“Search: WWW” is a weird name for a drama but now that I watched it, I understood why and I love it and I think you’ll love it too!

The title of this article is bold but I hope you’ll understand why its titled that way by the end of it.

“Search: WWW” is another masterpiece by tvN. You might have opened this article because you’re unsure if you should watch this drama. Today, I’ll help you decide if you should or shouldn’t watch this drama.

Lets go…

The Script

“Search: WWW” is a tvN drama about search engines… which is hella cool!

This particular drama (as you can probably tell from the title) is one of my favorite kdramas of 2019 and a big part of that huge statement is due to the script.

I have tried googling the writer name and I wasn’t able to find any info about him/her. The writer name is Kwon Eun Sol which honestly sounds like a female name so I’ll go with ‘she’ for now. If you guys know the identity of the writer please let me know in the comment section below.

I like well-written scripts. 2019 has been extremely disappointing with kdramas. I have been struggling to watch a kdrama for more than 5 episodes. It’ll start with a rush, 5 episodes later it subsides and I get bored so I stop watching.

If you read my reviews then you know well that I love it when a script is not that stereotypical. I like it when writers challenge the viewer or present the harsh reality without any filters while still making it enjoyable for fans, this is something “Search: WWW” does well.

It’s a well written mature script. I say the word ‘mature’ and I mean it. Often many kdramas feel as if they were written by the same writer, many have the same plot with slightly different settings. It doesn’t mean they’re bad but they can be boring and repetitive.

Writer Kwon Eun Sol did an amazing job. God bless her! I have become a fan and will look forward to her next projects. I like it when a writer does such a thing with a promising premise and delivers to the end.

Let’s talk about the general idea of the script.

It’s about search engines (like google or yahoo). It tells the story of three women in leadership positions who work at two search engine companies (Unicon and Barro) and the competition between them. Who will reach the top and stay there?

That’s the simplest description I can give for this drama.

I assume this is the writer first script since I can’t find any other script that she has done before this. As a start, I find this quite impressive. As someone who wants to earn a living writing; I aspire to create such a good compelling story.

This drama setting is unique. I have personally never seen a drama about search engines before. I hear news about Google and yahoo all the time but I have never watched a drama with a theme centered on what goes on in such companies and I find it interesting.

The script progresses well, it’s not too fast and not too slow. It’s the right pace which is something many writers struggle with. Each episode has an interesting subject and each subject leads to the next one to form one complete story.

Without giving spoilers, the script is consistent. It stays at an interesting pace that personally made me anticipate each week’s episode.

The characters are well written and the conversations between the characters are clever. I rarely find kdrama fans talk about this point, I have noticed this because I often have seen many kdramas that have so many similar lines and scenes to the point that it annoys me.

Many kdramas characters conversations are weak, they don’t really sound as if they’re being recited by real people. I can guess the conversation direction and the cliché that follows and I know that it’s the case for many kdramas fans who have been watching for a while.

This is why it gets boring because the conversations are unintelligent and not deep enough or deep but not easily understood (in the case of law or medical dramas).

This drama helps you understand the stakes with every case or battle between Unicon and Barro. You’re able to relate and understand why things happen the way they do and why they matter. This is not easy to achieve.

The problems the characters face feel real. It doesn’t feel like something straight out of a fairytale or a ‘drama.’ It’s about our reality in the internet world in South Korea, the reality of those who work on search engines used by millions and the issues they encounter and why they matter so much.

I praised the drama for its script but there were times when I was slightly bored and that was towards the end. It wasn’t enough for me to quit the drama but it made me question whether I really needed to continue watching or not. I came back because the characters were charming.

The script as I said is mature and interesting; it is interesting but not ‘in your face’ as many other kdramas. You can say that it’s not as climatic as other kdramas are. The stakes are high but its still presented with grace and calmness. That’s the drama atmosphere.

If you’re not interested in calm kdramas about older characters you’ll probably struggle whilst watching.

The characters

I want to talk more about the characters because I feel like they need the spotlight here.

A good writer is a writer that can create a character that feels real and has its own personality. Writer Kwon Eun Sol does a pretty good job with the drama characters.

Not only is the script and the setting interesting and fun but the characters are equally interesting and fun. A plus side is that the three main female characters are clever and well-accomplished. They stand alone without the need of a man to back them up or grant them wishes.

It’s like a feminist dream drama characters.

What I; and I believe a lot of other kdrama fans; found interesting is the way the female characters were written. No matter how strong a female character usually is in kdramas they often rely on a male character who is usually rich and powerful for support. I can’t name many kdramas that have good standalone female characters that stood their ground, got what they want and didn’t need the help of the male character to achieve it.

I am going to be honest. I didn’t like Lim Soo Jung and Jeon Hye Jin characters throughout the majority of the drama runtime. At the same time, I didn’t want them to be swayed by men or change.

I stuck around because I found them interesting and I understood why they made the decision they made. I don’t agree with many of them but I do understand their approach.

The writer did a good job helping us understand why every character does what it does. It’s never an unexplained action or reaction, it’s always calculated and I appreciate that because it’s difficult to write well-rounded characters with certain distinguishable traits and habits that feel REAL.

The male characters in this drama are the ones taking the backseat. They’re not the center of the world of the female characters for a good portion of the drama and what’s interesting is that these female characters didn’t change who they are to appease to them which I find AMAZING.

I have seen many who watched the drama criticize Lim Soo Jung’s character particularly because of her approach and resistance to change. I was not happy with that, because it felt as if these viewers were telling her to change who she was for a man just to keep him.

The characters are flawed as human beings naturally are but they’re still leaders and fun to be around and interact with. The male characters in this drama are on the softer side and shamelessly as well.

Jang Ki Yong plays a cute 28-year-old composer who is not anywhere near the level of success or experience of Lim Soo Jung’s character. He is squishy, understanding, and super nice and is whipped for Lim Soo Jung. He is literally what would’ve been that female character in another kdrama.

Each other lead male character is also on the softer side, still manly but they challenge the way we look at male characters in kdramas or the definition of what a man should be. It was bold of the writer to do this.

The supporting characters are also well written, some shine more than others but it’s natural that supporting characters don’t outshine the main leads. Don’t let that discourage you because they’re still interesting. They have peculiar characteristics that when revealed are refreshing and will give you a good laugh.

Having said this, I also want to take a look at the drama characters from a different angle, from the angle of those who didn’t like it. The main complaints are the female characters were unlikeable, which is true to a certain extent.

Some also didn’t like the drama direction or heavy focus on Jang Ki Yong and Lim Soo Jung’s characters; many wanted the drama to shift towards the other two leading couples because they were far more interesting.

I personally believe the other two couples of this drama were this interesting because they had less screen time than Jang Ki Yong and Lim Soo Jung which naturally created more interest because we couldn’t get enough of them.

The performance

The cast average age is wayyy older than many other kdramas. The lead women of this drama are all in their mid to late 30s and early 40s which is actually rare for short kdramas these days; they usually focus on casting younger actresses for various reasons.

Everyone did amazing. I have no complaint about anyone’s performance. Jang Ki Yong used to be a model before turning into acting, and his performance in this drama was great, by far one of my fav performances of his to date alongside his performance in “My Ahjussi.”

So if bad actors bother you in kdramas, rest assured everyone does their job and brings life to their characters. Some you’ll love others you’ll hate or feel conflicted about, but they’ll still pique your interest enough to bring you back to your screen to watch another episode.

The chemistry

This is a section that can cause debates. Some will agree with me (if they watched or will watch this drama), others will disagree with me.

There were complaints about Jang Ki Yong and Lim Soo Jung characters chemistry and relationship throughout the drama runtime. Some of these complaints felt baseless to me while others felt justified.

I personally didn’t find the chemistry between Jang Ki Yong and Lim Soo Jung great. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. The good thing is, the drama doesn’t try to trick you to believe they’re of similar age. They clearly state he’s a man in his late 20s and she’s a woman in her late 30s.

I don’t mind the gap but I still felt they weren’t that suitable for each other. It’s my opinion but in reality, does it really matter? If they were real people in love they would’ve still dated each other regardless of what everyone around them says.

I also found the chemistry between Jeon Hye jin and Ji Seung hyun not as strong as I wanted it to be. They’re cute together since they play a married couple but I still wanted more.

I understand why the writer didn’t do that, you’ll also understand why once you watch this drama.

My personal favorite couple was Lee Da hee and Lee Jae Wook, it was the majority’s favorite as well. Lee Da hee was my fav character, she was a mix between the strong female and the vulnerable cute female you aspire to be.

It’s a mix that’s hard to achieve in real life. Her chemistry with Lee Jae Wook was cute as well. I loved them together.

Overall, the chemistry in this drama between the couples isn’t awful but it isn’t the best I’ve seen. The chemistry between the cast is just fine.

Should I watch this drama?

In conclusion, yes, you should watch this drama. Its an interesting experience and talks about something that you probably haven’t seen discussed a lot if at all.

For the younger audience, you might find it slightly boring and might hate some decisions the leads make which will make it difficult for you to continue watching. The targeted audience was 24-45 I believe, so its not targeted towards teens.

It doesn’t mean if you’re a teen watching you won’t like it but you might not be able to understand the gravity of some decisions or appreciate it as much as you would if you were in your late 20s.

Still, I feel that this drama was great and deserved to be more popular than it was.

If you decided to watch it guys, let me know what you thought of it and if you liked it.

To those who watched it, what did you think of it?