Reviews

best series I have ever watched

I think this is the best series I have ever watched. It tells such a beautiful and deeply moving story, while also balancing humor and stunning cinematography. The use of flashbacks is absolutely brilliant. The director truly deserves an award for this work.
The chemistry between the two main characters feels completely natural and incredibly convincing, as if they were genuinely in love with each other. They must have had so much fun during filming, and you can see that in the behind-the-scenes videos on YouTube. For example, the filming of the bar scene on the evening after Johan arrives in Tokyo is absolutely hilarious.
I have never rewatched a series as many times as this one. Seriously, I have watched it eight times in the past three weeks alone, and some scenes even more often. I have also never cried so much because of a series. The story affects me very deeply. The filming locations are beautiful as well. The bridge in Berlin, the Friedrichsbrücke, serves as a symbol of their connection—a bridge between two cultures, crossing a bridge toward a major life change, or standing at a crossroads, which Johan literally does. The series is filled with symbolism that becomes even more meaningful and impressive with every rewatch. There are so many small details that you simply do not notice the first time. It is absolutely worth watching again. Though I must admit, I tend to skip the second half of Episode 7—it is just too heartbreaking.
At times, the drama hits you like a bulldozer, yet the performances of the two leads remain remarkably subtle. They can express more with a single facial expression than most actors can with pages of dialogue. It is astonishing. Perhaps because there are so few explicit scenes, the series relies heavily on their acting talent—and they showcase that talent magnificently. And honestly, would we ever have had these two outstanding actors in the series if they had been required to perform explicit scenes?
One of the things I find most beautiful and appealing about the series is precisely the absence of explicit scenes. It leaves plenty of room for the viewer’s imagination. At the same time, many things are hinted at in very subtle ways. You know their relationship goes much deeper and that there is more happening beneath the surface. I find that subtlety—and sometimes ambiguity—absolutely masterful. Sadly, many gay people in this world still have to communicate in subtle ways and express themselves indirectly because they cannot always be completely open about who they are, at least not in the way people often can in countries such as the Netherlands.
It is the little details that make the series so special: the Korean language book for beginners, the drawing Johan made of Ryu, the way they talk to each other on the phone, and the way Ryu smiles and says, “You must be very muscular by now,” when Johan has just completed his military service. The way Ryu looks at Johan while he is sleeping during his first visit. Or the way Johan jokingly asks Ryu whether two years of military service feels long or short. It is similar to Johan teasing Ryu by saying he is only staying in Japan for two nights during his first visit and asking whether Ryu is sad about it. In the bathhouse, Johan says he is grateful—grateful for everything that happened that day—and Ryu, sounding slightly nervous, asks, “What are you talking about?” Moments like these are wonderfully subtle. Of course they are gay. Johan is a regular visitor to a gay café, and Ryu certainly does not simply enter a relationship and move in with him for no reason. Ryu expresses it perfectly in the church, the Trinitatiskirche, when he says, “I am afraid when someone likes me.” Running away after Arata’s confession was his problem, and throughout the series he learns to overcome it. At the station, Berlin-Lichtenberg station, Johan tells Ryu, “I am just like you.” It is a beautiful line because it carries multiple meanings, touching on both the soul and the theme of running away.
And of course, the most beautiful moment of all comes at the end, when they say to each other, “Saranghae” and “Aishiteru” — “I love you.”
An absolutely wonderful series. I highly recommend watching it more than once

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Rage healing and glorious slaps.

Let’s start with the fact this drama is borderline fantasy. This is not a show you watch for realism. This is a show you watch for rage healing. Half of these teens would be dead or in coma after even one of these slaps delivered by one and only Na Hwa Jin. With that in mind, you just cannot take the delivery seriously, but at the same time, you can appreciate the serious and realistic themes presented.

Teach You a Lesson is the purest form of entertainment. Gripping stories presenting many social issues that we all struggle with one way or another. Great heroes with fun and distinctive personalities. Complex dynamics between being victim and perpetrator and the moral dilemmas of rightful punishment and empathic help. Villains that are rage inducing enough it’s worth paying attention to their schemes, but not powerful enough to feel like the stakes are greater than life. Amazing fighting choreographies, great styling, soundtrack that makes your heart race and slaps that make your head spin. What more can anyone wish for?

This is by all means an easy binge watch type of a drama. While the bullies and abusers are awful, the way the stories are structured makes it easily digestible. No matter what, you know Na Hwa Jin will deliver his lessons and justice will be served. And the way he serves it is just magnificent. I have never seen better slaps in any drama ever. I am a strong believer that a good slap is better than a punch.

What’s more, I really like how balanced the characters were - cool Na Hwa Jin, professional Choi Gang Seok, crazy Im Han Rim and adorable Bong Geun Dae. Their personalities mixed and matched in all the right ways creating this unique and energetic synergy. While we had a rather meaningful and clear set up for Hwa Jin, Gong Seok and Han Rim and their involvement with ERPB, I wish we got the same clear answers for Bong Geun Dae. They hint what his background is, but it’s never as well stated as the others.

As a team they had their small conflicts and hiccups, certain disagreements on how to deal with presented situations and problems, but at the end of the day they always knew how to unite and work together.

For the cases, I’m not gonna sit here and pretend like they were well explored analysis of complex social issues, but I do appreciate how even with the simplicity they were able to highlight, even if just one the suffice, how complex these environments and dynamics between people are. Things like why do bullies bully? How much of them being prior victims should be considered when delivering punishment? Is resocialization always an option? Does everyone deserve a second chance? Do parents always want the best for their kids? Do kids bear sole responsibility for their actions? How much should the system be blamed for failing these kids? These are just a few examples of the themes tackled in the plot.

While Teach You a Lesson for sure highlights the bad deeds done by kids/teens and the lack of protection and authority teachers have, I do appreciate how we still got few examples of kids being the victims, teachers and parents being the abusers, and the system not protecting anyone - if the system does not protect the teachers, it does not protect the children either. If people who are supposed to educate and help raise these kids cannot do their job, at the end of the day it will mostly fail the students who will grow up into awful adults. Nothing was truly black and white (well, maybe some characters were closer to one or the other end of the spectrum), it was not all kids are evil and all teachers are poor victims. Everyone took part in upholding that failed system.

What I liked others can see as a flaw, so it’s worth pointing out. They don’t stay in one school for more than one episode. They are all one time close cases, there is not that much time for deeper exploration. This is not a character driven drama. The structure is simple, the set up is simple, the solutions are straightforward. But all that simplicity is just well crafted and delivered and that’s why it works.

On the actual flaws (though this is gonna sound bad), I hate how the female perpetrators did not get the same treatment as male. Ain’t no equality here - not one slap was delivered even if the girls were just as vicious as the guys. Especially since I heard it’s not the case in webtoon and there Im Han Rim does not hold back. It was especially evident with the set order of the episodes and the cases presented - one episode teen boys get their fingers broken, the other episode the girls get their collars grabbed and shoved a little bit.

For the more technical aspects - the performances were phenomenal. Shallow of me, I know, but Na Hwa Jin was extremely hot in this role. After every episode I kept thinking how attractive Kim Mu Yeol is in this role. Add actually amazing acting skills - that’s a whole package. Whenever empathy, ruthlessness, sadness, excitement, annoyance - no matter the emotions needed, he delivered. I don’t think I need to convince anyone that Lee Sung Min aced the role. I’m here just stating the obvious. Jin Ki Joo and P.O also shined in their own way - the roles they were playing were a bit less rooted in reality and extreme - nice contrast that worked well on screen. And then we have Lee Bong Joon - I am sorry, but I am going to question the goodness of any character he ever plays, this role had quite an impact.

Then we have production - I don’t think I have any complaints. The fighting scenes were perfect. That one cinematic experience in rain? I rewatched it a number of times. Not only was it exciting to watch, it was also shot in a truly aesthetic way. I also really like when dramas use light as a framing tool. The soundtrack? Perfectly matched to the scenes and emotional impact it’s supposed to have - “First And Last” being my favorite song for sure.

Overall, eye for an eye does not work in real life but damn it's healing to watch it in fiction. Na Hwa Jin literally treating the bullies and abusers 1:1 how they treated their victims was such a blast to witness. I was honestly having a huge grin on my face watching the episodes.

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"A necessary shield for teachers and students when a broken system fails them"

This series is a masterpiece that fearlessly exposes the dark side of South Korea's classrooms and weak juvenile laws. It perfectly captures a terrifying real-world reality where teachers are genuinely afraid of their own out-of-control students. Everything from the heavy music to the cinematography is flawless. The action choreography is incredible—the iconic Episode 2 fight scene in the rain and lightning was pure cinematic perfection!

Kim Mu-yeol is phenomenal and massively underrated. After being hidden under the rock for years despite great roles like Juvenile Justice, 2026 is his year to shine. He brings a lethal, rugged, and intensely hot aura to Na Hwa-jin that is completely irreplaceable. Even though Kim Nam-gil was originally considered, no one else could have pulled off this specific, heavy dark swagger. Supported by a fantastic cast—including a strong female lead and the hilarious tech-genius Bong—the team chemistry is top-tier.

This is undeniably one of the absolute gems of 2026. It is a must-watch that balances profound emotional depth with bone-shattering justice. I am already desperately waiting for Season 2!

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Typical chinese BL production but devoid of emotions...

As typical with chinese BLs, all the voices are lip-synced which is off-putting. If you notice they did it, it takes away immersion. While both leads are nice to look at, both acctors could not deliver. I did not see any sparks and of course the kisses were also lackluster and not really happening.

The topic of the show was not a bad one, but it was badly executed which jumps in the episodes because they had not enough time to tell the story properly. For a low budget production they have outdone themselves with locations and the size of the cast. Also cinematography was good, music decent but the acting did not drive the story as it should.

I have not much more to say, because it's one of the series to easily forget. It's not good and it's not bad, it's a "so, so". It would have been so much better if they had invested the time for more episodes, a more sophisticated script and especially if the actors would have really liked to play a gay man, but both didn't. I have no clue why they take on such roles when they are not into it. And I also have no clue why MDL calls it "taiwanese", when this is clearly a chinese production.

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Not quite "a fast-paced, illogical, black-and-white dream," but...

The actual quote comes from Xiao Chen in episode 8 and reads as follows: "Life right now is like a fast-paced, illogical, black-and-white dream." I just couldn't resist using parts of it as the headline. It's the perfect self-own after all. The first 4 episodes are particularly rough. And, believe me, I'm anything but opposed to toxic romances, so it's not that. It's just that the story bulldozes through conflicts at a breakspine, I mean breakneck, speed, the acting is subpar at best, and there are entirely too many slow-motion sequences set to an overly dramatic soundtrack. I finally understand why GMMTV requires their actors to have base-level musicality. The actors' foundation is distractingly mismatched; what I can only assume are the results of plastic surgery don't do anyone any favors either. Oh, and the plot points are ridiculously trite clichés. What do you mean, several parents die of homophobia-aggravated, heart-related illnesses"?!

Once we're past the halfway mark, this mess surprisingly gets better, which is something I rarely say about shows. Lu Feng reaches his full potential as a psychopathic abuser, of which we had previously only seen, like, 80%. Is it effective buildup or my lowered expectations? Who's to say? Anyway, the spine incident is actually when I thought to myself, "Hm, maybe I will enjoy this in a sick way." The false imprisonment arc works really well, in part because the story slows down for a change. Once Lu Feng lost his last marble, my interest in him and Xiao Chen was piqued, though certainly not because they had any allure as a romantic pair. Since my initial lack of emotional investment in the main couple almost became this series' death knell, that's quite the turnaround. I also like a not insignificant number of side characters, such as Zhuo Lan (love that she tries to save Xiao Chen), Ke Luo, and Chen's office coworker friends. The second couple is also sometimes quite good and I must admit that the humorous scenes forced a chuckle or two out of me.

I'm curious to see how everything will be wrapped up in the remaining two episodes. What I can say for now is that I sure feel dumb for getting baited by the opening into expecting a GL couple. Update: Color me perplexed because this show actually did pull through AND I somewhat get the appeal of the main couple. Don't get me wrong, though; the acting choices are still, uh, choices, the pacing is atrocious, and to call the tonal shifts jarring would be an understatement. Tell me: On a scale from very to a lot, how offended should I be on behalf of people with bipolar disorder? While we're at it, what kind of toxicity level would you label the orange juice? Judging purely by its color, I think it should come with a nuclear waste warning.

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Watch it - for something different form your normal bullying k dramas.

OVERVIEW

When the laws and guidelines controlling the uniformity of schools and colleges loses, power and influence take it course to reigning in school premises, bullying in all forms takes it's hold upon teacher and students, gangs and other bodies (aside from schools bodies) distracts the learning process of students, drugs serves as the new habit to learn faster and easier, being administered by parents, the minister of education assembles a force consisting of four, to implement and execute and good learning school life, or correct and change the current school life reforming the school back to the normal school life

LIKES.

The drama kept me really engaged in the pacing of 10 episodes, having different schools cases in each eps was something that had you looking forward to something new in the next EPS, in the total of 10 eps, it had 10 cases and I enjoyed each of the case, some case made my blood boil, some were impactful to the viewers, and some were fun but all stayed true in making me engaged.

Love how it was shown their isn't only one form of bullying, their are actually different forms (for one I never knew about that ,maybe cuz I haven't experienced bullying), that's why I found it really impactful, some bully's need not to touch you before they can be called bully, you could be bullied psychologically and also affects one mental state, like the ninth case were the student was made a human WiFi and his account being used to do things illegal at his own cost, by the bullies, without the use of physical violence and several cases of that kind, it was an anguish seeing this, but it was realistic.

The show sheds a skin that it doesn't just akin to student bullying fellow student it could be more than that, like case 3,4,5, (3), when we had a student with an streaming account of 600 followers, ruining her teachers state, leading one to suicide and the other to mental decline, that was a showdown case of cyber bullying, (4), having a teacher blocking all studying space that a student should have (private teachers e.t.c) and also comiting malpractice for the rich, that was a real mental bullying, he left the student restless and out of character (in a bad way), (5) a parents violating the teachers acts, pestering a teacher with calls, messages and even following her up to her insta account and sexually harassing her dressing code for the well being and okay state of her shy, timid, crybaby 5 yrs old boy, the teachers treats well enough, better than most students in his class and any grievance the son has sage take it up to the teacher (doesn't she know teachers need a rest in life) and she even stalked the teacher to her home, made a malicious false statement against the teacher, affecting the teacher psychologically causing attempted murder, the woman deserved worst punishment than that.

Following that, the implementation of each punishment was good, it was like what you you sow you reap and I actually enjoyed every part of it, though I felt some of those bully's and offenders has been left off lightly and it hasn't been delved in well for some cases.

I loved their performance, they were really good, seeing Hwa Jin performing his noteworthy slaps at the ending felt precious to me, having the fiery and hot tempered Han Rim shout and talk in some high notes was a thrilling performance from Jin Ki Joo and having her dress up as some college kid who hasn't experienced bullying and has to keep her head down always wasn't in my notes for that take, she can't just portray those characters with that high tempered personality, it was well meant for our calm and loser looking Geun Dae in glasses, P.O held his performance calmly while being the most calm in the team, seeing him in suit at the end was something big and unusual for his personality, but I loved it and loved the main anchor and planner of team Gang Seok and it was endearing while we see him let loose of his calm character, and that ending punch, having the cameras on him was precious of his character behaviour, that was the first time he left being wild on cameras.
I like the entirety of the team they were hilarious fun and exhilarating.

DISLIKES.
Just few dislikes and they felt quite personal.

Some cases made me feel anguish and pain, I believe it's because of how they were realistically portrayed, having a mother send her child to death (forcing him to study since young, giving him half plate of what I eat at home, depriving him of a normal student sleep time and feeding him drugs that could kill him mentally and physically), cause of passing CSAT and having to go to meds school, and many other cases like this made my heart pins with anguish

I felt some of those who have bullied and wronged other didn't get their punishment as justified, having that woman down that to her child and she didn't even repent for her sins wasn't great with me, I didn't feel satisfy with their punishment, the show never really cared much of showing the punishments (having one case each eps feels short for severe punishment), it's understandable but I think am the only one who care.

I think the villains character embodiment was too good that I actually felt the urge to see him in a more suffer able pain than the ending he actually got but then again the show did something right with the villain, but he deserved to die in my justification (only me).

FINAL THOUGHTS
Teach you a lesson is a show that is thought provocating, simple, fun, emotional, creates anguish and its a impactful in our today's society, unlike many high school dramas, I go into watching for fun and fights, it showed their could be something more to the fun a and fights you seek, showing physical bullying is just a one dimensional thought of mine, something is greater than being physically bullied, and it was actually impactful in different ways.

It teaches both teachers and students and also parents different lessons, it's just for them to take a lesson with what's going on in their current life's .

I didn't expect the romance between Han Rim and Geun Dae to blossom while watching the series, I was readily rooting for them, but I need more of them, than what was actually given to us, would love to see them as a couple.

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A Visually Rewarding Watch that Matched its Narrative

I greatly enjoyed this. I found it mesmerizing—with themes that were both haunting and intriguing, and visually beautiful to watch onscreen. The color palette was appealing and, combined with the soundtrack, created an incredibly artistic experience. I thought the narrative itself was solid; the script was well-written, and the subtle nuances added a touch of uniqueness that kept the story from feeling redundant or tiresome. I also appreciated the absence of clear answers for why things happened. It felt realistic—presenting a difficult situation where choices lead to unintended consequences, some of which require atonement in different ways.

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I Cannot Continue Watching It

I watched episodes 1–10 hoping it would eventually pull me in, but it was genuinely one of the most difficult dramas for me to get through.
->>>The story feels overly complicated and hard to follow, especially for viewers who simply want to relax and enjoy a drama without having to constantly figure out what is happening. Instead of becoming more engaging, the plot just became more confusing and exhausting for me.

What makes it even more disappointing is that I’m usually the type of viewer who can overlook a weak storyline if the production quality, cinematography, or visual effects are impressive.
->>>Unfortunately, this drama didn’t deliver in those areas either. The visual fx felt underwhelming, and there wasn’t enough stylistic appeal to keep me invested when the story wasn’t working.

I genuinely tried to give it a fair chance. I kept telling myself to at least make it to the middle of the series before forming an opinion, but by episode five I was already struggling to stay interested. Watching it started to feel more like a chore than entertainment.

Of course, this is just my personal opinion, and I know some viewers may appreciate the complexity of the story more than I did. But for me, Generation to Generation was simply too slow, too confusing, and not visually compelling enough to make the journey worthwhile.

I really tried. I just couldn’t continue.

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This Is The FL Whom I Can Call Worth of Being A Female Military Official

Positive Points
1. The story was written well, and the characters had their own flaws and good sides, respectively. The characters were written well. As a viewer, I can neither totally like nor hate the antagonists. The cast was good as well. I especially have to mention Li Qin. She was absolutely amazing in her role. Though many dramas now a days tried to portray a female general as the FL, they do not have the body language, nor are they convincing enough in their acting, to make me believe that they are supposed to be a female general/ military official. The characters are also not written properly, usually as they do not behave like a female general at all and are reduced to being a female general in name only. Doing fancy stunts in fancy costumes is not what I call being a female general. All of them lack the intelligence, military tactics, personality, body language, and, most importantly, acting. Most of them do illogical things and always think about love and give big speeches only and are often reduced as the love interest of the ML. They are given fancy titles but not proper scenes that will convince me that they are worthy of their titles. This drama has thoroughly satisfied me in this aspect. Li Qin absolutely had me convinced that she was a female military official. Whatever screen time she had while fighting, it was a delight to see her in action.
2. The bonds between the 3 siblings were also the thing I absolutely loved. None of them fought or backstabbed each other for the throne. Though the parents had conflicts but it didnot affects the relationship of the siblings. All were willing to leave the throne for the other. It was a rare thing to see in historical dramas.
3. The ML was such a well-written character. The love story was written well. Both FL & ML are capable, rational people who hate their enemy (hate each other), but they also respect their enemy for their capability. None of them hate each other blindly. They know to give each other respect where it is needed. It was indeed a well written enemies to lovers troope.

Negative Points
1. Though I loved the characters of the ML & FL, and both the actors played their roles well, I really did not find much chemistry between the leads.
2. The story I felt dragged a bit towards the end, and especially the Strom Alliance track, I felt was too dragged. It could have been wrapped up far earlier.
3. How come neither the Murong Father nor the Murong Son confirmed the death of the ML properly? It was such an important task, and how come none of them checked if the ML had actually died? It was quite odd given the gravity of the situation. Also, was not the Murong Son such a hidden wolf? How come as soon as he got exposed, his character suddenly became indecisive and weak? It felt quite odd to me. The writing was a bit sloppy there.
4. The background score and OST were not that great in my opinion. The background score was too repetitive. One score played for almost every scene. It reduced the viewing experience quite a bit for me.

Overall, it was such a nice one-time watch. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this drama.

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