The K2 (2016)

K2 is an ambitious independent drama. It started out with the introduction of a highly skilled mercenary ex-soldier, who looked like K-dramaworld's answer to Bond and Bourne. The drama then adapted the K-drama formula of melodrama, filler, flashback, love triangle and crying.

Story:
K2 is a mixed bag of espionage, political intrigue, romance, dysfunctional family and corruption in high circles.

Acting Cast 7,5
Chang Ji Wook and Song Yoon-A were exceptional in their roles.

Character assessment;
 K2 moved like lightning. He should be the executive trainer of NIS.
Choi Yoo Jin had excessive mood swings. She was bi-polar, psychotic, duplicitous, ruthless, manipulative, delusional. She should be the dictator of a country.
An Na;  bland! She should open a ramen shop.
Se Joon was a philanderer, dead beat father, sycophant. He should go on the talk show circuit.
Gwan Soo was the corrupt politician and K2's target. He should be attached to a bomb device.

Music: 7
The music kept the drama alive.

Rewatch value:  5
Some day!

Overall 6.5
The most annoying aspect of the production was the ridiculous abuse of Shaky Camera. The jerky movements caused the brain to readjust and lose concentration (especially when the international viewers were reading subtitles). This lowered the quality of the project, because it seemed as if amateurs were behind the camera, and in charge of the production.

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I'm kind of slightly disappointed. :/

In any case, It was great seeing Ji Chang Wook on my screen again after so many years... Lol~ Jk! I thought this drama would be badass and it was in the beginning. I don't know WTF happened later on. Most dramas are usually like that, they start out so damn good but then you don't know what happen. -__-

I did enjoy the story a bit tho. There were like multiple antagonists, or would it be better to say protagonists, antagonists and a tritagonist. I love Ji Chang Wook's character Jae Ha. He was so fearless and I guess a bit reckless too but I loved that about him. He had such a presence that if you saw him, you'd definitely think that he's that one man you should not mess with without facing some serious shit. I hated the change in his character later on but whatevs... He still kicked butt.
Yoona's character, An Na, she played her well. I just wasn't really fond of her character. She literally seemed like a pawn being thrown around and used by everyone. Lmao xD
The character who stole the spotlight was Choi Yoo Jin, played by Song Yoon Ah. Such an amazing actress. OMFG! This woman was savage AF! I didn't hate her and that's probably because I didn't view her as the villain. There were times where I wanted to smack her but when I thought about it, she seemed like a pitiful person when you know her entire story. Could you blame her? She used everything to her advantage and as a woman, seeing her character, I enjoyed it very much because she had men on their knees begging for their filthy lives and doing her bidding. Lmao xD I loved that! >:D It was fun watching her and the other guys go back and forth with each other. Haha~
I didn't care much for the "romance", even tho there were some cute moments and I didn't mind it at all with oppa being all adorably cute, but I was all for the action. :D
There were a lot more actors and they did an excellent job. ^^
Wasn't really fond of the music. :/ Nothing that made me want to sing along, or download or gave me any feels.

I truly look forward to Ji Chang oppa's next project. I heard that he would be doing any more action dramas, I dunno if it's indefinitely or only temporarily. Either way, it would be nice to see him do other roles. Be in a romance drama or something... ^^

I recommend if you're a huge fan of Ji Chang Wook and or YoonA, if you love action and if you like some angst between family, politicians... etc! I'd rewatch, but only to see Ji Chang Wook kick ass and Song Yoon Ah being a boss b*tch! Lmao xP

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Song Yoon Ah (Choi Yoo Jin) was the only reason why I finished watching this drama. She had one of the best female character roles especially as an antagonist. The overall show went downhill midway though and the only reason why I finished it was because of her again. The show had soo much potential but was ruined again by including unnecessary romance. I personally think Anna's character should have stayed as a minor role because it just got plain annoying seeing her character. I know many people mentioned the same thing as well and it is honestly such a shame because this show had soo much potential to be even better. The bright side is I discovered Song Yoon Ah's masterpiece acting! She is awesome!!

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K2 is a revenge drama and I mean everyone is out for revenge...everyone. It has action, romance and secrets that would make you think it is awesome, but there is something missing. I'm not really sure what that something is, but I think part of the problem was the boring politics and the constant switching of sides. Plus, I don't know if all the extra characters were necessary. The upside is the characters are written with flaws and darkness. You are just waiting to see who is going to literally blow up the other first. LOL The best thing is the ending as everyone seems to get what they deserve.

Ji Chang Wook is good at playing action roles and doesn't fail as Kim Je Ha. He has a way of pulling you in to a character regardless of the story line. I was fully invested in his happiness. I like Yoona, but I didn't feel for Anna like I thought I would. I'm not sure if that was her acting or the writing. I was more worried for her through Je Ha's character. Song Yoon Ah as Choi Yoo Jin stole the show. I seriously didn't know if I loved her, pitied her or just hated her. She and Jo Sung Ha as Jang Se Joon are just excellent veteran actors.

The music is fine.

I won't rewatch this.

If you like revenge dramas, then this one is for you.

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Fantastic female antagonist

The reason you should give this a watch is for an outstanding female antagonist unlike anyone you have ever seen before. Song Yoon Ah who played Choi Yoo Jin is truly remarkable and her character has so much depth that she deservedly outshines everyone in this drama and beyond. I couldn't help but empathize with her throughout the story due to her emotive acting and was constantly rooting for her even though she was the main antagonist.

Things I liked:
- Best female antagonist (unbelievably, she wasn't even nominated for Best Actress at Baeksang Art Awards)
- Fast paced screenplay
- Good action choreography (over the top but enjoyable)

Things I didn't like:
- Few implausible events in the plot

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Well-watched action-packed drama. As an ordinary viewer, I have some pros and cons about The K2.

Pros
Overall plot is well-developed. In each episodes you will understand why things happen the way they are. You just have to pay attention to details in order to appreciate it more.
Clap-clap-clap for the writers and directors. They give me a really hard time figuring out who is the real antagonist. When I find myself hating Choi Yoo Jin then I will find myself hating more Park Kwan Soo and feeling sympathetic towards Madam Choi instead. When I find myself liking Chairman Choi but I ended up hating him most. You will also hate Assemblyman Jang but you will realize what kind of father he is. This drama is a push and pull of emotions.

Thumbs-up to Choi Yoo Jin’s character. IMO, she’s the one who shines most among all the characters. You’ll get confuse if you’ll hate her or understand her. But in the end, you will want to embrace her for she is just a girl wanting to be love by people around her. Assemblyman Jang, what a horrible father and politician he is - that’s my first impression. But then, give him chance to prove himself in this drama. Chairman Choi and Assemblyman Park, beware - don’t be tricked by these two.
Anna/Kim Yuna, I’m actually expecting a lot from her and she didn’t disappoint me. She’s good but not at her best.
Kim Je Ha/Ji Chang Wook, you never fail to surprise me. You’re really at your best when it comes to fighting and acting. Je Ha and Anna do have chemistry and I like them both but I don’t ship with them.
By the way, get ready to see the hotness of Ji Chang Wook. I think, he puts extra effort to build his body more for this drama.

Cons
There’s only one thing I hate about this drama. Why writers and directors? As in why did you make Kim Je Ha a superman? Not literally but IMHO, no normal person can fight alone a load of enemies if he is badly injured and ill.
Even if it is because of his adrenalin rush, I still couldn’t see it realistic. I almost want to skip that scene but thankfully I’m not a kind of viewer who will skip an episode because I don’t want to comment onto something I didn’t watch as a whole.

I’m not an action-drama fanatic. In all honesty, I gave this drama a chance because of Ji Chang Wook and it's worth it.

Should you want to go away for the meantime in your cliché romance-comedy drama, why not give this drama a chance? I can’t say that it’s a breath of fresh air but expect something rational enough.

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If you are looking for an action drama that has little thing to do with the story, you might like this. However, I think the drama is a disservice to Ji Chang Wook's talent. I have liked him since he played as a king in Empress Ki and he proves himself to be an excellent and talented actor. I watched the first 5 episodes merely because of him, but I decided to drop it because I feel like the writer and the director paid too much attention to the action and less to the characters. Also, personally I don't like Yoona's acting. I think she'd better focus on singing. This is the first time I saw her in a drama, so I can't compare her performance in this drama with her acting in other dramas. The plot is everywhere, the romance seems awkwardly written, no chemistry between the main couple. I feel bad for Wookie. I hope he gets better offers in the future. Please pick a better project next time, Ji Chang Wook.

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I have never been excited in my kdrama watching the way I had with K2! This drama has great potential and started with an awesome non-stop-action-packed-adrenaline-rush scenes that makes you wonder you are watching a hollywood action movie! But towards the middle when the romance has started and the loose writing is already noticeable, my interest and excitement meter also started to fall down! But it did not stop me from watching further --- only because of my being a huge fan of JIChangWook! Coupled with that , I had decided to lower my expectations so as not to be frustrated further in the end. To my surprised, the ending is not that bad and the writernim has just penned one of the most redeeming and heroic ending scene in kdramaland.

Story 8/10

What i like?
- The redeeming heroic and sacrificial scenes of Yoojin and Assembyman Jang! This actually wrapped up neatly the somehow loose story of K2.
- the non-stop-adrenaline-rush action scenes especially of JCW!

What I do not like?
- the loose writing, I am actually waiting on the "revenge" plot of Jeha but to my surprised that becames so lame! I dont even know what is Jeha upto? The story turned out to be a bodyguard protecting a damsel in distress plot which is far from its iniital premises!
- writernim introducing various and new plots almost every episodes that makes it more obvious that there is no solid plot line!
- rushed, overly acted, cheesy romance (although I know romance is needed, but I hope they did not spend so much time sacrificing the most important character dvelopment and story plot)

Acting/Cast 9/10

What I like?
- JCW as Jeha as I have said JCW just breathe in a new life to the awesome and beautiful character of Jeha. His looks aura and charisma just add up to the total Jeha character! His acting as a soldier, mercenary, a laborer, a bodyguard are just beautifully executed and acted! Jeha is JCW and JCW is Jeha! He owns the character! Although, at some point the character may seems flat, but I guess it is not JCW's fault, it is more of the writing. I must say the character was underdeveloped until the drama ends! Just the same, because of JCW's acting prowess, he just perfectly executed enough to satisfy us until the finale.
- SYA as Yoojin, the QUEEN OF DRAMA! She is the ultimate heroine/villainess rolled in one! She is brilliant, smart and intelligent! As Yoojin, she is evil but also a victim! She can make everyone her pawn. She can kill a person just by lifting her fingers. But she never felt loved eversince even by her father! Yes, people around her are loyal to her but only to a certain extent! She is a person in need of love and affection! But she also need to be punished for her wrong doings which are a lot. The writer neatly give the punishmen she deserves at the end which is satisfying, redeeming and heroic!

Others support also did their job well! All the actors and characters lived up to the expectations in terms of acting.


Music ( 8/10) - the OST's are just adequate to make the emotions more moving. I dont like though the chanting background music.


Rewatch Value (7/10) - if there are scenes I would like to rewatch it would all be the scenes with SYA and JCW! Man, they are explosive, romantic or not, they are just palpable!

Overall, even if this show has numerous flaws, I would still want to recommend this to fans who loves action and JCW!!!

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I was really hesitant to watch The K2 at first, because of a certain... someone. But NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING in this world could stop my love for Ji Chang Wook :'). However, I'm glad i watched it. It was a decent thriller and action. (cheesy romance though, sorry guys). It had one of the greatest endings for an action drama in my opinion. I ended up watching this drama mainly to see who's gonna win the political fight, and who's gonna outsmart who. It was very enjoyable.

Overall,it was a good run. No boring episodes. Good action scenes, and the cast did a great job. I ignored a lot of details that's why I found it good.

PS. Don't compare it to Healer too much. (as healer is perfection)
PS.2. Choi yoo jin is now literally my favorite "evil?" character. I didn't actually view her as evil, so I'm not sure what to call her. She was THE BOSS!! Admirable "clap"!!
PS.3. Ji Chang Wook is love, Ji Chang Wook is life.

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This drama is simply unique. Many may feel that it is just another drama, but some will see deeper through it. Frankly, the plot seems a little typical and maybe uninteresting at the beginning, however, the interaction between the charterers carries an unspeakable mystery, and engages you with the story. If you want to watch a drama for meaning, and silent and impressive mutual understanding between characters, then this is the drama for you. I want to tell you who the two characters that I'm specifically referring to are, but I will leave that for you to discover. Trust me, their relationship will last with you for long as very few dramas have such charterer interaction.

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My relationship with this drama spiraled completely out of control towards the ending. For most of the drama, I wasn't that interested, I watched it over a couple of months. But now, I've just finished this and I’m a little shattered.

This show is called K2 for a reason. It’s all about Ji Chang Wook’s role and everyone else is sort of useless. It really shows in Episode 13 when Ji Chang Wook is working hard and using his brains and the politicians are shaking hands and his girlfriend is lying in bed watching TV, and the secret agents are peeling beans in the kitchen.
The drama takes a while to get interesting. It’s a gentle and subtle sort of story but it stays with you and the big moments are big moments. I like the sort of strange premise of bad guys getting beaten by other bad guys and then taken care of by the good guys.
It’s really interesting to see how Je Ha can sympathise with Madame even while knowing how perfectly evil she is and how he can be nice to her while even knowing the full extent of her selfishness. And he hides his contempt well and he sees so clearly right through her.

Je Ha – male lead
I've only seen Ji Chang Wook in Healer. Je Ha has more confidence than Jung Hoo from Healer. I think Je Ha’s attitude was really great. He was always useful, always willing, yet always in control.

“He’s not a hunting dog. He’s a wolf.”

JCW’s character is both action and brains. You gotta love that. One of the skills of Koreans is getting into the heart of the matter. They really know how to hit a bad guy where it hurts.
I love how ruthless JCW is.
If Yoo Jin insults him with her petty ways he takes it up a level.
There’s nothing more satisfying than getting under the bad guy’s skin.

I'm not one for political thrillers. But this one reeled me right in. The characters are chilling.
I really loved Je Ha's snarky language, “your unsolicited concern” and “So all you people need to do is pray that I get through each and every day alive, no matter what” hahahah

He doesn’t let anyone step on him. And it’s interesting how verbal he is with getting what he wants. He’s not a “hit first talk later” kind of guy.

With his relationship with Yoo Jin, I think he also sees a bit of himself in her. The way she fights so hard and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty to survive.

Ji Chang Wook is so good at being badass and vulnerable in a heart beat. I like how Je Ha is confident of his own value.
He’s actually pretty tough in the romance and I liked that. He doesn’t give a lot when he doesn’t want to. He’s confident with the way he handles Anna.

Anna – female lead

Yoona kind of gets the short end of the stick. Her role is not very exciting at all. All she does is cry and scream and tremble. I think her appeal for Je Ha is that he has found a creature who is more forlorn and bizarre than him. I liked that he had compassion for her, that he was interested in her. It was cute.
She was kind of like his pet. Like a tamagochi. When she went all prickly it was satisfying to see her being won over by Je Ha’s chivalry. I wasn’t sure if I’d like the relationship between her and Je Ha but Ji Chang Wook has got so much chemistry, I shouldn’t have worried. Just a word from Je Ha, and Anna starts thinking of other people instead of just herself and it’s really nice how she applies her revelation straight away.
I really liked that he talked some sense into her. He called her a cry baby hahaha.
I really like that even though the mother was the victim, the drama didn’t sugar coat her personality and her flaws. Anna knew to remember her fully and not just as the perfect dead mother.
When Anna starts interacting with people, it’s actually really fun.
Anna’s character is pretty weak but she was pretty damn useful and quick in a fight.

There’s a surprising amount of equality in the relationship.

Yoo Jin
“I’ve never betrayed anyone who’s never betrayed me before.”

I like that Madame Yoo Jin is so seldom sincere that the people around her can’t even detect her vulnerable moments because they think she’s just up to something.

“She’s the type to not shed blood in public even when she’s been shot!”

I was worried about her being annoying, but I kind of rooted for her as well. I liked the way she was calculating and how if someone made her uncomfortable she would make them uncomfortable right back.
In a way, I thought it would be more fun if she was more cold, and we later got to see her break. But, I guess it’s alright that she has a lot of observable pain right from the start.

I really like the filming when Madam calls Je Ha “K2” before the mission. I loved how the drama showed that Madame cared about Je Ha.

“If you find yourself in a situation that’s too dangerous, it’s ok to come back.”

I like how the plot came down to the two siblings.

I also liked how Choi Yoo Jin’s scary relationship with her husband progressed.

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I watched K2 because Ji Chang Wook played the main character. Otherwise I probably would have never picked it up. In my opinion, anything with Ji Chang Wook becomes better than it would be without him.

But as for the drama as a whole?

It was a mixed bag.

Some things just didn't work. There were many plot inconsistencies and things revealed near the end (I just finished the last episode a few minutes ago...) that weren't explained enough or were kind of rushed. I feel like the whole story could have been fleshed out more. Also, you have to take a lot of what happens with a grain of salt. Dramaland is very strong in this drama. K2 should not have been capable of what he was capable of, especially near the end.

There are too many little inconsistencies and faults that I can't remember them all. I'd have to watch the show again and write them all down. I won't do that though. You'll just have to see for yourself.

By far, the first 5-6 episodes were the best out of the entire show. After that it went downhill most of the time with a few bumps here and there. I mean, it wasn't that bad, but nothing beats those first few episodes. They sucked me in immediately.

The characters were okay, but like I said before with the plot inconsistencies, they apply to the characters too. Near the end I really wasn't sure what some of these characters were about. Also, the relationship between the two leads never moved my heart. It felt misplaced. The transition needed to be done better.

There were a few cheesy moments here and there as well. The end was weird too. I felt like some of the reactions these people had to things were backwards and they need to get checked out by doctors.

The action scenes were fantastic! Though sometimes even those didn't make sense. A lot of the times guns weren't used when they were within reach and I'm pretty sure it was just a plot device to help out K2. But other than that the fighting was just breath-taking.

The music was amazing! I want to download the soundtrack as soon as possible.

Overall, it wasn't a bad show. If you are watching it for the same reason I did, Ji Chang Wook, you'll be pleased. If not, you might just want to concentrate on the action and music and not question what's going on. If you don't want to do either of those two things, at least check out the soundtrack and pass on the show. The soundtrack is at least worth listening to.

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