This review may contain spoilers
Once again I was totally captivated by Iris. I think that although there are some reminiscent scenes in this sequel, there is also a great continued story line. My only complaint (really since this isn't a romance, it isn't like I can complain that much) is that I didn't feel anything between Yoo Gun and Soo Yeon. Well, at least from her end. However, the rest is action packed and suspenseful. I really thought it was interesting that from some characters point of view, they thought they were doing what was right for their country no matter what the action. Then there is Iris motivated by power and greed. Of course, I could see the ending coming a mile away (as I'm sure most people will), but it was fun to watch it play out. I have tons to say, but we can't post spoilers...so...When it comes to acting, I believe Jang Hyuk has a gift. I laughed with him and I cried with him. His personality change was believable. I was fully invested in his character as Yoo Gun. Kim Yeong Cheol did another excellent job as Baek San. At this point I can't decide if I love him or hate him. His character is truly on of those that show there are two sides to everyone. I gave the acting a 10 for those actors alone. Lee Bum Soo is no joke as Yoo Joong Won. I really had no clue what his character was about for a while. Oh Yun Soo as Choi Min was also good, but nothing special. I felt like she was just a way to keep Yoo Gun in the story line and then she was gone. Lee Da Hae as Soo Yeon left a lot to be desired in my opinion. I felt nothing for her character except when Yoo Gun was upset. I thought Im Soo Hyang as Yun Hwa was a heck of a lot better. I can't give away the ending, but if there is an Iris 3 and she is in it, then I'm totally watching it. I also thought that Doo Joon from B2ST and Lee Joon from MBLAQ were good. This is the first time I have seen them act and they didn't suck.
OH...and watching the outtakes made me think that a lot of these actors did their own action scenes and were hurt. It looked brutal to me. So props to all of them for that!!!
The music was pretty good. GO and Mir singing "Foolish Me" is a really good song that you should check out even if you don't watch this drama.
I might rewatch this sometime.
If you like action and suspense, then this is a drama that you should watch. :-)
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What I really liked most about this drama was how they connected it to the first season BUT it also had its own story line. As for how the story was played out it was outstanding. You can keep up with the story because it's not too fast and it wasn't too slow that I wanted to skip parts. It comes with many plot twists and cliffhangers that always puts me in automatic rage mode and screaming at my screen. It's so exhilarating to watch because you want to know more and the story just sucks you in. The story is original, unique and a balanced of action, suspense and a hint of romance. This drama is always leaving you thinking about the real truth and to makes that's what makes this drama so brilliant.
There were a few characters that I dislike but then I realized that if you hate a character that means that actor/actress is playing his/her role right. The acting was seriously flawless. Not all but most supporting character play a huge role in the drama and I love how everyone is not ignored. The fact that brought back old characters was great. In the more emotional scenes you can really feel the emotions and sympathise with the characters. You can also see the character development in everyone, you can literally see the changes from episode 1 to episode 20.
I enjoyed the music a lot. The songs really reflected the emotions and the situations and I think that is extremely important in dramas.
I would definitely re-watch Iris 2, it is one of the best dramas of 2013 in my opinion. (AND BECAUSE YOON DOOJOON LIKE COME ON GUYS, SEXY BEAST.)
Overall, Iris 2 had me on the edge of my seat in every episode and it was always agonizing to wait for the next episode. It's been a long journey with Iris and I'm very sad to have finish watching it but for future watchers I hope you enjoy this drama as much as I did. It's a great watch and I definitely recommend it.
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The story continues straight from the first Iris and aims to answer all the questions we were left hanging with, whilst exploring certain characters' histories. At first the story was quite fast paced, with multiple plots going at once, sometimes to the shows disadvantage. It wasn't until the second half the story started to slow down and gain some focus. I think the show was stronger towards the end, with each character having their own goals and doing whatever it takes to achieve them, no matter how wrong or delusional they might be.
The show was cast very well, although I'm not quite sure it is necessary to cast K-Pop singers in these shows, it feels more like a gimmick than anything. I don't think they are bad actors, but they do pale in comparison to actors like Jang Hyuk, Lee Bum Soo, Oh Yun Soo and Lee Da Hae. For me, the sore spot here was David Mcinnes, who really can't act at all, and made any scene with him in it almost unwatchable.
The OST is fantastic, as good as the first Iris OST. Davichi's 'Don't You Know' and B2ST's 'Black Paradise' being the standout tracks for me. The score from Iris is reused for the action scenes, which I don't think is a bad thing when it was so good in the first place.
Like Iris, Iris II is easily rewatchable, in fact, watching the two dramas back to back would be excellent as it feels like one story. Overall Iris II is excellent, despite a few missteps early on with the story, overuse of bad CGI and casting David Mcinnes. It is definitely well worth watching if you are fan of action dramas, or if you loved Iris and to a lesser extent Athena: Goddess of War.
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One of my biggest issues with this show was the product placement that was going on. This show felt more like a 20 episode ad for Samsung electronics than an action show. So many unnecessary close-up shots that, for me, it really took away some of the enjoyment of watching.
Another big issue with me was the love story being told. While there was definitely one in Iris, it was nowhere near as prevalent as the one in this. Characters would be idiotic about things and make bad judgments because of some significant other. It was tiresome.
Speaking of tiresome, if you can manage to never get tired of the flashbacks in this show, I applaud you. One of my biggest complaints about Iris was the insane amount of flashbacks they threw in. One of my biggest complaints about Iris 2 will have to be the same thing. A few here and there is okay, but when you start tossing in multiple ones that last for a good 2-5 minutes each time, you just need to stop.
While I liked a lot of the acting in Iris 2, I wasn't really fond of the chemistry with the cast. This was my first time watching Jang Hyuk in something, and I can safely say that I'm now a fan. He had a way of just keeping me glued to the screen when he was on it. While Lee Da Hae herself didn't bug me, the lack of chemistry I was feeling between the two actors did. I simply wasn't feeling it.
I was absolutely loving the rest of the cast though. Whether they were playing a good character, a bad character, or even a neutral character, I loved them.
The OST was boring for me unless it was an instrumental being playing during an action scene. Very repetitive. A couple songs I didn't even like from Iris I ended up having to deal with here as well.
Overall, I gave this a 7 simply because I liked the cast and the action scenes.
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Well other than that, the action was amazing. Not as epic at the 1st season, but still on lvl. Loved the characters. Lee Joon was like AWESOME! Loved his character as good then bad. He did such a good job & they used subtle differences in his appearance to make him look sinister. So awesome!
I rly didn't care for the romance part of the drama, b/c it was kinda covered up by the whole boss-subordinate relationship that they had. It felt more like a rly close friendship. But, w/e the story was still good.
I guess that watching the sisters together is like a hint for the next drama. HUMMMM Athena 2??? Maybe???
I don't mind suggesting that drama-lovers watch this 1. It has rly good action & continues to be true to the Iris style. ENJOY!
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Yes, the fights, the chasing, the shooting - that all was amazing and high class level, but the more I watched, the more it seemed that the drama does not focus solely on the IRIS organization, but more on the countless links between main characters and their personal issues and families. Also, the romance took over the action to my mind and even though a dose of it here and there is irreversible, this was definitely over the top and that leads to my partial disappointment in cast and OST.
The later, in terms of instrumental pieces, was flawless, as those were the same tracks used in first part of the series, yet the new tracks - all apart the one by BEAST - were ridiculously sappy and drove down the over-all vibe of the whole drama to my mind.
As for the cast, I would like to praise Lee Joon, as his acting was superb. DooJoon did good, but seemed to be a bit too stiff. Yet what I was surprised the most about, was that Lee DaHae had a tendency to be as stiff in her acting as DooJoon.
All in all, it was watchable and interesting in terms of actual plot - nuclear weapons, North VS South and all that, only the sap took over too much at times and that was a huge let down. I would still recommend it to fellow drama lovers, just with a warning that this is somehow very different from first part.
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After watching the first season left many open questions like: Who is Mr. Black at Pac Sun or only related to Iris, and many other questions that we received a second season.
Simulations were excellent really great similitude chose the second season each player play very well especially editors who worked on the series made ??it very interesting and suspenseful!
I loved the romance was a son of some simulations than in the previous season that often just annoyed me.
Action sequences were excellent with a combination of speech and Romance
Hope to have continued for another season :)
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I recommend you to watch! You'll have fun! :)
BUT THE ACTION IS JUST AWESOME
And I love the actors
Thumps Up!
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