Once hardly comparable to the more well-developed manga medium, manhwa works have increased not only in quality but also in quantity over the years, much to the delight of fans. Naturally, 2023 only further continued this trend, giving readers a variety of options in terms of the best new manhwa of 2023.
While manhwa titles tell all kinds of stories, covering a wide range of themes and genres, the ones released in 2023 are illustrative of their time, providing a snapshot of the current manhwa landscape. Although plenty of new works were released this year, the most popular and successful ones tend to either fall into the action genre, or to involve isekai/returner tropes, which have become nearly emblematic of the medium.
In terms of a historical romance manhwa, Not Your Typical Reincarnation Story‘s premise is pretty generic with many typical otome isekai elements. As usual, the protagonist is transmigrated into a novel as the villainess and faces the threat of death from her to-be husband and in-laws. In this case, Suna is reincarnated as Edith Rigelhof who is married into the Rudwick family with the purpose of extracting sensitive information for her family who happens to be at odds with the Rudwick family.
Thanks to her poor reputation as a scheming spy and seductress, the Rudwick family and her husband Killian are cold and suspicious of her, However, Edith is determined to prevent dying at her husband’s hands as per the course of the story and gradually begins to make her way into Killian’s heart against all odds. Despite its heavy use of common tropes and clichés, Not Your Typical Reincarnation Story manages to be incredibly engaging with an addictive romantic progression between its main characters that makes this manhwa impossible to put down.
Iseop’s Romance is an exciting new enemies-to-lovers manhwa set in the modern day. The story takes off when Kang Min-young, a senior manager at TK Group finds herself assigned to the corporation’s successor, Tae Iseop, as his secretary. However, Iseop has hated Minyoung ever since they both joined the company ten years ago, as she kept outshining him at every turn.
Iseop is very offended at having first place taken from him after striving to be the best at everything and Minyoung doesn’t have a particularly positive impression of Iseop either, dooming their relationship from the very start. That said, the attraction between them quickly becomes impossible to ignore and as they spend time together Minyoung discovers there is much more to Tae Iseop than meets the eye. Iseop’s Romance has everything one could desire from an exhilarating office romance and though the story is just beginning to take off, it certainly holds plenty of promise.
Ten Ways to Get Dumped by a Tyrant is yet another charming new manhwa that utilizes the popular villainess trope. This manhwa revolves around Scarlett Arman, the villainess of a popular novel called The Private Life of the Tyrant into which the protagonist has been transported into. As the title implies, Scarlett Arman is the fiancé to the Emperor Charleon Kalior who is infamous for being a merciless tyrant. Scarlett is fated to die from Charleon’s sword when the story’s female lead, Cherla, appears and takes her place, which inevitably leads to Scarlett bullying her and bringing ruin to her and her family.
Thus, Scarlett is determined to break off the engagement which is easier said than done. Funnily enough, Scarlett’s outrageous antics have the opposite effect on Charleon who instead of being put off by her and proposing and annulment begins to take an interest in her. Ten Ways to Get Dumped by a Tyrant is still a fairly fresh series with less than 40 chapters, but is incredibly entertaining thanks to Scarlett’s unique personality while her budding relationship with Charleon keeps readers hooked from one chapter to the next.
The Mafia Nanny is a new rising star on Webtoon with an incredibly entertaining premise. Created by a North American writer named Violet Matter, The Mafia Nanny follows Davina, who, after a childhood tragedy that killed her parents, is trained to become the ultimate nanny. Davina’s life as an Elite Nanny gets interesting when she is hired by the second-in-command of the Venetian mafia, Gabriel Angelini, to protect his one and only son, Michelle.
Davina’s only orders are to protect her charge and not get emotionally attached. However, the latter proves more difficult in practice than in theory when Davina suspects the Angelini family could be connected to her family’s death. Moreover, things quickly begin heating up between Davina and Gabriel. Though The Mafia Nanny is primarily a mafia romance story, it has a little bit of everything including action, mystery, and comedy.
I Am the Villain follows Lucy who is transported into a novel written by her best friend as the villainess. Like any other series, Lucy, now known as Lucia Aurelius is aware she is going to die and tries to avoid this fate starting with breaking off her engagement with the prince who is destined to abandon her for the protagonist in the near future. Along the way, Lucy befriends the princes’ brother Leonardo and gains a loyal knight named Noah, both of whom eventually grow into potential love interests.
While I Am the Villain doesn’t particularly stand out from the vast sea of villainess manhwa at first, its story quickly takes readers by surprise with unexpected plot twists. I Am the Villain subverts many popular tropes and cliches, making for an overall refreshing read, with ethereal art that only gets increasingly beautiful as the series progresses.
Marnac loves trying out unusual classes in video games, which is why he is intrigued by the idea of playing as the titular cleric of decay. Upon finally switching to this class, however, he finds himself pulled into the game’s world, forced to live as the only disciple of the despised Order of the Decay, serving a goddess known as the Mother of Decay, who wishes for nothing but murder. As a cleric of decay, Marnac receives holy points from sacrificing people and obtaining sacred relics, which he can use to get new skills and have any wish granted.
While Cleric of Decay‘s premise may be nothing new, it still proves to be an extremely entertaining title. Distinguishing itself through its unique characters and interactions, this title innovates upon classic power fantasy works by emphasizing elements of comedy and by revolving around simple yet intriguing plot points.
Read on Webtoon
When 100 gigantic, indestructible towers suddenly appeared across the world, people were naturally confused and anxious. But when these towers proved to be extremely lucrative, everyone was intrigued, including protagonist Se-Jun Park. While most people awaken on the first floor and are assigned a class such as wizard or warrior, Se-Jun is teleported to a completely different place and forced to become a farmer to survive, thereafter spending his days developing marketable foods and completing quests alongside cute companions such as bunnies and cats.
Following a farmer who lives a peaceful life using his resources strategically, The Top Dungeon Farmer provides an experience that is simultaneously soothing and compelling, which makes for a good break from the numerous action-oriented manhwa titles that are otherwise abundant in the medium.
Read on Webtoon
Growing up neglected by her family and constantly compared with her brothers, with none of her efforts or achievements being recognized, Cha Mi-So moves out on her own, studying and working to sustain herself. Her only respite and source of healing is a novel about a loving family, which proves particularly soothing on her worst days. When she falls asleep only to awaken as a character in the novel, she is initially happy, before realizing that she is not the beloved protagonist, but rather an unfortunate side character fated to be kicked out, Eileen Etam.
Being Raised by Villains is a beautiful, wholesome family-oriented story that fans appreciate for its endearing characters and creative story. It also leverages beloved tropes of the isekai theme, with the protagonist using her knowledge to her advantage, and seeking to find in her new life what she could never have in her previous one, making this a remarkable romance manhwa title.