A tale of two worlds.

Characters:

• Lee Jong Suk as Kang Cheol
• Han Hyo Joo as Oh Yeon Joo
• Lee Tae Hwan as Seo Do Yoon
• Park Won Sang as Han Cheol Ho
• Kim Eui Sung as Oh Sung Moo
• Lee Si Eon as Park Soo Bong

Details:

• Korean
• 16 episodes
• Original run: July 20 – September 14, 2016

Quick Rundown:

While at work in the hospital, Oh Yeon Joo gets notified that her father, famed comic book writer Oh Sung Moo has gone missing. Yeon Joo rushes to her dad’s studio to find an abandoned tablet with a completed picture depicting the death of the main character, Kang Cheol. Suddenly, a hand reaches out and she gets dragged into the comic world. Her life becomes entangled with that of Kang Cheol’s as they figure out what has happened to her father and what will happen to the two of them.

Estelle’s Take

I think I can speak for both Anna and myself when I say we started this drama with a lot of interest. The story is a fresh twist on time-travel and alien creature dramas with its two world setup. However, as the series progressed our interest waned. I had a resurgence about midway through, but still, it got draggy and way too melodramatic for my liking. And when the characters are faced with the unsolvable? Boom, say hello to deus ex machina!

Despite the unnecessary makjang towards the end and the repeated plot devices (you go to jail, now you go to jail, oh look, who’s in jail now?), the acting is on par with what I had expected from two experienced actors. I have never seen Han Hyo Joo in anything, but I knew she has been around for a while. Her acting in this is nothing to ooh and ahh at, and sometimes she even comes off a bit stiff, but none of that detracts from the story, and I’m not sure better acting could’ve made the drama better either.

This is also my first Lee Jong Suk drama which may come as a surprise since he has been the it-celebrity as of late. I tried watching Pinocchio, but the story just felt so uninspired that I stopped pretty early on. Regardless, Lee did a good job as the typical rich guy, slightly arrogant but not without reason. This guy is literally the perfect man because he is written that way!

The one cool thing about this drama is the special effects. The transitions from real world to comic world and vice versa all work seamlessly. Never was I confused about where the characters are because there is a clear distinction between the two worlds. The character sketches are also added bonuses, but what I didn’t understand was why only one tablet had magical powers.

Speaking of unanswered questions – despite introducing last minute elements to tie up the rest of the story (i.e. Lee’s character discovers he can will himself to corresponding places in the comic book), I was still left semi-unsatisfied. For example, how will Kang Cheol live in the real world? Doesn’t he need some sort of identification card? How will he even acquire one since he probably doesn’t have a birth certificate? What is he going to do for a living? And finally, why couldn’t he have turned his money to gold in the comic world and bring that to the real world? Everything else seemed to transfer from the comic world totally fine…

What did you think of this drama? Sound off below!

This & That:

• Lee Jong Suk rose to popularity in School 2013  and followed with more successful dramas, I Hear Your Voice, Doctor Stranger and Pinocchio. His upcoming dramas include Jade Lover opposite Zheng Shuang, and While You Were Sleeping opposite Bae Suzy. He has been labeled one of the “Fantastic Four of Hallyu” along with Kim Soo Hyun, Lee Min Ho and Kim Woo Bin.
• Han Hyo Joo is most well known for her role in Brilliant Legacy and Dong Yi, winning the Daesange Award at MBC Drama Awards and Best Actress Award at Baeksang Arts Awards. In more recent years she has branched out to films, such as Cold Eyes and The Beauty Inside.
• Lee Tae Hwan is a member of the South Korean acting group 5uprise. He was previously in Pride and Prejudice, and recently became known for his role in Please Come Back, Mister. His current project is a 50 episode family drama called Father, I’ll Take Care of You.
• Kim Eui Sung was also in Train to Busan as the main villain!