RED ICE
Description
RED ICE is a creative entity primarily associated with the production of manga and webtoons, most prominently recognized as the original creator behind the survival horror series The Island of Giant Insects. The identity of RED ICE is multifaceted, encompassing both a specific individual artist and a subsequent production studio.
The original creator working under the name RED ICE was the South Korean manhwa artist Seongrak Jang. He was the founder and former CEO of Red Ice Studio and used RED ICE as his pseudonym for work in the Japanese manga industry. His career included drawing the comic adaptation of the anime Space Dandy in collaboration with other artists. He also served as the illustrator for volumes one through five of the series Geochungyeoldo. Starting in 2014, he serialized an original full-color webcomic titled Beautiful Legends. That same year, he was initially involved as the artist for The Island of Giant Insects before taking a hiatus due to health reasons, after which the art was continued by Shu Hirose.
In July 2018, Seongrak Jang transitioned his creative efforts into a formal business, founding REDICE STUDIO. The studio became a prominent Korean webtoon production company, specializing in the planning, production, and publishing of webtoons, often adapting popular web novels. Under this studio model, REDICE became known for a high-output, team-based production system that allowed for the creation of numerous successful series. Its most notable work is the globally popular webtoon Solo Leveling, for which Seongrak Jang was the lead artist until his sudden death from a cerebral hemorrhage in July 2022 at the age of 37. The studio has since continued to produce other major titles, including I’m the Queen in This Life, Nano Machine, and The Return of the Disaster-Class Hero, operating under the continued leadership of a new CEO.
As an artistic identity, RED ICE is defined by a strong association with high-quality, detailed artwork. The studio's process emphasizes a meticulous division of labor across departments, particularly for coloring and finishing, which results in a consistent and polished visual style across its various projects. Recurring themes in the works associated with RED ICE are drawn from genres such as action, fantasy, and survival horror, with a focus on protagonists navigating extreme circumstances, whether against monstrous insects in The Island of Giant Insects or against dungeons and magical beasts in Solo Leveling.
The industry significance of RED ICE lies in its role as a bridge between Korean webtoon production and the broader global anime and manga market. The studio, built upon the foundation laid by its founder, has been credited with contributing to the international success of webtoons through its production values. The anime adaptation of The Island of Giant Insects, released as an OAD in 2019 and a theatrical film in 2020, brought the RED ICE name to a wider audience. Furthermore, the immense success of Solo Leveling, which was adapted into an anime series, solidified the studio's reputation as a major force in the production of original works and adaptations with significant cross-media potential.
The original creator working under the name RED ICE was the South Korean manhwa artist Seongrak Jang. He was the founder and former CEO of Red Ice Studio and used RED ICE as his pseudonym for work in the Japanese manga industry. His career included drawing the comic adaptation of the anime Space Dandy in collaboration with other artists. He also served as the illustrator for volumes one through five of the series Geochungyeoldo. Starting in 2014, he serialized an original full-color webcomic titled Beautiful Legends. That same year, he was initially involved as the artist for The Island of Giant Insects before taking a hiatus due to health reasons, after which the art was continued by Shu Hirose.
In July 2018, Seongrak Jang transitioned his creative efforts into a formal business, founding REDICE STUDIO. The studio became a prominent Korean webtoon production company, specializing in the planning, production, and publishing of webtoons, often adapting popular web novels. Under this studio model, REDICE became known for a high-output, team-based production system that allowed for the creation of numerous successful series. Its most notable work is the globally popular webtoon Solo Leveling, for which Seongrak Jang was the lead artist until his sudden death from a cerebral hemorrhage in July 2022 at the age of 37. The studio has since continued to produce other major titles, including I’m the Queen in This Life, Nano Machine, and The Return of the Disaster-Class Hero, operating under the continued leadership of a new CEO.
As an artistic identity, RED ICE is defined by a strong association with high-quality, detailed artwork. The studio's process emphasizes a meticulous division of labor across departments, particularly for coloring and finishing, which results in a consistent and polished visual style across its various projects. Recurring themes in the works associated with RED ICE are drawn from genres such as action, fantasy, and survival horror, with a focus on protagonists navigating extreme circumstances, whether against monstrous insects in The Island of Giant Insects or against dungeons and magical beasts in Solo Leveling.
The industry significance of RED ICE lies in its role as a bridge between Korean webtoon production and the broader global anime and manga market. The studio, built upon the foundation laid by its founder, has been credited with contributing to the international success of webtoons through its production values. The anime adaptation of The Island of Giant Insects, released as an OAD in 2019 and a theatrical film in 2020, brought the RED ICE name to a wider audience. Furthermore, the immense success of Solo Leveling, which was adapted into an anime series, solidified the studio's reputation as a major force in the production of original works and adaptations with significant cross-media potential.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview
- Topics: Anime overview