The K2 (2016)

A Decent Production Heavily Weighed Down by Its Script

This drama has a typical, good production that leads to high quality visuals and music, but unfortunately the show also leans heavily on its script, which is by far its weakest point. Taken together, I thought it was a decidedly average series.

Let's start with the good. This is Ji Chang Wook at everyone's favorite: he plays the suave, caring, handsome action lead that everyone loves him as since his capstone role as the titular character in Healer. The production team was definitely very aware of this fact and there was definitely fan service in the form of shirtless moments and shower scenes. The K2 also highlights what I think is Yoona's greatest strength: since I was a teenage boy, during the time when she first came out in Girls Generation, I've thought that she is one of the prettiest, if not one of the most beautiful girl-next-door-type celebrities. I think the show was also aware of this as they made her character, Anna become a literal runway model, who is always impeccably dressed even when in every day wear.

But unfortunately, visuals and fan service only get us so far. The script is a complete mess -- allies easily turn into enemies and enemies easily turn into allies in the blink of an eye. An epic revenge plot line could be setup as background for a particular character, only for that character to perform a 180 for dubious reasons. The plot is also too convoluted and shows that the showrunners didn't know exactly what they wanted this series to be, so they mixed everything together in an unsatisfying way: sometimes it's a sweet romance. Sometimes it's a thriller. Sometimes it's a Makjang-like revenge story. Sometimes it's an action series. Sometimes, it's trying to be an analogy to Snow White. It doesn't do any of this particularly well, so it just feels jarring and bad. The dialog does not fare much better. I remember one character trying to order another character's death and it went roughly like this: "kill him! And after he's dead, bring me his cell phone!" It's clear that most of the dramatic tension setup is only done to enable action scenes.

Regarding the fight sequences, I thought they were poorly done, due mostly to bad cinematography. A lot of the hand-to-hand brawls look and feel very fake as you see then punching at air at abnormal speeds. I don't know what it is, but I think is very characteristic of action scenes done for Kdramas. If you compare their cohorts, such as beloved Thai action movies, American Hollywood action movies, or even revered Korean movies like Old Boy, you'll find a much higher level of mastery at shooting action sequences. Since the K2 was so heavily focused on action, and in my opinion it was of low quality, this also knocked the show down several pegs in my rating.

I thought the acting was OK, but overshadowed by the poor script. I don't think Im Yoona as an actress is particularly skilled at portraying complex emotions, but at the same time, her character wasn't terribly complex. Anna was a stereotypical sheltered, innocent, and pretty girl. Many praise Song Yoon Ah for her acting, and I can definitely see the skill, but I found her character unlikeable and sometimes inconsistent. At the end of the day, I think the bad script overpowers anything that anyone else involved in the production could have countered.

The OST deserves a special shout out because "Love You" is the most kdrama-y kdrama power ballad I've ever heard. If you have ever seen the Family Guy episode that explores and makes fun of Korean pop culture, then you have seen the part where they call attention to how at the end of many Kdramas, they put on the chorus of some dramatic song. And Love You sounds EXACTLY like a stereotypical song. Don't get me wrong, it's great. It's just so...typical.

I only got through watching the K2 because I really like Yoona and I mostly enjoyed the show Yong Pal, which was penned by the same scriptwriter. But I can't say that this show was anything special. It might help you kill 16 hours of time, but I don't think it's anything to write home about. It is easily skipped in favor of better done action series like Healer or better Makjang/Thriller type stories.

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An innocent grill meets Dae Kay Teu in a forest

The K2 is a story that is gated by budget. It was simply ahead of its time. As a result, the action scenes and cuts suffered greatly. However, these can still be enjoyed in a comedic sense. In general, it was quite solid and enjoyable though.

Good Parts
The acting was quite solid from all the cast, minus some moments such as the mum throwing tantrums. Perhaps they didnt fully know what direction they were going with in the story when making that scene. Most of the side characters were fairly memorable. Not their names but like their general role in the story/world. I only know the main characters names, Anna and Kay Teu.

Music was lowkey kinda peak, with the lyrics being like actually plot heavy and epic. The ost and soundtrack fit really well in general. Some of them being really memorable and hype as well. Theres a song that sounds like they are just chanting Ah Shit. Ah Ah Ah Shit. Ah Ah. which is peak.

K2 had a suspenseful story that was really fun to follow. Although some parts were relatively predictable, there were definitely moments where my expectations were subverted. Very well written. All the budget went into this clearly.
Cuz the action scenes were abit shit

Problems
K2 has a lot of shots/quick cuts and disorienting moments. Sometimes I could get a little dizzy from watching some of those scenes. I imagine that in a perfect world, these cuts wouldnt exist. I really hope that it wasnt some really experienced editor or something like that cuz mfs should really not be editing shows like this in 2016.

Some scenes, there'd be like person A doing something, and then the next scene when we return to it, they'd be doing something else entirely, which is a bit weird once you notice it. And they definitely did it a lot. Probably just cut out a bunch of content from the final edits.

I dont think I could rewatch the entire show, maybe like 60% of it. A good chunk of it might give me a headache from the poor editing and the last few episodes may be kinda tilting to rewatch.

Overall, the ending was pretty fitting. Although some parts felt a bit contrived, it was still pretty solid and much better than I expected it to be. Some parts made alot of sense, some parts didnt, but cant have em all. Majority of the scenes acheive what they set out to do. Some action scenes dont really make sense or some moments in general are abit silly and kinda frustrating. But the show is still enjoyable and I reckon at least a 7.5 if not an 8. Quite enjoyable.

Really enjoyed the subway add right at the end for their happy ending.

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action politicle thriller with a lil bit romance

I really enjoyed this drama for the most part. There was a bit too much politics and scheming for my taste, but it fit the drama and genre perfectly since it's a political thriller with a romance undertone as others have said. I wished that the romance was developed better ....

Pros:

-Ji Chang Wook was perfect as always. The fight scenes were amazing. His warm, intelligent, and naughty eyes were also noted:) His physique was ofc also something to look forward to. I liked his character well (save some minor details)

-Choi Yoo jin (aka stepmom) was a very layered character, honestly probably the most interesting one as well but i just didn't like her at all. Nor did I ever sympathize with her. I understood her pain but that doesn't justify all the heartless things she did especially to an innocent child, aka Anna.

-The catholic Spain aesthetic was also AMAZING since it's rare to see smth like that in drama.

-Anna's cute side and the scenes she had with Jae Ha were also very sweet.

-The casting and acting were great. Everyone acted their character perfectly, if some character didn't stand out as much as others, then it's the writing but the actors really did an exceptional job.

-Jae ha's improving relationship with the guards (bc he deserved it since he is the best and he showed them many times just who's boss, You Go JCW!!)

-the ending! everyone got what they deserved and Jae ha and Anna were so sweet!

cons
- often I thought that the evil stepmom was kinda in love w Jae Ha which immediately made me disgusted for some reason.

-Jae Ha and Anna didn't spend enough time with each other or got to know each other so well to love each other -_-

-Anna's (weak) character, while I understand why she was like this (bc of her upbringing and trauma). I would have preferred if she was a stronger more intelligent person bc she felt more like a side character and a BIG DAMSEL IN DISTRESS. She always cried and trusted everyone way too easily. But I liked her and rooted for her from the start ofc

-The men's loud ass obnoxious laugh. Every time the father or Mr. Park or chairman Choi laughed that annoying af laugh, I had the urge to slap them I mean it was amusing but still showed how bad they are as human beings

-The freaking assistant, need I say more?

-I wanted to know what Jae Ha's freaking REAL NAME is, but they didn't even give up that -____-

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I am not a fan of thrillers and do not like to watch violence on screen as entertainment . Too much gore in this film for me and yet I was compelled to watch all of it because of Ji Chang Wook as K2 , knowing that it will come good at the end whatever the story twists and turns of which there are plenty .
As an action film , it is not as good as Healer ( also with Ji Chang Wook in the main role ) . There are fewer bits when you can relax a bit and the romance is not as good either although sweet and moving in parts.
But there are worse and if you are a fan of Ji Chang Wook as I am then it will not be a waste of time to watch the series.

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Ji Chang Wook shower fight scene...your welcome

I had mixed feelings about this drama before I even started it - I was excited to watch it because I LOVE Ji Chang Wook and wanted to see him in an "action" role BUT was also not super excited because my roommate had made it to episode 11 or 12 and completely dropped it. But I ultimately decided to watch it, knowing that I really wanted to watch it for Ji Chang and because over the past year my roommate and I's taste in dramas have totally shifted from one another and we look for different things.

Did I LOVE this drama...nah, but I really enjoy it. Really enjoyed it. I think my ONLY issue was that the plot seemed to be all over the place. It got super confusing, that I couldn't properly binge this drama, and was only able to digest 2 or 3 episodes a day, needing time to stop and think about what was going on before I moved on. I thought that maybe something was wrong with me and my ability to process this storyline.

The things I did love about this drama? Kim Je Ha's character. Which is where my roommate and I start to disagree. Normally, I am not a HUGE advocate of characters in any kind of story who is motivated by revenge, but wildly, I didn't mind Je Ha's character or his reasons. Normally, in these dramas or any story, we need some kind of major character development, so they make the person who is blinded by revenge extremely sloppy. But that wasn't the case, which I extremely appreciated. Je Ha was always on the top of his game and always put his morals before his revenge.

Yes...we get a little of that with Goh Anna, but it was a single slip up in one episode and you can't really blame someone who has been raised by nuns her whole life to have perfect social skills and know when someone is playing her.

Ultimately, it was that slip up that made my roommate drop this. Anna wasn't a stereotypical obvious "strong female lead" like Strong Woman Bong Son who my roommate and I gravitate more towards because of her "girl power" literally. But I believe Anna was strong emotionally vs physically. I think she knew she wasn't strong like Je Ha, or had power like her stepmother, but that didn't stop her from trying to live a normal life and try to reopen her mother's murder case. I think that is what attracted Je Ha to her - in this craziness of a drama, Anna was a breath of fresh air who has also been dragged through the dirt, but it didn't change who she was which was an emotionally strong and caring woman. I think it is endearing.

But I believe my favorite part was that even though they were motivated by revenge at one point or another, they fully embraced a new motivation when they met one another. There was never an issue about them deciding between love and revenge. They still fought for what they believed in, but they both always took the time to step back and reassess what was important and what was needed to be done in order to get that. They weren't one-sided like a lot of the characters who only knew one way of doing something, so they stuck with it even if it stopped working. But I must say, there was only a single time I teared up from this drama....and it was a moment between Anna's stepmother and her father...even though I hated both of their guts. Ultimately, this drama was about people's motivations and what lengths people are willing to go to get what they want or think they want. It was about the evilness in people and the story of how people either live with that evil or trying to fight it.

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decent show

decent show, some violence though
k2 was the first kdrama i watched and although i had some mixed opinions about it as i was watching it, i definitely felt like the show was worth watching.

the storyline is quite unique, along with the male lead and female lead’s lifestyle.

ALSO THEYRE LITERALLY SUCH A CUTE COUPLE like i love their romance because its so sweet.

ive probably watched the k2 about 4-5 times (im not too sure why tbh) but i still enjoyed it everytime for many reasons

im not too sure if i would recommend this show to everyone, feels like the kind of show some people would drop because the story gets a bit slow, but if your into the themes listed in the show, and you like watching kdramas, i would definitely recommend.

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Dramma spettacolare!

Uno di quei drama che non ti aspetti perché generalmente non è il genere che guardi ma che cattura l'attenzione e piace e pure tanto. Così con The K2 che è un dramma più che alto politico incentrato su tanta cattiveria e crudeltà ma che sorprende per la dolcezza della protagonista e il loro amore.
Tanta politica con tanti intrighi con cattivi di rilievo e un protagonista pazzesco che alla fine di fa amare da tutti.
La storia d'amore c'è ma alla fine è un po' meno importante della storia di base ma per fortuna è un drama con il giusto finale.
Merita la visione anche se un drama più datato.
Molto bello e il voto non è pieno solo per il modo dinamico di fare le riprese scelto,un po' movimentato,ma il dramma merita davvero.

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Choi yoojin made this drama!!

Choi yoojin I just can't put enough how phenomenal her acting was, whenever she was on screen I was hooked I wanted to watch more, a rare complex not black and white character. A strong woman with many flaws. This is the first time I love a villain even more than FL (I love yoona, I am actually a girls generation fan, but not her best drama ). Not gonna lie the score being this high isn't because of this being a masterpiece, no this is sometimes a hot mess, I skipped most of FL and ml scenes it just was forced and very clichéd. The chemistry between Choi yoojin and jeha was just something unexpected, they didn't have any romance together yet even without that they had more chemi than most couples in kdrama. I just want another drama with these two! I feel like I have been robbed, just give them a drama even with a slight romance. And yes that's why I gave it this score because you can't find a relationship like what jeha and Choi yoojin had in any other drama. Kdrama masters pls pls pls make it happen. One of the best scenes,

*****spoiler*****




Is the umbrella scene and how he told Choi yoojin to keep her head up, my heat fluttered. It's been so many years but this scene is living rent free in my mind

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Intrighi su intrighi su altri intrighi e poi...

Le cose che mi sono davvero piaciute sono solo due: la musica che ho amato fin da subito e che è finita nella mia playlist da palestra su spotify, e il protagonista. Reputo questo personaggio una delle migliori interpretazioni dell'attore. Per il resto la storia scende in picchiata dopo la prima metà della serie. Intrighi su intrighi su altri intrighi e alla fine non si capisce nulla. Personaggi come banderuole, vanno dove tira il vento. La protagonista è un'ameba, insulsa, piatta come un asse da stiro (non intendo fisicamente). All'inizio la storia mi aveva preso veramente tanto ma più andavo avanti più mi scendeva la voglia. Il motivo per cui poi il protagonista fa quel che fa perde totalmente di significato.
Boh.
Sicuramente i combattimenti mi sono piaciuti, anche se a volte sfiorano la realtà. Ho simpatizzato con la "cattiva", nonostante tutto il suo personaggio funziona bene. Per il resto, molta delusione.

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Another Disappointing Action Thriller

I really wanted to love this drama. This was my second action thriller (City Hunter was the first) and the first show I've watched with Ji Chang Wook (really enjoyed him first few episodes then his character becomes super annoying too).

I was really excited after watching the first 4 episodes. By the 7th episode everything became cliche and boring and the romance aspects started to kick in which I hated. (that was 10 months ago, I just came back to finish the series). At any rate, the main reason I continued to watch is for Song Yoon Ah. Brilliant and beautiful actress and she was a great villian, as believably sympathetic as she is ruthless. She carried the show. Makes me want to see everthing else she has played in.

Overall I would not recommend.

Can someone recommend a really good action thriller without a stupid romance element that inevitably gets the ML doing stupid shit and ruining the show? I really would like to see one.

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