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jungbareumshoe
sung yohan’s basement
A High School Return of the World’s Toughest Guardian Angel
I’ll drop the bomb now.. “High School Return of a Gangster" has got to be one of, if not the most ENTERTAINING, MEANINGFUL, and IMPACTFUL "FEEL-GOOD" series of 2024. Dare I say.. even a masterpiece!
I did not read the original novel, so I’m not sure how faithful it stayed to its source material but when looking at the drama’s storyline, although the concepts aren’t new or fresh, it felt as if the writer cherry-picked some of the most interesting genres, tossed them into a pot, and weaved a compelling tale free of plot holes with exquisite pacing, a steady flow, an unpredictable factor, solid worldbuilding, and impactful characters who had their share of character development. Not to mention, it had the most thought-provoking ending I think I’ve ever seen in cinema.
Originally derived from a BL novel of the same-ish name, I was initially hesitant to give this one a go due to its supposed straight-washing. Although it would’ve been nice if the drama retained its BL elements, I was pleasantly surprised by the BROMANCE. It’s subtle, but I can see just how impactful scenes of two people maintaining 2-second eye contact could be if you cast the right people to portray the characters. That being said, Yoon Chan Young and Bong Jae Hyun practically BREATHED the characters to life and embodied them in such a way that made me resonate with their thoughts, feelings, and actions.
On the topic surrounding the cast, I’d like to give a round of applause to the casting team. Don’t underestimate the capabilities of the younger actors who made up 90% of the cast! We did NOT get botched crying scenes or actors who were there just to look good for the camera. The entire team oozed with NATURALNESS, CHARISMA, and delivered an IMPECCABLE performance throughout.
Looking at the characters, we have the unlikely du— I mean, three MUSKETEERS that practically STOLE THE SHOW: The nerd (Choi Se Kyung), the fighter (Hong Jae Min), and the lover (Song Yi Hyeon). Throughout the series, we see steady development for each character, as well as a natural relationship development between the three leads. What I like about these three is how they’re REALISTIC in the sense that they’re FLAWED. I despise dramas that depict specific characters as simply black or white. I like characters who can pack a punch— characters who have some substance, and that’s exactly what we see in this drama. On top of that, the writers gave us a K.O kind of redemption arc for Hong Jae Min (still recovering from this).
As for the experience, this drama scored 10s across the board for cinematography, production, and soundtrack. We got a diverse selection of songs ranging from the classic 80s vibe to the modern, upbeat ones. All of the songs fit the scenes well and are definitely ones that I am adding to my next shower playlist! Also, for the first time in a long time, I watched a drama that had me eagerly waiting each week for the episodes to release. Although it was torture, the revelation was worth it!
Overall, DO NOT KNOCK IT TIL YOU TRY IT. Although I understand that some people are avoiding this drama to boycott the whole straight-washing of a same-sex original work, it’d also be unfair to miss out on such a hidden gem that delivers in all aspects, even making up for the missing BL element with its ambiguous undertones.
I did not read the original novel, so I’m not sure how faithful it stayed to its source material but when looking at the drama’s storyline, although the concepts aren’t new or fresh, it felt as if the writer cherry-picked some of the most interesting genres, tossed them into a pot, and weaved a compelling tale free of plot holes with exquisite pacing, a steady flow, an unpredictable factor, solid worldbuilding, and impactful characters who had their share of character development. Not to mention, it had the most thought-provoking ending I think I’ve ever seen in cinema.
Originally derived from a BL novel of the same-ish name, I was initially hesitant to give this one a go due to its supposed straight-washing. Although it would’ve been nice if the drama retained its BL elements, I was pleasantly surprised by the BROMANCE. It’s subtle, but I can see just how impactful scenes of two people maintaining 2-second eye contact could be if you cast the right people to portray the characters. That being said, Yoon Chan Young and Bong Jae Hyun practically BREATHED the characters to life and embodied them in such a way that made me resonate with their thoughts, feelings, and actions.
On the topic surrounding the cast, I’d like to give a round of applause to the casting team. Don’t underestimate the capabilities of the younger actors who made up 90% of the cast! We did NOT get botched crying scenes or actors who were there just to look good for the camera. The entire team oozed with NATURALNESS, CHARISMA, and delivered an IMPECCABLE performance throughout.
Looking at the characters, we have the unlikely du— I mean, three MUSKETEERS that practically STOLE THE SHOW: The nerd (Choi Se Kyung), the fighter (Hong Jae Min), and the lover (Song Yi Hyeon). Throughout the series, we see steady development for each character, as well as a natural relationship development between the three leads. What I like about these three is how they’re REALISTIC in the sense that they’re FLAWED. I despise dramas that depict specific characters as simply black or white. I like characters who can pack a punch— characters who have some substance, and that’s exactly what we see in this drama. On top of that, the writers gave us a K.O kind of redemption arc for Hong Jae Min (still recovering from this).
As for the experience, this drama scored 10s across the board for cinematography, production, and soundtrack. We got a diverse selection of songs ranging from the classic 80s vibe to the modern, upbeat ones. All of the songs fit the scenes well and are definitely ones that I am adding to my next shower playlist! Also, for the first time in a long time, I watched a drama that had me eagerly waiting each week for the episodes to release. Although it was torture, the revelation was worth it!
Overall, DO NOT KNOCK IT TIL YOU TRY IT. Although I understand that some people are avoiding this drama to boycott the whole straight-washing of a same-sex original work, it’d also be unfair to miss out on such a hidden gem that delivers in all aspects, even making up for the missing BL element with its ambiguous undertones.
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