This review may contain spoilers
I started Solomon Perjury with the intention of probably dropping it; school dramas usually bore me. Yet, i was hooked 5 minutes in. I loved this drama in the sense that it was very well written. There weren't many plot holes (that i could remember lol) and the writer stayed true to the previous episodes/overall plot rather than trying to manipulate and fool everyone at the end by introducing a whole different reason to why Sowoo died just to create an "illusion" of a major plot twist. Instead, the reason why Sowoo died kept you second guessing until the last episode but when the truth was revealed, it doesn't really take you by surprise either.
More than anything, I also loved the characters. For me in particular, even though Bae Joonyoung acts more of a side character, I believe he was very important to the story. In a way (not completely...but in a way) his story sort of mirrors that of Jihoon's and Sowoo's but with a more positive outcome. [SPOILER]: His almost suicide attempt, his crippling family and their mediation, and at one point his outlook on life. [END SPOILER] His character fighting through all that while the trial was still ongoing made me feel even more sympathetic towards the other two characters; it made it more real. That's just me though. Oh and the subtle romance between him and Seoyeon was a very nice addition!! It was the perfect relief to the bleakness of the drama. There wasn't much but it was cute.
I have more to say about the other characters but I'm lazy and this would turn into a 10 page review so I'll stop here.
Anyways, overall I give this drama a 9/10. I don't really have anything bad to say. Though one thing that got me a bit ????? is WHY is it so easy to gain entry into the school at like 11pm lol??? You have kids going up the roof top and into classrooms when it's pitch black. One way to decrease the number of student suicides on school grounds? Lock the school gates mayb. Also, I'll say this; although the reason for Sowoo's death didn't surprise me, I'm mad that he died that way. No, I'm not talking about the school. As much as I wanna rant about it, it's a major spoiler so I can't lol.
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Solomon’s perjury is a dark, gritty drama, taking a realistic spin on the awful, inhumane educational system, the gloomy side of teenagers -bullying as one of the main topics-, the lack of compassion of grown-ups and the general selfishness of people caring only about their lives and nothing more. The drama illustrates a very clear and vivid picture of school system and teenage life not only in Korea per-se but on a world-wide spectrum.
The drama is centered in a high school where a student presumably commits suicide, or did he? The students take things to their own hands and try to find what exactly happened after the disinterest of the adults. Solomon’s perjury primarily focuses on two elements; firstly the unfairness of the educational system and secondly the rough life of adolescents.
We get very close insight on how the educational system works, teachers and professors caring much less than expected about the education of their students, but mostly want to secure their jobs and reputation of their school. Furthermore, not only we understand how private schools work, where equity is sacrificed in the name of money –as everything else-, but also how no adult really cares about justice but essentially for their own profit and well-being.
Furthermore, we see first-hand how the students cope with their cruel reality. Talking about barbaric situations, bullying in school as well as domestic violence take the first wheel here presenting the severe repercussions they have on teenagers. The drama focuses heavily on the brutal reality of students having to take on numerous exams, unceasing pressure to succeed and be perfect as well as endure heartless teachers, problematic classmates and merciless parents. Several strong messages sent here as well targeting domestic violence and bullying most significantly: “violence only breeds violence, but in the end it’s also a choice!”
It was inspiring to see a bunch of 18 year olds caring much more about justice and fairness than people who get paid to do so, showing that kids even in the midst of their beefs are way more lawful than adults.
The drama is quite short and I’d say fast paced. It focuses on 3-4 specific characters trying to solve this case and their personal lives at home. I’d describe Solomon’s Perjury as an ambitious mystery thriller. It had its fair share of twists and it was interesting from start to finish and strong but I can’t say most of it wasn’t predictable. Still very entertaining though.
Having said all that, I can’t deny for a drama wanting to depict something real and significant it went on an increasingly unrealistic route to stay original. While I do appreciate where the writers were coming from and all the serious and important issues they addressed, I can’t deny I raised my eyebrow in front of the way the plot was developed.
The students decide to start their own school trial to solve this case and find the truth. What type of authority this school trial has? Considering students were barely interested in signing the petition to start the trial in the first place the auditorium was awfully packed when the trials started. Suddenly the students cared? We get a bunch of 18 year olds playing court, acting like proper prosecutors and attorneys and actually starting talking like ones. How? Did they stop studying for their high school final exams and picked up some legal books or they’ve watched too many legal dramas?
On top of that they started calling themselves prosecutors, attorneys and judges. You are students accept it! And to top it all off, when this little joke started getting out of hand, attacking teachers ect, the teachers barely did anything as well as the parents. The “judge” who was supposed to be a suppressed kid who only studied was yelling at his mother “take her out of the auditorium” and she just walked out? My mother would have come up to me, slapped me and dragged me out by the ear… I didn’t know if this was a bunch of kids playing court or a legal drama set in a high school somehow. This was all just too much to go with and accept.
What’s more, the seemingly normal, ordinary students started feeling increasingly difficult to relate to, acting like brats with psychological problems or one-dimensional wannabe “prosecutors” who couldn’t keep their emotions at place. At some point I felt the need to scream, y’all need serious psychological support before trying to solve anything. There’s only so much I can blame to troubled characters and abusive parents. 80% of the parents happened to be awful people somehow; just too convenient, a tad too much if you ask me.
In all its questionable nature Solomon’s perjury did leave a strong and memorable impression which is enough for me to recommend to everyone who wants to watch something more serious than usual and is into school dramas and crime mysteries.
Since this is a habitual question I’ll mention it. The drama offers only limited and subtle comic relief, while it has little to no romance, so you’re informed about what you’re getting into.
The acting was pretty satisfying considering I’d never seen any of the actors before this and all of them are very young. However, I can’t say any of the performances was memorable. Still, I’d love to see each of them again in the future nonetheless, especially Jang Dong Yoon who left the strongest impression.
Even in its far-fetched nature Solomon’s Perjury sent a lot of meaningful messages like the fact that we barely know the people around us, but it’s in our hand to acknowledge and appreciate them; the significance of friendship, forgiving ourselves firstly and those who wronged us, the unlimited potential of life and most importantly an extremely strong message of never giving up. No matter how difficult it might be today, there is always a brighter day coming tomorrow. If it’s winter today, just remember spring is coming!
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Pros:
Acting: Wow the actors that played joonyong and jihoon did amazing in my opinion. Seo jihoon, the actor that plays joon yong, played the rapist in signal, and did a really good job in that (almost too good). Then he plays mr. cutie joonyong in this. How?? That is called talent my friends. Dong yoon (i think that's his name), plays jihoon and does such a good job. He's suspicious enough that we suspect him, but vulnerable enough that we trust him no matter what. He played such a complex character and did such a good job at that too. And this is his first drama??? Like how did he do such a good job?!?
The boys: By this I mean jihoon, joonyong, woohyuk, and sowoo. They totally stole the show. I could really feel all of their characters and what they were going through. Even woo hyuk. I really enjoyed all their characters and what they had to add to the show. You could learn something with each of their characters and I really enjoyed that.
The music: there are some really amazing instrumentals in this drama, that really add to the intensity of the show. I wish they were released to the public because they're really pretty!
The story: The story is really well done and had me interested from the beginning! It had me guessing until the last episode! I personally love murder mysteries and high school dramas, so this is my cup of tea.
The lesson: this is the real reason why I love this show, it has so many valuable and meaningful life lessons. And what I love is how they intergrated the lessons into the show, I never felt like they were shoving it down my throat. It all felt natural and as if I was learning with the characters.
Cons:
Seo yeon: this is more picking at straws, because overall I liked her character. But she did annoy me at times in her trial. She had her heart set on something she believed it no matter what...even if it was a bit ridiculous. But she was doing the best with what she was given, so I can't get on her case too hard for it.
The ending: I had a real problem with the ending at first. It seemed a bit...unbelievable to me. But as I pondered it and thought about it, while I still find it unbelievable, I'll take it as a lesson.
I would honestly recommend this drama to everyone, young and old. It has a very beautiful message and is now in my top 10. I could honestly re-watch it right now, and sorta want to actually. This drama is very impactful and will stay with you even after it's over. A sign of a quality drama if you ask me.
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I'm done watching this drama for the fifth time. If you're a fan of dramas with genres like above then this drama is just right for you! I really loved this drama. It was very well written.
Besides, I am a fan of Jang Dong Yoon, (School 2017, A Poem A Day, Drama Special Season 8: If We Were A Season, I watched all the dramas he starred in and these are my favorite. Highly recommended.) He's a great actor! I watched this drama mainly because of him but Solomon's Perjury becomes my favorite Korean drama ever.
The story, the plot, it was amazing. I did watch the original version but I had to admit I liked this remake so much.
The characters, I totally loved them. The lead actors did very well, even the supporting cast, especially Shin Se Hwi which is Lee Joo Ri, she is really pretty and she did great here. This is my first drama of Kim Hyun Soo, and I must say, I'm really impressed. She kinda reminds me of Kim So Hyun's acting in Who Are You: School 2015 (I recommend this drama for those who like School dramas).
The music was also good. More thrilling and dramatic. Liked it.
Watched it for the fifth time so the Rewatch value would also be 10.
If you're a fan of dramas with genres like School, Mystery, Psychological and Law then this drama is made just for you! You should watch this! ((:
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I happened to watch this out of curiosity. It's a remake and has a movie version already. A friend of mine told me that this is a drama that should've been a movie instead, so I watched the 'supposedly movie' drama. It got me hooked as soon as they started the episode with the trial. It seemed intense.
I like, no, I love school based drama generally. It has almost all the school dramas need such as bullying, studying, rumors, corruption, (subtle) romance, etc. But they pointed teenager's life as the main problem and they brought it nicely. It's when we're 'too young to do that but too old to be like that'. The writer didn't lack consistency at bringing the teens' point of view which is very good.
The overall plot is very predictable to me but it doesn't make it less interesting. The trial scenes are the most intense part. It showed the characters' true nature by showing emotions at times despite trying to be as professional as they could. But, I think it could've done better, maybe if it wasn't focused on who'll be the witness next or such.
My love for this drama emphasized through the end so I recommend to not drop it halfway. The relationship stories, I love them all. The highlight is really the Jihoon X every boys bromance (but Seoyeon-Joonyoung tho!!). Seoyeon's mom is the best mother character I've watched. The family problems and its reconciliation. The quote of the drama came out from my boy's mouth tho "It's not that he didn't want to live, he just didn't want to live that way". And I don't realize how important Jeongguk Watchman is until almost the end.
As the acting, I LOVE all the main characters and their acting. The actors portrayed the characters amazingly and there are some scenes that give me goosebumps because how well they done it (We should give standing applause to the character Han Jihoon) The supporting(s) such as Lee Joori did great too to the point I literally got really mad (she shoulda have her own psychological movie with her being the main character). Despite how good they are, some of the supporting roles' acting are off-putting but I forgive it since they just ruined the mood, not the story.
Overall it's 8.5, having fun in guessing what happened, but not really surprised when it all happened.
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The favourite part of this drama was definitely the cast. I adored the friends, especially Soo Hee, Yoo Jin, and Seung Hyun. The actor who played Woo Hyeok was very sympathetic. Joo Ri and Cho Rong were portrayed perfectly. Seo Young Joo, who played So Woo, was so good and I just wished he was given more. My only complaint would be that the main actress and actor, who played the prosecutor and counsel, were a bit wooden and could've been a bit more emotive.
Overall this drama has a good message and great acting. If you want to watch this drama, give it a chance and watch the first episode. If you don't like it by then, I would consider dropping it and moving on to something else.
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The drama started with a bang, a strong start with a shock about the characters and who was who. The pace, however, slowed down straight after that, until we got to the trial. The performances, on the contrary, supported the drama greatly, as all the actors and actresses of the cast did a great job with their performances. The trial part was pretty intense too. Finally, the big twist in the end was nicely built and unexpected.
So, overall, six out of ten.
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It is pretty far from the classics school dramas, because involves a huge portion of thriller and court scenes.
I liked how the classmates of the dead students, make everything possible to know the real story and just a lot by left him behind due to the real courts laking of interest!
It is also really light to watch even if there is a good amount of plot twist, it's also a little bit short if compared to the normal 16 hours length of the drama!
Absolutely underrated but needs a good option to being watch!!!
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This review may contain spoilers
one of the best 12 episode k-dramas out there!
wow, goodness me. my chest feels so heavy after completing the finale. and that ending at the final episode totally broke me. it's beautiful but heartbreaking at the same time. if you are more on the optimistic side of life, then it may not be as heartbreaking for you.one of the best 12 episode k-dramas out there, i believe. the episodes are neatly crafted with sufficient thrills and twists to keep the viewers engaged from the start which made my binge-watching experience very smooth. i particularly find the mock trial format, or the amateurish court trial setting delivered very well that not once did it make me question whether it's going to start to feel cartoonish. the dedication and sincerity of the characters to unravel the real truth about the tragedy that happened in the school ground successfully tagged me along, and i was not lost or felt disconnected, not even once. really credible writing on their part. they established very cleverly early on that although there are no legal repercussions as a result of the verdict, it's still an important due process that needs to be undertaken to unravel the truth, that too taking into account multiple attempts by the school administrators to shut them down and expel them out of school. how brave of them to persist despite all of that!
i think the reason i couldn't score this a 10 is because of the FL. she's the heroine in this story without a doubt, but at the end of it all, she still comes across as somewhat an outsider to the story, sometimes quite bland at that, because the story did end up revolving very much around Lee So Woo and Han Ji Hoon, the two best friends. these are the characters whom i have grown a close affinity to, despite the former's very limited screentime.
i'm so happy i watched this for Jang Dong Yoon. when he, Han Ji Hoon revealed that he was a domestic abuse victim as a child, my heart was absolutely torn apart. no child deserves such cruelty ever, and i am also very sad at how real the issues addressed in this drama are: peer bullying, domestic abuse, mental health, crime of perjury (lying during trials) and school corruption. this drama was absolutely outstanding at highlighting them all.
Jang Dong Yoon was an absolute rookie in this, and he looks so baby-faced still but already so talented and well immersed into his character. i'd happily move on to watch his newer projects now that i have watched this. what a promising young actor!
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This drama remind me of Class of Lies, setting in school with adding politics and melodrama element to add spice. I'm watching it the second time after I finished it, and still feels compelling and I got a new perspective, because the main addiction of this drama is the way the story told, the environment, and each character perspective, and Some of good performances. After I finished it, I think alot of it and the question of "what could have been" always ring in my mind. ANd that's an achievement.
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All in all, it was a good experience. :) Thank you, first of all to the writer of the novel it was based on, and of course to the whole korean production--the casts, the writers, the staffs and everyone who worked hard to finished this drama.
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