Bloodhounds - Season 2

Story: Kim Geon-woo (Woo Do-hwan) and Hong Woo-jin (Lee Sang-yi) have turned their attention to professional boxing after being forced to take down a criminal organization. Geon-woo actually wins a title, while Woo-jin makes a name for himself as his trainer. With this success, Geon-woo also attracts the attention of the gangster Im Baek-jeong (Rain), who runs an underground MMA organization. Baek makes a lot of money from online betting on the illegal fights, but he's still missing a top fighter. That's where Geon-woo comes in. He pays him a visit and offers him a large sum of money if he'll work for him. Geon-woo — especially after his past experiences — has absolutely no interest in such illegal activities, but Baek isn't satisfied with that. He orders his men to kidnap Geon-woo's mother, but the two boxers, Geon-woo and Woo-jin, manage to prevent this. From then on, the two friends and Geon-woo's mother must find refuge in a secret location. They seek advice and help from the police. Fortunately, they know Detective Min (Choi Young-Joon), who owes them a debt. They can also rely on the help of their old friend Moon Gwang-mu (Park Hoon), a loan shark with underworld connections who has access to information that remains hidden from the police. With this support, it seems possible to uncover Baek's dirty practices and put him behind bars. However, Baek-jeong is completely unpredictable and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals...

Review: Normally, I'm hesitant about writing a review of a new season of a TV series, wondering if there's any added value in doing so. You probably just end up with more of the same. I skipped reviewing the third season of shows like "Squid Game" altogether, as it was essentially just a continuation of the second. However, with the second season of "Bloodhounds", I felt a strong urge to write a review. While it does build on what we saw in the first season, the series is significantly better in terms of quality than most films and thus presents itself as a sequel that builds on the strengths of the first season and manages to eliminate most of its weaknesses. In other words, this is a showcase sequel that will greatly satisfy fans of the first season and once again demonstrates how impressive the quality of a streaming series can be, thus proving that you can overshadow most expensive action blockbusters when the right people are involved.

It should perhaps be noted upfront that watching the first season of the series isn't necessary at all. While, in fact, countless characters reappear, making you feel like you've missed something, it doesn't really affect the plot, to be honest. Still, you'll certainly experience some emotionally more satisfying moments if you remember certain recurring faces. As in the first season, the focus is on a mix of hard-hitting action, thriller elements and drama, although the latter plays a more subordinate role compared to the first season. This also eliminates one of the few weaknesses from back then. The story continues to play with the premise that we have two tough guys in the ring, while these same two people are almost excessively endearing and kind-hearted outside of a fight. There's also some drama, of course, as the mother is kidnapped, or there are at least attempts made more than once. It's a shame, however, that the mother herself isn't given any real character development – she simply remains... the mother.

The most impressive thing about the second season of "Bloodhounds", besides the action, which I'll discuss at length later, is the pacing. Perhaps there are one or two scenes that unnecessarily slow the pace down a bit. Aside from that, there's a constant stream of developments, conflicts, and strategic meetings where the dialogue is anything but dry and theoretical. New characters are continually introduced, some of whom are actually familiar faces, and each one plays a role in the larger picture, even if only briefly. With some, you might wish their characters weren't explored so superficially. This applies to the wheelchair-bound "hacker" as well as a returning character towards the end. But that's perfectly fine, because the entertainment value and pacing are so outstandingly good. Director Kim Joo-hwan ("The Divine Fury") demonstrates an incredibly sure hand at keeping his story moving. In addition, we get fantastic action and, above all, a wonderfully detestable villain who is constantly growing to be more odious. Even some of the villain's henchmen manage to develop some rough edges.

Bi/Rain ("I'm a Cyborg but that's ok") already showcased his impressive physical physique and surprised audiences with his action-packed performance in "Ninja Assassin". Anyone who didn't see him in that movie will likely be in for a surprise when Bi first steps into the ring. Beyond that, he can be incredibly intimidating, menacing, and unpredictable, which, thanks to his screen presence, makes him one of the best villains of recent years, at least within the action genre. In the ring, he absolutely delivers, as does Woo Do-hwan, of course. I'll have to reiterate a few words from my review of the first season: Boxing isn't really my favorite martial art, but the power, aesthetics and choreography in this series make "Bloodhounds 2" an absolute must-see for martial arts fans. I've rarely experienced such an adrenaline rush as Geon-woo is bobbing and weaving towards his opponents, or even weaves his way through an entire group while unleashing his blows. The speed (I couldn't even take decent screenshots, that's how fast most of the punches are) and sophisticated choreography create just the right balance between "beautiful to watch" and "brutal".

Incidentally, the second season seems considerably more violent than its predecessor, at least in parts. While this doesn't exactly exude realism — since, after one of the depicted fights, you'd normally have to spend months in the hospital — it constantly gives us the feeling that something is at stake. Our heroes are always bleeding or have injuries that influence further physical confrontations. The episode before the last is such an action-packed highlight that the finale almost feels underwhelming by comparison. But even the final battle delivers what we were hoping for. Given the series' success — and the sequel will be no exception, as everything is even more polished here — a third season is practically a done deal, and the director is building on that. This means the series finale has a very abrupt ending. The epilogue is surprisingly short, and the fates of some characters remain unresolved. However, there is one development that I really enjoyed. Geon-woo is still the poster boy for heroism with a heart of gold, but he's slowly realizing he's too naive and that sometimes you have to resort to dirty tricks to bring good to victory. Hopefully, there will be some interesting character development in the future, as there's definitely room for improvement there. That said, though, "Bloodhounds" is one of the best shows I've seen in recent years.

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