With over 468 million views on WEBTOON, the beloved webcomic Crazy romance is getting a live-action adaptation, courtesy of Wattpad WEBTOON Studios and Skybound Entertainment.

The popular series has also found success in print, with the first volume of the comic published by WEBTOON Unscrolled, and the second volume due out in June 2024.

We had the opportunity to talk to the creative mind behind Crazy romance Aidyn Arroyal, aka Snailords, to discuss the exciting upcoming adaptation and delve deeper into the world of the comics.

Ah: Hi Aidyn. First of all, we would like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to interview you! We are big fans of your work, especially Freaking Romance, and we are happy to have this conversation with you.

Aidyn: Thank you for having me. I'm so happy to be here. These are really fun questions to answer.

Ah: Let me start by asking: can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Is there a story behind the name Snailords?

Aidyn: Hi, I'm Aidyn/Snailords. I'm a father of 2 dogs, a lover of boba and a simpleton of anime and manga. I'm non-binary and didn't know the terms for that 10 years ago. Snails are hermaphrodites, both male and female. I'm also the slowest of them all, it would take me 3 days to do laundry. So I combined non-binary and slowness in Snailords.

Ah: Freaking Romance is one of the most read webcomics on the WEBTOON app. And now it’s getting a live-action adaptation, with Skybound, who’s been involved in titles like Walking Dead, coming on board as a producer. Can you tell us how you’re feeling right now?

Aidyn: It's wild. If I'm dreaming, no one wakes me up. I love The Walking Dead. I can't wait to see Skybound take on Freaking Romance.

Ah: How did you come up with the plot for Freaking Romance? What was your creative thought process behind it?

Aidyn: I enjoy science fiction stories and shows like Doctor Who. I've always been interested in alternate universes, different dimensions, and parallel universe types of stories. I thought it would be fun to try my hand at creating a parallel universe romance, to introduce WEBTOON romance fans to my favorite genres.

Ah: The struggles Zylith goes through while house hunting in the first chapter seem very relatable. Have you ever tried house hunting and faced similar problems?

Aidyn: Hahahah. I looked for a house, but it was never as bad as Zylith. I was pretty lucky with the houses I could see. Except for one house, there was a horror movie swing in the backyard that kept squeaking, swinging in the wind, like an invisible child was relaxing on it. That was it.

Ah: From the synopsis of the live-action, the main character's name was changed from Zylith to Lily. What was the reason for this change? Will there be changes to the names of other characters as well?

Aidyn: The change was probably to accommodate mainstream audiences. It's easier to remember familiar names. I'm not sure if there will be changes to other characters' names as well.

Ah: As the creator of Freaking Romance, how involved will you be in the live-action adaptation?

Aidyn: I would love to be involved. I've been told my contributions have been well received by the writing team. But they are the professionals. I trust them to do the story justice and more!

Ah: The protagonist, Zylith, aspires to be an artist and was preparing to enter a webtoon competition. Did you draw inspiration from your own experience of entering a WEBTOON competition for this story?

Aidyn: Yes. This was definitely just based on my own experience with WEBTOON, hahahah. I didn't want to try too hard to come up with Zylith's backstory. I just wrote what was easiest for me. My own experience.

Ah: Who would be your favorite actors/actresses to play the main trio in the live-action? And why?

Aidyn: I would love to see Cha Eun Woo as Zelan. I want to be surprised by the other two. I would love it if a non-binary or very tomboyish looking actor/actress could play Vera.

Ah: On behalf of all your fans who are waiting for closure on what happens to Vera, and especially her relationship with Zylith, in Freaking Romance, can we expect a spin-off or a special one-shot addressing this?

Aidyn: Hmm, nothing is impossible. It probably won't be written by me, though. Hahahahahahahaahah. Freaking Romance is a closed book for me. I'm excited to work on my future projects.

Ah: Is there anything you'd like to say to your fans, especially new fans who will be introduced to your work through the live-action adaptation?

Aidyn: I hope they get a break from their stressful reality for the 1 hour and 30 minutes, or whatever the movie is. I would love to have them in the WEBTOON version of Freaking Romance and my other WEBTOON works as well. Thank you for giving me your time!