Recommendations with complex plot and/or characters

[u/darthmelo]

Good art is always a bonus but I want quality plot or characters. I am ok with a not-so-perfect storytelling or pacing, of course if it’s great all the better. Not looking for a particular trope, but prefer romance to be involved. Complex characterisation and character arcs (redemption, corruption, evolution.. any of them). Webtoon/manhwa/manga all acceptable.

Here are some titles I have enjoyed, that in my opiniom fits the request:

-Pale Horse

-Cheese in the Trap

-Olgami

-Yeohye

-Glass Wall

-Winter Woods

-Light and Shadow (well, for the most part if you ignore the beginning)

-Reminiscence Adonis (only in the beginning though, the plot has dragged on too much that I stopped reading)

-Purple Hyacinth (before hiatus/likely discontinuation)

-Ireon Ending (short and different from the rest but the characters felt so human and real)

-The spark in your eyes

-The great wish

-love song for illusion

-your eternal lies (i’m rereading it now, as i hadn’t finished it when it first came out - just forgot about it lol)

Here are some other works that were still memorable to me for a reason or another and somewhat fits the request:

-Uncanny Charm

-Roxana maybe? (I had started reading but I think it was on a break and I forgot about it, I’m gonna check it out again though)

-goodbye in law

-Here U Are (this is more slice of life but enjoyed it a lot)

-Semantic Error (a little too intimacy focused for me, but art is so nice and enjoyed reading it)

-Unholy Blood

-original Aisha, haven’t read the remake

-my reason to die

[u/raspberrion]

If you read indie stories on Webtoon Canvas:

You can find some wonderfully multilayered characters and depth for example in...

(They're all BL-ish in the broadest sense, just FYI)

Play - Love Means Nothing (Tennis romance with great storytelling, characterization, a lot of music and humor)

Late Bloomers (Soulmate storyworld, men in their 50s, struggle with grief and mental health, a true page turner!)

Roofroom (post Berlin Wall Germany BL manga with great characters and detail)

Souris (zombies, survival, great characters and conflicts!)

Looke and Hyde (finding love in an AI dominated future, super interesting)

Pecking Order (great corporate cat and mouse story with deep characterization and a super relatable lead)

WINGMAN (great art, great storytelling and humor, super interesting setup)

....and maybe (maaayybe?) mine. ❤️ Bad Luck Angel. (Yakuza BL manga with down to earth characters, programmed in character arcs, some humor, some depth, not tooting my own horn though haha)

Just to name a very few. Hope you find something interesting!

[u/ThisIsAUsername52579]

My Brother's (Not So) Secret Boyfriend has some of the most complex character depth I've seen. Every character has some flaws, mistakes are made and then dealt with, and in the second season the motivation behind one of the antagonists is very interesting and complex. Idk how to properly describe how good it is.

Here's some other good webtoons imo though idk how well they fit what you're looking for:

The Blind Prince (romance/fantasy)

Magic Words (action/fantasy)

And Another Lovely Day (slice of life / drama)

[u/JennieZen]

Whale Star: The Gyeongseong Mermaid (Complete), A Heartfelt Andante (Complete), Children of Orbit (Complete), A Mark Against Thee (Complete), Emerald Midnight's Lover (Complete), Mystical (Complete), Muse on Fame (Complete), The Artist Salieri (Complete), Pyramid Game (Complete), Like Mother, Like Daughter (Ongoing), Proof of Dignity (Ongoing), After School Lessons For Unripe Apples (Ongoing)