Focus: Dive into the World of Webtoons with 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint'

Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, written by singNsong, is a beloved web novel that has captured the hearts of readers with its unique plot and diverse cast of characters. The story follows Kim Dokja, an ordinary office worker whose reality changes to mirror his favorite web novel upon completing the long-awaited final chapter. Thrown into a sudden life or death situation, Dokja uses his "reader's" knowledge of the plot to navigate this new reality.

The webtoon adaptation of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint began serialization in May 2020, with Sleepy-C handling the artwork. The anime adaptation was announced in July this year, generating significant excitement, particularly overseas and in Japan, where the series has garnered a growing fanbase eager to see the story animated.

Prior to the anime adaptation announcement, Ize Press hosted a panel interview with representatives from Sleepy-C and RIVERSE at Anime NYC in 2023. MyAnimeList had the chance to talk with Sleepy-C about the creative process behind the webtoon and the inspirations that guide their work in a group media interview.



How is the Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint webtoon created?

───For those who may be unfamiliar, could you please tell us a bit more about REDICE Studio and RIVERSE?

REDICE Studio is well-known as the studio that produced Solo Leveling. We've also had the honor of producing many other well-known titles such as Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint (abbreviated as ORV), Tomb Raider King, and Overgeared. RIVERSE is the company that distributes the digital and print works created by REDICE Studio.

───How did you come to work on the ORV webtoon?

Before I became a part of the ORV team, I was [already] working for 3B2S and was part of the Tomb Raider King project. While I was working on that series, the Tomb Raider King's writer and main director both gave good evaluations for my artwork.

Because of that, I was able to become the main artist of the Sleepy-C team. I really appreciated that they did that, and from the bottom of my heart, I'm so grateful that they gave me such a good opportunity.



───What is the role of the main artist?

Not all Korean webtoons are produced in the same way as ours. We chose a method system that more closely resembles the production process of animations. In short, rather than one main artist or a duo of the writer and artist, we have a whole team working on bringing ORV to life.

The Sleepy-C team belongs to the studio 3B2S, which is in charge of making the artwork for REDICE Studio and ORV. Rather than thinking of Sleepy-C as a single person, it'd be more accurate to think of Sleepy-C as an entire artist team. [My role in that team is] finalizing and approving the whole process.

───Could you describe for us how the creative process for the ORV webtoon works?

There are many different stages in the process. UMI is the one who first adapts the novel to the initial draft. After that job is finished, then the Sleepy-C team begins the artwork.

Everyone gathers together and we have a production meeting where we set the direction of the episode. The pre-production team then meets to discuss the characters and all the materials for that episode's design. Then the drawing team and color team begin drawing the characters. The background team then adds the backgrounds onto that. And then the producer adds on the script. After that, the polishing team finalizes the first stage of the complete work. After that, all teams have another meeting together with the director [or "main artist"] who is overseeing the whole process. If something needs to be modified or corrected, then we do that.

When the episode is finalized, then it is presented to the readers. So the process is kind of in the middle of comics and animation in terms of production.

───What is the adapter UMI's role in the process?

The role of the adapter can be easily summarized as similar to doing the storyboard for a film production. However, instead of creating the movie's scenario, the process involves adapting a novel that already exists. So having a good feel [to adapt the content into comic format] and a strong sense for direction is required to excel in this role.

───How involved are the original authors, singNsong, in the creation process?

The writers singNsong are very actively involved with the whole process. They check all the storyboards and approve the final product. Because we're bringing their writing to the comic version, it is very important for us to know the tone and manner the original writers had in mind. So we're constantly talking to them to make sure that we're sharing the same vision for their work.

Translator note: singNsong is the pseudonym of the married couple who authored the Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint web novel.

───How were Sleepy-C and UMI selected to work on ORV?

The adapter UMI was already a renowned adaptation writer in industry with extensive experience in serializing numerous works. Sleepy-C had also gained [a positive reputation] thanks to the success of their previous series, Tomb Raider King.

During the initial phase for ORV, we tested numerous artists (including Sleepy-C) for the role of the illustrator, because we wanted to put out the best product possible. In the end, Sleepy-C was chosen, so you could say that they're the Chosen One.

───When do you feel that the Korean comic industry began to strongly pivot towards digital publishing?

Due to the explosive success of Korean webtoons in the global market, it might be easy to assume that there also was an overnight phenomenon in Korea, but that's not the case. The industry developed over quite a long period of time. I believe Naver Webtoons first began its service in the year 2000. By the year 2010, multiple other platforms had popped up.

Another important aspect to consider in the development of Korean webtoons is how it came to be an industry that could be monetized and become profitable. Once that system came into place, it became known as a very profitable industry. Right now, we're also starting to see a positive feedback cycle feedback loop where people who grew up reading these Korean webtoons are now inspired to become artists themselves, and are putting out great works that continue to grow the industry.


Tell us more about Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint.

───How did the Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint webtoon come to be, and was it expected to become as big as it has?

In Korea, before webtoons were established as a popular genre, web novels had already settled in as a very successful medium. Among those web novels, Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint was a landmark and really set the tone for the success that genre would go on to have.

So even before we started adapting it, there were massive expectations for a comic version of ORV. We all felt the pressure, and a very heavy sense of responsibility. To give you an example, in order to put out the best possible adaptation possible, we ended up re-working some of the earlier chapters over a dozen times just to have the final version be as perfect as possible.

I'm very happy to say that our work has been received well. And that positive reception has led to us being invited to be here today.

───Where do you get the inspiration for these stylish characters?

I do a lot of research to make sure my characters are as stylish as possible. For example, I look at magazines, movies, videos, other comics, illustrations, and more to get the right inspiration. As much as I want to be expressive, I also don't want to stray too far from the original material. I want to find good designs for these characters that the original creators are also happy with. So I'm always having meetings with other people on the team to constantly discuss what would be the best direction.

───Which character do you think is the most stylish?

I think the constellations tend to have very fancy outfits in their region.

───As the "Ugly King," Kim Dokja's appearance is supposed to be bland and ordinary, but his character design is still very distinct. Was it a challenge to design his character?

There's a certain reason [his character looks like that], just keep waiting until the end. You'll find the answer for that.

───If you were the main character of ORV, with your knowledge of the story, what might you do differently?

This might sound like it came out of nowhere, but we once discussed something similar with our team members. At the beginning of the novel, the characters are on the subway, and they have to kill some kind of life to survive. Bacteria and germs are also living things, so instead of killing people, could we just wash our hands? Removing the germs could be another way to survive.

───We know how popular ORV is abroad, but what kind of reception does it have in Korea?

To say the least, the release of the webtoon version of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint has had a titanic impact on the Korean market since the very day of the release. YouTube was flooded with review videos and there were so many comments that we could not possibly read through all of them.

Another thing that we were happy to see is that the fandom that we've garnered are almost like kpop fans with the amount of zeal they have for the series. For example, kpop fans are known to put up huge happy birthday banners in the Korean subway stations whenever their favorite idols are celebrating their birthdays. Dokja and Joonghyuk got those on their birthdays. It would be great if we could get something like that going in the United States as well.

───What do you feel has made ORV so popular worldwide?

I believe one of the secrets to its global popularity and appeal, is the fact that many kinds of folklore and mythologies of various cultures appear as constellations in the story. This makes it very relatable to readers from multiple cultures. Also, the main protagonist also being the reader of the original story adds a fresh take on the storytelling perspective, and an extra layer of relatability to the protagonist. Last but not least, I think the fresh and innovative art style that was developed when creating the adaptation contributes to its success.


The beginnings of Sleepy-C's main artist.

───How did you get started drawing?

I've been exposed to comics since my early childhood because my home environment was very open to comics and caricatures. Because of that, once I was able to grab a pen or pencil, I just started to draw. That is the kind of stage I started drawing on.

───What would you consider as your artistic influences? For example, do you have any non-comic influences to your art, such as video games?

Yes, I'm into all kinds of multimedia, not just comics. I also like movies, TV shows, and video games. Recently I've been getting into games made by FromSoftware all over again. So I've been enjoying them very much.

───At what point do you feel like you settled into your own distinct style?

I feel like my path to drawing the way I'd like to isn't completed yet. However, the responses I get from friends and fans is a lot of encouragement for me, so that brings me confidence.

───What made you realize you wanted to become a professional artist?

Since I was very little, I didn't really have an aspiration to become an artist because I thought the barrier to entry to the professional industry would be too high. But I did want to try to make some money with my drawings, so that's how I got started. Once I began working with many fellow artists and studios, I was blessed with many opportunities.

───How did you become involved with Tomb Raider King, and how long did you work on that project?

That's kind of the stage in my life that I mentioned earlier, when I wasn't really specifically trying to become a professional artist, but still also wanted to make some money from drawing. I was introduced by a friend to the studio that worked on Tomb Raider King. I worked with them for about a year and a half, from chapter 18 to 30 or so. At that point, I had the opportunity to work for Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint and started another team.

───Who's your favorite character or characters from Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint to draw?

I love all the characters, but the one that I personally enjoy drawing the most is the Persephone version of Yoo Sangah.

───What has been your favorite scene(s) that you've drawn in Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint?

Every scene in ORV is really fun to draw. Because every episode has different characters, we can try out new methods each time.

If I had to pick just one right now, I think I would pick the story arc of Catastrophe of Floods. It was really fun to draw the entire episode. I also had a lot of fun drawing the Peace Land Arc, especially the scenes where Yoosung is fighting. That arc, and the Catastrophe of Floods, both involve Yoosung so I must just really enjoy drawing her scenes.

In general, we always have team meetings to discuss what scenes we want to highlight or detail for each episode. We get together, share our feedback, our thoughts and ideas, and discuss how to create the episode with our best effort. I always find these meetings very interesting, we have such a fun time during them.



───What advice do you have for aspiring comic artists who want to do what you do?

First of all, a really important tip that I can give to aspiring artists out there is to evaluate yourself objectively. I find that that's an extremely important thing to do. Another tip would be to kind of get in shape and work on your stamina and your endurance while you're young, because I find that it becomes very important [later].

───Do you have a final message for ORV fans?

As the representative of Sleepy-C, I really appreciate the amount of love and support that I've received from the fans [at Anime NYC]. I've had so many incredible experiences in the last few days in New York, and I can't wait to go back and share these experiences with the rest of the Sleepy-C team.

We have many really talented people always working on the webtoon adaptation of Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, so please look forward to [reading more], and please continue to give us your thoughts and support. Thank you.

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Interview was conducted through an interpreter and has been edited for clarity. Questions from both the panel and group media interview were compiled.

Buy the ORV volumes in print: https://yenpress.com/series/omniscient-reader-s-viewpoint
Read the webtoon for FREE: https://www.webtoons.com/en/action/omniscient-reader/list?title_no=2154
Add it to your list: https://myanimelist.net/manga/132214/