W (2016)

For some reason I was quite reluctant to start watching W in the first place. However, considering that I had seen Lee Jong Suk in previous dramas, I decided to give it a go.

Story:
I have to admit that I felt the storyline was quite fast paced in the beginning, but I accepted it and even liked it at first. Half way through the drama, it was as if the story had taken a complete 180º turn which made little to no sense. It would have been nicer to watch if the rules which had been established in the first place to travel between the webtoon and the real world were given at least some respect, because it honestly seemed as if they had completely disregarded them in order to push the storyline through until the end.

Acting/Cast:
I personally don' think Lee Jong Suk was suited for this role. I definitely think his strongest genre is rom-com, so seing him act in a suspense/thriller kind of drama was weird and seemed rather awkward at times. For example, there were a few action (fight) scenes which seemed quite sloppy, but I do have to say that part of that is because of the camera angles and the editing which didn't make the scenes look particularly intense. However, I can assure you the romantic parts seemed quite real, because (again) he really suits the romance genre. I simply feel like Kang Chul was a really complex character and seemed like a big challenge. Han Hyo Joo was nice to watch, but then again a few more expressions would have been nice. I'll say that Jong Suk and Hyo Joo had great chemistry together (you can definitely see it in the behind the scenes). My favourite characters without doubt were Soo Bong (Lee Shi Eon) and Min Soo (Heo Jung Do) because they were just so fun to watch and there acting skills are varied and very good.

Music:
I believe the songs selected were mostly good and helped intensify the atmosphere. However, there was this song which had a rap in it, and I personally don't think it suited the moments in which they put this song. Apart from that, not much to comment on it.

Rewatch value:
To be honest, I don't think I would ever watch this drama again, apart from a few scenes which I found very cute such as the kiss scenes.

Would I recommend watching this drama? If you like action and a plot where you feel even more confused after an episode ends, then go ahead, this is the drama for you. If you are looking for a consistent romance storyline, I'd recommend you to look for another drama.

Leia Mais

This one of my favourite dramas I have ever seen. Each and every episode gives me thrill and triggers the interest what will be the next scene and also I imagined the scenes how it will be but I am wrong , the scenes and the story is beyond my imagination.
However this drama has some logic misses but it not reduce the excitement level of this drama. The chemistry between these two main leads is damn high.
I don't know why some guys gives lower ratings. It's ok everyone has different tastes. In my point of view this is an awesome drama.If you not watched this drama, hurry up go watch this drama --------------->????

Leia Mais

Interesting at the beginning, but only okay by the end.

I'm gonna try to keep this as short as possible. "W" has a really strong, interesting premise, but I feel it begins tripping itself up between a third and half of the way through and basically collapses once it passes the finish line. I did find many of its ideas thought-provoking, but I feel "W" tried to do too much and too little at the same time, and thus self-sabotaged itself in a truly unfortunate manner.

The acting was alright. Most of the cast was fine (as a side note, seeing Park Won Sang so happy in his photo in the cast list was a huge jumpscare), while the triad of actors I internally dubbed "the Golden Trio" were absolutely excellent and tugged at my heartstrings every time: Lee Jong Suk (Kang Cheol), Kim Eui Sung (Oh Sung Moo), and Lee Si Eon (Park Soo Bong), with Heo Jung Do (Park Min Soo, aka Yeon Joo's boss) remaining only an honorable mention because he never made me cry (though he sure was funny!). I feel that the four actors I just mentioned gave their absolute all to their performances and it showed, worked well, and significantly improved the drama. In fact, I felt an immense amount of respect for Eui Sung Kim by the end, as just watching his face change from scene to scene was enough to make me cry. In his case, I could fully believe he was who he was portraying, and that's without even considering that he played two roles at once... What an incredible actor.

Han Hyo Joo (Oh Yeon Joo), however... I read that she has gotten awards and recognition before, and I have not watched her other work, but man... I don't know whether it was her, the script, the directing, or all three, but in many of the scenes she was in, she was about as animated as a mannequin. (I swear, the red flags started popping up when I watched the opening titled sequence for the first time with a blank expression even as Jong Suk Lee smiled at her.) She did show some more intense emotion at some points, but I really wanted to see her get immersed in the story and yet, somehow, I didn't. It is partially because of her that I think "W" did not leave a strong impression on me.

For this reason, I almost feel "W" should have been not about Yeon Joo and Cheol, but rather about Sung Moo, Soo Bong, and Cheol. They worked great together as a team, and when the action was focused on them, the story flowed much better because they actually moved with it instead of standing stiffly and waiting to be acted upon. For someone who was supposedly a protagonist, Yeon Joo sure didn't act like one.

And so I feel "W" tried to be too many things. It should have stuck to the more serious, intense tone all the way through. I actually really like romance and am not even remotely opposed to it - in fact, I LIKE when it is included - but here I feel that the over-intense focus on it complicated the story far too much. If it was more of a side thing, perhaps it would have worked better.

The music was okay but forgettable, and having to listen to the same sad song about love in every episode actually got rather annoying. Some editing/filming mistakes were left in the final product but that's more of a minor thing. The thing they did with Eui Sung Kim's face was definitely creepy. The characters themselves were mostly interesting (with those like Yeon Joo being the exception), and I feel that Kang Cheol was the strongest of them all. I'm not one to allow myself to obsess over actors, but with how Jong Suk Lee played the role... I mean, I think I really (respectfully) see why "W" may have been the best webtoon in Korea during its runtime. I just wish they'd given him more of a purpose in the latter half of the series because on his own he WAS a good character.

As a side note, the "W" webtoon art was both beautiful and somewhat inconsistent. I wish they'd structured some of the manhwa sections better because sometimes the chapters looked more like spliced-together highlight reels than actual story episodes. Also, I somehow found myself doubting that "W" could've been the top webtoon when much of its runtime seemed to be focused only on Kang Cheol searching for - and repeatedly failing to find - the real culprit.

The series also left some things unexplained, and seemed to bend its own rules at points where it found itself in a tight spot. I had to turn off my brain after about a third to half of the way through because I didn't want to care too much about a series I wasn't 100% locked in to anyway.

In the end? I guess "W" was okay. I probably won't be rewatching this (sorry, Kang Cheol!), but I'm glad I gave it another chance, at least.

____________

OLD REVIEW: Had to put this on hold.

I will be revisiting this show, but I honestly found it unbearable on the first watch. The female lead was strange and the story was kind of confused and directionless. I thought the initial idea was good but then everything kept getting more jumbled and unintelligible. It's been a few years since I've watched this but that's just what I remember feeling.

Like I said, I will revisit this but for now this is a no from me.

Leia Mais

I really loved W and I'm a romance fanatic, but this would be 10x better if they toned down the romance. The multi-verse plot/murder plot is so well-written and interesting and I don't mind that they are in love, but taking entire episodes for them to wander off on a date made me less interested. And I LIVE for romance, so I'm saying this exclusively for this story. It does not feel organic, I don't know if it's lack of chemistry or they haven't known each other long but it ruins the pacing for me. If you want an exciting drama, watch this and try to power through the annoying fluff scenes. It'll be fine because Lee Jong Suk's beautiful face can get you through ANYTHING. Watch it for sure!

Leia Mais

The story of a selfish women

The drama starts out great and the story starts off really intriguing but near the half starts to take off in a really different reaction. I feel like it is not about Kang Chul anymore. It is only about Yeonjoo and her selfish acts of making this love happen no matter what. The other actors basically only revolve around her purpose and are forced to just go with it despite the dangerous setting.
The acting however is very splendid. Especially the actor that plays Oh Seong Moo. He portrays both characters he plays extremely well in such a way you cannot believe both characters are actually him. Unfortunately the ending sucks. Despite all the shots that show the bond between Yeonjoo and her father (like the pictures on the wall), it seems that she just really doesn't care about anyone but herself. She keeps following her own selfish path to be married to a rich and handsome guy and basically just lets her father rot in the Manhwa.
Made the drama a complete waste of time even though it had great potential. Yeonjoo's hospital boss was right about W after all.

Leia Mais

Imagine all the characters that you loved or had a crush on, you are suddenly a part of their world! That's the biggest attraction of W. Among some of the best elements that W presents to the audience are a very creative plot, with shocking twists and turns, often not foreseen developments and certainly a constant pull and push between anticipation and relief. Traveling to a new world or a new dimension is nothing new but the introduction of cartoons renders it a touch of incredible and humor at the beginning and once love steps in, the story takes a poignant turn. The story not only weaves fabric of fiction with reality but also projects a sense of wonder and mystery. It has both an old-school and a new-world charm to it. Somewhere in between, it does get complicated, but riding it to the end is the best thing you can do because when it finishes, the actual haunting begins. That's the best part. It's going to stay with you. The visual allures are incredible and the transitions remind me of Sherlock. Very fresh and quite unforgettable. I do have my complaints but none of those have actually deterred me from finishing the drama or dropping it. A dreamy hot Kang Chul and a girl-next-door Oh Yeon-joo who doesn't transform because of the plot but is rendered beautiful in the minds of the audience because of the change in perspective of the male lead and his growing emotions towards her is an example of the audience being conditioned by Kang Chul. The constant reminder of a fictionalized reality in the form of "TBC" appearing out of thin air and the panning of the camera makes it all the more exciting. The second best part is however, the awesome explanations and hypotheses discovered and challenged by the characters and detailed by the writer to determine rules and variables that drive the two worlds. This is one drama that you have to watch simply to experience suspense and major fluff :)

Being a writer myself, my sympathy with Kang Chul and his world goes deeper. For what if one of my characters asks the same question as Chul does- Dropping a character for the sake of a plot or simply on whim, and counting it as not murder but creative difference or even worse, artistic whim? How and to what extent can an author consider himself God? The monster reference takes me to Shelley's Frankenstein wherein the creation destroys the creator. Hands down, one of the best questions on existentialism put forward by a talented writer. Also, let us not forget hidden messages such as "moving on versus moving forward", "individual versus the world", "selfish god versus helpless human", "Man's chosen purpose versus Man's fate". It's a great replica of reality. Think about it, people who lose confidence or purpose in life, cease to live or exist, often choosing to become rather self-destructive...

I am hereby listing pros and cons as per my experience :-

Pros:-
Chemistry between the lead
Commendable balance between comedy and tragedy
The touch of incredulous in the story
Constant nail-biting action
Surprising plot twists
Graphics and 3d Rendering
Less nagging support roles
Quirky dialogues and interactions between the main characters
Good music and locations

Cons:-
Slightly exhausting story line due to complicated twists
Female lead starts as a super strong modifier to the plot but eventually turns into a princess-in-distress
Wasting side/support characterization on fillers
Uninspired actions of the killer
Questions deliberately left unanswered

W is not a flawless drama. But not giving it a go will probably make a dent in your world. So, give it a chance :)

Leia Mais

It felt like I'm doing my project while doing this.

I finished this kdrama years ago. Soon after it is completed. I don't hate this drama but I don't like it either. I finish watching this for the sake of just finishing it. Because I'm not a fan of dropping shows if I don't like it. I don't remember a lot of scenes from this drama but I still remember what I felt when I'm watching this. I felt too much stress. I felt frustration and I feel insulted. I feel like the writer thinks I'm dumb. Some things from the show is just unlogical. I can't go deep with the show and it is not because it is fictional. It just that I feel dumb watching this. A lot of things doesn't make sense. Like I have a lot of questions that is left with a question mark. It is "complicated". They said. But I don't think it's the right word. It's unanderstandable. But yeah. It's just for me. Maybe because I have a different type of thinking or to simplify, I tend to overthink. Maybe it's just my fault that I didn't like it because a lot of people love this piece. But yeah. I don't understand them also. Rorr. I'm planning to rewatch this because maybe, I will feel different. But its have been years since then. I think I'm traumatized and feel scared to feel stress again. LMAO.

Leia Mais

Mindblowing piece of art, but lacking in the romance section

This may be the first time I have written a review before completing a series, and it's only because it's too good to wait.

I have never seen such an interesting worldbuilding, where there is an overlapping of a fictional world and reality, where danger and characters can cross over both worlds. The first episode has completely captivated me, and the rest of the episodes contains so many twist and turns, I was left gasping or squealing at the end of every one if them. I did start feeling very bad for the choices FL has to make all the time, and for her dad as well. And sometimes, the plot does become a bit confusing, especially for those who actually use their brains when watching a drama series (cuz I don't). But either way, the plot is still interesting enough to grip your attention.

Albeit some parts were a tad scary, but that's only because I am very very easily scared.

We have superb acting from both ML and FL, and I especially love ML's cheeky yet warm smile. I think that the ML may be one of the most substanced male leads I know, if that even makes any sense. While in many dramas, the ML is there purely to be FL's romantic partner, but this is not the case here. We witness ML's growing understanding, sympathise with his situation and actions. And he is not simply an FL accesory.

The only bad bits were that I feel like so much is happening in the plot, there wasn't enough time for ML and FL's relationship to truly blossom. I was slightly disappointed with this bit, as obviously it was the main reason I had started it. That's why I dropped the ratings to 8, which is still a really high score only redeemed but its interesting world settings. The side characters weren't very well developed either, as they were like props to push along the storyline, with only a few being an exception.

Leia Mais

STORY:
A girl get drawn into a comic book, falls in love with the main character & has to deal with the mysteries of it all. SAY NO MORE !!! I am in !! I felt as though the writer went into my brain to see what I like in a show & made W. It had everything I love it a TV series: a intriguing plot with twists & turns, comedy, fantasy, action, drama & suspense. The only genre missing that I love is adventure. How could she fit all those dramas so perfectly & make it flow so well.

ACTING:
The main reason I was watching this was for Han Hyo Joo who is my favorite Korean actress. And, boy did she not disappoint as Oh Yeon Joo. I felt all of her emotions. Lee Jong Suk as Kang Chul was the first role I see him in & he was FLAWLESS. This role made me love him for life. Park Soo Bong was the hilarious comic relief we needed after all the drama. As for the rest of the cast, they all fit together so seamlessly. Whoever picked the cast did an amazing job.

MUSIC:
The OST is so good I had to download it. It worked so well with the show. I think my favorite was Please Say Something, Even Though It is a Lie, which made me emotional every time it played.

RE-WATCH VALUE:
This was my second completed drama ever & since watching it last year (2018), I have re-watched it three times. It is that great !! I can probably see myself watching this at least 2 times a year going forward.

OVERALL:
One of the best dramas/tv shows I have seen. It is in my top 3 of favorites of all-time of tv shows. I SAID WHAT SAID.

Leia Mais

W was a fun drama and a standout in the amazing year for dramas that was 2016. This drama was fantastic about 75% of the time. The main couple's relationship is gold. They're adorable! Caring, loving, funny, goofy, cute. They had such fun times together that you wanted to enter the world of W right alongside them. This goofiness and fun didn't stop them from taking the time to care for each other in their moments of distress or pain. One of the things I loved most about their relationship was how reciprocal it was. Both loved the other equally. They both made sacrifices for the other and took the time to see things from the other's point of view. They have a mature and healthy relationship that was fun to watch and satisfying to see succeed.

The 25% of the time W wasn't fantastic had to do with the plot's adherence, or lack thereof, to its in-universe rules. As with any fantasy world, there are a lot of rules governing how Oh Yeon Joo's travel between the world of W and the real world works. At first, these rules are followed pretty precisely and anything that is a little unclear about how her ability works is either left unexplained because she herself does not know or later revealed in a way that adheres to the earlier established rules. But in the later episodes of the show, these rules grow more complicated. Her ability to go back and forth between the worlds grows harder and the show starts to explain things more clearly to the viewer. One would think that more explanation would be a good thing but in this case I think it had the opposite of its intended effect. By giving us more explanation, more clearly stated rules, the show exposed itself to plotholes. And the plotholes were numerous and glaring. I still don't fully understand how the ending of this show adheres to all of the previously established rules in its own universe. It frankly made no sense but was accepted because it was necessary for the plot.

This lack of consistency with its in-universe rules became very distracting for me. It ruined my enjoyment of the show's later episodes and is the only reason I gave W a relatively low score.

Leia Mais

Having watched Memories of Alhambra first, I did not expect much from this. Here the writer does a much better job in every way, but ultimately at its core this drama suffers from similar problems. The setting is obviously much better, instead of a super boring MMO world we have a manhwa world, with some interesting spaghetti western elements, a subtle noir vibe is also present. With the premise that magic is real, sometimes nonsense stuff kind of makes sense in W, it's not like Alhambra where everything is a jumbled mess. With that said W is a mediocre drama at best, yes the cast had some amazing actors, the OST was mostly great at setting the right atmosphere and the cinematography was very pretty & the darker lighting was also very fitting most of the time, but all these don't make up for the fact that I just wasn't that interested in the villains & their deeds. The romance was fine, but this is probably the worst chemistry that I've seen Lee Jong-suk have with anyone, it's by no means below average in kdramaland, but I've expected more. A nicely wrapped up happy ending would have improved my opinion of the drama a lot, it's a shame that it did not happen, it's nice that they got together for the last 5? minutes of the drama, but for all we know Kang Chol would just end up in prison again for not having a legitimate identity... (in the fantasy genre normally I wouldn't care much about this, but in W the plot device of not having a proper identity is brought up again & again...)

This writer really shouldn't work alone, if she could just be responsible for the world building & maybe the characters, while pairing up with someone that knows how to keep the audience interested.
I think she also wrote Queen InHyon's Man, I like that drama quite a bit, but the writing is not very good there either.

Leia Mais

Before the drama came out I watched the trailer and it gave me the vibe of the music video of the song Take on Me by A-ha which I love that song. I am a huge fan of Lee Jon Suk and have seen almost all his dramas so I decided to watch it. I wasn't familiar with the main actress but when I saw her I liked her acting. I especially love the the song Where Are U by Jung Joon Young every time that song came on I knew something good was going to happen. The effects were very good especially when they transition to the real world they were nice and clean. They looked natural which is something hard to find in dramas sometimes because they look fake. The first time Lee Jon Suk's character stepped out into the main actress world was just so beautifully portrayed. I definitely enjoyed the scenes where Lee Jon Suk's character started to realize in the world he lived was not real the emotions he expressed were very believable. It certainly was very entertaining and had some funny elements especially in the first episodes the restroom scene. I won't spoil it for you guys but the people who have seen it will understand what I'm saying. Although Lee Jon Suk is a very good actor in my opinion and he has shown various expressions throughout his works. There is a specific scene more towards the end where I feel like he could have expressed his sadness more. If you have seen his earlier work I Hear Your Voice in the last two or three episodes where the main lead actress gets in trouble. He talks to the antagonist on the phone and Lee Jon Suk goes ballistic he starts screaming like mad because he is afraid and he is frustrated. He perfectly portrays someone who is caught up in a situation like  that when it involves a loved one. But here in W when that moment happens something sad happens and he talking to the main girl's father he didn't show much emotion. Especially after a moment like that when it happens to someone they show a lot of emotions. I didn't see that he fell flat for me in that scene. Other then that scene I enjoyed him greatly in the rest of the drama. I also enjoyed how people in the main girls  world people kept on commenting how he looked like a manhua character which I found rather ironic it was like fourth wall broken kind of stuff. Although the song I mentioned earlier is the only song I listen to on repeat all the time it doesn't mean I don't like the other songs. I am very obsessed with the instrumental songs. The soundtrack is very good they played the songs depending on the mood of the scene spot on. I will admit I did not care for the girl from Lee Jon Suk's world. I felt like her character was bland and I wasn't impressed they could have developed her more and given her a back bone. The  bad guy does something later that really creeps me out to the main protagonist dad that was scary to look at. When I would see it I always covered my eyes it wasn't scary per say but it was not a pretty sight and it was not a resemblance of a human. Another thing that I felt was kind of flat was the romance between the main characters. I don't really see how it happened with her yes but she technically had a part in creating Lee Jon Suk's character development and his world. But for Lee Jon Suk I don't really see it. Another thing is when he falls in love with her again I didn't enjoy how he found out again it kind of reminded me of the amnesia troupe and I have always hated that plot. Although there were a lot more reasons why I liked the drama compared to the few reasons why I didn't like it. I would not rewatch it not because I didn't enjoy rather I'm the type of person who watches dramas one time and I move. I can listen to soundtracks on repeat for days however it's rare if I rewatch a drama. Other then those factors the storyline and plot was good I enjoyed how there was some twists and turns throughout the episodes. I remember  in the last maybe one of two episodes of the final they definitely got us with a twist I was full of emotions I was scared of the ending and my heart stopped but then ewe ending up having a happy ending-ish.

Leia Mais