The story: The first couple of episodes were very good, but sadly, that did not continue for the rest of the series. It became a one story per episode kind of series that felt very predictable. Though they tried to keep the main plot present throughout, it didn't really feel like one story told over several episodes, but more like a story referenced in some of the episodes. The side-characters were by far the most interesting and were a crucial part of my enjoyment of this drama. The best episodes are the first couple and the last couple of episodes. As the last episodes rolled around I came to remember why I liked this drama so much in the beginning. The story is not a bad one, but it had the potential to be much better.
The acting: If you have ever seen any drama with Lee Jong Suk you probably know what to expect. He seems to pick the same type of character to play in most dramas he appears in. He acts quite well, but I didn't really feel anything from his performance (except for a few scenes in the last episodes). Suzy was probably the weakest link in this drama. I wouldn't go so far as to say that her acting was bad, but she won't be winning any awards either. She mostly has the same face throughout the entire drama. Neither did she have any chemistry with Lee Jong Suk. I didn't really feel anything from their relationship. I neither loved it nor hated it. I would not care whether they stayed together or broke up. The rest of the cast did quite a good job. As I mentioned before, the side-characters were done very well. The child-versions of the main characters did a good job as well.
The music: The music was quite good. Not much more to say about that.
All in all this is an enjoyable drama. It does feel kind of repetitive so I might have liked it a bit less if i saw it all in one go rather than watching it as it came out. The acting was ok, but lacked in some ways. If you dont mind a one-story-per-episode kind of show I would recommend this.
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Unfortunately I have to say that it didn't meet my expectations and it was quite average. I was actually quite shocked to see the amount of praise it got because although it wasn't a horrible drama, it definitely was average at best.
The concept was interesting however the actual plot failed to engage me. It was one of those dramas that I just forced myself to watch just so I could complete it.
Overall it's not a bad drama but if you like crime/thriller dramas there are many out there that are better then this one such as 'Voice', 'Stranger', or even a more recent one like 'Flower of Evil'.
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The idea itself was actually quite interesting and the first two to four episodes were strong. Even their first case made me quite excited. But after that the story became somewhat watery.
The idea of their dreams were inconsistent. Whatever the writer thought about it, she didn't think it through and therefore created some screaming plot-holes. The majority of the story rippled from episode to episode and never reached a real climax, even though some court scenes were entertaining.
I think the main leads were the biggest problem of the drama. Their acting felt kinda flat and didn't reach me. Sometimes Suzy's gaze even ruined some touching moments and made them less enjoyable. There was not much variety in her expressions and therefore felt very bland. I also don't like the way she is crying. It seemed way too forced. And what I missed the most was that she didn't made the role her own, something that would make her character memorable was missing altogether. I could have done without her scenes.
Lee Jong Suk was not at his best either. I really liked him in his other dramas but here... Whenever he smiled, it looked like some commercial input. I don't know why, maybe the way his character was written? I mean there was not even any similarity to his child version. Because it's still fresh I had to compare it to Money Flower and Jang Hyuk and his younger self were 10 times better than this here. Although I have to add that LJS got better in the last couple episodes. It reminded me a bit of Pinocchio what I loved. (And I will probably always love his eyebrows but that doesn't contribute to his acting, lol)
I admit that both of them had some funny scenes together, too, but those few didn't make up for everything else that failed to reach me while their cheesiness sometimes hit the border to "awful/cringe-worthy". Their childhood counterparts on the other hand need to be mentioned because they delivered their part perfectly.
What I really enjoyed in this drama were the sidekicks. Every single one of them were just lovable and every actor/actress contributed to the liveliness of the story. It was fun to watch their scenes, the comedy was well put in my eyes and their dynamics were well balanced. The prosecutor team, the news channel team, Woo Tak's partner in the police force and also Hong Joo's mom. She was great.
I also enjoyed both (or all three?) second male leads way more than Lee Jong Suk. Gawd, they pulled the story forward. If it weren't for them, this could have become one tiring journey. Whether it was Woo Tak, that cute police officer who totally won me over with his charm and his performance, or Jae Chan's little brother who was just as cute in his behavior. I loved his love story as well as his scenes with his brother. The third person to mention here would be Lee Sang Yeob. His performance was probably the best of them all, even his character was the best written one - and what was well transformed by the actor. His development throughout the drama was palpable and made the most sense to me.
The guest roles of each case... Even though not all of them (I didn't like the teacher), I think that most of them did a really good job with their short time given.
The ending was... Well, without telling too much, I was happy that they went the way I was hoping for because otherwise it would have concluded quite disappointing and as flat as the leads' acting. There was also an unnecessary event the drama could have done without, but I guess they wanted to "close the circle". On the other hand the last trial had some nice unexpected turns. The dialogues and some clever word twists entertained me quite a lot. And I also have to add that I was very happy about the fact that the drama didn't feature any corruption. Thumbs up, because that trope is so worn out, imo.
I did like some of the songs, but I didn't like all of it. There was too much happy go lucky theme for me.
Would I recommend it? Hard to tell... If you're a hardcore Lee Jong Suk fan, probably. If you can put up with a lot of plot holes or don't judge flaws too hard, probably. If you don't expect too much, probably. This is just one of those action-crime/comedy/romance dramas that pop up out of the ground like mushrooms. It doesn't hold any specialty or uniqueness.
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When I first heard about this drama, I thought this was already great. The plot and the cast were promising. Yes, this is a law drama but the fantasy element mixed with this just lifted the overall mood of the drama.
From the first up to the last episode, I felt the emotions well and I didn't feel that the story dragged. There was enough room for character development.
The music and the ambience was really great as well as the cinematography.
It's not perfect, but it's definitely a must watch.
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Just... WOW.
I haven't been on the Korean-dramas train for long.
The first Korean drama I seriously sat down to watch was a few weeks ago and it was W.
I honestly thought nothing could compare. I was so sure W ruined me for every other drama out there.
Because nothing worked for me as I tried watching other dramas after it. Nothing hit me in the feels like W had.
At first, while I loved While You Were Sleeping, I couldn't help but think it wasn't as great as W.
I was mistaken.
The more I watched it, the more I realized its greatness.
In all honesty, I can't compare the two because they were each *as* amazing in different ways.
W probably beat While You Were Sleeping for me in terms of plot and pace.
While While You Were Sleeping probably beat W for me in terms of character development and emotional turmoil.
I cried actual tears more than once in While You Were Sleeping because the acting was just... SO... good. I laughed, I smiled, I loved those characters to pieces.
How do you know a show is great? If it makes you feel those strong, those intense feelings. If it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry. If it makes you feel excited just to watch each new episode. Like how I cried when a character broke out in tears. Or how I laughed at the silliness and the jokes.
How do I know if a romance is a great one? If they make me want to root for them.
And boy, did I root for them. I rooted for them from beginning to end, and they never let me down. Their romance developed in the best way possible. Not too fast, not too slow, while still remaining funny, sweet and passionate.
It felt natural, while not feeling dragged out. It had just the right amount of everything, and I loved them to pieces.
They made *holding hands* seem better than a kiss.
And when they hugged? *fanning myself*.
Let's just say the chemistry was sky high.
That, and the OST.
Because I'm telling you... I have yet to hear an OST as beautiful as this one in a show.
It was made to perfection. Each song fit the scene *perfectly*. It only made the romance, the suspense, the scenes, feel more alive.
My favorite of the songs: When Night Falls, It's you, I love you boy, Your world, Lucid Dream, Maze, Come to me.
Final thoughts: do watch this show. Please do. Whether it's because you're like me and you love a good fantasy-romance show with action and suspense, or simply because you love Korean dramas... just watch it. You will not regret it. It's one hell of a journey, and I'm so happy I took it.
And for those of you, like me, hoping for a happy ending... you don't have to worry when it comes to While You Were Sleeping (:
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1.) Plot/Story
2.) Suzy's acting
3.) Cast
Plot/Story
The plot of this show was really good. It was very unique, adding a punch of fantasy to a really good 'supposed' legal drama. It sounded stupid at first, but it blended really well, and the outcome was outstanding. It didn't fail to deliver in terms of being real enough for a legal drama, and not normal enough for a fantasy genre. Credits to the writers of the show and the director. And for whoever was in charge of casting that really cute corgi. I'm giving it a 9.5 to the story just because they failed to further discuss how they had their powers in the first place.
Suzy's acting
I'll be honest, Suzy isn't my favorite actresses. She is pretty, but she isn't that good in terms of delivery. For scale, my favorite actresses in order are
Han Hyo Joo
Shin Min Ah
Park Shin Hye
The acting of those 3 are far and beyond Suzy's current acting now, but she is in no way near of being classified as a bad actress by a lot of people. I would give her a rating of 7.5-8/10. If you want an example of a person who is really bad at acting, but is just overly hyped because he/she looks hot, look at Nam Jo Hyuk. I would rate that guy 3/10. Monotone as fuck. Suzy delivers during emotional scenes, and she makes us smile when she tries being quirky and cute during feel good scenes, but what I don't like about her acting is the regular flow. In scenes where there is no clear emotion, neither happy, sad, thrilling, or funny. Just the plain old, 'boring stuff' as some call it; the normal scenes that are explaining the plot of the show, she fails. She feels a bit awkward in those scenes for me because she doesn't look to convincing of a character. Her acting was far better as compared to Uncontrollably fond, but she still has work to do as an actress.
Cast
The cast was really good in this drama, particularly the main 3 characters + kim won hae. Lee Jong suk, is a shoo-in (we all know he's one of the best actors of Kdrama), Suzy has been discussed already. Jung Hae In, the adorable second lead who was so phenomenal a lot of people had Second Lead Syndrome once again. Would honestly watch another show where these 3 are in it. To further summarize my choice of Kdramas to watch is actually pretty simple: I see Kim Won Hae, I click. I get that his name isn't hyped enough to be cast as lead in a drama, but he sure does good whenever he's a supporting character, never failing to make us laugh, and on this particular role, cry.
Overall, I would watch this show again, even with one of the best plot twists i have ever watched.
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