Podcast Interview: The Webtoon Room
Join resident webtoon nerds Will and Kruti as they dissect and discuss your favorite webtoons every Tuesday.
Follow (and listen to them) everywhere HERE.
How do you two know each other and how did you get into podcasting?
Kruti: Will and I know each other from a board game friend group, but we first met while on a Halloween bar crawl event with friends a few years ago. We hung out many times, but I’d say we got close about a year into our friendship.
As for how we got into podcasting, it’s kind of a funny story. I’d lowkey thought about doing a podcast for a while, but I like so many niche things that it was hard to narrow down a focus that people would actually want to listen to. I didn’t have anyone to really talk about webtoons with apart from maybe one person, but I recommended Will to check out Purple Hyacinth. I loved the story and I felt like he would find it interesting. We ended up video chatting after he’d read it, and started discussing the story. It was fantastic! So analytical, and we really deep dived into the story and the characters. What stood out to me the most while we were having this conversation was our two different perspectives. I tended to pay more attention to characters and emotions and relationships, and Will had more knowledge about narrative structure and story flow. We really balanced each other out. My brain kind of clicked. Could this work?
I took the plunge before I could talk myself out of it. I called Will about 10 minutes after we’d hung up, and told him, this might be a weird idea but...do you want to do a webtoon podcast with me?
Will: And I said yes then and there. I asked Kruti to give me time to consider it fully, but I was pretty much in from the beginning. As a teenager I had read a lot of webtoons, so I was pretty familiar with the format. I had also wanted for the longest time to make content of some kind, whether that be on YouTube or somewhere else, and this seemed like the perfect confluence of wants.
What’s YOUR favorite podcast? (Webtoon-related or not)
Kruti: I like to listen to a lot of podcasts around the house or when I work out. Stuff You Missed in History Class toes a perfect line between being informational and entertaining, and the NPR Politics podcast is great as well. NPR in general makes some pretty fantastic podcasts. As for webtoon podcasts, Lore OlymPOD and Girl Wonder Podcast are my go-tos. Love listening to both of them.
Will: I grew up listening to This American Life and have such a soft spot for it as such. Ira Glass’s voice is what I think of when I hear the words “podcast host”.
Listen to their discussion of Lore Olympus’ First Season:
Tell us your Lore Olympus story. What got you into Lore Olympus? What kept you interested?
Kruti: Lore Olympus was actually my first webtoon. I discovered it through a Facebook ad, and I was immediately intrigued. I’d known about webtoons from Korean drama adaptations, and had tried to read some before, but had run into limitations with translations. I had never seen something like this in English, that weaved its story in such a bold and colorful style. I also love mythology and romance, and was attracted to the concept of a Hades/Persephone reimagining. I started reading pretty much right away, and ended up binging the entire series in a day.
Will: I love mythology and the classics, so I gave Lore Olympus a shot. It admittedly took me a little bit of time to warm to the story and the art, but when I did, I was hooked. I fell in love with not only Hades and Persephone’s wonderful dynamic, but also the colorful cast of characters. I grew to appreciate the range of characters and the depth to which these characters inhabit. From Demeter’s mental scars from the Titanomachy, to Apollo’s rampant narcissism, all of the characters have a completeness to them that is so well done.
What sets Lore Olympus apart from other webtoons? What similarities does it share to some of your other favorites?
Kruti: Lore Olympus is a great starter webtoon for new readers. There’s mythology, romance, thoughtful handling of sensitive themes, and wonderful chemistry between our OTP. It’s a great first read.
Will: Lore Olympus has characters that embody both the everyday person and the trappings of being a mythical god, a combination not really seen in many stories. It’s rare to see this duality combined with well-written characters and an intriguing modern spin on the classics. One similarity that spans some of my favorite webtoons is the instant and amazing chemistry between Persephone and Hades. It just feels right.
Who is your favorite Lore Olympous character and why?
Kruti: My favorite right now is probably Hecate. She has endless empathy and care for her loved ones, but wastes no time in calling them out if they’re being idiots. She’s also a badass boss getting stuff done in the Underworld Corp (she’s the one really moving that needle). Eros is a close second. He’s so emotionally intelligent, and such a wonderful friend.
Will: My favorite character is definitely Hera. Her persistence and shrewdness charmed me and had me on her side from the start. She’s the one putting clues together while trying to investigate the situation with Persephone. Lastly, one can’t forget her amazing fashion sense.
What's your favorite moment building your podcast brand?
Kruti: I have many moments, but my favorite part about this whole enterprise is doing this with Will. I love working with him as a partner, and our strengths and differences balance out so well. We learn a lot from each other.
Other highlights so far: our podcast art. My mom actually created this art for us, so it was really special to have her work on that. Our social media has been another personal high. It’s been fantastic to connect with our listeners and build a community over Instagram and Twitter. My hope is that it’s as fun for them to experience as it is for me to share. And, my last stand out is probably planning out our episode content. I cannot describe how much fun it is to sit with Will and brainstorm new, creative ways we can talk about webtoons on the podcast. It’s the best feeling.
Will: I have to shoutout Kruti here, she is the best podcast partner I could ask for. I tend to have the rough and tumble approach or be too rigorous, and Kruti is the guiding light in both of those situations. Balance really is the key word here, as we cover each other’s weaknesses pretty well.
One moment that sticks out for me is the first time we had a webtoon author shout out our podcast on social media. We had zero expectations making this podcast, and the reception we have received so far has been thunderous and honestly, very humbling.
They tackles issues and themes that cross many stories, including this important episode:
What is your least favorite (or most challenging) part of being a podcast host?
Kruti: Not even joking, it’s how burpy I get when I sit down to record. Always exactly when you don’t want it to happen.
Will: On a similar note, my neighbor has an adorable Belgian Malinois who always seems to start barking right when we sit down to record our episodes. Sometimes I want to walk over in the middle of a recording session to give him pats and tell him it’s okay.
Any advice for a new podcaster out there?
Kruti: If I had to give advice, it would be these three:
Define the purpose of your podcast. Are you trying to entertain, inform, share an experience, or just have fun? Being clear from the beginning will help in the long run when it comes to planning out the specifics of how you’re going to sound and what your podcast is going to look like.
Get started. It’s way better to put out something imperfect and have it exist than to not have it out at all. You’ll get better as you go.
This helps me personally — don’t talk about your idea until you’ve worked on it. I’ve found if I talk a lot about doing something, I never actually end up doing it.
Will: Lists are cool, I’ll make one too.
Echoing Kruti here, your podcast should have an identity. Having a clear identity will help you focus the content and the feel of your podcast. Take some time to brainstorm and sift through your ideas, do not skip this part. It’s okay if your identity changes over time, but it’s important to start from somewhere.
Do your research if it helps you! Some people like myself get a lot of confidence and reassurance the more they research into a topic.
But if doing research intimidates you, then skip it! Do the bare minimum and just dive right in. You’ll learn a lot as you go and you will feel more confident after getting your feet wet.
Find some way to hold yourself accountable. If you commit to doing a once a month podcast, it isn’t always as easy saying “oh yeah I’ll do it.” Whether that’s from other people or yourself, figure out what will hold you accountable and stick with it.
Have fun. Seriously, don’t forget this one. Making a podcast is work, but there should be a good amount of satisfaction and enjoyment you get out of it.
Who did you get on this quiz, and do you agree?
Kruti: Cordon Bleu! I wouldn’t say I’m exactly like Cordon in real life (I’m a little bigger and not quite as full of rage), but I’d love to be as soft and fluffy as he is.
Will: The best boy Cerberus. Do I agree? Yes, yes, and yes!
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Join resident webtoon nerds Will and Kruti as they discuss and analyze webtoon stories every Tuesday, including our fave, Lore Olympus.