International Journal of Communication
Publishes a Special Section on
East Asian Perspective in Transmedia Storytelling

The Special Section on “East Asian Perspectives in Transmedia Storytelling” brings together 9 articles
(including 2 feature articles and an editorial introduction) on contemporary research in the area of transmedia storytelling in the East Asian context.

As East Asia witnesses the explosion of transmedia storytelling based on Korean webtoons, Chinese novels, and Japanese manga/anime in the 21^st century, it is crucial to document and identify the recent directions of East Asian perspective, which itself is rapidly becoming part of global transmedia trends. This Special Section focuses on two primary points:  the major reasons for the emergence of East Asian transmedia storytelling; and the major implications in the East Asian cultural scene.

Written by leading media scholars in Asia, North America, and Europe, these papers investigate the recent surge of webtoons and manga/anime as the sources of transmedia storytelling for East Asian popular culture. They explore whether cultural products utilizing transmedia storytelling take a major role as the primary local cultural product in the Asian cultural market. Some of them also historicize the evolution of regional popular culture according to the surrounding digital media ecology, driving the change and continuity of the manhwa industry. These articles have important implications for the understanding of how cultural producers have developed their cultural products based on local-originated stories. The Special Section provides new information and knowledge which show the significant movements that are taking place in this research area and point to directions for future studies.

We invite you to read this new Special Section that published in the International Journal of Communication on May 1, 2019.  Please Ctrl+Click  on the titles below for direct hyperlinking to these articles.
____________________________________________________________________________________________

ARTICLES 

Transmedia Storytelling in the Age of Digital Media: East Asian Perspectives — Introduction
Dal Yong Jin

Snack Culture’s Dream of Big-Screen: Korean Webtoon’s Transmedia Storytelling
Dal Yong Jin

Dynamic Texts as Hotbed for Transmedia Storytelling: A Case Study on the Story Universe of The Journey to the West
Barbara Wall

The Storyteller Who Crosses Boundaries in Korean Reality Television: Transmedia Storytelling in New Journey to the West
Ju Oak Jade Kim

Dynamics Between Agents in the New Webtoon Ecosystem in Korea: Responses to Waves of Transmedia and Transnationalism
Jane Yeahin Pyo, Minji Jang, Tae-Jin Yoon

Do Webtoon-Based TV Dramas Represent Transmedia Storytelling? Industrial Factors Leading to Webtoon-Based TV Dramas
Ji Hoon Pak, Yongsuk Lee

Yōkai Monsters at Large: Mizuki Shigeru’s Manga, Transmedia, and (Lack of) Cultural Politics
Shige (CJ) Suzuki

FEATURES

Korean Webtoonist Yoon Tae Ho: History, Webtoon Industry, and Transmedia Storytelling
Dal Yong Jin

The Multimedia Life of a Korean Graphic Novel: A Case Study of Yoon Taeho’s Ikki
Bruce Fulton
____________________________________________________________________________________________

Larry Gross
Editor

Arlene Luck
Managing Editor

Dal Yong Jin
Guest Editor