HiHi Studios, the manga and anime-led studio co-founded by Valkyrae and Range Media’s Kai Gayoso, and Otherly Productions first collaboration is the sci-fi Webtoon comic titled Bad Influence.
Bad Influence is co-written by Orson James and Roman Calais, with art by Jor Ros. The first three episodes of Bad Influence are now available as a Webtoon Original, so we thought it was a good time to speak to the writers about their innovative new series in this exclusive interview.
What was the genesis of Bad Influence?
Orson James: Roman and I met years ago working in advertising, so we’ve always been obsessed with how media, tech, and corporate culture shape how people think. Every new format rewires us a little – and when TikTok and the nightly news feel like the same feed, something’s clearly gone off the rails. It’s often the outsiders, the people on the margins, who notice and question this kind of shift first as the canaries in the coal mine!
Roman Calais: We asked: what if Disneyland was a dictatorship? That cracked something open. We saw a surreal world where Nel, our lead, sees the spectacle for what it is – a prison disguised as paradise. Bad Influence is what happens when news and entertainment stop pretending they’re different beasts, and start chasing the same clicks.
What’s the gist of the story?
James: Bad Influence follows Nel, who is a bit of a blunt-force rebel in the Headless Sixx gang. Relegated to Sector 6 with the rest of the misfits, this is the last resistance group left inside Weisshorn.
Calais: Picture a neon Disneyland crossed with Midtown Manhattan, set high in the Swiss Alps. Mascots grin and sing – then pistol-whip dissenters. Giant screens pump out feel-good videos all day long, drowning out any questioning voices. Then one night, during a midnight op to blow the head off a mascot statue – that’s the Headless Sixx’s calling card – Nel starts to realise that nothing in Weisshorn is what it seems. But the real question is: does anyone actually want things to change?
James: Expect rooftop chases and alley brawls featuring giant, living mascots – but underneath all that, it’s about staying sane in a world where enforced happiness is used to shut you up. Nel’s leading the fightback with some pretty unique weapons: twin Apache revolvers – brass-knuckle grips with swing-out blades mounted on pistols. So, it’s packed with action, but it’s also got something to say.
How does the vertical scroll Webtoon format shape your writing?
Calais: It definitely changes how you think about it. Each swipe is basically a beat, so you end up focusing more flow and rhythm – not just what’s happening, but how it lands timing-wise. You can’t assume people will sit with a panel. If the pacing drags, they’re gone. You’ve got to be deliberate with spacing and timing. It’s like editing as you write – figuring out where to stretch a moment or let something hang.
James: Each episode has to pull its weight. That doesn’t mean constant action – some of the best moments are the quiet ones where the characters get to breathe – but it still needs to feel like it’s pushing the story forward. One of the early challenges was letting go of those big wide panels that show off scale. We missed them at first. But once we embraced the vertical flow, it opened up new ways to create movement and drama. Jor’s been incredible at that – he makes the scroll feel dynamic and cinematic.
What is it like working with artist Jor Ros?
Roman: Amazing. We each bring something different to the table. Jor’s worldbuilding starts with drawing – and even when we think we’ve nailed something, he’ll sketch it and suddenly there’s a whole new layer. Like in Episode 2, there are explosives made out of plush mascot toys – a tiny detail, but it makes the world feel lived-in and unique.
James: His art hits this great middle ground between the energy of manga and the detail and care of fine art. Every panel has momentum, but also texture. You can feel the grime under the gloss. He has a sixth sense for tone – always knowing just how far to push something to get the balance right.
What do you love about Nel?
James: She’s angry, messy, impulsive, her jokes don’t always land – kind of a loser in some ways, but one who refuses to fake it. She won’t just smile like everything’s fine when it’s not. We all have to play along sometimes – so watching Nel refuse to is pretty cathartic.
Calais: She’s not trying to save the world – she just wants to stop pretending. In the middle of Oswald’s flood of toxic positivity, her bullshit radar becomes a kind of superpower, even if no one asked for it. She hits things head-on like a wrecking ball – which can be helpful… or a total disaster. But it’s never boring.
Upcoming episodes or future projects?
Calais: We’ve got a few other stories simmering in the background, but right now it’s Bad Influence, all day every day. We’re just getting started, and there’s still so much to explore.
James: Yeah, we’ve mapped out the long game – some big turns and deeper reveals are on the way. But no spoilers here! We’d rather you experience them live. New episodes drop every Thursday on WEBTOON, plus you can read the next five using the FASTPASS feature. We seriously can’t wait for you to see what’s coming.
New episodes of Bad Influence will be available every Thursday, and readers can unlock up to three additional episodes using Webtoon’s Fast Pass feature.
