Is Thirty But Seventeen Based On A Novel Or Webtoon?

I binged 'Thirty But Seventeen' on a rainy weekend and ended up Googling whether it was adapted from a webtoon — because the premise feels so perfectly like one. To clear it up: 'Thirty But Seventeen' (also called 'Still 17') is an original South Korean TV series that aired in 2018, not a direct adaptation of a preexisting novel or webtoon. The story was created as a scripted drama for television, so the characters and plot as broadcast were written for the show rather than serialized elsewhere first.

That said, it's easy to see where the confusion comes from. The show has those neat visual cues and emotional beats that webtoon fans recognize — the amnesia trope, sudden emotional reconciliations, and a soft-focus romantic vibe — so fans often imagine it as a webtoon or fancomic. After the series aired, people made fanart, fanfics, and unofficial webtoons inspired by the episodes, and sometimes networks publish novelizations or tie-ins later. If you're hunting for the original source material, though, the credits roll of the drama and official press releases list it as an original screenplay, so you won't find a pre-existing webtoon or novel that the series adapted.

If you loved the tone, I ended up devouring fan comics and some translated novelizations people created—they capture the same sweetness. Also try searching for interviews with the creators and cast; they often talk about the writing process and will explicitly mention whether something started as a script or an adaptation. Happy watching, and don't be surprised if you start sketching fanart too — it happens to the best of us.

The quick, practical take I like to tell people in my club is: no, 'Thirty But Seventeen' isn’t based on a novel or a webtoon. It debuted as an original TV drama in 2018 (sometimes referred to as 'Still 17'), conceived and produced for broadcast rather than adapted from preexisting serialized source material. Credits and production notes for the series list it as a scripted original, which is the clearest indicator.

I get why viewers assume otherwise: Korean dramas adapted from webtoons are everywhere, and certain tropes make something feel like an illustrated serial. After the drama aired, though, writers and fans sometimes create companion pieces — for example, official novelizations, behind-the-scenes essays, or fan-made webtoons that retell or expand the story. Those can blur the line if you only glance at community posts. If you want definitive proof for any show, check the on-screen credits and press releases; they’ll explicitly state if it’s adapted from a book, webtoon, or original script. For casual reading, the fan-made content around 'Thirty But Seventeen' is pretty charming and scratches a similar itch.

If I had to put it very simply: 'Thirty But Seventeen' is an original TV drama, not adapted from a pre-existing novel or webtoon. The series (also called 'Still 17') was written for television and released in 2018, though plenty of fans later made webtoons, fanfiction, and novelizations inspired by it. I found those fan works great for staying in the mood after the last episode — they’re kind of like comfort snacks after a full-course meal of the show — but they’re not the source material. If you love the characters, dive into fan art and fanfics; they’ll keep the feelings alive.