If you are a fan of webtoons, 9 out of 10 times you’re in it for the romance. That’s just how the medium has been, filled with amazing love stories left and right. It’s my favorite category on the Line WebToon app for a reason, you know? And as much as I love my fantastical, soul mate trope tales such as Lore Olympus and SubZero, there is just something really sincere about stories that are more relatable, like Edith.
Edith is a webtoon by Swansgarden which just recently ended at 177 episodes, after three seasons. And as someone who had been following the story for a while, it has been a bittersweet experience. As much as I think this is worthy of a read at least once, it isn’t without its flaws. And not all of them get rectified by the end of the story.
Stories about a realistic romance or a love that divulges aren’t something new. Relatable romances that don’t become outrageous comedies like that are pretty commonplace in webtoons now, thanks to more Western-style influences coming in. One of my favorite examples of this subgenre being done right is The Doctors Are Out by Bluearozen, a lovely LGBTQ+ romance involving a doctor who is a single father and a vet who recently broke off his engagement.
But Edith was one of the first to tackle romance in a very mature way, where there isn’t a fairytale romance and life always comes in the middle of things. Because, again, it can’t always be like the books, where Prince Charming will always be waiting on you hand and foot, and you are the main character without any flaws. But does Edith keep that energy going or does the realism get replaced with toxicity instead? Let’s discuss!
Edith: Head In The Clouds?
Edith is a little lost. She’s a writer, but she just can’t land a plot. She’s a lover, but no man can reach her standards. Hell, sometimes it feels like she can’t reach those standards herself, considering how insecure she seems about everything.
But she will fake it till she makes it. And that’s the Edith we start out with, a glamorous albeit clingy romance writer who still harbors a crush on her high school classmate, the Prince Charming of her dreams, Jack. Of course, said crush didn’t give her time of day back then because she was still going through puberty pains. But now? Now she’s a knockout, a published author, confident and reassured – and he has a girlfriend. So, that sucks.
Which is exactly when Philip comes in. Gorgeous, superstar Philip who sees her, truly sees her but doesn’t believe in all the gushy romance that her heart peddles. Still, their connection is almost instantaneous and that can’t be ignored.
Combine that spark Philip ignites with the kindling of her crush on Jack, and together they make for one hell of a fiery love triangle. And of course, in the middle of all this, Edith still has a job to do: write a romance novel for the ages.
Could she write herself the happy ending she wants?
How Is The Story Of Edith?
When I first started Edith, I was engrossed. It was sassy, with great dialogue work and the art style was so unique. Edith was such a relatable character, with her ‘ugly duckling’ persona in her teens and how that insecurity carried on into her adulthood despite how she had groomed herself to be better.
The characters themselves weren’t ones you could love or hate. They were multi-faceted, just like how normal humans are. Edith, though sincere, could be way too harsh of a judge and self-absorbed. Philip was charming, but reckless and careless when it came to feelings. And there was Jack, who was nice enough until it translated into self-righteousness.
There was also a refreshing take on her friendships, like with Jessy who has been her best friend for the past 10 years. But that doesn’t mean the two are joined at the hip, as much as Edith wants that to be the case. It was just really mature, which made it stand out amongst the host of other romance webtoons available at the time.
But as much as I liked seeing Edith evolve as a person and her relationships growing alongside, I feel like season 3 was a serious letdown. It was way too rushed, and the finale just did not land as it should’ve. I get what the author was trying to do all that waiting and following, for an ending this lackluster?
There was no proper build-up that justified the finale, period.
Is Edith Worth Reading?
I think this is one of those webtoons that started off on a high note and then fizzled out into complexities too much for the author to manage. Again, it was a solid attempt, at least for the first two seasons.
Maybe finish it if you started it but personally, I won’t be going back to it. There are much better ‘mature’ romance webtoons out there.
