W: Two Worlds is a South Korean romantic comedy, sci-fi, thriller drama. This drama was one of the most talked about K-dramas in 2016. W: Two Worlds happens to be one of my all-time favorite dramas, and I have binged watched it twice. W: Two Worlds consists of 16 episodes each ranging from 59- 62 minutes in length. The combination of romance, comedy, sci-fi, and thriller in this drama is very well-thought-out and produced. W: Two Worlds keeps you thoroughly entertained and engaged in the storyline as you become invested in the characters growing romantic feelings, as well as figuring out who the culprit is and finding justice for those who are murdered in the show. This show does have a few mature themes such as murder and can be graphic at times, so it is suitable for viewers 13 years or older.
W: Two Worlds, two main characters are Oh Yeon-joo (Han Hyo-joo) and Kang Cheol (Lee Jong-Suk). Oh Yeon-joo is it, doctor, in the cardiovascular training department at a hospital in Seoul. Her father is a cartoonist for a web-toon series called W, with the main character being Kang Cheol. When Yeon-joo’s father goes missing she goes to his house to try to find him, while in his study she discovers a postcard that has a photo of a humanoid figure eating a smaller human with the words “I would rather eat than be eaten” written on the back. After she reads these words a bloody arm extends from the drawing tablet and she’s pulled into the web-toon world. This is when she meets Kang Cheol in person, in his world for the first time.
Kang Cheol is the main character in Yeon-joos’s father’s thriller web-toon series W. Cheol is the CEO of a Technology startup company that he founded after he was exonerated for the murder of his family. When Cheol was a teenager he won the gold medal in the Olympic’s shooting pistols competition. Shortly after his championship, he decided to quit shooting and instead go to college for computer science. Due to this decision, he got into an argument with his father over his future, shortly after which his entire family was murdered with the gun he used to win the Olympic championship. As there were no witnesses or any other evidence, Cheol was convicted of the murders of his entire family and sentenced to prison. He was later exonerated of the crime due to the fact there was no additional evidence or witnesses and received the insurance money from his family’s murders. Cheol used the insurance money to start his company as well as the broadcast network which investigates other kidnappings and murderers which families of the victims feel have not been solved correctly and uses the public help to find new information. With the broadcastings station’s main underline goal being to solve the murder of Cheol’s family, however, even after 10 years, there has been no new evidence or clues as to who the real culprit is. Unfortunately, when Cheol starts to make decisions other than what the artist has drawn and starts changing his storyline Yeon-joo’s father decides to kill him off, out of fear of what will happen if he loses control of the story. Yeon-joo’s father realizes that it is Cheol or himself, thus the card “I would rather eat than be eaten”.
When Yeon-joo is sucked into the W universe the first thing she finds is Kang Cheol’s body covered in blood. Having just been stabbed by the real culprit multiple times Cheol was close to death and was somehow able to pull Yeon-joo into his world. Yeon-joo manages to save Cheol’s life before she realizes that she is no longer in her world. Once she’s is teleported back to her world she confronts her father and states that he cannot kill Cheol because he is a real person and that it would be murder. To this, he responds that Cheol is a character that he created and he can do what he pleases, as he is the God of that world. This view of his causes conflict between him and his daughter and every time he tries to kill Cheol she gets sucked into this W world and ends up saving him.
W: Two Worlds is a very interesting show that keeps viewers engaged in the storyline and the lives of the characters. As a viewer, I became emotionally invested in Yeon-joo’s and Cheol’s relationship, as well as their investigation to solve the mystery of who the real culprit is. W: Two Worlds is one of my favorite Korean dramas, and is a good mix of romantic comedy, thriller, and sci-fi. It’s a show that people who may not necessarily enjoy romantic comedies because of their cheesiness, can still enjoy due to the engaging and enthralling nature of the storyline. I thoroughly enjoy this series and would rate it a 10/10 must watch!
