Muted
Review
Writer: Miranda Mundt
Artist: Miranda Mundt
Publisher: Webtoon
Release Date: March 14, 2019
Format: Webtoon
The webtoon mixes witches, magic, and demons into a tale of forbidden love and self-discovery in a dark world.
Muted
ReviewWriter: Miranda Mundt
Artist: Miranda Mundt
Publisher: Webtoon
Release Date: March 14, 2019
Format: Webtoon
The webtoon mixes witches, magic, and demons into a tale of forbidden love and self-discovery in a dark world.
We are deep into the Halloween season now! What better way to celebrate Halloween than binge-reading webtoons about angst-filled witches? So, let me introduce you to Muted!
Created by writer and artist Miranda Mundt, Muted is a sapphic take on the supernatural world of witches and demons. With a cast of LGBT characters, the story follows the tale of a young witch Camille, who, like most young adults, is trying to find herself, her destiny, and where she fits in with her people.
Muted was originally part of Webtoon Canvas–a place for small creators to publish their works on the platform. The comic’s popularity earned it a spot as a Webtoon Original by March 2019. Miranda continued weaving Camille’s beautiful story, leaving readers yearning for more episode after episode. By its finale, Muted hit a whopping 63 million views and a 9.72 rating on the app, making it one of the most popular supernatural webtoons.
Image: WebtoonOverview
After losing her mother and sister, young Camille gets sent to live in the city with her aunt, the matriarch of the Serverin coven. Years later, she goes back to the old mansion to complete a ritual that she doesn’t want to. Camille must summon a winged demon on the full moon on her 21st birthday to secure her family's success and prosperity. However, the ritual goes wrong, revealing a terrifying truth about her. It’s a secret that threatens to destroy her family and leave her muted.
What I love about Muted is how each season has a different core theme. Season one is about Camille’s struggles of being a witch, while season two is all about personal acceptance and healing. Season three, my favorite season, deals with ending the tyranny that’s plagued the entire story. The webtoon is an emotional ride from start to finish, with plenty of twists, revelations, and cliffhangers to keep you guessing about what comes next.
Image: WebtoonReview
The first thing you notice about Muted when you start reading is its artistic atmosphere. The webtoon puts you straight into a wonderfully strange world of witches. The story develops a rich understanding of the hierarchy that governs the covens and how everyone forcibly obeys their rules. It shows how witches use the covens to live among ordinary humans in society. All of these details come together to create a world that feels robust and full of life. While it starts with a calm and spooky vibe, things get progressively darker as the story progresses. The beautiful world-building always got me to come back with each new episode.
Miranda Mundt is excellent at developing subtle details about the world and story through art instead of explaining everything through dialogues. A great example would be how Camille’s relationship with her aunt, the matriarch, is expressed. The hints about Camille’s loneliness and pain are seen through her position in the frame, body language, or even the way her eyes are downcast in her aunt’s presence. These subtle hints of abuse and manipulation convey the darkness underlying the story. While there are uncomfortable moments, it makes for a very compelling read as you binge through the series.
That flair for visual storytelling carries throughout the entire series. Instead of telling us what happened behind the scenes, the narrative leaves small clues for us to piece together ourselves. Most notable is how the story reveals who set the fire that killed Camille’s mother and sister, which is the biggest revelation of the series. Because the culprit was subtly hinted at multiple times, it made the big reveal all the more satisfying. With all the clues suddenly falling into place, it gives more depth to the story.
One of my favorite parts of this Webtoon was the inclusive LGTB cast. As part of the community, seeing representation beyond romance stories always makes me happy. In Muted, the characters feel natural and their sexuality is part of them, not just a plot device for the story.
Image: WebtoonFinal Thoughts
Muted is a fantastic story to binge, especially in the witchy season. Its story packs plenty of witchy-angst, magical romance, and mystical drama. There’s also a great serving of mystery and a bit of horror to top everything off. Miranda Mundt’s beautiful art pushes the boundaries of what I thought was possible with webtoons. Everything comes together beautifully for a heartfelt story filled with characters who are strong not for themselves but for the people they love.
Why You Should Read Muted
- Completed Webtoon, so it's binge-able.
- Currently not under Daily Pass
- LGBT cast
- Witches!
- Adorable animal side-kicks
- Lots of angst and self-healing
- Poly romance!