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There will be two parts to this review. The first part focuses on this season of Eulachacha Waikiki on its own and the second part compares both seasons 1 and 2.
1st part:
First of all, it is not necessary to watch the first season of Eulachacha Waikiki in order to start this season. It was briefly explained at the beginning of the first episode how things came about and why there's a new set of people (except for the character Lee Jun Ki (played by Lee Yi Kyung). The story pacing is sort of slow in terms of development, but also fast when it came to other things. It seems that the production team struggled with creating a story line that would be balanced enough that the audience wouldn't feel that things are progressing too slow or too fast. Particularly, I found that things were very rushed and crammed in the last 2 episodes (which I'm guessing left a lot of viewers like myself a little disappointed?)
In terms of acting, it was as you would expect from a sit-com drama and the actors did well portraying their respective characters. Particularly, I was fond of Jun Ki (from S1; but he is still the same for this season), Ki Bong, and Yu Ri. Their characters were the type that would draw you in and keep you enjoying each episode. There was also Jung Eun, Woo Shik, and Soo Yeon that have their own charms that are not really at your face, but you'll find yourself rooting for them and their dreams. Although I must admit that it was rather difficult to get invested with Jung Eun's character (played by Ahn So Hee) at first because you're not entirely sure what she's going to bring to the table, but towards the middle you'll start to see that the actress has grown relaxed with her character.
The OST and the use of music was alright and I am glad that they still used the same theme song from the first season.
Overall, I believe that Eulachacha Waikiki 2 is a good drama to watch. Many could relate to the characters, situations, and circumstances especially when it came to working for one's dreams. It would make you smile, laugh, and empathise with the characters' stories.
2nd part:
It would be difficult not to compare this season to the first season when the first one had set the bar up high (the series even got an extension because people loved it so much!) It cannot be helped that some actors could not return (due to different reasons) and therefore the favourite main characters that we know and love from the 1st season are just stories of the past in this season. I do admit that the way that they brushed aside the previous characters wasn't really the best...? I was especially upset about Seo Jin and Jun Ki's relationship ending the way it did when they made us fall for their story in the 1st season.
This season focused more about the characters' dreams/jobs and romantic relationships whereas the 1st season seemed to have a better balance and also included more involvement of the actual guesthouse into its plot. Where we could see the friendships and romantic relationships gradually developing and working out in the 1st season, the 2nd season seemed to feel more... rushed and forced (this is just my opinion)? It was obvious which characters would end up together because the writers were putting their characters in such a way that could hopefully(?) put them together. It also borrows some elements in terms of moving the (romantic) plot along from the 1st season and it just felt sort of a repetition. Also, as I have mentioned above, they have dragged some of the romantic progressions throughout the entire series that the last 2 episodes just went "They're together now!" only 'cause those 2 characters were made to interact more with each other than with the rest of the cast. And... the writers seemed to only know one method to make characters realise their romantic feelings ASAP — one word: jealousy. If there is any romantic storyline that could convince you to watch this season, it's Ki Bong and Yu Ri's. Their relationship progress seemed to naturally happen and their characters are loveable and cute.
Speaking of characters, Jun Ki was still Jun Ki in this season. I hoped more for him in terms of his career as an actor, but he still remained as an unpopular/unknown actor here too. Though I'm glad that they kept his car, Rebecca, because she was an important character from the 1st season! Woo Shik is more timid than Dong Goo. He is also more... at the back in terms of the entire plot? He is an aspiring singer and that is shown in the drama enough, but not as much as his feelings for Soo Yeon. It can be argued that Dong Goo's storyline in 1st season involved a lot of romantic feelings for Yoon Ah, but he was still present as brother for Seo Jin, as a friend for Jun Ki and Doo Shik, and the main caretaker of the guesthouse. Sure, Jun Ki, Ki Bong, and Woo Shik were written to be friends, but I believe that we could see more of this friendship aspect from the 1st season with Jun Ki, Doo Shik, and Dong Goo. As for Ki Bong, his character was such a nice addition because you just want to root for him so bad and you would want the best for him. I also hoped more from Jung Eun as the character who would hopefully fill in the shoes of Seo Jin, but I am sorry to say that the actress's "meh" portrayal (in the beginning at least) was... disconnecting, and the writers seemed to not have an idea how to do this. She is also an unknown actor like Jun Ki and they are best friends, but the writers focused on her feelings towards Jun Ki and forgetting to show that she is working hard to reach her goals too. Yu Ri's character was a nice touch to the series as she acts as everyone's older sister and looks after the younger ones and gives them advices or moral support. Her relationship with Woo Sik, her brother, was fun to watch. It's adorable how she calls him "brother." Lastly, there is Soo Yeon who I felt the most disconnected to. Unlike Soo Ah from the 1st season, the introduction of Soo Yeon seemed to be only for the romantic feelings of Woo Sik for her. She also had dreams and the drama has shown her working for that, but that also made it that she is distant with the other characters (with the exception of Woo Sik). They are shown to be interacting, but there are barely any that you could fully consider them as "close." At least, that's how it appeared when I watched the drama.
As a whole, the 1st season seemed to be written a lot better than the 2nd season. This is in terms of plot, romantic plot, development, and characters. Everything seemed to tie in together, their relationships and friendships were well connected. The 2nd season was enjoyable too, but probably not as quite enjoyable or relatable than the 1st season. It can be argued that the 1st season is better in this sense because of the extension, but that really is not a good reason to organise the plot of the 2nd season to fit 16 episodes. I really do think that the production team could have done a lot better. Hence my middle-ish rating for this title. Perhaps my expectations were too high? Or perhaps it really is just that they have failed to deliver a just as good writing for this season? I have no idea, but it doesn't take away that this drama was fun and entertaining to watch. I would still recommend that others watch it regardless of having seen the 1st season or not. It is still a good drama (if you just maybe overlook the ending like I did)!
1st part:
First of all, it is not necessary to watch the first season of Eulachacha Waikiki in order to start this season. It was briefly explained at the beginning of the first episode how things came about and why there's a new set of people (except for the character Lee Jun Ki (played by Lee Yi Kyung). The story pacing is sort of slow in terms of development, but also fast when it came to other things. It seems that the production team struggled with creating a story line that would be balanced enough that the audience wouldn't feel that things are progressing too slow or too fast. Particularly, I found that things were very rushed and crammed in the last 2 episodes (which I'm guessing left a lot of viewers like myself a little disappointed?)
In terms of acting, it was as you would expect from a sit-com drama and the actors did well portraying their respective characters. Particularly, I was fond of Jun Ki (from S1; but he is still the same for this season), Ki Bong, and Yu Ri. Their characters were the type that would draw you in and keep you enjoying each episode. There was also Jung Eun, Woo Shik, and Soo Yeon that have their own charms that are not really at your face, but you'll find yourself rooting for them and their dreams. Although I must admit that it was rather difficult to get invested with Jung Eun's character (played by Ahn So Hee) at first because you're not entirely sure what she's going to bring to the table, but towards the middle you'll start to see that the actress has grown relaxed with her character.
The OST and the use of music was alright and I am glad that they still used the same theme song from the first season.
Overall, I believe that Eulachacha Waikiki 2 is a good drama to watch. Many could relate to the characters, situations, and circumstances especially when it came to working for one's dreams. It would make you smile, laugh, and empathise with the characters' stories.
2nd part:
It would be difficult not to compare this season to the first season when the first one had set the bar up high (the series even got an extension because people loved it so much!) It cannot be helped that some actors could not return (due to different reasons) and therefore the favourite main characters that we know and love from the 1st season are just stories of the past in this season. I do admit that the way that they brushed aside the previous characters wasn't really the best...? I was especially upset about Seo Jin and Jun Ki's relationship ending the way it did when they made us fall for their story in the 1st season.
This season focused more about the characters' dreams/jobs and romantic relationships whereas the 1st season seemed to have a better balance and also included more involvement of the actual guesthouse into its plot. Where we could see the friendships and romantic relationships gradually developing and working out in the 1st season, the 2nd season seemed to feel more... rushed and forced (this is just my opinion)? It was obvious which characters would end up together because the writers were putting their characters in such a way that could hopefully(?) put them together. It also borrows some elements in terms of moving the (romantic) plot along from the 1st season and it just felt sort of a repetition. Also, as I have mentioned above, they have dragged some of the romantic progressions throughout the entire series that the last 2 episodes just went "They're together now!" only 'cause those 2 characters were made to interact more with each other than with the rest of the cast. And... the writers seemed to only know one method to make characters realise their romantic feelings ASAP — one word: jealousy. If there is any romantic storyline that could convince you to watch this season, it's Ki Bong and Yu Ri's. Their relationship progress seemed to naturally happen and their characters are loveable and cute.
Speaking of characters, Jun Ki was still Jun Ki in this season. I hoped more for him in terms of his career as an actor, but he still remained as an unpopular/unknown actor here too. Though I'm glad that they kept his car, Rebecca, because she was an important character from the 1st season! Woo Shik is more timid than Dong Goo. He is also more... at the back in terms of the entire plot? He is an aspiring singer and that is shown in the drama enough, but not as much as his feelings for Soo Yeon. It can be argued that Dong Goo's storyline in 1st season involved a lot of romantic feelings for Yoon Ah, but he was still present as brother for Seo Jin, as a friend for Jun Ki and Doo Shik, and the main caretaker of the guesthouse. Sure, Jun Ki, Ki Bong, and Woo Shik were written to be friends, but I believe that we could see more of this friendship aspect from the 1st season with Jun Ki, Doo Shik, and Dong Goo. As for Ki Bong, his character was such a nice addition because you just want to root for him so bad and you would want the best for him. I also hoped more from Jung Eun as the character who would hopefully fill in the shoes of Seo Jin, but I am sorry to say that the actress's "meh" portrayal (in the beginning at least) was... disconnecting, and the writers seemed to not have an idea how to do this. She is also an unknown actor like Jun Ki and they are best friends, but the writers focused on her feelings towards Jun Ki and forgetting to show that she is working hard to reach her goals too. Yu Ri's character was a nice touch to the series as she acts as everyone's older sister and looks after the younger ones and gives them advices or moral support. Her relationship with Woo Sik, her brother, was fun to watch. It's adorable how she calls him "brother." Lastly, there is Soo Yeon who I felt the most disconnected to. Unlike Soo Ah from the 1st season, the introduction of Soo Yeon seemed to be only for the romantic feelings of Woo Sik for her. She also had dreams and the drama has shown her working for that, but that also made it that she is distant with the other characters (with the exception of Woo Sik). They are shown to be interacting, but there are barely any that you could fully consider them as "close." At least, that's how it appeared when I watched the drama.
As a whole, the 1st season seemed to be written a lot better than the 2nd season. This is in terms of plot, romantic plot, development, and characters. Everything seemed to tie in together, their relationships and friendships were well connected. The 2nd season was enjoyable too, but probably not as quite enjoyable or relatable than the 1st season. It can be argued that the 1st season is better in this sense because of the extension, but that really is not a good reason to organise the plot of the 2nd season to fit 16 episodes. I really do think that the production team could have done a lot better. Hence my middle-ish rating for this title. Perhaps my expectations were too high? Or perhaps it really is just that they have failed to deliver a just as good writing for this season? I have no idea, but it doesn't take away that this drama was fun and entertaining to watch. I would still recommend that others watch it regardless of having seen the 1st season or not. It is still a good drama (if you just maybe overlook the ending like I did)!
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