Completed
DramaReign
5 people found this review helpful
Jul 2, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.5

Full of surprises...

Do you get bored easily with the story line? Are you not patient enough to wait for the slow buildup?

Well, then this is the drama for you, because the whole dynamic of the story is constantly changing.
At times the drama will make you think, ''This can't be happening...'', but by the time you accept it, something new is already going on. These continuous switches keeps you on your toes almost, hence you don't even realise how many episodes went by.

I should really say this, the writers could have easily stretched the first few episodes and make those into one whole drama, proving how much content this drama has, that even two more stories could come out of it. While this keeps our focus, on a less positive note, this could also be the reason that later the story could get a bit confusing or complicated. Nevertheless, it manages to have an overall good ending.

Everyone's acting was good, but especially of the male lead, his performance was so effortless and so natural, which added life to the lovable and charming character he was portraying.

PS. The graphics of the 'webtoon-ish-scenes' are a visual delight!

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Completed
LiN
5 people found this review helpful
Oct 7, 2019
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.5

Addictive and Enjoyable

2019 Review: My love ranges so much, that I bought a big wallpaper of Lee Jong Suk and hang it over my bed for 1 year. I currently took it off due to some changes to my room but it’s still present next to my television. The story touched my heart because I dearly love the plot. I’ve read many cartoons in my life & always dreamed to be part of one, to fall in love with a cool guy such as Lee Jong Suk. Much love to everyone who worked on this I am looking to watch more dramas as awesome as “W”, but this one will always be deep in my heart. Thank you.

2020 Edit: God that was a bit childish and also awkward to read but until this day, I love the drama. Even though I think it has some cringe potential and also follows some cliches, which is totally fine with me, the plot itself will always blow my mind and be the sugar to my coffee. Also, I admire Lee Jong Suk for his hard work and the rest of the cast executed their roles well too.

2021 Edit: I still recommend watching this drama.

xoxo Lin

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Completed
Haejin625
11 people found this review helpful
Sep 16, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 9.0
W was such a beautiful magnificent story from start to finish. Yes, it's a romance drama, but its also a story about redemption, destiny, and the messiness of life. Above all the world building was amazing, and each new aspect of the story unfolded in an unexpected yet marvelous way.

The acting was great. Han Hyo Joo (Oh Yeon Joo) and Lee Jong Suk (Kang Cheol) have great chemistry, and their wonderful sense of humor and wide range of emotions brought the romance to life. Not to go unmentioned, though, was the awesome Kim Eui Seong (Oh Sung Moo/Oh Yeon Joo's father) and other "secondary" characters. Each character had a story to tell, which was fitting since a big part of the storyline was about breaking free of pre-destined circumstances and deciding your own destiny.

My only complaint about the acting the fight scenes. Some of the fight scenes were okay, but the gun-shot victims were very unconvincing. Every time someone was shot, they would halt dramatically and fall back as if they had been stun-gunned. In case you didn't know, that's not what getting shot is actually like. Still, this was a minor complaint in comparison to the superior acting.

The music was definitely good but not the best aspect of the show. The music was well timed and carried the various moods well, and I'll be sure to look up the sound track after I finish this review :)

Other aspects of the show that can't go un-praised: the way the drama was filmed was stunning. The special effects were great, wonderfully incorporating the manhwa-drawing style with real life. The sequence of the storyline was also wonderful—instead of using flashbacks to repeat information over and over again, W did a great job of revisiting untold past. This definitely kept me on my feet—not so much because the storyline was unrealistically surprising (although there were many surprises) but because the producers played around with perception. Just when you think you know what's happening: BAM. New information changes your whole understanding of the situation. This effect also carried into the storyline itself as the characters tried to figure out the confusing logic of the two worlds.

Finally, the relationship between Oh Yeon Joo and her father was one of the highlights of the drama. Like I said, this drama was a romance story but it was also so much more. It was really about love in general—parental love as well as romantic. The loving relationship between Oh Yeon Joo and Kang Cheol was also great—yes, they did the whole "I love you so I'm sacrificing myself because I don't want to cause you pain" (even though this NEVER WORKS) thing, but they also figured out a way to be happy TOGETHER instead of just sacrificing themselves unnecessarily.

All in all, this drama was definitely worth recommending (like, DEFINITELY times a million!). My rewatch value is slightly lower just because you will be expecting the unexpected, but don't let this deter you! W is magnificent in all aspects and deserves all the praise that it can get! It was romantic, it was funny, it was suspenseful, and it was a new take on the parallel-worlds genre. 10/10 would recommend :)

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Completed
Simplicity914
8 people found this review helpful
Sep 28, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.0
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
I like the actors but the story is kinda boring. Real world then to cartoon world. Some things are just missing and not clear and it gets very confusing. The storyline is just messy. And I didn't get that butterfly in stomach feeling. I was really disappointed because I read a lot of positive reviews about it.
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Completed
Ece
13 people found this review helpful
Sep 18, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10
aww where should I begin?
I absolutely LOVED this drama. It made my 2016 so much better and I'm so sad that it's over. Story was sooooooo good and acting of the cast was so great. I felt like I am inside the webtoon W and I was devastated because it came to an end. Like seriously why the hell it supposed to be JUST 16 episodes?
Lee Jong Suk was so great as Kang Chul and when I look back, I can't think anyone who could do better as Kang Chul. And also can we talk about how beautiful was Han Hyo Joo as Oh Yeon Joo? Their chemistry was on point and they were so cute together like oh hey here's your couple goals ^*^
Honestly, I can't get enough of this drama and when I watched 16th episode I was in tears thinking what the hell am I gonna do with my life now that is over. If you did not watch this drama yet, you should. Like drop what you are doing at the moment and start watching it RIGHT NOW. I guarantee you, you won't be sorry. In fact you'll be sorry if you don't.

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Completed
Eli
5 people found this review helpful
Nov 20, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 5.0

Unique and Surprising!

"W" is a very unique show. It pulls from different themes in a variety of genres and melds them into one. It also moves forward at just the right pace, so that you don't get too bored. And, even though it can get a bit serious, there are still comedic undertones that lift the mood in a couple of serious scenes. I personally loved it, and if you're looking for a show that will seem to endlessly surprise you, you've found it! (Also, who wouldn't want to watch Lee Jong-suk play as a web-comic character?!)
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Completed
radika
4 people found this review helpful
Mar 27, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 4.5
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
This review may contain spoilers

interesting premise which is lost in the journey.

This drama has one of most alluring plot in 1-2 episodes makes you binge watch entire series, sadly this ends at episode 6. I understand they can't show FL has better understanding of ML than anyone else because he is a open book in her world, so her love is shown as her willingness to sacrifice everything just to be with him but i am not convinced , there is no conflict on her part while struck in between fiction n reality which is clearly seen in 1-2 episodes. I had hard time understanding FL motivations & actions in later parts of the show, romance between FL and ML is not convincing at all.

I can't blame actors much for there shortcomings because of writer's fault; they can carry the show to certain extent. There were moments where acting really shines like confrontations n conflicts between characters which are presented beautifully. both leads are good in those scenes. Kim eui sung who plays father character; acting was noteworthy of entire drama even though his screen presence is limited.

Writing completely failed to establish the logic how both worlds are connected , why only few people gets to travelled in between worlds, who gets to decide who writes the story forward.

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Completed
LBiin
11 people found this review helpful
Sep 18, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 5.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 1.0
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 1.0
Just can't hold it in anymore. I was not going to write a review around this but I have waited and anticipated for a long time to what this drama in full. The plot was brilliant and I was looking forward to enjoy watching this drama but the only thing that is a mistake in this drama is the lead actress Han Hyo Joo! Such a poor performance! They should have casted a different actress. She does not know her character. In fact, I don't think she has a character in this drama. Her acting is poor, lousy and amatuerish. I wish they casted a different lead actress who had the passion to bring life into the leading lady.

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Completed
Sabina
7 people found this review helpful
Sep 24, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 10
Reviews are always something very personal and I do not recommend deciding just on the reviews if you want to watch something or not, since from my own experience I can say that I've watched many things everyone else disliked, but I personally loved it! Give it a try for the first few episodes and then decide for yourself.

It sems like W is getting mixed reviews right now, and a lot of people are saying it was over-hyped, etc. etc. but I disagree. Personally, I absoltely loved this drama.

Of course, it had its flaws, there are some plot holes, there are things which could have been done better, just like every drama or movie. However, it offered something that I haven't seen in a kdrama before.

Many dramas nowdays try to get away from that typical kdrama scheme and come up with something different, but not many are successful, at least in my opinion. The story was a little bit over-the-top at times, a bit messy, but it captured my attention for sure. I highly enjoyed the plot.

The acting also lacked in certain areas sometimes, but hey, what's most important is that they were able to convey the emotions of characters well. As for music, I didn't pay that much attention, but I know for sure that none of it has ruined any scenes, and it fit in well with the mood.

Like I said, personal preferences play a big part in reviews, but I would like to recommend it to anyone who enjoyes romance, quite a bit of action and crime, and quite a lot heart-breaking moments.

W - Two World is for sure, one of my favourite kdramas of all time.

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Completed
Fin
11 people found this review helpful
Sep 15, 2016
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
Honestly, while watching the first half of this drama, I was so sure I was going to give this drama a perfect 10. However, I guess that's where it all falls flat. While the second half is by no means horrible, it just doesn't live up to the expectations set by the first half of the series. Not that I didn't enjoy it. It's just that it set up so many questions that weren't answered.

Still, this is one of my favorite dramas that I've ever watched. The premise is great and I haven't been so excited to watch a drama weekly like this one. I love the idea of two worlds and I love it was handled in a way that didn't make it seem cheesy at all. The relationship between Kang Chul and Yeon Joo was perfect and even the side characters were adorable most of the time. Plus, the father had such interesting moments, and my heart ached for him because I couldn't even begin to imagine how it must be to be him.

Sadly, this drama does lack resolution on some things. That's the only way I can say it without spoiling, but there were a number of fundamental questions that needed answering. That was one of my biggest qualms. I needed to understand this drama more than it let me. It felt dragged on at the end, but no questions were being answered. Why, writers, why!?

The cast was GREAT. I loved the acting, and I can't even imagine a different cast for this show. Even Crazy Dog was perfectly casted and I'm happy. I'm looking forward for more dramas with these actors. And the music, although repetitive at times, was used well, so I have no problems with that.

I would probably rewatch this in a year or two, but I'm not sure how the experience would be since half the experience is the thrill of not knowing the ending. Although the cuteness of it all might make it worth it. Still a worth watch and definitely an amazing drama.

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Ongoing 13/16
DJRuth79
5 people found this review helpful
Dec 30, 2019
13 of 16 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
I stumbled upon the show by accident and at first was turned off by the idea of two dimensions. I seen this done before in other ways and it’s OK but I wasn’t sure about this one. I decided to give it a try because of Lee Jong Suk, as I have liked him in a few other shows. I’m glad I decided to go with it. It took a couple episodes to really grab me but by episode four I was sucked in – pun intended.
The writers of the show definitely put a lot of thought into what they were doing because even when something doesn’t make sense they tie up the loose end later in a way you weren’t expecting. Sometimes I forgot that Kang’s world was a cartoon and whatever was happening could be seen by everyone else in the “real” world. The only thing that really got on my nerves was the doctor in the real world - if that’s what a professor is like to his students he should not be teaching. Thank goodness none of my professors were ever like that I might have punched them in the face.
The show isn’t perfect it has issues like any other show. But if the idea is to be entertained and drawn in to the point where you really hate for the show to end that I think the writers and overall production team have succeeded.

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Completed
Thanh Hoài
4 people found this review helpful
Apr 5, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
The first 4 episode was gold. For the first time that have a Korean Drama about the Manhwa world. It is in its odd and was purely interesting. But the more you watch, the more boring it gets. The writer put too much details and twists in one episode, and it is not a smart move at all, audience not only not getting excited for what will the characters would to next but in fact tired of it. The rating in Korean also dropped a lot comparing to the first 7 episode. About the acting, Lee jong Suk acting is good, not phenomenal but ok enough to watch, but some scenes he do portraits the characters really well. About Han Hyo Joo, I really liked her in Iljimae but in this drama, her acting is quite weird for me, not natural at all, but it was ok. This drama is the excellent example of Starting off great but falling back at the end.

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W (2016) poster

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