All of Us Are Dead: Webtoon Vs Show/ Key Differences

The 2009 webtoon All of Us are Dead by Joo Dong-geun is one of the most popular webtoons in South Korea. Translating an already popular work to another medium is meant to create either love or hatred. Here is an in-depth comparison and key differences between All of Us Are Dead: Webtoon Vs Show.

The Netflix series, All of Us are Dead written by  Chung Sung Il and directed by  Lee Jae Gyoo is one of the best Korean series ever and became an international success upon its release.

(The following content may contain spoilers)

There are so many things that the series does right, but, there are so many instances where the series digresses from the original webtoon much to the disappointment of the fans of the webtoon. I read the webtoon (the English translation) recently and watched the series afterwards. I, not being a webtoon fan (this was my first time reading a webtoon), was frustrated by some of the changes in the plot which were uncalled for, though I loved the series.

The Webtoon All of Us Are Dead by Joo Dong-geun

All of Us are Dead, the webtoon is more than a decade old, so the style of art is also apparently old. A webtoon, as a medium, has some obvious limitations in narrating the story most appealingly. But, I was blown away by the way it is written and illustrated. The plot is not an easy one to pull off; it is much easier to narrate in the medium of a movie.

The Bigger Picture in the Webtoon All of Us Are Dead

The emotional impact the webtoon has is no less than that of the series. This narrative is much larger than the story it tries to convey. The writer very slowly and gradually blurs the line between being a human and a monster. The cause of the virus can be traced back to a Frankenstein-like experiment. The subtlety of human emotions and the confusion of being a human and a monster are handled much better in the webtoon (for example, Namra’s mental turmoil and her responsibility as the class president are shown with better clarity in the webtoon).

I was reminded of the existentialist play by Eugène Ionesco Rhinoceros while reading the webtoon. That play was about majoritarianism and how each character starts embracing and admiring the conversion to a rhino. Here, though, no one wants to be a zombie, except maybe for Gwinam, who revels in the joy of being a mutant, because it gives him the power that he has been searching for.

The Writing and Depiction

This webtoon is not for the faint-hearted. With its graphic depictions of violence, bloodshed, and gore, it’s not for everyone. The disturbing episodes are portrayed in a raw and straightforward manner that will leave you on the edge of your seat. However, the writing is exceptional, with parallel episodes and flashback scenes that are clear and easy to follow. The emotional appeal of the narrative is striking, and you’ll find yourself connecting deeply with the characters. By the end of the webtoon, you may even shed a tear. So if you’re looking for a gritty, emotional rollercoaster, give this webtoon a try.

The Plot and Themes

It offers a fresh perspective on the zombie narrative which has high school students as the main characters. All characters are well-developed and distinct. It is very commendable considering the limited scope of writing that can be done in a webtoon. The incredible illustrations give the characters a unique style and distinct quality.

The illustrations are dark, gritty and raw; with gory and horror elements. We feel a sense of tension and terror throughout; it is a claustrophobic atmosphere that is full of chaos. Every hallway and every space shouts out fear. As the characters are trapped inside, the writing gives way to every tiny sound or space to be a potential threat.

All of Us are Dead is about survival, leadership, and the human condition and relationships. How the students navigate their own needs to survive, tackling every obstacle, all the while maintaining or letting go of their humanity is the crux of the story.

The English translation is good but the essence and some emotions of it are lost. Especially, in the romantic scenes, the writing is a bit repetitive. But, the ending is phenomenal and tear-jerking.

All of Us Are Dead, the Netflix Show

The series starts with the reflection of a red cross in stagnant water with a long shot of a bullying scene. Think about that contrast; of showing something very holy in dirty water. The camera circles and we are shown this brutal scene which happens in the vicinity of a red cross. Like God’s ‘presence’ there, does not save the victim, nothing, even nearly superhuman could save anyone from what is to happen. It is also like a metaphor for good Vs evil or even the formation of a new race of humans who are neither human nor monster as Namra says in the end.

Interestingly, God’s presence ends with the cross and the Holy Bible which becomes a weapon for another brutal and helpless event. We do not see any characters crying out for help from God. Because even God cannot help them. They will have to help themselves.

All of Us are Dead is a good adaptation of the webtoon. The series is so beautifully written and executed. As I said, there are lots of compromises in the plot which are annoying, and I will discuss that later.

The Making

If you’re a fan of high-quality production and exceptional writing, you won’t want to miss this series. The scale of the production is massive, and the camera work is simply breathtaking. Through insane shots, the camera captures the chaotic atmosphere and emotional upheavals of the characters, making for an incredibly captivating viewing experience. The cinematography is also exceptional, with subtle changes in the colour scheme that reflect the narrative’s darkening tone. And let’s not forget about the actors, who are simply phenomenal. In particular, the performances of the actors playing Gwinam and Nayeon are not to be missed.

All of Us Are Dead Webtoon Vs Show: 7 Key Differences

The changes that are made from the webtoon are so clichéd. I am pretty sure that the creators narrowed in on a love triangle, a bromance, and heroic action scenes for the guys, right before writing. And some of these changes in writing were pretty annoying to watch. But, unfortunately, writers are compelled to write these just because they sell. The bromance scene, for me, was particularly hilarious. It is so artificial and feels like an inorganic addition.

Let’s look at these changes which are good and bad:

1. The Opening

Both the webtoon and the series are majorly linear narratives (though there are some flashbacks). Onjo is an evident narrator in the webtoon but, she does not narrate the story in the series even though the events are shown through her perspective. In the webtoon, the outbreak starts sooner (quite normal for a short webtoon). But, the virus spreads to the students not through the nurse, but through Onjo’s best friend who gets bitten by the girl locked up by the science teacher. Onjo’s friend has more screen space in the series.

2. The Cause of the Outbreak

Everything starts with the science teacher in both versions. He is more selfish in the webtoon and a passive villain without any redeeming qualities. He injects the student with the blood of the infected rats for his experiment. In the end, we know that the infection started from some worms in the East Sea. His son starts showing symptoms after a visit to the sea.

In the series too, we have a Frankenstein sort of reason. The Science teacher intends to create a form of a human being in his bullied son, which could be more potent than anyone. Thus, the monster he created becomes the destroyer. It was not his ambition as a scientist as in the webtoon, but his love for his son that forced him to this drastic decision. And, he has a redeeming quality in the show, and we are shown that he regrets his choices.

3. The Ending

We are shown a new human species through Namra in the series, pointing at a potential sequel to the story. The last scene was more magical than scary. But, in the webtoon, we are shown the fishermen getting bitten in the East Sea, hinting at a potential outbreak again.

4. The Characterization

This is the worst change that the makers have made in the series. The writers wrote the script around an unnecessary cliché love triangle (for commercial appeal, of course) and the collateral damages are the characters of Juneong, Ha-ri, Mijin, Minjae, and others.

THE WEBTOON

The girls are part of the decision-making in the webtoon but that is not the case in the series.

• Namra is a well-sorted, street-smart class prez who has leadership qualities. She is respected by her classmates and is calm in moments of pressure.
• Onjo is the narrator. We see everyone through her perspective. She also exhibits leadership qualities.
• Joon-yeong is an important character who is there throughout. He is the smart-ass brain in the gang who figures everything out.
• Cheongsan is a supporting character who confesses his love for Onjo. And, his only moment in the plot is his love and sacrifice.
• Bare-su is very cheeky and stylish, brave, and would do anything recklessly.
• Nayeon is evil here. She seems to have some problems. She has no redeeming quality and she is the most complicated character.
• Gwinam appears as a comical villain. He is disgusting. He is not immortal. He is a bully, a rapist, and whatnot. He even kills Miss Park and uses her hair to disguise her.
• Mijin is badass and fearless.
• Ha-ri, though an archer is meek at first. Both Ha-ri and Mijin are the main characters in the webtoon.

• The detective who arrests Mr. Lee is cunning and ruthless and dies soon.
• There is another detective who saves some survivors and the kids from the school.

Changes in the series

the characterization

• I hated Namra’s characterization here (I know that she is the most loved character among the fans). She is turned to this robotic, anti-social class president who is hated by her classmates. She is the only female character who gets to physically fight off the zombies, but for that, she has to get bitten and has to get a sort of superpower.
• Juneong is a minor character in the series, which is a complete disservice to the original character and the actor.
• Ha-ri is a badass archer here, which made her just that. Her character has more importance in the plot of the webtoon.
• Gwinam is the real evil villain. He is ruthless as in the webtoon. But, his villainy comes from his inferiority complex.
• Nayeon is the most complicated character here too. But, she has a redeeming quality here. Her characterization is better here, but that ends soon. And she probably has a very evident character development.
• There are new characters of a detective and victims of bullying, Ha-ri’s brother, Onjo’s father, and others.

THE MAJOR CHANGE (CHEONGSAN)

• Cheongsan is a major character here. He is kind of like the central character. It is good, but it is at the cost of other characters, especially Juneong. And this is a major change in the plot which is done to give more importance to romance (which takes the attention away from the survival theme) and to make a hero out of him. This affects everything else in the plot including some characters.

All the characters are given different looks from the webtoon. Only Namra’s character looks similar to the webtoon character. But that is not a problem.

5. The Unnecessary Love Triangle (Well, Quadrangle)

As I said, the whole plot is written with the love triangle in mind. As Cheongsan becomes the hero, Gwinam is made his villain. In the webtoon, though, Gwinam and Ha-ri’s characters are connected and the villainy is all towards her. So, Ha-ri and Mijin become just supporting characters here with nothing much to do in the plot. Their group is just going in circles with no intrusion from Gwinam in the series.

6. The Survival Groups

In the webtoon, we have at least six survival groups that come together at different points:

• The Classmates Group in the AV room
• The group with Onjo, Miss Nam, and Joon-yeong.
• Hari, Minjae, and the archery coach.
• Mijin and her friend.
• Gwinam and a girl.
• The detective and his sidekick with other survivors.

7. The Girls

The girls are given less importance in the decision-making to give more edge to the boys to be the heroes. It is only Nam-ra who is like a superhero, but she has to get bitten for that. The plot focuses mostly on Cheongsan (who was a minor character in the webtoon), and it thus reduces the importance of Ha-ri, the archer girl. The entire villainy angle of Gwinam here is directed towards Cheongsan, taking it away from the original Ha-ri. This was pretty annoying to watch. If not for this change in the plot, the show would have been more ensemble. As an aftermath, Ha-ri and Mijin’s group is just going around in circles in the plot of the series.

The changes are done, evidently, for a large commercial appeal. The unnecessary changes aside, All of Us are Dead is still a great series and webtoon. It is one of the best survival stories that I have read or watched to date.

Get the latest stories delivered straight to your inbox:

If you want our opinion of your favourite Asian drama, please comment below.