High School Return of a Gangster (2024)

Excellent drama that accomplishes what it set out to do

I am blown away by this drama. I give the most props to the young actor, Yoon Chan Young, who plays a VERY convincing middle aged gangster in a high schooler's body.

The drama do touch on sensitive topics, such as extreme bullying, suicide, domestic violence, and some drugs/alcoholism. While these topics are the main plot points, the focus is more on the characters, action to resolve issues, and some comedy. There is a good pace for progression, so I never felt bored. Even the side characters are entertaining to watch.

I had no idea it was from a BL story, and I didn't feel more than bromance/besties from the 2 MLs. Sometimes it felt like our ML can be a father/adult figure to the kids around him, which makes sense for this story.

Would highly reccomend!!

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When the bullied becomes a bully

Everyone like a revenge series or may be its just me and this is why I really enjoyed this comedy drama fantasy series. This series contains all the elements that I like; comedy, mystery, fantasy, bromance, friendship and an assortment of actors that can do justice to their characters. This series in retrospect is about the life of students constantly under pressure to excel, where losers are looked down upon and harassed.

The story as the name suggests, is about a gangster whose soul enters a down-on-his-luck, bullied and suicidal student. Making peace with the fact that he has practically dies, he sets out on a journey to improve t he life of the student before his inevitable return of his soul. What follows is a series of events, where our kind-hearted gangster learns more about the life of the student whose body he inhabits, tries to right the wrongs that he has faced all the while helping other people he judges going astray.

The beauty of the series lies in its simplicity and the mystery that hides behind the main characters. Why did Song Yi Heon commit suicide? What was the last conversation between him and Choi Se Kyung? How will Kim Deuk Pal, the gangster, help Yi Heon before his imminent demise? Will the bad guys learn a lesson and turn over a new leaf?

The series although with a simple story has complicated characters. Song Yi Heon has money but what he lacks is motherly care and a peaceful life in school. He is constantly bullied and beaten by the rapscallions at school, wants to befriend the popular guy, Choi Se Kyung but is termed a stalker, all in all a silent victim. Choi Se Kyung is pressured to perform by his successful father leading him to suffer from anxiety attacks. Kim Dong Soo, Kim Deuk Pal’s henchman wants to rebuild the gang after Duek Pal’s death only to be trapped and used by Lee Mi Kyung, our secondary antagonist.

In conclusion, this is a highly entertaining series that offers a unique blend of action, humor, and emotional depth. While the world-building could be tighter, the series excels with its strong performances and engaging premise. It's a perfect watch for those seeking a fun and thought-provoking escape.

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EXCITING and FUN that went downwards

I got super excited on the first 3 episodes, I was 100%ly entertained on how this drama started it was really fun regardless of what the makers of it censored of whatever stuff that was originally on this drama. School drama like this was so refreshing and I am so satisfied on how Yi Heon was finally able to get back against the bullies through Deuk Pal but the drama somewhat went downwards it got boring in the middle but not very much , it was still bingeable, It was somehiw sad that Yi Heon did not choose to live his life even it is great to Deuk Pal , it was actually a sad story but it was fun
I'd probably rewatch this again after a while.

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The ending was not it

The plot was good, honestly, but the ending didn't make sense at all. The gangster is nearly a 50-year-old man who lived 48 years, even if they were full of hardships and regrets. He still lived his life and even achieved his dreams when he got into the boy's body. At this point, he should have been the one to leave, not the young boy who didn't get to live a full 19 years.

The boy had a horrible life, so of course, he wouldn't know how valuable his life is and didn't hold on to it. In that scene, the gangster's duty was to let the boy stay and guide him. Instead, he accepted the fact that the boy didn't want to live and just let him go. That man DIDN'T EVEN RESIST! For me, that scene ruined the whole watching experience.

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Don't Miss This

Really enjoyed this show overall! 2 day binge! Excellent cast and story. Such a different take on the body swap genre but not sure how I feel about the ending though. I’m a bit torn. I wanted Yi Heon to get a 2nd chance but also wanted Duk Pal to stay. I really liked Jae Min's arc and redemption as well.

Se Kyung’s father the worst until the end! Wished on some level we could have had the mother’s reasoning behind why she allowed her son to stay there.

ML was absolutely phenomenal throughout. This was my first experience with him and I am very impressed with his acting skills. Bravo! ?? ??

I needed this show. Put me is the best mood.

8/25/24

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Logical Ending

I watched this drama and the other one ( can't remember the name right now). These are my thoughts. This drama had moments that were very sad, darker, and more serious than the other one. Not going to lie, I shed a few tears in certain scenes. The other one had a mostly lighter tone. I never shed a tear when watching that drama.
This drama had okay fight scenes with the male lead BUT I loved the fight scenes in the other drama. It gave me more satisfaction for the bullied main lead.
I think this ending fits the story. Yeon Chan Young (the 18 yr old who was bullied) was never friends with Jae Yung? Sure he wanted to be friends but Jae Yung had his own problems. So the personality of YCH being friends with JY would have never worked. They were both hiding and weak. JY needed a strong " personality" to teach him how to be strong and to be a good friend.
So leaving the gangster soul in YCH made sense. Like he said he was tired. He has been through a lot in his 18 years. He would never be able to take over the life the gangster already set in motion.

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FRESH - he has solutions to all the problems he faces.

Some dislike this series because it changes the direction from the original source material, shifting from BL to Bromance. From a copyright perspective, the author/creator of the story allows for this change; without the creator's permission, it wouldn't have happened. Well...

I have not read the original source and have no plans to do so. Therefore, my comment is based solely on what I have watched from the series so far. From my observation, the series is well-made and fresh. Although the story isn't particularly new, the cast is perfect. They have found the ideal male lead in Yoon Chan-young, who not only matches the role physically (very athletic) but also delivers strong acting performances. Chan-young is on point throughout, and his co-stars help him shine. For example, his interactions with Se-kyung (Yiheon) stand out, showcasing his masculinity and alpha qualities, which are satisfying to watch because they give the sense that he has solutions to all the problems he faces.

When this series ends, I am going to miss it completely.

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"Censored Adaptation Of Same-sex Work"

The tag spells it out for me: they took a tale of queer struggle and chopped it down to pieces with their heteronormative axe

In a sea of non-queer stories that could've been adapted, they chose to adapt a queer story and proceeded to subject it to the crushing weight of censorship, a decision that does a disservice to the story

The question of "who cares?" is put forth by those who don't understand the gravity of this censorship. The truth is, I care deeply, as do many members of the community, about the pattern of censorship and twisting of gay people's stories into unrecognizable bromances or sismances for mass appeal and profit. It's disappointing

For once, please don't tell us how to feel. It's not on the marginalized and oppressed to temper their emotions or stifle their righteous outrage. Rather, the onus is on the oppressive homophobic majority to step out of their comfort zones, to confront their prejudices, and to recognize that the world doesn't revolve around them

With a healthy dose of skepticism, I tried to indulge in the censored drama and found myself underwhelmed. Body-swapping has little appeal to me, and even stellar acting wouldn't be able to hold my attention. The censorship and heteronormative manipulation also soured my initial enthusiasm

I might revisit the drama in the future. For the moment, I will bid farewell to the production

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DIFFERENT STORYLINE THAT WILL KEEP YOU LAUGHING AND ENTERTAINED!

Tbh I haven’t been able to find a good kdrama for months and I felt myself slipping from kdramas but when I heard that Jaehyun and Chanyoung were acting together, I had to check it out and I am so glad I did! I found myself laughing every episode to crying during the last episode. I loved the bromance and character development between the characters were phenomenal! Don’t get me started on the storyline! I watched this drama with no context and I am really suprised yay how good the plot was. This drama lowkey gives me old school vibe a little bit with the acting and ost which I loved. Definitely a 10/10 (AND CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW GOOD CHANYOUNG PORTRAYED BOTH THE VULNERABLE TEEN AND THE MATURE GANGSTER LIKE THIS MAN NEVER DISAPPOINTS!!)

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BEST SCHOOL 2024 for sure !

It is with a lot of emotion that I write this review because episode 8 left me in tears but with joy, I reassure you.

High school return of a gangster tells the story of a gang leader who sees his mind transferred to the body of a high school after an accident with him that will cost him his life. At first glance I think directly of DUDE IN ME, a Korean film that I loved for its concept of a confident adult who enters the body of a high school without insurance. We find this same vibe and that's why I hooked directly. Although the drama is inspired by the yaoi novel indeed here we censor and get our hands on a gay romance preferring a bro-mance that is just as strong and significant. Let me tell you that even 8 episodes are too few because I don't feel like I'm wasting my time watching this drama with an enormous amount of interesting and positive content in terms of morality. We therefore follow the new life of the gangster in this new body where he has a second chance in life to succeed while conducting a good deed for the body and the person he occupies. We follow both school adventures, through review sessions with friends, violence and justice towards his host's former executioners and also very fun moments when he behaves like a padré at his age and everyone makes him big eyes when he speaks like an old man xD it was epic. we address the theme of fatherhood, school failure, school harassment, friendship. There are also sub-stories related to the upstream gang that takes us out of the school circle as well. I had a great time with them and I appreciated that the executioners had a lesson, something that had not been done in hierarchy, here we took the necessary measures, and to close in style, the final is surprising and tearful an end really that I had not seen coming and of which I am really delighted. I enjoyed the acting of the protagonists: the actor Jae Hyeon made a lot go through the look and had a lot of charm and sensitivity. And finally the hero, the actor chan young was incredible because he managed to play two caps, both the old fearful and introverted yi heon, and the new yi heon totally extroverted determined and dark, in addition to having to think and behave like an adult! I say hat. A great school and surely the best of the year! I fully recommend. 10/10 !!!

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one sitting

I was waiting for five days for the whole drama to be completed so I can watch without worrying for the next ep and no cliffhangering.

I really give this a 10/10 cause I really like storys /dramas like being possessed or becoming like a different person in just a flick, plus the acting is just ?? french kiss!! I really like all the actor and actress ,bro ngl their acting is really good that at many points I want to strangle both the prosecutor and the secretary. they both got my nerve, that's how good their acting is (on the character not on the actor)

this drama is for those who is really into sudden change of characters, as far as I've watched I've seen no flaws on the production and acting the music was also great ,comedy was phenomenal♥️,and the many things that you can learn on this is really really great.

for example the way that you study or the way you handle things or maybe the way you make decisions for your own future,we also can learn on here that ' you'll never know unless you try.

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