Scoring for the acting, characters and feels
I am still completely perplexed as to why they split this drama in 2. Guess we'll never know.S2 really enhanced S1 and so much became clearer.
I really loved the characters throughout this series and found Mi-ho (Lee Da-hee) far less irritating than I did in S1!
Considering there is actually very little romance per se, the story is still romantic and I found that aspect to be very poignant.
Van and Goong Tan were created against their will, but while one became full of rage and vengeful, the other ends up clinging on to their humanity and living in penance. In many ways, the character of the granny (Baek-joo) was doing the same.
Plenty of action, as in S1, with a number of flashbacks. Some were revisited, which I'm not sure was really necessary, but it didn't bother me.
Loved the SFX and thought the entire series was very well made. Missed Johan speaking Italian in S2 though ?
One of my few niggles lies, as is often the case, with the ending. Also, a weird and powerful sect was suddenly introduced in S2, but no indication or explanation of what their aim is, where they came from and exactly who they are, was ever given.
Instead of leaving things with the culmination of Mi-ho carrying out her destiny, there is a FFWD... the sect makes an appearance and we're left, as happens with too many K-dramas, feeling like there should be more to clarify, or that another season will follow, which is rarely the case. That actually spoilt it for me.
Still a good watch and a great cast. I would actually watch it again ~ plus there'd be no stupid break now!
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Dysfunctional Characters
The drama kicked off with good modern visuals and an interesting fantasy setting on a mystical island. However, it quickly unraveled. The fantasy elements, though visually appealing, peaked in the first two episodes, while the remainder felt like a rehash of what we'd already seen. It's strange that they revealed all their cards in the beginning, leaving the rest feeling empty. The female lead was sent to the island to work as a teacher, but this plotline was completely irrelevant and didn't last for more than one episode. The direction the drama took with the fantasy story turned out to be quite disappointing afterwards. More on characters, the female lead was an unstoppable cringe generator with her non-serious interactions, especially with the male lead in the earlier parts. It was the writers way trying desperately to build chemistry between the two, but it was impossible without rewriting the characters themselves. However, the character that suffered the most from both the writers' curse and the cast choice was Goong Tan. It doesn't take a blind man to see what was wrong. The drama ended up being this shallow shipwreck of recycled ideas and bland characters.Was this review helpful to you?
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The script writing could have been better
I've waited for S1 and now that I watched S2, it kind of felt repetitive. The first 2 episodes of S2 are the things they showed the viewers in S1. It's like they couldn't develop more ideas, so they picked up stuff from S1 to fill it up in S2.The cast was amazing and the special effects and graphics were great too, but then the perfect ending was not elaborated in S2 either. As they hinted there might be another season because the daggers start moving and the painting is bleeding. What's that supposed to mean? Is Van coming back again?
It just wasn't satisfactory enough. Not as much as S1.
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There will be season 3
It is not end i think there will be season 3...Actually van can not change our mood like his mood. His mood and feelings are same.. if we look closly he is actually kind of boring.. the reson it is not bother us is becoz of other cast they are actually great.. I really did not feel sad when van died even that time his mood is still same dude why was that... but when last moment. Actully even van's brother is evil when he died his smile made me sad...
When johans brother died the way johan cry, he made my tears,come down too.. dude that is what called acting...
If , for the van's character actor changed the feeling also could have been very different.. but what to do we didnt get to feel that way..
Any Way overall cool drama not boring at all.. i am waiting for next season
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An emotional journey of two wandering souls.
(Honestly, I was disappointed with the Part-1 of Island’s series which had a jumpy plot and inconsistency dynamic of pace with 6 episodes alone failed to elaborate on the main characters’ backgrounds, leaving the viewers confused with a lot of things and I was hoping that director and screenwriter would fix the mess they had made in Part-1 of Island in this part-2.)
FORTUNATELY, the second part did justice (maybe tenfold if not less). While the plot of sleeping Wonjeong keeps draggy but the rest of the underlying plots give the viewer the real scenarios of what had happened and would happen in the future, unlike Part-1 of the series.
The relationship between Van and Miho has improved and their chemistry can pull a thin string at the heart of viewers with their secret silent banters. Their souls’ relationship is beyond friendship would describe. It’s something deeper, more sacred than we think they had in the past. It’s an emotional journey once Miho understands the pain, the loneliness, and the timeless bond Van had sealed because of the promises they had made in the past.
Van and Miho’s bond can be described as a timeless, unfaded, and unbroken relationship.
Romance isn’t Island’s genre but the thin layer of romance between Van and Miho could lead to something positive about it, although the original manhwa, they are just two souls bound to meet and become close friends but an angst ending is highly predictable from this rollercoaster journey action thriller.
The dynamic of the relationship between Yohan and Van is fun to watch too. They are a perfect team against the evils. In the past, they bickered a lot but now they are on the same page and pace. Van, although always seems emotionless with those people around him, he does care about the young priest well being, besides Miho.
Part-2 of the drama also did justice to the main villain, Guntang. Sungjoon portrayed a demonic Guntang really well; it sends chills down the spines every time he launched his strikes. I need to compliment their action scenes. It’s amongst the highest quality from Studio Dragon. The fantastically choreographed action scenes and magical touch of CGI made the drama look like those highest-quality film scenes.
I would recommend those who haven’t watched the series to marathon Part 1 and Part 2 so you wouldn’t get too frustrated with earlier episodes.
(Extra fun facts about Island; While Kim Nam Gil rejected the offer from Island’s producer twice because he was worried he couldn’t do justice to Van’s character, Sungjoon, and Lee Dahee on the other hand, joining the Island because Kim Nam Gil is in it)
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seriously what happened?
is season 3 expected ?!! that ending ?!!!! :0I first would like to start talking about how much I balled my eyes out in the last episode ?? i feel so horrible for Van !! besides what is going with that cult ? there is very little backstory to that, I almost didn’t understand a single thing about that last few bits. Johan’s scene also made no sense and I also wish that there was more of light shed on his background (his character development was great throughout the entire show though so I’m not really complaining!! Eunwoo acted really well for that role).
the ending was very unclear so I’m hoping for season 3 ??
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Island Part 2
Making it as two parts was totally unneccesary, I can understand "two seasons drama" when time between first and second season is long, not when they are basically released at the same time as in this case. I have watched first part because of Cha EunWoo - and he did really good in this drama, and because I like fantasy. I like second part better but it is still wasted potential of the plot, cause it could be easily one of the best drama that year.I rated it pretty high but even if you do not watch, you will miss nothing.
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Island never lives up to it's potential
Island is a drama with an exciting concept and a great cast that never lives up to its potential. The drama is bogged down by mediocre writing, generic monsters and sloppy action sequences. The cast is small yet all the characters and relationships are underdeveloped.Kim Nam Gil fans will be especially disappointed as his character is not given much to do and his strong acting is not enough to elevate Van into a character I care about.
After a slog of a season, Island part 1 actually ended on a high note and I was actually excited for part 2. But part 2 doesn't build off the momentum of part 1 and goes back to the slow and boring pace that plagued most of part 1.
Part 2 also sidelines Johan which was disappointing because he's the most entertaining character.
https://dramatoast.com/island-kdrama/
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Part 1 and the hope of a season 2 carries my rating...
The good:-The story has good bones. Continuing from part 1, the story is interesting, has bits that I love to see in a drama, but also bits that make this story unique, excellent graphics and visuals, and cool ML and FL with a budding romance.
-Cast was excellent ?
The bad:
-The flowww. I noticed it in the first part, but it was really noticeable here.
-The fact that it was a part 2? I watched them seamlessly, so to me it was like one season with 12 episodes, but if I watched it live I would've been pissed lul.
-Weird ending.
Overall, I want to really like this drama because the story is so good. But the weird pacing, and what felt like a rushed ending, is really holding me back. Our ML is "dead", so in season 2 we could bring our ML back, rekindle the romantic flame, fight a new villain and...? I just feel like we could've done it all in one full season. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ BUT I'm still holding out, because we never got a kiss scene and that feels wrong for k-drama ?
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if, if there is a Part 3 I'll only watch for Kim Nam Gil to comeback
OOOFFFFTHIS WAS SO DISAPPOINTING
JUST WANTED A GOOD OL' HEA?
TOO HARD TO GET ONE?
FINALLY GOT A PAIR TO ROOT FOR AND THIS. THIS IS WHAT I GET???????
such an underwhelming conclusion, if that is what you consider a conclusion
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I think the story had a lot of potential, I´m usually up for a fantasy, but somehow it seemed wasted, chaotic, superficial, and with many boring long scenes. I liked the cast and hoped for some twists, but it did not get much better even in the second half. I haven´t read the webtoon, it might had explained a lot. The whole drama processing was very manga-like. Cha Eun Woo was my main reason to finish this, thought his charater and his abilities were a bit over the top. As a rating I decided for 7, still I was quite disappointed, and I wonder if the open ending will be of some use in the future. Was this review helpful to you?
Good Enough
Korean Drama " Island Season Two " is the second part of the sci fi series with a horror undertone.The story goes deeper into the past of the heroes and the myth that surrounds the island. The big battle finally arrives as well, with the drama focusing on the characters preparing for it.
On the plus side, the mood was there and the fantasy element was well handled.
On the other hand, the characters turned out to be cliche stereotypes, especially when it came to the reincarnation of the main lead, which was eye-rolling at some point.
The performances were enjoyable though.
So, overall, six out of ten.
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