Search: WWW (2019)

Sisterhood Hype and I'm loving it

All I can say is: I loved this so much and I would even say that this is one of the best dramas I've ever seen, or one I enjoyed the most. I loved seeing women getting competitive but still respecting each other you know? This kind of competition is what we need! They cherish each other, they have history, but there is no hatred. They respect their opinions and act upon their own. Honestly, I was not very convinced in the beginning, I knew it's gonna be good, just looking at the summary and the overall vibe had me going: wow this show is def high quality. But I was never sure if it was my cup of tea. But hell yes it is!! It got so much better, the chemistry between the three girls was so good and addictive, I honestly want more. And the ending scene was so freaking satisfying!
I also really appreciated the topics they touched on. All this is so important and relevant in real life, even if it's just fiction. But boys I tell y'all corruption is everywhere.
The only thing that I didn't enjoy that much was the romance between Bae Ta Min and Morgan. I mean, I get it. I get the conflict and everything, but even when they first met, I wasn't digging their story. Their chemistry was great and there were cute and heartbreaking moments, but in my opinion they could've cut their part a little bit.
But boy! Cha Hyeons and Seol Ji swan (the actors) romance story was so cute and I still want more! Oh and shout out to the story between Song Ga Gyeong and her ex-husband. I really really really loved that the writers decided to give them a non-toxic relationship. Even if it was a purpose-marriage and they never really fell in love with each other, they were so respectful to each other. I wasn't sure about her husband in the beginning, he was kind of shady, but after a while you could see and literally feel his affection and care towards Ga Gyeong. In the end you could really tell that they did grow to love each other and omg when she cried the moment she signed her divorce papers. my hearT.
I just loved everything and every character I can't even. and Brian! who doesn't love him!
OHHH and shout out to the directing and the cinematography because: did you see those shots! Appreciate that they chose unconventional camera positions so that we viewers dint get bored and feel the tension they want to convey! this is art i tell y'all. god i just loved it.
Also! the actors were all really really good. I nothing felt awkward to out of place it was just perfect. and damn we get to see older women act yesSs!!! you can really tell that they are pros.
honestly. i can't praise this enough. even though it was kind of hyped, I still think its underrated. anyway, thanks to everyone who participated in this drama!!!

Leggi di Più

Get a VPN!! Internet privacy is no joke! Oh, and this is a superb drama!

Just finished Search: WWW and absolutely loved it. Where do I begin?

Cast - Our three protagonists carried this show - all strong women - no damsels in distress as is the drama norm. Instead, these were three powerful and very successful women (and in Lee Da Hee's character - she could literally beat you up!). All successful - not needing a man but end up having three interesting love stories. The guys were well cast with Jang Ki Yong's Park Morgan being the stand out as Bae Ta Mi's love interest. Their story will fill you heart with joy and pain throughout the show.
Similarly, Jeon Hye Jin's Song Ga Kyung's relationship with her arranged marriage husband is an interesting one and is an interesting one especially with the overbearing (and evil) mother in law who, being the chairwoman of a conglomerate, treats Ga Kyung like a dog.
My favourite however was Lee Da Hee's character - adorably bada$$ 💜 as was her love of cheesy kdramas... we can all relate to that!!
The supporting cast complemented the main characters well.

Story - the story is about the three girls with the backbone of the two internet portal companies battling for supremacy. It brings up ethic and privacy and I found it fascinating. Some may think that some of the pacing and dialogue is a bit slow at times but I think this was done intentionally. Im Soo Jung's AMSR style voice works really well in these moments. There is genuine tension at times and the writer/director found a great balance of calm before the storm.

Production - WOW! The cinematography is incredible with some beautiful shows. Shot in an ultrawide format the director really made use of that space to show separation and beauty in some of the scenes. Great use of the camera and movement to help tell the story. Would love to know who the cinematographer was.

Negatives - very few but will need to spoil a few scenes to discuss so will leave that.

Ending - well you'll just have to go and watch this to find out. Like the best KDramas, Search: WWW is beautifully contained. So what are you waiting for? Go watch it... and get a VPN to protect your privacy 😂

Leggi di Più

Une série qui nous montre du girl power !

On a tout dans cette série.

Tout d’abord, de la romance . Je n’était, au départ, pas très fan de Jang Gi Yong / Park Morgan, je ne le trouvais pas très expressif. Puis, il a souri et la terre a changé d’axe de rotation. Sa force tranquille, son petit œil taquin, ses remarques incisives, ses fêlures et blessures. On est bien loin de l’image du lead telle qu’on a l’habitude de la voir. Et quand il s’emporte dans un élan d’amour, on craque, tout simplement.
Im Su Jeong / Bae Ta Mi, n’est pas en reste d’ailleurs ! Enfin un drama où le couple se dit les choses ! Bon sang c’était si dur de faire dans la communication ?! (oui messieurs et mesdames les scénaristes, c’est à vous que je m’adresse!).
Enfin une romance qui ne reste pas prude, on est plus à la maternelle, se tenir par la main ça suffit et on a droit ici à quelque chose de plus mature tout en restant dans le tout public.
Le deuxième couple m’a fait craquer complètement avec Lee Da Hee / Cha Hyeon qui sait se montrer aussi terrible qu’un viking en mode berserk et qui devient aussi espiègle qu’une souris sous amphètes dès qu’elle s’amuse (et parfois les deux en même temps !). Et le beau Lee Jae Wook / Seol Ji Hwan qui, comme toujours, crève l’écran tout en restant simple.

Ce que j’ai apprécié le plus dans ce drama, c’est qu’il nous prend à contre-pied, il nous surprend en utilisant les codes classiques des K-dramas pour, tout d’un coup, les balancer et partir dans une voie totalement inattendue. J’ai adoré ! Et ça donne un sacré coup de frais.

La toile de fond est particulièrement travaillée également car on a une critique de la société mais aussi du gouvernement et tout ça prend place dans deux cours de jeu différentes qui nous montrent, symbolisé par deux entreprises en lien avec le web, la Corée du Sud traditionnelle qui se confronte à la celle de nos jours où les jeunes actifs changent de rythme, de philosophie et d’habitudes de vie. Plus question pour eux de se déguiser chaque jour en pingouin, adieu l’image du salary men / women qui ne comptent plus ses heures au travail. Fini les jeunes juste sortis de l’école qui n'aspirent qu’à se marier, ou se faire marier, pour faire des enfants et s’enterrer dans une vie bien rangée. La nouvelle génération est bien déterminée à vivre, à montrer son individualité et à la protéger contre les conservateurs d’un époque révolue et moribonde.

Enfin, le girl power. On a droit ici au chemin, je dirai initiatique, de trois femmes très différentes qui sont liées depuis très longtemps et dont les destins se croisent. Elles se cherchent elles-même, elles se confrontent, s’affrontent, se découvrent. Chaque épreuve leur sert à grandir, changer et devenir une meilleure version d’elles-même. Certaines sont aidées par des alliés parfois complètement inattendus( je pense notamment à l’arc sur Jeon Hye Jin / Song Ga Gyeong ), d’autres s’imposent d’eux-même comme le fait le personnage de Brian / Kwon Hae Hyo.

Chaque personnage est vraiment bien travaillé, même les secondaires ou les guests. L’action est prenante, les émotions présentes, oh ! Combien présentes ! On rit, on pleure, on est remués, on est touchés. Je veux d’autres productions du même tonneau !!! J’ai bien retrouvé la patte des réalisateur sur cette série comme celle que j’ai pu apprécier dans The King: Eternal Monarch de Jeong Ji Hyeon ( je ne peux pas parler pour Mr Sunshine, je suis une des rares personnes à ne pas l’avoir apprécié ) ou Doom at Your Service de Kwon Yeong Il.
En résumé, filez le voir, c’est un ordre, vous ne serez pas déçu.

Maintenant à vous de vous faire votre avis.

Leggi di Più

i have been waiting to see Slice of Life Office drama,
i most like episode 1 and last episode they look cool and powerful
this drama so close about our life with internet, everyone using internet.
the things make me intterest to this drama is the cast, i have been watching another drama of the cast,
the love story actually good,
i like the connection of each character in this drama

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
i just like this drama but don't know how to describe in english
my english lang bad .-.

Leggi di Più

This drama is fresh, new and it’s storyline is like baked cake out of the oven. When I started watching this drama I was skeptical cause I had never watched anything with these three main leads and their love interests. The drama centers around three successful businesswomen in the IT industry who struggle with manipulation of power, justice and Love in three different perspectives which is hard to find in dramas, I love the fact that they didn’t even like each other at the beginning and they all struggled with growing from and with each other facing the changes that each of them showed or didn’t show in a good and bad way, these women were bad bitches!!!. The performances in this drama was beyond words you have to watch it to really realize it. The trailer doesn’t do it justice. Shout out to the editing team who worked the hardest to make every scene fall into place looking so magical. If you’re into real drama and something to keep you off your seat but still keep you warm this is the drama for you. Watch it!

Leggi di Più

-STORY-
What I love about this drama are:
1) Fierce and very knowledgeable women. Women who knows how to run IT business, women who read books and know how to argue. I love how Tami conducted one-on-one interview to know her subordinate better (I bet she read so many books about human capital), love that she has willingness to learn and grow from people`s criticism and dissatisfaction toward her. I love how Scarlett always coming up with bright ideas (how to make trending topic bar much simpler), and I adore how SGG keep consistent with Unicorn image though they lost market share by slight margin. She says (in much simpler word ;p): "If Barro`s image is "friendly", I want Unicon keep their "unapproachable" image as it is". Go Unicon! I believe you still have many loyal users! :)

2. The main leads problems and roller-coaster relationship are mind-stimulating and successfully gather people to discuss their Point of view. I love to read comments and reviews on several platforms JUST to see how people react to the story development of our main lead, I am happy to see people discussing Morgan and Tamy personalities from various perspectives. I feel content, I feel brilliant after reading posts on the discussion forum hahaha

3. ISJ-JKY Chemistry. I love how they "play" with the viewers emotions through their instagram posts during the drama broadcast. I bet JKY really adore ISJ a lot hahahaha, go JKY you still have several years before military enlistment! go get your bae ta mi :)

really my friend! If the comments and review section of this drama is all about "Oh how cute you two!" Oh my puppy you are adorable"" "Awww why you so handsome!!", i will definitely drop this drama from the first episode.

-ACTING-

This is my very first time watching ISJ, JKY and LDH drama and wow they played the role really well. For ISJ, I applaud her for superb acting skill!!! I cant imagine other actress playing BTM Role... ISJ especially has soothing voice but when she talks in a meeting as the team leader, you can hear her tone become more firm and charismatic. I really really hope she could win Baeksang for best actress.

LDH is also a great actress, I hope she takes various roles and I believe her name will be on the Baeksang nominees again next year.
As for JKY..I watch his post drama interview and there he said he feel quite dissatisfied with his acting on the several first episodes. romance drama is hard he added. and yes I agree with his statements because as much as I love the explosive chemistry between JKY & ISJ, I can feel sort of emptiness on JKY`s face on the first 4 episodes. BUT! he indeed improved from Episode 4 onwards, and I am a proud viewer hahaha

-MUSIC-
A very nice music with lyrics that fit the story line. Especially Kim Na Yong -I Get a little bit lonely, wow is it Bae Tami herself who wrote the lyric???

-OVERALL
IF you are a fan of Japanese drama and feel hesitate to watch korean drama coz you hate cliche and cheesy line, you should try this one. This will change your perspective on Korean romance drama forever.

IF you like drama that has a good balance of business-work and romance then you will enjoy this drama for sure. If you are NOT OKAY with deep dialogues and constant interesting argument between main couple who has different point of view on marriage then you will not enjoy this drama. OR you will enjoy this drama a little bit but you will leave comments on every forum you signed in: "Please please this couple is boring, I need more screentime of other two couples" hehehehehehehehhehehehehehe

Thanks for the spectacular script, writer-nim!!

Leggi di Più

This drama just hits different...
It’s incredible how this is Kwon Do Eun’s first work as a head writer bc she truly created a masterpiece. Apparently she used to work as an associate for Kim Eun Sook and considering how KES is the writer for works such as Heirs, Goblin... and the female characters in these dramas aren’t portrayed in a great light I’m glad Kwon Do Eun got to write a drama on her own. She clearly knows how to properly portray women as strong and independent.

The thing about kdramas and “weak” female leads...I usually don’t mind seeing characters with flaws. If a female lead cries a lot or doesn’t have a back bone, so what? We all have our weaknesses and that’s perfectly fine but my problem is how there’s always the chaebol main lead that initially treats her like shit and eventually becomes her knight in shining armor. It’s repetitive and annoying to see that all the time.

In this drama however the women are portrayed as confident and independent while also clearly having flaws. It’s also refreshing how their strength and “badassery” differs for each of them. For example: Scarlett is a textbook badass female character. She’s athletic, beats people up and can’t stand witnessing injustice.

Bae Tami’s character is what’s refreshing for
me. Her strength is in how she carries herself and how she doesn’t waver for anything. The scene in the beginning where she says “this is the internet” with her bold
red lipstick on when she’s being questioned at the court is what sold this drama for me. It’s so subtle yet so impactful. I also really love how intelligent she is, she’s always one step ahead and knows what she’s doing. It’s also admirable how she’s a great mentor and a gal’s gal who builds fellow women up...that’s beautiful. Tbh she’s one of my favorite female leads, I genuinely look up to her.

And then we have Song Ga Kyeong who is more of an anti heroine. She makes a lot of problematic and questionable choices throughout the drama but her complexity is what separates her from the typical one dimensional bitchy rivals of female leads in other dramas.
This writer really just gave us all of these gem of female characters in one drama and I honestly didn’t know how to act because THANK YOU?!!!!!
Let’s also not forget about the male characters. Some ppl have said that they were unnecessary and their presence takes away from the message...what message? That a career driven woman don’t need no man? According to whom? A strong independent woman who loves her career can also love a man, those two aren’t mutually exclusive so both Park Morgan and Seol Ji Hwan are needed characters in the story.
Ik this may sound contradictory given my previous statement but the difference in this drama is, these men aren’t there to act as a hero. They’re not magically appearing when
These women are being beat down and dragging them by their arms...they are just individuals who became entangled through mutual interests and attraction. Through that it developed into love and they started growing together.
Besides
If not for
Park Morgan who else was gonna deliver such smooth ass lines and some fine ass visuals? Also might I add, Even tho the story wasn’t centered around his character Jang Ki Yong showed some range...I mean esp
If you know his previous roles, his character in this one was a refreshing change. Park Morgan is also prolly one of my favorite male
Leads along with Ryan Gold from HPL. They’re just the right amount of mature and smooth. (Also an excess amount of fine)
This is also not a typical noona romance I honestly didn’t notice the age difference at all and if it wasn’t mentioned in the drama I wouldn’t even know. Ok maybe I would know bc I’ve seen Im Soo Jung in I’m Sorry I Love you looking the same so she clearly doesn’t age but I know she’s older than him when it comes to numbers since that drama came out a long ass time ago.
Either way it doesn’t matter because they have incredible chemistry
WHEW
Storywise, this drama shed a lot of light on what goes on web portal/search engine companies. It explores many aspects of work ethic and makes you think about what goes on behind the scenes of these companies that run the search engines in real life. Just overall this drama is very well written and has some really great dialogues. Not to mention the visuals and incredible choice of music.

Anyways before I go ranting on even more I’m gonna finish this up by saying this drama is a gem and the writer should make more dramas like this...

Leggi di Più

It’s all in the editing…

The overall harmony required to make a stunning drama rather than a great drama is all about balance, where nothing dominates. Each aspect works with the others, so that everything blends together into a seamless whole. The final cut of this drama felt like individual soloists in a group competing for attention. The quality of the writing, cinematography, directing and acting was all really excellent, but the editing lacked the requisite harmony and balance to create a seamless, sumptuous experience. Too often, the script and actors played second fiddle to the cinematography.

The cinematography in this production was admittedly stunning but way too prominent, particularly in the early episodes. So frequent are the carefully framed and composed long shots that it becomes overly self conscious. While I want to commend the striking and beautiful set shots, they caught my attention with such an impact that they drew me out of the story. This is fine occasionally, but when it is every few minutes, it’s too much. I am watching a drama, not wondering through a photography exhibition.

There was a lot of hand held camera work, close ups, tilted frames and unusual angles which followed each other in rapid succession. As though the cinematographer was trying to push every possible ounce of novelty into the available space. I’m wondering if the editing suite was then provided with a wealth of material that may not have included enough straightforward shots to edit the scene without employing a superfluity of fast cuts. Okay, I’m being generous here, it was deliberate.

Often, in dialogues between two people, the shots continuously cut between them so that you didn’t get a sense of conversation. Admittedly, it could be symbolism for some non-communication happening, but to be honest, it intruded into the flow of the dialogue to such an extent that the actors and the words seemed to be battling for attention and the meaning was lost. It had the effect of keeping the viewer at a distance, watching what was happening as an observer, rather than being drawn in.

There was extensive playing around with depth of field which created some nice effects and the out-of-focus areas added to the texture which is normally the job of lighting. Frequently the visible area of focus was greatly reduced by including blurred pillars and walls in the frame. Shot mainly in warm tones with plenty of colour in the sets and costumes the overall feel of the production was vibrant and dynamic. A good contrast was achieved between the appearance of the two companies, Barro which was assigned golds through orange to brown and Unicon in cooler blues through green, which went a long way to setting up the tension and defining their differences in approach and character.

Overall, although I welcome and thoroughly enjoy good cinematography (and there was bucketloads of that) there is a balance to be struck between all the aspects of storytelling if a drama is going to be successful at engaging its audience. Although it calmed down towards the end of the drama, the beginning was way over the top. Here it is notable that despite the imbalances, the drama was still powerful and I put that down to the scriptwriter, Kwon Do Eun.

The script is crisp, clever, intelligent and often witty (even in translation) and contained three beautifully realised and different relationships. Scarlet’s followed the norms for romance and was cute, easy and relatable, but I found much more to interest me in the other two, more mature relationships. Song Ga-Gyeong’s partnership with her husband was the most moving for me, with a poignant performance by Jo Seung Hyun as Oh Jin Woo. I really like him as an actor in general and in this performance he did a great job of conveying the inner world below the dignified surface.

The dialogue between Bae Ta Mi and Park Morgan was fresh, original and well executed and it provided the core of the romance aspects of the story. The demands that Park Morgan makes on Bae Ta Mi and the constraints he puts himself under, as well as the compromises he makes, present wonderful opportunities for building the tension (both sexual and otherwise) between them and I enjoyed their interactions and flirtations. The progression of their relationship was not, in my opinion, created by the writer for plot convenience, but represented believable aspects of their characters and reflected the real difference in their ages and dreams.

The heart of this story though, was the exploration of the relationship between three powerful and strong women and the three actors playing them gave excellent performances. If you need to thoroughly like your heroines then this is not the drama for you. With the exception perhaps of Scarlet, who is a lightweight in comparison, the other two present the ruthlessness which they had to have in order to survive and thrive. And it’s not always pretty. But that provides the interest and character development in the story and what makes it a compelling drama. The various ethical dilemmas raised in the plot serve to test both their characters and their humanity.

Much of the plot is episodic and revolves around moral issues regarding personal information and privacy. It does a good job of giving the facts in fairly credible conversations and highlights the core problems and political pressures in the internet business world. It explores the implications of the totally connected society that we live in and highlights the shifting sands of rights and responsibilities. It’s a good show to watch if you want to be stimulated to think.

The soundtrack uses of a lot of music familiar to western ears, from jazz to classical as well as some original material. In a show bursting with strong production values, this was its weakest point. There was some good stuff in the mix but not original enough to strike my ear and hold my attention.

This show isn’t about nice neat solutions, it’s about incompatible dreams and principles and ethically messy grey areas, so expect to be conflicted.

What my rating means: 8+ A great drama with interesting content and good writing, direction, acting, OST, cinematography. But didn’t quite have the requisite sparkle to bump it into my all-time fave list. Worth watching.

Leggi di Più

The acting was beautiful and realistic, the soundtrack was just ethereal, and the cinematography was superb. I really appreciated the confident lead. It's an anomaly in a lot of Kdrama to have even one strong, self-assured female lead. Incredibly in this drama, there were 3! This is also one of those rare dramas where the OST fits absolutely perfectly with the drama. One of my top favorite pieces is "Millenial Love", a song that shows up for the first time when the male lead lets the female lead listen to a composition he wrote for a video game (this is not a spoiler, no worries!). The music comes alive with masterful camerawork. The original piece was composed by Lim Ha Young, who composed (if I am not mistaken) all of the instrumental pieces on the OST (Original Sound Track). The whole OST album is gold.

Leggi di Più

This is my absolute favorite K-drama. The writing is top-notch, the story is grown-up and compelling, and the performances are superb. It was refreshing to see a drama about complex, multi-dimensional women tackling very real professional and personal challenges in believable ways. There is romance, but it's handled more believably than in most dramas. (I particularly like how the writers represented the challenges that attend significant age differences and and a couple having divergent needs and expectations; and I liked that all the central couples approached their partners' needs and expectations with respect and understanding.) But while romance forms a big part of the story, the larger story is about women navigating a difficult world where every decision comes at a cost and where the hurdles don't end. It felt relatable and empowering without ever feeling didactic or like a "lesson of the day"--it was good story that, like all good stories, also managed to cut deep.

Leggi di Più

It's been a long time since a drama had me so excited that I couldn't stop squealing and grinning like mad the entire time. I'd been putting it off for a long time even though I had planned to watch it even before it released, because of Jang Ki-Yong. "Kill it" had made me his lifelong fan, and who can resist that dreamboat face?????????
This was even more so in WWW: Search. You can't stop drooling every time he's on screen.
But no, the reason that I loved it so much is basically three words:. Bae Ta Mi. She was just soooo amazing. The very first episode made me love her. She's just...I have no words. And the complex love triangle between Tami, Hyeon, and Ga Gyeong.....
Honestly, I found it more intense than their respective relationships with Morgan, Ji Hwan, and Jin Woo.
But the raw confidence that these three women exude with so much ease, their power....it was just mind-blowing.
And Hyeon,.... she's just so adorable. And the music score, ecspecially their 'victory song' (as I mentally dubbed it) is so apt and catchy.
So yeah, although it does down towards the end, I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
Of the women, I liked Tami the best. But among the men, surprisingly enough it was Jin Woo I liked the most. He's a complete jerk to everyone who's not Ga Gyeong... but I suppose that's exactly why I like him so much.

Leggi di Più