i can't give anything a 10/10 because that doesn't exist but also it's all arbitrary anyway.


well it is certainly unique. there's a translation of a chapter or two of the novel where it comes from (https://koreanliteraturenow.com/fiction/excerpts/chung-serang-school-nurse-ahn-eun-young) and that will give you a huge working basis of the story themes wise. it's pretty straightforward and not at all. the jellies feed off of emotion and who knows how they even got there.

there is nothing normal about anyone in this drama. or, if there is, they stand out. but even the "normal boring ones" aren't or have their scars. there in lies a bit of a problem; because the story is so wondrous and in its own world it doesn't answer a lot of questions or it makes you pose many to which you won't get a response. a big one is that people trust the world they are in. for the teenagers it makes sense because adults are supposed to be trusted, though they can hurt them immensely. for everyone else either they're in on it or inconsequential.

there's also questions about attachment. one story in particularly i still question what it meant but it doesn't make it any less beautiful. there are cons from a technical standpoint but i can let them go because i felt so enamored and disgusted and sad and happy. it's also so fucking funny. the dialogue has a lot of meaning and it seems like everyone is a second away from a psychotic break but that's just life.

the best thing it does, which the original story definitely reflects, is make the fantastical world a physical manifestation of its themes. there's the question on how some of them come to be and some make sense. others we ask: why are they there? and they simply are. the use of adolescence is perfect because it's a time in your life when you're becoming something but also being told what that something should be.

the world embodies conformity, the jellies and interesting reflection of all the differences and weird shit around us. the authorities, whoever they may be, wants its people to live in "safe happiness" which is nothing at all. or it wants to make money and suck happiness and fortune from others. it shows the world as the antagonist for these people. but they're all fucking weird. weird is both a pejorative and a positive. it deals with being an outsider, being a woman, growing up, how things can majorly affect your life. the will to live when everyone tells you you're strange or wrong. in pyo as a disabled character is incredibly important and they don't shy away from the difficulties but he's also a more physical way of letting us know that we can love people and accommodate them, be mindful, and have genuine relationships. they're up and down and fucked up but you want the best for your life and theirs. there's a lot of beauty in it along with the worst parts of life. "what can i do but live it out, just like you couldn't avoid the crane?"

it's also super philosophical. definitely definitely (i think) pulling inspiration from his dark materials, horror like jordan peele and stanley kubrick, and the mark of a director who is really interested in the silly and bizarre and evolving psyche particularly in women. she also has a pattern of exploring sexuality and gender (within and without the binary.)

the acting from everyone is great. jung yu mi shines. she's so small, so melancholy, so grumpy. but so funny and weird and she embodies ahn eun young who wilts and perseveres. nam joo hyuk is surprising in this role because it's....natural. he has grown immensely. a big thanks to the director and the cast and crew for drawing that out but also for him for genuinely showing growth. i hope this isn't an anomaly. because acting is a craft and something you should practice and want to hone. some people can and some people can't. everyone else is also a gem. the ensemble class are fucked up and wacky but we end up loving them. they're the pinnacle of awkwardness and the worst parts of growing up. and when what the authority wants "safe happiness" gets ahold of them they shun all the things you're not supposed to be: different. all these young kids and/or younger actors do a great job. and the teachers, especially the key weirdos, and the few appearances by some very integral characters are fantastic.

the thing is you can't really pin it down. i feel like the review makes it seem normal in any sense of the world and it is not. it's a fever dream in a way. mostly i compare it to the confinement and release from a psych ward. the music is gorgeous, seriously gorgeous. the theme song is beautiful and strong. korea's musical roots being used for something as deep as spirits and growing up, years of collecting time and humanity, is beautiful to hear. and then there's the themes of being strange and out of this world. i also love how the sound cues didn't come where expected.

every part of the show was taken seriously but the show doesn't take ITSELF seriously which is a conundrum. but it's an absurd world! we live in it! do your best, cry, and have fun.

this leads me to the directing and editing. it was fucking magnificent. if anything else, i would rewatch it for this. i love her style already but the editor brought the vision to life in such amazing ways. there's one scene where it's a teenage recreation of a shaman practice but it was meant to show their true joy and ecstasy of being together and it was cut super well. you know when editing is good, bad, or mediocre. usually people say when you can tell it's edited that's bad (which i agree with, it takes you out) but it made me realize how good the direction and editing were. the emotional beats, the blocking, the sequences pulled me in because nothing about this world was normal but i was there. i wanted to keep these snapshots in my mind. save them forever and have them inspire me, too.

i would rewatch it...i think. im lazy but yea.

overall it's a story about placement in the world. that's inherently sociopolitical—that's something you can't escape from with art and it doesn't let itself. but it lets itself play out in a way that's nonsensical. it's construction is thought out and intense, but it also knows that life isn't meant to be lived so confined so it comforts you with the burden of life. there's a lot of talk about life, creation, surroundings and it's very philosophical in the way that it isnt at all. in my darkest times i go back to some of my favorite quotes. many of them are on suicide and life by camus. the show embodies that. it even says it. basically: death is easy, life is difficult, but it's worth being present and feeling everything.

they tell us: you're trying your best. keep doing it. there's no getting better and laughing at the top of your lungs to success. you don't need to drain other people to reach wellness. there's survival and being happy and all of that shit is mixed up. and there's no normal; what the hell is normal anyway? there's a reluctance to face yourself, keep going, and want to have a beautiful contribution in the world. why not? so what? you can be selfish and selfless and angry and crazy and kind and love and be loved.

"what can i do but face it? what do you know about me anyway? my problem isn't some story in a comic book"

"they're not that different. i'm saying you should use weapons. don't hurt yourself and have fun while you're at it. be someone who is loved by others."

"how am i supposed to fight them alone with this?"

do you know who i am? i am school nurse ahn eun young.