W (2016)

This drama was very unique and intriguing. I don't believe this is really anything like it in the way of storylines. The visual effects contrasting the two worlds (reality and the world of the webtoon W) is quite beautiful. Mixed with the sketched art work framing key scenes, this drama is visually breathtaking. Lee Jong Suk's character was such a heart throb, playing the rich, successful protagonist. Han Hyo Joo actng was quite moving through the drama. With so much focus on the story, I do think it sometimes left something to be desired in regards to the feelings between the two protagonists. I think their love was kinda under-developed and certianly took a back seat to the fast pace storyline. This drama in cetainly worth watching with all its twist and turns along the way.

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Illogical piece of trash

This drama is stupid beyond belief. She literally had no reason to hide truth from him, literally no reason for trying to escape as soon as possible when she entered this world again either. She had no reason to hide anything when he pointed his gun at her counting to 10, for god's sake!!! Who would even care a bit about hidding such stuff in such a situation!!! It's not anything dangerous, not anything important at all either. There's absolutely 0 reason why she shouldn't tell him! She's: a) totally irrealistic or b) a complete, uter trash of an idiot.

She could have simply explain everything in three senetences and seriously - there was no reason to do otherwise. Just like that: "I know you'd think I am crazy but you and your whole world is a comic created by my father so all the strange things happening to you may be explained by this. I somehow entered here from another world, I know all about you and even though you think I am crazy, I may prove it by telling you extremely detailed and private things no one would ever know about you or about this world and other characters history."

THE END OF THE STORY. SERIOUSLY.

Also - when she got to speak with her father for the first time - she shouldn't just leave accepting they would discuss things later. ALSO - when she told him truth through the phone, he confirmed he knew she entered the comic world, she should just respond: "No - you shut your fucking mouth now, listen to your daughter, this is not your own business anymore since it influenced my life like hell."

ANOTHER END OF THE STORY.

That different show about the guy coming to another world from his comic when he was an author at least had some sense about him not revealing truth at first. This is just a horrible, stupid piece of shit.

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I'm super torn about W. The first 10 episodes were everything I ever hoped in a drama done well; romance and suspense, perfectly existing side by side. After episode 10, however, the magic died a bit for me because the romance, especially, lost its touch.

This is the review I wrote before watching episodes 10 and beyond:
Cracktastic. Heart-wrenching. W is my crack drama of the year. I'm sure there were some plot holes somewhere but I don't see them right now. I just see the beauty that is W. W a little bit of everything: action, mystery, heart stopping romance, suspense, intrigue, magic, etc. The last drama that got me like this was Healer.

The manhwa-reality two worlds trans-universe was done brilliantly. The unpredictability of W had me in knots each week but it was completely worth it. Now, if you want rigid 'magical' rules you won't get them here. The unpredictability IS the rules here.You want romance? W has it in spades and it's one of the best 'fated to be, star crossed lovers' I have ever seen. I laughed, cried, and repeat for this couple. LJS and HHJ had amazing, sparkling chemistry. Passionate when needed, and caring at other times. I was on a bumpy rollercoaster right with them throughout W. Mystery and action? Of course! So many unexpected twists along the way. I came up with so many theories that were destroyed by the writer each week.

Supporting cast first place goes to Soo Bong. He's hilarious and a great friend. He's also the voice of all us drama watchers. In short, he's one of my favorite side drama characters ever.

I'll address some of the reasons viewers didn't like W. Admittedly, W, in a way, is a fantastical fairytale story. So yes, it does satisfy us romance buffs in that respect. But I find it unfair to just call W that because it's so much more. Sure, Kang Chul is supposed to be a character in a manga so does that make him a mere one-dimensional caricature? No- W, while formatted to be inside a manhwa, deals with genuine issues like existential crises and the creator vs creation argument. Does creator have the power, the right to decide what to do with his creation? LJS made Kang Chul feel very real to me; he is a human being, he has literally been fighting throughout his whole life, to break through his Pinocchio mold and become a real boy. At the core of it though, W is a fantasy drama so the writer has liberty to create her own world.

I wanted to keep this review short because W doesn't need it. Flat out, W is just amazing and so uniquely different from other dramas I have seen. Just watch it.

Now, my edited review continued after watching episode 10:
I still agree with what I wrote previously above but I wanted to add some reservations now that I watched the whole series. Take it with a grain of salt as I know many disagree with me.

I still think that since W is a fantasy drama, the rules can be dictated by the writer. Nevertheless, I think we had one too many twists that it became a bit convoluted. It's not that we viewers can't follow the plot, it's that it lost some of its consistency from the previous episodes. Those who watched it, without giving away spoilers, will know what I mean. I'm also quite disappointed in the latter part of the romance. With the length of the drama and so much plot development needed, something had to be give and the romance was what was sacrificed in the last third of the drama. Not to say that's a bad thing because this IS a thriller drama as well at its core but it was rather disappointing since the romance was focused on and developed beautifully in the first part of the drama.

The side characters aren't really prominent in W... besides from the villains, Kang Chul, and Yeon Joo- none played a crucial role. Like Queen In Hyun's Man, the heart and soul of W is the OTP. The OTP is what carried both dramas. The fundamental difference, however, is that the OTP here doesn't sell W enough because W is trying to be too many things at once: romance, suspense, mystery, action, etc. QIHM is also by W's writer, Song Jae Jung so I saw some integral similarities.

I think W is a better watch marathoned because everything will add up easier, when watched in a row instead of waiting week after week. In the end, I think W was wrapped up as reasonably and logically as it could be. I still recommend W but please don't go in with all the high expectations from the hype.

The OST is really, really good though. I loved the variety of songs that were included in the drama and they all heightened the emotions of each scene.

I'm not saying that I didn't love W. Trust me, I really did. I just had super high expectations that kept growing week after week, episode after episode, so I'm a little deflated right now. Ultimately, W is still an unique drama that deserves a watch (or two! I might re-watch again to see if it does work better as a marathon watch) Give W a go and decide for yourself!

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I'm crying my eyes out. Maybe I should have held off on watching the last episode a bit longer. Dear me. Now, it's finally over for me. I truly didn't want it to end. OMG! >w<

One can never have the best of both worlds. There are always choices we have to make. Sometimes choices can be hard and impossible, but we can't run from them all the time. Because of those choices we make, whether it's good or bad, we have to live with them and those same choices determine the outcome of our lives.

I can't describe how much I love this drama. The concept was unique. It was very different from the typical norm of Kdramas. The plot, the characters, everything. I love the twists and turns. It was very unpredictable and I loved that about the drama. The twists were unexpected so it was hard to predict what would happen next. Every single character had an important role to play. The actors did phenomenal to make the story believable even though it had delved into supernatural aspect.
I had 4 endings in mind and the writers went with one of them. TBH, if the writers went with a sad, happy or an unconventional ending, I wouldn't have mind at all, since the drama started out with it being unusual.
I'd love to go into more details but that would be considered a spoiler~ Sorry ^.~

The music was ok. There were some songs that I liked that were stuck in my head. ^^

I'll definitely rewatch this again, no doubt about that. :D

I feel like I understood why W ended the way it did. But I wonder what it would be like with alternate endings...?
I was psyched every week for new episodes and every week, let me feeling crazy because the previews left you feeling helpless and you didn't know what would happen. The hype was real. I guess for most people who were watching the drama weekly like I was, were so intrigued and was enjoying W to the max! The ending really did decide if it would continue to be a 10 or be rated lower.
Give W – Two Worlds a chance. This drama is one of a kind and in a league of it's own to me. It might be the same for you. ^^

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Disappointing

Disappointing. The story is at first ambitious, unconventional, and exciting but it eventually falls flat, spirals out of control, and becomes worse than average. The acting leaves a lot to be desired. The characters are poorly written and not well thought-out. The romantic aspect is completely immature and fails to develop into something interesting. The music is alright but not incredible. The premise had a lot of potential and the production quality was high but the execution failed.

At times, the story felt like an excuse to pad out the run time. By the end, I was watching it not because I enjoyed it but so that "I might as well finish it". It drops in quality in every aspect and by the end it is a shell of what it promised to be. I appreciate the boldness of the author to attempt a story such as this but in the end, it was a failure.

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So this started out GREAT! The first like 10 episodes were super interesting and I was so hooked, I couldn't go to sleep without knowing what would happen next. But sadly, the quality of the show declined.

I understand why this has such great ratings. The plot is one of a kind, Lee Jong Suk's acting abilities in this one are on point and honestly, it's super thrilling! BUT BUT BUT after a while the plot just keeps repeating itself. Sure, there is some logic behind all of it but having the same characters die and come back to life 3 or 4 times really gets old. There were so many points at which I thought "NOW would be a great time to end it" but no, they kept going by making a character we thought was dead/gone reappear for the hundreds time...

The female lead was also a big problem for me. Her personality was... non-existent. I couldn't tell you ANYTHING about her other than that she is in love with Kang Chul and that she is a doctor (which she forgets throughout the show by the way, because she never goes back to work lol)

All I can say in conclusion is that the plot is very interesting and I really wanted to know how this show would end, which is why I kept going even after the numerous twists became very old. Would I still recommend to watch this drama? Yes, because I feel like this has become somewhat of a "classic" in the kdrama world and it is one of a kind after all.

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First of all, the idea of this drama was really creative and different, the actors were also really great (especially the main male character </3), the setting, the background everything was great. However, the plot though, it's really confusing. I'm not the type who will watch the entire episodes minutes by minutes, I would do a lot of skipping because I don't have enough patience, but still understand at least what was going on in the drama as a whole. This one though, I still don't understand the main plot or how the webtoon's author had the power to enter the webtoon's world he created. I asked my friends (they also said they don't understand too) who also watched this and even google it, and I still don't understand. I think it's such a pity because maybe if they simplified the conflict a little bit it would be more enjoyable? What do you guys think?

Would I rewatch this? Maybe, but solely because of the actor LOL he's soo handsome </3

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This was the drama where I discovered LJS and HHJ. Such sizzling, charming sparkles between the two. I've fallen for both of their charms and I HEAVILY ship them together.
Acting: So. Freaking. Good. THE ACTING WAS SO GOOD. As a newbie to k-dramas, this is one of the only dramas that make me think, 'wow, this is some mad acting'. HAN HYO JOO is the best actress I've watched so far. Everything feels so natural and not overdone and when she cries, I cry. I understand the reputation around her now. Her character was so charming and I loved every scene she was in. You know there are some dramas where the female lead becomes annoying or cries out of nowhere, HHJ doesn't do this. I could sympathise and understand her actions and I just loved this character.
LEE JONG SUK is the ideal bf. I ADORE Kang Chul. He does this small smile that makes the girls go CRAZY. The chemistry between them is unbelievable. I want them to go out in real life. They're so cute together I can't imagine LJS with anyone else.
The actor who played the dad. Wow. Wow. I have no other words. Korea is so blessed to have him as an actor. The emotions... whoa. The acting for this show was just so right.

Story: Original. So original. Laughed a lot, cried a lot. Have conflicted feelings towards the ending because it's acceptable but idk, I feel conflicted.

Music: Feel like more focus was on the acting rather than music so I didn't really pay much attention to the music to have much thought about it.

HIGHLY recommend. Even if you just watch this because you love LJS or want a break from overused cliche dramas, it's a must watch. LJS x HHJ.

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My favorite Korean drama.Absolutely the best in every aspect.It's a must watch for me but careful!You need to have a lot of time as this will make you lose your sleep.Also a box of tissues next to you is adviced as this is an emotional rollercoaster.
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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W is one of the most interesting and creatively devised K-dramas I have ever watched. It is packed with a fair amount of suspense and drama (from light-hearted to serious). It does have some romance, but this aspect isn't as prominent as the other two. I love this fact as most dramas, especially the cheesy ones, tend to overemphasize the lovey-doviness of it all, while W offers the "mama bear" amount (just right). The first several episodes were light-hearted and easy to follow but became fast-paced and somewhat difficult to follow towards the end (keep your eyes peeled!). I ended up rewatching a few of the latter episodes to reassess and to confirm answers to questions that had popped up in my mind while watching. In the end, most were answered but I still had a tiny bit of questions that remained unanswered...W's cast choices were excellent as everyone appeared to balance each other out in acting styles that flowed seamlessly with the storyline. My hat's off especially to Kim Eui-Sung (Oh Sung-Moo) who portrayed a variety of character tropes that would be difficult for an actor of amateur caliber. Not only is the story and acting/cast well-thought out, the OST and background music really rounded out W, especially bringing out the suspense and fast-paced-plot factors. Overall, I would definitely rewatch W in the future and potentially share the show with friends who aren't even into Korean dramas.

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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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