As I’ve gone down the anime pipeline, I’ve followed the route many of my fellow girlies/theybies have when it comes to going from manga to manhwa/manhuas to danmei and webnovels. The industry is catching up, with publishers like Seven Seas Entertainment licensing popular Chinese BL novels (danmei) and Ize Press licensing Korean novels like Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. But there are still a lot of gaps. Luckily for us, Publang is trying to fill those gaps.
Publang is a digital platform that allows you to read Korean webnovels in English. They serialize popular titles like The New Recruit, December, and Payback. You pay per volume, part, or sometimes chapter. They are also starting to print novels and started with Define the Relationship by Flona.
For Anime NYC, Publang brought Flona to the convention for meet and greets, signings, and a Q&A panel. I was able to attend the Q&A panel, and it was an incredible experience to hear from Flona. Reading international works like manga, manhwas, and webnovels feels like you are so far removed from the author/creator. I love that publishers are working hard to bring authors to meet their international fans!
In Flona’s Q&A, we were able to learn about her inspiration for Define the Relationship, why New York was where Ash and Lyle first met, how she studied abroad in London, and used that experience in her writing. One of my favorite parts was Flona detailing how she heard of a New Year’s Eve myth that kissing someone on NYE at Times Square signified you were fated to be with that person, which inspired Ash and Lyle’s kiss in Define the Relationship.
As a fan of Define the Relationship, this panel was perfect. I loved learning more about Flona, her process, and what went into Define the Relationship. The questions Publang prepared for the panel were perfect, and they also included questions submitted by their Discord community.
Overall, I hope to see more panels like this! Of course, we’ve had panels for anime bring out Japanese creators all the time, especially at Anime NYC. As manhwa grows in the US, it’s time for other publishers to follow suit.
