Sisyphus’ Sigma: A Look into Mental Illness
Works I Didn’t Think Were a
Total Waste of Time
You know that kind of show you don’t really love but you don’t hate. You finish it and you might even enjoy it but it leaves you with no memories. I think the mood and the period I watched some of these works didn’t help. While others just don’t click for me no matter what. The opinions will vary much here and I can’t wait!
P.S Don't you think I'm done with the series! God forbid! I'll be back to fill your PTW lists. Just giving you a break for humanity's sake.
Jungle Fish
(Drama Special)
The drama special brings the issue of exam cheating home. Parents are obsessed about their children’s education and are ready to do whatever it takes to make their wishes come true. Private academies and some corrupt teachers are willing to collaborate for money. The children are victims. Whether they’re the children forced to cheat by their parents or those who don’t and therefore get lesser marks. Can anybody be blamed? And what about the scarred students?
Nothing special to the episode, except seeing cute 18-year old Park Bo Young and Hwang Chan Sung.
Flower Boy Ramyun Shop
(Drama)
The drama is not really about school but about a high schooler’s crush on his teacher. Well, this is a common case in schools. But, what are not common are the teacher’s reactions. With due respect and unlike Biscuit Teacher, the love story in this drama was the silliest and least meaningful love story out there –for me, again-. Thanks to the second lead and the supporting actors, I finished it. Gives a real bad idea about female teachers who teach high school boys.
Hello Schoolgirl
(Film)
What would the difficulties facing a high school student who falls in love with a much older man be?
The film is nothing special. I watched it more than once not because I liked it but because Kang In was there. It was not bad but again, just one (or two) more love stories.
Dating on Earth
(Drama Special)
The DBSK film discusses the issues of held-back students, high school romances and marriages and the struggles and challenges that accompany them. Though nothing’s special to the story, it’s never dull to watch Yoochun and Jae Joong playing rivals.
Get Up
(Drama Special)
Where violence and prejudice rule schools, neither delinquent teenagers nor mixed ones would fit. To fight the indifference of society, the harsh judgements and the internal struggles, those students need one another to be strong and carry on.
It’s a great story but it dragged on which made it quite boring. Liked it enough to finish it though.
100 Days with Mr. Arrogant
(Film)
I was going to list this with the silly ones but I remembered how much I like Ha Ji Won and couldn’t.
The film is about a high school romance. Because of this romance, the student who has never cared about studying suddenly decides to work hard. Not convincing at all. No depth to the story or the acting. But again, it’s Ha Ji Won.
You Know What? It’s a Secret
(Film)
If I watched this film by the time it was released (two months before I was born) I would have liked it. The film shows many of the issues students face; poverty, illness, bullying and family problems. There are some dedicated teachers who give those students a helping hand, who believe in them and support their views. We have friendship and love and how it affects those students’ lives. Some of the famous scenes later portrayed in school dramas are from this film. It was supposed to be moving but the music, cinematography and acting of 1990 didn’t help at all. I kept laughing instead and I was damn sorry because of that. It was so cute watching the veterans when they were young and amateur actors.
Whispering Corridors
(Film)
In this high school horror film which has nothing horrific about it; AT ALL, a ghost returns with a grudge to her school. The usual theme. The film is about the desperate search for true friendship, the loss of that friendship because of the competition triggered by adults, faults in the educational system including violence and sexual harassment. It was good. No horror. No surprises.
Death Bell 1+2
(Films)
The two horror films were based in high schools where students got trapped and witnessed crimes. The good thing about the Death Bells is that the crimes were based on true teenage problems. We saw sexual assault, murder and covering it and teachers messing with marks with the help of powerful parents. The two films had their shocking moments. Too terrible for high school students but not totally impossible.
Bloody Reunion
(Film)
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That was personally traumatic. The film is about the deep effect every word, look and action a teacher does on the students. What a teacher unintentionally says or does can ruin people’s lives. Of course the teacher in this film had abused her authority not just as a teacher but as a human being and crossed all the lines. But the film’s message screamed blue murder. For goodness’ sake teachers, watch out for your words and actions. Not only you might tear the students’ lives to shreds but that karma would definitely reach you one day and play merry hell with your life.
He Was Cool
(Film)
This film is about the romance and friendship of high schoolers. In the world of teenagers; those two matter the most. A cute account on both.
Whispering Corridors 4: Ghost Voice
(Film)
If it wasn’t for the metaphorical and deep meanings behind the literal statements and action I would have added this to the last category. I don’t know if I was sleepy or this was boring but I almost slept watching it. Again it was the metaphor that kept me. ‘’If I’m forgotten, I lose my voice.’’ In the film, voice was literal, but behind that literal voice lay so many meanings. We all lose our voice if we’re not heard. If we’re ignored and treated like we weren’t there, we’d grow weary and disappear.
The film touches on homosexuality and the consequences of being known thus but not in depth. It also approaches the concept of false memory; that the human memory can create what makes the human comfortable and at ease. It’s selective. It can erase and add to guarantee the human’s peace of mind.
After School: Lucky or Not 2
(Drama)
In the second season 5urprise and whoever in charge tried hard to make the guys more ridiculously funny and they succeeded. I laughed much more than the first season. But what made it a school drama disappeared, except for the fact that it was set in high school. All the embedded issues were gone and the remaining were eye candies making fools of themselves.
Delightful Girl, Choon Hyang
(Drama)
This is not a school drama by any means but the story starts as two high school students are suspected of sleeping together and forced to get married. The drama approached teen sex and marriage and the conflict between teenagers’ daily lives, love for fun, first love and interests and marriage. The drama received great ratings but was not much to watch. Another no-matter-what-I’ll-end-up-with-the-guy-who-gives-me-hell type of love story.
Dream High 2
(Drama)
This was a meh try on creating another Dream High. I add it here because I loved Kang So Ra there. The drama again discusses the teen dreams, ambitions and the obstacles in their ways. More bitching, jealousy and plots from both fellow-students and adults though. If you’re curious about the drama just watch the song performances on youtube. That’s all to it.
Goong
(Drama)
Though many people loved this to bits, I didn’t enjoy it much. I didn’t like the story nor Joo Ji Hoon or Song Ji Hyo (I became a fan of both later though). It was too much of a makjang and had too many cheesy lines and scenes for me to like.
Anyway it was about high schoolers’ arranged marriage and trying to balance it with their personal life and interests. A theme discussed much.
Compassion
(Film)
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Despite the tough environment of the Korean high school where long school hours, private institutions and marks pressure the students down. Despite the bullying, malicious comments, suicide, adults sexually assaulting high schoolers, threats, blackmailing and teen prostitution. Despite the domestic violence and the gap between the parents and their children. Despite the teachers’ impossible mission to know and care for all the students. Despite how sh**** life is, there’s always hope in the end of the tunnel as long as there’s someone ready to hold their hands to you, to listen to you and to help you open your broken heart to people again. The film is a nice account on compassion and human love even in the middle of despair. I just added it here because it was nothing new.
Mr. Wacky
(Film)
Just another film. A playboy’s journey of discovery of things that really matter. The film traces the change of one clubber into a worthy teacher. It hardly touches on high students’ issues of bullying, fighting, smoking, drinking and sexual assault. The film scarcely focuses on anything. Not bad but nothing original, exciting or intriguing. A lovely one for new watchers and just another film for addicts.
Will be back with more PTW-breaking lists and one special editions on school drama you SHOULDN'T watch. Anticipate!
