I started watching The K2 right after Healer, because Ji Chang Wook, and the plot looked interesting. I was not disappointed by the first few episodes. The action scenes are well choreographed and fun, Ji Chang Wook looks great (duh), and there is some nice underlying intrigue with the plot and the characters. If the show had continued like this, all would have been well. Sadly, it did not.
Most of the characters in this show are nuanced and well acted. The initial episodes are compelling because you are trying to figure them out. Most of the characters start out clearly labeled by the show as "good" or "bad," but whether or not they will all stay that way is unclear. A character that the show initially signals is "good" is shown doing "bad" things, but are they being manipulated or is this their true character? Are the characters doing bad things really trying to do good? The uncertainty of each character's position within the spectrum of good and bad is a large part of what makes the plot compelling (besides the action scenes, which are consistently awesome). Song Yoon Ah, in particular, is masterful at her acting within the grey area. Her character is clearly set up to be the big bad at the beginning, but I remained convinced that there was a possibility for her redemption. This was particularly helped by her frankly smoldering chemistry with Ji Chang Wook on screen. This chemistry with the protagonist suggests that maybe she isn't so bad after all.
It is difficult to explain what is ultimately disappointing about this drama without spoiling the plot, but I will try. There was SO MUCH potential with this concept. Unfortunately, the intriguing initial episodes are followed up with the destruction of all subtlety by the ham-handed romance of the destined pairing. The show points out this pair early on, much like how characters are labeled as "good" and "bad." With all of the grey going on in the first few episodes, though, there remains the chance that MAYBE this drama will not play out to the seemingly-destined pair. As we entered the latter half of the drama, it still seemed possible that Wook's protagonist would not end up with the destiny partner; she had a strong reason to love him, but the show never convinced me why his character was really interested in her. Additionally, it seemed that her naive character, clearly outlined as "good," at first, was drifting into the grey area, which seemed to worry her potential love interest. Could he be driven into the arms of the "big bad" instead? This was exciting! Even if the destiny pair did still end up together, having some bumps on the road is always more fun, especially as it plays into the general state of intrigue on the show. That is the show I wanted to watch.
Sadly, I was disappointed. Instead of allowing the protagonist to have some doubts about his destiny partner and letting everyone play around in uncertainty a bit longer, the show throws the pair together shortly after the halfway point in such a way that it becomes pretty clear that they won't be separated. Suddenly, a drama that seemed to be built on the nuance of its characters becomes a straightforward political/spy drama with a romance side plot. Turns out, that's not interesting. I struggled on for a bit, but ultimately stopped watching.
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Plot: a runaway mercenary' a girl whos mother was murdered and has been held captive since a young age' the girls father running for president and his wife the cold hearted master mind. Mercenary caught at the wrong place at the wrong time and is then later teams up with the wife to take down a common enemy. Buy then yhe Mercenary and girl fall in love with each other and desiderate to join efforts to take down the wife. Story of mistrust' betrayal ' cunning schemes paired with awesome fight scenes and heartfelt relationships. Not to mention a good bit a comic relief.
Apparently the story was changed since the audience wasn't having the desired response to the characters (no sure how true this is but I do see it being very possible)
The ending was very bittersweet for me and I am happy about maybe 75 percent of what happened in the last two episodes but I'm biased to my fave character Yoo Jin.
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And i was wondering when jichangwook see yoona cooked ramen happily.
I thought that was the first time he start care with yoona ????
That was the most akward scene ever.
It would be better to have less romance, focus on the plot.
And more revenge with concspiracy.
But i still watch it till the end to appreciate the hardwork of jichangwook.
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The plot was just........WEIRD. it was all over the place. So confusing. I've watched so many dramas in my life and this one was just a NO. I feel so sorry for JCW oppa but I just couldn't watch anymore.
The actresses and actors were GOOOOOOOOD tho. Choi yoo Jin. Omg! She was AMAZING. And of course my oppa was too. It's just sad that the plot wasn't good. *sigh. I'm sad.
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Then the politics hits you and many many uninteresting side characters, no loyalty to anyone, you never know who is with who. then you start to loose interest but still the main story keeps you addicted so you don't want to drop it.
Basically I just FF the boring details and kept watching the parts I wanted. Still I hardly missed out on anything of the main story.
Ji Chang Wook is amazing, Yoona is ok, nothing special, but the main villain vamp is just too good. You hate her for all the horrible things she does, yet you pity and feel sorry for her at the same time.
What really annoyed me was the camera work, it was so shaky, literally making me dizzy at times.
overall: Revenge revenge revenge. Don't expect it to be like healer, then you are ok. Its addictive and the story keeps you interested but it has lots of boring details.
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This review may contain spoilers
Spoilers ahead! If you don't want to be spoiled, please stop reading!I started this drama excited for the main pairing, and I ended it admiring the villain!
While I don't have anything against Yoona and was actually excited to see her act, I was highly disappointed. I'm sorry to say this, but I didn't like her acting at all and her character might be the most boring character I have ever seen. Anna bored me to death.
Choi Yoo Jin made the whole drama for me. She was fierce, she was sensitive, she could convey emotion so well I couldn't help but admire her so much! And her chemistry with Je Ha was off the charts! I think most of us agree that her and Je Ha should have been the main pairing.
Je Ha could have been such a good character, but I feel like he didn't develop as a person almost at all throughout the whole drama. The only thing that was different when the drama ended was that he could shoot people again. Don't get me wrong, I really liked him, but towards the end he started annoying me. And his relationship with Anna was just. so. incredibly. boring. I feel like they rushed it.
I didn't really like Anna's father in the beginning, but his last scene and last words made me cry so much.
And I still don't understand why they couldn't just pick Choi Yoo Jin up and carry her to the elevator to save her? I secretly hoped that while she had her last talk with Je Ha, she would confess her feelings to him, but I guess you can't have it all.
Also, Chief Kim was one of my favourite characters as well. Her scene in the last episode when she shoots Choi Seong Won was one of my favourites!
All in all, I finished watching it because I adored Choi Yoo Jin and I still think she deserved better than this. And, surprisingly enough, the romance didn't ruin this drama for me. I disliked the main pairing to no end, but the action and the other characters were interesting enough for me to finish it.
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A TOTAL GARBAGE (with a caveat)
How can a show turn from a fairly great show to a total garbage in a matter of seconds. And it's all to do with one of the most forced romance in history of K-Drama.Song Yoon Ah as Choi Yoo Jin just steals the show and we are literally forced into liking this pathetic excuse of a woman that is Im Yoon Ah as Go An Na. Zero depth, paper thin, whiny, pathetic, oh-look-at-me-I-had-a-hard-life-so-you-should-feel-sorry-for-me. One of the things I hate the most is forcing onto me a zero charm/chemistry pathetic character romance under a pretense of their hard past wanna be damsel in distress. And on top of that a really bad actress.
When you literally have on of the best female acting/character combinations in all of the K Dramas, Choi Yoo Jin.
Like they literally can't get it right. It's either a good strong female lead (Why Her) and they make the ML pathetic as hell or here, a good strong female AND male lead and then they bring a pathetic damsel in distress as the ML's romance. FACEPALM.
Biggest sin in screenwriting. Whoever commits that should be forever banned from ever working again. SHAME ON YOU!
By EP 13 even ML turns from a cool guy into the same kind of pathetic looser servicing this spoiled child and makes stupid decisions in the name of this utter obnoxious and forced romance.
I really don't get this. The chemistry between K2 and Choi Yoo Jin was mesmerizing and effortless from the beginning. Whether by design or not. But either way it highlights what a total garbage this script and execution is. If it's by design then they absolutely failed to capitalize on it. If it's not by design then it's a damn good sign just how forced everything else is.
Evey scene them two had they were trying so hard for K2 to treat Choi Yoo Jin with the most uninterested demeanor. Yet when he had scenes with Anna they (or maybe even him) were trying sooooo hard to make it lovey-dovey that it was borderline vomit inducing. Like when he was watching her on the cameras. That was straight up creepy.
Yet when Choi Yoo Jin was literally professing her love to him in the most profound subtle way .... they were trying so hard to curb the chemistry. Really pathetic. But hey he had the writers agenda. I guess nobody expected that Song Yoon Ah would steal the show. Bunch of CLOWNS.
Really it's laughable at the end and show is left with absolutely no redeemable qualities. Shows like these really make me question my love and dedications towards K-Dramas.
However .... this is the caveat ...
If you're a bit of an cinephile/acting consoeur you should definitely not miss one of the best if not the best female characters in recent K Dramas. But be sure to manage your general expectations from the start.
.... Otherwise avoid like a plague.
EDIT: Did some research and totally make sense why FL's acting was so bad. She's a goddamn idol. If she was at least cute. I wish they would stop with this stupid practice of stuffing dancers, singers and models into these shows. They can't act for shit. There are some rare exceptions but not everyone can be IU.
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K2 started out really promising with a good pace and intense plot, but I think for me, the drama started to fall apart when they introduced the romance between the 2 MCs. I personally don't feel that the female MC, Anna, should really be considered a main character - we barely know anything substantial about her and she doesn't even have that much screen time in comparison to other "main" characters. Which leads me to my main issue with the romance - Anna and K2 really don't know anything about each other. Their romance is only occurring because of human nature's instincts - he likes her because she's a damsel-in-distress and she likes him because he is protecting her from her foes, NOT because they actually know anything about each other that could cause them to realize they like each other. It's not really love. Perhaps infatuation or lust would be a better term to describe their relationship?....These feelings between Anna and K2 are used to drive the entire plot once their "romance" is introduced. And I'm just not a fan of their poorly and shallowly developed romance. I actually saw a lot of parallels between the K2 and Healer, but I think Healer was WAY better, having true depth and well-rounded characters established and explored.
Aside from the weakly written romance, I *did* enjoy Ji Chang Wook's performance and his character dynamics with Choi Yoo Jin. Song Yoon Ah did a phenomenal job portraying a character who was not simply bad or good, but instead had so much gray due to all of her experiences. I actually found myself sympathizing for her and not actually hating her.
The OST was wonderful and so well placed in scenes! I loved just about every OST song (some of the romantic slow songs got a bit old....but that might just be because I wasn't a fan of the romance lol).
Anyways, I would not particularly recommend this drama, and instead, if you are intrigued by the K2 and you haven't watched Healer, you really should go there instead. Healer offers a similar story with politics, a wonderfully developed romance, and mystery without plot holes/convenient plot devices.
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The K2: My 2024 Deep Dive into the K-Action/Thriller universe
So, 2024 has become my personal crusade to watch every single drama Ji Chang-wook has ever graced with his presence. And no, nobody's paying me for this, but honestly, the man is just ridiculously talented. Like, you know that feeling when you just wish someone was perpetually on your screen? Yeah, that's JCW for me.
Now, let's talk The K2. If you're a seasoned K-drama fan, especially of the pre-2020 action/political variety, the story itself isn't exactly groundbreaking. You've got your usual suspects: political intrigue, shadowy figures, and a whole lot of high-octane punches. But here's the thing: the stellar cast elevates this drama from "been there, done that" to "OMG, what's happening next?!" It truly keeps you glued to the screen, desperate to unravel the next twist.
The Unpopular Opinion (That SLS that everyone caught)
Okay, real talk. A lot of folks, myself included, couldn't help but root for a romance between our leading man and the formidable "villainess" rather than the actual female lead. And I totally get why. We're all a bit tired of the damsel in distress, aren't we? And honestly, the female lead in The K2 felt like the supreme ruler of the weak-heroine club. There were so many moments where I literally wanted to reach through my screen and scream, "Ann, for the love of all that is holy, speak up! Or just, you know, do something!" But alas, she was just following a script, and bless her heart, the writers really did her dirty.
However, if you put on your "reality goggles" for a moment, it makes a twisted kind of sense. Two strong, fiery characters often clash rather than spark a gentle romance. A full-blown love affair between K2 and Ms. Villain would have probably been an epic, explosive mess – which, let's be honest, would've made for some seriously intense drama, especially with the potential addition of a love triangle involving Ms. Glasses (aka Secretary Kim). But perhaps the creators opted for a softer love interest for K2, someone who genuinely needed saving. Because where else would they have found the endless opportunities for those incredible action sequences? And let's be real, unless you're a die-hard action fan, those scenes, while initially amazing, did start to lean into the "unreal" territory as the show progressed.
Looking Back from 2024
This is an older drama, and by 2024, K-drama storytellers and directors have seriously leveled up. Their craft has grown, and their experience shines through in more recent productions. I'm genuinely convinced that if The K2 ever got a Season 2, it would absolutely smash the box office. Imagine the potential with today's writing and directing prowess!
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Good action-dramatic kdrama :)
First of all I'd like to highlight how AMAZING Ji Chang-wook is as an actor! I've already watched him a couple of times on another k-dramas and he never disappoints! One of the best, indeed. :) Yoona also did a good job (not as good as him tho but that's understandable) and I think overall the acting was good. The production oh damn, I also loved it! They did a great job with those dramatic scenes, classical music is not my cup of tea but I still could feel what they were trying to convey (although they may have exaggerated sometimes, but that was exactly what they wanted, right?). About the plot & story, I'll be honest, I found myself lost as F a lot of times, but that could be just me being dumb because despite of that, there were times when things truly surprised me and got interesting and I was caught up wanting to know what would come next! I'll give it an 8.0, because despite some flaws it was a great action k-drama and I recommend it to everyone who likes action with a lot of drama mixed. :)note: English isn't my first language so I apologize in advance just in case of eventual mistakes.
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