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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