School 2013

School 2013

7/10

School 2013

Genre:                                       Episodes: 16                             Year: 2013

School

Melodrama

Synopsis:

Jung In Jae and Kang Se Chan become the homeroom teachers of class 2-2 at Seungri High School. The class is filled with troubled students, but also has a few that are dedicated to their studies and want to do well. Teacher Jung wants to help the struggling students, while Teacher Kang wants to focus on the brighter students who actually want to study. The class is thrown into disarray at the arrival of Park Heung Soo, a troubled transfer student, who has a complicated relationship with the class president, Go Nam Soon.

Cast:

Jang Na Ra (Jung In Jae)

Daniel Choi (Kang Se Chan)

Lee Jong Suk (Go Nam Soon)

Kim Woo Bin (Park Heung Soo)

Kwak Jung Wook (Oh Jung Oh)

Lee Ji Hoon (Lee Ji Hoon)

Lee Yi Kyung (Lee Yi Kyung)

Park Se Young (Song Ha Kyung)

Ryu Hyo Young (Lee Kang Joo)

Choi Chang Yeob (Kim Min Ki)

General Thoughts:

This drama carries both an air of hope and hopelessness. Which sounds weird, but it totally makes sense and totally toys with your emotions. The characters are splendid and developed incredibly well- both our teachers and our students.

These two were especially fabulous

I thought going in that this would be a drama about the students and bullying, but I was happily surprised to see that much (if not most) of the series actually followed the trials and struggles of the teachers who watched over these troubled kids. The story was written smoothly, so it never felt as though we were jumping from one story (teachers) to another (students)- they all existed in the same world with their own struggles that often got tangled together.

So bromantic

The bromance is totally worth it, even when they’re fighting- can Kim Woo Bin get cuter than when he tries to hide his undying bro-love? Probably not. Both Kim Woo Bin and Lee Jong Suk put forward compelling, emotional performances, and you can see how the two really fed off each others’ energy during filming- which only helped contribute to the idea that these were two boys with only each other in their hearts. The expansion of the bromance to the three class bad-boys was surprising and unexpected, but not at all unwanted. Nam Soon and Heung Soo felt like parents to the three lost boys, as they had (sort of) turned onto the path of ‘good’ and the other boys wanted to follow their direction. Ji Hoon and Yi Kyung always turning to Nam Soon and Heung Soo in times of trouble was just the cutest thing ever. The relationships between the other students were also extremely enjoyable to watch, but weren’t developed quite as much as the bro-fest (as Jung Oh tended to be our main source of conflict).

I could watch these boys spoon for many, many hours

The best part about the writing was the way more than one character was impacted in a story arc. Min Ki’s story was definitely one of the better student storylines, with his discontent and feelings of confinement growing subtly in the background until he was finally pushed to the edge.

What a weep-a-thon

While it was a great story to show the effects of extreme pressure, it was also a chance to further deepen Teacher Jung’s character. The way she handled Min Ki’s suicide attempt was so gentle, encouraging and simply perfect without minimising Min Ki’s suffering or struggles. The moment really highlighted what an excellent teacher Teacher Jung was, and how her soft, encouraging character is something all the kids need to build them up- not just the renegades with no interest in studying. Another brilliant aspect of the writing was the gradual lowering of Teacher Kang’s walls. His story definitely had one of the longest build-ups, but had the most payoff along the way. While I wasn’t a huge fan of the resolution of Teacher Kang’s plot-line, I adored how he got there. Originally he tries not to care about the kids or Teacher Jung, but as time goes on and he sees how much effort and love Teacher Jung is pouring into these kids, he can’t help but be sucked in himself. As his I-don’t-care-attitude started to slip, we saw the protective, caring man beneath and became curious about why he built all these walls around himself. I appreciated that it wasn’t the kids, but instead Teacher Jung who knocked down all those walls to build up Teacher Kang into a good teacher again. Their relationship was just so wonderful to watch unfold. While I wouldn’t have minded (and actually kind of wanted) a little romance between the two, there was something nice about the purity of their relationship.

We all know you love each other

The two relied on each other as friends and coworkers, helping each other do the best they could for this group of kids. They were like loving parents to a rowdy bunch of poorly behaved children. And it was just as adorable as it sounds. The only real downside the series had was that the momentum was a bit on the slow side. In order to execute the slow, steady build of each individual story, there was a patch at the start there where not a lot was going on because every storyline was in its build-up phase. 

What Was Great:

The Feelings:

There were cute feelings, there were sad feelings. While much of the drama tended to lean towards the darker side of life, and how these lost kids are most likely to stay lost, there was always enough cute going on somewhere that it wasn’t all slit-your-wrists-and-dance-in-the-blood.

These boys...they killed me

If the kids were having a hard time, the two teachers were working together to sort things out. If the teachers were having a hard time the kids were developing bromances and going on cute ramen dates. The feelings kind of crept up on you. At first, Jung Oh was so dislikable that you could see the reasoning behind kicking him out of school and not feel too guilty about it. But as more and more of his story unfolds, pity starts to take hold and it becomes clear that circumstances have made him act the way he has. By the end you’re hoping that someone, anyone, will come along and offer this poor kid a better life.

Buuuut more often than not they just punched him a couple of times

Nam Soon and Heung Soo’s story is just packed with feelings. The love between them is so sweet and so enjoyable to watch, but their struggle with their past mistakes is heart-wrenching. 

Take on Teachers:

The struggles of the teachers were just as entertaining and important (if not more so) than the struggles of the students- because the struggles of their students became their struggles too.

I love them both so, so much

The drama commented on a lot of hard-hitting material, but its most focused on question was ‘what does it mean to be a teacher’? And every teacher had a different take on this question. For Teacher Kang it was getting the good students the best possible grades and getting them into university. For Teacher Jung it was keeping every student in school and engaged in class. The way the drama answered its question was simple and poetic- teachers simply do their best for their students in the short period of time they have them. No matter how great and impactful a teacher is, the kids will inevitably grow up in their own way and forget most of what the teachers have done for them. In this case, Teacher Jung and Teacher Kang just try their best to set their kids on the right path moving forward in the year that they have responsibility. I loved how the teachers often needed as much guidance as the students, and while sad, I also appreciated that they weren’t able to keep Jung Ho in school. It was a realistic conclusion to Jung Ho’s story, but still contained a grain of hope. He could really go either way- revert back to covering up his insecurities and becoming a thug, or earning money honestly and living a good, but hard, life. It was a poignant moment that showed just how far a teacher’s reach was- they can care for their kids, but they can’t take full responsibility for them.

Can't save all the kids all the time

In all honesty, the teachers are just a passing guardian who can’t accept any long-term responsibility. The conclusion of Jung Oh’s story arc tied in nicely with the conclusion of Teacher Kang’s. All drama long we’ve witnessed Teacher Kang’s struggle- he either doesn’t care at all or cares way to much and wants to take full responsibility. Jung Ho was the student that taught Teacher Kang the full limitations of his power as a teacher, but Teacher Jung was there to pick him back up and encourage him again after he realised that he has to let some students go.

What Wasn’t:

To care or not to care- that is the question

Teacher Kang’s Crisis:

While the resolution of Teacher Kang’s crisis was played out well (with him letting Jung Ho go), the crisis as a whole was handled a little poorly.The buildup to his confession about his student that committed suicide was slow and even, but his breakdown was a bit sudden and I felt a little confused as to why he wanted to quit teaching- especially when one of the students was telling him how thankful she was that he was her teacher. Teacher Kang’s conflict felt a little too similar to Teacher Jung’s, and his conclusion was also a tad rushed. While it was great that he learned to let go without giving up on caring completely, I couldn’t really understand how that helped him solidify his resolution to continue teaching. It was a small bump in an otherwise very well thought through series.

Re-watch?

Maaaaaybeeeee. I loved the characters and all their development, but the plot was pretty slow moving.

So emotional and so endearing