W: Dos Mundos (2016)

Unique Story, But Beware Plotholes

Before writing this review, I watched this drama through twice, back-to-back. The first time was a full watch, from start to finish, with not a single second skipped, while the second time was a speed watch, where I skipped over scenes and plots that didn't especially hold my interest the first time around and paid more attention to the main storyline/lead couple.

I want to start this review off by saying... Overall, I definitely enjoyed this drama. It gets points right off the bat for being a unique if not incredibly ambitious drama. W tells the story of Oh Yeon-joo (played by Han Hyo-joo), a (somewhat struggling/untalented) cardiothoracic surgeon who happens to be the daughter of Korea's most beloved webtoon/manhwa artist, Oh Seong-moo (played by a scene-stealing Kim Eui-sung). Seong-moo's creation-- W-- is lead by main character, Kang Chul (played by Lee Jong-suk), an extremely successful and wealthy, self-made, former gold medal Olympian in shooting, who's family was murdered by an unknown assailant ten years before the start of the series in the comic book's version of Seoul.

After Oh Seong-moo's wife leaves him, taking Oh Yeon-joo with her, the artist struggles with alcohol abuse and suicidal, self-destructive ideations. He uses his creation, Kang Chul, to act out his own cowardly desires and self-destruction, but the strong-willed main character who fights for righteousness refuses to go down without a fight and accept the death his artist chose for him. From that point on, Chul continues to fight against Seong-moo's intentions and drawings, increasingly derailing Seong-moo's attempts to sabotage his creation, who he grows more and more frightened of with each defeat. When Seong-moo makes one last, desperate attempt to destroy Chul, both he and his daughter are pulled into the world of the webtoon, and their immediate actions upon landing there will have deep repercussions for the webtoon, the characters within it, and the real world they are from.

When I say this story was ambitious, I mean it. There are essentially two casts, the cast of the webtoon which consist of Chul's nearest and dearest, the villains that pursue him, thugs he regularly faces, and a slew of background characters, and then the cast of the real world, populated by the apprentice artists in Seong-moo's studio and the other doctors and residents at Yeon-joo's hospital. Chul's version of Seoul is filled with penthouse apartments, high-end boutiques, and sports cars. Yeon-joo's version of Seoul is filled with overworked doctors surviving off naps in a cramped break room and manic, demanding superiors. Chul's world is filled with the excitement, adventure, and thrill that made W so popular with readers, while Yeon-joo's world would be boring if not for the webtoon beginning to bleed into it. I think the series does a good job of differentiating these worlds, even though we're repeatedly reminded that not only are they taking place in the same city, but many of the buildings appear in both (just with different names).

There are a lot of special effects throughout the series that are in and of themselves kind of a character in the series. Production didn't seem to spare any expense when it came to them. We see cartoon panels draw themselves, characters and items be drawn into existence out of nothing, and characters appearing and disappearing as they fulfill their purpose or fight against it. Considering the world they were creating, the effects are sound and impressive.

That said, the series may have been a little -too- ambitious with the story they were trying to tell. The rules for the universe seem to change on a dime and be inconsistent. Chul seems to explain these away as "variables," but it's mostly just inconsistent story-telling. Rules exist for something when convenient, and when they get in the way of advancing the plot, they're suddenly abolished for no apparent reason. For example, we learn early in the series that Chul (and other key characters in the series) are able to pull Yeon-joo into the webtoon just by thinking about her. The magic drawing tablet (a character unto itself and the most inconsistent of them all) doesn't have to be on or functioning for this to happen, the character just needs to need/want her for it to happen, yet at the end of the series, Yeon-joo is stuck outside of the webtoon for a year of webtoon time because.... Honestly, I have no idea, and I watched it twice. It seems like they try to tie it to the tablet being turned on again, but we've seen her travel without the tablet functioning/being on before, so why? It was just what they needed for the story, I guess. Those inconsistencies and plot holes are frustrating, to say the least.

Character-wise-- and I really hate to say this-- I think Kang Chul is the weak spot. Let me immediately clarify by saying this is in no way a condemnation of Lee Jong-suk's performance! He is electric on the screen. Eyes are drawn to him and his charm is undeniable. The disconnect is on the writers/material he was given. Kang Chul is just-- to me-- a bit unlikeable and inconsistent. Chul's relationship with Yeon-joo feels decidedly imbalanced, especially their first go round, but also still in their second. Yeon-joo wears her heart on her sleeve for Chul, the ideal man she dreamed up as a child, but the affection often feels one-sided to the point more than once I experienced a kind of secondhand embarrassment on Yeon-joo's behalf. By the end of the series, I can accept them as a couple, but even then, to a certain degree it feels like Chul has just accepted Yeon-joo as his fate (even though he insists he chose her).

The best acting in the series comes from Han Sang-hoon, who plays the double role of both Yeon-joo's father and the murderer of Chul's family and his greatest enemy. He swings back and forth between the roles in a moment's notice, invoking fear then sympathy, followed by psychopathy and patheticness in dizzying succession. If you're a crier like me, Han Sang-hoon will pull a few tears from you in the finale, I can promise you that. Lee Jong-suk and Han Hyo-joo each perform their roles well as the leads. Lee Si-eon as Oh Seong-moo's apprentice Park Soo-bong and Kang Ki-young (who I adore!) as Yeon-joo's fellow resident surgeon Kang Suk-beom are great in their supporting roles. I never really warmed up to Jung Yoo-jin as Yoon So-hee, Chul's assistant and expected love interest and Lee Tae-hwan as Seo Do-yoon, Chul's bodyguard and best friend. They both felt a little one-dimensional and one-note as characters, but maybe that was intentional since they're supposed to be manhwa characters... I don't know. Either way, the characters around Yeon-joo definitely trumped those around Chul.

The music in W is, in a word, fantastic. I bought the OST right away after finishing the series a first time. I'm a little reluctant to admit that Jung Joon-young's performance of "Where Are U" is a standout given who he turned out to be, but the song really is great. The hip-hop track, "In the Illusion" by Basick, featuring Inkii is an unexpected gem. "Without You" by N of VIXX and Yeoeun of Melody Day is great, as is "Falling" by Jo Hyun-ah of Urban Zakapa and "Please Say Something, Even Though It's a Lie" by Park Bo-ram. I'm a big fan of KCM, but his song "Remember" is the weak spot of the OST.

I would definitely say W has rewatch potential. I caught things on the second go-round that I had missed the first time, so I'd even go so far as to say repeated watching would be a good idea. I think it's especially true since there is a lot of complexity to the plot, and it was overall easier to follow and understand in my rewatch than it was in my initial viewing. I've seen it twice now and I'll probably give it a third watch at some point in the future. It hits a lot of good notes; there's action, adventure, love, and sacrifice. It's not a drama to have playing while you're doing other things; it requires focus to follow, but it was more fun the second time around, so I would definitely encourage rewatches.

Overall, I enjoyed it. Is it perfect? No. Are the characters and writing perfect? No. Is the world-building perfect? No. But is it enjoyable? Yes. Do I regret watching it? Absolutely not. So give it a chance. It's a pretty good way to spend sixteen hours.

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W is a korean drama with a unique plot which allows us kdrama fans to enjoy something original and different from the usual dramas. The plot itself have made me anticipating for the drama's airing. So after completing it this is my review:-

Story:-
The good
Like I've said this korean drama has an intriguing plot which is the main factor which convinced me to watch this drama. I seriously love how the first episode made me hooked into this drama and as I watched, it exceeded my expectations on how beautifully written this drama is. The mystery in this drama is really thrilling and unpredictable. Every event seem to link with one another just like stars in the sky who seem to not be related but once connected, creates an image.

The bad
The first half of the drama was so awesome that the excitements seems to dissipate when it comes to the story development of the second half of the drama. Not saying that it became a terrible drama after the second half, but it is totally lacking the intensity and rationality. It seemed like the story is being rushed and too many twists have been put into it. Instead of enjoying the drama due to the abundance of plot twists, it made the viewer feel stressed.

Character Development:-
The characters were one of my favourite aspects of this drama especially Kang Chul. However I felt that his character actually fell flat after that. As for Oh Yeon Joo, sometimes I do like her character but sometimes I still don't understand how she fell in love with Kang Chul (same to Kang Chul's side) Probably they should include some narrations to explain their thoughts and feelings. Oh Seong Moo's character was well done for a villain. Sometimes, I find it hard to actually connect and feel the characters deeply because their actions are confusing (first half was good, second half was just meh)

Overall:-
This drama started off as a full 10 for me but I took 0.5 marks out of it because the story went downhill. I still can't forget the awesomeness of the drama in the beginning so I didn't give this drama a low score. I felt that the events of the story could be explained more properly and an extension of the drama to 20 episodes would be ideal to interpret them and to tie loose ends. The acting is pretty good and the casts did a good job in portraying their characters although there might be room for improvement for some of the supporting casts.

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To the doubters:
I can see there are many reviews complimenting this drama, but also plenty who are more critical. Personally I really liked this drama, but when I read the reviews who criticize the drama, I can't disagree entirely with them. However, the issues they mention, I have not been bothered by myself/have not noticed and even looking back I often feel it's not that bad. So my advise to doubters is to give the drama a try and if you're not into it after 2 or maybe 3 episodes? Maybe it's not for you. Because of its fast pace, you'll know soon enough if it is your kind of drama or not. :)


Let me just add - I'm glad I avoided the hype and waited with watching until the hype had simmered down a bit. I think if I had allowed myself to get hyped up about this drama, I might have ended up being disappointed. But having started watching it with the idea of it being simply a 'good' drama, rather than an amazing one, I feel like I have been allowed to enjoy it all the more.


Story
The first thing I have to compliment this drama's story on is the pacing. There is not a dull moment for even a second. Things progress/happen all the time, pulling you through the episodes easily. During the first episode I forgot all about my cup of tea for a full hour. I didn't notice time passing at all because I didn't feel like it was an hour!

There are a lot of plot twists. Just when you think you have something figured out, you will learn a new bit of detail that throws it all around. I have been told this drama could be confusing at times, but personally I didn't experience any confusion at all. Maybe because I binge watched it?

I'm someone who usually gets really irritated by plot-holes or unrealistic situations/reactions. I've seen reviews about there being plot-holes and non-realism, but I personally didn't notice or experience annoyance over things.

Also; I really enjoyed to see the comparison between the real world and the comic world. How time passes by. The point of view of characters. And because I can't mention it elsewhere: I LOVE(!!) the artwork you see. It was so gorgeous, I couldn't get enough of it. Luckily, you get to see it often.

My only criticism here would be that I feel the ending had a few minor things in which I felt it was lacking. Let me start by saying I love the ending. It's an open ending and depending on your own experience of the drama, you could consider it to be a happy ending or a sad happy ending. For me, it was the latter. I remember Lee Jong Suk saying that he feels a sad ending would have been for the best. And though I agree with his vision on it, emotionally I'm glad that the writer didn't go for a sad ending entirely. That aside - I felt it was a bit lacking because I have a few question marks left about a few supporting roles. I wish I could have seen those wrapped up a little better. For spoiler's sake, I won't mention names. However - I'm glad the drama was only 16 episodes.

In conclusion - I love the pacing. I love the plot twists. I love the originality of the plot. I love the art.
But I do have a few small mentions on the side.


Acting/Cast
Like many - I'm a fan of Lee Jong Suk. And I don't think I have to get in-depth in how great his acting was. How good he brought the emotions in his eyes and all that. He was a dream to be watching. Compliments aside - I do have a bit of criticism here. I don't think it's Lee Jong Suk's fault, but rather the character he played. Though I loved him and his character to death and he had me squeal and cry regularly, I did feel like I could have been more emotionally attached. So I'm a bit disappointed I didn't feel stronger? Having read through some more critical reviews, I think maybe it's because there isn't much development within the character. Looking back, I don't feel Kang Chul has changed much between episode 1 and 16.

The same goes for Han Hyo Joo who plays Oh Yeon Joo. I didn't know her, but grew to love her instantly. I have nothing but love for her acting. But as much as I loved it, here as well - I felt there was still something lacking. And I guess it's the character development that is to blame here yet again. Very little difference between episode 1 and 16.

But don't let this scare you! The story and acting really still pulled me in a lot. And as I mentioned - I /did/ squeal and cry and laugh. It's just that when I compare it to other Drama's I rated 10/10; I feel like I didn't feel as overwhelming emotion, making me unable to rate it 10/10 as well.

Also - The chemistry between the leads is amazing. I had seen it in behind the scenes, but I definitely also saw it on screen. They were so adorable at the best of times. I like how there was a lot of romance in between the action.

The rest of the casting did very well on their characters as well. I have nothing but good things to say about them really, so I won't go in-depth about them.


Music
Perfect.
Often, I don't really notice the background music during drama's, so when a song stands out and catches my attention, it's often a sign that it's really good. I had that feeling during this drama. Often the music would catch my attention, making me want to look it up.

I shouldn't have looked it up mid-watch though. Because I found out who sang one of the songs.. I started paying more attention to the song when it played than the scene, making me lose my emotional connection. |D But this was my own fault, haha.

In short - The music was just perfect and I think it fit the drama very well.


Rewatch Value
High. Definitely. If not for the story, then for the beautiful work of art and acting.
Personally, I would wait a while until I'd have forgotten a few things, so I would be able to experience the plot twists again.


Conclusion:
After rating everything separately and thinking things through, the end-score is a 9.5/10. I think I'm content about this, because I would have loved to give it a 10, but felt like that wouldn't be true to my personal experience. There are a few minor things that just don't make it perfect. And scoring it a 9 would have felt like I would be rating it too low, especially when I compare it to other drama's I've rated 9/10.

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Story/Plot
This Kdrama is definitely one for the books. If you want a plot that is really new, and different from all the dramas out there, this one is for you. Never have I seen a storyline this unique. I loved the story of Kang Chul and Oh Yeon Joo. A seemingly typical kdrama pairing of a rich-guy + charismatic-gal, except they are in different worlds. I really loved the concept of the two worlds here; I'm an avid reader of webtoons and the use of it in this drama was just phenomenal. Another thing I loved about the story is the concept for the villain. It was so unique as well! I would've given the story a score of 11/10 to be honest. That's how revolutionizing the plot of this drama is. (I would explain later why the score for story is 9.5)

Acting/Cast
This is the best on-screen coupe chemistry that I have seen. Never have I shipped two people as hard as this Lee Jong Suk-Han Hyo Joo pairing. Every emotion was on point; from stranger-meets-stranger to lovey-dovey cuddling to tear jerking scenarios, these 2 are perfect. The only reason I gave this a 9 is because the supporting cast was really lacking in terms of delivery and realness. I can think of two roles in particular that could've been given to different actors and it would've resulted to a much better outcome. I think Ji-Soo would've done a lot better in terms of being that stout, untalkative bestfriend of Kang Chul. I also think Park Soo-Bong could've been given to a different actor. They are the only ones that to me looked really awkward, but that doesn't mean that the others are of the hook. Overall, LJS and HHJ really carried the score for acting and cast, but all the others pulled them down, that's why the score for this is 9.

Music
OST could've been a bit better. Aside from the main theme song 'where are u', every other song wasn't exceptional. Fits the scenes well, but not good enough to be remembered outside of the show

Rewatch Value
The plot is so unique and original that regardless of the flaws of the show, coming back to it can always be considered a good idea. Keep watching it other directors and screenwriters. This is how you make a unique show.

Explanation
The reason I gave the story a score of 9.5 was because of 2 problems

1.) Stretched storyline after episode 11 ---- The danger of creating a really unique story was running out of ideas throughout the whole series, and it was kinda evident near the end. After episode 11, episodes 12-15 looked really similar in terms of structure, flow, and what's gonna happen at the end of the episode. Just because you end the episode on a cliffhanger, that doesn't mean the viewers can't tell what will come next. I felt like the right thing to do here was to drag the happy moments between Kang Chul and Oh Yeon Joo at the start so that the rising action and climax doesn't feel as streched out as what happened.

2.) Lacking ending --- One of the main criteria of a good drama for me is being able to give justice and closure to most of the characters of a show and the plot. An example is Descendants of the Sun (4th favorite drama of all time). They allotted a whole episode to give closure to almost all characters in the story as well as close the plot. With W, they were able to properly close the plot but they failed to give justice to the two main characters for me, giving a rather incomplete-feel to their ending. The main leads were put into so much action and drama throughout the series especially Han Hyo Joo's character, who was 80% tensed up in this drama because of all the things she had to do and think about. It would've been soothing for the viewers' eyes to see their happy ending moments by at least 30 minutes of screen time, but in this drama we were only given 5-10 minutes.

Overall
This is one for the books. This is a must watch. (Actually my 3rd all time favorite Kdrama)

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My rating of this story depends on whether I rate based on my immediate emotional response or my logical analysis several weeks after I finished it. I watched W in one go. I was basically glued to the monitor for two days until I finished. I loved the idea for this show.

However, when I read the criticism towards the show, I kind of agree with it. The story was too rushed and all over the place and it often lacked internal logic. It was too much, too soon. It would probably be much better if the writers took time to develop relationships and some reasonable pace for twists and turns. The first 3 to 4 episodes were absolute deabak and left me craving more of the same thing. Unfortunately, the story became a bit messy later on.

I also loved Han Hyo Joo's acting. I wish I could say more about Lee Jong Suk's acting, but honestly I can't since he kept distracting me with his good looks. I don't know if he is a good actor or just a good looking one. I'm not sure I would care either way, to be painfully honest.

All in all, I still totally recommend watching this show and seeing for yourself what the hype is about. I can't give it a high rewatch value mark, though, since the drama is about surprising twists and turns and once all the secrets are out it's just not the same when watching it again.

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I like how this drama explores all the areas of a comic series and a fanbase. Things like spoilers, waiting for the next episode, coming into a series halfway, the to-be-continueds, etc. It’s similar to time travel when one cannot share one’s paranormal experiences because it’s too weird. Towards the end of the drama it gets seriously nail biting. I don’t really like horror and jump scares, but this drama takes a dip in that direction.

One of the most awesome things about this show is how the main leads work together. Kang Chul might be the brains but Yeon Joo is the one that does the work and she’s got a few ideas of her own.

Kang Chul
I’ve never seen Lee Jong Suk play a powerful character. He’s usually a down trodden orphan with a lot of insecurities so it’s hard for me to wrap my head around his new confident persona. I can’t help but be charmed by Lee Jong Suk. His character is reasonable and kind. He’s not too pushy or conceited. He’s very smiley. I like that Yeon Joo’s presence depended on his consistent emotions – such an interesting factor. I love a man who can apologise before he has even developed romantic feelings for his girl. There’s something very flirty about Lee Jong Suk. I kind of love that about him. The winking! Oh my gosh. He’s so cute.
I’ve also noticed that LJS’ characters always have a rather sassy relationship with his elders.
Because surprise is a big factor of this show, it’s such a delight to see LJS’ perplexed face. I really liked how quick he was to catch on to the mystery of Yeon Joo.
Kang Chul is pretty intuitive and smart. He figures out the “logic” of things and how the rules work. I like how he was so professional with his agenda.

Yeon Joo
Yeon Joo is pretty badass when it comes to controlling the webtoon. It’s so great that she also does her own reasoning as to how the webtoon magic worked.

I like that Yeon Joo does her research and doesn’t need to be told the answers. She can find them herself. She might show some similar traits to idiotic fluttery Kdrama heroines but she’s not bad at piecing things together and accepting things calmly without throwing a hissy fit. To even the power play, Chul has to consult with Yeon Joo about things he doesn’t know. He can’t afford to hide things from her when it comes to danger because she could really help him. I really love how useful she is and how important she is to the plot. Just when you think we’re going down the typical route of keeping the girlfriend in the dark, either Kang Chul is just plain honest with her or she figures it out herself.

Romance
I like that the main couple isn’t enemies to start with. I know people complain about epic love stories, but it’s a feel-good romance. The couple isn’t unnecessarily mean or unnecessarily stupid when it comes to their love. They’re honest and secure. The power play is solid too. Yeon Joo gets to save Chul and pretend to manipulate him with her rescuer role. She gives him emotional support, helps him get back on his feet again.
I like that she’s forward in her pursuit of Chul but she’s not desperate. She’s dignified.
I like that she doesn’t let Chul push her away because of his issues and that because of the design of the system, she knows how he feels about her. In a way, Chul can’t have his dignity.
I enjoyed the premise of the separated love. Of the limited time frame of their relationship.

We always see fated lovers. But I like that Kang Chul feels connected to Yeon Joo because she knows him so well. It’s fun to see her call him on his crap because she knows his story. I found it meaningful that she knew every significant moment in Kang Chul’s life. That she knew his motivations and his reasoning. It was kind of an incredible dynamic.

I was impressed by Kang Chul entertaining the possibility that he and Yeon Joo might not make it and really leaving the power to her.

Random Notes
I love Yoon Do’s role in the romance as the message man.
I like that at the end Kang Chul goes back to his old hairstyle. I know it must be difficult to gel when you’re on the run.

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The actors, the storyline, the whole concept of this drama. Everything amazed me. Even though its theme is a complicated one (it is a fantasy show after all) I think the writers did a good job at making it cohesive enough without as many loose ends as I was expecting.
The two main characters did an amazing job ever since the first scene. Their interactions felt real and were heart-warming. And her father's job was so interesting (I'm very interested in art and stuff so I really liked that part of the plot).
I watched it a while ago (right when it came out) so I can't write a proper review but what I can say is that it's definitely worth watching.

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This was an amazing series that I decided to binge watch for 2 days. With every episode ending the preview sucked me in to watch the next one.
But wow, the plot of this drama is like nothing I've seen before. It really reminds me of Batman for some reason. I've always wanted to live in a comic book world so it kind of made me experience that.

The main lead chemistry is unbelievable so if you love romantic dramas this one doesn't delay the kiss scenes at all and cuts right to what the fans want :D The animation + the side characters were like a treat. Definitely re-watching this for the cute and romantic atmosphere!

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As a SciFi/Fantasy this is an extraordinary production. All the usual annoying tropes are present but in this story they all make sense in the comic setting and they are what drives the story forward. Anything can happen and I was on the edge of my seat through the whole series. Constantly with the question WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The production value is really good in this drama with excellent special effects and settings. The ensemble of actors are great, with really good directing and amazing chemistry between the leads. The action scenes are well made and exciting. The protagonist and antagonists are believable because they are suppose to be over the top black and white from a webtoon. The story takes so many hard turns it's at times like a crazy joyride with death around the corner. You know what is going on, but then again it can all be flipped over by a stroke of the pen. As a romance it's pretty satisfying with the cheesy, sweet moments.

The existential crisis and growth could have been a tad bit more clear, however spelling it out to people would probably dumb down the whole feeling and clever people can read between the lines.

Even though I felt the story was wrapped up nicely, I still have loads of questions that were never explained. This is a MUST if you like SciFi/Fantasy/Supernatural dramas!

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