What makes a good manga?
What keeps me reading a manga or manhwa foremost is the plot. It has to have a story. This is very important for me, especially since I began essentially as a bookworm. I’m certain I’d read a manga however badly it has been drawn if it has a compelling story. That goes to say that characterization has been handled well with a certain level of credibility, and that the plot has an organic wholeness to it. Thankfully enough, I’ve found that lousy drawings often go with lousy stories and so upon reading the first few chapters, I can judge quickly enough whether a work is worth pursuing however long. The second criteria is artwork. Manga/manhwa artwork is the execution of the story through illustration. But it is not mere drawing. It involves skill in choosing the right scenes to render, considerable neatness, style, use of light and shadow, use of lines and patterns, etc. This is actually the prime meat of the manga/manhwa–to tell stories through pictures. It’s the visual art that readers
