This review may contain spoilers
This drama deserves the 10. And no, it's not just because I love Lee Jong Suk. Yes, I do love him. But honestly the series managed to live up to my expectations and more. It was exactly what I wanted from this writer--something fast paced, something that poked fun at the world and the way people think, something with sizzling chemistry and fantastic acting. Best of all, it was something that didn't feel like it needed to explain itself to it's viewers. I know that threw a lot of people off--and some even put it down to the writer not respecting her viewers. But I think W: Two Worlds was like a good Terry Pratchett novel--they drop you in, make you dizzy, tear your heart in two and then patch it up again, with little meta asides to make you smile. The directing too blew my mind: thoughtful, a little bit philosophical and generally gorgeous. There were scenes in every episode that just... stick in my brain, because the directing and videography managed to capture the moment so well. Let me name a few, tell me if I'm wrong: the rooftop exit, the real world street-crossing, the crazy smile during torture, Yeon-joo's interrogation. The world reset, the forgot-me-mantage, The introduction of the book. It's rare for a single series to have so many moments that just stand out in your head like that.But let's break it down.
Story: Is this the first time this sort of story has been told? No. Among other things there's an A-ha music video, the Inkheart trilogy and the CS Lewis classic series The Chronicles of Narnia. All feature stories that come to life and real world character's interactions in them. But none of them have so deeply explored the existential ideas inherent to the premise. As for the premise not being explained... well... it's the premise. That's like asking Harry Potter to explain why wands make magic. They just... do. Or asking Brandon Sanderson what broke the Cosmere. The story is tight, fast-paced, makes you think and allows the viewers to have an imagination. It's got the details to make it work and the flexibility to let you run with it.
Acting//Cast: Here I will admit to being biased. Lee Jong Suk is the only actor I admit to wanting a giant poster of on my wall. But I have good reason--he's one of those actors who's value lies in the microexpressions. Not all emotions need to be spelled out blatantly, and he does a great job using the minute facial tics we have to convey his thought process. Han Hyo Joo was fantastic as well, one of the best K-drama heroines I've seen to date. She had a strong will, never gave that up, knew what she wanted even when it was impossible and thought on her feet. She had good comedic timing and made a good foil for some of the more subtle emotion on Lee Jong Suk's part. And the villain killed their part, no spoilers.
Music: Since I'm not super picky I don't feel qualified to give it a 10, but I will say that the music added to the tone and world of the drama. W: Two Worlds feels like a well done super-hero story, and the music reflects that. It's not overbearing but it's not absentee, either.
Rewatch Value: So much. I rewatched episodes three or four times (in pieces, mostly) while writing my first review of the series. And I've rewatched the beginning episodes with other people. It's still just as good as the first time around (again, like Terry Pratchett).
In the end, you'll have to form your own opinion. But for me it's one of the best K-dramas I've watched to date, tying only with Marriage Contract and Signal for 1st place. I don't really know if this is allowed, but I wrote a massive 5 part review of this series on my own blog, if you want to really know what I think of it. Link is here:
https://cozybooks.wordpress.com/2016/09/20/drama-rant-w-two-worlds-pt-14/
(That's only a link to the first part, just search the title for the rest).
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From the postive side It's a creative story and i liked it at first but then i was like "wtf was that" :"D somone tell me what is going on here. Lol
It started well but eeewww what was that!
And the actress is beautiful but why is she an actress! She would be perfect at modeling and forget about dramas please,
It's an awful drama but not more than strong woman shitty bongsoon?
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I got an amazing wonderful story that i havent seen before not a traditional kdrama i must say with all its cliches and stuff but instead it was absolutely new and different .
Dont get me wrong i thought it was fun and light hearted and also very funny but it was much more than that it was very interesting from the beginning till the end and as the drama continued it got more serious and dramatic (in good way).
there are some characters that i LOVED and some that i really HATED which makes it more real.
the chemistry is really great both of the actors were really good actually the whole cast was great.
i really recommend you watch if you havent already and rewatch it if you watched it and didnt like it give it a chance it definitely worth it.
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Acting: Everyone acting was really superb espacially Kang chul, Oh seng moo, Da yoon and oh yeon joo just Soo Hee was little lacking
Music: it was superb in every aspect fast slow sad happy
Romance: it was nice every sweet little thing task and those five kisses
Sad: there were many sad moments and they were really heart braking i cried like hell
The moment when hero makes heroine to make him forget about her and when hero was shot and was lying at the bus station and then heroine was running toward him but disappeared in the mid way and when she was lying in the hospital crying
Rewatched value: i give it all 10 ... i can watch it over and over again this drama really is best
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Fun Don't-Think-Too-Hard Binge Watch, but Style Over Substance with a High-Concept Veneer
Good Things:* The big budget production. It looks and feels much more modern than its 2016 air date would suggest. The bullet-time SFX have aged well, the cinematography is on point and the transitions/overlays between manwha and real life are lush and dreamy.
* The high concept premise. The sheer existential horror of the man vs god / creation vs creator set-up that drives the early episodes is a powerful hook. It also toys with related concepts like Ship of Theseus, paradoxical free will, and Zeno's Arrow (in relation to time travel) to name a few.
So-So Things:
* The romance. It starts with some unique dynamics but they're never explored and it becomes one of the textbook cases of 'We're together because we're the leads'. You don't really get to see ML and FL build a relationship; they're just thrown into high-stakes circumstances one after another with interludes of sweetness/melodrama.
* The secondary characters. They all might as well be named 'Plot Device' considering their lack of depth and development.
Bad Things:
* The adrenaline fatigue. After a while, the impact of the constant revelations and cliffhangers is hollow, especially since the consequences and implications of earlier situations are often forgotten entirely or glossed over by deus ex machina.
* The lack of internal consistency. Instead of relying on the rules it sets up early on, it continually makes up new ones that contradict both themselves and each other.
* The Jenga-esque plot. There are several key elements that easily could have provided enough material for an entire drama, but they're tossed aside in favor of more and more makjang twists; which results in major holes as well as an undeveloped central thematic narrative. It ultimately tries to do too much with too little foundation, and the story collapses under it's own weight in the final 1/3.
Interesting Things:
* Song Jae Jung also wrote Queen In Hyun's Man (2012), Nine: Nine Times Time Travel (2013) and Memories of the Alhambra (2018).
Scifi/fantasy thrillers are rare in Kdrama and stories that actually engage with it as a subject matter vs using it as a backdrop are few and far between. Compared to genre at large W isn't a standout and it has some serious flaws, but it's worth watching for its (mostly thwarted) ambitions. Recommended if you enjoy fast paced thrillers or glossy high-concept stories and are looking for rollercoaster don't-think-too-hard binge watch.
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The story concept is good but the drama was not
It was a fun to watch drama but has many flaws
The drama felt like forced extended
It's unique but tried too much and just kept on bringing to many turn of events
The characters were not so very good
There was pretty much no character development
Only the main characters were given a lot of attention while the side characters played very few role and other than those roles had no any importance they were pretty much completely ignored
They like literally tried to focus on romance but even in that department it lacked alot
The chemistry between Kang chul and Yeon Joo was not so Good there were very little romantic moments
Even the kiss scenes were very cringy just too much of sensual stuffs
The ending was rubbish it was a forced happy ending
The drama kept on showing how a story is flawed in the webtoon but yet kept going in the same boat
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This review may contain spoilers
Firstly, I'd like to say that 3/4 stars for the story are dedicated to the first eight episodes. It was so gripping. The storyline was insane, the chemistry between characters wonderful. But, as soon as everything became a "dream", I lost touch of Kang Chul. His character seemed so different (understandably so, he knew and experienced different things), and I had gotten so attached to the first version of him that the new him felt lackluster. The first half was so fast-paced which made it so hooking, but I think that's also what brought about its downfall. The story wasn't ready to be fleshed out over 16 episodes. The writing got sloppy, confusing, and filled with plot holes. By the end, it became so unbearingly slow, and I was dragging myself to finish it.
However, I did enjoy Jong Suk's acting and the OST by Park Boram.
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This review may contain spoilers
this was quite a ride...
W – Two Worlds is a fantasy romance about a man (Lee Jong Suk) and woman (Han Hyo Joo) living in different worlds. Yeon Joo is a surgeon living in the real world, and her father is the author of the popular web-comic W. And Kang Chul is the main character of that comic. Things become complicated when Yeon Joo’s father decides to kill off Kang Chul and Yeon Joo gets pulled into the comic world and comes face to face with it’s hero.W – Two Worlds was quite a ride! There’s a great fantasy story in place with a very capable cast. There are also a lot of twists and turns in W. Never get to comfortable because you just never know what’s going to happen in this crazy world.
Lee Jong Suk is a perfect fit for Kang Chul. First, he completely looks the part, and it was easy to see him transition from a comic character to real one. He really brings to life our comic hero who is cool, suave, rich, handsome, and kind. No wonder Oh Yeon Joo falls head over heals for him!
Han Hyo Joo plays Oh Yeon Joo. Her normal life is turned upside down when she is pulled inside her father’s comic. She then finds herself having to repeatedly save Kang Chul’s life while trying to figure out just what is going on with her father and the crazy scenario she has found herself in.
Through all of the craziness, Kang Chul and Yeon Joo realize how much they need each other. They become an unlikely couple who would do anything for each other. They go through a whole lot of difficulties, but these two had a nice chemistry and get to share some very lovely couple moments together.
The first few episodes of the drama were good, but a little dry. But things really get going around episode 4. The intensity really ramps up as Kang Chul and Yeon Joo keep finding themselves in one desperate situation after another.
There really are no “rules” in this drama, so just buckle up and get ready for one crazy event after another. There aren’t a lot of answers provided as to how everything works, so be prepared for that too. It’s also a long road to happiness for our couple.
I love the whole concept of a “character” having to learn he’s from a work of fiction. It’s unbelievable and devastating for the person involved. And Kang Chul is the one at the center of that identity crisis. The drama really explores all of the different aspects of Kang Chul’s character as well as how his constantly changing situation effects his thoughts and actions.
The drama has some really nice songs on the soundtrack, but I was disappointed that it didn’t seem to utilize them very well. They were mostly just relegated to the ending freeze frames rather than being used throughout each episode. I think the “feels” would have been a lot stronger if the songs were better utilized.
Overall, W – Two Worlds was one fun and crazy ride. With an action packed fantasy story, there was never a dull moment. And I really loved Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo both individually and as a couple. They brought these characters to life and made for one wild, romantic journey that I will certainly remember.
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The plot sucks you in and suddenly you are addicted
I'm really picky with my dramas but I really loved this one. You love the characters you are supposed to love and hate the characters you are supposed to hate and this drama makes you channel all you emotions to the show. Everyone I recommended this drama to either liked it or LOVED IT. I will admit, this drama has plot twists almost every episode and some people might get tired of it because you don't know what's going to happen next. But that's the reason why I LOVED IT. Although the romance plot can be somewhat cliché, the main plot and the non-romance sublots are unique, unconventional, unpredictable, and very entertaining. The element of surprise is what makes this drama so addicting so idk how good this would be rewatching it. The ending could have been improved (it was not as satisfying as I hoped but it does bring the drama to a well-rounded close) and there we're some of weird editing mistakes here and there (disjoint scenes) but that can be easily overlooked. Overall, this is an amazing drama, highly recommend.Was this review helpful to you?
Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo were great
The story/plot of this drama is so unique . I loved that it was about webtoons and in particular about one where Lee Jong Suk was the main character. I like the concept that the main female character was able to enter the webtoon world of W. I also like that this drama was not so easy to predict what was going to happen next. With most dramas you can kind of predict what could happen next but with this drama you could not. This just made it even more interesting and hard to wait for the next episode to see what would happen. As I said earlier there were a few things in the drama that could have been better or explained better so that is why the story get a 9.5 and not a 10.The cast for this drama was so perfect. I don’t think I could see anyone else playing those characters. They all did a great job. Especially Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo. Last time I saw Lee Jong Suk was in the drama Pinocchio so it was great to have him back in a new drama and the same goes for Han Hyo Joo. It has been a number of years since she was last in a drama. She has done some movies recently but it was nice to see her back and paired with Lee Jong Suk. I think they had great chemistry together and it showed on the screen.
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This review may contain spoilers
W. W w w… This is the hardest drama to rate yet. Why? Because I have such mixed feelings on this show. Even though it had a ‘happy ending’ why did it leave such a bitter taste in my mouth? Was it the rushed ending? The fact that the characters have the ability to draw ANYTHING on that tablet and use it only to draw cars and medicine??? They could have literally got themselves out of any situation, why is everyone so dumb. But let’s start at the beginning shall we?This show started off really strong. What this show does well is that every episode, it leaves you on your toes. It is an undeniable fact that the story is intriguing. The plot line in itself is so fascinating and original. The idea of a parallel world that was effectively ‘fan-made’ but then the characters come to life? The characters disobey its creator and become their own person? And a real life person enters the cartoon and becomes part of the plot. The story was so interesting and I loved that so much was happening. But that was also the problem, I found that I was constantly stressed. I couldn’t enjoy it because everyone is constantly in danger. So much is always going on.
And of course I have to talk about the main couple. Once again, so many mixed feelings. I mean obviously I shipped them, but I was left feeling constantly unsatisfied. Through all the drama, they barely got to do anything as a couple. Then that rushed happy ending. That’s why it was a letdown for me.
All in all, it was hard to rate this show. I wanted to give it a high score considering the storyline was so good and intriguing all the way through. But I also wanted to rate it poorly since I couldn’t enjoy this drama, it was such a mess and caused me too much anxiety. And it left me with a rushed ending. I wanted to go somewhere between 7.5 and 8, because it doesn’t deserve such a high score of 8, but 7.5 doesn’t highlight its brilliance and originality. But if I had to choose between the two, I suppose a 7.5. Simply because I can’t look back on this drama with a positive view. I wouldn’t recommend it, it was painful and stressful and didn’t provide enough payoff at the end. It fails to repay the audience for the angst and pain they just suffered, there is too much negative with not enough positive. This drama just leaves me with contempt.
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