W (2016)

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

Manga meets the Real World

I may need to start reading Manga! Full disclaimer this was the first Lee Jong Suk drama I watched and then I spiraled down a Le Jong Suk rabbit hole. But here's my review.

The only reason the show did not get 10 stars from me is that the OTS wasn't as great as I thought it could have been. I've watched enough dramas and I know the OTS could have been much better, but all around this show is GREAT.

It pulls together the many aspects of love conquers all. There is action (subtle), drama, a fake love triangle. The storyline is well put together, it was quite easy to follow and the chemistry between the two main characters had genuine growth and development. All though this was a fictitious scenario, the female and male leads understood their situation and so the authenticity of their emotions came out FULL THROTTLE & boy was I NOT PREPARED FOR THE PASSION<3.

If you are looking for something fun to watch with a steamy, amazing, rich, and superior male lead then watch this.
If you are looking to tap into your star- crossed lovers fetish, watch this!
If you are looking to binge-watch a show and lose out on some sleep, HERE YOU GO!

Read More

Something different

Finally finished watching the best pie i was saving for a long time. It didn't let me down. It's a good combination of thriller, romance and suspense. Lee Jong Suk, well what can i say, he is doing his mandatory military training and i was hoping to lasts long till he gets back and not watch this one but then i finally gave up.
Its a good story line, keeps you on your seat all the time and you don't know what to expect next. As much as loved the series i was little disappointed with FL role.... man what agony she was in all time. She had most to loose and i felt sorry for her through out the series, usually i get really annoyed with FL crying throughout the series but this one seemed like she didn't have the choice , she was not the cry baby but her circumstances were so tough. I would really like to watch more of the series where they don't make FL cry so much. Park Soo Bong this is one character that annoyed the hack out of me, i felt his role was to annoy. :) Another character i found charming is Seo Do Yoon. He payed his role well except towards the end i was not satisfied when he gets kidnapped and he is suppose to protect the CEO and he spills the beans. For the main lead I liked the chemistry between the two and has some sweet moments, like how our ML wanted to be a real human and understood all emotions and respected them with that he protected FL and was very loyal to her, also FL strength shows when she wants to do good for everyone, makes so many scarifies, that part kind of gets annoying from time to time...... if i write more i will give away...so i will just stop and ask whoever is reading this just go and watch.

Read More

Messy but addictive

Well... where to even start. First of all the writing... its messy like really messy. What even is going on. Where suddenly here and then suddenly there and then they have to forget each other and then someone dies... JUST KIDDING they are alive and now they are dead again. Like whaaaaaaaat???

I have to say that the casting is absolutely amazing. They all suit their roles perfectly and the main leads chemistry is very good. This series constantly had me wandering what is going on but that just made me more and more hooked to the story. In the end I watched this in one night on a school day and got 0 hours of sleep :/ So if you are okay with confusing and messy plot and are more into something else I recommend!

Read More

This drama had me in tears and laughing and happy then crying again but in the end I thought this drama was really good. One of the first fantasy genre dramas I'd ever watched but this one had me at the edge of my seat.. I guess that's good cause I literally had no idea what was coming next. This is definitely a drama that you have to follow closely. Every episode ends on a cliffhanger so be prepared to binge watch because you'll want to know what's coming. I thought the leads played their parts very well and I thought the storyline was a little hard to follow but the fact that it kept me guessing made it very interesting.

Read More