The K2 (2016)

Worst thing I’ve ever watched in my life

(SPOILERS. AND RANT AHEAD)

This show is forcing us to sympathise with a mistress who knowingly fucked and dated a high-profile married man, and their secret daughter who grew up despising said married man’s legal wife. The show is also forcing us to hate and see the villain in an ambitious woman who’s just trying to survive day by day being married to a fucking lecher who thinks with his dick, a disgusting old pervert who fucked every single young woman within a 2 meter radius, all while regretting her past choices that led her into marrying this man.

It’s fucking horrible. Stopped watching midway thru ep 12 bc I can’t fucking stand the world treating Anna like the second coming of Christ.

I’m gonna talk about the good parts first. Choi Yoojin is a decent character with a solid backstory and interesting personality. I understood her motivations behind what she does.

That’s it; that’s the only redeeming part of the story. Hence the 2 rating on the acting part instead of 1.

The rest is horseshit.

Anna is the most annoying FL in any kdrama I’ve ever seen in my entire life. She doesn’t have agency, doesn’t have a personality, exists only to cry her lungs out and make me suffer. Good lord I fucking despise her. She doesn’t have any single lovable trait. She’s a plain whiny bitch with zero intelligence and a knack of getting into trouble. Like, cmon girl, your mom was a literal MISTRESS, she fucked your dad and dated him fully knowing that he was a married man, and you still have the nerve to worship her to kingdom come??? Why do you despise Choi Yoojin but not your own dad?? Your own fucking dad was the one who cheated on his wife with another woman, and ended up having a kid with that woman through an illicit affair, oh right, YOU are that kid, and YOUR MOM was the mistress. For fuck’s sake I’m sick of her acting all high and mighty, believing her mom deserved everything in the world including her dad and getting batshit crazy over her dad’s legal wife (Choi Yoojin) despising her husband’s mistress. Like, no. Instead of Choi Yoojin, go hate on your dad. Your dad’s a fucking asshole and deserve to die. Get the fuck outta here.

The writers made Jeha and Anna the protagonists, and Choi Yoojin the villain. But no. With how poorly and horribly written this shitshow of a kdrama was, Choi Yoojin became the sole protagonist. Her story touched me in the ways Anna ‘s can’t ever possibly compare. The writers failed so horribly they made me DESPISE Anna instead. I repeat, Anna has no single likeable trait: she’s full of rage and contempt, her entire existence she wasted on despising Choi Yoojin and trying to get revenge on her, and being the stupidest little shit on the planet.

Weirdest romance ever between Anna and Jeha, absolutely zero buildup, zero chemistry, zero feelings. It makes zero sense. I cringe at every second of their romance on screen. It personally hurt my eyes and my brain. I feel like I lost 30% of my intelligence seeing them with each other. Laziest fucking writing ever.

Choi Yoojin’s husband. Idk that son of a bitch’s name. He’s a fucking disgusting human being. As i stated before, a lecher, an old pervert, a disgusting piece of shit who tricked Yoojin into marrying him just so he could take her money to become a politician, only to end up cheating on her left and right sticking his dick in anything that moves. Also, that piece of shit had a kid with his mistress, and proceeded to mock his wife’s apparent infertility. But no, the writers are trying to make us sympathise with him only because it seems like he loves his poor little daughter Anna very much. Yeah, no, fuck that, he and Anna can both get the fuck out and die.

The dialogues in this drama are fucking boring and take AGES to finish with barely any substance on it. Fight scenes are corny as hell — definitely made very very VERY long and dramatic, overcompensating for the lack of plot. The characters make very questionable choices, and it’s soooooo unrealistic like come the fuck on. Cba to list all of them but believe me when I say it’s fucking horrible.

Choi Yoojin died in this drama, I saw the comments even tho i dropped this drama before i could get to that scene. Fuck that shit right? How is she the villain when Anna is disgusting enough to be one?

In other words, fuck this drama. Fuck Yoojin’s husband in particular, worst character. Fuck Anna for being a gross bitch. Fuck Anna’s mom for being an entitled bitch even tho she’s just a fucking mistress lmao. Fuck the general public for worshipping Anna’s ass for practically.......NOTHING. Idk maybe fuck Jeha too for having a humongous saviour complex which makes him only able to get attracted to women who need him, women who must be protected at all costs. Choi Yoojin is the only character that matters, and the writers killed her off. Fuck that. Choi Yoojin supremacy.

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It’s a bad sign when I’m laughing at the wrong things, like the leading lady running duck-footed in her nightie through the streets of Barcelona demented Wee Willie Winkie-style, past a score of oblivious Spaniards. And WHERE do they find all of those non-Korean actors? Is there a special bad acting school for foreigners that rents actors out for free? Ji Chang Wook’s character is a shade too similar to his role in the Healer to make me think that I’m watching something new and interesting. I might continue to watch if there were a chance that Mr. Healer 2.0 character and Evil Witch might end up falling for each other, which would at least be fun to see. But I assume that he and Wee Willie Winkie are destined for each other. My primary beef with most Korean dramas is that the romance is too conventional and predictable and I’m afraid that this drama will follow the same trajectory. I wonder whether better actors could have redeemed the show. But then I remember inane scenes such as Dancing With Ramen and realize that there is no excuse for this drama.

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I can not believe I watched like six whole episodes of this show. What could possibly happen in the next 10??? I'm sorry but Yoona is so miscast it's not even funny. It's kind of sad, like another actress in her role probably would've made her character a lot more compelling and interesting to watch and root for. Go Anna is a character who rarely speaks and we as the viewers are expected to pick up things about her and her personality through her movements, actions, and facial expressions but Yoona unfortunately isn't giving any of that so I really don't know what to make of Anna as a characters shes just. really flat and boring. Also Ji Changwook and Yoona really don't have any chemistry and Ji Changwook did try his best but I wasn't a big fan of his character. Both leads felt like shells of human beings rather than actual living people, and I know they were both traumatized but the writing behind their characters was so lifeless. There was also more chemistry between the female antagonist and Ji Changwook than Ji Changwook and Yoona. Which that being said, I did really enjoy the villain, but that's about it.

I do have to give this drama credit for giving me the funniest kdrama scene Ive ever seen. Nothing will ever beat Yoona dancing around with a pack of ramen and Ji Changwook trying his best to act like hes into it like HUH??? WHAT WAS THAT SCENE? It was hilarious though she really gave us nothing.

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I really was looking forward to this drama, but I got bored of it. The story line was just not cutting it for me, but personally the acting wasn’t good for me either. I know Yoona is well beloved, but her acting made me not want to watch the show anymore and the plot got boring. I just didn’t enjoy it. In the beginning it was really interesting, but as I kept watching it just wasn’t living up to what I was expecting. I only watched the drama because of Ji Chang Wook, and I’m sad that I did not like this drama. I could just not sit through anymore episodes to finish it.

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Beautiful music and action sequences.

Action packed. The fight sequences are so solid and breath taking. They are long but still I invest in them because it's truly some beautiful fight choreography. Song Yoon Ah in my humble opinion outshines all of the actors— not because they’re not amazing themselves but she’s incredible. The emotions that she is able to portray on screen are complex and feel real. I plan on watching everything that she’s in. The music is quality and I find myself listening to the The Witch and The Girl while studying or playing games. If you enjoy intense action, knight in shining armor like protag, relatable antagonist, and complex relationships then this drama is worth checking out.

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Great action. Disappointing romance. Disappointing editing and story

I watched this show because I just finished healer and I wanted to watch Ji Chang-wook in another action romance. But I was disappointed with the show because the story was not told well.The motivations of ja he was not convincing or made much sense. The relationship between ja he and Anna didn't make sense. Why did they fall for each other. Anna is a traumatized girl who has lived in isolation for most of her life. She was child like and mentally unstable. I could understand having a protective feeling toward her, but to fall in love, I don't agree.I thought there was a stronger pull between ja he and yoo jinThe best character was yoo jin. The action scenes are great. The acting of ja he and yoo jin was good as well as others. The acting was good but the story was choppy. Plus to many actors laughed too much for no reason. The music tried to be too dramatic.I couldn't finish it

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I did not like this story, I like k-dramas cos you can see the main characters fall in love with each other while they are getting to know each other, but here he falls in love with her cos she dances to ramen? really??
His background story is really good, although muslim woman don't take their hijab to kiss a guy, it would have been more realistic if at least she only unveiled her mouth... anyways, his story and his acting is really good.
Her background story is sooo plain and boring, and her acting sucks. Btw when and how did she learn to cook? and how does she know about ramen? is not a common meal in Spain, where she supposedly lived locked up in a convent...
The stepmother is a bitch at the same time you are suppose to relate to her... how can you? she is the main bitch! not a good story line there either.
So disappointed with this drama, all the actions parts are really good, but the whole plot has mayor issues, he is defending someone that kidnapped a girl, at the same time he is trying to kill the person who murder his girlfriend, it's never really clear who's the good and the bad guy...
Don't recommend it at all.

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This drama is honestly so so good. I dig these kind of action dramas so I might be quite biased, but I read through the other reviews before posting mines so I think this is pretty accurate.

Story- 8/10 This drama started off so good and promising. I was hooked and the story was so good. This drama is a mix between romance, politics and revenge. Although I do have to admit, they didn't blend well together. It felt like there were 3 different settings in the same story. It didn't blend as well as the genres in DOTS blended. Anyways, as the drama started to progress around ep 12 or so I felt like the story was getting repetitive, none of my questions were answered and K2 was just a confusing mess at certain times. I completely agree with one of the reviews in the episode aspect---- after I finished an episode I would only find one thing that was new... the rest of the hour and 15 mins was .... idk... during the episode though I'm hooked and like oh yea!! This is so good but afterwards nothing really happened if I reflected on it lol. Nonetheless it's a pretty good story and well written. Not the strongest part of K2 though. Also, the ending for the villains were not good enough... I was not satisfied. After all that they did that's all they get???????? Korean dramas really need to step up their ending game. I know I say this in every review but oh my goodness I have yet to watch a kdramas w a satisfying ending.

Acting/cast: 10/10 THE REASON I FINISHED K2 is the cast! The cast is quite strong besides Yoona, I expected her to act badly but I was surprised. Her acting as Anna is very good compared to her previous performances---- she has improved a lot and fits the role well. But ofc compared to the excellent actresses she's quite average. Nothing special. I am an sone btw. Anyways, Chang wook was amazing as always. Ok and now *drumroll please* SONG YOON AH. Oh. My. Gosh. She is the best Korean actress I've ever watched! Usually, Korean actresses have a tendency to act in similar ways to each other but she acted in her own way and her portrayal as Choi yoo Jin was excellent. Also, for her age she's STUNNING. She's a beauty and a rare talent. Love her. Sung Won was awesome at acting too. Loved his portrayal. His smirks made me want to kick him off the face of this planet.

Music: 10/10 search up K2 ost on YouTube. Enjoy. You're welcome.

Rewatch: 3/10 I don't rewatch dramas I just finished.

Overall: 9/10 I recommend. Great great great acting!

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One of the most underrated Kdramas

I went into the show expecting mediocrity because of all the reviews (and maybe because of that) I was pleasantly surprised by the story, acting and pacing. I actually loved the show. It's a political drama. Anyone who doesn't like the genre will not appreciate this drama to its full capacity.

The characters are its strength for sure. They were very complex and well-defined and best part, gray. Although there were flaws (which is expected hence the 9/10) but they weren't big enough to ruin the show for me.

Unlike a lot of people here, I actually liked the main couple as well as the working partnerhip of the villain/hero.

The perfect show if you're interested to watch something different, with a little bit of romance, alot of action and politics and scheming. It also has a little more of global exposure than the regular kdramas. You'll see other countries/international events being mentioned.

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I write this review after I have watched it more than half a year ago.
It is a political drama and I watched it when I still was rather new in the Kdrama world. Sometimes I had to rewind to read the subs again and to understand all intrigues and get a better hold of the plot.

I expected more of the romance. Apart from some sweet scenes, this was inferior to the relationship between Kim Je Ha (Ji Chang Wook) and Choi Yoo Jin (Song Yoon Ah). Hate, love, respect.
Song Yun Ah is a great actress in this Kdrama. I have to check out other dramas in which she is acting.
And JCW is just always cute and I like his action scenes. But in general good performance in this drama.

Before having registered at MDL, I had my own grading system. These are the grades which I applied and which have contributed to the overall score I gave to this drama.
acting M: 9
acting F: 7
couple match: 7
romance: 8
emotions: 8.5
story line: 9
supporting cast: +++
watch back: yes
As an average I would give an 8, but because of the amazing performance of Song Yoon Ah, I add one point.

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The K2 no me enganchó en ningún momento a lo largo de todo su primer episodio, ni siquiera a merced del segundo, y a esas alturas hasta pensé en la idea de pausar su visionado, pero me contuve por tres motivos: Ese “Yo no la maté” que escupe Anna en las calles de Barcelona me dió un escalofrío extraño y encendió un poquito mi curiosidad por sus primeros años, y lo vívido por Je Ha en Irak también tuvo su pega; pero fue el peculiar vínculo entre la empresaria Choi Yoo Jin y el político Jang Se Joon lo que me obligó a quedarme pegada en ese inicio tan accidentado. Pero el click definitivo llegó con el final del segundo episodio, ahí donde Je Ha le demuestra a Yoo Jin de qué tamaño es el rencor que guarda en su cabeza; que él ya no está para lealtades a banderas ni medallas en el pecho.

Choi Yoo Jin es una diosa, y de las grandes. De esas deidades temidas a las que hay que venerar y rendirle devoción cuando pasen a tu lado porque, si tienen ganas, te matan con la mirada sin pensarlo dos veces. Ella es la protagonista de la serie. Si ese era el objetivo o no de sus creadores eso ya es totalmente discutible, pero ella se roba cada escena con una grosería innegable y lo hace porque su trasfondo es más profundo y sus intenciones más explícitas. No olvidemos que es la esposa de un político. De perfil bajo y humilde pasado, pero con una personalidad que se intuye honesta, servicial y honrada. No deja de ser una fachada, claro está. Una actitud acartonada, previamente creada por el partido, para convertirlos a los dos (a él y a ella) en una pareja mesiánica que le haga ganar escaños en la Asamblea mientras dirigen el país con la mano izquierda. Porque si lo pensamos bien, Yoo Jin es el eje central de toda la historia; el punto único donde todos convergen, incluyendo a su propio esposo, que sólo es un títere puesto en escena para aparentar; para imaginar que todo está bien en ese tablero resquebrajado desde los cimientos.

Ella incluso se mantiene firme allí donde Park Kwan Soo se muestra tonto y cobarde. Con una flojera jodida y pastosa. Con una niñeria absurda que no cuadra con su edad. Él está solo en su camino a la presidencia (como si su Reina jamás hubiera existido), mientras Choi y Jang se juegan la cordura y el poco amor que les queda en la memoria para saciar una ambición que parece jamás mermar. Y no voy a esconder el hecho de que Jang Se Joon le faltó fuerza, pero por lo menos levantó la mirada y se contuvo íntegro donde su contrincante falló una y otra vez. Sin embargo es Choi Yoo Jin la que lo convirtió en el hombre que dice ser (para bien o para mal); a pesar de que él la usó para catapultarse en los cubículos de la política y se aprovechó del amor que le tenía para rodearse de gente poderosa y cínica. No deja de ser una estrategia estúpida; impulsada por una sed irracional de llenar su vacío existencial con eso, con algo tan mundano como el dinero y la posición social. Se Joon lo abandonó todo por un nivel profesional al cual al aspirar y la tristeza que un momento dado pudo haber sentido poco a poco la fue convirtiendo en ansias vagas; en realidades alternas donde pudiera ser alguien independiente; un hombre poderoso sentado en la cima de todos. Aunque sólo fuera para aparentar.

Sung Won es un niñato. Un malcriado, mimado y engreído muchachito que tuvo todo a sus pies y se la pasa bomba picándole las costillas a su media hermana sólo para divertirse un rato. Así fue como llegó a la presidencia del Grupo JB mientras que ella tuvo que dejarse las lágrimas en el camino para sentarse en su trono de cristal. Para ganarse a pulso y puesto lo que le tocaba por derecho. Aunque Sung Won se las da de intelectual, su astucia y temperamento no le rozan ni los talones a Yoo Jin y la templanza que recubre su rostro pétreo.

Escupamos la sinceridad que se resbalaba por la pantalla desde el primer episodio: Choi Yoo Jin estaba muy enamorada de Kim Je Ha. Pero muchísimo, oye. A un grado nauseabundo y enfermo, y sin embargo, sincero. Ella lo sabe, él lo sabe y nosotros lo sabemos. Por ellos dos me quedé pegada a la pantalla 16 episodios enteros. Por ellos estuve al filo de la ansiedad y por ellos me dolió cuando el drama llegó al final. Porque su vínculo fue muy extraño, pero genuino, y me atrevería a decir que incluso leal. Los dos tenían heridas profundas con cicatrices en la mirada, pero de diferentes orígenes y por circunstancias opuestas, y sin embargo fueron capaces de alcanzar un grado de comprensión que se transparentaba en un gesto, en un acto, en una frase. En el mismo nombre pronunciado con suma ternura por ella cuando le suplica que regrese con vida aunque él no sea capaz de matar a su acérrimo enemigo en aquella emboscada en la casa de seguridad. No guardaba Yoo Jin únicamente un amor maternal hacia Je Ha. Era un amor carnal; una tensión sexual que se respiraba hasta en su caminar. En esa sonrisa que le dedica justo antes de que las puertas del elevador se cierren frente a los dos. En esos momentos en los que ella era totalmente transparente. O cuando él intuye que algo anda mal en la reunión privada donde activó la alarma contra incendios y portó un paraguas para evitar que la golpeara la lluvia artificial (que suficiente tenía ya con los misiles que su familia le acaba de obsequiar) o justo después, cuando él le corrige la postura antes de salir y enfrentarse a la mierda de realidad que le espera en la superficie. Y lo curioso fue que éste no era un amor recíproco. Je Ha ya estaba muy perdido por Anna, pero guardaba hacia Yoo Jin un respeto por su persona que ella encontraba extrañamente agradable.

Porque a pesar de las decepciones que se le percibían en sus gestos todavía era un soldado recto. Un soldado verdadero. Pero el vínculo tan peculiar entre Choi Yoo Jin y Jang Se Joon fue más denso que el de ella y su guardaespalda. La tensión entre ambos nunca estuvo ahí y sin embargo era fácil percibir todas esas capas de experiencias amargas acumuladas en sus hombros. Ese cansancio perpetuo de aparentar ser la pareja perfecta frente un pueblo que se inclinaba ante su presencia. El autosacrificio de él en Cloud 9 fue la más grande y honesta prueba de amor que alguna vez le pudo ofrecer en toda su existencia. Fue también un acto de redención y disculpa por haberla tratado tan pésimamente mal y regodearse de ello en su cara (he hecho, era lo único que podía hacer; por todo lo demás estuvo atado de manos). Y no, no quiero justificar su actitud, ni señalar a ninguno. Los dos son unos enfermos de poder que prefirieron la muerte a renunciar a él. Su distorsión de la realidad, y la imagen que tienen de ellos mismos no dejan de resultar irónicas y deplorables. En ambos esa distorsión bizarra entre el odio y el amor se mezcló como una fórmula amarga que los acompañó en esa conmovedora despedida antes de refundirse en el infierno. Porque muy en el fondo sabían que se lo merecían.

Go Anna y Kim Je Ha son LA PAREJA de la serie ¿va? Se complementan. Están ahí para apoyarse en sus fallos y sus traumas. Ella por no haber visto tanto y él por haber visto demasiado. Ambos intentan encontrar su lugar en el mundo y se dejan el alma en ello, y la verdad es que se merecen el final bonito que tuvieron nada más porque ya se las habían visto muy negras en la vida como para aparte joderles más la existencia matando a uno de los dos. Ahora, creo que vale la pena señalar algo que se nota desde un comienzo y algunos parecen pasar por alto: The K2 no es un drama romántico; jamás se mueve por el ámbito sentimental sino por el de acción y política, así tal cual. Por eso se entiende que ésta pareja no sea la piedra angular de todo, sino un complemento. A pesar de que su felicidad sí fue una prioridad final, no deja de ser un recurso argumental. La fuerza de la historia recayó en los actores más veteranos y el trasfondo de éstos fue mucho más diverso y concienzudo que el de Anna y Je Ha. Y me alegro de ello, maldita sea. Aun así, su química fue adecuada y las escenas que compartieron juntos me parecieron de una ternura y una honestidad inmensas, lo cual nunca me cansaré de ver, a pesar de que creí que me costaría horrores alejarme de la imagen mental que tenía de Healer y sus personajes tan adorables. Sin embargo, admito que Anna jamás la sentí como protagonista, y eso fue en parte porque su personaje tardó mucho (muchísimo) en despegar, y cuando lo hizo siguió siendo muy tiesa, robótica y sumisa. No creo que el problema sea de Yoona, la chica que la interpreta, sino más bien de sus creadores. Anna, al igual que su padre, sólo fueron títeres de los hermanos Choi, que eran muy superiores a ellos respecto a astucia y posición. Y eso es algo que se entrevé desde un comienzo. Me hubiera gustado que brillara más por iniciativa propia, que no fuera únicamente una princesa en apuros esperando al caballero que la salvara de la bruja malvada y la sacara de ese castillo infernal en el que vivía recluida. Pudieron hacerla más valiente, menos traumatizada por las experiencias pasadas, aunque su actitud introvertida, junto con su fobia, concuerdan con su truculento pasado y la imagen de su madre muerta por sobredosis de somníferos y alcohol. Es Je Ha quien la saca de su prisión mental para recalcarle (y enseñarse a sí mismo) que se puede ser feliz en medio de ese calvario miserable. Fue una ayuda mutua y pausada que me pareció una delicia de ver.

El OST me ha parecido soberbio como pocos y posiblemente uno de los puntos más fuertes de la serie. Guarda la esencia y el equilibro perfecto entre lo clásico y la acción logrando así compenetrarse de manera estupenda entre cada escena con una fuerza descomunal para convertirse con facilidad en un protagonista más.

Jamás me quedó muy clara cuál era la relación personal entre la empresaria Choi y la jefa Kim pero oye, yo las shippeo desde el primer episodio. Me hubiera gustado que se profundizara más en su relación. En cómo ella llegó a ser su mano derecha. Ya sabemos que Yoo Jin nunca tuvo a muchas personas en su círculo cercano y las poquitas que estuvieron a su lado fueron miembros del selecto grupo de Cloud 9, así que su relación me pareció muy peculiar y extraordinaria.

Song Yoon Ah es mi líder espiritual. Así tal cual.

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