High School Return of a Gangster

When the bullied becomes a bully

Everyone like a revenge series or may be its just me and this is why I really enjoyed this comedy drama fantasy series. This series contains all the elements that I like; comedy, mystery, fantasy, bromance, friendship and an assortment of actors that can do justice to their characters. This series in retrospect is about the life of students constantly under pressure to excel, where losers are looked down upon and harassed.

The story as the name suggests, is about a gangster whose soul enters a down-on-his-luck, bullied and suicidal student. Making peace with the fact that he has practically dies, he sets out on a journey to improve t he life of the student before his inevitable return of his soul. What follows is a series of events, where our kind-hearted gangster learns more about the life of the student whose body he inhabits, tries to right the wrongs that he has faced all the while helping other people he judges going astray.

The beauty of the series lies in its simplicity and the mystery that hides behind the main characters. Why did Song Yi Heon commit suicide? What was the last conversation between him and Choi Se Kyung? How will Kim Deuk Pal, the gangster, help Yi Heon before his imminent demise? Will the bad guys learn a lesson and turn over a new leaf?

The series although with a simple story has complicated characters. Song Yi Heon has money but what he lacks is motherly care and a peaceful life in school. He is constantly bullied and beaten by the rapscallions at school, wants to befriend the popular guy, Choi Se Kyung but is termed a stalker, all in all a silent victim. Choi Se Kyung is pressured to perform by his successful father leading him to suffer from anxiety attacks. Kim Dong Soo, Kim Deuk Pal’s henchman wants to rebuild the gang after Duek Pal’s death only to be trapped and used by Lee Mi Kyung, our secondary antagonist.

In conclusion, this is a highly entertaining series that offers a unique blend of action, humor, and emotional depth. While the world-building could be tighter, the series excels with its strong performances and engaging premise. It's a perfect watch for those seeking a fun and thought-provoking escape.

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Can’t speak to the webtoon

I’ve read that they changed the romance aspect of the drama when adapting it from the webtoon. I haven’t read the webtoon, so I’m only reviewing the drama as it is.

I was surprised by how compelling I found this story. I hadn’t seen the actor playing the ML before and I was a bit worried by the opening episode because it seemed like his performance would be wooden. The more he plays Deuk Pal (as Yi Heon), the more I enjoyed his performance.

The relationship between Deuk Pal and Se Kyung is the real highlight of the series. It’s the most moving part, they’re mutually supportive of each other, and they sacrifice a lot to stay together. I liked how Deuk Pal never lost his heart and believed so much in redemption. I enjoyed watching Deuk Pal and Se Kyung keep each other hopeful.

I was also surprised by how interested I was in Deuk Pal’s attempts to give Jae Min a chance at a future. Obviously, he was worried about the kid going down the wrong path the way Deuk Pal did in his previous life. They had some pretty great moments story wise.

Really, my issues were that some of the acting (particularly the mother character and the female villain) was a bit melodramatic and cringey. I’m not sure what the direction was there. I also wish the female classmates mattered a bit more? Honestly, there were any well written, impactful female characters in this story in general. The housekeeper was very much just there to take orders. There were some aspects of the prosecution/legal battle that made no sense logistically. Also, i didn’t appreciate Deuk Pal telling Se Kyung to try to “understand” his abusive dad or asking the guy that stalked Se Kyung (and sold him out to that same abusive dad) to “take care of him”.

I’m guessing the BL aspect that was removed was between Se Kyung and Yi Heon?

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EXCITING and FUN that went downwards

I got super excited on the first 3 episodes, I was 100%ly entertained on how this drama started it was really fun regardless of what the makers of it censored of whatever stuff that was originally on this drama. School drama like this was so refreshing and I am so satisfied on how Yi Heon was finally able to get back against the bullies through Deuk Pal but the drama somewhat went downwards it got boring in the middle but not very much , it was still bingeable, It was somehiw sad that Yi Heon did not choose to live his life even it is great to Deuk Pal , it was actually a sad story but it was fun
I'd probably rewatch this again after a while.

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The ending was not it

The plot was good, honestly, but the ending didn't make sense at all. The gangster is nearly a 50-year-old man who lived 48 years, even if they were full of hardships and regrets. He still lived his life and even achieved his dreams when he got into the boy's body. At this point, he should have been the one to leave, not the young boy who didn't get to live a full 19 years.

The boy had a horrible life, so of course, he wouldn't know how valuable his life is and didn't hold on to it. In that scene, the gangster's duty was to let the boy stay and guide him. Instead, he accepted the fact that the boy didn't want to live and just let him go. That man DIDN'T EVEN RESIST! For me, that scene ruined the whole watching experience.

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Casting was on point

I was so in love with the cast?? Chan-yeong did an awesome job playing the strong Deuk-pal, and the weak Yiheon. Watching the show, I could see the moments with Se-kyung and Yiheon potentially being a BL, but I'm kind of happy it wasn't, because that would be a love story between an old gangster and a high school student...not sure if that's what the novel did, but this show was perfect the way it was. Bong Jae hyun had my heart the whole show! Something about him just caught my attention. His English lines just added more liking to certain scenes. The ending was a little sad because Yiheon just let go of his life like that, but I'm happy Deuk-pal got to stay with Se-kyung! I rated the music low because it wasn't memorable to me, but it didn't affect the end rating. I would definitely rewatch!

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Blown away by Bong Jaehyun's acting

I decided to watch this drama because I was looking for a mafia drama and then saw Lee Seo Jin was in it from Jinny's Kitchen. I was absolutely stolen by Bong Jaehyun's acting. I would love to see him in more main roles. I never paid attention to Golden Child but I will now thanks to Jaehyun.

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Don't Miss This

Really enjoyed this show overall! 2 day binge! Excellent cast and story. Such a different take on the body swap genre but not sure how I feel about the ending though. I’m a bit torn. I wanted Yi Heon to get a 2nd chance but also wanted Duk Pal to stay. I really liked Jae Min's arc and redemption as well.

Se Kyung’s father the worst until the end! Wished on some level we could have had the mother’s reasoning behind why she allowed her son to stay there.

ML was absolutely phenomenal throughout. This was my first experience with him and I am very impressed with his acting skills. Bravo! 👏🏾 👏🏾

I needed this show. Put me is the best mood.

8/25/24

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Logical Ending

I watched this drama and the other one ( can't remember the name right now). These are my thoughts. This drama had moments that were very sad, darker, and more serious than the other one. Not going to lie, I shed a few tears in certain scenes. The other one had a mostly lighter tone. I never shed a tear when watching that drama.
This drama had okay fight scenes with the male lead BUT I loved the fight scenes in the other drama. It gave me more satisfaction for the bullied main lead.
I think this ending fits the story. Yeon Chan Young (the 18 yr old who was bullied) was never friends with Jae Yung? Sure he wanted to be friends but Jae Yung had his own problems. So the personality of YCH being friends with JY would have never worked. They were both hiding and weak. JY needed a strong " personality" to teach him how to be strong and to be a good friend.
So leaving the gangster soul in YCH made sense. Like he said he was tired. He has been through a lot in his 18 years. He would never be able to take over the life the gangster already set in motion.

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7/8 episodes were great

Issues:

- Finale was problematic, did not like how they handled mental health issue. This was a blemish to an otherwise beautiful story. Luckily the acting and plot was extremely enjoyable for the most part, so I didnt think I should dock a lot of points. I wish they gave a happy ending for the poor kid Song Yi Heon, that would have been truly life changing for him, since the story was all about second chances.
- Deducted points for casting a rapist. He seemed important to Duek Pal, but I skipped all his scenes anyway since I cant bear the sight of that guy.
- I am a BL aficionado, but I was okay with this adaptation being straight-washed, I do enjoy all sorts of dramas. However, the affection between Yi Heon and Se Kyung appeared to be more than friends, like a crush. I doubt any teenager would write "I wish I could be friends with xyz" like it was the only good thing in his life, especially considering they weren't even all that close when Yi Heon was alive. There was also suggestive jealousy from Se Kyung when they girls were flirting with Deuk Pal. IDK, unnecessary vibes, imo like the show wanted to queer bait. Either give me BL or bromance, none of this wishy washy BS.
- Need bad things to happen to Se Kyung's Prosecutor father.

The positives of the show is one too many to list. I would recommend watching it.

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Good, but not perfect.

This show was good and i really liked the meaning that kim deuk pal attempted to give seon I heon. The show had substance and the short szn allowed for impactful eps.

The cons: i think the best ending would have been in Seon I would have truly felt that his life was actually meaning ful and if he would have learned something form deuk pal.
I found it kinda weird duek pal was okay with living as a college teen and taking Seon I's place. Maybe that's just me, but i think Deuk pals efforts were almost meaningless if seon I didnt want to live. (dont come for me, ik that that's not true as deuk pal was able to live as seon I and able to live a good life on the right path now but idk.)

The fans: The fans lowkey ruined the way i view the fans of this show. This didn't impact my rating, but it annoyed me af.
HEAR ME OUT: ppl were shipping Seon I and se kyung like weirdly enough. you may be thinking "weird, how?"
After seon I's soul is replaced with duek pals soul, Seon I, is now a 54 year old man, at least mentally. So yall shipping hi w a highschooler is weird and if you fail to see that, don't come around no ones kids pls.

Idk to me it's hella weird and i think they showed true friendship that will last a lifetime. Apparently the webtoon is shown to have a romantic bond between the two, but idgafff that weird and i condemn this if true, last time i checked, it illegal for a minor to be with an adult. And yes you could argue that they are both physically minors, but i still feel thats wrong since we all know deuk pal is in there, not Seon I.

Yall can be gay lovers all y'all want, but pls be around the same age omf.

This doesn't change my opinion on the show as the show didn't display this, but the fans who think this and pushed this are hella are weird/ perverts sorry, not sorry.

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FRESH - he has solutions to all the problems he faces.

Some dislike this series because it changes the direction from the original source material, shifting from BL to Bromance. From a copyright perspective, the author/creator of the story allows for this change; without the creator's permission, it wouldn't have happened. Well...

I have not read the original source and have no plans to do so. Therefore, my comment is based solely on what I have watched from the series so far. From my observation, the series is well-made and fresh. Although the story isn't particularly new, the cast is perfect. They have found the ideal male lead in Yoon Chan-young, who not only matches the role physically (very athletic) but also delivers strong acting performances. Chan-young is on point throughout, and his co-stars help him shine. For example, his interactions with Se-kyung (Yiheon) stand out, showcasing his masculinity and alpha qualities, which are satisfying to watch because they give the sense that he has solutions to all the problems he faces.

When this series ends, I am going to miss it completely.

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