Let's start with the plot. The drama is quite ingenious. The story centers the crazy life of a webtoon character, and how, in order to complete his story, he needs the help of real life people. You can guess what is happening between real life and webtoon characters... Crazy right? The show is a fantasy romance drama so get ready for a high ride cause the plot is so unpredictable that it touches the side of nonsensical many times. The CGI was beautifully made and it made my jaw drop many times.
Best thing about this: unpredictability and singularity.
The drama fluctuates in a constant climax, the suspense is kept at high rates throughout the show, it never stops being funny, it never stops being interesting, it is always fulfilling and the most important, not a tedious moment. The romance has a very relevant role (while it didn't have to), and you won't miss your fluffy rom-com scenes in midst of all the craziness of the main plot.
However, even if, i thoroughly enjoyed W and its wonderful idea and writing, there were 2 things that kept me from giving it a 10, and the more i watched, sadly, the more discontented i felt.
1. The failed and forced romance. Not that the main leads shared no chemistry, on the contrary, i enjoyed their moments quite a lot; it's just the romance, in such an erratic script felt like it didn't belong. It felt utterly forced to the point that i started asking myself, 'do they really need to be together?', 'Just move on with the plot.', 'They aren't working together, it's all in vain.' W proved that while a good romance and chemistry is essential for a drama to work, it definitelly isn't necessary if the plot is strong enough.
2. The convenient writing to the point or ridiculousness and irrationality. First half, everything's makes sense, there is a continuation, a reason, an end-game. I won't stay at how the plot had some convenient back and forth, at least every time it went back it tried to stay original and not repeat same patterns. The main problem came in the 2nd half. In order to close potential plot-holes, and to make everything work out in such a messy and abnormal plot, the writing started being incosistent and making no sense. Conducive situations, newly introduced plot twists that were totally illogical just to make the script work. Were they bad? No, not at all, they were all surprising and thrilling. Did they bug me? Yes, and that is why the overall rating goes down to 8.5. This is apparently a drama that you need to switch your logic off, sit back and get ready for the wonderful ride without asking too many questions. If i could sum the writing up in a phrase i would say 'Too ambitious for its own good'.
Moving on to the acting, the outcome was overall satisfying but not perfect.
I'm no fan of Lee Jong Suk, but he was pretty charming here, his acting was almost excellent, even if he overplayed his 'look at my cute smile' card a lot.
Han Hyo Joo gave a wonderful performance, she was in charge of comedy and drama, and her character was very essential to the plot. I can't deny that she overacted a little during her comedy scenes, not that it was cringy but it was obvious. Stiil, she aced all her dramatic scenes, which makes me want to see her in a melodrama soon.
However, the performance that was the most memorable and i would like to call impeccable is Kim Eui Seong's. His character was completely indispensable to the plot and his performance was spectacular.
My personal favourite was Lee Shi Eon, who was absolutely adorable and funny in every scene he appeared.
Even if this wasn't the perfect gem that i expected, i would really recommend this to every drama fan. It is innovative and unpredictable. Such combinations are rare in kdramaland, so do not turn a blind eye on this one, it's definitely not brilliant but it came really close, certainly worth a watch.
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Just Enjoy
To say I enjoyed this series would be an understatement. Inter-dimensional intrigue is right up my alley. There was drama, suspense, humor, and a beautiful romance. The concept was unique and spellbinding. Webtoons come alive in a parallel universe. The acting was perfect, and the music pulled it all together. I don’t think I would change a thing. The fact that I couldn’t stop watching it, is a testament to that. I got goosebumps numerous times and some of the scenes were heart-wrenching. Han Hyo Joo was outstanding, and Lee Jong Suk was her perfect partner. I could feel the chemistry between them in the air around me. I didn’t stop to pick apart the small things missing from character development because the story kept me captivated. I liked the romance even though it wasn’t blazing 24/7. Sometimes you just have to enjoy what you’re watching and smile when it’s over. This was one of those times for me. So, if you want a couple of days of entertainment, this a must-watch. Surprises at every turn.Was this review helpful to you?
I will start with what I loved, which was the plot. The story is definitely one of the most original ones I've ever seen in a drama. It's creative. It's suspenseful. I never could anticipate what would happen next. In the beginning I was completely in awe! There was romance, mystery, action, and humor. I almost gave the story a perfect score, but there were too many minor holes, odd changes in direction, and confusing elements, that stopped me from doing that. There was also the fact that the drama started to lose it's charm as time went on, but I'm not convinced that was because of the plot.
This story revolves around Kang Chul, and I think Lee Jong Suk did a good job of bringing that character to life (see what I did there?), but there was something lacking for me. He had the charm down, he's easy on the eyes, and the action scenes were pretty good too, but the emotional scenes were lacking. That didn't make me dislike his performance, it just made me not feel as emotionally invested as I should have been. I know it's a webtoon, but he went through a lot, A WHOLE LOT, and he seemed to be way too cool throughout. That sorta worked because he is literally playing a 2 dimensional character, so I forgive him. Who I can't forgive as much is his costar.
Don't get me wrong, Han Hyo Joo is cute and likable as Yeon Joo. She looks great with the leading man, and the chemistry in their early scenes together are some of the highlights of the show. The problem is when the show goes from partial rom com to full on suspense thriller. Suddenly their romance goes from 1 to 1000, and the chemistry is replaced with overdramatic declarations of undying love. As cute as they were together, their romance doesn't make the most sense, and that's when her acting let me down. Every time she cried I felt nothing. Every time she was surprised I felt nothing. I felt a little bit of the longing when she missed him, but not that much. I liked the character, but I just couldn't connect to her emotions. I think this is why this drama failed to meet my expectations. I am a cry baby, and this story called for lots of tears, and I shed not a single one. It looked cool, and they looked cool together, but I wish I felt more emotionally tied to the characters.
My favorite character was actually the writer Oh Sung Moo. I think his story was the most interesting part of the whole drama. He was complicated, he was interesting, and he came the closest to making me feel any emotions. Kim Eui Seong was excellent, and the stand out! The rest of the supporting characters were great, and there were no real weak links. I loved the assistant artist so much - he was a hilarious sidekick. I also liked the reoccurring jokes with Yeon Joo's boss. I can't say that the acting was bad at all, but I just wished the emotional scenes were more believable. It takes more than tears to make emotions seem real.
The other thing about this show that impressed me were the visual effects. They were perfect when switching between the two worlds. Yes, it totally reminded me of the 80's music video "Take On Me", which is a classic, but I liked how seamless the cartoon world mixed with the real world - it was just the right amount of cheesy yet realistic.
How about that soundtrack? Umm... I can't remember a single song or melody, and I literally just finished watching it.
Would I watch it again? Sure. I wonder if a second viewing would make things clearer in certain parts. The suspense would be gone, but there are still enough entertaining parts to keep me engaged.
Overall, I think the creativity involved alone would make me recommend this drama to anyone, even though I feel like it didn't reach it's full potential. I blame that more on the leads than the plot, which was ambitious, but I've seen plots that made much less sense, and yet they still had a stronger emotional impact on me because of the actors. From beginning to end I was very intrigued, and I think the ending was great, but part of me is recasting in my head... Song Joong Ki or Jung Il Woo as Kang Chul? Kim Seul Gi as Yeon Joo? This is why I'm torn. Part of me liked it a lot, and part of me wants a do-over!
It's like I'm... torn between two worlds (See what I did there?) lol.
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the last few episodes were plain boring and it felt like they were just dragging the story.
It wasn't horrible , but very disappointing compared to its beginning. I recommend this to anyone who is interested in a 100% original & unique story but it's best not to watch it with high expectations.
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Music:
pretty good, nothing that will get you crazy in the feels but they chose good songs that add to the moment
Acting/Cast:
Lee Jong Suk does a phenomenal job yet again (a little bit biased here lol) and he is really the main thing that held this drama together. Han Hyo Joo did a pretty good job but there were some parts that were not the best on her part.
overall they had average chemistry together (unlike Pinocchio LJS+PSH lord i felt that love)
Story:
#1~ the story concept itself is super interesting and original
HOWEVER
#2~ this plot was so convoluted and slapped together, sometimes i didn't know why certain things were happening the way they were. certain events would spring up that were all too convenient or certain choices were made that were obviously the wrong ones
*sigh*….
this drama had so much promise…i honestly wish they would do it again and fix the story, not make it all over the place
i probably will never watch this drama again, not that it was horrible or anything, its just man this script kills me
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If the premise is not to your liking - you may drop but if you like the premise, its a must watch!
W took me by total surprise ! I did not expect to thoroughly enjoy it but I really did.These are the 5 things I enjoyed about watching W .
1. Great world building that I found mostly coherent . The writer generously let the viewer know the rules of the W universe which is very appreciated when watching such a drama with a possibly complex story line.
2.Direction and writing were very much in sync and the synergy was quite elegant. The trust currency was strong and as a viewer , I was able to suspend my belief and notions and come to trust the writer with every twist and turn with excitement and not fear .
3. It presented itself as a drama where visuals truly matter and everyone and everything had the appearance of being unreal so as to fit its comic book premise .I really liked how dedicated this drama was in achieving this ethos that even the casting represented facially symmetrical actors and presented them as if they were drawn themselves! The schism between writer of the webtoon and webtoon characters could not allow for every character to be unapologetically real and I appreciated the restraint of the writing to not make the male lead and his webtoon characters all human and prone to flaws because of abcd as humans naturally do. This is also in the villain too.
4. A drama is truly good if it can provide a wider commentary and this drama definitely did .I loved the wider commentary on the concept of reality and being self aware.Though it was not poignantly done - it was pretty cool watching the desire for self awareness in the characters. I also liked how there was a character for the viewer to find themselves in . The female protagonist represented the viewer and one figures out plot along with her which again makes for a cohesive watch. Moreover -its tackle of fate and destiny was original and not wearisome and typical.
5. The music was really good too! It brought major pathos and each song or instrumental gently lulled the viewer into romantic , dramatic or melo territory which was atmosphere control I truly appreciated.
I do think the acting left a lot to be desired but I forgive it for that because this drama presented itself as a visual oriented drama and every bit of the cast represented that . There were also some plot holes and whats up with female heroines being all cool and intellectual then ending up fluffy and weepy in the end?I am looking at you Oh Yeon Joo but I was able to let that be as it may.
The romance was also a bit meh but in the end I was smiling like a sap everytime they had their 'moments' .
OVERALL- The story is definitely one of the most original ones I've ever seen in a drama.It never was predictable and I think that counts for something THOUGH there were some plot holes hence my 8/10.
I definitely see why its highly rated . I have watched some overrated dramas that leave me scratching my head as to why are they so hyped but I really understand W's hype. Its ground breaking territory though not poignantly done but it was still done and kudos for that. I rolled with it’s flow and I didn’t find it confusing. The world building was pretty decent and one understood the actions because the characters understood too .
I appreciate how W seamlessly became apart of my life . I wasn’t binging per se but I was pleasantly putting it on like how one would with a familiar soap opera they have been watching most of their lives .
I find that highly commendable .
A hearty well done for W and recommended watch for you too!
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This review may contain spoilers
Second half is not worth your time
I really wanted to like this drama because of the hype but I was disappointed.I must say the first half of the drama I was really intrigued. After every episode, I was so surprised and was really curious to what would happen next. But in the second half, they had a lot problems that were rising so they dealt with it by getting the male lead to forget his memories. So dumb. Second half is like a whole other drama.
There were so many questions they didn't answer. The ending was the worst. He just magically survived death and appeared in the real world. They didn't even explain why. A waste of time.
They had no chemistry at all. She just had the same worried look through the whole drama. The male lead just was a boring "perfect" character. Both leads were very 2 dimensional. There was no building of relationship or why they liked each other. Suddenly, they just liked each other.
Worst romantic drama.
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That's it for my review.
-Caitlin
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This review may contain spoilers
Okay so let me get started... Before I write anything I just want to say that since everyone adored this show so much... You will probably hate me for this. But here is a realistic review, based on my opinion. Oh, how I anticipated this drama! Omg, I was so hyped! I rewatched the trailers, teasers...! When the first few episodes came out, I was honestly so happy that I finally found something good and different. The idea for this drama was so great! Maybe too great to be true, or just too great to be able to become a good drama.
Around episode 8 I ended up dropping it. This was around the time when the romance started to begin. I did expect romance, as it's one of the drama's genres... But for me, the romance was boring and somehow dull. It was very clique and the chemistry, I don't care what y'all say, the chemistry was nowhere to be found! The two characters missed something and I found myself liking the side characters more than the actual main couple!
The acting... We all know this drama has some high-quality actors, especially the leads. However, their characters were rather boring and uninteresting. The perfect male lead, that was so perfect that I don't think any of the viewers could relate to him in any way. I personally like more realistic characters that I can relate to even a little bit. I could not find anything relatable is this drama. Because it was so abnormal... Even the most sci-fi, fantasy dramas have more relatable characters than W had.
I picked up the drama again, about a year after it aired, yesterday that is. I dropped it again after one episode and found spoilers. I honestly think that this would've turned out much better if they developed the characters a bit more, so they seemed more human like, and if they cut the romance crap unless it was something original.
I understand that he is supposed to be perfect since he is a cartoon character, but that just made the drama seem boring. Why not have a little bit more human-like cartoon character, since he was basically a human anyways...
I'm sorry for the bad review. I hope you still give W a chance even after reading this. Because so many people loved this drama to death and you will probably be one of them. It's just not my type...
Hope you found this helpful!
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Okay first of all, it has a good start. I was already hooked by the first episodes because of unique plot. As the episodes goes by, it's like a roller coaster ride, filled with excitement and non-stop twists and turns. You don't have freaking idea on what will happen next unlike some of the dramas there.
I love the continuous twist of every episode but I kinda feel like it's being unrealistic already, though its a sci fic/fantasy as we all know. There are so many many many twists and for me, it made the drama messy. Well i actually admire the writer for his wide imagination on this drama lol hahahha who knows? There might be another world out there XD Don't forget we are only a dot in the universe. Loljk
And for the love chemistry that they had, its not that good though i like some of the sweet scenes on this drama. They lack the chemistry
I agree with others when they say that this drama should've ended on ep 12+ or something XD The ending didnt meet my expectations because there are still unexplained things AND ALSO I DIDNT EXPECT THE DEATH OF THE KILLER. Like he's been shot several times and that's it?! Dead already?! And also the man who's running for the position of president. Xd Srlsy?! Y u die like dat lol hahaha
There are some unanswered questions like okay so Kang Chul's already living on the real world? What's his identification then? and what happened to those ppl on the other world? Did they already know about the real world? What's the connection of the tablet on that? Psssh they just ended together like a happy ending in a fairytail lol XD
So my rating for this drama is 7. If you are looking for drama with a genre of mystery, thriller, suspense, romance, then I would recommend this one. I just loved the uniquness of the plot of this drama. Still hopinh for special 2 though XD
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