#webnovel analysis

Dokja actually uses [Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint] lv.2 a lot more in the novel.

It’s been a hot second since I had a discrepancy-

In the webtoon, Dokja explains pretty much exactly how he and the others survived the first scenario without much prompting other than Joonghyuk’s first question.

[ORV Webtoon, Episode 11]

The discussion is very divided. Dokja speaks and then there’s a sequence of Joonghyuk thinking things through.

Meanwhile, in the novel, Dokja uses the context clues from his ability to figure out the right thing to say.

[ORV Novel, Chapter 11]

It’s more back and forth until the end where Joonghyuk has his fun existential crisis.

I actually like how Dokja is actively using what he hears from other people’s minds to aid his own intentions. It’s like having a play through guide in a dating sim; figuring out what to say to get your desired response. It also makes more sense this way when Dokja’s ability forcibly shuts off due to heavy immersion.

ORV is an amazing ability, as we know, and he’s already used level 1 the way it was intended. This second level isn’t just so he can hear people’s thoughts, but also so that he can orchestrate the reactions he wants.

This image just doesn’t exist in the novel:

[ORV Webtoon, Episode 8]

Which it makes sense. This is an image to visualize for the audience what’s happening.

I’d like to point out what we can get from this image since it isn’t in the novel. What information can we get that we don’t get in the novel?

Well first, this is our first visualization of the main four constellations that follow Dokja. Literally in the next panels we get better visualizations, but this is the first time we see them.

I’d like to point out that three out of the four characters are simply pushing the coin forward (ABFD doesn’t really have a choice because he doesn’t have opposable thumbs but ima ignore that). It’s a similar motion to betting at a table. They’re just pushing it forward and there would be little contact with the actual constellation.

Sun Wukong is different. He’s holding it as if offering a coin to a person. It’s a more personal exchange than the other constellations. I just think it’s a fascinating design choice. It sets him as different than the others.

Moving on to what the streaming panel actually says. Here’s a zoomed in image of it:

So what’s interesting?

Well, for one, it shows that this really is like a twitch chat. There’s a chat that the incarnations aren’t seeing or they can spend coins to send an indirect message to the incarnations.

Another thing is the timestamps. Where Dokja is, it’s around 7 PM. Maybe 8 at this point. But the timestamps for the constellations is 1 PM. That implies that not only their time is different, but also they probably have a universal time that they use rather than time zones.

Interestingly, this image says that Uriel’s moniker is “Demon-Like Judge of Fire” which is the same as the novel. But in episode 8 (I don’t know about the rest of the webtoon. I’m too lazy to check that right now), she’s referred to as Demonic Judge of Fire. Same thing, it’s just interesting that there’s an inconsistency there.

And finally, the playback options. Constellations can pause, change the volume, and what looks like an option to fast forward. I think that’s interesting because you would assume they would replay things, not fast forward.

The time it takes the ichthyosaur to secrete acid is different.

“But OP it’s probably just a translation error”” “OP I thought you said you’d stop focusing on these-“

Shush. This one is a big deal.

In the webtoon, the time Dokja says for an ichthyosaur to produce acid after ingestion is 3 minutes.

[ORV Webtoon, Episode 13]

(Also the spelling of ichthyosaur is different but who cares. It’s a hard word to spell either way)

In the novel, it’s 3 HOURS.

[ORV Novel, Chapter 12]

That’s a huge difference! Think about everything that takes place between the time Dokja gets thrown into the ichthyosaur.

He bargains with Bihyung, gets a contract made, buys shit off the Dokkaebi Bag, and prepares himself. Go look at how long that sequence is. He can’t do all that in 3 minutes!

We make take 3 minutes to read it, but Dokja is not getting all that shit done in the time it takes for me to listen to a pop song. I don’t care how good he is at what he does, he can’t possibly do that.

Building on the idea that Dokja refers to his life in two different ways.

In the novel, Dokja says:

[ORV Novel, Chapter 2. Again, ignore the page break. I don't know how to get rid of it on my phone.]

In the webtoon, he says:

[ORV Webtoon, Episode 1]

I don't know if it's different in the Korean version. As much as I'd love to learn Korean, I'm currently learning Tagalog and French. But it's interesting because of the meaning of Dokja's name.

As we all know, Dokja can mean (and I quote from my copy of the translation) "only child, reader, or individualist in Korean." Does it actually mean that? I have no clue. For all I know, it could mean "really cool guy. " But it's the accepted meaning, so I'll go with that.

When N!Dokja says, "A Dokja's life," he says he is and will continue living the life of an only child, reader, or individualist. What is noticeable about those terms is that they all describe something singular: a singular child, a singular reader, or an individualist, which is literally an independent person.

When W!Dokja says, "I have my own life to live," it just... doesn't hit as hard. Saying a Dokja's life is such a fantastic line. I love it, honestly. He's simultaneously saying that he will live his own life and limiting his life to someone who is always alone.

Additionally, Sangah does the same thing. In the novel, she says, "a Sangah's life." In the webtoon, she says, "I should also live my own life!" From basic research (cough cough a simple google search cough cough), Sangah could mean ivory, purity, beauty, or elegance... Don't come at me if that's wrong... ANYWAYS, N!Sangah does the same thing as N!Dokja when she says, "a Sangah's life."

The introduction to Lee Gilyoung is different.

In both instances, Dokja sees him and zones out, wondering what life would be like if his life was a different genre.

In the webtoon, Gilyoung is sitting across from Dokja on the subway. He’s alone, staring blankly with just his box and his net. Dokja is focusing on the grasshopper in Gilyoung’s box.

[ORV Webtoon, Episode 1]

What I find fascinating is that Gilyoung isn’t alone when introduced to the webnovel. He’s smiling with his mother (or who Dokja assumes to be his mother). Instead of an insect box, Gilyoung only has the net.

[ORV Novel, Chapter 2. Ignore the page break, it’s just how the PDF is on my phone]

I love this actually because I’m curious if it impacts Gilyoung’s character. When we meet Gilyoung in the webtoon, he comes off as a quiet boy who latches on to Dokja. There’s no evidence that he lost anything on that train. Sure, he’s traumatized, but he’s just standing alone with his crickets.

In the novel, Dokja observes him with who he presumes is his mom (idk if she actually is or not) and later on in chapter 4, Gilyoung is crying. Not staring blankly like W!Gilyoung is. He’s actually crying. Personally, I think it gives more depth to the character, but I also like how he’s depicted in the webtoon.

Dokja blames the constellations in the webtoon.

In the novel, Dokja says that Bihyung can’t kill him because he’s having too much fun.

[ORV Novel, Chapter 12]

In the webtoon, he says it’s because the constellations are having too much fun.

[ORV Webtoon, Episode 13]

This creates an interesting discrepancy.

To webtoon only readers (aka me before I started this blog), it’s assumed that Dokja is basically the star of Bihyung’s stream. And we’re not too wrong, he is kinda the star of the show. But these lines in the webtoon make it seem like Bihyung would kill Dokja if he could, but because the constellations want him to stay, he won’t. It’s all about the constellations. Especially in the next few panels:

[ORV Webtoon, Episode 13]

But in the novel, it changes the context. This line makes sense in the webtoon, but it makes even more sense in the novel.

If, like it’s stated in the novel, that Bihyung refuses to kill Dokja because Bihyung is having fun, not because of the constellations, it makes more sense why he’s not having fun streaming.

In the novel, it’s a combination of Bihyung is bored and the constellations are demanding, which adds more to Bihyung’s character. Remember, we are introduced to Bihyung as this omnipresent character. We don’t think of him as someone with actual feelings, we don’t tend to for characters portrayed as the villain or are inhuman. But the context that’s added in the novel about how Bihyung is having fun almost humanizes him in a way.

It’s no longer about him just being cruel because that’s his job, it’s now about him being cruel for sport. It’s the same concept of running the genocide route in Undertale. Theres no moral reason to other than curiosity and boredom. That’s Bihyung. And that’s a side to Bihyung that the webtoon is missing out on.

This note about “why did ABDF choose me” isn’t in the novel (as far as I can tell. I might’ve missed it):

[ORV Webtoon, Episode 8]

That does raise an interesting question. Why did he pick Dokja? Why did any of the four first constellations pick Dokja?

I like that it’s a question Dokja actively points out. It’s not one of those things you think about just reading it. Readers tend to just accept whatever plot points come up. “This happens because the authors says it does.”

This scene isn't in the webtoon.

[ORV Novel, Chapter 16. Still don't have my phone]

I looked for this scene for a bit and I can't find anything that matches it. The closest I can find is this scene from Episode 13 in the Webtoon, but this doesn't line up with the actual timing, composition, or topic of the scene-

[ORV Webtoon, Episode 13]

On one hand, I like this perspective into what Joonghyuk is thinking. It is an interesting perspective shift considering how we've been pretty much following Dokja this entire time and all our information about Joonghyuk's past runs has been from Dokja. I like how it shapes his mental perspective for the third run. I don't think we get much of how his brain is working before we get to that movie theatre side quest, so I actually like this a lot. For some reason, my brain wouldn't process the fact that after only 2 rounds, Joonghyuk develops his Regression Depression so it felt like it came out of left field. But with this perspective shift, it just frames it better and provides that build up.

On the other hand, I'm trying to figure out where this is happening. I need like a timeline written out to show me when things are happening. It might be because I haven't touched ORV in a hot second, but I think I would benefit from an overly obsessive timeline that maps out every single chapter. I'm not doing it, but you know-