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muimui94
This review may contain spoilers
Going into this I was super hyped to finally watch this as Ive heard really good things about this drama and I love Park Seo Joon so Im always stoked to watch his dramas....though unfortunately this one fell somewhat short for me =( It started off great!! I loved the first 8ish episodes but after that, the story just seemed to lose its momentum...the pacing seemed to slow down, became somewhat repetitive and very predictable....which made me start losing interest in this drama very quickly to the point i was debating on even finishing the drama by episode 12....but since i already got that far I pushed myself to finish.
Apart from me not really liking the overall story, I really did enjoy the different characters, its diversity and cleverness in incorporating societal issues that many people deal with in their daily lives. That was refreshing to see, and I really did enjoy each character's story and their development. They all felt real and relatable. Now, I want to talk specifically about Saeroyi and Yi Seo....I loved Park Seo Joon's character Saeroyi in the beginning. I loved his perseverance, determination, and a sense of justice he had!! Couldnt wait to see how his story would unfold and how he would prove Mr. Jang wrong in the end...however I was left unsatisified...Saeroyi seemed to mellow out half way through the show and didnt seem to make much progress in beating Mr. Jang until near the end and it really wasnt even his doing...which was a total let down...I think it would've been more satisfying if Mr. Jang wasn't sick..so that his defeat wouldve been even stronger but thats nots really important LOL!! On to Si Yeo...I was looking forward to her character as many people seemed to praise her...however she was the character that I admired the least and was annoyed by her throughout this entire series. Her character was probably one of the main reasons for me not enjoying this drama. Her confidence showed off as arrogance to me half the time. Yes, I loved that she was an assertive and intelligent female. Knowledgeable in her field, but her behavior and the way she talked to people was just not admirable for me. She always seemed to be looking down at people and insulting them in some way shape or form. If she wasn't so bossy, manipulative and clingy (specifically towards Saeroyi) I think I wouldve liked her more. To me she had very little character development, until maybe the end and even then it was still 50/50...but at least we did see she was way more professional in how she spoke to people especially friends. I honestly couldve went without any romance in this story because it didnt really seem to do anything for me at all...I didnt believe in the main couples relationship...and honestly wouldve preferred Saeroyi to stay single orrr end up with Soo Ah (even tho I knew from the beginning she wouldnt end up with him because their love/bond was just not strong...it never was...and she never was transparent with her feelings with him. )
Overall, it was an okay drama, not the best Ive seen but Im still glad I watched it but its not a drama I will rewatch. The OST THO!!! isss awesome, probably my favorite thing that came out of this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
Home School: A prison disguised as a boarding house or a safe haven?
Thirteen students with troubled upbringing who were essentially abandoned get selected as the new generation & enrolled in a “mysterious” boarding school to continue their studies for the next three years. What seems like your typical prestige school for well off kids to further their education & future, hides many secrets within. With its strict rules, eerie teachers, and isolated location, the students must put their differences aside and work together to unravel the truth of a missing student as well as the school’s origins & true intentions.With each new episode, we learn a little more about each student, their upbringings, their traumas, etc. “Unique & peculiar” in its curriculum is definitely an understatement. In the beginning I couldn’t tell whether or not the Masters were secretively clever or just outright insane, and maybe they were both but IT WORKED!! The lessons and teachings were far from the typical “norm”, and instead consisted of games that dabbled in physical and psychological aspect. It focused more on morals & values. To be better people in society, because without "good people" they cannot achieve a good society. Instead of punishing the bad kids or the ones who did wrong "which kinda annoyed me in the beginning lol” they punished the ones who were good, punctual, obedient etc…
And it made sense because life & society is not fair...bad guys get away...and in order to create fairness in society people have to expose the truth and find the truth if they deem suspicion. Make them grow, reflect, and heal as individuals. See the world for what it is to make changes but don't look at it so negatively with hatred, otherwise nothing will change and will only create monsters of destruction. In theory Home School was sought to be a safe haven for students who had no one to depend on, however its good intentions were shrouded with hatred that everything ended up becoming twisted causing more harm to the students.
One thing I wish this series did focus on though, is more background on the teachers/masters. I felt like they were soo essential to the students experience within the boarding house, they explained some but not all. It wouldve been more interesting to see how they got recruited, what they went through to want to be apart of Home School etc etc and even some more details on the previous generations. BUT all in all, with all its flaws I was without a doubt pretty engrossed in this show, and with that bonus ending, Im really manifesting for a S2…and i dont like multiple scenes but I kinda want more!!
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In the first half it was fun & humorous. I loved watching the predicaments that the 2 MLs got themselves into & the dynamics between them. Even loved the little skits at the end spreading awareness & tips on how to keep your personal info safe & secure (that was a nice touch)! But as soon as the show started progressing more to find out the truths behind Huai & Chen Mo’s past, thats where the plot started to get really messy for me. Too many characters started appearing; mostly evil and too many problems kept arising. I don't mind some good thrilling challenges here & there between good and evil to help progress the story but there was just too many one after another, over the same issues between the same people that it felt so repetitive & frustrating. It just seemed unnecessary.
I think Im in the minority but truthfully….the young kid Zhou You was soooo frustratingly annoying to watch primarily in the latter half of this show when Chen Mo; Huai’s best friend from the past reappears in his life. Zhou is just too nosy & frankly too reckless (which I guess you can argue its due to his age and him wanting to constantly learn & get better but it shouldn't be an excuse for it). However his recklessness & arrogance is what gets him into trouble which then causes Huai to be put into tough situations. His arrogance which seems to stem from an insecurity of wanting to be recognized as good; to feel validated has constantly made him make tons of mistakes throughout the show. And I partially blame Huai & Chen Mo for being too trusting and easy on him because clearly he wasn’t learning from his mistakes as he kept doing them over and over again. He’s trying to help but when you look at the bigger picture in the grand scheme of things, majority of the issues the mains go through IS BECAUSE OF HIM….Any logical person would know, especially in his field…DO NOT trust people via online so easily, don't click on suspicious links and DON'T be sharing secretive & confidential work to random strangers on the internet but clearly not Zhou….who casually shares everything online like its everyones business.
Waste of 31 episodes because really did anything get resolved?? You solve one problem (debatably)…but end up with 2 more by the end (one of them still being one of the original problems presented in the beginning of the show) Will not watch the second season because frankly…they could've solved everything in this season instead of reaching for 2 seasons…there was too many twists and turns just for an unsatisfying ending imo.
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A Potentially Interesting Concept but Poorly Executed
Id like to believe that this drama and its concept/storyline had the potential to be a really interesting and fun one ifff done right...but unfortunately this just didnt hit the mark for me....there was no cohesive flow to the overall storyline. It felt very choppy to me especially with the transitions between the parallel worlds/dimensions. It kept going back and forth where sometimes i could literally spend about 10-15 seconds figuring out which world they are actually in because they are just jumping from one scene to another....The mains chemistry just seemed off to me...wasnt convinced especially since there was no real development between the two where we could see how and why they fell in love (espeically Tae Eul) she wanted nothing to do with him in the beginning...and now that hes gone for a little while she suddenly has feelings for him??? The romance scenes were honestly my least favorite part in this series although it was the main focus in this drama. It was very boring to me. And I dont know if my ability to focus longterm deteriorating or if the pacing was just reallyyyyyy slow.....I felt likeee i was watching these episodes for forever...with little movement...One of the few saving graces for me to continue on with this show was Captian Jo/ Eun Seob, Shin Jae, and the grandma (she was adorbs!!)Overall...not a terrible drama, but not that good either. I felt like there was a lot of things thrown at us with very little explanations...I mean I dont mind a little guessing game and trying to figure out and piece together but here I felt like Im just guessing orr inferring on things most of the time without knowing if Im truly understanding whats happening or not...But maybe thats just a me problem *shrugs* But at least the ending was nice & satisfying so I didnt feel like I completely wasted 16+ hours....but Im still not fully convinced that the director and screenwriter knew exactly what they were trying to convey. Seemed like they had an idea but didnt know how to present it well enough in a cohesive and concise manner where it leads me to wonder if they even had a solid understanding of what they were trying to present to its audience to begin with....or if they were just banking on the popularity of the leads along with reputation of the screenwriters previous work to help make this drama a hit...
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The romance between the two leads were so adorable!!! I felt like I was back in high school all over again watching all this cute fluffy stuff and getting butterfly feelings! I loved how naturally paced their relationship was, they weren't on the best terms in the beginning, but when they started to understand each other and their motives, they became friends and encouraged each other when they were both at probably their lowest times in their life. And I think that aspect of having each other to lean on during those times solidified their relationship!! Unlike many other dramas where the girls cling and hang on to the guy where its seen as annoying or desperate, I felt the female lead was pretty independent and I liked her! She worked hard for what she wanted and always tried to stay optimistic but also had a vulnerable side when it came to her love which is understandable.
The character development in some of these characters were refreshing to watch, especially Pei Xi and Luo Tian…in the beginning I didn't like them (and I think that was the point…they weren't really favorable characters…and I originally didn't think they'd have that big of a part in the series than they did) but they really gave the series more depth and became some of my favorite characters by the end of the drama. I do have to say….theres a part of me that really feels bad for Luo Tian tho….I don't really wanna give anything away but if you watch(ed) the drama you'll know what I mean, both of them were hands down THE BESTTTT character development in the show, and I was living for it!! Even VGN (some of the members had great development as well) I just loved how even the smaller roles had a little backstory to them where you can see where they are coming from and watch their growth.
I 10/10 would completely recommend this drama!! Its an easy watch with good laughs, a great drama to pass the time. And can i say THEEEE ENDING WAS ONE OF THE MOST SATISFYING ENDINGS I HAVE EVER WATCHED???!! I feel like I don't say that about many dramas but oh man…i was going through all sorts of feels and emotions while watching it. I even watched it multiple times just because of how much i loved it. So if you like gaming, romance orrr even just happy endings give this drama a try^^
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