The K2 Review

The K2 (2016)

Usually blockbusters are left for the summer and I tend to leave action dramas for the summer, but K2 had to be the exception. The K2 will have you on the edge of your seat, yelling at the screen, laughing with the characters, exercising your brain and your powers of deduction. This drama will have you experiment with every emotion in you -kind of like inside out! But with Ji Chang Wook -c’mon, it’s me here; I had to say that. At least this is how I felt. So, if you are looking for another difficult kdrama breakout -my last one was Descendants of the Sun- then look no further, The K2 is the one for you!

The K2 is the bodyguard code name for former soldier Kim Je Ha (Ji Chang Wook). After being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Je Ha fights to make sure no one bothers him anymore. But when he ends up saving the one he was planning to kill, he finds himself face to face with a trick by destiny, and innocent love.

First off, The K2 had a great and interesting story line. It was full of intense scenes and moments. Most of this moments were related to the action scenes and the villain characters, especially Choi Yoo Jin (Song Yoon A). Also, part of the great story line had to do with the multiple and complex conflicts. Each main character had its own conflict and all three were linked -more or less. I will applaud the way the conflicts go resolved in a short number of episodes -16 to be precise. This is to show how action packed the drama was, and how every episode was relevant to the story; no hour waste here! The writer did an amazing job at developing the characters. Not only Je Ha but also Yoo Jin and Go An Na (Yoona) had their depth and motivation behind them. Just as the writer, the director did an excellent job at presenting us with beautiful scenery and a well-prepared setting. Everything fit, made sense, and help the story move on while leaving the audience with iconic memories. At least I know that if I ever see Go An Na’s safe-house ever again in another drama, for me, it will always be her house.

Cinematographically speaking, the all-around design for The K2 was spectacular and well planned. Again, the element of “Mirror” was something that you -or I- would only see in big science fiction/ action films, not small cable dramas; at least not with the importance and the idea this element had behind it. The soundtrack accomplished its task of keeping us with the pace of the drama. Of course, we know and feel a good OST when you can’t get a song out of your head, and for me that song was “Today” by Kim Bo Hyung from SPICA. Without forgetting Yoona’s rendition of “Amacing Grace” which was, obviously, beautiful and tear jerking if I recall the scene when she is singing it. Another aspect of the drama that left me amazed was the action and fighting scenes. Let’s take a moment to appreciate the eye candy that THAT was! AMEN and blessings for the martial arts choreographer and to Ji Chang Wook! Those fight scenes were a work of art. Fortunately, not all the fight scenes were like the one in the elevator, so I am happy about that -man, that elevator scene was a good idea, but it did not look pretty on camera. On the other hand, the fight in the secret meeting with the sprinklers, the one after hanging the banner in the building, the one in the old couple’s house, the one in the dark inside the factory, between others, and specially the one in the JSS bathtub area were epic. Now, there was a lot of psychological action going on too, and these fights were intense and clever making it hard to identify the true villain. Before moving on to the great characters, I will point out there were a couple of annoying shaky camera moments. But I guess the editing and nice cliffhangers between episodes compensate for it.

Our Ji Chang Wook did a great job giving us a nice-hot-not so bloody-cheerful-contagious smile-perfect boyfriend material-bodyguard: Kim Je Ha. I find his character to be one that served as a link for everything surrounding the story -then again he is the K2. Je Ha did more than just protecting and guarding someone physically; he also did it emotionally, like Yoo Jin’s last string of morality. Je Ha and An Na (Ji Chang Wook and Yonna)’s chemistry was beautiful and on point. Both characters were simple and similar -I mean it in an innocent way. With the complex villains that the writer created, these couple presented us with a great balance between good and bad; love and hate; action and romance. Talking about the villain, I have never seen such a strong female villain character in a drama before; it’s usually a male villain. But let me just say Song Yoon A pulled it off majestically, so much that it felt like she was the main character at times -and she was! I really believe she stole part of the show for me. Part of this was because the writer and director gave Yoon Ji’s character a lot of importance and screen time.

It was a pity the drama was only 16 episodes -TvN please, with dramas this good you must make them longer! For our heart’s benefit! Yet, it had a very satisfying ending so I can’t complain too much about its conclusion. Every question was answered, and every problem resolved. The K2 was full of surprises and plot twist, which are always welcomed in kdrama word. In the end, I was left with a great performance, a beautiful story, and a catchy soundtrack to download. The K2 is a must see, a must buy and a must breakup! It will be a memorable one for you. I guarantee!

My rating for this drama is: ♥♥♥