My Strange Hero (2018)

The main core of this drama is the characters' relationships with one another, not revenge

I actually loved this drama. Despite the mainly negative comments here I wanted to try because I like the main actors and it didn't disappoint me because ALL the cast did in fact an amazing job! And the chemistry between the FL and ML was simply out of this world omg. I know that many didn't like the FL (even after her "redemption") but I loved her even at the beginning of the drama. Of course she was wrong but the actress did a really great job in portraying her character, I just couldn't hate her. This was so appealing for me because of the cast: the main couple of course, the 2ML (if we can call him that), the secondary characters (the ML's family and friends, the students) I quickly became attached to all of them.

The plot isn't the most realistic or intricate but I didn't get bored at all so that's a real success. Keep in mind that it's a romantic comedy so don't expect a revenge story like My Name or John Wick. It was funny and some important messages and themes were mentioned, it was really well done and provided a nice contrast. Some scenes were indeed quite touching. I saw someone in the comments say that a part of the OST reminded them of an action drama/movie and I agree. It was sometimes overly dramatic but I loved it lol.

In conclusion, give this a try if you're in the mood for a romantic comedy with amazing chemistry between all the actors, plenty of fluffy and funny moments, mixed with some really poignant thematics (the pression students meet in school, the corruption rotting the school's environment, the power of family love and what it means to be a good teacher in today's society...)

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Not overly comlex but a solid drama nevertheless

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2018/2019 South Korean Romantic Drama with 16, 70 minute episodes. An alternate title is "Revenge is Back."

Kang Bok-Soo (Yoo Seung-ho) is a junior at a prestigious high school who does not take school seriously until he is paired up with Song Soo-jung (Jo Bo-ah) when a teacher pairs poor performers with high performers in an attempt to spur the poor performer to higher levels of achievement. Bok-soo is smitten with the feisty and beautiful top student. Oh Se-oh (Kwak Dong-yeon) is the son of the school's chairwoman and Bok-soo befriends him when he is new to the school. Se-oh is psychologically abused by his controlling mother and quickly becomes jealous of Bok-soo for his happy home life and engaging girlfriend. He plots to split up Bok-soo and Soo-jung after a failed suicide attempt by pinning the event on Bok-soo. He convinces Soo-jung that Bok-soo intentionally attempted to hurt him and she testifies against Bok-soo ending their relationship and resulting in Bok-soo being labeled as violent and expelled from the school. Nine years later Bok-soo has led a life struggling doing a series of call as you need it odd jobs for a company is friend created. He has the opportunity to return to the school to finish his studies and decides to take the opportunity to exact his revenge on the two people who betrayed him. Can the young people overcome all of the misunderstandings that led them to this point and forge a new future?

Spoiler alert** From the title I expected Bok-soo to be in a savior role for Bo-ah and he is but only peripherally. It is labeled a romantic comedy on several sites and I found there is very little comedic element to it. It is more of a serious drama with just a few slightly amusing scenes. I think it is a cultural issue but I had a very hard time grasping a person of Bok-soo's age returning to high school. Perhaps it is an issue with my own personal mentality but I would have a very hard time every forgiving someone who had failed to believe in me at a critical point. The fact that a person who is supposed to care about me would believe I had done something so horrible without even asking - I cannot envision getting past that even if it was someone I had been in love with. I would be unable to get over that level of betrayal. I would forgive but only to the level of having that person as a friend but not as a close friend and certainly not as a romantic relationship. That being said I was disappointed that Bok-soo and Se-oh never rekindle their friendship even on a basic level. Bok-soo takes the perspective with Se-oh that what he did was unforgivable. In Se-Oh's case his mother was so abusive that I think she drove him to do it and I felt like Bok-soo should have realized it. He had more of a reason than Soo-jung. I really loved the Bok-soo character he was so loving and loyal to all the people in his life. He also had such a strong sense of justice and would go that extra mile to protrect those he felt were suffering any kind of unfairness or injustice. Bok-soo's mother was also such a kind and caring character it made it easy to see where he would have gotten his traits. This was a very sweet story with only a little bit of complexity but that is okay. Yoo Seung-ho has such a refreshing way of portraying the characters that you root for him because his characters are sweet yet vulnerable.

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My strange couple

Our male and female lead have known each other from high school. He was accused of guilty in an incident, but we don’t know the truth yet. Later in life, they reconnected when he decided to go back to school where she's works as a part-time teacher...

First thing I have to say: this premise is jarring. I have never seen adults mixed in with high schoolers in one class, but it doesn’t really matter. What I’m so intrigued by first place is the over-the-top extra-ness of the show. Every aspect of this show is operating at >100% level. The music is just so dramatic, as well as the acting and the filmmaking. Normally I dislike this tone, but here they all works together, so kudos to that. Yoo Seung Ho’s acting pulls it off. You can tell that he’s just having so much fun with his role, and his enjoyment seeps off of the screen.

Now, for the storytelling, I think they nailed the present and past storylines switching really well. Like you might have questions during the present time, and then you’ll see it unfold in the past, and then it ping-pongs back and forth. The writers know how to pique your interest. The questions keep you engaged because you'll have one answered, and then you're given another one.

My con comes a bit later when something happen to the couple, and the female lead response to it really rubbed me the wrong way. Since then I feel a trust issue that relationship wasn't genuine and so, it felt almost like a chore to finish the show. The ending was satisfying; it tied all the loose ends.

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This was missing something

The cast was excellent! Yoo Seung-ho as Kang Bok-soo was terrific. Yes, I thought he went overboard on the anger aspect of his character but his love for Soo-jung was a treat to watch, his deep voice pulls you right in, and that smile! Jo Bo-ah as Son Soo-jung was lovely. First, she's stunningly beautiful. I actually liked her more as a teenager, because the adult Soo-jung was kind of a mess. Kim Mi-kyung as Bok-soo's mom, she's the mom that we all want. Kim-Yeo-kim as Oh Se-ho's mom, yikes! That character was an absolute nightmare and she played it perfectly. I had seen her as a sweet character in Terrius Behind Me, so to see her as this evil, cutthroat character who would stomp over her own son to protect herself was a revelation. I had seen all the previously-mentioned people in other things, was impressed before and continue to be impressed; however, Kwak Dong-yeon as Oh se-ho was new to me and this acting was spot on! The intense stares and the sudden evil smiles actually gave me goose bumps! He was the kind of evil that is difficult to watch, but then when they had flashbacks you could feel his loneliness and vulnerability. Then, later in the show, when he wasn't quite so creepy, I enjoyed watching him so much that I'm going to see what else he's been in. I hope that in the future he gets tapped for the male lead that is a cold CEO and meets his match, he'd be perfect. everyone that played the students were very good and I liked the way friendships were forged.
Chemistry - the kisses between the leads were wonderful. No open-eyed fish kisses. And there's a little added excitement when there is a danger of them being discovered.
Storyline - implausible, but I was willing to suspend disbelief. The problem, for me, came in the writing and the way it was executed. It went on entirely too long and there were so many things going on that they were never completely and fully able to address any of them. It flitted from one problem to another. After 32 episodes, the ending felt rushed (as so many K-dramas seem to, unfortunately). And I'll be honest, once they redeemed Oh Se-ho, I was disappointed that he wasn't with the other main characters at the end, with their friendship renewed.
I was glad I watched it, but it's not something I would re-watch, because it was too long.

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An unfiltered school corruption drama

So yea this is a 50% rom-com drama as u can see BUT. BUT. Hear me out when i say there is 30% school corruption. and 15% how students and parents are forgetting wht is actually important and 5% how teachers play a role in our life and their life.
i aint saying much becuz it would give away a lot of stuff for ppl interested in seeing this but this drama did a good lot of stuff to show how parents r obessessed with grade and how students r discriminated based on their grades and how schools started this discrimination and how schools *grasp for breath* r corrupted and takes bribes from parents for kids growth and many other reasons that would take alot of time to explain.
The actors did a good job and i was pleased with their acting. Since the script already recognized that all of them were beautiful from the beginning, i didnt have to curse them since they never said they r ugly.
We got fair share of romance screen time and comedy screen time and alot of relatable moments.
But i do hv a problem.......(silght spoiler)
It kinda seemed to me that our ML is a very forgiving person........and handsome too.
His crush and fellow student did him Wrong and yet he forgave them like nothing happened. like his life didnt get ruined becuz of them. like their misunderstandings caused him to get hurt and like........i aint getting into details but is kinda felt that his revenge was only meant for Realization and nothing more.....

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An excellent series, thanks to the exceptional performance of 3 great actors.

Romantic drama (lots of very cute scenes with Yoo Seung Ho and Jo Bo Ah) which denounces some of the dysfunctions of the Korean school system.

PLOT:
The ML, a high school student expelled 10 years earlier, returns to the private high school where he attended. The FL (former girlfriend of the ML) is now a teacher there, and the ML2 is the principal. Corruption reigns at all levels in this high school, and ML+FL will try to protect the students and the high school.

PROS:
+ a trio of great actors (ML, ML2, FL) endearing, vulnerable, moving. The CL develops great chemistry and they are adorable together.
+ the production is dynamic and the story is almost realistic.
+ The OSTs accompany emotions well.

CONS:
- the denunciation of the school system is very partial (no consideration of support courses and academies, particulary). The hyper competitiveness of the system is not really highlighted, and in the end, everyone is supportive and kind (Ծ‸ Ծ) ("bizounours", for French people).
- the character of the villain (the ML2's mother) is exaggerated: she is not even human!
's
=> An excellent series, thanks to the exceptional performance of 3 great actors.
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Drama romantique (beaucoup de très cute scènes avec Yoo Seung Ho et Jo Bo Ah) et qui dénonce une partie des dysfonctionnements du système scolaire coréen.

PLOT:
Le ML, lycéen renvoyé 10 ans plus tôt, revient dans le lycée privé où il était scolarisé. La FL (ex girlfriend du ML) y est désormais professeur et le ML2 est proviseur. La corruption règne à tous les niveaux dans ce lycée, et ML+FL vont essayer de protéger les élèves et le lycée.
PROS:
+ un trio de super acteurs (ML, ML2, FL) attachants, vulnérables, émouvants. Le CL développe une great alchimie et ils sont adorables ensemble.
+ la réalisation est dynamique et la story à peu près réaliste.
+ Les OST accompagnent bien les émotions.
CONS:
- la dénonciation d système scolaire est très partielle (pas de prise en compte des cours de soutien et des académies, notamment). L'hyper compétitivité du système n'est pas vraiment mise en lumière, et à l fin, tout le monde est solidaire et gentil (Ծ‸ Ծ) (bizounours, pour les français).
- le personnage de la villain (la mère du ML2) est exagéré : elle n'est même pas humaine !

=> Une excellente série, grâce à la performance exceptionnelle de 3 grands acteurs.

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Kang Bok Soo the hero

Love triangle, bullism at school, misunderstanding...
3 school mates meet after 9 years. One has becoming a president of school, one a teacher and the other poor guy still a student.
The last one is a gentle and awesome person that was misunderstood, in the past and still yet, and unfortunately he was unable to graduate. He has a second chance to come back at school when he is an adult, 9 years after. The teacher is right his "ex girlfriend".
He will be able to win her back and together they will fight against injustice.
This series seemed too long to me, it was so heavy to reach the end that I put it aside several times.

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Kdramas really do need to not put on really ambiguous titles as their English official titles, because I wouldn't have started watching this fun show if I haven't bothered to read about what the story was about actually. I rarely watch much School-type unless I happened to have nothing to watch and it was on TV, which was how I managed to watch the ones I already did. This drama had a similar vibe with Who Are You: School 2015 so I ended up really enjoying this. Not many school kdramas had the revenge theme as the main plot after all, like sure there's always the many inner issues that will get involved but not like this.

Yanno, even after watching Ruler and Seungho's other more recent works it still felt surreal to see him playing older characters, haha. Since he still have that boyish look on him, but I guess it gave him the advantage of still being able to play teenage roles alongside the older version of his character convincingly enough without needing to have a younger actor playing the teenage counterparts. And I still love how the drama can't stop gushing about how handsome Boksu was and it didn't feel out of place. Seungho really brought out the many charms and great quality of Boksu despite his many flaws, and you can really get why people tend to love Boksu even when he's not quite so bright.

I used to watch Jo Bo-ah and especially Kwak Doyeon play older characters in other dramas to the point that I almost always forgot that Seungho and them don't really have very big age gaps between. Have to say that Boksu and Soojung look good together and their love story was pretty cute. And this was the only few times I don't really mind the whole teacher-student couple tropes.

I really love the many supporting characters, especially Teacher Park played by Cheon Hojin who cared a lot about Boksu to the point that he act like a father to Boksu who grew up without one. It's really cute to see Teacher Park being so bashful to Boksu's mom to the point of being adorable.

I really love the many comedic moments; like how Kyunghyun had this internal radar where he could sense his old homeroom teacher approaching him, the funny CSI parody as well as them training the kids to study as if they were trying to train kungfu under Master Wong Feihung's lead. And I love how each even-numbered episode would end in a dramatic tone as the plot progressed towards unexpected outcomes and made one eager to anticipate what happens in the next episode. It really felt like watching really long but engaging movie.

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A good watch

I completed this drama quite fast, to be honest. It wasn't bad, some parts were boring and I fast forwarded them, but it wasn't *bad*. Nothing made me scream my disagreement, I didn't send vocals to my friend to bitch about a character even if I'll punch my baby's mother if she ever speaks to him again.
We all know how much Korea loves corruption and it was interesting to see it in a school, but i think they lost themselves between the love story and this 'plot' if you can call it like that (it was...quite far fetched). I was happy to see such a nice romance between the main leads and I absolutely despised the lack of depth in the relationship between the three best friends. They told us they were really good friends, showed us 5 takes of their highschool days, and that's it. It doesn't make any sense. I honestly don't get why they chose to put some dialogues and moments we didn't care about, and sacrificed the time the viewers could have empathized with the leads.
Also, and it won't be a surprise to anyone who has been around me during Vincenzo, but I ADORED Kwak Dong Yeon. His character was so interesting and I'll be forever pissed that they gave him this ending.
To conclude, I had nothing to watch and wanted some romance with eye candies, and it was served on a plate. I appreciate this.

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It is a good Drama to watch!

Firstly, I thought to drop out from this Drama because of reviews on MDL. But wanted to give it a try after watching first episode. I liked all the actors - Yoo Seung Ho (Kang Bok Soo), Jo Bo Ah (Son Soo Jung), Chun Ho Jin (Park Dong Jun), Lee Kang Min (Yoon Sung Woo), Kim Dong Young (Lee Kyung Hyun), Park Ah In (Yang Min Ji) and others.

It started as a revenge plot with an added romantic track between main leads (ML and FL), I really loved the whole drama irrespective of it's improper editing and story telling.

Story - It is nice that Bok Soo and Soo Jung were used to be lovers. Due to misunderstanding between them, Soo Jung commits a mistake by testifying against Bok Soo for pushing Se Ho which brings Bok Soo to start revenge plot after 9 years. During the process, he understands Soo Jung and gets lovey-dovey again! He gets into taking revenge against Se Ho not knowing Se Ho is a victim and helps everyone around him to set a better example of himself. Bok Soo finally graduates and gets together with Soo Jung.

I felt 32 Episodes as Long! the Drama could have ended little earlier.

Acting - I think all the actors portraying different roles (protagonist/antagonist/support) did amazing job. I really liked Seung Ho, and Jo Bo Ah as main leads, Teacher Park (Chun Ho Jin) with his sensible and responsible character and the other students around Seung Ho are all good.

Hope I rewatch the drama in the future again!

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