Don't let that happen to you. Read on further and know why you should give it a chance. Bear wimme since it is a little long. :)
King Of high School doesn't bring anything new to the already established genre of romantic comedy. The plot seems predictable and the actors not veterans in their fields. What invited me in was definitely the awkward dance moves in the teasers that TvN released for this show which inspired many other upbeat teasers for many dramas by main broadcasters in Korea.
Seo In Guk certainly caught my eye and i have loved this man from his Reply 1997 days. Seo In Guk plays this high schooler who gets to be his hyung at his workplace due to some behind-the-scenes stuff happening. Romantic and office hijinks issue as the consequence of that. This drama takes some time to kick start so don't expect fireworks and instant excitement with this drama.
Seo in Guk was undoubtedly the star of the show. Every expression, every gesture and his body language genuinely expressed what he was feeling at that moment. Playing a high school kid when you are already 26 aint easy. to top it off the character of Min Suk was not easy to play. Seo In Guk played Min SUk with so much conviction that i wanted a high schooler of my own. His childish anger, his laughs,his arrogance, his smile, his pure and kind heart are all indications of a great man he is going to become. In that he is a plain contrast to the adults in the show who are too serious for their own good. Where Min Suk goes he turns everybody's lives upside down and gives them a taste of fun and cheerful stuff that life should be made of. . He is like a sun on a cold wintry morning because he brings warmth and screen presence with him. The fact that he is so handsome only adds on to this young actors talents. Did i mention how utterly awesome Seo In Guk looks when he curses? Mind blowingly hot that it makes me wanna curse too. :D
Lee Ha Na is purely a delight to see on screen. Soo Young is a total contrast to every other kdrama heroine because neither is she some naive innocent girl and neither is she worldly and arrogant. She is someone who goes all out for the ones she loves regardless of the fact that that could lead to some very awkward and downright embarrassing situations. That doesn't mean she is weak and cries all the time. She is one of the strongest heroines who knows when to open her mouth and spurt out some swear words or give some much needed advice or speak harsh words to set someone straight. Jung Soo Young will grow on you and after it is finished you will remember how strong, bubbly, lovable and adorkable she was. She is played with a lot of gusto and heart by Lee Ha Na and now im a fan.
The chemistry that Min Suk and Soo Young share is similar to having two high school kids experiencing first love for the first time. They are utterly adorable and totally childish with each other. The age gap didnt feel too much because in real life they are so close to each others ages and frankly Seo in Guk is too much like a puppy in love which just turns my heart to all time fangirl high.
The relationships in this show are the heart and soul of the whole masterpiece. The writer reminds me in a lot of ways of the writers of Reply 1997. Everybody and i mean literally everybody gets screen time in this show from the side office workers to the grandpa. The talent of a writer shows in the way they treat the show's smaller characters. The writer here gives them a life of their own irrespective of their contribution to the plot and fleshes out these characters who are least stereotypical and one-dimensional. I love the office workers who are a bunch of kids bowing to another kid. They fill the screen with lots of necessary laughs and cutesy side romances as well. This is possibly the second show after Can You Hear My Heart in which i loved Every.single.character barring just one.
The ever immortally handsome Lee Soo Hyuk came out of hiding and played a flawed and loveless man whose life is filled with thorns and after meeting the bright Soo Young understands that life is much more than money and success. His bromance with Seo In Guk is another highlight of the show and i loved all their childish quarrel, their little squabbles and bro fights.
Halbe and Min Suka should have a show of their own with the way they act like a family. The grandfather-father-son trio are a delight to look at with their sassy talks and crazy dinner table antics. Soo Young and Yoo Ah are probably the bestest of sisters in dramaland who are mature and know what family and relationships mean. The best friends of Min Suk deserve an applause for being such amazing besties who stand tall with their BFF through thick and thin.
There are no betrayals in the show. There is no villain. No bitchy women are here. No monster-in-laws. No meddling relatives. There is no action and neither any over the top stuff happening. Its just a slice of life drama unraveling before our very own eyes with a certain beauty.
Watch it if you are in mood of a little romance, some crazy laughs and adorable family relationships.
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Story: The story was really good! A high school student pretending to be a 27 year old office worker seems absurd but it was totally believable. The mystery surrounding Lee Min Suk's brother was very intriguing but it wasn't the main focus of the drama and was only dealt with in the few last episodes. The drama focused on Lee Min Suk and how he grew as a character. The noona romance was okay too though I wasn't that invested in it. The star of this drama for me was Lee Min Suk. I went in thinking it was going to be like City Hunter, you know a quest for revenge and everything. But this turned out to be completely different. This drama wasn't intense, it was cute and funny. I loved how they used old drama cliches and gave them a twist to make them funny or different. I especially liked that Yoo Jin Woo's story was progressed along with Lee Min Suk's and he was given his due importance too.The story was very well-written and the pace of the drama was really good.
Characters: Seo In Guk did an amazing job as Lee Min Suk (and Lee Hyung Suk). First of all, I've always acknowledged that Seo In Guk is good-looking but during this drama I realized that he is gorgeous! Especially as Lee Hyung Suk (even though he appeared for like 1-2 episodes). Secondly, Seo In Guk is an extremely talented actor! And this role showed his talent to the fullest. He played the role of a high schooler so well, unlike someone else (Lee Min Ho I'm looking at you), that it was hard to believe that in real life he is 26. Lee Min Suk was endearing and funny and adorable. But I also loved the scenes where he got all serious and mature. I loved seeing him grow from a boy into a man! Seo In Guk's portrayal of both brothers was so good you could see who was who with the way he stood and talked. While Lee Min Suk was kinda sloppy, as expected of a kid, Lee Hyung Suk stood with confidence. Where Lee Min Suk talked in a cheery way, Lee Hyung Suk's voice was grave and serious. I simply loved Seo In Guk's acting in this drama!
Jung Soo Young is a character I would rather not talk about. She was uncomfortably painful to watch. I understood her character really well and I got where the writer wanted to go with her but Lee Ha Na's portrayal of her was not good. Jung Soo Young is a character I could have loved had Lee Ha Na did her justice. Soo Young is a socially awkward girl with seemingly no talents. I get the character. It was Lee Ha Na's job to make that character relatable, even likable. But the way she played her it felt like Jung Soo Young had some mental disability. Which was really very uncomfortable for me to watch. But of course, I did get used to her and then she didn't bother me much. But I never felt connected to her. I did feel sorry for her but only a little.
I loved loved LOVED Lee Soo Hyuk as Yoo Jin Woo! I loved how this time the broken bad boy was not the male lead but the second lead. And Lee Soo Hyuk played him really well! And did I mention how gorgeous Lee Soo Hyuk is?!! Because he is really gorgeous!! I could stare at him all day! I loved his story arc and how it all played out. I loved this broken bad boy with a good heart! But I never, for one second, believed that he was actually in love with Soo Young. I felt like he needed someone and since Soo Young was previously obsessed with him he figured she would be a good person to keep by his side. I never felt like he actually, honestly loved her.
All the minor characters were great! The office people were your typical office people, gossiping and judging. They also provided very good entertainment. Team Leader Kim was very funny and so adorable! Jo Han Chul did an awesome job playing him and I loved seeing him onscreen! I loved how he cared so much about Lee Min Suk and all his anxiety breakdowns (I seem like a bad person saying I enjoyed his breakdowns but really, they were funny and added for comedic purposes). Jung Yoo Ah (Soo Young's sister) was super annoying at first but like her sister she became tolerable. I loved Lee Min Suk's friends! They were so supportive and super funny, with their chuppa chuppas and stuff! Lee Min Suk's dad was awesome! He wasn't his real dad but he cared so much for him that it was heartwarming and so beautiful. My favorite though was Min Suk's grandfather (his adoptive father's father)! Kwon Seong Deok was amazing, playing him and he was so funny and adorable and it was so heartbreaking! I really loved him! I loved how the minor characters played a more important role in this drama than they usually do in dramas.
Romance: I honestly believe Seo In Guk has good chemistry with everyone. Be it a girl or a boy, he has good chemistry with all. Just look at his previous works. He had amazing chemistry with Jung Eun Ji AND Hoya in Reply 1997. Even as a second lead he has awesome chemistry with the female leads (see Master's Sun). It was no exception in King of High School. He not only had great chemistry with Lee Ha Na but also with Lee Soo Hyuk! BUT I was not as much invested in the romance and the main couple as I would have had it not been for Lee Ha Na. The couple wasn't all that bad but they couldn't pull on the strings of my heart like the InHyun couple (Queen In Hyun's Man) & the Reply 1997 couple (Jung Eun Ji and Seo In Guk). So that 'something missing' thing I was talking about was my lack of love for the main couple.
Ending: The extra episodes really weren't needed. But I didn't mind them much. Most people are not satisfied with the ending and to be honest if I would've written this I would've ended it differently too but it wasn't that bad and I don't have much of a problem with it.
Overall: All in all this was a really good drama and most people might not have the problems with it that I did so I highly recommend it for anyone who is in the mood of a good rom-com.
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This review may contain spoilers
FOR ME! This is probably the best written, best acted, best thought out romantic comedy I have ever seen anywhere, anytime. I cannot think of enough words to describe the intensity of FEELING this show left me with. The building of every single relationship in this show was not just thoughtfully developed, but of such a high degree of intimacy that there was not one extraneous person in the entire show. I wanted to watch and know more about each and every person and the degree that I will miss this show is so high just because of that. I want very very badly to see more of these people, to share more of their stories and am so sad that we will never be given that opportunity. Imagination is a wonderful thing, but the visual verification of the remarkable relationships between all these people made this show an absolute gem, a must watch, and one that will forever be worth watching again and again. Out of any show I have ever watched, this one proves what romantic comedy can do to warm the heart and heal the soul. Despite the sadnesses that life can bring, these people and this show prove that the unselfish love of one person for another, be it lover, family, or friend, can give you the strength to go against the odds and fight for what is important in life. Because it is the loving support in those relationships that will get you through loss, adversity, prejudice, and all the other hardships life throws at you. This show was so much more than entertainment. It was a lifting of the spirit, an absolute joy, and a testament to the writers and actors who so brilliantly brought this story and these characters to such real life.
As to those who were mostly looking at the negatives. Yes the lead female is a typical Kdrama cliche as far as her behaviors and I know that her younger sister really irritated a lot of people in the first several episodes. If you are going to watch and love Kdrama, there are things that sometimes you just have to understand and accept about Kdrama and the mindset of the main audience for them. As cliche characters go though, these, imo, were utilized in as subtle a way comedically as the writers could make them. There were reasons for the behaviors that, if you pay attention, were used not just for comedic relief, but to present a different outlook on a situation....to make the audience open their minds and think about what was happening in a different way.
But where this show really impressed was in its depiction of the love of family and the close bonds built between an adoptive father and grandfather and the sons they loved so well. And the love of two sisters that was so strong one could give up on infatuation in the recognition of true love despite how painful and yet still retain the bonds of sisterly love. And the love of 3 young men who, despite youthful exuberance and goofiness, understand perfectly the intensity of need, love, pain, and loss of their friend and stood over him and grieved with him in his loss and rejoiced with him in his happiness. The lack of petty, made up misunderstanding, miscommunication, over the top scenarios so prevalent in most kdramas today was mind boggling. In kdrama as a whole, the lack of those things in this show in themselves are such a departure from standard kdrama tropes as to be remarkable on their own.
SPOILER IN THIS PARAGRAPH...PLEASE SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH UNTIL AFTER YOU WATCH THE SHOW...PLEASE!
And the tender love, acceptance, support, endurance and found joy was depicted so wonderfully by a family dealing with the heartbreak of dementia (SPOILER DO NOT READ THE NEXT 2 LINES UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE WATCHED THE SHOW:............................................... and with the death of a greatly loved grandfather. The loss of this person was so beautifully written and acted that the grief in and emptiness of that home could actually be felt)....................................................................................
I realize there may be many who will not nor cannot feel this way about this show. Age and life and just the mood you happen to be in at this point in time really affects a person's reactions to a lot of the dramas I watch. So perhaps my exuberance over this show is out of proportion and there will be few who agree with me. But, for me, at this moment in my time, and with this show, I am so perfectly happy that it really doesn't matter. And it is all any of us can ask of any of the shows we watch. If it lifts your spirit as it did mine, I am so happy to have a kindred soul out there to share my happiness. If you are disappointed, I am so sorry I led you towards something you felt you wasted your time on and hope we will be in better communion on another show on another day! Peace! :)
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First, Seo In Gak was awesome. His acting is excellent, never lagged and you believed him in any role he played in this drama. He is 100% believable. His co-star Lee Soo Hyuk was just as excellent despite his less screen time. The relationships in this drama is awesome too. It was worth it to watch the characters, the families, the friendship building.
I confess, I ship the friendship between SIG and LSH more than anything in this drama. Put the two of them together and I would watch even the most boring of dramas. My evidence is that Lee Soo Hyuk carried me through 20 episodes of the most boring drama Scholar Who Walks the Night.
I loved everything, the storyline the characteriztion of the two male leads. The supporting casts and their relationships were wonderfully done too. You really believe he's a hih school kid and he's treated as such by the people closest to him. His friends were the icing on the cake.
Now for the other lead.... I like a quirky female lead as much as anyone else but this one got on my nerves. I contemplated dropping this drama just because she was an eyesore and her character was not up my alley, but I kept at it just for the 2 male leads. Jung Soo Young needed a makeover so bad, I hated her. She was too untidy and too much of an ahjumma. If she was at least 5% sexy (like I Hear Your Voice which is plenty sexy) I'd have gone along with it. But I watched on viki and she was so troubling that I had to stop every 5 minutes to complain over her mess. I really hated how she looked and by extension, her character. The actress played the character like she had autism - which makes it worse when compared to Joo Won's "Good Doctor".
The thought that the real actress was pretty and neat didn't even console me. Plus, put her up against the handsome high school boy and she looks to old to be kissing him or holding his hand. I hated her and her stylist and really really wanted to drop the drama because of her. I am not the only on either. She makes it hard to watch. Her character is too old physically and too stunted mentally for me to justify the romance. The 2 male leads had better chemistry together.
Will definitely not rewatch because off the eyesore.
I wouldn't really recommend it to anybody because I don't want to inflict that female lead on any one.
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If you want a good romantic comedy, what are you waiting for? Feel free to start this one right here, it's just great! C'mon, go right now and search for it on Viki or DramaFever or DramaGo or wherever you watch dramas! Check it out! :)
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I am going to be brutally honest here… This storyline was wasted. They could’ve made this drama great, our male lead Minseok has so much room to grow in this new job and could’ve had so much character depth built up but for some odd reason, they just didn’t do that. Nearly every character is one dimensional, I understand that side characters are just there for one or two purposes but don’t create cardboard cutouts. Yoo Ah, Minseok’s fangirl and schoolmate was seen as nothing other than a fangirl which is a wrong thing to do if she’s going to appear in the show quite often.
With that said, you’re probably going to be taken aback when I say this but I was actually hooked onto the first three episodes, I flew by them so quickly since I enjoyed them so much and I really wanted to know where the plot was going to go because I saw potential in it and was aching to know the mystery of Minseok’s brother and why he was gone.
It all went wrong when Jung Soo Young, played by Lee Ha Na, was introduced as the female lead. There is absolutely no chemistry between Minseok and Soo Young and I found myself gradually becoming more irritated by them. I tried really hard to see the faintest connection between the two but there was nothing there and they were still trying to convince me that their love was fate.
I’ll give credit to Soo Young on one thing; she was actually enjoyable to watch for the first few episodes. I liked her clumsiness in her dating skills when she was chasing after Director Yoo and how she was just an unlucky person. Although she was foolish, it was rather amusing to watch. Even though I liked her awkward character, I didn’t care enough for her as a female lead she fitted the role of a supporting character a lot better.
Yoo Jin Woo has to be my favourite character of High School King of Savvy, he was the most three dimensional of all the characters and I cared about his problems and life more than the male lead’s life. I loved every moment of screen time with Director Yoo. In this case, they should’ve made Yoo Jin Woo the main character because Minseok is such an uninteresting protagonist. Even though I wanted to know more about his troubled life and past, I didn’t as there were things left unsaid that are shown to us through flashbacks and a scene where Director Yoo looks at broken glass of a tail light and is triggered by that. They didn’t bother to explain any aspect of his past after because he became irrelevant to the plot since he was only there to be a part of a love triangle which shouldn’t be the case for any storyline.
I haven’t seen Seo In Guk in any other drama but I could see that he is a good actor as he was able to channel the jealous and conflicting emotions that Minseok went through really well and he played both Minseok and the character’s brother Hyung Seok and was able to make me believe that they were two completely different people which they are supposed to be so that was pretty impressive. The only problem is that he didn’t play a decent lead character that I connected with. The biggest problem with Minseok’s character is that he never changed or grew; he remains the exact same childish angsty teenager throughout the entire show. I have a big problem with this because in the end of the show, they did a Three Years Later segment and in three years, a person changes so much. I saw no character growth or change and he’s supposed to be an adult at this point, I get it that he’s supposed to be much younger than Soo Young so they had to show the difference in maturity between the two but come on, he still can’t remain the same hot headed teenager because he’s not even a teenager anymore!
This drama is not worth watching, you could make use of 17 episodes or more on a better show with better characters. I found myself getting bored toward the end and was hoping the romance between Lee Minseok and Jung Soo Young would blow off. Also, the big mystery with Minseok’s brother Hyung Seok was so anticlimactic, it was disappointing. As for Lee Soo Hyuk, please play in better dramas.
I am going to give High School King of Savvy a 5/10 stars for Lee Soo Hyuk as Director Yoo, for being invested in the show initially and hooked on the first couple of episodes and for Minseok’s grandpa. Minseok’s grandpa and Yoo Jin Woo made this show earn the extra star.
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I already starys missing min suk.. he is soooo romantic & funny.. I can give 10/10 for acting for all other actors Except lead actress. She Cant do anything and she looks like mentally ill person.. Actually I wanted to dropped this drama 10 or 20 times because of her. I really feel tired while watching her acting .. but story line & other actors r 100% good soo thtz d reason I keep watching it... I enjoyed drama & I must say i love SIG's acting.. He really do control me i smile & cry with him.. i recommended this because of him.. if you love him you can watch this drama while ignoring tht ahjumma.
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My Rating: 8.5
In Short: A charming and witty show that was only limited by the viewers opinion on the age difference. Personally, I think the 28 year old ladies should stay away from the high schoolers.
Pros: The charming side-characters, including the family relations, Min Suk’s high school buddies and the retail team made this show. I also liked how Min Suk was high school level immature. They did not take the easy way out with the age difference. I also enjoyed the quirky heroine, who stayed her weird self throughout the drama.
Cons: The age difference bothers me a lot (for the ages they are in now), and I feel like the show could have benefited from focusing a bit less on the romance, and more on these characters finding themselves.
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The storyline of this isn't merely a 'noona romance', to be honest I would count that as a minor detail in this drama (so if you don't like noona romances don't worry). What amazes me about this drama is how each cliche was re-written to fit the lighthearted and funny tone of the show to the point that you actually forget that it is a cliché. The humour is what propelled this drama to the top of my 'rematch because it's amazing list'.
The characters, there is no way I can write about them without gushing. Seo In Guk is one of my favourite actors and brought this drama to life through his portrayal of a high school student. Min Suk eventually was not a character that Seo In Guk was playing but it WAS him. Every line and expression drew me in and made me love him more and more. Min Suk was adorably childish but not in a way that made him annoying, but in a way where you loved his heart and the fact that he could always find the good in a person. Seo In Guk shocked me more when he played Min Suk's brother. How could a person act so different? Everything movement, expression even the tone of voice helped to identify Hyunsuk and highlighted how good Seo in Guk was at acting. The fact that he could instantly change characters just by his presence blew my mind.
Jung Soo Young at first was very weird. Very out there, but eventually she became endearing and such a nice change to the typical kdrama heroine. Her development throughout the drama was amazing. In the beginning she was someone who was pushed around and faded into the background. Eventually she blossomed and learnt to stand on her own two feet. She shined throughout the drama and was so relatable.
Lee Soo Hyuk surprised me in this drama. You go from feeling hate towards him to pity and rooting for him to have a happy ending. His cute childish bromance with Seo In Guk was always great to watch and made me smile. I hope he does more rom-com's as he was great in this and really showed of his acting skills.
I have to also say that the writers did an amazing job of making ALL characters shine not matter how small or large a role they had. Every character made the drama all the more amazing from the office staff to Min Suk's grandpa. As for the music? I still listen to all of the OST's over and over and especial love Seo In Guk- Finding myself. An amazing singer and actor, what can this man not do?
So if you find yourself contemplating whether you should watch this drama or not I am telling you…NO… urging you to watch this. You won't regret it and you will find yourself laughing and crying with all the characters.
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For the first time I actually cared for all characters in the drama, everyone had their place, they were interesting and fun to watch. Of course, Seo In Guk impressed with his acting, his character felt real to the core. The relationships were well portrayed and it was fun to watch everyone's interaction. Min Seok's with his friends were a sassy energetic bunch. Though it's sad to say that without Seo In Guk this drama wouldn't have been as good.
What caught my eye at first was how this show was filmed, it had that office feel to it. New in Kdramas for me, very lively and entertaining. There was a lot of comedy in the show but at times it was also very serious,the balance was well maintained.
It's actually hard to find anything negative to say about this drama, except that extension was not needed and the show felt a bit stretched. Even 16 episodes is too long, just enough for any show (no matter how good) to lose it's sparks.
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_______________________________________
SHORT REVIEW
=================================
PROS
- Light-hearted Romantic Comedy
- Absolutely Hilarious
- Funny main cast and side characters
- Cute couple
- Steamy kisses
CONS
- Flimsy plot conclusion
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LONG REVIEW
=================================
I'll start of by saying this is the FUNNIEST drama I have seen.
I'm a sucker for light-hearted romantic comedies and this drama was a very satisfying watch.
This drama doesn't take itself too seriously and never succumbs to the overly serious drama scenes that plague typical kdramas.
CHARACTERS / ACTORS
Seo In Guk is remarkably lovable in this. As Lee Min Suk and fake Lee Hyung Suk he is funny and playful but never to the point of being childish. Fans of Seo In Guk in Reply 1997 will love him in this as well.
Lee Ha Na as Jung Soo Young was very kooky. The actress convincingly portrayed a quirky woman. I can see some viewers not being taken with her character but if you take the character Jung Soo Young at face value she's a lovable character. Til the end, Jung Soo Young never looses her kookiness.
Other than the leads, the side characters including the office workers, and Min Suk's school friends were hilarious in their own right. These side characters had their funny little stories and truly gave the drama a richer feel.
STORY
At its core High School King of Savvy is a romance and the plot takes the backseat to the romance. The plot development was interesting at the start, and not too much as to weigh down the drama. However, the resolution at the end was a bit unsatisfying in its simplicity.
REWATCH?
There are many scenes I would rewatch in the future but as a whole no.
MUSIC
I'm not too much of a drama lover but there was one song that caught my ear which I later found out was actually sang by Seo In Guk (Finding Myself). Wonderful surprise.
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