Full of surprises...
Do you get bored easily with the story line? Are you not patient enough to wait for the slow buildup?Well, then this is the drama for you, because the whole dynamic of the story is constantly changing.
At times the drama will make you think, ''This can't be happening...'', but by the time you accept it, something new is already going on. These continuous switches keeps you on your toes almost, hence you don't even realise how many episodes went by.
I should really say this, the writers could have easily stretched the first few episodes and make those into one whole drama, proving how much content this drama has, that even two more stories could come out of it. While this keeps our focus, on a less positive note, this could also be the reason that later the story could get a bit confusing or complicated. Nevertheless, it manages to have an overall good ending.
Everyone's acting was good, but especially of the male lead, his performance was so effortless and so natural, which added life to the lovable and charming character he was portraying.
PS. The graphics of the 'webtoon-ish-scenes' are a visual delight!
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Addictive and Enjoyable
2019 Review: My love ranges so much, that I bought a big wallpaper of Lee Jong Suk and hang it over my bed for 1 year. I currently took it off due to some changes to my room but it’s still present next to my television. The story touched my heart because I dearly love the plot. I’ve read many cartoons in my life & always dreamed to be part of one, to fall in love with a cool guy such as Lee Jong Suk. Much love to everyone who worked on this I am looking to watch more dramas as awesome as “W”, but this one will always be deep in my heart. Thank you.2020 Edit: God that was a bit childish and also awkward to read but until this day, I love the drama. Even though I think it has some cringe potential and also follows some cliches, which is totally fine with me, the plot itself will always blow my mind and be the sugar to my coffee. Also, I admire Lee Jong Suk for his hard work and the rest of the cast executed their roles well too.
2021 Edit: I still recommend watching this drama.
xoxo Lin
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The acting was great. Han Hyo Joo (Oh Yeon Joo) and Lee Jong Suk (Kang Cheol) have great chemistry, and their wonderful sense of humor and wide range of emotions brought the romance to life. Not to go unmentioned, though, was the awesome Kim Eui Seong (Oh Sung Moo/Oh Yeon Joo's father) and other "secondary" characters. Each character had a story to tell, which was fitting since a big part of the storyline was about breaking free of pre-destined circumstances and deciding your own destiny.
My only complaint about the acting the fight scenes. Some of the fight scenes were okay, but the gun-shot victims were very unconvincing. Every time someone was shot, they would halt dramatically and fall back as if they had been stun-gunned. In case you didn't know, that's not what getting shot is actually like. Still, this was a minor complaint in comparison to the superior acting.
The music was definitely good but not the best aspect of the show. The music was well timed and carried the various moods well, and I'll be sure to look up the sound track after I finish this review :)
Other aspects of the show that can't go un-praised: the way the drama was filmed was stunning. The special effects were great, wonderfully incorporating the manhwa-drawing style with real life. The sequence of the storyline was also wonderful—instead of using flashbacks to repeat information over and over again, W did a great job of revisiting untold past. This definitely kept me on my feet—not so much because the storyline was unrealistically surprising (although there were many surprises) but because the producers played around with perception. Just when you think you know what's happening: BAM. New information changes your whole understanding of the situation. This effect also carried into the storyline itself as the characters tried to figure out the confusing logic of the two worlds.
Finally, the relationship between Oh Yeon Joo and her father was one of the highlights of the drama. Like I said, this drama was a romance story but it was also so much more. It was really about love in general—parental love as well as romantic. The loving relationship between Oh Yeon Joo and Kang Cheol was also great—yes, they did the whole "I love you so I'm sacrificing myself because I don't want to cause you pain" (even though this NEVER WORKS) thing, but they also figured out a way to be happy TOGETHER instead of just sacrificing themselves unnecessarily.
All in all, this drama was definitely worth recommending (like, DEFINITELY times a million!). My rewatch value is slightly lower just because you will be expecting the unexpected, but don't let this deter you! W is magnificent in all aspects and deserves all the praise that it can get! It was romantic, it was funny, it was suspenseful, and it was a new take on the parallel-worlds genre. 10/10 would recommend :)
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I absolutely LOVED this drama. It made my 2016 so much better and I'm so sad that it's over. Story was sooooooo good and acting of the cast was so great. I felt like I am inside the webtoon W and I was devastated because it came to an end. Like seriously why the hell it supposed to be JUST 16 episodes?
Lee Jong Suk was so great as Kang Chul and when I look back, I can't think anyone who could do better as Kang Chul. And also can we talk about how beautiful was Han Hyo Joo as Oh Yeon Joo? Their chemistry was on point and they were so cute together like oh hey here's your couple goals ^*^
Honestly, I can't get enough of this drama and when I watched 16th episode I was in tears thinking what the hell am I gonna do with my life now that is over. If you did not watch this drama yet, you should. Like drop what you are doing at the moment and start watching it RIGHT NOW. I guarantee you, you won't be sorry. In fact you'll be sorry if you don't.
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Unique and Surprising!
"W" is a very unique show. It pulls from different themes in a variety of genres and melds them into one. It also moves forward at just the right pace, so that you don't get too bored. And, even though it can get a bit serious, there are still comedic undertones that lift the mood in a couple of serious scenes. I personally loved it, and if you're looking for a show that will seem to endlessly surprise you, you've found it! (Also, who wouldn't want to watch Lee Jong-suk play as a web-comic character?!)Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
interesting premise which is lost in the journey.
This drama has one of most alluring plot in 1-2 episodes makes you binge watch entire series, sadly this ends at episode 6. I understand they can't show FL has better understanding of ML than anyone else because he is a open book in her world, so her love is shown as her willingness to sacrifice everything just to be with him but i am not convinced , there is no conflict on her part while struck in between fiction n reality which is clearly seen in 1-2 episodes. I had hard time understanding FL motivations & actions in later parts of the show, romance between FL and ML is not convincing at all.I can't blame actors much for there shortcomings because of writer's fault; they can carry the show to certain extent. There were moments where acting really shines like confrontations n conflicts between characters which are presented beautifully. both leads are good in those scenes. Kim eui sung who plays father character; acting was noteworthy of entire drama even though his screen presence is limited.
Writing completely failed to establish the logic how both worlds are connected , why only few people gets to travelled in between worlds, who gets to decide who writes the story forward.
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It sems like W is getting mixed reviews right now, and a lot of people are saying it was over-hyped, etc. etc. but I disagree. Personally, I absoltely loved this drama.
Of course, it had its flaws, there are some plot holes, there are things which could have been done better, just like every drama or movie. However, it offered something that I haven't seen in a kdrama before.
Many dramas nowdays try to get away from that typical kdrama scheme and come up with something different, but not many are successful, at least in my opinion. The story was a little bit over-the-top at times, a bit messy, but it captured my attention for sure. I highly enjoyed the plot.
The acting also lacked in certain areas sometimes, but hey, what's most important is that they were able to convey the emotions of characters well. As for music, I didn't pay that much attention, but I know for sure that none of it has ruined any scenes, and it fit in well with the mood.
Like I said, personal preferences play a big part in reviews, but I would like to recommend it to anyone who enjoyes romance, quite a bit of action and crime, and quite a lot heart-breaking moments.
W - Two World is for sure, one of my favourite kdramas of all time.
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This review may contain spoilers
I love this drama! Particularly since the concept is great – in and out of the 2 worlds and the readers of the manhwa actually see how the characters deal with the fact that they are in manhwa and how they come to term with it, how Yeon Joo’s dad gave his face to the killer and the consequences of it and how they tried to end it (you literally can read from the manhwa how Kang Cheol discussed the ending lol). Its pretty cool if you think about it. How exciting to read that kind of manhwa in real life. So I ended up really like it a lot. I want to be entertained while watching a drama so I ended up enjoying lots of the plot twists – it is enjoyable when you can’t predict it. And I understand all the rules and concepts of the manhwa world so I pretty much understand why this and that happened so I didn’t end up hating the plots.But it seemed many people didn’t understand the concept of the W world since many keep asking if the world keep spinning when Kang Cheol is no longer there. The writer pretty much explained everything in the drama. The W world is just another world that moves on its own. Yeon Joo’s dad only control the lives of the main characters of the manhwa through the tablet and his drawings. But despite that, these manhwa characters can control their own destiny as Kang Cheol managed to save himself many times despite the countless of times Yeon Joo’s dad tried to kill him. So with or without Kang Cheol in the W world, the world still exist and everyone is living there normally. The concept is that the W world is just another world in another dimension. It moves on its on with or without Kang Cheol.
Many were also confused on what happened to Yeon Joo’s dad. He died/disappear as Kang Cheol is the one who survive the end. It is the last chapter, so one of them needs to die for the manhwa to end. He supposed to kill Kang Cheol to survive (noticed how the Dad’s hands stop disappearing when Kang Cheol was shot) but since he killed the congressman and let Kang Cheol survive, he will cease to exist because of that. Why one of them need to die? It got to do with the fact that they keep disappearing when they are not doing anything – it indicates they need to end it properly for one of them to survive.
Its understandable why people lost interest in the second half of the drama especially when it got confusing. But this drama still score high on my list for its creativity and pace alone. Not many Kdramas as unpredictable as this so I enjoyed this one a looooot. And I finally see the fuss on Lee Jong Suk. He is an amazing actor without a doubt. The revelation scene between Yeon Joo’s dad and him is very memorable. How his expressions change from sad, disappointed to angry is just amazing.
I thought the scene when Kang Cheol was waiting at the Bus Stop was particularly heart wrenching – how he kept calling Yeon Joo since he knew he’s running out of time and when Yeon Joo come back to the real world before reaching him was brilliant as well.
As someone who have been watching Kdramas for more than a decade, I’m really tired of watching sad or plateau endings in Kdramas. I’m glad that it is not the case for this one. Its a happy ending and a deserved one at that considering the main character had suffered so much – being shot, stabbed, beaten, prisoned, family killed, realization that he is just a character and etc… He’s just very pitiful and I’m glad they give Kang Cheol a happy ending. :D
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This review may contain spoilers
Like a tire with a slow leak
This drama started strong. Then somewhere in the middle third it began slowly deflating, until by the end it was completely flat.The premise of a fictional character with such a strong will to live that he begins to influence the writer and eventually more is intriguing. Pulling people from the real world to the world of the manhwa through the tablet was clever, and it was made clear that there had to be certain circumstances to switch universes - until suddenly that no longer seemed to be necessary. No longer moments of suspense or excitement where a "to be continued..." cliffhanger would normally occur, but instead characters were coming and going as they pleased without a reasonable explanation - except for when it would be inconvenient to the plot for it to happen. The same sort of inconsistent changing of boundaries also occurred with who could traverse between universes, characters creating themselves or being completely outside of anything entered on the tablet and the originally set idea that when the main character is doing something time doesn't flow normally for the rest. It was frustrating to see such a novel idea turned into an empty shell after an exciting beginning.
There were moments when the acting was the only reason to keep watching, but unfortunately the acting also became worse as they show progressed; I believe the actors also realized the story was completely derailed beyond hope by the midway point and they just wanted it to be over. The leads were well-cast, and Han Hyo Joo and Lee Jong Suk both have electrifying smiles. Unfortunately they were unable to overcome the plot holes and absurdities, but this was not through any fault of their own.
Finally, I'd be amiss if I ignored the ending. There was once again a sudden arbitrary rule placed so there had to be a happy ending and a sad ending. It didn't make sense with anything that had occurred so far, and Kang Chul's reappearance in the real world when the link had been severed felt like nothing more than the writer trying to force a fairy tale ending with no explanation. Really, the best way I can sum up both the happy and sad endings - my eyes stayed completely dry for both.
끝
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Still, this is one of my favorite dramas that I've ever watched. The premise is great and I haven't been so excited to watch a drama weekly like this one. I love the idea of two worlds and I love it was handled in a way that didn't make it seem cheesy at all. The relationship between Kang Chul and Yeon Joo was perfect and even the side characters were adorable most of the time. Plus, the father had such interesting moments, and my heart ached for him because I couldn't even begin to imagine how it must be to be him.
Sadly, this drama does lack resolution on some things. That's the only way I can say it without spoiling, but there were a number of fundamental questions that needed answering. That was one of my biggest qualms. I needed to understand this drama more than it let me. It felt dragged on at the end, but no questions were being answered. Why, writers, why!?
The cast was GREAT. I loved the acting, and I can't even imagine a different cast for this show. Even Crazy Dog was perfectly casted and I'm happy. I'm looking forward for more dramas with these actors. And the music, although repetitive at times, was used well, so I have no problems with that.
I would probably rewatch this in a year or two, but I'm not sure how the experience would be since half the experience is the thrill of not knowing the ending. Although the cuteness of it all might make it worth it. Still a worth watch and definitely an amazing drama.
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