A webtoon inside a television drama? | W Korean Drama Review | Two worlds, Two souls and One love | Lee Jong-suk| Han Hyo-joo

February 28, 2020April 4, 2020 ~ dramaindna

Whenever you search for Korean Dramas in general this one does crop up. I was intrigued everytime I saw it. What does W mean? Why would a tv drama be single lettered? How would you pull in the audience? However, I kept postponing this one for reasons unknown to me.

I finally decided to give it a shot for Lee Jong-suk. This was after watching ‘Romance is a bonus book‘. I started reading the synopsis and production. Man! Was I blown away by the concept? Definitely Yes!

So the name for the series is derived from the word ‘Webtoon’. W is the name of both the drama and the webtoon which is shown in the drama. There are two worlds as the complementary title suggests. One is the real world and the other is the world of webtoon or simply ‘W’. The story is about how the two worlds intertwine together and the lives of both the people and character become related to each other.

Since conceptually there is a lot to digress and digest. (Also, I don’t want to give too many spoilers or make this a extremely long post) Go here to find out about the set-up. I will hereon simply put my views about the show.

Usually Kdramas for me take time to develop my love for them. There are very few dramas that I like from the first episode or the moment go. W was one such drama for me.

Within less than 15 minutes into drama, I saw a teardrop fall from Lee Jong-suk’s eye. It was an emotional moment that pulled me in- The power of a single teardrop. His character, Kang Chul’s life has been filled with pain since an early age.

I absolutely love how the cliches of any story have been subtly and logically spun into the drama. The idea of the main character not dying because it’s unfair. We (audience) don’t need the scenes where main character isn’t doing anything and the time just passes quickly (Just like in movies!). For the episode to end something should happen to the main character. The fact that actual drama spoilers have been quietly hinted at via the webtoon is sheer brilliance. If there’s a hero, there has to be villian. But how the villian comes to life and takes over both the worlds is simply stimulating.

There is so much going back and forth that audience might actually start losing sense of what’s real and what’s alternative world of W which actually also happens with the characters of the drama.

Coming to the characters, Lee Jong-suk as Kang Chul is real good. The character suits him. I believe he has such sharp facial features which make him a perfect fit for the webtoon. He is impressionable for the comic. His character sees some changes later on when coming to terms with everything and I find the ‘New Kang Chul’ better than the old. He is more soultion oriented, more out of element, thinking beyond his character in the webtoon.

I like the fact that Han Hyo-joo’s character has tenacity. She tries and she tries. She is ready to save a cartoon character by putting her life at stake, it shows how kind her heart is. She actually forgets the fact that it is all indeed a cartoon and starts enjoying her life there, merging reality and toon world. Yeon Joo is running the drama in the beginning. However, I felt her slowly succumb to becoming a character on the receiving end. She’s strong, there’s no denying that. She tenacious but I guess she turns more to praying for things to go the way she wants then trying, especially towards the final episode of webtoon. (I guess she has become drained and tired)

The chemistry between them is definitely amazing. The series features puung’s book and they try to do all the things listed in the book (so cute!). The fact that they come together, going against the original set up, all of it makes you push for love a little harder (even if you are single).

Coming to music, I became addicted to the opening theme so quickly. Whenever I would begin a new episode, I would get excited to watch the opening. ‘Please say something, even though it is a lie‘, ‘Falling‘, ‘Draw a love‘ and ‘Without You‘ were my favourite tracks out of this one. However, to my surprise, I have rarely played them on loop!

Overall, I would rate this drama a 9/10 for it’s creative and original plot, the chemistry, the progress and transitions and overall entertainment. I want to give a big shout-out to illustrator for this drama, for portraying everything so realistically. It is truly a masterpiece. Everyone should watch this drama, solely for it’s plot (credits to the writer, Song Jae-jung). Only issue I had with this drama was not enough romantic scenes between the lead. But would it ever be enough if it’s Lee Jong-suk?

I don’t think I can provide justice to this drama by this review. It is too complex to put into words here. Maybe a comic can help? #punintended 🙂

Why watch it?

For its concept and creativity, story and plot twists
If you like thriller and mystery spun with some mellow romance
If you like dramas that keep you on your feet
For Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo’s amazing chemistry
If you like cartoons and webtoons (then it’s a must watch! It may change your perspective or give you a new million ones)

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A wrap on 2019, the drama addict way!

January 1, 2020January 1, 2020 ~ dramaindna

So 2019 is by(e) gone, let’s see how we- the drama addicts spent it and would probably continue to in the next and the next year as well..

Here are things you have done in 2019

Mentally dated your favourite oppa/unnie

We all know as Asian drama addicts, at some point in the drama we have fallen in love with a character, male or female. It doesn’t end there, you could be dating them or even get married to them, mentally, ofcourse!

Never had enough time for sleep because…. “Just this next episode”

We are well aware of the power of a cliffhanger. It can push you to limits you never knew existed. ‘Holding in your business’ or ‘pulling all nighters’. There’s never enough time to catch on sleep because you promise yourself to watch just one more episode, juuusstt 1 more!

Ditched going out on a weekend and binge watched

Humans are social animals only except when you are crazy addicted to a drama. Somewhere down the line we all have ditched our friends and plans, just to sit in and watch dramas even if it’s the one you have watched like 10 times already!

Secretly acted out your favourite scene

C’mon, we all have done it. Admit it! Locking up our room and taking up your favourite role with the scene playing in the backdrop. Yeah, we did better than the artist themselves.

Got extremely excited about a drama in public

You heard a new trivia, got too much into the song to scream your lungs out, grinned like an idiot at your phone. Whatever it is we all got those ‘what is wrong with you?’ stares.

Tried converting someone into a drama addict

Sometimes the drama world can feel a bit lonely. You want someone to discuss things with or just ‘get you’. Whether you were successful or not is entirely a separate question.

Cried your heart out on a emotional ost

Whether you thought you were the protagonist of the story or going through some personal tragedy, drama ost stir a lot of emotions. You are bound to shed a tear or two.

Watched without subtitles because….. Can’t wait!

If you are an international fan who does not understand the language, subtitles mean the world to you. But subbing of an episode takes anywhere between a few hours to days. When all the people on internet community start discussing this ‘how cutely he held her in his arms’ then you want to know just how cutely.

Got clueless about life after a drama ended

When we begin or are involved in a drama, everything makes sense. Our life seems to have all the purpose and meaning. Come to the end of it and you don’t know what to do anymore.

Realised you spent the whole year on this and will do it again (Proud Sigh!)

We may deny to so do, even promise to stay away for a while and detox. But we all know that the moment we get a little weak, we are going back, proudly!

How to pick a drama to binge watch: Do’s and Don’ts

December 7, 2019April 20, 2020 ~ dramaindna

Have you ever started watching a drama and after a few episodes started regretting your decision?

Well, you are not the only one! And if you are a person like me who needs to see things through then it’s just a sweet pill you try your best to swallow.

It’s not like everytime you pick a drama you grow a liking to it or like every aspect of a drama you love. However, there are some things you could do and avoid to dig a drama that you will fall in love with:

The Do’s

1. Research, Research, and Research!

It goes without saying that for one to decide what they like or dislike, they have to research about it. Checking for potholes and plotlines is great way to figure out if you will like the drama or if it’s worth your time and effort. You can look for summary, cast, trivia, any related news, etc on various websites.

2. Casting Couch (Picking your bias in the industry)

If the cast of drama is enough to make you stick to it or if you are a die hard fan of an actor/actress (not necessarily the main leads), this trick can do wonders for you. I have watched dramas staring the same male or female lead back to back. It helps me analyse their method, reminisce their different characters together and even aid in moving on.

3. Pick a mix of genre

Picking up only one genre drama or making your watchlist entirely based on a single genre can get monotonous. Instead try and pick a mix. For instance: Romance coupled with action and thriller is a personal favourite. You can also pick up single genre dramas for instance, hard core romance and then pick up a family comedy as your next just to keep yourself hooked.

4. Decide: Ratings Vs. Instinct

Public opinion obviously brings a big consent for watchlist. That being said, it may not apply to everyone, I for instance rarely go for ratings and rather base my decision on instincts.

5. Watch Scenes/ Short Clips

You can test the water for it’s depth via this method. Just watch some episode clips or scenes on YouTube. This is my go to method. You might come across a cliff hanger/climax scene as well. Therefore, this method is only advised for people who dont mind spoilers. If a 2-3 minutes clip is able to make your heart race, in all likelihood the series would too.

6. Ask for a personal recommendation

Sharing dramas with your friends could make up for interesting conversation. Your friends know your likes and dislikes, therefore, their recommendations may not only save you time but even turn out to be more accurate to your choice too.

The Don’ts:

1. Giving too many breaks

This is a bummer. If you take watching dramas seriously enough, giving breaks in between becomes somewhat a no-no as you have to pick on where you left off and it also breaks the flow of the story. I have watched dramas stretched over a long span of time, what happened is either I had to watch the previous episode again or I wasn’t as interested as I would have been if I binged watched.

2. Going by the trend

Many have this habit of watching shows merely out of peer pressure even if they come to like it later. GOTS and FRIENDS are popular example. I for one have not been able to stick to trends, it turns I mostly tapped into markets that only later on become mainstream. This one is entirely a personal choice though. You could pick your watchlist based on trends or simply what suits your taste.

3. Judging by the length

The length of dramas was never really a question for me and shouldn’t be unless you are time bound or going off the internet. I have seen dramas with length of 10-11 episodes timing less than 30 minutes and dramas with 70-80 episodes of over two hours each! Both have entertained me their best. Many asian dramas like kdramas, thai dramas and cdramas could be finished in anything between 15-50 hours.

Choosing from an endless sources and titles can be daunting task. Many a times I simply end up browsing and watching none. This list is neither rigid nor absolute. It is just to help you pick out a drama that you could enjoy.

Happy Binge Watching!

Thought: What does the debut of SuperM who are regarded as ‘Avengers of Kpop’ actually mean for Kpop Industry?

December 3, 2019December 4, 2019 ~ dramaindna

As an avid kpop listener, I wish to step outside the usual drama reviews and present my thoughts on something more current and on-going. Making waves in the kpop industry is a group called SuperM.

Ever since the news of SuperM broke Kpop fans have been divided into two, supporters of multifandom and supporters of mono fandom. SuperM as we know is a recently debuted group comprising of various SM boy band members. Kai and Baekhyun from EXO, Taemin from Shinee, Taeyong, Mark, Ten and Lucas from NCT 127 and WayV.

They are famously called the “Avengers of Kpop” who work well both together and separately. Albeit true, it hasn’t gone down well with many fans who argue that it takes away from their previous commitments. Also, some members are due for their mandatory military services soon enough for the band to not even be able to come together before they depart. One such argument can also be made that a mix of girl group could also be promoted. Consider Girls Generation and Red Velvet. (Avengers includes characters like Black Widow as well.)

One needs to take a closer look at the bands exponential promotions overseas as compared to their home country, South Korea. This is an indication of easy acceptance of multifandom abroad as compared to Korea, where fan wars take a darker turn.

A group like SuperM gives these artists a chance to explore their music and style beyond the groups which was earlier only possibly via solo endeavours. Such groups might allow artists to be a lot more of themselves as they are relatively more restricted in their respective homogeneous groups when it comes to lineup and positions.

My only fear from this outcome is dilution of original groups, in terms of frequency of new songs, albums and appearances. Although the concept of supergroup or even cross company group is great for boosting the kpop industry as a whole, it also means diversion of views on music videos, sharing of revenues, space on music charts for which the companies might not be ready.

Personally, I would love for such collaboration and projects to take place in future, not just within the same company but cross company as well. Such collaboration should not only be restricted to girl-girl groups or guy-guy groups. KARD being a great example of successful coed group.

Introduction of people from different backgrounds and ethnicity was uncommon but SuperM along with group called Zpop might just set the trend.

Formation of co-ed and cross company groups would bring a new depth to Kpop, imagine a very typical but much awaited Black Pink x BTS. Such groups would invite a wider audience, reduce fan wars by not only inducing empathy and tolerance but celebration of uniqueness and differences between groups. They can possibly generate more gender neutral songs and music, ultimately going from ‘she’ or ‘he’ to ‘we’.

Disclaimer
This post is intended solely for information and entertainment purposes and is a representation of author’s opinion. It is in no way an attempt to disregard views of any group or their respective fans. The post does not aim to distort views of any reader. Reader discretion is advised.