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Welcome to Waikiki 2 turns 5: Did Lee Yi Kyung, Kim Seon Ho, Shin Hyun Soo’s sequel live up to expectations?
Lee Yi Kyung, Kim Seon Ho, and Shin Hyun Soo starrer Welcome to Waikiki 2 turns 5 today. Let’s check out if the show lived up to viewers' expectations.
Welcome to Waikiki 2 premiered on March 25, 2019, through the JTBC network, a year after the release of its first season, which earned a special place amongst K-drama watchers for its hilarious narrative. So, naturally, there were a lot of expectations the sequel had to live up to.
Actor Lee Yi Kyung, who also starred in the first season returned with his character Lee Joon Ki along with an additional talent influx of Kim Seon Ho as Cha Woo Shik and Shin Hyun Soo as Kook Ki Bong.
Welcome to Waikiki 2 followed the similar narrative of its first season, where the three broke friends are trying to keep their guesthouse business afloat while facing major bankruptcy.
As the show completes 5 years today, let’s check if the trio lived up to the fans’ expectations.
Still so funny - Welcome to Waikiki 2 maintains the humor
While the audience was skeptical about the second season’s humor, the show laid the worry to rest with its brand of comedy combined with ridiculous situations that left the fans in stitches. While there are also some mixed reviews about the humor being over the top and rehashed from the previous season, overall the main lead from season 1, Lee Joon Ki (played by Lee Yi Kyung) keeps up his ability to make anything and everything into a comedic situation. 
Does Welcome to Waikiki 2 keep up with its narrative?
While, both seasons follow an almost identical narrative, season 1 and season 2 can easily be translated into separate shows. For the unversed, Welcome to Waikiki 2 doesn’t really follow up on its first season, except for some character inserts like the landlord and a mention of the last season’s main roles.
However, it still goes back to where it all started in the previous season. Lee Joon Ki joins hands with his new friend duo Cha Woo Shik (played by Kim Seon Ho) and Kook Ki Bong to pay the bills for their guesthouse business while picking up odd jobs to rescue themselves from bankruptcy.
Lee Joon Ki continues as a struggling actor. It might come as a surprise for them who haven’t caught up on this season, since the last season seemed to have ended on a better note for him. This second season gradually unfolds why Lee Joon Ki went back to his struggling days.
Dreams will follow - Welcome to Waikiki 2 brings back the characters’ ambitions
While major characters like Kang Dong Goo, Bong Woo Shik, Kang Seo Jin, and Min Soo Ah didn’t appear in the second season, the new characters still kept similar ambitions.
Lee Joon Ki still aims to become a successful actor, while his new friend Cha Woo Shik dreams of becoming a singer and Kook Ki Bong continues his life as a promising basketball player.
Does Welcome to Waikiki 2 characters show growth since its first season
Lee Joon Ki still keeps at it as a silly person who always gets everyone embroiled in ridiculous situations. His childhood friend Cha Woo Shik kinds of takes over Kang Dong Goo’s role from last season as he showcases similar picky and serious character traits.
Meanwhile, Kook Ki Bong is nowhere near Bong Woo Shik, rather he joins hands with Lee Joon Ki with all stupidity, which ends up delivering a good laugh to the viewers.
Furthermore, a new attraction for the second season is definitely actress Moon Ga Young’s role as a high school sweetheart for the trio and love interest for Cha Woo Shik.
So to conclude, while there are both similarities and differences between the two seasons, Welcome to Waikiki 2 didn't fail to deliver an enjoyable watch filled with broad humor, good comedic timing, and a lot of fun.
Welcome to Waikiki 2 is available to stream through Netflix.
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