When TurtleMe—aka Brandon Lee—started writing The Beginning After the End as a fantasy novel, he was a frustrated finance worker looking to escape for a bit. Now, with volume 10 of the graphic novel publishing from Yen Press in February 2026 and over 60 million views of the webtoon counted, TurtleMe explains why he thinks TBATE has been such a huge hit and gives advice for other aspiring writers.

Why do you think TBATE has resonated so much with readers worldwide?

I emigrated from South Korea to America at a young age, so I grew up surrounded by a blend of cultures. My influences spanned from manhwa, manga, and xianxia novels to classic Western fantasies such as The Lord of the Rings and Eragon. When creating the world of TBATE, I combined both Eastern and Western elements in a way that could feel both familiar and fresh to readers worldwide, creating a bridge for readers who may have experienced only one type of storytelling. In the end, while it draws from a diverse set of influences, at its core, it focuses on universal themes like growth and family that transcend cultural boundaries. These are values that I believe can connect with readers everywhere.

I believe one of the main reasons TBATE resonated so deeply with readers is because of its format as a web novel. Starting on Royal Road and continuing on Tapas, it is published in weekly serial installments, which naturally encourages readers to return regularly, anticipate the next chapter, and discuss the story among themselves in real time. This publishing format fostered a strong sense of community, and from the beginning, I leaned into that by staying engaged with readers through comments and platforms like Discord and Reddit. For me, TBATE has always been more than just a story. It’s been a shared journey with the community that has grown alongside me and supported me throughout the years.

You famously came up with the story as escapism while working at a day job that you dreaded. How do you compare your mindset then to where you are now? How hard was it to ditch the conventional rack to success for life as a writer/content creator?

If you had told me back in 2015 that my story would one day become an anime, I never would have believed you.

When I first started writing TBATE at a nearby Starbucks, success wasn’t on my mind at all. From a young age, I loved reading fantasy as a form of escapism, and one day I simply thought to myself, why not try creating my own world? Writing was only a hobby on the side while I worked my full-time job in finance.

Leaving the conventional path was far from easy. Stepping away from a stable job to embrace something as uncertain as writing is challenging, but I was fortunate to have people who believed in me, including Gabby Luu who saw the potential in TBATE and wanted to bring it to life as a webcomic on Tapas. Their support gave me the courage to finally take that leap.

Thanks to my readers and supporters, writing has grown from a passion project into my career, and I’m grateful to be able to do what I love for a living.

You’ve said that you would escape to Barnes & Noble to read fantasy novels. What was that time like and what were some of the books you read?

My parents were pretty strict with me growing up, so “studying” at Barnes & Noble was an easy excuse for me to use. It became a place where I could step away from what was expected of me as a student, whether it was from my parents or from school. I could, for a few hours, explore worlds while my parents thought I was being studious.

Arthur Leywin, the hero, is an expression of the sentiment “if only I knew then what I knew now”—being reincarnated as a young person in a fantasy world with the knowledge of being a king. But his viewpoint on how to enjoy life has changed. What makes him an interesting character for you to write?

For me, Arthur has always represented the idea of second chances and redemption. Although he begins the story with knowledge from his past life, he still has so much left to learn. In his past life, King Grey, currently Arthur, was powerful, but he never really learned how to navigate emotions or relationships. He lived a life of solitude. In this new life, he has the chance to not only discover this world’s different magic system but also figure out what it means to connect with others. That contrast, someone who appears mature and powerful yet is still learning, is what made writing him so interesting for me.

Along those lines, what have you learned over the 10-year journey of writing TBATE that you would give as advice to people who want to write web novels or webtoons?

Just start. Don’t get caught up in whether it will be successful or not. Focus on telling the story you want to tell, the one you will feel excited to write. And make sure to fully flesh out your world, especially if you’re writing a fantasy story with magic systems, so you can continue to reference it for continuity throughout the story.

When I first started writing TBATE, it was simply a story I was excited to write. It’s my first series, so I don’t consider it perfect or polished. Regardless, I continued writing it for more than a decade, and I was able to improve throughout the years simply by writing.

When you started TBATE, isekai wasn’t as big as it has become. Why has it become such a huge trope for these times?

I think the rise of isekai reflects a broader societal longing for escapism and second chances, similar to older tropes like portal fantasy. Modern life can feel defined by routine, pressure, and constraint. In that context, isekai speaks to the desire to step outside of those limits and imagine a life that isn’t bound by the same structures.

In an isekai, the protagonist’s greatest advantage is the knowledge from their past life that allows them to learn from their past mistakes and begin again with this advantage. Isekai carries the idea of a second chance to live differently, to make new—more ideal—choices or rebuild an identity. In a world where many people feel stuck, this theme resonates deeply. It explores what it means to reimagine one’s place in the world with an advantage, which feels satisfying.

How did you approach adapting the story to the visual format of the webtoon? Did you have to make many changes?

Adapting TBATE into a webcomic meant rethinking how the story is told. Unlike prose, where dialogue and inner monologue carry all the weight, visual storytelling demands you to show rather than tell. That shift opens up a powerful set of tools. For example, foreshadowing can be shown through a subtle facial expression on a character. Moods can be shaped through colors. Scenes can be controlled through pacing and even the gaps between panels. Translating a story into a different media means ensuring it’s adapted in a way that best suits that format. We have to decide which areas to emphasize and how to evoke the same emotions through this different media form, so the story can be altered at times.

What’s the secret to keeping readers engaged for 10 years?

I believe a big part of why readers have stayed with TBATE for so long is its publishing format as a web novel serial. Posting weekly gave readers something they could look anticipate every Friday, and this consistency helped definitely make it a part of their routine.

Just as important was the sense of community that formed around the series. From the beginning, I placed a strong emphasis on engaging with readers and building spaces where they could discuss the series.

And because the series has run for so many years, I felt that it was also important for the story itself to evolve, almost as if it were growing alongside its audience. TBATE begins with a more lighthearted tone, but it gradually shifts into heavier arcs, such as the war, allowing readers to feel like they’ve matured alongside the story over the years.

Now that TBATE has found success as a web novel, a webtoon, an anime, and with the next volume of the graphic novel coming from Yen in February, what is the ideal format for your next project?

One of the most rewarding parts of writing TBATE has been watching it take shape across different media, and I enjoy being a part of the production process. At the core, I still consider prose my main medium. Writing gives me the freedom to dive deeply into world-building and storytelling in a way that I enjoy most.

Finally, how did you choose the name TurtleMe?

It was a name I chose without too much thought, inspired by the classic children’s tale, "The Tortoise and the Hare." Much like the tortoise, I’ve always approached writing with a slow and steady mindset, focusing on consistency and persistence rather than speed.