daniel works.
  • Charles Choi/Elite – Crystal's father, an executive who worked at a convenience store until he created 4 crews with Jong Gun and other geniuses. He raised 10 geniuses (Group of 10 ppl who are extremely capable in their respective fields).
  • Steve Hong – Ki Tae, Joy and Jay's father, an executive who knows Charles Choi. He becomes Daniel's secret ally to take down the four gangs.
  • DG/Diego Kang/James Lee – World famous K-pop star who has some hidden past identity.One of Charles Choi's associates, who seems to know about Daniel's ability and is modeled on G-Dragon.He is most probably the strongest character in the verse.
  • Oliver Jang/Jang Udon/Woo Dong Jang – Debuts in a new group, Inspirit.
  • La Sol/Ra Sol – A talent trainee who becomes a trainer.
  • ARU – Oliver's ex-girlfriend and a star who is caught in a casting couch situation.
  • Tom Lee – One of Charles Choi's 10 geniuses and owner of a private security agency.
  • Justine Peng and Chuck Kwak – Two illegal Chinese immigrants rejected by Jake Kim but later accepted by Olly Wang.
  • Vivi – Chinese woman who flees to Korea to escape her Chinese drug cases, the head of a powerful family who built a club and hotel to cover her drug addiction. She later returns to China with Xiaolung.
  • Xiaolung – Vivi's servant, who becomes a eunuch to remain close to her.
  • Alexander Kwang – Covers up his rackets by imprisoning promising vloggers and forcing them to work for him, but is foiled by Daniel.
  • Sofia – A muscular Russian woman, Steve Hong's bodyguard, who trains Daniel.
  • Eugene – Head of the gang for which Samuel works, who issues deceptive invitations in Olly Wang's name. He invites the other gangs to unite against Charles Choi; Jake, Justin and Chuck accept, and Johan and Eli decline. Apprentices Daniel, but does not trust him.
  • Hudson Kim, Jacky Lee and Channing Choi – Leaders of the Ansan Public, a group trying to establish a footing in Seoul. Join Jiho and Darius Hong to form the James Lee Crew, and return to Ansan after being beaten by Daniel, Zack and Vasco. Hudson is their leader, Jacky the most agile, and Channing is a sadist.
  • Mitsuki/Neko – Leader of the 2nd affiliate and emcee of the underground death-match club, who has feelings for Sinu.
  • Ryūhei/Nōmen – Acquaintance of Mitsuki who wears a Nōmen mask.
  • Hyottoko and Daruma – Two masked men; Hyottoko is a sumo wrestler.

Themes

The webtoon's main theme is lookism: bias based on a person's physical appearance. Daniel, the main character, is an overweight, unattractive student who is bullied until his appearance changes. Other themes include gangs, extortion, animal hoarding, cults, anti-social behaviours, stalking, body positivity, rape, and attempted murder.

Character designs

Daniel's design was inspired by model Park Hyung-seok. Jay Hong's design was inspired by model Hong Jae-yeol; DG was inspired by G-Dragon; Oliver Jang's design was inspired by Jang Dongwoo, ARU by singer IU, and Vasco/Euntae Lee was inspired by a rapper whose former stage name was Vasco. The manhwa was created by Park Tae-joon, also a model.

Chinese version

Tencent produced 外貌至上主义 (Wàimào Zhìshàng Zhǔyì), a 38-episode Chinese television series based on Lookism, in 2019. The Chinese series starred Lomon, Wayne Zhang, Wang Zi Xuan and Dino Lee.

Animated series

A Japanese-Korean animated series adaptation by Studio Mir titled Gaiken Shijō Shugi (外見至上主義) was announced during Netflix's "Tudum" virtual event on September 25, 2022. The series is directed by Kwang Il Han, with Dae Woo Lee doing art and Kyung-Hoon Han composing the music. Ateez will perform the series' theme song "Like That".[4] It was originally set to be released worldwide on Netflix on November 4, 2022, but is currently delayed due to the Itaewon Halloween Tragedy.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ 얼짱 박태준, '외모지상주의' 작가 되다. Ten Asia (in Korean). December 4, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  2. ^ No, Jin-ho (August 18, 2018). 일진 미화, 여성성 왜곡…웹툰 '외모지상주의'가 전체이용가?. JoongAng Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Netflixシリーズ『外見至上主義』日本語吹き替えキャストに松岡禎丞さん、早見沙織さんら豪華声優陣が出演決定！　日本語吹き替えの本予告映像と先行カットも公開！. animate Times (in Japanese). October 26, 2022. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "Lookism: Hit Webtoon Anime Adapt Debuts on Netflix This November". Bleeding Cool. September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  5. ^ Alexa, Laurén (September 28, 2022). "Netflix Drops Trailer for 'Lookism' Anime Adaptation". Animation World Network. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  6. ^ Peters, Megan (October 31, 2022). "Netflix's Lookism Delayed Following Itaewon Halloween Tragedy". ComicBook.com. Retrieved October 31, 2022.

External links

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