This series startled me with astounding intensity. The urgency of it, the darkness of it, the unparalleled realistic horror. In a story woven through likely events, complex villains, and passive yet perpetuating characters, such unbelievable things occur with plausibility and motive. The main cast, driven by individual problems and personalities, interact in a way that's sometimes friendly, sometimes tense, and sometimes outright criminal. A grounded shaky cam and fast paced contrasting music only add to the realism of a drama which contains meaningful messages about issues that still resonate today.

One result of the tone and events of the series is a consuming need for justice and resolution within the viewer. This makes for a riveting show, which I managed to binge in about a day (not too difficult, as the runtime is about five or six hours). The story progresses quickly, with clear (but not obvious) relaying of information. There is no filler, and really no nonsense, which helps the show maintain it's serious and respectful tone. Frankly, it has to be respectful, as the things it covers are not only villainous, but horrific and traumatizing, in a disgustingly real sense.

One thing that stands out about the series, especially in contrast to others like it, is the unorthodox but completely great choice in music. Tense moments are filled with fast paced tracks akin to action thrillers, emphasizing the panic of the characters in them. Music often stops and starts with realizations and cuts between characters, depicting the wildly differing viewpoints of those in each confrontation, and the eerie impossibility of things that happen with ease. All of this is laid on top of video done with a shaky cam that is realistic but not obtrusive, and which still manages to fit in some more artistic shots while conveying information efficiently.

Another thing which is both frustrating but ultimately rewarding is the complete realism and struggle within plot points and resolutions. Things don't happen by chance here, and if there is any luck it's always on the villain's side. The main character(s) feel like they're facing every possible opponent at once, including the universe. There are no breaks. Every positive change or event that happens is entirely due to a proactive action by one of the characters. This makes every resolution, every win for the characters feel completely earned. It also requires some strong and resilient characters to fight for them.

In many dramas that deal with bullying, the characters fighting against it are weak, and overcome it with luck or extreme help from others. While our protagonist starts out weak, and does receive some help from others, she quickly becomes extremely strong and outspoken, someone worth rooting for amidst the terrible odds stacked against her. Indeed, all the protagonists have their own circumstances and struggles which add depth to them but doesn't prevent them from speaking out against what is wrong (at least, eventually). That said, those who are the protagonists is not always clear. Good characters do bad things, and bad characters do good things, and sometimes you don't even know which is which. But there is always clear motivation behind the actions, leaving us and the hero to figure out what should be done about them.

Some of the most interesting, well written, and pivotal characters are the main villains. There are a few of them who are indisputably the antagonists, even if there are occasional moments of redemption (if they can even amount to that). These villains, in response to their own extreme situations, backgrounds, and fears, act out in terrible ways against those who initially expect kindness from them, using sinister manipulation and fear tactics. These characters blackmail, threaten, pressure, and otherwise extort those around them to do their bidding, wielding public opinion like a weapon against their opponent. On one side, they can be frighteningly clever, while on the other they can be clingy, scared, paranoid, jealous, and even unhinged. There are some moments with these characters that, accentuated by the desperate music and fantastic acting, are genuinely terrifying.

Almost all these characters have some sort of change throughout the series. Protagonists can gain bravery or resilience, gray characters can flip sides or reveal new parts of themselves, and villains can grow gradually more unhinged or just snap all at once. Each character is affected by the events that occur, and change realistically according to those events and their own circumstances. Even in the end, there is no perfect resolution where all the characters unnaturally snap to some universal new understanding of morals and justice, and instead they continue to respond according to what has occurred. Again, it's sometimes frustrating, but ultimately rewarding for the story and the viewer.

While this show is extremely dark, and absolutely not suitable to younger audiences or those with triggers to violence or sexual assault, it does convey some positive messages about these situations. For instance, media often shows kids getting into trouble for reporting on their bullying, which could be harmful for those going through bullying in real life. This show, however does not do such a thing, and rather rewards characters for being brave and doing things that are beneficial for those going through similar situations in real life.

There are also messages relating to the negative acts of certain characters, stipulating potential causes, motivations, and circumstances that could lead people to become like that. A very interesting part of the series are a certain set of characters (usually delegated "the boys" of the classroom) who are typically bystanders but often perform a form of twisted, subjective justice eerily similar to cancel culture. These students act on uncertain information and issue cruel punishments in the form of public ridicule. At the same time, they do nothing while others are being tormented, even if they know or suspect it is unjustified. The show- while not explicitly making a point of it- does a good job showing how these people can be villains too, and how they justify their complicity by quickly distancing themselves from those viewed as being in the wrong.

All in all, this drama is wickedly intense, jaw-droppingly serious, and appallingly realistic in its depiction of what are- in the end- criminal acts of violence and assault in a classroom setting. Whether it is through a desire to make a change or the need to tell a good story, the showrunners manage to convey the urgency of it all with unique and grounded camerawork, impeccable acting, and unorthodox contrasting music. The plot is fast paced, solid, and clearly depicted, while characters arcs occur easily and with reason. I wholeheartedly recommend this drama, with a bit of a warning for those susceptible to triggers and those who can't handle overly tense shows.