This was an amazing drama, I binged it over 2 nights and at only 10 episodes which are not even 1 hour long it was easy to do. I recommend it if you like crime shows & Stranger Things (not that I've seen it). This is also by Netflix and like most Netflix crime shows it's not for kids despite being set in a high school. So it's great but it's not for the fainthearted. The first 2 episodes were (in my opinion) the most suspenseful because I was not expecting that but there were a few later scenes that were definitely not for kids either. As a benchmark for age limits I would compare it to the movie Parasite.

I started watching this because although the trailer looked interesting (I love school dramas) it also looked too dark and like it would have 0 romance. But someone online called it underrated and I saw a picture with the female other main character (ie. maybe not 0% romance) so I thought I'd give it a chance. I'm glad I did, I'm tossing up whether to put this at the top of my favourite crime dramas or not. The best parts were the characters and there was no wasted time. It was neither as intense and suspenseful as Memorist nor did it drag on a bit like Signal. It was a great crime drama with a lot of commentary. Crime kdramas always have their commentary but this one has that added spin because the main characters are just kids and how much can you punish a kid? How much does a kid deserve punishment compared to the definite punishment an adult should have? Are the crimes kids commit a factor of circumstance or are they bad kids?

This was a hard watch because I loved Oh Ji Soo and it's impossible not to sympathise with him and root for him but at the same time I'm not someone who can root for anyone who commits crimes, even petty theft. I sympathise too much with the victim. This was not a drama about something as small as petty theft.

I also really loved Bae Gyu ri and her entire set up and characterisation. In saying that I'm sure us as the audience aren't meant to be rooting for her completely, she has her flaws as well as her redeemable qualities. Which has it's own pros and cons. She's a realistically imperfect character. But regardless I love this transition into strong female leads the Kdrama world is having.

Kwak Ki Tae was a surprise, he's another character I usually wouldn't be into but I liked him more and more as the episodes went by. Nam Yoon Soo's dimples and cheeky grin were a big factor I'm sure. Surprisingly I also really liked the teacher character. He could've played a bigger role.

All the actors were on point. I'm surprised at how new and young they are. They are amazing. I didn't watch much of Itaewon Class so I don't remember Kim Dong Hee but I just finished A Piece of Your Mind and Park Joo Hyun is not like your typical Korean actress, her voice is so distinctive, I recognised her by her voice straight away. I'm looking forward to all their future works.

I'm contemplating if I would want a season 2 or not. I want more but I also think it was a good ending. The best combination between the commentary & wanting to root for the characters.

Quote:
You two only know how to hold it all in and bear it alone. - Jo Jin Woo