Revealing New Understandings of Korean Webtoon Through Fan Translation: Two Translations of Cherry Blossoms After Winter

Abstract

The BL, or “boys’ love,” genre of webtoons has continuously grown in popularity in South Korea since its introduction to the peninsula in the late 1980s via Japanese manga (genre was called yaoi at the time). As many BL narratives present toxic and oftentimes violent romantic relationships, the recently popular webtoon Cherry Blossoms After Winter (Kyŏul china pŏtkkot • 겨울 지나 벚꽃, 2017-2022) by author/artist Bamwoo stands out from other webtoons. Cherry Blossoms is a prime example of a BL webtoon that provides positive representation of young queer love and approaches the sensitive subject of discovering one’s sexuality and coming out in a sympathetic manner. Along with its general significance to a queer audience, I also analyze two English translations (the official translation and one fan translation) and the variations of the narrative that they reveal.