Title: Welcome to Waikiki 2 으라차차 와이키키 2
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Life, Youth, Friendship
Release: 2019
Starring (Main Cast):
Kim Seon Ho as Cha Woo Shik
Lee Yi Kyung as Lee Joon Ki
Shin Hyun Soo as Kook Ki Bong
Moon Ga Young as Han Soo Yeon
Ahn So Hee as Kim Jung Eun
Kim Ye Won as Cha Yoo Ri
Director: Lee Chang Min
Writer: Kim Ki Ho
Rakuten Viki Rating: 9.5/10
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Audience Rating: 4.6/5
MyDramaList Rating: 8.2/10
Rakuten Viki Synopsis: Click Here
Watch FREE (with ads) on Rakuten Viki: Welcome to Waikiki
Episodes: 16 (abt. 1 hour and 5 min each)
Content Rating: PG-13
Violence/blood: Low - there are some mild scenes of fighting and injury
Sexual Content: Kissing, hugging, sexual references, and couple in bed (insinuated scene)
Language: Mild - Minimal language use in the translation I watched
Ending: Happy, Satisfying
My Synopsis
Three young men, CEOs of the unsuccessful Waikiki guesthouse, each dream of being something more. Fighting to make their way in the world, they are faced with the daily rollercoasters of life that bring them both success and failure. This difficult life is further complicated by the three woman that fate brings to their household, each of whom are in their own struggle to achieve their dreams. Can they learn to live together and help each other, or will their lifestyles and secrets tear them apart?
Trailer
My Review: 8.5/10
My synopsis for this drama is pretty much the same as season one (with a few tweaks to it). Again we are brought into the difficult lives of six youths struggling to achieve success. The concept is relatable and their lives continue to be very detailed, so I had no problem getting involved in the stories of each. However, for us, this drama scored slightly less than the first. And, honestly I was a bit torn as to how to rate this one myself as different elements in this drama scored differently for me. First, I will discuss what took this down a notch for me. And that would be the story. The writing. Kim Ki Ho was the writer for both seasons. The first season was fresh and funny. Unfortunately, I feel the writer used up the majority of his good ideas on season one and because of this resorted to recycling them in season two. Of course he put a different shirt on them, but in the long run, they were the same. To add a little "spice" to those old ideas he sprinkled in some extra ridiculousness that actually made me feel a little embarrassed for the poor actors that had to bring it to life. Now, in his favor, some of this ridiculousness tapered off after the first five-ish episodes and I enjoyed the rest of it a lot more than I did at the beginning.
What did score high for me was the acting. I was introduced to some new faces here, but there were a couple familiar ones to me that kept me watching as I had already been fully aware of their acting skills. They did not disappoint me, as I knew they wouldn't, and for their sake I made it through the early stages of this drama. Overall, I did enjoy this drama, and certain elements of the story really shone. Since these are attached to particular characters I will share them as I focus my review on those involved in making it happen.
Main Characters
Cha Woo Shik
Kim Seon Ho played the emotionally unstable Cha Woo Shik. Those familiar with this actor will already be fully aware of how incredible he is at what he does. He is a top-notch, A-list level actor (who has risen at whiplash speed to worldwide fame within the past year) and he is probably the biggest reason as to how high the rating is on this drama. He is a favorite actor of ours and it was fun to see him in this type of character role. Kim Seon Ho has never set himself up to only play one character type (nor does he choose one-dimensional characters) and this one was definitely different than the ones we had seen him play before. Being an unstable character it gave this actor an opportunity to show the wide range of emotions that he can display, and as usual he did not disappoint. Other dramas we have seen him in are 100 Days My Prince, Strongest Deliveryman, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, and You Drive Me Crazy.
Despite the fact that the character of Cha Woo Shik had some temper issues, and unresolved love issues, we see that underneath the roughness is someone who probably loves more deeply, faithfully, and unselfishly than most. Having only romantically loved one person his entire life, he had resolved himself to the loss of her and had instead married himself to his music. When that person shows back up in his life, it upsets everything, as he finds that his feelings had never truly died. This of course, leads to a heart-wrenching scene with tears as the character faces his one-sided love with the realization that he is not okay. This is the type of scene that Kim Seon Ho excels particularly at and I am starting to think that writers take advantage of his ability to crush the watcher's heart with his tears to insert such a scene somewhere within their drama when he is cast.
Lee Joon Ki
Lee Yi Kyung played our returning comedic character, Lee Joon Ki. If you have watched the first season you are familiar with him, and probably just as happy as I was to see him back. He is the only one of the original six to return, but he was my favorite of them. Lee Yi Kyung was a pleasant surprise to me in the first and he did not disappoint me in the second. His acting in these dramas earned him a spot on my favorite actors list. Playing a struggling actor in the drama he gets to fill many, many roles, and I almost feel he could use these dramas as a little portfolio for himself. He is an excellent actor and he is the only person I think that could have pulled off this role. He made it his through and through.
The character of Lee Joon Ki is the same lovable character from the first season. I had seen a comment stating that he had changed and was all about money in this drama, but I did not see that at all and am guessing the commenter only made it through episode one. As I said before, Joon Ki is a struggling actor who here and there gets good roles and then struggles to maintain that level in the industry. However, despite how much he longs for this breakthrough, we see that he is still unwilling to step on the lives of others to get there. And, he willingly gives up his own desires when it comes to helping someone he cares about. I have come to the conclusion that the best friend I need in my life is Joon Ki. He can make you laugh when you are down and impart some amazing words of wisdom when you need that serious voice. He is still my favorite character of the drama series.
Kook Ki Bong
Shin Hyun Soo played the aspiring baseball player Kook Ki Bong. I have already had the pleasure of watching this man act as he held a support role in the drama The Emperor: Owner of the Mask, where he played a vastly different character (as the Crown Prince's personal bodyguard). And, as an interesting note, he also made a guest appearance on the first season of Waikiki where he played the model Philip in episode 16. Shin Hyun Soo did an amazing job with his character. He wasn't as dynamic in his role as the other two leading men, but I still felt this was a good expression of his talent.
The character of Kook Ki Bong was the most naïve of the three leading men, to the point were it gave him an almost child-like innocence. He was the most gullible and willing to believe what people said, and he was also the most sensitive to people's feelings. I thought his character was a nice addition to round out the three characters.
Han Soo Yeon
Moon Ga Young played the cute and lovable Han Soo Yeon. Most K-drama watchers will be familiar with this actress as, like Kim Seon Ho, she has also become quite popular as of late. Her most recent success was in the hit drama True Beauty where she played the main female lead. I also had the pleasure of watching her in the short drama EXO Next Door. Each time I see her I find the youthful exuberance she emanates to be extremely refreshing. There is no hesitancy in her acting and she can pull of the serious as well as the silly, and I find that I really enjoy watching this young lady act.
The character of Han Soo Yeon is thrown into the chaos of Waikiki by some unavoidable circumstances. As an old school friend, and first love, of all our three male leads, her appearance causes quite a stir. However, she quickly blends into the group and begins her own battle to find her dreams and where she fits into the world. She brings innocence and energy to the house and brings to the surface old feelings that had been hidden for far too long. She was easily my favorite female character of the drama.
Kim Jung Eun
The conflicted character of Kim Jung Eun was played by a new face to me, Ahn So Hee. I wasn't sure about her character at first, but she really grew on me more and more each episode. The actress probably was stretched the least of the characters, but that does not mean that she wasn't stretched at all and I felt she rose to the challenges presented her successfully. I feel that I would need to see her in another role to get a real accurate view of her acting skills, but in this drama, I felt she did well.
The character of Kim Jung Eun was maybe the most lost of the three. Having not done well in the field she really wanted to be in, she had resolved herself to the suffering of menial jobs to get by. Thankfully, however, with the encouragement of her best friend Lee Joon Ki, she gives her dreams one more chance. Her role in this drama I felt was mostly to be the support and counterpart of Lee Yi Kyung's character and I felt that they had a very cute relationship that was very satisfying to watch.
Cha Yoo Ri
Kim Ye Won played the disaster instigator, Cha Yoo Ri. Her reputation far precedes her admittance into the Waikiki household. As the sister of Cha Woo Shik the whole household is aware of the situations that have caused her brother to cut off all contact with her. However, that doesn't stop her and after easily playing on the emotions of the most sensitive, naïve member, she weasels her way in. Kim Ye Won is also a new face to me. I felt she fit the role of this character perfectly. She was cute, and believable, but that expression easily could flip to one of deviousness. She did an amazing job and I do hope to have the opportunity to see her in more roles.
As for the character Cha Yoo Ri, she had a tendency to try and help, and then make things a lot worse. I found myself tensing up and gritting my teeth every time she came up with a "plan". You learn quickly why everyone is so afraid of her involvement in the house. However, she also grows and changes and the glimpse of her heart that you get to see will make it hard for you not to like her.
Cha Woo Shik and Han Soo Yeon
The romantic chemistry between these two was very sweet. Unknowingly to both they were each other's first love in school. Though it is obvious that Soo Yeon had been able to move on after school, Woo Shik had not and because of his love for Soo Yeon, he never dated but instead married himself to his music. However, he had believed that he had moved on. That was until Soo Yeon shows back up in his life and the unwanted feelings begin to resurface. It leads to quite a bit of struggle for him in the first few episodes as he tries to figure out quite what he should do with them. Especially, when it seems that those feelings are one sided.
With those beliefs, we get to see the best side of Woo Shik as his love for Soo Yeon constantly has him putting himself out to make things better for her. Something that he does often, but in a way that remains unnoticed by her. Yet even though he believes he is okay with the way things are we get a moment where his true heart shows in one of Kim Seon Ho's heart-wrenching emotional scenes. Definitely a beautiful chemistry here, and I found the development of their love story heartwarming to watch.
Lee Joon Ki and Kim Jung Eun
These two also had some great chemistry. They really were mostly the best friend type of chemistry. But, just like in the last season, Joon Ki's tendency to self-sacrifice for his friends leads Jung Eun to see him for more than that. One thing I love about the character of Joon Ki (as well as the actor that makes him believable) is his ability to lighten the mood, be funny and incredibly goofy, and yet turn around and just as believably become the calm voice of encouragement and wisdom. I envy this type of friend relationship, and I can see why it would be hard for Jung Eun to not feel more. Though romance was not a huge part of this couple's story, I found myself warmed often by their relationship.
Kook Ki Bong and Cha Yoo Ri
These two were the unlikely couple. Proof that opposites attract. Ki Bong was shy and naïve, and non-confrontational. Yoo Ri, was not shy, had a lot of street knowledge, and was quite confrontational. But, somehow, they made a sweet pair. Early on they end up in a situation that requires them to help each other, and the more they did for each other the closer they got. Seems like a natural progression to me. The best part was that their relationship grew and changed them both, and I think they were a little more like each other in the end. The two had a very cute chemistry and I truly enjoyed this love story.
Conclusion
Overall, I would recommend this drama. The first five or so episodes I had to ward off face cramps from all my cringing, but after that things started to move forward better and in the end I can honestly say I enjoyed watching the journey of each of these six young adults. Even with the repetitive story elements, there were was a little gold woven in and I found a lot to laugh at, as well as many moments that warmed my heart.
OST
Our main male leads in this drama blessed us with a version of the lead song "Waikiki"! Enjoy!
Though not a part of the official OST, you can enjoy clips of singing within the drama performed by Kim Seon Ho. Listen to them below!
안녕! - 줄스
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