WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 1 of The Star Seekers, now available on Webtoon.
HYBE rolled out its third consecutive Webtoon collaboration on January 16th with its highly-anticipated series, The Star Seekers. The release of this new webtoon inspired by the hit idol group TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT) immediately followed the premiere of BTS' 7Fates: Chakho and ENHYPHEN's Dark Moon.
All three of HYBE's Webtoon collaborations feature a completely different fantasy plot, but The Star Seekers' idol storyline has the closest resemblance to its real-life counterpart. Starring a magicless five-member idol group called "Star One" in a world that prefers magical idols, TXT's new webtoon reveals the downsides of being an idol.
The Star Seekers takes place in a fantasy world where idols possessing magical abilities are considered tier one and idols without any are tier two. This ranking system creates a toxic power dynamic where magicless idols are always considered inferior, no matter how hard they work or how talented they are. Magical idols in tier one possess either water, fire or psychokinesis abilities that they use to enhance their performances and musical talent. Given the magic they were born and gifted with, tier one idols often have a superiority complex and bully those in tier two. Not only do tier two idols have to overcome their mean peers, but they also have to deal with rude fans who treat them poorly and look down on them for not possessing magic.
Due to society's cruel perception of tier two idol groups, magicless idols are often ignored by the public and forced to disband. Star One, the fictional group based on TXT, is no exception when they fail to develop magical abilities and become a tier two group. The Star Seekers begins with the group being yelled at by their agency for being worthless and magicless after investing millions of dollars in them with the hope they'd develop magical abilities before adulthood. As a result, Star One failed to take off and got completely ignored by fans. The agency decides to offer the group minimum support and take away their company car until their contract finally ends, and they get disbanded once and for all.
Star One's unfortunate circumstances reflect the risks involved in real idol groups, where some fail to take off or gain recognition from fans despite their talent and work ethic. The agency's investment in them during their childhood -- despite not knowing the outcome -- is also similar to real life, where most idols begin training when they're young and debut around adulthood. Since idols in The Star Seekers always activate their powers before adulthood and never after, the public and industry perception of their worth is frequently tied to their youth.
Episode 1 of The Star Seekers primarily focuses on Soule, the leader of Star One who is played by TXT's real-life leader, Soobin. It's quickly revealed that Soule's mother is a world-famous magical idol, hence why the agency had high hopes for Soule and invested a lot in Star One. Despite everyone's high expectations, Soule fails to manifest any magical ability by the time he reaches adulthood and suffers from the pressure placed upon him by others while living in his mother's shadow.
When Star One is later forced to overcome their nervousness before a big performance, like real-life idols often do, everyone underestimates them and believes they don't deserve to be on stage because they're magicless. However, the crowd is suddenly attacked by a villain and Soule's magic abilities finally come out when he's trying to protect the rest of his band members, making him the first person to reveal powerful magic over the age of 19. Now, Star One finds themselves with the immense responsibility of saving the world and restoring peace.
While readers are buzzing about the influx of HYBE webtoons hitting the Korean platform this January, TXT's collaboration remains the closest reflection of their real-life counterparts because of the story's focus on idols and their hardships. Fans of Webtoon and TXT alike will have to keep up with the new fantasy series to see how destiny unfolds for Star One in their uphill battle to gain recognition and save the world. New episodes of The Star Seekers can be read on the Webtoon platform every Monday.
