What’s Up with the Ending

By rebzombie

What’s Up is one of those dramas that took me by surprise. I didn’t expect to like as much as I did. It is definitely a lot better than Dream High 2. The drama features music and romance between students belonging to the theatrical department of a university.

The cast members of What’s Up don’t need to be cutesy in order to get my attention. The drama has gripping plotlines, compelling characters, good directing and remarkable performances. The pace is just right to make it not tedious to watch. It focuses on the characters and their stories.

Im Joo Hwan is Jang Jae Hun the thug. He is a petty pickpocket but after causing a car accident that resulted in the death of a person, he decides to take up musical theater in the university.

Im Joo Eun is Oh Doo Ri, a girl who has spent her life trying to please her mother. She wants to break free from her influence and the first thing she does when she arrives at the university dorm is to cut her hair short. It signals a new chapter in her life.

Kang Dae Sung of Big Bang is Ha Do Sung the underground superstar. As Hades, he hides his identity behind a mask in order that his mother is not associated with him. After holding a successful concert, he calls it quits and enroll in the university.

Jang Hee Jin is Eun Chae Young the bitch. She’s an actress who wants to expand her skills to be an A-list star. And did I already mention that she’s the bitch in What’s Up?

Oh Man Suk is Sunwoo Young the teacher. At first he doesn’t care about teaching. He doesn’t even bother to memorize the names of his students. But as What’s Up progresses, his attitude changes and he is loved by his students especially Oh Doo Ri.

Lee Soo Hyuk is Lee Soo Bin the talented musician. Although he is a musical prodigy who can come up with beautiful music, his room is a mess much to the dismay of his roommate Byung Gun.

Jo Jung Suk is Kim Byung Gun the genius. At first you’ll think he doesn’t belong in the musical department of the university, where his skill of memorizing stuff in an instant is underutilized. He knows a lot about musicals and believes that he can be a big star someday. But first he must overcome his fear of singing in front of a crowd.

Last but definitely not the least is Kim Ji Won as Park Tae Yi the naïve girl from the country. She has the talent to make it big, which is something she got from her deceased father who used to be a popular artist during his time.

Now let’s tackle the pairings in What’s Up. First we have the main couple Jae Hun and Tae Yi. Theirs is an emotional rollercoaster that you wish will have a happy ending. Even though he’s a bad guy, you’ll find yourself rooting for him to succeed. You don’t want him to go to jail and wish that Tae Yi forgives him for causing the death of her father.

Sunwoo (Oh Man Suk): People say the stage is a fake world. No way. It’s the stage where it has to be real. Everyone is watching there. You can’t fool them. It’s harder to find the real stuff in the real world. Everyone is just full of crap. So whenever you feel real emotions, remember it well. It’s really precious.

Then there’s Doo Ri and Sunwoo. Theirs is a one-sided affair with Doo Ri doing most of the loving and Sunwoo not reciprocating it. And when Sunwoo’s health deteriorates because of cancer, Doo Ri’s the one beside him all the time. You can really feel her pain when she learns about his death.

What’s Up is overflowing with eye candies. Well obviously one of them is Kim Ji Won. I like her here more than in To The Beautiful You. She’s more ideal than the innocent girl she portrays in What’s Up than the plastic bitch in the Korean Hana Kimi.

What’s Up has another Ji Won as eye candy. I’m talking about Yang Ji Won of Spica who plays a minor role in the drama as one of the freshmen. It’s good to see another member of the Five Girls in the small screen. I hope that someday she will be reunited with Uee in a drama.

Then there’s Im Joo Eun, who I last saw as the perverted best friend of Lee Si Young in Wild Romance. She doesn’t show any emotions in that drama and this is why I was surprised with her performance in What’s Up. This girl can really act if given the right material.

One thing I didn’t like about What’s Up is its ending. I think it is rushed and doesn’t show any insight of the student’s future. There are some plotlines that are suddenly resolved such as that of Do Sung being Hades. His problem is solved when Chae Young decides to take him under her wing. Just like that. It doesn’t even give us the confirmation on whether he really did sign up with Chae Young and what will happen with his mother when he becomes a superstar without the mask.

With all the buildup for their competition, I was expecting the drama to end with it. But we get a funeral with the students performing in it. It’s too bad that we don’t get to see the fruit of their hard work.

What’s Up has lots of layers and its plot is so complex but it is easy to watch. It has heart that resonates in every episode. It is not perfect but it is one of the best dramas I’ve seen this year.