One of its kind kdrama with good OTP

No wonder W is one of the more iconic kdramas of the new era. It's high concept and way ahead of its time with the parallel worlds and cartoon characters transported into the real world. Even the visuals, how they depicted the webtoon stuff blending into real world stuff is impressive. It may not have executed all it set out to do without hiccups, but I had lots of fun going along for the ride.

Among writer Song Jae Jung dramas, I still have a soft spot for Memories of the Alhambra the most, yes it's also a mess, but maybe I watched it first, and Hyun Bin! He might be more well-known and dreamy in CLOY, but he was so good in Alhambra. I loved the Alhambra romance, but wished it had more like W, where the OTP felt more epic, Kang Chul and Oh Yeon Joo have been through a lot.

I love how the W romance has a little bit of everything: time-travelling partner concept, and pining for a loved one who lost memories of you, which I'm weak for. Song Jae Jung is partial to her 'very very nice to a fault' heroines but I have to admit Han Hyo Joo's Oh Yeon Joo had more to do, than Park Shin Hye in Alhambra. Solid W cast: Lee Jong Suk is still the undisputed king of aegyo acting, and tortured heroine Han Hyo Joo was good, but dad Kim Eui Sung shone the most doing dual roles.

I admit it got a bit all confusing there towards the end, with new 'out of nowhere' rules being introduced to make each episode more exhilarating, but this is such a breakthrough kdrama that I can forgive it for that. W just cements the fact I'll always be how 'Oh Yeon Joo is to Kang Chul' at every Song Jae Jung drama: I'll be the sucker fan who'll wish for her drama's happy ending, despite all the ??? in the end.

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Omg. IU. If I know nothing about k-ent, I wouldn't have thought she is first a singer, she's such a good actress now. That's so commendable, she's come a long way from her early acting days from Dream High and Producers. She persevered to better her craft, as there are lots of idols who are casted leads year after year but we've yet to see improvement.

Even some actors I fell in love with at first, but once they hit it big, they seem stagnant or disengaged from acting as they move from one project to another. She certainly held her own against acclaimed actor Yeo Jin Goo (who is good as always), and she even shone more because Jang Man Weol is a role of a lifetime.

The relationship of JMW and KCS was what I wished IOTNBO romance to be with the tortured heroine and good hearted hero, albeit I wished they had more romantic chemistry like IOTNBO leads, then it would have been perfect.

I really love the role reversal here. YJG even have that tropey damsel in distress scene, he puts himself in danger, and JMW has to save him all the time lol. The cases are otherworldly but heartfelt, and tackle how we all deal with the pains of grief, forgiveness, acceptance, and letting go.

Spoilers to follow:
The ending was sad, but it actually fits with the message of the drama, and I appreciate that the overall outlook the drama wants to leave is still hopeful and positive, despite all the goodbyes. I would have loved if it ended with JMW on the bridge to the afterlife looking back, happy and fulfilled, with no more burdens. The drama is balanced overall, but Jang Man Weol is Hotel Del Luna, and it is she who we will remember it by.

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SJK at his finest

Mr. Song 'Vincenzo Cassano' Joong Ki at his finest. Vincenzo doesn't take itself too seriously and it knows how to have fun, just what we all need right now, and that's where this hit drama's charm lies. It feels a bit like 'revengey' Suits x sitcom x heist drama. It's about an ex(?) mafia and a ragtag group of neighbors getting themselves unexpectedly involved in a fight for justice.

It's so nice to see Song Joong Ki in a (kinda?) light role again. He get to do a lot of things here, with all those expensive suits, slow mo's and closeups. I still wish he'll do a full blown comedy (like Sungkyunkwan) because he's kind of the straight man with a great comedic supporting cast. Lol I think this show is half a SJK modeling/ad show. (Lord, I want his flawless skin.) I appreciated the fact that he still acts his socks off unlike other hyped actors.

The romance here are basically just crumbs. SJK and Jeon Yeo Been looks good together, she does tend to overact at times, but that's forgivable esp. for comedy, and it's wonderful her career is taking off esp. after Vincenzo. I love that we are getting unapologetic loud heroines like her.

Mild spoilers:
Admittedly I haven't watched Taec for a long time, but he really improved his acting a lot! I wished there was more of him as an adorably bumbling intern. As main villain though, he still lacked that creep factor. It's great they tried a different look for Kim Yeo Jin as Ms. Prosecutor Choi (not very polished), but she also lacked that sinister feel. Maybe it was deliberate casting as the show has to balance the dark with its comic edge.

Kwak Dong Yeon is amazing as always. The whole cast is good, my always fave trope of small town village feel and found family concept because of the colorful Geumga plaza dwellers, and their crazy quest for hidden gold. One thing I hated is the length! I like me some SJK but omg tvn pls cut your drama episodes to 1 hr, it feels extra long and superfluous when bingeing. This probably works better as a weekly watch.

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