Who Are You: School 2015 (2015)

What i enjoyed most about this series, aside from the twin sisters mystery, is how the bully issues was played out and resolved. I was also satisfied with how the writer wrapped up the story with a meaningful message at the end. Overall, it was a great show. I definitely would recommend it to people who enjoy high school drama.

Romance wise? I wasn't too invested in the love story because I didn't see any chemistry between the main couple, including the supporting character. But if i were choose, it would obviously be Yin Ah and Eun Bi. Although Nam Joo Hyuk acting is a little awkward, I find his character to be very loveable. As for Yook Sung Jae, I didn't really like his character because I find him a little annoying at time. Although his acting is better than Nam Joo Hyuk, I wasn't able to connect with him.

Acting: Kim So hyun and Jo Soo Hyang definitely deserve an applaud for their excellent performance in this series.

Music: The reset song was very catchy, but I thought it was over used in this series.

Rewatch Value: it definitely would be a 10 because i skimmed through some episodes when I marathon it.

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The thing I like most about this drama was the realism of what exactly occurs inside the classroom, beyond the test papers, assignments, extra-curricular activities, etc. School life may be different from a working environment, but status and socialization is the same everywhere. No matter the country or the culture. This drama brought life to that. We've all watched all types of bullying in dramas - but they seldom pinpoint the reason to why these bullies do the things that they do. It's usually the one sided drama in which there is the bad guy and the good guy, then the good guy triumphs over the bad guy, then the bad guy is eventually forgotten.

The story line may be a bit far-fetched, but the cast portrayed their roles pretty well, making the issues at hand seem more realistic. It was also heart-warming and sad all at the same time. The romantic plot was a bit of a downer for me though because I was sort of rooting for the second lead guy. My second-lead-syndrome attacked once again halfway through of this drama. I really didn't have a choice because the guy was too cute and too persistent. *sigh*

Setting that aside, I really liked School 2015 and might probably check out School 2013 because of this. Adding up to this was the music, it was something that really made the whole drama more memorable. Up until this moment, I could still hear the music inside my head, playing in the background.

I may re-watch this again in the future if I feel like relieving my high school days all over again, but for the moment, I am recommending it to those who likes watching dramas in a high school setting with more substance about a student's school life and hardships.

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If you came here expecting something similar to School 2013, then you might be slightly disappointed or pleasantly surprised. I found that there were fundamental differences between the two series despite being categorised under the same franchise. School 2015 focuses more on romance and mystery rather than the realistic struggles within a school setting - this by no means means that there are no realistic elements of this drama. We do get the struggles between teachers and authority, bullying, the difficulties of studying in South Korea, and general focuses on different types of parenting. These elements of the drama are definitely accessible and relatable to some audiences, but I felt that the way the writers dealt with these issues among their main focus of twins, romance, and mystery, tended to overshadow some of the more serious issues at hand.

In terms of the story, I think the first 3/4 of the plot was solid. Everything involving Eun Byul's disappearance to the mysterious messages from a dead classmate were very well thought out in my opinion. It kept me interested and speculating all the time, thinking of all the possibilities, which was why I really enjoyed this series. If you like playing the guessing game and trying to pick up on all the clues then this'll be an enjoyable series for you because the writers did well at dropping hints and keeping the audiences guessing. But I hate to say it, the resolution of the mystery left little to be desired. I honestly thought that the writers could've done more with it since they put so much effort into building it up only to let it fall flat. The mystery went into the back burner in the last 4 episodes or so, and this is where you start to see what the priorities of the writers are - playing with the love-lines and romance. Not that I don't love a good romance, but the writers kept playing with the audiences expectations - forcing many to come down with that dreaded second-lead syndrome.

This is where the acting comes into play. Yook Sung Jae completely won me over with Tae Kwang so it was no wonder that he won so many people's hearts. He played the troubled but playful character so well that you couldn't hate him. I could totally understood Tae Kwang's actions too, but Han Yi Ahn was just conflicting. Nam Joo Hyuk did well at the beginning but as the series went on, it slowly became apparent that he was lagging behind slightly in the emotional acting department. But I think that he had little to work with considering the way that the character was written. Tae Kwang had more character development than Yi Ahn - thus Joo Hyuk never really got to shine as brightly as Sung Jae.
However, it was Kim So Hyun who really carried the show. Who would've thought that a 16 year old could carry herself so well in two roles? You could seriously tell how well she acted Eun Bi and Eun Byul by the tones and styles of each character, which were distinctly different from one another. Of course, the stylist and makeup artist had a great role in aiding visual distinctions between the two, but Kim So Hyun held the two characters very well on her own.
I also have to mention Jo Soo Hyang who played Kang So Young. She impressed me with her acting. Playing a bully isn't as easy as it looks, but she fell into the role so naturally... not sure if that is a good or bad thing but nonetheless, also praiseworthy. Yet once again, her characterisation was flawed as no one really understood what the hell was going through her mind - hateful for hateful sake, maybe? But that wasn't Soo Hyang's fault.

So all in all, I enjoyed this series, but the writing and the story became flawed in the final stretch. I loved the idea of the mystery and the switching of twins, but I couldn't help but crave more depth. For instance, how was Min Joon's homelife now? Is Shi Jin still struggling under the educational tyranny of her mother? How did Soo Jung's modelling career pan out - we saw snippets that suggests that something happened but no details. Things just felt slightly empty as questions/characters weren't as neatly tied up as I wanted. However, I still think that this is a good watch and it made me look forward to Mondays and Tuesdays!

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tbh, I started this drama because of the casting lol (really I can't watch a drama if I hate the lead actors)

In the beginning, the plot was interesting and new. Although a bit similar to School 2013, this story includes more mysterious storyline which makes it interesting. School 2013 focuses on friendship, while School 2015 focuses on family. love storyline of eunbyul, eunbi, ian and taekwang was really fantastic. You would never ever stop watching this drama at certain episode cos you really wanted to know how the love storyline goes on, as well as other incidents like the death of suin. However, I really HATE the writer that the romance story is open-ended. (OMG I really hate open ending, especially for romance stories). Anyway, some people may like open ending cos they couldn't choose which guy should be with eunbi.

There are certainly some "bugs" throughout the drama, I just can't ignore these bugs -.- like how can ian run so fast from the swimming pool to the classroom? I know these things are not important, but ...yea these minor bugs make the story not perfect.....and not realistic

The actors act really good. I first started this drama cos I think nam juhyuk and yook sungjae is handsome ...... Well, ignoring their appearance, they act really good. The two guys don't have much experience in acting, but they did a really good job. You will fall in love with them, definitely. KimSoHyun is always a fantastic actress, she has been participated in many many dramas. In School 2015. she further shows her excellent acting skills by acting the twin sisters. And, of course, I have to mention soyoung here (sorry I forget her real name). You would like to break your computer screen while watching her bullying eunbi, literally.

There is one thing I'd like to share about the love line.....why not putting eunbyul with ian while eunbi with taekwang roahhhhhhh It's quite strange that ian finally chose eunbi, instead of eunbyul, whom he had known for more than ten years and had loved for more than ten years. ughhhhh taekwang's character is soooo nice and he is really caring, but why ----why eunbi refused taekwang twice.....

I'm just not quite satisfied with the open ending.....other things are really nice^^ For music, honestly, I have never encountered any drama that I hated the music.....
Anyway, go and watch the drama, it's a good one.

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This started out very strong, made me cry multiple times during the first episodes - but late into the series it felt a bit draggy. There's many things that weren't relevant overall, had they cut it a bit and made it maybe 2 episodes shorter, it would have been perfect. The story felt very confusing at first, but once you settled it it was quite enjoyable.

As for the acting, I was very disappointed in Kim So Hyun (Eun Bi/Eun Byul) - she was stiff and in my opinion didn't carry over emotions at all. Everyone else did a good job.

The music ... I don't ever want to hear the 'Reset' song again, wasn't my cup of tea and I hit mute everytime it came up.

I'd recommend this to people who like High School dramas, the mystery plot was too weak to be really important.

Also, while this was a great first watch, I don't think it's something I'll touch again until many years later.

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A Drama That Hit Too Close To Home

Before I begin my review (something that I rarely ever do), I would like to start off by saying this. I was one of the few people who never had SLS while watching this show. Another thing to keep in mind while reading this is that I am a relatively new K-Drama watcher (started around quarantine if not a bit earlier) and am a high schooler myself (hence the title). All of the comments being made here will reflect the above sentiment. With that out of the way, let's begin the analysis of this beautiful show, but first some background on how and why I decided to watch this show.

I think I first discovered this show around when Start-Up was airing as I was looking for dramas that the main leads had acted in before. I initially put it off for later as I did not have much time to binge-watch a show but I knew from the get-go it would be a show near and dear to my heart as it seemed to be a slice-of-life high school drama. And I was right. It wasn't until I felt the need to binge watch some Kim So-Hyun dramas (due to my broken heart from Love Alarm) that I decided to pick it up.

While watching this show and binging it in the span of a week, there were so many things that caught my eye and made the show one of my favorite high school dramas and just K-Dramas in general. First, let's start off with the most fundamental part of every good drama in my opinion: the characters.
- Eun Bi: When we were first introduced to Eun Bi in the very first episode and what she was going through I could feel my heart just break into a million different pieces. Those scenes were so painful to watch that I didn't even know if it was worth continuing if my heart was just going to be broken every episode. It was even more painful to see her hide her suffering behind her happy exterior and beautiful smile. Her story is what dragged me in and kept me going.
- Yi An: There's really not much to talk about him. He's just your typical friendly male lead. I really did enjoy (heartbreaking as it was) to see his internal struggle with not only his injury but the identity of Eun Bi.
- Taegwang: Taegwang is almost the complete opposite of Yi An, but deep down he, like Yi An is a super caring and friendly character. His story, like Eun Bi's, was rather heartbreaking but it was the way that he coped with the situation that made him so lovable. His character arc and story may have been one of the best in the entire show.
- Kang So Young: Where do I even begin with her? My blood boiled every single time she was on screen and I just wanted her to go away and not hurt poor Eun Bi anymore. Ugh. One of the least likable characters to ever exist. The way her character arc ended was kind of unsatisfying and she didn't really get what she deserved, but at least she got punished.
- Eun Byul: Girl crush material right here. I loved her sass and confidence. But as with most of the characters, that was just a facade to hide her internal pain and suffering. Once her backstory was revealed and it was explained as to why she did what she did, my heart broke. It hit way too close to home for me. No one should have to ever go through that. It honestly brought tears to my eyes.
- Teacher Kim: Such a wholesome character. I loved the banter that he had with the students and the eventual close friendship that grew between him and Taegwang.
- Class 2-3: What a fun little group of students. How I would kill to be in a classroom setting like that. Shi-Jin and Song-Joo are the kinds of friends that I would love to have in all of my classes. Min Jun's character resembles me way too much. All in all, a great group of supporting characters.

But with such amazingly written characters, there is a price. A somewhat lacking plot. It started off really strong by cutting straight to the chase and getting Eun Bi into Eun Byul's shoes by episode 2 and then finding out who she really was just an episode later. We got some interesting subplot introductions with Soo Jin and Min Jun. The struggles through which our leads went through were extremely well written. The continuing antagonism of So Young. But all of that went downhill after Episode 12. Why? The completely unnecessary continuation and drag of the love triangle. By this point in the show, it was already super clear who our endgame was going to be.

Let's talk about the love triangle and why I was not on board with TaeBi. Let me start this off by saying I didn't really care who she ended up with as they both deserved her. But Yi An just was the better candidate for me. He was always there for and even when he was hurting from her lie you could tell that he still cared for Eun Bi. Taegwang was even more so, but it sometimes felt in a way a reaction to other people's actions. It didn't feel voluntary at times. It was more "He needed to do this" and not "He wanted to do this". At least that's how I saw it. And that's not what I'm really looking for in a relationship. I also feel like, he as a character didn't really need a romance line as he already had a much more pressing issue to deal with in his own life. You could say the same thing for Eun Bi, but at least in her case, it makes more sense as it was a side-effect of spending time here friends.

As for the chemistry between the leads and why Yi An even fell for Eun Bi and when he did, it felt rather clear as to when and why. He fell for her was because of her personality and attitude. Yes, the only reason why he was even interested in her was that he thought she was Eun Byul but in the end, as we saw in Episode 7 during their date, he not only bought a furry doll for her (something he would never do if he knew without a doubt that she was Eun Byul as Eun Byul said herself) and he explicitly says he likes the new Eun Byul more. I think this was what pushed her to finally tell him the truth. The chemistry, on the other hand, was most definitely lacking but I didn't really care all that much but it was there although very subtle.
Why they decided to drag out the triangle at the expense of closing off all of the other storylines properly is a question for the ages. The Soo Jin plot was already pretty emotional (and hit way too close to home) but it just wasn't nearly as impactful as it could've been. Same thing with the wrap-up of So Young's character. There really just wasn't nearly as much build-up and it was just resolved way too quickly by the end of the show. But overall, the show made a seemingly simple plot and made it something much more meaningful and memorable.

The cast of this show was spectacular. Kim So Hyun did such an amazing job pulling off two completely different characters. Nam Joo Hyuk did well enough I guess considering how new he was at that time. Yook Sung Jae was probably the most stand-out actor in the entirety of this cast. His portrayal of Taegwang was absolutely perfect and it's what made the character so damn lovable. Cho Soo Hyang. I don't think anyone could've portrayed Kang So Young better than her. She made my blood boil. It was scary how real the acting felt. Absolutely blown away. Props to her for pulling off such an unlikable character so perfectly.

And last but not least, the cinematography and OST. Overall I really loved the way the show was shot. The lighting and the color schemes fit really well in most of the scenes. The production was pretty good as well. Lots of desktop backgrounds can be made from this show. It was just that perfect and beautiful. The OST was one of my favorite dramas OSTs. Reset was a perfect song for this drama and really did highlight the message of this drama. They all fit the show really well and will definitely be on my playlists.

And as a parting message about this show, I would like to take some time to make this review a bit more personal. As a high school student, these stories are all things that I have experienced, seen, or heard of in my day-to-day life. It was truly heartwarming to see characters going through the struggle of high school and preserving through it all. It's a very inspirational drama for me to say the least. I could relate to all of the characters and I could feel their pain and suffering. But in the end, it reminded me that no matter what happens, we are all young and the things we go through during this time are all there to help us grow. There truly is nothing more special than our time in school and I hope I keep that in mind as I finish out my journey as a high school student in the coming year. I think the ending monologue really captured this message really well and is one I will never forget for years to come.

"We’re eighteen, so we live every day as if it’s our last—loving and hating fiercely. It’s an age where we falter and get hurt easily, and are hurting more than anyone. Despite that, the reason we can look back on that time and say we were happy is one person’s warm outstretched hand. Not more, not less, but just one person—if we each approach one friend who’s crying and stretch out a hand like this, there’s nothing that I—we—can’t endure. It’s okay. You can hurt. Because you’re eighteen." - Go Eun Bi

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It is the best kdrama I've ever watched. I didn't expect Kim So Hyun was able to play 2 roles in a shot. The plots are also interesting. It's like a revenge towards antagonist. Yea, it's hard to be objective if we talk about review a movie or drama where its main role is our favorite actress. But, yea I believe everyone would love this drama so much.
Okay, submit review......... oh God, it has to be a 500 character review!
Well, at that time I didn't really like what I watched, before Go Eun Byul's school settings appeared. It reminds me about high school life and its funny things like get a rid with friends and stuff. So, I love this drama because it brings school things and... romance, of course.

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OK this is the first "SCHOOL" drama I've watch, as I'm not into High School dramas anymore....
BUT... I have to admitt...... IT WAS GOOD *O*

Its strong point DEFINETLY is the story!
I actually kept being surprised, and didn't take it as easy as I thought I would. The story is really interesting, this twin stuff appeared very vague to me in the beginning, but the struggling of Eun Bi, really touched me. She really made strong decisions, and it keeps being ore and more realistic, on the contrary of what I was expecting...

I recommand it, strongly enough!
Give it a try, even though like me you didn't know anything about teenage drama ~~~~> Kaja! Let's goo!

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