10/10 first half... then it just became meh
W is honestly incredible. Even though the drama lost its spark in the second half, I don't think you'll regret watching it - Both the story and the acting is phenomenal and the ending is very satisfying.I love the story, it had me at the edge of my seat and made me feel all kinds of feelings. I was so invested from the very beginning. I usually have to fight through 1 and a half episodes before i start liking a show but THIS had me from the start. Honestly amazing. It's like a fanfic brought to the screen, I love it. I don't think I've ever been this emotionally invested and happy watching a drama before. I've been both laughing and squealing in excitement at the screen, and I've also shut it because of unbearable second hand embarrassment - that's how invested I was lol
The actors were incredible as well. They really brought the story to life. Han Hyo Joo and Lee Jong Suk were amazing together, great chemistry. Kim Eui Sung also did a really good job.
However... I would have been more than satisfied with this drama being half its length, I'd actually prefer it. After that 8th episode it went downhill. The story just spun out of control and the same problems started repeating themselves - It became uninteresting. But i fought through it bc i really really loved the first half and couldn't just abandon it. I'm really glad i kept watching though because I'm very satisfied with the ending. The ending doesn't make up for the second half of the drama being pretty bad though. Even so, I'm currently re-watching the first half bc it's just THAT good. Go watch it!
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Best Fantasy drama to begin with
This is my first fantasy drama that I really loved after "My love from another star". The story is superengaging & the characters played the role really well especially Lee Jong Suk. If you're looking for a fantasy rom-thriller drama, there's no better choice than this. This drama has blown my expectations & was far more than just good. This definately needs to get into your watchlist & trust me you won't regeret this.Overall for me this is a MUST WATCH kdrama which has everything you need for in a fantasy genre.
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Lovely main actress, original storyline, but melodramatic near the end
I have mixed feelings about this series.On one hand, the story is very unique, the main actress utterly charming and pitifully cute at times. The visual effects are very good, helping to convey the feeling of, and transitions to, the webtoon world.
On the other hand, starting around episode 12, the series see-saws melodramatically, characters stare at each other too much with failure to communicate simple things. I find that frustrating.
It's worth it for the lovely ending and main actress. The storyline is great, but wears thin near the end. Recommended.
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Good Weights
Interesting Plot: The show is about a manhwa character’s life merging with the real life of an alcoholic writer. It is about how characters of a fictional world created by a writer start coming to life and messing with the life of the writer and his daughter. This distinctive plot made the show such a success in South Korea. The show survives mainly because of its unique storyline. It was because of this show that Kim Woo Bin’s Uncontrollably Fond suffered and dropped in ratings. W – Two Worlds and Uncontrollably Fond were pitted against each other by rival channels. W – Two Worlds managed to garner higher TRPs with its fast thrilling plot.
Highly Unpredictable: This is one of the few shows where you just cannot predict the next scene. No matter what you think should happen next, the writer will throw a complete googly at you and you will be left gaping wondering what just struck you. Every episode is full of twists and turns and all that you anticipate will never really happen in the show.
Good Direction: The shows’ camera work and direction sharp yet smooth. Even the computer-generated effects on the show were excellent. The director has done full justice to the suspense and thrill theme of the show.
Bad Weights
Too Complicated: There were some weird things happening on the show that was never explained clearly. For example, the rules of the manhwa kept changing without any reason. As a viewer, it’s too confusing to keep up or understand the twist when there is no clear reason behind it. The show is fast paced and you have to pay attention to understand how things are constantly changing in the two worlds. This is the reason why I call it a brain blasting drama.
No Explanation: Many things that occurred in the show had no logical explanation behind them. I was hoping that the last episode will answer all the questions I had, right from the starting of the show, but sadly that didn’t happen. The show ended leaving several questions unanswered and that disappointed me a lot.
Despite its loopholes this sci-fi drama kept me on the edge of my seat throughout its run. This show is one helluva brain twisting ride. I often praise the actors of a drama that I liked but here the story is the hero of the show. The actors are good no doubt. Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo are perfect for their roles but this time, it’s the story that won me over.
If you are game for something that challenges your rational thinking then do go for this one. This thriller will make you think…… really think. If you are a romance lover, you can still go for this one as the show has plenty of romance.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Boring Mess...
I really wanted to like this show but unfortunately it failed to achieve what it was going for from the start. If they focused more on telling one story from A to B, maybe the show would have been better but it ended up jumping through so many loops and plot twists that it was just not satisfying to watch.The romance - this was really rushed in the beginning and I didn't feel like their relationship had any substance. Why does he like her? I get that she has been reading about him for years and could have fallen in love with his character but it doesn't explain how within 2 episodes, Kang Chul went from comparing her to a stray dog to all of a sudden liking her as well.
The plot - there are so many points when I thought 'this really wasn't necessary'. Yeon Joo going to jail and Kang Chul shooting her dad etc. etc. It didn't add to the story or serve a purpose except to lead into the next thing. I really think they could have cut out half of the bullsh*t and focused on the foundation of the story more.
All in all, I wouldn't watch it again and can't say that I genuinely enjoyed it either.
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I started watching it as it was broadcasted but I stopped a bit after the half way mark and came back to it a little while after it finished airing. I kind of struggled to finish it, but I'm glad I did.
The story gets so complicated and ends up revolving around the same things a lot. It probably would have been better with fewer episodes.
The characters are great and the actors are overall quite good. I had a hard time at first with the female lead, but I got used to it quickly enough.
For me Kim Eui Seong (female lead's father and the webtoon writer) is the highlight of the show, his acting here is just perfect.
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Rewatching really made me understand the story
I almost forgot W was still tagged as Romance after all, so it should really end with Chul and Yeon Joo. I was too stoked for understanding the travelling of the characters between the two worlds lol.But, I just appreciate how they cleaned up the ending of Chul's world, I really like the touch with paradox.
"Contrary to how the webtoon was ended, it was not really a sad ending." Oh Sang Moo was the true genius at this point. He literally cut the ties of the portal between the two worlds by neatly concluding his masterpiece-W.
He also did not break the laws of the two worlds because in exchange of Chul's real life existence, he made use of his webtoon existence as the killer—and ceased as a real world Oh Sang Moo.
Lastly, the paradox I was saying that I like, was about how the plot falls to its ending the moment the villains cease. That's why Oh Sang Moo has to kill Han Cheol Ho to resolve the conflict of the story. Beautiful touch for showing a plot's denouement.
So in the end, the story finale of W in the real world was like Oh Sang Moo's gift to Yeon Joo. Neat.
PS. I've seen this already a few years back, but it confused the hell out of me. It's just now that I decided to rewatch the series that I totally understood the "science" of the two worlds.
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This review may contain spoilers
THIS drama is truly a masterpiece. it has EVERYTHING that viewers want : comedy, action, thriller AND romance.the romantic scenes are just so well done they make you all bubbly and frustrated inside, that you'd literally be screaming alone in your room.
THE ACTORS THOUGH, lee jong suk has always been one of my favorite actors, alongside with ji changwook. he acts so DAMN well wether it's with his face or body. his facial expressions really transcript his feelings. not to mention that he's so fucking handsome, like come on (and he's 185cm !!!!).
han hyo joo is such an amazing actress as well. i really love her and her way of portraying her character. she doesn't annoy you and she does not whine when she's talking, which i find extremely important.
and don't even get me started on kim eui sung, this guy really needs to earn i don't even know how many awards. he's SUCH AN AMAZING actor. i really mean it, i hope you'll enjoy his acting skills as much as i did !
the plot itself is so well thought, there are NO plot holes and everything slowly makes sense leaving you wanting for more. the story is so unique, i swear to god. the synopsis of this drama doesn't even represent 1\10th of it.
the cinematography and editing in this drama are incredible, i'd say excellent even perfect.
there are a lot of transitions between the two worlds and they're just- so well edited. i always get impressed everytime they come on lol.
AND THE MUSIC ! i reallYYYyYYY love the background music (not the ost), of course i love the ost too but the background music really sets a mood.
all of this to say that i have rewatched this drama 3 times by now, and i will continue watching it lmaO. (first when it came out, then in december of 2016 and now in september of 2017).
there are a lot of people who complained about the repetition and flashbacks of certain scenes, but it's part of the story !!!! if you're going to complain or whine about something so little, maybe you shouldn't even be watching dramas in the first place.
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Confusing but interesting
HI firstly, I would like to confirm that I do not listen to the music. Because I tend to not remember the song unless it is the most memorable thing on earth. (I still gave 9.0…because I just decided that whether the music was nice had nothing to do with what I felt about it and didn’t give a overall impact to the show in any way. )Next, I finished watching this show and I only had two feelings and a very rather weird opinion. However, you can basically know what I feel based on my review headline.
First, confusing. I think that was really my 100% reaction to it throughout the show. It was just so confusing. At first, it was still ok. There was an obvious difference between where she was, like whether she was in the comic or in the real world. Then, it started going crazy. They started switching between those two worlds so unnoticeably that I had to pause several times throughout the episodes to understand what was going on and why it was going on. Now, sometimes, certain shows show that no understanding where they are (in terms of whether they are in another world), can still make you magically understand what’s going on. However, this show is not like that. It is so hard to understand what is going on in future episodes if you do not pause and fully process what is going on. It makes this drama test your ability on how to map out on a timeline. This show kinda connects a lot of past references so if you watch this, you gotta be on your toes. If not, its game over and back to episode one. I do recommend you check out recaps of episodes that were just so confusing by authors on the internet. They do help sometimes in clearing up doubts. Still, this process of having to not be able to fully enjoy the drama really took some points away from it, As you can see, I took out nearly half of the story points in my rating purely because confusing ruins it. (PS: I would like to mention that if you would like to challenge your capabilities in mapping out timelines and outline in events by replaying events over and over again, this drama is for you.
Last point, W was actually very interesting. VERY INTERESTING. It was a great mystery. So it was fun to know that the scriptwriters were not underestimating human’s ability to think. I like that they used a comic tablet as a link which is comforting to know that they decided to use a different way to say “travel between two worlds” so props to the writers for that. Can’t say much anymore but overall interesting and does not have a too cliche plot.
Just to sum it up, watch it if you are free but if you are not. Don’t bother. There are better shows out there. Still, if you feel that one day, you want to test your mental capabilities and decide to not enjoy a show by contemplating on its plot, feel free to do so! And likewise as I always say, It is purely my review on it and I accept that everyone has their own reviews and feelings about this drama so do go ahead and watch this drama if you are truly interested in doing so. Don’t let my review deter you if you really want to watch it! Likewise if you are sitting on the fence and cannot decide whether to watch it or not, I do hope my review can help you find some little answer? Happy watching!
~Nerium Oleander
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Don't put it on hold
This has been a true masterpiece, I couldn't stop watching episode after episode, I was captivated by the twists and couldn't have predicted what comes next.Honestly, I avoided this series, felt a bit surreal, but now I would recommend it to everyone, I'm actually sorry I haven't watched it earlier.
From an outstanding plot to amazing actors, nothing disappoints. You find yourself rooting for the main characters, crying with them, smiling, feeling frustrated, you go through so many emotions and still want more. There are a lot of transitions between the two worlds but they're just so well edited and there are no plot holes, everything slowly makes sense leaving you wanting for more.
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Engaging action fantasy romance
A young doctor gets sucked into the webtoon world her father created, where she finds the main character bleeding to death and immediately saves his life. As her father repeatedly attempts to kill off the main character—for personal reasons—she continues trying to save his life, and how could the male lead not be fascinated with his beautiful savior? Cue dangerous action sequences. As the show goes on, more characters start jumping between worlds, making the resolution process messier instead of…well, resolved, and the line between worlds grows more blurry. Attempts to “reset” things only bring pain and further conflict to everyone involved. Things worsen further when the webtoon author—the woman’s father—accidentally creates a nemesis that takes on a dangerous life of its own and starts coming after them all.The pace keeps moving, the interactions are snappy and sweet, and the concept is brilliant overall. A screenshot of the male lead in this show is my phone lock screen, and I am not ashamed—he brings me happiness every time I see him.
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incredible
all of the bad reviews is very confusing to me because in my opinion this was a masterpiece.not only was the casting AMAZING, but the storyline was so good. yes, i agree that the story kind of went aside sometimes and strayed away from the actual plot but thats why i kept on watching this drama. the dynamic and chemistry between the main leads was absolutely amazing, and the plot twists made me keep watching. i don’t know if your going to trust me or the other reviews which don’t recommend this drama, but it in my kdrama educated opinion, this was such a great drama and is 100% worth watching.
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