Welcome to Convenience Store

Last updated

Contents

Welcome to Convenience Store
Welcome to Convenience Store.png
Logo featuring main characters.
The images are from left to right, Park Jeom-jang, Kang Min-jun, Im Eun-ah, and Kim Hye-yeon.
와라! 편의점
Wara! Pyeonuijeom
GenreComedy
AuthorJi Kang-min
Publisher WEBTOON
Original runFebruary  2008

Welcome to Convenience Store (Korean : 와라! 편의점; RR : Wara! Pyeonuijeom) is a South Korean webtoon created by Ji Kang-min. The webtoon began in February 2008 and received an award at the Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival that same year. A paperback version was released on October 23, 2008.

Welcome to Convenience Store was adapted into multiple animated series, as well as a mobile game distributed by Kakao. Characters from the webtoon have appeared in a variety of media and merchandise.

Development

Photographer Ji Kang-min started drawing Welcome to Convenience Store in 2008, thinking it would be nice to release a story based on one of the most well-known settings. Kang-min gets a large amount of fanmail containing stories and concerns from retail employees, some of which he introduces to the webtoon. Kang-min stated in 2010 that the webtoon doesn't make him much money, which was his reason to expand to different types of media, such as animation. [1]

In an interview with The Korea Times , Kang-min stated that when he started drawing cartoons, he overworked himself as there was a large amount of labor to do. During this period, he spent two days per week writing up scripts, and the other five days to draw the cartoon itself. As of 2015, he only needs two days to draw the comic itself, as he no longer has to use up his time with routine processes. For example, he no longer needs to draw backgrounds, as he adapted 3D-rendered backgrounds. Kang-min stated that his life motto is to "not to skip a meal and not to pass a night without sleep," and that he is currently "fully benefiting from my digitalized environment." [2]

In 2015, Kang-min started a new webtoon series titled The Commute Family, which focuses on the everyday events in public transportation. The new series is published on KakaoPage rather than Naver. [2]

Summary

Welcome to Convenience Store chronicles the everyday, yet silly events at a fictional South Korean convenience store. Though the webtoon is purely episodic in nature, it features a recurring set of part-time workers. Kang-min initially intended to focus primarily on the store's employees, but after receiving positive responses from his readers, he shifted the focus of the webtoon more to the customers. [2]

Other media

The 2012 animated adaptation of Welcome to Convenience Store features voice work and music by the members of Infinite. K collection in seoul inpiniteu naeggeohaja B.T.D. (2).jpg
The 2012 animated adaptation of Welcome to Convenience Store features voice work and music by the members of Infinite.

In 2010, Yoo Se-yoon of the comedy music duo UV revealed "Convenience", a music video featuring characters from Welcome to Convenience Store. [3] Convenience store chain 7-Eleven featured characters from the webtoon on its products, and some of the characters have been realized as toys by Korean toy manufacturer Oxford Blocks. [2]

Animation

A web animation based on Welcome to Convenience Store was produced in October 2009. Published on Naver and later broadcast on Tooniverse, the animated series was intended for promotional purposes rather than direct profit, and it was the first web animation based on a webtoon, or "Ostuni". [1] [4]

An animated television series based on Welcome to Convenience Store was announced in 2010, and eventually produced by cable channel Tooniverse in 2012. The series was produced as part of the 2010 "Annie Challenge" and was aired as 20 episodes, each 30 minutes long. [5] Members of the South Korean boy band Infinite appeared in the series as guest stars, as well as singing the opening theme "Always Open". [6] [7]

Mobile game

Welcome to Convenience Store was adapted into a mobile game in 2014, distributed through KakaoTalk. The video game, titled Work It! Convenience Store, quickly became one of the top-selling games on Google Play. [8] The game won the "Best Korean Mobile Game Business" in 2014. Work It! exceeded 500,000 downloads in the first weeks of its launch, and has been downloaded by over five million people as of March 2016. [9]

In Work It!, the player takes on the role of manager of a convenience store, as which he can decorate the building, purchase wares, and perform a variety of chores. Through the course of the game, a player can eventually create their own "unique" convenience store. Work It! includes various intricate systems such as street vendors and plant food that allow players to micromanage their store. [9] The game also features various mechanics that allows the player to assist or compete against other players. [10]

Reception

Welcome to Convenience Store received an award at the Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival in 2008. [11] Characters from the webtoon were exhibited as a pop-up store in the Korean Comics Museum in January 2015. [12]

In 2010, Kang-min's webtoon spurred some political controversy when he published a page featuring a girl apprehending a shoplifter based on the way he looked. [13] Kang-min apologized shortly after, and stated that he would give "more careful consideration when selecting the material" to use in the webtoon in the future. [14]

Related Research Articles

<i>Manhwa</i> Comics created in Korea

Manhwa is the general Korean term for comics and print cartoons. Outside Korea, the term usually refers to Korean comics. Manhwa is directly influenced by Japanese Manga comics. Modern Manhwa has extended its reach to many other countries. These comics have branched outside of Korea by access to Webtoons and have created an impact that has resulted in some movie, drama and television show adaptations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Korean animation</span> Animation industry

South Korean animation, or aeni is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from South Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Webtoon</span> South Korean digital comics

Webtoons (Korean: 웹툰) are a type of episodic digital comic that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones.

Tooniverse is a South Korean cartoon and anime channel owned by CJ ENM Entertainment Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kang Full</span> South Korean webtoon artist

Kang Do-young, better known as Kang Full, is a South Korean webtoon artist and screenwriter. Kang began his career as a cartoonist in 1997, serializing comic reviews in Yeongseo Newspaper, then in 2002, began publishing his cartoons on his personal website. He is one of the first-generation webtoon artists in South Korea.

<i>Noblesse</i> (manhwa) South Korean webtoon

Noblesse is a South Korean manhwa released as a webtoon, written by Son Je-ho and illustrated by Lee Kwangsu. Noblesse was first posted on Naver Corporation's webtoon platform, Naver Webtoon, in December 2007 and concluded in January 2019. It was among the first webtoons to receive an official English translation at the launch of Line Webtoon in July 2014. The series has been adapted into an aeni in 2015, an original net animation (ONA) in 2016, and an anime television series by Production I.G that aired from October to December 2020 on Crunchyroll.

Ha Il-kwon is a South Korean manhwaga. He graduated from Sejong University in South Korea and majored in Cartoon-Animation.

<i>The Sound of Heart</i> South Korean webtoon

The Sound of Your Heart is a South Korean webtoon series written and illustrated by Jo Seok. The webtoon was first released on the Naver WEBTOON internet portal in 2006. In 2007, the first print volume was released and The Sound of Your Heart was adapted into a TV series of the same name in 2015. It was completed in July 2020.

<i>Timing</i> (film) 2014 South Korean film

Timing is a 2015 South Korean animated film based on the webtoon of the same name by cartoonist Kang Full. The film was directed by Min Kyung-jo, and features the voices of Park Ji-yoon, Yoon Sang-hyun, Ryu Seung-gon, Yeo Min-jeong, Sim Gyu-hyuk and Sung Wan-kyung.

<i>Timing</i> (manhwa) 2006 manhwa series by Kang Full

Timing is a South Korean manhwa series written and illustrated by Kang Full. Started in June 2005, this webtoon manhwa was released on Daum. The print publication of the first volume of Timing was released on August 5, 2006. The webtoon has been adapted into a film of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Webtoon (platform)</span> Webtoon hosting service

WEBTOON is an American-South Korean webtoon platform launched in 2004 by Naver Corporation, providing hosting for webtoons and compact digital comics. The platform, controlled by Naver and the Naver-SoftBank Group joint venture LY Corporation through a Delaware-domiciled, Los Angeles, California-headquartered holding company WEBTOON Entertainment Inc., is free and can be found both on the web at Webtoons.com and on mobile devices available for both Android and iOS.

Studio N is a subsidiary of Webtoon Entertainment Inc. launched in August 2018 that produces drama films and television series based on stories from their Korean library of webtoons and web novels. The subsidiary is headed by Kwon Mi-kyung, who was a former head of the film business division of CJ ENM. Kwon describes the studio as a "IP bridge company that collaborates with existing film and drama production companies".

<i>Backstreet Rookie</i> 2020 South Korean television series

Backstreet Rookie is a 2020 South Korean television series starring Ji Chang-wook and Kim Yoo-jung. It is based on the 2016–2017 webtoon She's Too Much for Me written by Hwalhwasan. It is the first Korean drama funded by the global channel Lifetime and produced by Taewon Entertainment. The series aired on SBS TV at 22:00 (KST) from June 19 to August 8, 2020, on Fridays and Saturdays for 16 episodes. It is available on iQIYI and on Rakuten Viki with subtitles in multiple languages globally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Web novels in South Korea</span> Type of web novels made in South Korea

Web novels in South Korea have been growing in popularity in the 21st century. Among e-publishing fields, web novels are the core contents that are leading the e-book market. Just as webtoons grew in the early 2000s in South Korea, web novels have been growing rapidly since 2010.

Kakao Webtoon is a webtoon platform operated by Kakao.

<i>Todays Webtoon</i> 2022 South Korean television series

Today's Webtoon is a South Korean television series starring Kim Se-jeong, Choi Daniel, and Nam Yoon-su. It is a remake of a Japanese drama, which was based on the manga series Jūhan Shuttai!. It aired from July 29 to September 17, 2022 on SBS TV's Fridays and Saturdays at 22:00 (KST) for 16 episodes. It is also available for streaming on Viu in selected regions.

Love Revolution is a South Korean manhwa released as a webtoon written and illustrated by 232. It was serialized via Naver Corporation's webtoon platform, Naver Webtoon, from September 2013 to April 2023, with the individual chapters collected. A live-action adaptation series was released on September 1 to December 27, 2020, on KakaoTV and Naver SERIES.

<i>Light Shop</i> Upcoming South Korean television series

Light Shop (Korean: 조명가게) is an upcoming South Korean mystery television series written by Kang Full and directed by Kim Hee-won. The series stars an ensemble cast including Ju Ji-hoon, Park Bo-young, Bae Seong-woo, Uhm Tae-goo, Kim Seol-hyun, Lee Jung-eun, Kim Min-ha, Park Hyuk-kwon, Kim Dae-myung, Shin Eun-soo, Kim Sun-hwa, and Kim Ki-hae. Based on the webtoon of the same name by Kang, it depicts the story of the living and the dead by connecting the world and the underworld through a store that sells lights. It is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ on December 4, 2024.

Goblin Hill is a South Korean manhwa series written and illustrated by Yonghoe Kim. Started in August 2013, this webtoon manhwa was released on Daum. A South Korean animated series adaptation by Soul Creative was announced in 2019, and the series aired from July 21, 2021, to February 16, 2022, on Tooniverse.

References

  1. 1 2 누적 조회수 4억 웹툰 TV애니로 본다. Korea Daily . August 15, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "'Digitalization gave me more time for creativity'". The Korea Times . September 30, 2015.
  3. ↑ 유세윤 'UV'의 새 뮤비 '편의점'의 주인공? 알면 '깜놀'. vop.co.kr. August 17, 2010.
  4. ↑ 가까워진 '웹툰' 가까이하기엔 너무 먼 '국내 애니메이션'. OhmyNews . June 18, 2013.
  5. ↑ 인기웹툰 '와라!편의점', TV애니메이션으로 재탄생. Hankook Ilbo . September 3, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Infinite's L transforms into an animation character". Korea.com. Xports News. January 13, 2012. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015.
  7. ↑ Lee, Nancy (March 29, 2013). "Infinite Members Become Voice Actors for 'Wara! Store' Cartoon". enewsWorld.
  8. ↑ 노현아-유영욱 "'와라편의점'은 현재 매출 피버모드". The Korea Economic Daily . Korea Economic Daily. March 17, 2014.
  9. 1 2 小龍 (March 11, 2016). "國民級經營類手遊神作《打工吧！便利商店》登台確定！事前登錄活動正式開催！". Gameapps.hk.
  10. ↑ Jerry (March 18, 2016). "《打工吧！便利商店》公開遊戲玩法 首波宣傳影片搶先看". ggn.gamer.com (in Chinese).
  11. ↑ "SICAF 2008". Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival. May 21, 2008.
  12. ↑ 한국만화박물관에서 만나는 '와라! 편의점' 캐릭터 팝업스토어. 1gan.co.kr. December 24, 2014.
  13. ↑ 웹툰 '와라!편의점', 초록색 글씨2번 일파만파…"신중하지 못한 판단 죄송". 강원일보 홈페이지 (in Korean). Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  14. ↑ '와라!편의점' 지강민, 천안함 풍자·선거홍보 논란 일파만파. Asia Today. June 2, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.