Occasionally I love revisiting WebToon to see what new series are out and what episodes of series are out that I missed. Recently, I was reminded that I frequently find series on here that I fall in love with. Not to mention that more and more series from this platform are being picked up for physical release. I decided to see what new romance series I could find to get addicted to, so here are three I think you all should definitely check out!
****
The Dragon King’s Bride by Soy Media and Kanghee Jamae
Episodes out: 11 free so far
Average rating: 9.39
Genres: Fantasy, Drama, Romance
Tropes: Past Abuse, Healing, Dragons, Arranged Marriage, Cinderella-esque
The Dragon King’s Bride reminds me a lot of a Cinderella-type story if she was offered a chance to escape her evil stepmother through arranged marriage. The main character here is an illegitimate child being raised by her father’s wife who resents her existence. She’s neglected and abused her whole life and is about to be sold off as a concubine to a senile old king until their mansion is ransacked by a neighboring nation. The mother offers her daughter as a bride to save her and her son’s life, and she is married to the Dragon King right there and then.
The Dragon King winds up being kind and generous, a protective presence that makes her feel safe. I feel like this will become a very good story for those (myself included) who love reading stories about people recovering and blossoming after an abusive homelife or relationship. The added element of her having healing powers will probably play a very important role in the future of the story as well. There aren’t many episodes out yet, but by the look of the art, which is really good, and the story so far, I think I’ll be keeping up with it as it comes out.
***
The Remarried Empress by Aphatart and Sumpul
Episodes out: 137 (Physical Manga Publishing)
Average Rating: 9.86
Genres: Fantasy, Drama, Romance
Tropes: Divorce, Marriage of convenience, Politics, Strong Heroine, Royalty
I checked this one out a while ago after I saw the first volume of the physical manga and gave it a try. It’s a pretty interesting and engaging story filled with betrayal, drama, political intrigue, and magic with a building romance based on a marriage of convenience. It starts with the Emperor and Empress of a kingdom getting divorced due to the birth of the Emperor’s child by his mistress and the scheming of this mistress. The Empress winds up setting up another marriage with a neighboring kingdom, sparking political disputes and intrigue. It’s really quite an interesting series that offers a lot more depth than just a romance or arranged marriage story.
I think someone who likes political dramas and romantic dramas will love this series. I love the characters and how they seem to be fairly innocent in romance while incredibly smart when it comes to politics and political maneuvering. Just seeing the Empress begin a new relationship with her new husband is so entertaining and its adorable to see her act like a young woman in love after getting away from the trouble the old mistress was throwing her way. Adding in her new task of making a place for herself in a new kingdom, this series really does offer a lot of different things to love for many different readers.
***
Maybe Meant to Be by Honeyskein and Damcho
Episodes out: 72
Average Rating: 9.75
Genres: Slice-of-life, Romance, Comedy
Tropes: Marriage of convenience, 30+, forced proximity
This one was a surprise to me. I wasn’t quite sure what I would find when I started reading the first chapter, but I have to say I am loving it. It’s hilarious, moving, and addicting to read. The story follows two 30-year-old childhood friends who are being pressured into finding someone to settle-down and get married to. They wind up running into each other while escaping their families and the idea of marrying each other is thrown out. In a whirl-wind of activity, they soon find themselves husband and wife, living together, and have to figure out if this is just a marriage of convenience or if there might be something more between them.
The characters are all hilarious, especially Mincheol, the husband, who happens to be a fitness obsessed nerd whose two passions are working out and playing video games. He really has no concept of how he looks to other people sometimes and it makes for some really entertaining moments. But I think the best part of this series is seeing them both work out how to live together and navigate their very quick marriage, how to live together, and whether there might actually be some romantic feelings involved in their relationship. I love arranged marriage/ marriage of convenience stories that really do make the effort to show how the couple works though their differences and comes to some sort of either working relationship built on respect or finds that their love for one another grows over time. It makes for a much deeper and more meaningful story. I’ll definitely be keeping up with this one.
~~Thanks for Reading!~~
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