The Beginning After the End Author TurtleMe Addresses Tapas Shutdown, Says Future of Series Is Unclear

The Beginning After the End (TBATE) creator TurtleMe has addressed the reported shutdown of Tapas, saying he is still trying to understand what the decision means for his ongoing works.

In a series of posts on September 23, TurtleMe said Tapas has been his home for the past eight years and currently produces and publishes the The Beginning After the End comic and his Soul Forged novel.

“I’m still trying to understand what exactly is going on, but suffice to say, I’m still in shock,” he wrote, adding that he does not yet know what comes next and is working to determine the situation with Tapas.

Despite the uncertainty, TurtleMe said he intends to do everything he can to keep his series going. He also noted that many other Tapas creators remain unsure about what will happen to their works following the platform’s closure. You can read his full message below.

The comments follow the news that Kakao Entertainment plans to shut down Tapas as part of a plan to consolidate its webtoon and web novel business. In South Korea, the company is also preparing to discontinue Kakao Webtoon and merge its services into KakaoPage by the end of 2026.

We previously had a chance to interview TurtleMe ahead of the series’ anime adaptation, and he told us that Crunchyroll had been “instrumental in bridging the creative vision with global reach.” Last year, the author also announced a Kickstarter campaign for the print edition of the first 3 volumes.

Crunchyroll is streaming the anime, describing the story:
After a mysterious death, King Grey is reborn as Arthur Leywin on the magical continent of Dicathen. Although he enters his second life as a baby, his previous wisdom remains. He begins to master magic and forge his own path as the years go by, seeking to correct the mistakes of his past life.

Source: TurtleMe Official X
©TurtleMe, Tapas