W

To the doubters:
I can see there are many reviews complimenting this drama, but also plenty who are more critical. Personally I really liked this drama, but when I read the reviews who criticize the drama, I can't disagree entirely with them. However, the issues they mention, I have not been bothered by myself/have not noticed and even looking back I often feel it's not that bad. So my advise to doubters is to give the drama a try and if you're not into it after 2 or maybe 3 episodes? Maybe it's not for you. Because of its fast pace, you'll know soon enough if it is your kind of drama or not. :)


Let me just add - I'm glad I avoided the hype and waited with watching until the hype had simmered down a bit. I think if I had allowed myself to get hyped up about this drama, I might have ended up being disappointed. But having started watching it with the idea of it being simply a 'good' drama, rather than an amazing one, I feel like I have been allowed to enjoy it all the more.


Story
The first thing I have to compliment this drama's story on is the pacing. There is not a dull moment for even a second. Things progress/happen all the time, pulling you through the episodes easily. During the first episode I forgot all about my cup of tea for a full hour. I didn't notice time passing at all because I didn't feel like it was an hour!

There are a lot of plot twists. Just when you think you have something figured out, you will learn a new bit of detail that throws it all around. I have been told this drama could be confusing at times, but personally I didn't experience any confusion at all. Maybe because I binge watched it?

I'm someone who usually gets really irritated by plot-holes or unrealistic situations/reactions. I've seen reviews about there being plot-holes and non-realism, but I personally didn't notice or experience annoyance over things.

Also; I really enjoyed to see the comparison between the real world and the comic world. How time passes by. The point of view of characters. And because I can't mention it elsewhere: I LOVE(!!) the artwork you see. It was so gorgeous, I couldn't get enough of it. Luckily, you get to see it often.

My only criticism here would be that I feel the ending had a few minor things in which I felt it was lacking. Let me start by saying I love the ending. It's an open ending and depending on your own experience of the drama, you could consider it to be a happy ending or a sad happy ending. For me, it was the latter. I remember Lee Jong Suk saying that he feels a sad ending would have been for the best. And though I agree with his vision on it, emotionally I'm glad that the writer didn't go for a sad ending entirely. That aside - I felt it was a bit lacking because I have a few question marks left about a few supporting roles. I wish I could have seen those wrapped up a little better. For spoiler's sake, I won't mention names. However - I'm glad the drama was only 16 episodes.

In conclusion - I love the pacing. I love the plot twists. I love the originality of the plot. I love the art.
But I do have a few small mentions on the side.


Acting/Cast
Like many - I'm a fan of Lee Jong Suk. And I don't think I have to get in-depth in how great his acting was. How good he brought the emotions in his eyes and all that. He was a dream to be watching. Compliments aside - I do have a bit of criticism here. I don't think it's Lee Jong Suk's fault, but rather the character he played. Though I loved him and his character to death and he had me squeal and cry regularly, I did feel like I could have been more emotionally attached. So I'm a bit disappointed I didn't feel stronger? Having read through some more critical reviews, I think maybe it's because there isn't much development within the character. Looking back, I don't feel Kang Chul has changed much between episode 1 and 16.

The same goes for Han Hyo Joo who plays Oh Yeon Joo. I didn't know her, but grew to love her instantly. I have nothing but love for her acting. But as much as I loved it, here as well - I felt there was still something lacking. And I guess it's the character development that is to blame here yet again. Very little difference between episode 1 and 16.

But don't let this scare you! The story and acting really still pulled me in a lot. And as I mentioned - I /did/ squeal and cry and laugh. It's just that when I compare it to other Drama's I rated 10/10; I feel like I didn't feel as overwhelming emotion, making me unable to rate it 10/10 as well.

Also - The chemistry between the leads is amazing. I had seen it in behind the scenes, but I definitely also saw it on screen. They were so adorable at the best of times. I like how there was a lot of romance in between the action.

The rest of the casting did very well on their characters as well. I have nothing but good things to say about them really, so I won't go in-depth about them.


Music
Perfect.
Often, I don't really notice the background music during drama's, so when a song stands out and catches my attention, it's often a sign that it's really good. I had that feeling during this drama. Often the music would catch my attention, making me want to look it up.

I shouldn't have looked it up mid-watch though. Because I found out who sang one of the songs.. I started paying more attention to the song when it played than the scene, making me lose my emotional connection. |D But this was my own fault, haha.

In short - The music was just perfect and I think it fit the drama very well.


Rewatch Value
High. Definitely. If not for the story, then for the beautiful work of art and acting.
Personally, I would wait a while until I'd have forgotten a few things, so I would be able to experience the plot twists again.


Conclusion:
After rating everything separately and thinking things through, the end-score is a 9.5/10. I think I'm content about this, because I would have loved to give it a 10, but felt like that wouldn't be true to my personal experience. There are a few minor things that just don't make it perfect. And scoring it a 9 would have felt like I would be rating it too low, especially when I compare it to other drama's I've rated 9/10.

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Story/Plot
This Kdrama is definitely one for the books. If you want a plot that is really new, and different from all the dramas out there, this one is for you. Never have I seen a storyline this unique. I loved the story of Kang Chul and Oh Yeon Joo. A seemingly typical kdrama pairing of a rich-guy + charismatic-gal, except they are in different worlds. I really loved the concept of the two worlds here; I'm an avid reader of webtoons and the use of it in this drama was just phenomenal. Another thing I loved about the story is the concept for the villain. It was so unique as well! I would've given the story a score of 11/10 to be honest. That's how revolutionizing the plot of this drama is. (I would explain later why the score for story is 9.5)

Acting/Cast
This is the best on-screen coupe chemistry that I have seen. Never have I shipped two people as hard as this Lee Jong Suk-Han Hyo Joo pairing. Every emotion was on point; from stranger-meets-stranger to lovey-dovey cuddling to tear jerking scenarios, these 2 are perfect. The only reason I gave this a 9 is because the supporting cast was really lacking in terms of delivery and realness. I can think of two roles in particular that could've been given to different actors and it would've resulted to a much better outcome. I think Ji-Soo would've done a lot better in terms of being that stout, untalkative bestfriend of Kang Chul. I also think Park Soo-Bong could've been given to a different actor. They are the only ones that to me looked really awkward, but that doesn't mean that the others are of the hook. Overall, LJS and HHJ really carried the score for acting and cast, but all the others pulled them down, that's why the score for this is 9.

Music
OST could've been a bit better. Aside from the main theme song 'where are u', every other song wasn't exceptional. Fits the scenes well, but not good enough to be remembered outside of the show

Rewatch Value
The plot is so unique and original that regardless of the flaws of the show, coming back to it can always be considered a good idea. Keep watching it other directors and screenwriters. This is how you make a unique show.

Explanation
The reason I gave the story a score of 9.5 was because of 2 problems

1.) Stretched storyline after episode 11 ---- The danger of creating a really unique story was running out of ideas throughout the whole series, and it was kinda evident near the end. After episode 11, episodes 12-15 looked really similar in terms of structure, flow, and what's gonna happen at the end of the episode. Just because you end the episode on a cliffhanger, that doesn't mean the viewers can't tell what will come next. I felt like the right thing to do here was to drag the happy moments between Kang Chul and Oh Yeon Joo at the start so that the rising action and climax doesn't feel as streched out as what happened.

2.) Lacking ending --- One of the main criteria of a good drama for me is being able to give justice and closure to most of the characters of a show and the plot. An example is Descendants of the Sun (4th favorite drama of all time). They allotted a whole episode to give closure to almost all characters in the story as well as close the plot. With W, they were able to properly close the plot but they failed to give justice to the two main characters for me, giving a rather incomplete-feel to their ending. The main leads were put into so much action and drama throughout the series especially Han Hyo Joo's character, who was 80% tensed up in this drama because of all the things she had to do and think about. It would've been soothing for the viewers' eyes to see their happy ending moments by at least 30 minutes of screen time, but in this drama we were only given 5-10 minutes.

Overall
This is one for the books. This is a must watch. (Actually my 3rd all time favorite Kdrama)

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My rating of this story depends on whether I rate based on my immediate emotional response or my logical analysis several weeks after I finished it. I watched W in one go. I was basically glued to the monitor for two days until I finished. I loved the idea for this show.

However, when I read the criticism towards the show, I kind of agree with it. The story was too rushed and all over the place and it often lacked internal logic. It was too much, too soon. It would probably be much better if the writers took time to develop relationships and some reasonable pace for twists and turns. The first 3 to 4 episodes were absolute deabak and left me craving more of the same thing. Unfortunately, the story became a bit messy later on.

I also loved Han Hyo Joo's acting. I wish I could say more about Lee Jong Suk's acting, but honestly I can't since he kept distracting me with his good looks. I don't know if he is a good actor or just a good looking one. I'm not sure I would care either way, to be painfully honest.

All in all, I still totally recommend watching this show and seeing for yourself what the hype is about. I can't give it a high rewatch value mark, though, since the drama is about surprising twists and turns and once all the secrets are out it's just not the same when watching it again.

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I like how this drama explores all the areas of a comic series and a fanbase. Things like spoilers, waiting for the next episode, coming into a series halfway, the to-be-continueds, etc. It’s similar to time travel when one cannot share one’s paranormal experiences because it’s too weird. Towards the end of the drama it gets seriously nail biting. I don’t really like horror and jump scares, but this drama takes a dip in that direction.

One of the most awesome things about this show is how the main leads work together. Kang Chul might be the brains but Yeon Joo is the one that does the work and she’s got a few ideas of her own.

Kang Chul
I’ve never seen Lee Jong Suk play a powerful character. He’s usually a down trodden orphan with a lot of insecurities so it’s hard for me to wrap my head around his new confident persona. I can’t help but be charmed by Lee Jong Suk. His character is reasonable and kind. He’s not too pushy or conceited. He’s very smiley. I like that Yeon Joo’s presence depended on his consistent emotions – such an interesting factor. I love a man who can apologise before he has even developed romantic feelings for his girl. There’s something very flirty about Lee Jong Suk. I kind of love that about him. The winking! Oh my gosh. He’s so cute.
I’ve also noticed that LJS’ characters always have a rather sassy relationship with his elders.
Because surprise is a big factor of this show, it’s such a delight to see LJS’ perplexed face. I really liked how quick he was to catch on to the mystery of Yeon Joo.
Kang Chul is pretty intuitive and smart. He figures out the “logic” of things and how the rules work. I like how he was so professional with his agenda.

Yeon Joo
Yeon Joo is pretty badass when it comes to controlling the webtoon. It’s so great that she also does her own reasoning as to how the webtoon magic worked.

I like that Yeon Joo does her research and doesn’t need to be told the answers. She can find them herself. She might show some similar traits to idiotic fluttery Kdrama heroines but she’s not bad at piecing things together and accepting things calmly without throwing a hissy fit. To even the power play, Chul has to consult with Yeon Joo about things he doesn’t know. He can’t afford to hide things from her when it comes to danger because she could really help him. I really love how useful she is and how important she is to the plot. Just when you think we’re going down the typical route of keeping the girlfriend in the dark, either Kang Chul is just plain honest with her or she figures it out herself.

Romance
I like that the main couple isn’t enemies to start with. I know people complain about epic love stories, but it’s a feel-good romance. The couple isn’t unnecessarily mean or unnecessarily stupid when it comes to their love. They’re honest and secure. The power play is solid too. Yeon Joo gets to save Chul and pretend to manipulate him with her rescuer role. She gives him emotional support, helps him get back on his feet again.
I like that she’s forward in her pursuit of Chul but she’s not desperate. She’s dignified.
I like that she doesn’t let Chul push her away because of his issues and that because of the design of the system, she knows how he feels about her. In a way, Chul can’t have his dignity.
I enjoyed the premise of the separated love. Of the limited time frame of their relationship.

We always see fated lovers. But I like that Kang Chul feels connected to Yeon Joo because she knows him so well. It’s fun to see her call him on his crap because she knows his story. I found it meaningful that she knew every significant moment in Kang Chul’s life. That she knew his motivations and his reasoning. It was kind of an incredible dynamic.

I was impressed by Kang Chul entertaining the possibility that he and Yeon Joo might not make it and really leaving the power to her.

Random Notes
I love Yoon Do’s role in the romance as the message man.
I like that at the end Kang Chul goes back to his old hairstyle. I know it must be difficult to gel when you’re on the run.

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The actors, the storyline, the whole concept of this drama. Everything amazed me. Even though its theme is a complicated one (it is a fantasy show after all) I think the writers did a good job at making it cohesive enough without as many loose ends as I was expecting.
The two main characters did an amazing job ever since the first scene. Their interactions felt real and were heart-warming. And her father's job was so interesting (I'm very interested in art and stuff so I really liked that part of the plot).
I watched it a while ago (right when it came out) so I can't write a proper review but what I can say is that it's definitely worth watching.

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This was an amazing series that I decided to binge watch for 2 days. With every episode ending the preview sucked me in to watch the next one.
But wow, the plot of this drama is like nothing I've seen before. It really reminds me of Batman for some reason. I've always wanted to live in a comic book world so it kind of made me experience that.

The main lead chemistry is unbelievable so if you love romantic dramas this one doesn't delay the kiss scenes at all and cuts right to what the fans want :D The animation + the side characters were like a treat. Definitely re-watching this for the cute and romantic atmosphere!

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As a SciFi/Fantasy this is an extraordinary production. All the usual annoying tropes are present but in this story they all make sense in the comic setting and they are what drives the story forward. Anything can happen and I was on the edge of my seat through the whole series. Constantly with the question WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The production value is really good in this drama with excellent special effects and settings. The ensemble of actors are great, with really good directing and amazing chemistry between the leads. The action scenes are well made and exciting. The protagonist and antagonists are believable because they are suppose to be over the top black and white from a webtoon. The story takes so many hard turns it's at times like a crazy joyride with death around the corner. You know what is going on, but then again it can all be flipped over by a stroke of the pen. As a romance it's pretty satisfying with the cheesy, sweet moments.

The existential crisis and growth could have been a tad bit more clear, however spelling it out to people would probably dumb down the whole feeling and clever people can read between the lines.

Even though I felt the story was wrapped up nicely, I still have loads of questions that were never explained. This is a MUST if you like SciFi/Fantasy/Supernatural dramas!

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Wow, so I just finished watching W. I can't believe it. What a rollercoaster!

The story is just mind blowing. Everything is set out nicely and I can identify the creativity of this kdrama as it is very unique and original. Some scenes were really confusing but I think I got the gist of it. I still love the story though. Literally nothing ruined the story. If I had one word to describe the feeling I had while watching this kdrama, it'd be exhilarating. In my opinion, I prefer the first half of the kdrama but the second half was just as good. I just enjoyed the first half a tiny bit more XD The end felt a tiny bit iffy for me but nevertheless, I overall enjoyed the build up to the last moment.

Lee Jong Suk really outdid himself in this drama. I think this is the best I've seen of his work. He looks stunning in this drama as well. Han Hyo Joo's acting was really good, and she is so naturally beautiful too. The character, Soo Bong, was entertaining to watch. Many scenes that I had a chuckle that he was in. Kim Eui Seong played his role very well too. *OTL* to the whole cast :)

I've heard the OST soundtrack and I really like it. Heartwarming is the word I'd use to describe most of the songs.

Oh and I'd definitely rewatch this kdrama. It's worth it because there's just so many little details that are incorporated into the story.

I'm so sad that it's over ;_; please watch it, but warning: watch it when you have a lot of time ahead of you because I bet 99% of you who start this now will binge watch it and finish it within 2 days. Fighting!!! <3

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Story: The idea of this story is refreshing but the execution of it faltered half-way through the drama. In a nutshell, a woman was unexpectedly pulled into an alternate world of a comic drawn by her father to save a dying man. From there on, she gets pulled in into the world of W whenever the hero of the comic thought or required her to be around; hence becoming one of the characters of the comic world. Like all comics, there's a baddie (or two) who's after our hero and all through the drama, the hero and our initially-reluctant-heroine tackle the threats posed by the baddie(s) while trying to find a way to end up happily with each other, despite belonging to two different worlds. The first half of the drama created a huge impact and garnered interests from viewers because of its fresh concept of an alternate dimension/world in a comic book and the fast pace of the development of the romantic relationship between the hero and the heroine but the second half of the drama started to fall flat on its earlier premise as the writer struggled to find a way to sensationalize the struggles between a comic hero and its villian(s) while also trying to 'force' a happy ending for the hero and the heroine. It's a bit like trying to give a ghost and a live human a happy ending - to put together a fictional person and a real person together requires a lot of bending of logic. Personally, I think that this drama would have been so much better if the writer wrote from the perspective of a sad or open ending, instead of insisting that our two main characters end up together as per standard KDrama endings. Since the writer had started with an unorthodox beginning for our couple, why not follow on with an unorthodox ending? That would have made W a one-of-its-kind in the KDrama world.

Acting/Cast: Beautiful casts and good acting but why do I get the feeling that the cast themselves felt bored and flat-out half-way through the drama? It's as if they are just acting for the sake of acting to complete the drama...which was a great waste of the talents in this drama!

Music: Not the main attraction of this drama.

Rewatch value: Not in a hurry to re-watch.

Overall: It was good enough to keep you watching just to see how the writer's going to end the whole mess but not good enough to create a huge Wow! factor till the end; hence I rate this drama 8/10.

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