A power-struggle between morals.
I started watching 'Extracurricular' on a whim, I didn't think much of it and just wanted to see something that was on Netflix. The simple action of watching one episode turned into a 10 h binge, and I have to tell you it was one hell of a ride. This drama didn't hook me on the first episode, I felt a bit hesitant: Will this be another unrealistic shitty teen thug type of story? But nonetheless I continued.After the second episode I knew, this is something else. The premise seems simple enough, a normal setup for a Korean thriller/action movie but this took it deeper. During the 10 episodes the viewer get to know its main character Oh Jisoo and his contrasting behaviors as well as his partner Bae Gyu Ri. The character work on these two was phenomenal, I loved seeing their facades crack little by little to show what these young humans held within themselves all along. Although they commit actions that goes by the law of morals you cannot help but route for this unfortunate pair. I personally related to the characters, especially to Bae Gyu Ri and her struggles to keep her image in front of her parents, the school and Jisoo. Although the circumstances that these characters goes through is unrealistic you can draw similarities to their struggles of fitting in, money, grades and love.
The acting was simply amazing! Nothing more is needed to say, all cast members seemed to act well in their parts and the production was done so smoothly that I almost forgot that it was all an act.
Well all I can say is that this blew me away, I was chocked at the amount of enjoyment I felt watching this short but thrilling drama. Everyone that enjoys to feel nervous and wants to see something a bit fucked up and dark: 'Extracurricular' is something for you!
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Both Extracurricular and How to Buy a Friend were really refreshing takes on the high school genre, which I had previously lost interest in due to the fact that most dramas of the same vein were now being reduced to simple, relatively mundane rom-coms. Having attempted to watch many other dramas this year that felt like they dragged on aimlessly, the fast pacing was a huge source of relief.
The main characters are, for the most part, morally ambiguous. The world of Extracurricular isn't solely black and white-- there are various shades of grey in between, which makes them all the more fascinating to watch. The cast does a great job of delivering their roles, and while I initially took it up for the boys, I ended up falling for Park Joo Hyun (I can't wait to see what kind of roles she'll be doing next!) Kim Donghee did a great job of embodying the role of the reluctant, disillusioned antihero. I also loved the snappy dialogue and the dynamics between the characters.
The plot isn't entirely unpredictable, but that didn't take away from the story itself. I was still on the edge of my seat at every turn, both anticipating and dreading what would come next. Overall a really fun watch.
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Highest selling point of the drama? Its plot. I was expecting kids running a good grades related business, instead I got a high school outcast who could give any gangster/killer/healer dramas a run for their money. You would think this is not very realistic and yet through the screenwriting, acting and directing they effortlessly make you believe it's real.
More impressively they make you root for our main character regardless of how immoral or unethical are the things he does.
Extracurricular offers a refreshing take on the high school genre far away from cheesy and innocent first loves and yet much closer to today's reality of high school (to a certain extent). I'm glad this is a Netflix production, in fact had it been picked up by any other channel I doubt they would have shown such mature and triggering subjects at least not at a high school level.
TL;DR: Must watch drama! Probably one of the best dramas this year.
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This review may contain spoilers
Let's just say, one of the best shows I've watched. There's no exaggeration in that statement. It is what it is. I wanted to talk about this show because is something I needed.I'm gonna talk first about Kim Dong Hee. I'm very happy because it's his first main role, one of my favourite actors on the rise. He became popular through his participation in A-Teen, Sky Castle or Itaeweon Class. He's done a great job. I love his acting. The other actors done a great job too. I only knew Nam Yoon-soo. I've never seen any work of the main girls. But I love their acting. Really. All of them were great.
The other thing I wanna talk is about Jisoo. Everyone is debating whether is a victim and in a way he is but he's definitely not. Like sir, this whole sex trafficking side hustle you have is legit the not smartest thing you could do but considering his background and the struggles he's going trough, made me realize, people will do anything for some quick money. Especially if they are motivated to achieve a dream.
Dreams are expensive like Jisoo highlighted and made me think about how money hungry human beings actually are. Even the rich (Gyuri) can't get enough.
I don't wanna talk about Gyuri because oh my god... (SOMETIMES I HATE HER). Gyuri got Jisoo in some deeper things then anticipated and it's also bad on Jisoo's part because he listened to her. Which was because of him liking her a lot (ANOTHER THING I HATE BECAUSE REALLY JISOO IS TOO SUBMISSIVE).
Overall, I thought the drama was good. Every episode had me on the edge of my seat.
10/10 would recommend :)
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Overrated
I found myself thinking that I just wasted 10 hours watching this drama. This could have been impactful because it dealt with the serious subject of crimes committed by high school students but the story did not move me. The problem was the way it was presented. There was no depth. Jisoo, the central character had an absentee father, his partner in crime Kyoo Ri's parents seemed to have subjected her to abuse but there was no way for the viewers to find out more about the dynamics that defined the two characters' relationship with their parents. It would have been clearer if there was a bit of a background story that explained Jisoo and Kyoo Ri's damaged characters. There was also no backstory with the rest of the characters ie, Mr. Lee, how he became involved with Jisoo, Minhee, how she turned into a prostitute and Kitae, the bully and abusive boyfriend.The characters were so unlikeable. Jisoo, at the beginning gave the impression of an intelligent kid with a heart that somehow lost his way. And then, he turned into a snivelling idiot who was in over his head. Then there's Kyoo Ri who caused Jisoo to unravel; she manipulated him and her stupidity almost killed both of them.
It's like a watching a hodge podge of a story with a terrible ending. Don't waste your time on this drama.
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Disturbing story of suffering people.
It's hard for me to wrap my head around what I have just seen and what exactly I was supposed to get out of watching this show.The idea behind the story and the issues presented were extremely interesting, but at some point I had a feeling as if too much was happening in too quick of a pace with too much of over the top action. It moved from dark psychological school thriller to dark action flick? I felt like instead of giving us a cohesive story, the writer wanted to outdo himself by writing more extra and shocking scenes and plot lines one after the other.
The biggest problem I had was the fact some characters did not feel grounded in the story. Gi Tae and Hae Gyung were the two that stood out for me the most and I failed to understand them and their motivations. The change from school bully and teen delinquent to whatever Gi Tae became at the end seems random. Hae Gyung's introduction to the plot and her obsession over the case were also questionable.
On the bright side (if you can even call it that), all the characters were bad people, morally gray at best. While it was refreshing and interesting to watch a show where there are no heroes and no one to truly root for, it can also make you feel depressed and overwhelmed.
Some plot lines that were introduced led nowhere and were mere devices to push the characters into a corner, hence never got a proper closure, like the whole side story of Ji Soo's father or the guy Gyuri's parents worked with, that clearly was interested in her.
But then, truth to be told, the whole drama had no closure and clear cut ending. The last few scenes literally presented more new questions than answers. With that heavy of a story, leaving viewers without proper explanation may be risky. I myself feel as if my brain was just turned into pudding and any attempts to understand the ending or certain plots would lead me to more confusion and frustration.
The acting was quite a masterpiece. All the lead actors aced their roles, which were not easy to pull off. To sell a story, performers often use their own experience as a reference, but with crazy stuff happening in this show, it's hard to even imagine what the characters would feel, not to mention act it out. On other technicalities, it was beautifully shot. While the pictures were gruesome at times, I still enjoyed the camera work, use of colors and shadows and the transitions between the scenes.
Overall, not a drama for everyone. Gore, death, pain, suffering, abuse, mental and physical struggle - it's a perfect combination to get yourself in a depressive state or murderous mood. I took my sweet time watching this drama, not being able to watch more than one episode per day. But then binged watched the last three just to get it over with. While, in some weird way, I enjoyed the process of watching, I also feel exhausted and happy it's finally over.
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Though the issues that extracurricular is dealing with are not the typical korean school drama presents, even though the angst, drama and having the character hit a low point is part of the korean drama repertoire, the drama did a good job with dealing with them, keeping the pace fast and the cinematography dark and moody. So, the idea was there and so were the elements to make a good psychological thriller, however, the drama didn't succeed in doing so.
First of all, the characters, not all of them, but the main ones, were annoying. Actually, the leading lady was unlikable and not easy to root for, in a drama were you have to like the criminals. The main character was a bit too toned down, with the title of genius being only a tag that followed him, but in reality, or, at least as far as the drama showed us, he was just a boy with a good idea, but lonely and in a desperate situation. The characters overall were acting way too mature for their age and it was difficult to be believable.
Second of all, the drama had its boring moments. The whole action thing got tiring to watch after it followed one twist after the other and the frustrating moments were too much. And yet, somehow, they managed to get the interest hit low beats towards the end. However, the ending was nicely managed. The performances, also, were brilliant from everyone in the cast, even though most of them are young actors.
So, overall, six out of ten.
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This review may contain spoilers
Sorry if this goes against the general opinion but this drama is just a giant ball of frustration and disappointment for me.1. The beginning of the episode was interesting but then it just gets boring.
2. The main characters in the show are just really unlikable and there are no character development at all.
3. Its just stupid to think that the main character is smart and daring enough to run his security/pimp operation but then all of his other actions shows him just being a wimpy, indecisive and scared kid.
4. No backstory to explain what happened or why the characters are in these situation. Pretty convenient that Jisoo just happened to be saved by an ex-military man and proceeds to form a loyal partnership?
5. Positive is when we are not being frustrated, we are treated to some good and thrilling scenes that keeps you wanting more.
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An After-School Passion For Crime...
The message of the Extracurricular becomes clearly evident for viewers over the course of the show ; South-Korean society can become a “ dog-eat-dog” world if individuals are impoverished, or if they do not match-up to the expectations of being “ successful ”( succeeding in school, being rich , going to university and getting a good job), and none so are these pressures more apparent than for our main protagonist, Ji Soo.Kim Dong Hee ( Itaewon Class , SKY Castle) ventures once again into another South-Korean social critique as the high schooler Ji Soo; a model-student who soon falls from grace when he becomes involved in illicit after - school activities in order to attend and pay for his fees to go to University .
Directed by Kim Min Jin ( Time Between Dog and Wolf, Lawless Lawyer) and written by screenwriter Jin Han Sae ( Irish Uppercut) , Extracurricular undeniably addresses many realistic issues typically glossed over by mainstream South-Korean high school dramas; delinquency, prostitution, violence, the poverty gap, crime and academic stereotypes, are refreshingly neither “played down” nor ignored over the course of the series.
Nevertheless, despite its realistic topicalities and issues, Extracurricular was severely flawed by its characters, plot inconsistencies and overarching storyline as well.
Whilst it is hard to really fault any of our main cast within their performances, the character progression around many of our main protagonists was fairly lacklustre to say the least. By default, Ji Soo should have been an intriguing protagonist; hardworking, impoverished, a tragic past and who becomes a victim of the forced social pressures in order to “ succeed” by partaking in numerous shady crimes. However, in reality, there were few prominent or truly captivating traits or elements present within Ji Soo as a character. Although he arguably had some form of strength within wanting to survive in a cruel world, his impassivity at key moments often made him hard to feel any strong sentiments towards as an individual.
Arguably our female main lead Gyu Ri ( Park Joo Hyun) had some elements such as coming from a well-to-do family , holding a nasty grudge against them and her mysterious reasons for getting close to Ji Soo which made her a more intriguing character than our male lead. On the other hand similar to Ji Soo, Gyu Ri lacked a lot of character depth during key moments, making it hard to hard understand both her initial enmity towards her parents as well as exactly how she became so interested in Ji Soo in the first place. Similarly, the second leads of the series, school bullies Min Hee ( Jung Da Bin) and Ki Tae ( Nam Yoon Su) were undeniably intriguing characters, however, their lack of emotional depth and backstory often made them feel more like “ stock” leads simply used as plot devices, rather than actually intriguing individuals.
To summarise, it’s fair to say that the series Extracurricular, isn’t your run-of-the-mill high school drama; it isn’t afraid from offering a deeper insight into tricky issues, themes and topics, as well as having an intriguing plot, however, a fairly inconsistent ending , several badly-written characters with poor depth and backstories and lacking realism at times, often made this series feel a little lacklustre in comparison to other psychological high school dramas out there. Worth a watch if you’re looking for something to pass the time, but certainly not worth actually investing time towards.
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Other than that, the acting, music, production, and direction are all fantastic. I was in awe of all actors! Kim Dong Hee really proved himself to be a versatile actor! I was especially surprised to see Nam Yoon Soo's role! In Temperature of Love, he completely made me fall in love with him, yet in this show, the mere sight of him annoyed me. Park Joo Hyun and Jung Da Bin also did a phenomenal job!
The show is a little exhausting to binge since it is very dark. However, it is a very thought-provoking show written in an excellent manner. There are many twists and great character development. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, then this one is definitely made for you!!
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Which is to say I loved this drama and a big part of that is because it did a good job you getting you deeply invested and rooting for our protagonists even though you know they're doing some seriously illegal, unethical stuff. Oh Jisoo is the clever underdog who dreams of an average life that his circumstances might never get him and you can't help but get attached immediately. Kim Donghee is a really great actor, I hope his star only rises from here. Bae Gyuri meanwhile is privileged but trapped and definitely sociopaths on some level. I'm pretty certain her connection with Jisoo is the first genuine one she's had which makes their story so much sadder. She was the clear highlight for me, even though she's manipulative and unlikable she's undeniably clever and quick on her feet and just so enjoyable to watch. I wanted her happiness as much as Jisoo's! I'll be keeping an eye out for Park Joo Hyun's future projects!
The drama is graphic and drops in heavy topics when it comes to sex work and the criminal underworld so I'd avoid if those topics are uncomfortable for you. But otherwise I highly recommend! It's a rollercoaster with our teen leads as all of them navigate a dangerous world none of them are fully equipped for and attempt to somehow come out the other end unscathed. It's definitely dark and angsty but like watching a crash you can't tear your eyes from!
P.S. No spoilers but the ending is slightly open-ended if that's also something you avoid.
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In terms of the story writing, I felt that the foundation of the series as to why each character behaves in such a way does not justify their actions. This is probably due to the poor script writing which ends up ruining such a good series that could have been the best K-series if done right. The most frustrating thing about the show is probably the fact that the "genius" male lead isn't a genius at all. He made alot of mistakes that could have been well avoided. The show kinda felt like it was trying to achieve the level of money heist where the protagonist is well liked by the people despite the wrong doing but yet due to the conservative thinking, they decide to fall back to its safety net where the show served as a lesson for us to think about how each mistake leads to a dire consequence and there is no turning back.
Despite the poor writing, I must commend the actors and actresses for their emotional and impactful acting. Their character were however, difficult to relate to which results in a lot of conflict trying to understand how each character felt and why they make certain decision.
Regardless, I managed to finish the series as it kept me on the edge with every episode and made me continue watching as I had to find out what will happen next.
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