School 2017

School 2017

8.5/10

School 2017

Genre:                                Episodes: 16                         Year: 2017

School

Romance

Synopsis:

Ra Eun Ho attends a high school where all the students are treated according to their rank. Eun Ho is the bottom student, so is always discriminated against by the teachers who only recognise grades and money. A mysterious student known only as ‘X’ pulls pranks around the school, and when Eun Ho is suspected of being X she faces expulsion from the school. 

Cast:

Kim Se Jung (Ra Eun Ho)

Kim Jung Hyun (Hyun Tae Woon)

Jang Dong Yoon (Song Dae Hwi)

Han Joo Wan (Shim Kang Myung)

Seol In Ah (Hong Nam Joo)

Park Se Wan (Oh Sa Rang)

Han Sun Hwa (Han Soo Ji)

Kim Hee Chan (Kim Hee Chan)

Seo Ji Hoon (Yoon Kyung Woo)

Z.Hera (Yoo Bit Na)

Han Bo Bae (Seo Bo Ra)

Min Sung Wook (Jung Joon Soo)

General Thoughts:

Ahhhh, I don’t even know where to start with this drama. There’s so much I want to say that it’s all getting a bit lost in my brain. It fits in well with the ‘School’ franchise (ya know, even though I’ve only seen two of the lot).

Naw those kids ♥

‘School 2015’ felt a lot more K-Drama-y than ‘School 2013’, and that actually took away from the realism of the series. Though the storyline was intriguing it didn’t have the everyday, this-could-happen-at-any-school vibe that ‘2013’ had. In that sense, ‘2017’ did a great job at bringing the show back to a more relatable place. The X storyline had me a bit concerned that we’d follow the direction of ‘2015’, with the focus falling heavily on the mystery element.

Development > Mystery

Thankfully, while the X plot played a large role in the story, it was used to develop our characters and explore their relationships rather than simply being used to enhance the mystery element of the show. The young cast were just delightful, and they did an excellent job at bringing the youthful vibe. I find a lot of high school dramas tend to feel a tad juvenile and the problems faced often come across as insignificant, but ‘2017’ never fell into childish territory at all. In fact, it was rather the opposite. It was similar to ‘Reply 1997’, in that the show had a sweetly nostalgic vibe. Rather than feeling like the characters were being bothered by small insignificant things, I was reminded of my own time in high school where all emotional responses were either extremely high or extremely low. It’s that sort of heartfelt sentimentality of the show that makes it so widely marketable. Younger viewers can enjoy it as it’s a sweet show and they can relate as they are a similar age, and older viewers can enjoy the show as a step back in time that remains relatable. The issues the students faced at the school weren’t small issues, and extended further than a love-triangle or grades, which prevented the series from seeming silly or childish.

School violence is kinda a big deal

Despite how excellent the main leads were and what a draw their relationship was, it was the growing friendships where the heart of the show really lay. It nailed the beautiful uniqueness of high school so perfectly. The kids are on the boarder of becoming adults, about to be thrown into the world, but they also held the idealism and hope that is so prevalent in teenagers.

High school is the best place to make friends

Rather than high school simply being a setting for the story, the school became almost a place in time rather than a physical place. It’s the time where you don’t have to work too hard to maintain friendships as you get to see your friends every day at school. It’s also a time where it’s possible to be friends with anyone as long as you try. It’s a part of why Eun Ho felt so lost when facing her expulsion- it wasn’t exactly her desire to attend school itself, but her desire to go to the same place her friends were staying and where her friends were spending their youth. This portrayal of school was also something that heightened the tension of the expulsion plot line. While it would have been sad for Eun Ho to miss out on the last of her education and would have hurt her chances of getting into university, it was this forced separation from her friends that felt like a huge injustice and raised the stakes. Speaking of stakes, I was just a tad disappointed at how cartoonish the adult antagonists were. The Principal and the Vice-Principal didn’t really seem to have adult motivations and almost seemed corrupt just for the sake of friction. The Principal’s obsession with finding X felt forced and almost a little childish.

If only we had some believable antagonists 

Tae Woon’s father was a much more believable antagonist and provided a bigger conflict. Although he was corrupt, he was still Tae Woon’s father and Tae Woon still loved him. It was clear from the moment Tae Woon’s father bought him chicken after seeing Tae Woon order it so many times that he was in for a redemption arc, so it was a little disappointing that more hints weren’t dropped about his love for his son.

You could be a cute Dad if you weren't such a weenie

Ultimately his love for Tae Woon is what makes him admit his wrongdoings and free the school from corruption, but his change in heart was rather abrupt. Even though he was constantly doing illegal things, it was insinuated that he was doing so in order to protect and create a better future for his son, but the writers could have done a better job at making that a little clearer as he mostly just came across as an asshole for most of the show’s run. So while the conclusion was passable, it could have been a really heart-tugging conflict if a little more effort had been put in. All in all, pretty much all of the adults in the show were pretty under-utilised (except for Eun Ho’s parents and Sa Rang’s Mum). While Teacher Shim was insanely adorable and remained interesting enough, he was rather ineffectual. He had compelling conflicts, such as his desire to protect the students even though they could be breaking the rules, but nothing really played out enough. It was the same with Officer Han. Her romance with Teacher Shim and their differing approach to teaching the students was interesting enough, but just never really got developed much, and I ended up wondering why they bothered including her at all.

But...why does the school need a policeman? Especially a policeman who does nothing...

On the other hand, the students were all developed beautifully. The broken bromance reminded me a lot of ‘2013’ but with a bit less angst, and I was so keen to see the boys mend their friendship. It was fascinating to see how they had fallen out and why, and was really quite heartbreaking, as neither boy was technically wrong for being angry, but just completely misdirected their anger.

Nothing is as angsty as two teenage boys beating the cr*p out of each other because they love one another

Similarly, I’m glad the show addressed Eun Ho’s fight with Sa Rang. I had noticed that as the show progressed Sa Rang was getting less and less screen time, so while I ADORED the relationship between Eun Ho and Tae Woon, I did miss the girls' friendship. I initially thought that the show was just going to continue phasing Sa Rang out in order to create more screen time for the budding romance between the leads,

Why did Seo Ji Hoon get so little screen-time? Whyyyyyyy?

so I was happily surprised when the show addressed how Eun Ho was now spending all her time with Tae Woon. It’s something not many K-Dramas do- they usually just shaft the female friends to the sidelines, so it was nice that this was an issue that was addressed. Hee Chan was a much better villain than any of our adult characters, and his motivations made much more sense than the Principal’s. An adult being hung up on a teenage prankster is a little immature, but when it’s another teenager out to ruin his classmate it becomes a bit more serious. Because Hee Chan had more power than Dae Hwi, he was a real threat. Should Hee Chan and his mother withdraw the perks they’ve been giving Dae Hwi, Dae Hwi would find it difficult to get into university even with his top grades. It was aggravating (in a good, I’m so into this story that I’m mad for the characters way) to see Hee Chan use his money to influence, control and blackmail Dae Hwi into doing what her wanted. Dae Hwi was an excellent character with a smooth progression that wouldn’t have made as much sense if Hee Chan hadn’t been such a convincing a-hole.

Threatening girls...what a man.

Bo Ra’s character arc wrapped up perhaps a little quicker and a little smoother than I would have liked, but was enjoyable all the same. The good aspect of Bo Ra’s arc is that it didn’t try and over-explain the situation. We didn’t need half an episode of flashbacks to figure out what had happened between Bo Ra and the female teacher who lost her trust- the writers gave just enough information so that we could form a cohesive picture and then moved on.

I only really care about you cuz Dae Hwi does...

Similarly, we were given only enough necessary information with Nam Joo. The writers didn’t waste time in showing how her family lost their money, but instead focused on how that impacted Nam Joo. I wasn’t sold on the love-line between Nam Joo and Dae Hwi at the start (because Dae Hwi looks like he had and had always had zero interest in her), but by the end I was a little more on board when it was clear that the drama was going to go ahead with the romance. It was an excellent choice to have the school being the main setting for the series, especially having X’s hideout still be located in the school, as it shows just how central the school was to those kids. As an adult watching it could have been easy to brush off the happenings in the school as something unimportant, as once you leave school your world becomes so much bigger, but by having the school as the main setting, with few other places where the kids interacted, it really highlighted how important the high school was to the kids- this is where they spent majority of their time, this is (apart from their homes) basically their whole lives, so it made sense that the school was the most utilised setting.

When you think teenagers you think high school

The song ‘Student X’ was also one of my favourite things about the show. It captured the essence of the series perfectly, and really fit with the characters. Just like our main characters the track was a little innocent, a little cheeky, and a little rebellious. It was nice and unique and I know I’ll always remember this song and the drama it accompanied. 

What Was Great:

OTP:

Perhaps the biggest reason I fell in love with this drama is because I fell in love with its leads- and of course the relationship between them.

More like Tae SWOON

Not only were they cute and fun, but there was also a sense of maturity about them and their interactions that felt like more than just puppy-love. The friendship and sweet flirting between Eun Ho and Tae Woon was just plain fun to watch. There were so many different dynamics to their friendship (and then relationship) that they were never boring to watch as they were always developing and moving forward. They had a very youthful vibe about them, but that never took away from the seriousness of their feelings for each other. As enjoyable as the teasing was, it was how they stood up for each other and protected the other’s dream that really warmed your heart. The chemistry between Kim Se Jung and Kim Jung Hyun was completely off the charts- I don’t think I remember the last high school drama I watched where the leads had such cracking chemistry. It was clear that the two really enjoyed spending time around each other, so their interactions were just so natural and believable. They weren’t perfect kids- they both had their issues and weaknesses, and they often clashed with each other, but it was the colliding of these two strong personalities that made the show so enjoyable.

These guys totally made me forget how crappy the romance was in '2015'

Each of them was a force to be reckoned with on their own, so when they teamed up together it really added an extra layer of excitement to the show. And they’re just so bloody cute together. 

X Progression:

Where this drama really hit the nail on the head was making X more than just a catalyst for conflict. It actually reminded me a lot of ‘V for Vendetta’. X was more than just one person going against the system. He meant something different to each of the students and was what sparked hope amongst them.

The face behind the mask...or hood.

Because they were unaware of who X was, the kids could feel a sense of justice and hope. If they’d known all along that it was Tae Woon the effect wouldn’t have been the same- as the son of the school’s director he would easily avoid any sot of punishment. But by keeping X’s identity a secret from most of the students it gave them a sense of empowerment- someone was working to show the corruption in the school, and if one person could do it why couldn’t they? It was this empowerment that made X so dangerous to the corrupt teachers- even if they caught him now, he’s already set something in motion- you can’t kill an idea. But more than that it was the way each of our main characters was brought into the group that made X such a success. Despite having his identity revealed to the viewers early on in the series, the show still managed to keep the tensions high. Once the kids started bonding with each other the whole idea of X became much more dangerous- Tae Woon could get away unhurt, but the other kids wouldn’t be able to if they were caught. Even though we knew that Tae Woon was X, we didn’t know who would be the one to take the fall for it- Dae Hwi, Eun Ho or Tae Woon himself. It was this fear that kept the tensions high throughout the whole series. Adding more students to the group increased the chances of discovery, and while the kids were safe and even held a piece of power while they hid behind the X mask, once they were discovered that power would have vanished.

The ever expanding vigilante squad

Another interesting aspect of X is how Tae Woon’s motivations changed as he spent time with Eun Ho. At first X was a way to release his anger and a way to antagonise his father, but the longer Tae Woon spent around Eun Ho the more X started to become about helping the students who couldn’t protect themselves.

The heroes the school deserves

The earlier stunts (like stopping tests with the fire alarms) were purely about creating trouble for the teachers, but with each new stunt X’s motivations became more altruistic. He saved Eun Ho because he didn’t want someone else to take the fall for him, he exposed the rigged math competition to help his friend Dae Hwi, and by the end he was doing things purely for the benefit of other students- such as revealing the expired ingredients in the cafeteria food. X didn’t start out as a vigilante hero striving for justice, but through each addition to Tae Woon’s friendship circle and as he was exposed to how other students perceived X, eventually that is what he became. More than being a hooded figure out to expose corruption, X was the story about Tae Woon finding friends and learning to trust them, and his own journey of forgiveness. The X storyline developed so beautifully and so smoothly that we were in a completely different place at the end of the series the we were at the start and it made complete sense how we, and our characters, got there.

What Wasn’t:

Bad Stays Bad:

One of the things I remember sticking with me from ‘School 2013’ is how deeply fleshed out every one of its characters were. We had a school bully as our antagonist at the start who we all hated, but by the end of the series so much of this boy’s life had been explored that we understood how he came to be that person and how how much of a victim he really was. The main weakness I found in ‘2017’ (despite the cartoonish vibe of our main antagonists) was how the mean kids in the school stayed mean.

Hee Chan is still a butthole

Hee Chan had a few scenes where we saw the alarming amount of pressure his parents put on him and how his parents had no issues with breaking the rules to get ahead, but Hee Chan still remained a really horrible person right to the end of the series.

This is how much Bit Na cared about her wrongdoings

He didn’t really have any redeeming qualities about him, and never really faced any consequences to his actions (like, this dude was beating up girls and got no punishment for it), and there was really no sense of hope that he could somehow turn out to be a better person as time went on- that kid was only going to get worse with age. It was the same, though to a lesser extent, with the other rich students. These kids were willing to do illegal things to get into the best universities, and didn’t mind taking advantage of other students to get ahead. In particular, Bit Na never showed any remorse for her selfishness and the way she would fly off the handle when things didn’t go her way, and none of the kids in her friendship circle were developed at all. As wonderful and as perfect as the development was for Team X, I do kind of wish a little more effort had been put into developing the ‘mean’ kids and telling their stories.

Recommend?

Yes, yes, yes! 100 times yes! This drama has a lot going for it. The characters are endearing and relatable and the show has a whole is slightly nostalgic and deeply enjoyable. 

Love it