El colegio de los chicos cool (2022)

What can I say? I just really enjoyed it

Is this drama the greatest drama out there? No. But unironically I just really enjoyed it. I looked forward to thursdays because I had this silly (affectionate) little drama that made me happy once a week.

I went into it with no expectations, knowing not really much about it and when I saw Viki had picked it up I thought why not give it ago (especially since it's very rare for Japanese dramas to get picked up by a streaming service in my country) and I'm glad I did because I found this special little drama. It gave me a similar feeling I felt when I watched Prince of Legend but there was something about this drama that personally I liked just a little bit more.

I really love the message that appearance isn't everything. That kindness can be something that makes you "cool". Ryoma became a character I really came to love because of his kindness and the way he cared so much about those around him. I loved how each of the "traditionally attractive" cool boys all had different and interesting sides to them and we got to explore their stories outside of their appearance/being a cool boy. I loved the bonds that they had formed with each other by the end.

If you're looking for something fun to watch, something to pass the time, something that doesn't take itself seriously I totally recommend this drama!

Read More

It could have been so much more... Where is the comedy?

(spoiler-free review)
I'm very disapointed :/
It's kind of weird to expect things for drama of this style, but I was actually waiting for something.
Something funny. Something original. Something over-the-top. Something refreshingly cringe.

It's something j-drama actually does well, and that I enjoy. Like Fake Motion, Bad Boys J, Prince of Legends... It's cringe, it's hilarious but at the end, I fall for them and ends up finding them all super cool in their hilarious ways.
And that's what I wanted but... What is this?

From the first episode, I wondered if they would go for the full-on over-the-top with the crazy concept, or doing it very seriously even though the concept is crazy. Obviously both are different style of comedy, but both work.
Here it was a weird mix of both, where they put not very well done comedy, while being very serious about the concept, and it ended up being flat.

The storyline in itself is fine, it's what I expect from this type of drama, and that is good. The important things are the details : how will they work with the clichés, overthrowing it, making it ridiculous. But no. They just... go with the clichés. The don't adapt it, they don't have a nice twist, nothing.

The serious boy is a serious boy. The handsome boy is a handsome boy. The nice guy is a nice guy. That's all.

Every episode I saw was just : "That's all?"
I was waiting for the joke to fall, the twist to happen, like "haha! Something is coming right? They won't stop here!" but no. They really stop here.

They had such a crazy concept, but don't go crazy at all. Come on! It's a japanese drama! You can do whatever you want, doing stupid things, over-the-top gags! What is this?????

I'm doing this review spoiler-free, since the drama is getting subbed right now, but I'm super disapointed. Still, I don't regret watching it for Miyase Ryubi and Hosoda Kanata, but it could have been so much more !

Read More