I will absolutely say this is generally a matter of taste and my opinion is not solid facts. Popular things CAN be good, in fact many things become popular because they are in fact good. One Piece is currently the most popular piece of fiction in the world, and while I personally love it many people find it overhyped or just do not like it at all. While this can be seen as a nuanced matter, even the best things can be disliked.

Back on topic, I’ve made it my goal to read through as many manhwa and webtoons as possible. Trying my best to expand my horizons and embrace new diverse content. And I can say this has definitely opened me up to new tastes, I’ve been trying to enjoy as many genres as possible. Each genre is very different and some of the top rated comics are absolutely worth their hype. But then I get to the romance, fantasy, action, and dramas. And a lot of the stories in their top tens… feel way too similar. Not similar like “if you liked X, then you will also love Y” more along the lines that the story beats are all too similar that they feel like copycats of each other in a disappointing way.

I’m not expecting everyone to agree with me. Having different opinions is the best part of having discussions and debates. But cmon, doesn’t anyone ever get bored of hyping up stories that feel too similar to each other? I’ve personally found so much more joy consuming the smaller, more creative, more niche, less predictable/conventional stories with more unique plots and generally the writing feels better to me. Like any of the hype received feels earned. That’s all I had to say, would love to hear what others have to say.