Story:
The basic idea of the story is quite nice. Political affairs tight together with family tragedies and everything evil from the financial world. Sounds great, right? But then there is more. A (subtle?) love triangle, unrequited love, a past love that was killed and someone who needs to take revenge for this killing....A daughter taking revenge on the family that abandoned her...another daughter taking revenge on her stepmother (who is the afore mentioned daughter)...a woman taking revenge on her husband who does not love her one bit, but stays with her due to his career. So, as you see, there is a lot of revenge going on. That's already a little confusing, but then there are all these sudden twists and you think "What the heck just happened here? How? What? Why?" I am sure there are some people that like these kinds of twists, but for me it was simply too much and really annoying. Oh, and one other annoying thing: many of the characters acted like spoiled little children whose favorite lollipop has been stolen. Ugh.
Acting/Cast:
JCW (as expected) did a great job here. He did what he was supposed to do, although there were some really absurd parts (like ten men fighting each other under the shower....yaaay no). I've seen him playing better roles!
Song Yoon Ah's acting was also great. I hated her character to the very end (yeah, sorry, no pity from my side), and I believe that's what the character was supposed to be - a total bitch. And although I hated her character, I was still impressed by her acting.
Im Yoon Ah's acting on the other side....well I don't know. She was a naive and dumb little girl. And I also did not like her very much. Question is only, was she supposed to be this naive and dumb or is she just a bad actress? I haven't seen her in any other dramas yet, but I must say that I am not impressed.
Music:
German classics - liked it and it was always fitting. The music gave this whole drama an ominous atmosphere.
Rewatch Value:
Will not rewatch it, as I am not a rewatcher, especially for a drama I wasn't impressed with.
Overall:
MDL suggested a 6, but I think it deserves a 7. As someone already pointed out: it could have been so much more (and so much better)!
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So yeah I recommend this drama to every kpoper
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This review may contain spoilers
Best fight scenes with perfect OST
From the first to the last episode, the series doesn’t have a dull moment. I was impressed by stunning fight scenes accompanied by perfect music. It was complete harmony.The fact JCW did his own stunts makes it even better. Story is interesting, keeps you guessing till the end.
Besides stunning Kim Jeha and Yoo Jin, I also loved Se Joon. Not sure why people keep complaining about Anna- she was traumatised girl, being imprisoned her whole life- I am not sure how people expect she should behave or how different Yoona should have portrayed her. To me, it was good enough. The fact that she chose to be good despite all that has happened to her speaks volume.
Would Yoo Jin became same if she had her “Je Ha” besides her? Probably not because her father’s influence was too great.
Besides all this, I absolutely loved the moral story behind, and how Yoo Jin and Se Joon came to realisation of their own faults and accepted the consequences. Along with poetic justice to the main villains- that was great to see.
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I picked this drama up purely for the casting of Ji Chang Wook. His acting will not disappoint. His character, Kim Je Ha is super cool and steamy, and has a fatal flaw as a soldier for hire. I truly think if you are a Ji Chang Wook fan, this is a must-see.
If you are watching this for the romance, I probably wouldn't recommend it. Ji Chang Wook and Im Yoon Ah have some cute scenes together, but the romance seems more like a supplementary after thought.
My interpretation of The K2 is a modern day fairy tale set in the world of politics. It often tries to be overly complicated and political. Everyone is seeking revenge and pushing their own agenda in an amoral political environment. To watch this drama, one has to be very liberal with their willingness to suspend disbelief ... The drama itself is pretty far-fetched ... Everything considered, I'm still glad I watched this drama.
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The other characters in the drama are also interesting, each having his/her own thing to be remembered with.
I recommend the drama to those who like dramas like City Hunter or The Healer, for me watching this was a really thrilling experience.
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When great cast meets bad writing
The beginning of the drama had really great potential. Ji Chang Wook's character Jeha/K2 and the Song Yoon Ah's Yoo Jin started the drama with immense chemistry that was intriguing to watch. However, the plot slowly started deteriorating in each episode. Jeha's relationship with Anna felt empty, there was little-to-no chemistry between the two. Anna's behavior in public versus in private felt too different, almost like watching two different people, to the point it wasn't even pleasing to the eye. Altogether Anna's character had just a small development which, considering she was the female lead, was very pitiful because we could see both Jeha and especially Yoo Jin develop enormously during the drama.Overall, it was a watchable drama that highlighted especially Yoon Ah's acting capabilities as well as Chang Wook's. Still on the verge about whether Yoona's character Anna was that badly written or if her portraying the FL was bad.
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Story:
The premise of this show is really, really good - but somewhere along the way the writer seemed to have forgotten what it is they wanted to tell and tried to do way too much. We never really learned all that much about the title character K2, and there were so many loose ends that weren't properly resolved. Not to mention - in regards to the direction, episode by episode, there wasn't a whole lot of development and value add to the overall storyline - the actors did a phenomenal job in trying to convey the tension and buildup of conflicts, but the pacing of the show never really allowed that to happen in an organic way. The action scenes were well done, but not well shot. I'm all about action scenes (especially ones starring JCW), but when they are repetitive and senseless, it starts hurting your product big-time.
The romance in this was not allowed to develop well - it was essentially forced down our throats, which is a pity, because I do like the idea of the couple. I did find them cute and liked that they brought something different to each other's world - but this was another area that could have been done so much better. I would have also liked to see a little more development on what was going on with Jeha and Yoojin, because oh man did they have good chemistry.
The political machinations were interesting and boring at the same time - I really only cared about what was going on from Choi Yoojin's angle, and found the plot lagging at times when it focused too much on the other shady figures who were trying to manipulate from behind the scenes. The dialogue was actually pretty fascinating, if only because the actors did such a good job delivering their lines that they may have conveyed more depth than the writer had intended.
For a drama that was focused a lot on revenge in the beginning, that part just kind of fizzled out later on. In a way, I do kind of understand why, given the later developments, but it would have been nice to have a little more exploration on that subject (especially if you're going to use it as the main motivation for all the characters early on). It kind of felt like the writer forgot about certain elements and then suddenly remembered them in the last couple of episodes.
Acting/Cast:
The characters were honestly the saving grace of this drama - while the writing wasn't tight at all, the four main characters were given compelling personalities and background stories, and were actually fairly fleshed out (I would have liked to have seen a little more personality exploration of Jeha though - but hey, it's totally okay that we still didn't know very much about him when the show came to an end). And of course, the cast took those characters and brought them to life.
It's been said pretty much everywhere - but Song Yoona was an absolute queen. Her character was complex and had so many different layers, and yet Song Yoona was able to convey each and every one of them perfectly. She was such a cruel and ruthless character, but also had a vulnerability that you couldn't help but sympathize with. The character was written very well, and Song Yoona was outstanding in her portrayal of the bitter and hardened mastermind.
I also think the fact that Yoojin was such a complicated character overshadowed everybody and everything else - this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when it becomes all about one character (or the writing seems lopsided in character development), it can detract from the overall production.
Jo Sung Ha was so great as the politician who was probably just as ruthless as his wife in some respects, and they were absolutely dynamite as a power couple in politics.
Ji Chang Wook did more with his character than he was given - and while I would have liked him to have been given a meatier role, he was fantastic in his action scenes and gave a little bit more life to the character of Jeha. While his scenes with Yoona were very cute (if a little out of place in an otherwise dark drama), his scenes with Song Yoona were sizzling. It felt like he and Yoona were essentially casted for their popularity/faces, and were basically marketing bait for overseas promotions.
I was intrigued by Yoona's character in the beginning but she had limited scenes in the first half of the drama and was basically a constant damsel in distress in the second half. She has improved as an actress, but this role itself was limited (the character was good - development of that character's story was not) and makes me wonder if the producers were so keen on getting her just for her name alone. She and JCW were very, very pretty together, though, so there's that.
Music:
Basically all choral, all the time, but I actually did like the dramatic effect of the OST. Also, the songs were beautiful.
Overall:
The thing is, I could rewatch this just for the characters and cast alone. Too often, there may be good quality dramas where I'm not emotionally invested because I just don't care for the characters (and this is especially true in melodramas), so the fact that I liked all four of the main characters was a huge plus for me. The weakest link is the writing - which does matter a lot, of course - but at some point the characters do have a life of their own and I think it really does help supplement some of the issues with the plot.
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IF ONLY WE'D MET UNDER BETTER CIRCUMSTANCES OR AT A BETTER TIME ??
choi yo jin and kim je ha 's story was 10/10 though ?could have loved it even more if yo jin got saved at the end .
peak acting from the lady who played choi yujin?.she literally ate everyone up
The part where Yo jin says farewell to kim jeha and memories of their journey flashes ,that damnnn 15-20 secs of their journey transition gonna leave rentfree in my mind forever .
stunts and performances were stellar ,I love action setpieces like this
even though I want to write about everything that was good in the drama ,but all I could think of is Choi yo jin ?? .don't know how to put into words exactly but it's been a long time since a performance moved me . one thing is for sure this is not the not the last time I am watching this 'll be rewatching it again again if not the whole drama at the very least Choi yujin scenes ...................
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This review may contain spoilers
Not as good as Healer. Hope Ji Chang Wook returns to future action dramas.
- I love Ji Chang Wook in action dramas, and I wish he did more of them.- If I had to choose between this or Healer, Healer would easily win. It's a much more organized drama that's a lot less over-the-top with its dramatics. The romance in Healer is believable and has great chemistry compared to this drama. I think they spent a lot of time on Anna being almost infantile in her behavior because of her trauma, so it felt unnatural to see a romance come from it. Still, it does get a littttttle better later, so I wouldn't say it's a total loss, but it just..doesn't work for me. The relationship from start to finish in Healer is miles better. Mainly because the FL is overall *miles* better than Anna.
- The acting and music in The K2 can be very over the top (not including the agents or Ji Chang Wook, I thought they each did fine). Choi Yoo-Jin was often overly dramatic and almost a caricature of a melodrama villain. It was sometimes too cheesy to watch, and I fast-forwarded most of her scenes. I also skipped most of Anna's emotional scenes in the beginning (she adjusts later!) because I got burnt out from all her crying.
- Choreography in the action scenes was well done. I thought the bathroom scene in the beginning when K2 first showers with the guys he previously beat up were pretty hysterical. I also loved when he "rescued" Choi Yoo-Jin in the meeting when he set off the fire alarm and walked in with an umbrella. Scenes like that helped set the tone for the show and helped me "forget" the sloppier moments.
- I really liked K2 and all of his JSS bodyguard friends who started as rivals, and then later, they're all putting on face masks after a hard night, lmao. Scenes like that were really fun to watch, and they had good chemistry.
Honestly, excluding skipping through to the stronger scenes, I would pass. Not even Ji Chang Wook's gorgeousness (and his beautiful whump scenes) help the writing of this show.
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Second Time Watching
When I first watch this was 10/6/2019 and it took me until 2020 to finish it. I was very inexperienced in writing reviews. Now, this is my second time. I hope the review is much better than my first.This is actually a good action drama. Ji Chang Wook, just OMG, who played Kim Je Ha was amazing and very muscular and healthy-looking. I did my research on Ji Chang Chook and found that he wanted to learn more advanced positions in martial arts for this movie to excel in the fighting skills that he already has. Systema, Taekwondo, Aikido, and Jujutsu for this drama's action scenes I applaud and bow to him with respect His Martial Arts skills were on point. His Martial Art was like watching a dance with the great connection of his kicks and thrusts. His Stamina for doing his own stunts is very impressive. Another Korean actor will be placed at the very top of my favorite actor list. He can sing too. Since this is the second time, I have viewed this drama. I have basically watched everything he has done. Im Yoon Ah who played Ko An Na was also amazing. I loved her acting skills. Playing a weak female part is the hardest to play. The romantic chemistry was very believable between Kim Je Ha and Anna! The main actress Song Yoon Ah (Choi Yoo Jin) is very good at acting out a scheming woman. I feel this whole drama was about scheming and threats but with great fighting scenes. The actress who played Raniya wow those blue eyes were very blue! The guest roles for this were many. The storyline is very well written and so I thank the writers. Thanking all the K2 team for making this a successful drama.
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