KIS REVIEWS is back with another K-Drama review. You might be familiar with this one from my Doctors post. In fact, the actor, Lee Jong Suk, is currently on an Asia tour right now and he’ll be in Thailand on October the 28th! So, to any of you who actually got the tickets in time, you are one lucky person.

This drama gained quick popularity because the start of the first episode immediately appeals to the audience, getting them hooked instantly. Unlike most Korean Dramas, the characters relationship develops pretty fast, but there’s a slight downfall at the middle of the series which I’m not going to reveal.

The plot is quite a unique one, it’s definitely fantasy but there’s also elements of reality. You really get to explore and figure out the differences between the two elements. For those of you who are wondering how fantasy and reality could ever be integrated, here’s a short summary. Oh Yeon Joo (played by actress Han Hyo Joo) is an only daughter of a famous webtoon writer, Oh Seong-Moo (played by Kim Eui Sung). Seong-Moo creates a story called ‘W’ that focuses on a billionaire named Kang Chul (played by famous actor, Lee Jong Suk). Little does he know, that the character he created with his own hands actually exists somewhere in another dimension and that eventually, the two worlds would soon collide, sparking not only a romance but a major conflict.

In my personal opinion, the plot was probably the most interesting one I’ve ever seen in a K-Drama so far. Commonly, I would be able to spot the ‘general rule’ in a K-drama very easily, but this one was different. Every episode made me wonder what was going to happen and it was just something I waited for every week on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I’m surely not the only one that was thinking about this when I first started watching – here’s a very ‘fangirly’ review by a KIS student who had a lot to say:

“I actually don’t like fantasy dramas, but THIS SERIES IS AN EXCEPTION! There is a plot twist to every episode and (oh my god) I’m so addicted to it!! Lee Jong Suk is an absolute heart-throb” – Mami, G11

Everyone strongly expected this drama to be good, as Lee Jong Suk, an actor who normally never disappoints, has the lead role. But despite all the pressure, actor Han Hyo Joo’s chemistry with Lee Jong Suk was just as good as the chemistry he had in his previous drama with a very popular actress, Park Shin Hye. So the actors and actresses definitely exceeded the viewer’s expectations making this drama an overall hit. There had even been speculations of whether the ratings might beat Descendant of the Sun’s whopping record of 40.9% or not – and it didn’t for reason I’m going to mention later.

Let me start with the positive comments I have on this drama – first of all, the acting was superb. It was so good that you would think that the actors were in love in real life. The expressions they had when something abruptly happens makes it inevitable for the audiences to not have the same expression. They made the emotions completely contagious and were able to deliver all sorts of emotions so clearly that I started to feel the same way.

Another very interesting thing is that the main characters aren’t the only ones grabbing the audience’s attention. The background characters are outstanding as well. Here’s an opinion from another KIS student on their favorite character:

“I really like the concept of the main characters – Kang Chul and Yeon Joo are star crossed lovers from different worlds who struggled to be together. But someone that I really think deserves more recognition, is Soo Bong, the idiotic, dumb character who exaggerates every single emotion. I think as an actor, he must really face difficulties with doing so. Therefore I think he’s a very underrated character who has a small role, but to me, he makes it stand out – Cherry, G11

The dialogue isn’t cheesy in the beginning, but as the story progresses along with the relationship of the main character, there are more lovey-dovey dialogues inserted. Apart from that, the dialogue just makes the plot a lot more interesting – the way the characters explain things to uncover certain mysteries are informal, but they also grab your attention at the same time. By doing this, you won’t miss any important information that will help you connect the dots of the story.

Production wise, you won’t have to complain about any of the technological aspects in this drama. They’re all very smooth and not something you would expect from dramas at all. Unlike some dramas where you get a normal green screen with an occasional glitch, in this drama, those things either don’t happen at all or are completely unrecognizable. I expected some mistakes, so I tried to look for them, but surprisingly, I found none. So, what you could probably conclude from this is that the W production definitely had a good tech team!

In terms of the OST, I could only found some that I really liked. The rest were just songs that fit better as background music and not one you would listen to individually.

If it weren’t for the mistake in the middle of the drama, I would’ve considered this my favorite drama. There was a major downfall where it just made me want to stop watching. It was a very big plot twist, maybe even a little too complicated for me, however, some people think otherwise:

“The plot twists are what keeps me watching. In every episode I always think whether there’s going to be another one that will blow my mind even more and it never ceases to do so. I love it.” – Soojin, G10

Despite that, it still doesn’t remove itself from being one of my favorites because the plot is unique, and unlike anything I’ve ever watched. This is something that I can see myself re-watching again.

Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone who gets bored easily of dramas, as this one will not fail to drag you into its 16 episode rollercoaster ride.