P.S. If you weren't in love with Lee Jong Suk,this drama is the one that will make you love him no matter what.
P.S.2.The female lead is absolutely amazing as well.She's a great actress and plays a relatable and overall great character.It's refreshing to have an interesting female lead that doesn't make you want to rip her heart out.
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This review may contain spoilers
If you're looking for originality and a thriller suspense filled drama that keeps you on the edge of the seat, W is one of the few that will satisfy that hunger. This drama filled with unpredictability and full of anticipation has its reason why it became one of the highly anticipated dramas of 2016. This drama will also hit a soft spot for the majority of the audience who perhaps had a thing for fictional characters- and I'm no exception.Story
Oh man, I was hooked right from the start- the plotline moved incredible fast during the first few episodes which resulted in me binge-watching all 16 episodes in 2 days, without any regrets. The summary sounds simple, a webtoon character comes to life and struggles to live- however it's more than that. It follows Kang Chul and his hardships and struggles to live while everyone is out to kill him, and you can't help but emphasize with him as this character just simply wants to live as a human, and who has a right to take that from him?
The Good
What really made this drama successful is Lee Joon Suk and his incredible portrayal of his character really brought this story to life, however like all dramas, there always something that could be done better. Aside from Kang Chul, Yeon Joo's father is the only other person I found incredible- his portrayal of a father turned psycho over his creation coming to life was incredibly realistic- who wouldnt freak out if the character you drew was out to kill you?
The music was wonderful- the music fit the mood of this piece quite well and the instrumentals were the best, I already downloaded some of the OSTs which already tells that I liked it.
The Bad
The female lead Yeon Joo was amazing, don't get me wrong since I didn't mention her in the good- however she had so much potential at first. she's a doctor for goodness sake but it seemed like with every accident that happens, she just somehow never makes it on time to save the day and although she is a strong confident woman, when romance kicks in- she is reduced to a love-induced mess.
Romance. Did I expect romance? Of course, with almost every drama- there is always at least a bit of romance, which is totally fine. It was adorable in the beginning, how an enigmatic man is curious about this secretive woman full of mysteries- however nearing the end, it makes you question, just why on earth did they fall in love with each other? Their romance was sadly very spurious, it was just two leading roles acting out scripted lines and I did not feel any spark between the two which was quite disappointing. It made me question what made the two fall in love with each other? It only seemed like they got together because Kang Chul deemed her as the key to his life to figure out the ultimate truth.
Not to mention, the side characters were beyond regrettable as they had so much potential to be more than just someone to fill out Kang Chul's life and perhaps further the plot slightly.. the side characters didn't have much.....character (haha) at all as they existed just so Kang Chul wouldn't be reduced to a crazy lonely billionaire. I was looking forward to his sidekicks and how they would help him act out his revenge on the killer or save him- but literally, they were almost never there when he was in trouble. It was literally just Kang Chul + Yeon Joo versus the villians.
Plot Holes- this story is filled with confusion, especially at times. Overall, there may be illogical moments but it's still doable, however the ending did not make sense to me- as i felt like the writer only made the ending that way because people wanted it. I know its confusing but I can't really explain much without giving away spoilers. Some things may be illogical but it ties up in the end... well most of them, and some other things just downright do not make sense.
You must be wondering why I'm giving this drama such a high score with all these paragraphs of what I didn't like- but thats because this drama is exceptional despite its problems. These little plot-holes are insignificant when you look at the bigger picture as you're too overwhelmed with what truly matters- the story line.
To conclude, I highly recommend you to watch it as its one of a kind, however don't expect it to be the best dramas ever- but I sincerely enjoyed every moment
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I've never watched any drama, even foreign series having the same story line. And every episode gives your a different twist and excitement.
The actors are all amazing as well, they're really an effective actors.
this drama deserves to be extended more than just 16 episodes.
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It was the best in everything
I don't know what to say but I'm gonna bless the one who wrote it because I think he's a genius. I mean every episode came with something new, innovative.Now to talk about the actors they are also very very good and had a best chemistry.
I think I watched every ep with curiosity,happiness and sometimes sadness too but this doesn't matters because, aah,to say in four words: THE BEST DRAMA EVER WITH THE BEST PLOT,BEST CHARACTERS,THE BEST PRODUCER,THE BEST DIRECTOR .......I think I need more than four words to describe it and to describe what I feel. 1000000000 stars for this beautiful drama
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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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Be prepared for one of the best K-Dramas you'll ever see!
So this is the first K drama I have ever watched and...I just love it! The plot hooked me in right from the beginning. Not gonna lie I was not a fan of K dramas, it was actually my bestie who suggested this and I found the plot interesting so I decided to give it a go. And it was amazing. It completely satisfied me.The plot was just...wow. I loved the idea, and there was always something happening on screen that made it impossible to stop watch. For the people who rated this below 8/10, I will never understand you. Of course there were cute, cosy and adorable moments with just the right pinch of humour and comedy in the midst of all seriousness. It was a very balanced blend of an interesting plot with a bit of humour and romance. Can I just say the chemistry between our two leads was...intense to put it lightly. Like if you watch the drama and see them kiss you will understand what I'm talking about. There are also scenes that make you tear up, or maybe just me cause I'm really sensitive...But still!
And the acting was also really good as well! This being the first K drama I have ever watched, and not knowing any actors or actresses I knew that Han Hyo Joo and Lee Jong Suk were definitely going to be one of my favourite actors.
Okay, not gonna lie I forgot all about the music so I listened to it again and I wouldn't say that I liked it but I wouldn't say that I hated it. Altogether the music was alright but I didn't fall in love with it like I normally do.
The re - watch value is high because I re - watched the whole thing like 5 times again as soon as I finished it. And then I got tired of watching it over and over again, but now I'm back to it again.
So overall this is an amazing drama, the only reason I didn't give it 10/10 is because it was kinda sad, and bits where they were trying to create suspense were actually sometimes (very rarely) confusing. But all in all I would defo recommend this.
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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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Mind-blowing concept, a little messy at the end, but still amazing
W hooked me from the very first episode. The idea of crossing between the real world and a webtoon was so fresh, so smart, and honestly, so addictive. Every episode had me on edge, trying to figure out what would happen next.The chemistry between Kang Chul and Yeon Joo was insane too — their relationship was such a wild, emotional ride, and the way they kept fighting fate made it impossible not to root for them.
Lee Jong Suk was absolutely perfect as Kang Chul — charismatic, emotional, badass — and yeah, not gonna lie, he’s insanely hot. His presence alone made half the scenes ten times better. Han Hyo Joo was amazing too; I loved how strong and messy her character was without ever feeling fake.
I’m giving it 9 stars instead of 10 because the last two episodes lost a lot of the energy. The story dragged a bit, and some of the magic that made the beginning so intense faded away. But honestly, even with a slightly weaker ending, W is still one of the most creative, emotional, and unforgettable dramas I've seen.
Totally worth watching if you love crazy plots, emotional chaos, and ridiculously attractive leads.
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W (2016)
A creative premise that was well thought-out and has aged relatively well in terms of production and presentation. The show blurred the lines of reality, blurred the lines of good and evil, and ventured into concepts that were waiting to be explored.BUT.
Sometime after establishing the, uh, logistics and rules of the universe the show decides to flip the script and break all of its own conventions. At first it was just minor details that were occasionally to mildly annoying. Then you notice inconsistencies, Then the story develops too many ideas without knowing how to finish them. The twists and turns throughout and effort to commit to things that are not usually done/done well in the k-drama world does deserve credit.
But effort isn't everything. You still have to know how to execute and have an idea of how things should play out. Unfortunately, the show began to lose itself in its own proverbial plot. And that friends, is not exactly a W.
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This review may contain spoilers
Unique Story, But Beware Plotholes
Before writing this review, I watched this drama through twice, back-to-back. The first time was a full watch, from start to finish, with not a single second skipped, while the second time was a speed watch, where I skipped over scenes and plots that didn't especially hold my interest the first time around and paid more attention to the main storyline/lead couple.I want to start this review off by saying... Overall, I definitely enjoyed this drama. It gets points right off the bat for being a unique if not incredibly ambitious drama. W tells the story of Oh Yeon-joo (played by Han Hyo-joo), a (somewhat struggling/untalented) cardiothoracic surgeon who happens to be the daughter of Korea's most beloved webtoon/manhwa artist, Oh Seong-moo (played by a scene-stealing Kim Eui-sung). Seong-moo's creation-- W-- is lead by main character, Kang Chul (played by Lee Jong-suk), an extremely successful and wealthy, self-made, former gold medal Olympian in shooting, who's family was murdered by an unknown assailant ten years before the start of the series in the comic book's version of Seoul.
After Oh Seong-moo's wife leaves him, taking Oh Yeon-joo with her, the artist struggles with alcohol abuse and suicidal, self-destructive ideations. He uses his creation, Kang Chul, to act out his own cowardly desires and self-destruction, but the strong-willed main character who fights for righteousness refuses to go down without a fight and accept the death his artist chose for him. From that point on, Chul continues to fight against Seong-moo's intentions and drawings, increasingly derailing Seong-moo's attempts to sabotage his creation, who he grows more and more frightened of with each defeat. When Seong-moo makes one last, desperate attempt to destroy Chul, both he and his daughter are pulled into the world of the webtoon, and their immediate actions upon landing there will have deep repercussions for the webtoon, the characters within it, and the real world they are from.
When I say this story was ambitious, I mean it. There are essentially two casts, the cast of the webtoon which consist of Chul's nearest and dearest, the villains that pursue him, thugs he regularly faces, and a slew of background characters, and then the cast of the real world, populated by the apprentice artists in Seong-moo's studio and the other doctors and residents at Yeon-joo's hospital. Chul's version of Seoul is filled with penthouse apartments, high-end boutiques, and sports cars. Yeon-joo's version of Seoul is filled with overworked doctors surviving off naps in a cramped break room and manic, demanding superiors. Chul's world is filled with the excitement, adventure, and thrill that made W so popular with readers, while Yeon-joo's world would be boring if not for the webtoon beginning to bleed into it. I think the series does a good job of differentiating these worlds, even though we're repeatedly reminded that not only are they taking place in the same city, but many of the buildings appear in both (just with different names).
There are a lot of special effects throughout the series that are in and of themselves kind of a character in the series. Production didn't seem to spare any expense when it came to them. We see cartoon panels draw themselves, characters and items be drawn into existence out of nothing, and characters appearing and disappearing as they fulfill their purpose or fight against it. Considering the world they were creating, the effects are sound and impressive.
That said, the series may have been a little -too- ambitious with the story they were trying to tell. The rules for the universe seem to change on a dime and be inconsistent. Chul seems to explain these away as "variables," but it's mostly just inconsistent story-telling. Rules exist for something when convenient, and when they get in the way of advancing the plot, they're suddenly abolished for no apparent reason. For example, we learn early in the series that Chul (and other key characters in the series) are able to pull Yeon-joo into the webtoon just by thinking about her. The magic drawing tablet (a character unto itself and the most inconsistent of them all) doesn't have to be on or functioning for this to happen, the character just needs to need/want her for it to happen, yet at the end of the series, Yeon-joo is stuck outside of the webtoon for a year of webtoon time because.... Honestly, I have no idea, and I watched it twice. It seems like they try to tie it to the tablet being turned on again, but we've seen her travel without the tablet functioning/being on before, so why? It was just what they needed for the story, I guess. Those inconsistencies and plot holes are frustrating, to say the least.
Character-wise-- and I really hate to say this-- I think Kang Chul is the weak spot. Let me immediately clarify by saying this is in no way a condemnation of Lee Jong-suk's performance! He is electric on the screen. Eyes are drawn to him and his charm is undeniable. The disconnect is on the writers/material he was given. Kang Chul is just-- to me-- a bit unlikeable and inconsistent. Chul's relationship with Yeon-joo feels decidedly imbalanced, especially their first go round, but also still in their second. Yeon-joo wears her heart on her sleeve for Chul, the ideal man she dreamed up as a child, but the affection often feels one-sided to the point more than once I experienced a kind of secondhand embarrassment on Yeon-joo's behalf. By the end of the series, I can accept them as a couple, but even then, to a certain degree it feels like Chul has just accepted Yeon-joo as his fate (even though he insists he chose her).
The best acting in the series comes from Han Sang-hoon, who plays the double role of both Yeon-joo's father and the murderer of Chul's family and his greatest enemy. He swings back and forth between the roles in a moment's notice, invoking fear then sympathy, followed by psychopathy and patheticness in dizzying succession. If you're a crier like me, Han Sang-hoon will pull a few tears from you in the finale, I can promise you that. Lee Jong-suk and Han Hyo-joo each perform their roles well as the leads. Lee Si-eon as Oh Seong-moo's apprentice Park Soo-bong and Kang Ki-young (who I adore!) as Yeon-joo's fellow resident surgeon Kang Suk-beom are great in their supporting roles. I never really warmed up to Jung Yoo-jin as Yoon So-hee, Chul's assistant and expected love interest and Lee Tae-hwan as Seo Do-yoon, Chul's bodyguard and best friend. They both felt a little one-dimensional and one-note as characters, but maybe that was intentional since they're supposed to be manhwa characters... I don't know. Either way, the characters around Yeon-joo definitely trumped those around Chul.
The music in W is, in a word, fantastic. I bought the OST right away after finishing the series a first time. I'm a little reluctant to admit that Jung Joon-young's performance of "Where Are U" is a standout given who he turned out to be, but the song really is great. The hip-hop track, "In the Illusion" by Basick, featuring Inkii is an unexpected gem. "Without You" by N of VIXX and Yeoeun of Melody Day is great, as is "Falling" by Jo Hyun-ah of Urban Zakapa and "Please Say Something, Even Though It's a Lie" by Park Bo-ram. I'm a big fan of KCM, but his song "Remember" is the weak spot of the OST.
I would definitely say W has rewatch potential. I caught things on the second go-round that I had missed the first time, so I'd even go so far as to say repeated watching would be a good idea. I think it's especially true since there is a lot of complexity to the plot, and it was overall easier to follow and understand in my rewatch than it was in my initial viewing. I've seen it twice now and I'll probably give it a third watch at some point in the future. It hits a lot of good notes; there's action, adventure, love, and sacrifice. It's not a drama to have playing while you're doing other things; it requires focus to follow, but it was more fun the second time around, so I would definitely encourage rewatches.
Overall, I enjoyed it. Is it perfect? No. Are the characters and writing perfect? No. Is the world-building perfect? No. But is it enjoyable? Yes. Do I regret watching it? Absolutely not. So give it a chance. It's a pretty good way to spend sixteen hours.
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Story:-
The good
Like I've said this korean drama has an intriguing plot which is the main factor which convinced me to watch this drama. I seriously love how the first episode made me hooked into this drama and as I watched, it exceeded my expectations on how beautifully written this drama is. The mystery in this drama is really thrilling and unpredictable. Every event seem to link with one another just like stars in the sky who seem to not be related but once connected, creates an image.
The bad
The first half of the drama was so awesome that the excitements seems to dissipate when it comes to the story development of the second half of the drama. Not saying that it became a terrible drama after the second half, but it is totally lacking the intensity and rationality. It seemed like the story is being rushed and too many twists have been put into it. Instead of enjoying the drama due to the abundance of plot twists, it made the viewer feel stressed.
Character Development:-
The characters were one of my favourite aspects of this drama especially Kang Chul. However I felt that his character actually fell flat after that. As for Oh Yeon Joo, sometimes I do like her character but sometimes I still don't understand how she fell in love with Kang Chul (same to Kang Chul's side) Probably they should include some narrations to explain their thoughts and feelings. Oh Seong Moo's character was well done for a villain. Sometimes, I find it hard to actually connect and feel the characters deeply because their actions are confusing (first half was good, second half was just meh)
Overall:-
This drama started off as a full 10 for me but I took 0.5 marks out of it because the story went downhill. I still can't forget the awesomeness of the drama in the beginning so I didn't give this drama a low score. I felt that the events of the story could be explained more properly and an extension of the drama to 20 episodes would be ideal to interpret them and to tie loose ends. The acting is pretty good and the casts did a good job in portraying their characters although there might be room for improvement for some of the supporting casts.
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