unOrdinary, a beast of a WEBTOON, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary! Created by uru-chan on May 24, 2016, the series has reached ultimate popularity on the WEBTOON app. While it’s currently on episode 380 (with a few ahead on fast pass), it is easily going to hit its 400th episode soon.
unOrdinary is the second English-language WEBTOON series to surpass the billion views mark at 1.76 billion global views (the first being Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe).
Check out the 10-year anniversary graphic, as well as the summary from WEBTOON:
Nobody paid much attention to John – just a normal teenager at a high school where the social elite happen to possess unthinkable powers and abilities. But John’s got a secret past that threatens to bring down the school’s whole social order – and much more. Fulfilling his destiny won’t be easy though, because there are battles, frenemies and deadly conspiracies around every corner.
unOrdinary is a series I’ve been following since I downloaded WEBTOON. Now, I might not have been reading it since 2016—I frankly don’t remember when I downloaded the app—but I’ve definitely been hanging on around episode 100 or so.
I’ve been enjoying the mystery and plot development. I love John’s arc so far, from “normal” to “villain” to “vigilante.” His and Sera’s relationship is amazing, too, with how supportive she’s been throughout. She is also an individual badass.
The cast of minor and supporting characters is just as good. Remi, Blyke, Isen, and Arlo have complex storylines that are as fun as the main plot revolving around John and Sera. Background characters can be as complex in the short time they’re shown.
The art from uru-chan has developed beautifully too, with sharper, cleaner lines and more dramatic backgrounds. The array of superpowers is unique as well, always leading to interesting battles with offense and defense. The action itself has been one of my favorite parts of this WEBTOON.
When asked about how it feels to celebrate ten years, uru-chan responded:
“This was supposed to be a fun little story about a background character living in a world full of main characters,” uru-chan said, reflecting on unOrdinary’s 10-year anniversary. “It’s crazy how much the story has evolved since it started, and now we’re over 380 episodes long. Today, it feels kind of like a journal documenting my art and writing journey throughout the last decade, and in a way, a deep and thought-provoking 10-year conversation with my readers.”
I can hardly believe it has been this long. The story has remained so good all the way through, and the weekly release format (Thursday’s currently) keeps that hype going. I have a tendency to forget plot points when I’ve been reading a webcomic this long, but I basically remember everything up to this point. That is a huge compliment to uru-chan for making something so memorable.
uru-chan was also asked recently in a Q&A, “Webcomics have grown significantly since unOrdinary launched in 2016. How have you seen the format evolve over the course of your work on the series, and how has it influenced your approach?”:
“Back in 2016, there were hardly any colored webcomics that were updated on a weekly basis. I remember being completely new to drawing action and Webtoons, and there weren’t many resources online to reference, so a lot of stuff I had to figure out on my own. Ten years later, we’ve seen a plethora of new comics, new drawing tools, tutorials, and the rise of webcomic studios, which help the newer wave of creators learn and produce at a much faster pace. It inspires me to look for new ways to optimize my production process, knowing there is always room to improve!”
I am ecstatic to see how the series continues. I’m excited for John’s uncle Cameron to hopefully help him hone his astounding powers. The anniversary graphic also leads fans to believe we will hopefully see more of his mom. I won’t spoil much more, but I’m anxiously waiting for Arlo’s story to continue.
Congratulations to uru-chan for 10 years on WEBTOON with unOrdinary!
