Starring
- Lee Jong Suk as Kang Chul
- Han Hyo Joo as Oh Yeon-joo
- Jung Yoo Jin as Yoon So-hee
- Lee Tae Hwan as Seo Do-yoon
- Kim Eui Sung as Oh Sung-moo
- Park Won Sang as Han Cheol-ho
- Cha Kwang Soo as Son Hyun-seok
- Lee Si Eon as Park Soo-bong
Acting: 8
Storyline: 9
Overall: 8.5
Grade: A+
Many girls may dream of having a walk-out-of-comic type of boyfriend, but you may wish to think twice if you have to go thru what Oh Yeon Joo did. I wouldn’t, because I don’t have such a strong heart.
I love this drama, not just because it’s a refreshing fantasy-reality (anything out of this world will seem logical) theme, thrilling, exciting, full of suspense and keeps your mind churning as you watch. There are many life philosophies & a test to humanity (人性的考验), that you can relate to.
It’s typically comical with a few heart-thumping moments in the earlier episodes, especially when Yeon Joo is being mistaken as a refugee in the W world, as she doesn’t exist there. There’s a lot of heartache from the earlier episodes but also the rules of the game keep changing and there are many twists and turns. You typically wouldn’t get bored at all.
You may say it is not new that dramas consist of plots that have 2 dimensions existing together, just like 终极一班, BUT it isn’t common that you have a Real World & ManHwa (Comic) World existing together.
The Manhwa creator decides the storyline and fate of the webtoon characters but you wouldn’t be able to do so if both dimensions are the real worlds right? And so, if he is able to control everything, what is so interesting about it?
Nay, it isn’t so simple. One day, our main character Kang Chul realised that he is a fictional character through his creator’s daughter, that’s when he tried to defy his “destiny”. From then on, the plot doesn’t go according to what the artist draws, but according to how Kang Chul reacts to it. This is because the fictional character has 自我意识 (consciousness).
Somehow, he can “summon” Yeon Joo into the comic world whenever he thinks of her, and she can return back to reality when he gets a shock or surprise. That’s when all the hilarious moments arise, like kissing him out of the blue or saying “I love You“.
One believes that he is also human like any of us and 人定胜”天”, while the other would “foolishly” risk her all just to save the man she loves, even when he is supposed to be “fictional”.
The webtoon artist, Oh Sung-moo, tried ways and means to kill Kang Chul in the webtoon so that he could end the storyline that did not go according to what he wants anymore, while his daughter tried so hard to save Kang Chul every time.
After he discovered ways to transit between the 2 worlds, that’s when you realise, things just keep changing and changing, beyond what we thought we knew.
I think Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo make a very compatible pair, with good chemistry together. The 2 years difference didn’t pose much as an obstacle. His acting is still quite the same but maybe because it is limited due to his very 正直 character.
I am kinda looking forward to his new roles that comprise a little more to the dark side.
Han Hyo Joo’s return to small screen after 6 years proved to be a success. She’s a natural actress. I just love her acting and how she looks as a natural beauty. She gives people a very lovable and pleasant feeling.
Kim Eui Sung is definitely super good with his acting. You could have seen him in “Train to Busan” and he is an even worse off bad guy here. He can enact 2 characters so well, which in fact stems from his alter ego in another sense.
The clash of the good and evil and the inner struggles… *Applause*
He totally 盖过 the leads with his acting. He merely shows you how selfish human beings can be in reality. I’m sure there’s a dark side to everyone.
Oh, I love the 2nd male lead, Lee Tae-Hwan. Not that he is really a 2nd male lead but the sidekick bodyguard of Kang Chul.
No worries, no time for love triangles or rectangles here. It was just a little bit from the 2nd female lead.
What are some of the things that will keep your mind churning as u watch?
– Life is unpredictable, it doesn’t go as planned. Not even when you are the author of the webtoon series. You can’t control the fate of your characters if they have a stronger will than u do.
– There are two sides to everyone, the good and the bad. The inner darker self that you may not reveal to anyone else, may prevail at times. You may not even realise that you have such an evil self that may manifest & consume you in time to come.
– No one is superior to another and you have no right to decide the fate of another person.
– Being a webtoon artist who creates another world, doesn’t make you a God or mean that you are right in everything you do. You are also another human with flaws.
– If you are resigned to your fate, nothing will change. But if you try as hard as you can, you may or may not change the ending, but everything has a butterfly effect. It may just bring about some surprises. In short, you never try, you never know.
– Love is blind, but at the same time, very endearing. You will make sacrifices just to keep your loved ones safe.
– No matter how evil a person may be, they will still have a soft side for their closest kin and the people they love most.
How would you write an ending, if you can only either keep your kin or the man you love, by your side?
Whichever ending you choose, one of them will disappear.
I think that is tough.
While everyone thinks you are a nutcase, you just cannot worry about someone who means so much to you, yet only exist in the comics to everyone else.
Yes, it’s not logical to feel for someone who only exists in the comics, BUT if you were also living in a comic, it’s hard to tell what is real and what’s not.
The fact is that, they are also human beings, but living in another world.
We cannot deny their existence, just bcause we can see their world, but they couldn’t see ours.
Women are typically irrational when it comes to love, thus it doesn’t come as a surprise how Yeon Joo behaves. I may do the same if I were her too.
I do feel quite sad for Kang Chul sometimes. It’s like living under the camera? Where your life is like a scripted drama and everyone noes about it, except you yourself.
That’s quite pathetic in a sense. You have no idea why all the bad things are happening to you and you have to try so hard to survive etc, just because that’s how your character was set.
I think this whole plot is very interesting.
As for the ending, well… it may leave many people going “duh” but with the ending 2 lines, I think I know what the ending for now is….
It only means that we can’t guarantee what will happen in future, that’s all. Isn’t it?
I think it just depends on how you look at it.
Would there be a season 2?
Well, I hope not, maybe just a W-Special? Those 1-2 hours special will do if the director wishes to update on more things.
I hope to see another collaboration between Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo.
Other than Park Shin Hye, I think he has quite a good chemistry (not say explosive yet because half the time they were not really with each other in the drama) with Han Hyo Joo.
