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High School Return of a Gangster korean drama review
Completed
High School Return of a Gangster
0 people found this review helpful
by Kazuha77
Aug 27, 2024
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 10
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 10.0
This review may contain spoilers

Incredible drama!

I discover this show a bit by chance as I was scrolling through the list updates of another user. And I'm glad I did because I would have missed a masterpiece of a show.

Yet, the plot is not that original as it reminded me of the film The Dude in Me which I really loved too: a gangster's soul switching body with a high schooler (even though, in this one, the gangster's body actually dies...). But this drama was still unique in its own way as it portrays very interesting characters and tackles very important topic such as bullying, psychological abuse and many other things that it will be better for you to see by yourself. I admit that I was a bit disappointed at first when I learnt that the story was originally a BL but that they have censored that part of the novel. I didn't really understand why they did that as South Korea produces more and more BL dramas nowadays. But watching the drama, I didn't really mind that they've changed it and I was actually glad they did. Because I'm all for BL novels and manhuas to be adapted on screen but, let's be honest, it would have been really weird to see an almost 50-year-old guy (even though he's in a high schooler's body) fall in love with an 19-year-old student. I don't know if this is really what happens in the novel - as I haven't read it - but it would've been really weird to see in the drama.

Apart from the plot, I absolutely loved the characters and the actors even more. Yoon Chan Young was amazing at portraying two characters so different from each other. I could totally believe he was an ajusshi in this 19-year-old body. He made me laugh, cry and I was saying to myself the whole time that he deserved more fame for his wonderful acting skills. Before I finally checked his filmography and noticed that he's actually quite famous already. No wonder his face was familiar as he played in All of Us Are Dead that I watched quite some time ago. Bong Jae Hyun also deserves all the attention because, even though, he only plays one role, he also made me laugh but mostly cry and doubt his character at first (I really thought he could be an antagonist at the very beginning of the story). The way he plays Se Kyung was wonderful and I absolutely loved his character. The abuse that Se Kyung goes through is truly heart-wrenching and I was glad to see him stand up for himself at the end of the drama. I should also mention Joo Yoon Chan as Jae Min. His character was maybe despicable but his redemption arc was, I think, fantastic.

I will end this review by saying that I was surprised, but also glad, to see a familiar face as a BL lover: Won Tae Min. I see this guy in more and more dramas and I'm happy for him. Hope it will continue this way for him.

Anyway, if you haven't watched this drama yet, what are you waiting for?!
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