So, webtoons are great. They are a relatively new medium that only skyrocketed in the smartphone era, but since then, webtoons have become ubiquitous with comic book and manga culture. I can’t imagine my life without the LINE WebToon app. However, as much as I love some of the big ones that have been going on for a while, I do question the choices taken with a couple of them. Specifically when it comes to UnOrdinary by Uru-Chan.

UnOrdinary was a great webtoon back when it started in 2016 but is barely a husk of its former glory nowadays. It’s simply not a good webtoon anymore, and it pains me to say that. I was originally a huge fan of the superhero critic narrative it was taking. But now?

It’s sad. The premise was so close to something like My Hero Academia, and I think that’s why it got so popular too. It was one of the first proper Shonen webtoons on the app and, for its time, it was doing something different. But since then, we have had many, many webtoons come out that are inspired by Shonen, but they don’t go stale as fast as UnOrdinary did.

The morals it was touting were both important and complex, but it just never led anywhere. And when you milk something for this long, well, there isn’t much that can be salvaged when public interest dies. Still, let’s discuss the unfortunate case of UnOrdinary!

The Premise: Diluted My Hero Academia?

This is a world where everyone has powers, it’s just a matter of how powerful their abilities are. You have the top Supers, the ruling class, and then the lower tier that is incessantly ostracized by them. But that’s still better than being a so-called Cripple.

Which is exactly what our protagonist, John, is. He’s just a normal teenager at a high school where the elites have powers that determine your status in society. And since he has none, well. Safe to say he isn’t doing great. He does end up finding a friend in Seraphina, a high-tier Super.

But turns out, that John might have a secret past that could break the hierarchy. However, it’s never that easy, is it?

The Breakdown: A Relic That Should Have Ended Years Ago?

Let’s start with how the premise that it built up never really fully ended up translating into the narrative. It was supposed to be a commentary on underdogs and rising above. And yet, 200+ chapters in, it’s like they’ve completely forgotten what they set out to do.

John started as a gentle protagonist, something you don’t find very often in Shonen, and it was refreshing. He was extremely likable, truly taking a pacifist route and I thought that’s what they’d continue. That he would team up with Seraphina, someone who everyone fears, and their dichotomy would prove that you can respect each other without power dynamics.

But nope. He suddenly gains an OP (Overpowered) power and suddenly becomes sadistic and terrible. All the characters have had 0-character growth, but John devolved, becoming extremely unlikeable. I can’t make heads or tails of where the story wants to go anymore because it’s way past its prime.

Couple that with a plot that is just being dragged for no reason, and art that looks like a webcomic from pre-2010. It’s a chore to bother reading. 

The Verdict: Simply Not Worth the Binge. 

Look, if you want to read something more action-packed, there are better webtoons out there. UnOrdinary has fallen behind massively. You don’t have to sit with this one, because I don’t think the story will go anywhere satisfying.

This one is a skip, guys. Just watch The Boys if you want to see some superheroes being absolute narcs.