High School Return of a Gangster

The end was good BUT felt plain at the same time…

Before I start, huge shoutout to the writers for not making feminine characters cringey or ´useless ´ !

****

I enjoyed it so much ! I would totally recommend though they are little flaws but first let me give my thoughts on the characters !

The body swapping thing was done in a good way and benefited the character that needed the most in this show : Yi Heon. BUT people not noticing how it could have no longer been yi heon in that body at some point, making too much mistakes (on the honorifics, on his culture and on the way he has of speaking) even deuk pal’s best friends was quite concerning. Especially when he even stopped talking to them like he was yi heon and kept relating things only him could know and that even if you tell to someone else you wouldn’t give those extremely precise details (like the price of the suyuk). In episode 6, after more revelations, they still stuck with the idea he was their boss’ son, he tried at the beggining (a few minutes lol) to not drop honorifics but he quickly did and nobody seemed to notice…I mean it could have been credible at some point because he was an outcast and no one really heard him talking ´properly’ but this became unrealistic at some point. At least Se kyung noticed from the beggining something was off.

Talking about him (Se kyung), I loved his character so much because he had depth,and a lore/ background. If the series wasn’t censored, I feel like with his family situation, he is quite closeted and that’s understandable honestly seeing how abusive his father is.
Then his father is such a garbage ! Even when confronted to what he did, what scars he left on his son, he decided to stay blind… Using a track app, spying on him through camera, through his ´friends’, or even telling a little child he should be strong and to watch the dead corpse of his beloved dog is just beyond EVIL!!!

And se kyung’s mom was at the beggining a hope for me, I thought she would save him from his father (after the call she gave the father, saying she’s gonna come back after the end of the business trip she was on) but judging by how long and violent the abuse (verbal and physical) has been and by the fact that she was never near him even in the flashbacks, I quickly lost every hope…

Jae min had the best character developpement to me. He took the time to start even realizing how bad he was being bullying others but what I liked was that he was receptive to the punishment at some point. I appreciated seeing the process from realization to regret and remorses. He, contrary to his ´friends’ actually learnt from their excuses.

He even had trust in his friends when they started lowkey bullying him and wanting to hand him to gangsters because he considered them as his friends. But as it’s often said, in a group of bullies, each of them is susceptible of turning their backs and ending up bullying on of their ´friends’ and that’s what jae min’s ´friends’ showed.

I loved how he became a better version lf himself and even got closer to his young sister !

Deuk Pal’s pals (pun intended !) will always have a special place in my heart because of how close they’ve always been and even after his death never stopped trying to avenge the person who represented their family at this point. For this they will always have my respect !

Yi Heon and his family (his mother) deserves happiness they suffered so much as well. The chairman was never showed but I hate him with all my guts as I hate se-kyung’s father. He never actually cared about him. He shouldn’t have has an affair with yi heon’s mother if he wasn’t able to take responsabilities and act like the father he is ugh ! Giving cars, money etc.. doesn’t replace love !
The secretary, Lee Mi Kyung will always have my hatred because she was a big part of the abuse yi heon underwent…

The staff of yi heon (the driver and the housekeeper) also are such good supportive characters!

The class of yi heon turned their vests as soon as he ´changed’ a bit. I didn’t expect he would accept/ forgive them that quick smh but they turned out to be quite nice especially the group of girls and the guy he started hanging out with afterwards (expect when they started doubting him after the bullying allegations tho… Fortunately, the doubting part didn’t really last).

- LOVED THE AESPA AND NCT (IU as well) REFERENCES BTW!! -

Before I finish by something that REALLY bothered me, Jae hoon was a character that was annoying. I will always remember the moment se kyung told him politely to f*ck off !

Once again as many pointed out censoring the gay romance in here was a mistake since you could sense they had a background together, especially by the way se-kyung was always looking at yi-heon, taking care of him (don’t get me wrong many close friends do that) BUT they had the chemistry and I can’t help but feel it was still implied. Also at the beginning when deuk pal was reading yi heon’s diary, the way yi-heon was talking about wanting ´to be se-kyung’s friend’ was giving crush (also friend crush smh- yk when you wanna be friends with someone so bad-). I know I proved it could be just a close friendship representation but knowing they were supposed to be dating in the webtoon but that it was changed (because of the korean society I assume) just makes it feels quite off…

Something doesn’t really click, wasn’t the tablet supposed to be broken since the beginning ??? I mean he was frustrated reading yi heon’s diary and he broke the tablet with his hands so how come he could access the same diary on the tablet (end of episode 7) ? ?


The cast is incredible as well as their acting. The OSTs are completely accurate and fit in the mood of the series !

I honestly don’t get why people are mad at the end because it was a greag closire to both yi heon and deuk pal.
Deuk pal got to bid real goodbyes to his relatives (dongsoo, jeoncheol and the boss) but also se kyung. On his side Yi heon got to have an explanation session with se kyung. Everything was so emotional in that last episode ! I mean yes I hated the fact yi heon actually left tho because this felt plain to me, he deserved some happiness as well… 😭😭😭. I’m bawling my eyes out rn.
I MEAN I FELT LIKE I WAS GETTING PREPARED (BY THE WRITERS) THE WHOLE TIME FOR THE RETURN OF YI HEON FOR HIM TO ACTUALLY LIVE BUT ENDED UP HAVING DEUK PAL (I LOVE HIM THO) LIVING IN HIS PLACE. IT WAS KINDA OFF CONSIDERING HE ´LIVED ´ (EXPERIENCED) MORE THAN YI HEON.

Jae hoon being sincere and regretting his actions was not on my wishes yet I appreciated it. He’s gaining more of my sympathy smh

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Mental Health Awareness and Bullying Film, but with Supernatural Solutions

High School Return of a Gangster's story revolves around Song Yiheon, a high school student, who's being bullied by his classmates. Meanwhile, Kim Deokpal is the head of a gang. They met each other when Deokpal was standing under an overpass, while Yiheon jumped from it. When Deokpal woke up, he was shockingly in the body of Yiheon already. When he read Yiheon's letter, he took the opportunity of being in that body to fix Yiheon's life. He worked-out to get physically fit and fight the bullies. Basically, the story revolves around Deokpal fixing Yiheon's life while he is in that body.

Plot/Story - 9/10
First of all, I like the whole story. I liked where the story might lead you and the ending of it. But along the way, I felt like there is nothing new with the story. Yes, the main character's soul was changed and he is now in the body of a high schooler with the purpose of establishing a better life for the owner of his body, but what's more of it? What's something more to the story that viewers might get interested in? Yes, I am happy that the bullied main character is now getting his revenge on the bullies and that his life is now better but I felt uninterested at some point, because I was not intrigued already on what might happen in the next episodes. Nevertheless, the plot was concise and understandable, but I felt like the story is only going through a straight line instead of a line with zigzags of it.

The novel was considered as BL, but this series was tagged as bromance, yet I appreciate the fact that the script still gives hints of flirting in it and how the characters' actions and lines are to each other.

Characters - 10/10
Chanyoung did great in portraying a contrasting character; him as Yiheon and as Deokpal. The way he managed to give different emotions out of the two characters really did make me feel proud of him. His acting of Deokpal's mannerisms as an older age is really something that must be highlighted.

Yiheon's character is really the main plot of this story. I just can't imagine the battles that he needs to go through to the point that he needs to make that decision to himself. In the end, I believed that his decision was a good decision. As someone who experienced going through that state (Not bullied), I felt him when he said that he is tired already. I understand his decision and I always understand people who are experiencing that kind of mental health disorder.

Yiheon's Parents
I actually do not just understand the fact that he is a chairman of a company's son, yet he was not recognized by him. I mean, knowing the culture of South Korea, they value more if their child is a son. With her mother who has been an addict for her whole life, it is so funny to see that she is okay already that fast. I mean, addiction is not something that you can cure in just one day, it is a long process.

Choi Sekyung - I know that in the moment that he met the new Yiheon and he was surprised, there is something going on between the two of them. I felt emotional with his character because of how mentally pressured he was to abide by his abusive father, no children must experience that kind of maltreatment. On the other hand, I hate him for not helping the abused when Yiheon needed him. I always believe that if you are not doing anything against the oppressor, then you're also siding with the oppressor. Nevertheless, his character development gave him a redeeming moment.

Hong Jaemin - I actually thought that he is one of the main characters, but I understand how he is just a side character. I hate him, his way of thinking, and the actions he did. I will never forgive his character for that. But can I talk about how Joo Yoonchan portrayed this character? The anger that I feel towards this motherfucker bully suddenly becomes so cute in my eyes whenever he appears on my screen. His incorrect English words and cute actions made his character adorable. I still hate him as a bully, but once again a character with a development and redeeming moment in the end.

Lee Seojin - Even if he only appeared in one episode, he became remarkable. The way that his aura shifted from a student who is bad at Math, then suddenly showing his charismatic and manly aura when the gang opened the door. That scene was so funny to me.

Each and everyone of the casts did amazing on their respective roles. Some made me love them, some made me irritated, but that just means that they did great in portraying their characters.

In totality, High School Return of a Gangster did well and I loved watching it. This film used it platform to raise awareness about Mental Health Disorders and Bullying, but the solution used cannot be used in real life situations. The ending made me satisfied, the bullies going to jail and Kim Deokpal remains on Earth with Yiheon's body. I just wish an entirely and everlasting happiness for Yiheon in the afterlife.

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Time

What is the thing you want more but can’t have ?
And the thing you want to stop but it won’t ? …it’s TIME.

It was a great binge for me. Another great youthful drama.
I enjoyed the quick banter and the “konndae” nature of Song Ye Heon and the refreshing , funny moments .

I enjoyed watching Leo Seo Jin as an actor. Although after watching his variety shows , at times I can’t take him seriously and his character in this drama is a gangster? LoL i can’t … but he is after all an actor too.

This drama is another recommendation. Go watch it!

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Great acting to match a great story

Watching the very beginning, I wasn't sure I was going to stick with it. There are several scenes that are a bit difficult to watch with the school bullying early on, however, once you get into the heart of the story, the major transformation of the characters is unbelievable to watch. You can easily feel yourself go from anger to laughter to sadness in a short period of time.
Yoon Chan Young is so fantastic from start to finish in this role or actually duel roles that he plays. It's a very impressive acting performance. Bong Jae Hyun gives a great performance as well.
Without giving a spoiler, the ending can be taking either a positive or negative way, depending how you're feeling at the moment you watch it, but overall I think the ending worked really well.
This series definitely shows the meaning of true friendship and how important a role real friends play in life.
An absolute must watch feel good series!!

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can't fathom this ending

I'll start by saying I'm not an expert in anything, even less so in cinema so this is just my humble opinion.

This drama started really good and I actually really liked the characters and the story line. I'm usually not a fan of "transmigration" or similar things 'cause most of the time, it's very difficult to write those kind of story "well". In this case, not only is it "transmigration" but it's also a grown up (40+) that goes back into a CHILD'S body.

I honestly thought everything was going pretty well (except the very poor treatment of mental health but because it's a short drama I overlooked it) but the END couldn't have been WORST. How could Dok Pal continue to live in this body ? of course the kid was SUICIDAL so he might not want to come back but like... let's talk about it, let' see what we can do but the fact he STAYED in the body??? what the hell, it make the all point/story/moral of the serie USELESS.
Then they joke about like haha hihi hoho so funny I took someone's LIFE.... no really I can't understand how this was aired.

The last thing, at the very end Dok-Pal says he wants to go on a date... did he suddenly forget he was 40+ ? disgusting.
To make the matter worse I heard it's actually a BL webtoon that they straight washed and in the webtoon, Dok Pal goes out with Se-Kyung which is I think even worse considering the fact he is an adult in a child's body.

well anyway that was my opinion and I couldn't just keep it to myself after being brutally traumatised by that last episode.

xx

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I haven’t cried that hard in a while…

as the title suggests, I haven’t cried that hard watching a drama in a while (probably when i watched Weak Hero Class for the first time). The drama was phenomenal. The story was a good concept, there werent any holes in my opinion, and it felt like the perfect pace (not too rushed, not too slow). the acting was also *chef’s kiss.* the character arcs are also amazing. the themes of overcoming obstacles, facing challenges with friends, fighting for justice, and overall friendship/brotherhood were present. If you enjoy Weak Hero Class, you’ll probably love this too- I certainly did.
Also, the band LUCY contributed to the OST, so it was great to hear their song come on since ive been a fan of their’s for a while.
Overall, this drama is definitely worth your time, and remember to bring some tissues.

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Excellent drama that accomplishes what it set out to do

I am blown away by this drama. I give the most props to the young actor, Yoon Chan Young, who plays a VERY convincing middle aged gangster in a high schooler's body.

The drama do touch on sensitive topics, such as extreme bullying, suicide, domestic violence, and some drugs/alcoholism. While these topics are the main plot points, the focus is more on the characters, action to resolve issues, and some comedy. There is a good pace for progression, so I never felt bored. Even the side characters are entertaining to watch.

I had no idea it was from a BL story, and I didn't feel more than bromance/besties from the 2 MLs. Sometimes it felt like our ML can be a father/adult figure to the kids around him, which makes sense for this story.

Would highly reccomend!!

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Tropey and Unimaginative

A potentially entertaining short series held back by a tropey unimaginative plot centered on school bullying and populated with mostly stereotypical mafia and teen drama archtypes. The few female characters were almost laughably superficial, as were most of the school bullies and adult gangsters. The only character with any real depth was the second male lead, but even in his case there is a noticeable disconect that comes from the fact that many of his actions are only explainable if he's madly in love with the first male lead, only the show keeps trying to insist they are just buddies.

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Second chances and box tissues.

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High School Return of a Gangster is a story about friendship, acceptance, and self-love, but beyond that, it's a story about second chances. What seemed at first just a school-setting comedy with a sprinkle of supernatural elements soon turned out to be an emotional, profound slice of life of modern South Korean society.
There is no room for shallowness.

▶︎ The frustration of a middle-aged gangster turned high schooler ◀

The first portion of the drama is, without a doubt, funny and enjoyable. Witnessing the struggle of a middle-aged gangster in the body of a high schooler is something else. Everything is new to Deukpal: slang, high school, different body shapes, and so on.
But all these comedic intercourses still bear the weight of a suicide attempt. I loved how the drama never tried to minimize the struggles of Seong Yiheon and his will to die.

▶︎ Difficult topics ◀

This drama deals with various sensitive topics: bullying, suicide, parent strictness, lack of aspirations, and self-love, just to mention a few.
None of them is approached inappropriately, and each gets the attention needed.
High School Return of a Gangster doesn't sugarcoat these issues. It presents them only as they are and tries to show how one could handle them.
Wrongs can be forgiven but never forgotten.
The protagonists, as well as the rest of the main characters, emerge more mature and aware.

▶︎ Final considerations. ◀

High School Return of a Gangster is a symbol of redemption. The gangsters, the bully, and even the bystander Choi Sekyeong get to redeem their wrongdoings.
What first seemed just a comedy turned out to be a heart-wrenching story about wrongdoings, emotional scars, and lack of help from adults. All from the teenagers' perspective.
The finale is a ray of hope, a joyful anthem to friendship and life.

PROS:

- Reincarnation/second chance at life tropes are what I live for;
- Difficult topics addressed properly;
- Mental illnesses and struggles of the main characters are a major plot point and are addressed properly and with the care they need;
- Deukpal/Yiheon are such cuties.
- I'm all in for more than a bromance between the gangster-turned-high-schooler and Choi Sekyeong > BL drama Gods you know what you should do.
- The redemption arc of Hong Jaemin was coherent and believable;
- The gangsters were better Justice Heroes than the society itself (parents, police, prosecution, etc.)

CONS:

- No BL (jk, kinda);
- NOT a no-tissue drama > be prepared;
- Topics mentioned throughout the story might be too much for sensitive people

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