Study Group

Is there a season 2??

Lets start with the webtoon story, it is a very unique shonen story days, it is quite unique to see this kind of story
a high schooler just only wanted to study but end up on a school with just a gossip, a very unique introduction
at the same time, the supporting lead ended up the same gossip, a very unique situation. story is just right, this could have been an easily 12 episode series, last episode in the last 25 mins feels rush.

Cast is unique and very interesting cast, a lovable, funny cast,
pair it with the backpacker OST whenever they made their entrance during a fight, someone on the music crew is a big fan of Kill bill, the slow walk makes it good while in uniform,

There is cons but minor parts and camera shots
each episode is only 40 mins, some 38 mins take the intro and outro out, they could have used this minutes not to feel rush the last 25 mins of the series.
Ga Min Master was not introduce, could be saving for season 2??? but could be a good thing because the story is about Ga Min,
Ji Woo brother just showed up on the last episode, not much screentime aside from the classroom fire fight with Ga Min
Last 25 mins was patterned with MOVING, c'mon, unless there will be a planned crossover??

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There is also a lot of lessons that was used and i think it was used in subtle way but useful,
importance of parents, importance of teachers, culture when studying on a school tag as school of bullies, students who want to study but to circumstances unable to go on,

A lot of fun and hope there is a season 2
because this is a auto rewatch for your holiday marathon

I wish i have a class like this in high school,

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Fun premise, lost me halfway through

Dropped at 4.5 episodes cus I just lost interest, the protag's lack of emotion during fighting just didn't interest me, I love op protagonists, but I just couldn't connect to him when his face is a cool as cucumber during what's supposed to be emotional fight scenes (⁠´⁠⊙⁠ω⁠⊙⁠`)

Then there's the fighting app (my favorite detail) which was talked about, and then protag immediately skyrocketed to the top of his year in like the third episode and already defeated the top student in the grade above? Which, that's kinda boring? Maybe I'm judging the show too soon, but it would've been cooler to see him slowly climb up while defending his Study Group, I hope they did something more with the app and the protagonist cus then what a waste of a fun plotline

What ticked me off most tho was that the school was known for FIGHTING yet characters in the background were leading a pretty peaceful life TT life SHOW ME the chaos of the school, idk, I guess I just didn't see enough of the protagonist experiencing the school in the beginning to feel the tension

And lastly, I hate the antagonist, and not in a "wow, such a good actor for making me dislike him" way, but in a "please remove this man from my screen because he's seriously annoying me" way

Maybe I'll pick it back up if I'm itching for something with these vibes, I get it's more of an easy going show, but for now it's just not doing it for me in the emotionally connected or humour department so no point in watching 乁⁠|⁠ ⁠･⁠ ⁠〰⁠ ⁠･⁠ ⁠|⁠ㄏ

Not a terrible show, just not my vibe

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The one thing I can't stand is bullies. However, the one thing that I absolutely love is bullies getting owned. This series reflected a lot of that. I will say I know the actress who played the teacher was in Bad And Crazy and I liked her character because she was strong in that but was kind of dismayed because she was weaker in this drama. I guess I'm spoiled. Whenever I see a Korean actor who can fight I expect to see them doing so in every drama they play in. Shame on me for being like this but I can't help it. I'm all for the male heroes in these dramas but when I see a female who can stand on her own it gives me some glimmer of hope that females portrayed in dramas aren't so weak after all. So yeah I whooped and clapped for the one lonely female student who held her own.

This drama stayed true to it's roots. The MML wanted to study and he stopped at nothing to do so. I felt so bad about his studying skills though.

What I can't get over is how my portrayal of Korean schools are. Are they all portrayed as being schools for bullies?? I will say some of the actors looked a little too old to be in high school. You could see the age on these actors faces close up.

I truly liked this drama until the last episode. Most of the scenes I watched gave me goosebumps. I even yelped and applauded out loud in one particular scene because I wasn't expecting what I was expecting.

Now why did I not like the last episode? Because some scenes were drawn out longer than they should and it was wrapped up rather quickly. I guess I wanted to see more justice done and wasn't satisfied hence the 9 score. I'm a bit leery about giving things a perfect 10. I don't do that unless I truly truly enjoyed a drama that gives me closure at the end. A lot of Kdramas don't do that.

In my opinion, this drama was way better than Weak Hero Class and yes, I did love that drama as well but this one was better.

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Study group or Korean version of fight club?

It's such unrealistic show. Kids from high school suddenly wants to start study group and they're all the time involved in every kinds of battles. While watching this series you can feel like watching fighting kids with older people and winning, because of kid from 10th class with supernatural power. Moreover after taking the blows they didn't even looked injured and they still fought like nothing happend while most of people in real life would be seriously injured. I know that this series wasn't supposed to be realistic, but why doesn't it has tag fantasy for people who don't enjoy this type of series?

I think the director should develop a little bit more the characters rather than giving this much scenes of fighting. It would be more interesting to know better about the characters than watching all the time how they were beating or getting mad. However the big plus was the teacher. She was very gentle for the students and also she has very good motive to join this school, so this made viewers thinking how her story would end. Also I think Pi Han Ui should have more screen time to get to know better him.

I think the last episode was irrational and the ending was too much predictable, so I don't feel any satisfaction after ending this.

Honestly I don't think that show was bad, of course it has a lot of disadvantages, but I still had fun watching this despite embarassing scenes. The big plus was the music and cast.

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one of the best dramas

This drama is enjoyable enough, the cast is incredible i just wish we knew more about the characters, what's their back story and the reasons behind the way they act this way. I have to admit i loved the villains.I enjoyed the fights i want to fight like that too. I'm begging for season 2.❤️
This drama is enjoyable enough, the cast is incredible i just wish we knew more about the characters, what's their back story and the reasons behind the way they act this way. I have to admit i loved the villains.I enjoyed the fights i want to fight like that too. I'm begging for season 2.❤️

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Anime Live Adaption Turned Kdrama

Okay. So let’s start at the very beginning—Study Group episode 1. My expectations? Decently high. My feelings by episode 5? Flop era. I genuinely debated dropping it because it felt like the characters were aimlessly walking through an edgy webtoon backdrop with the emotional range of wet cardboard. But then… THEN… the drama pulled out a sneaky little Uno reverse card on me and episodes 6 to 10 came in swinging like Gamin's kicks—aggressively, illogically, but undeniably effective.

• EPISODES 1-5: THE “WHY AM I HERE” ARC

This was Study Group’s weakest stretch, and honestly, I was bored. The character introductions felt scattered, the stakes felt low, and the only thing being studied was my patience. Characters like Heewon felt undercooked, the “study group” aspect felt weak and goofy, and the fights were already reaching anime-level dramatics with zero emotional weight to justify them.

Rating for these eps? 6.5/10 at best. It was like being promised an intense academic-turned-battle drama, and instead being handed anime filler episodes with mid pacing and teen rage.

• EPISODES 6-9: THE “WAIT THIS IS KINDA FIRE??” ARC

Then something miraculous happened. Episode 6 hit, and suddenly I was invested. The pacing picked up, the character arcs deepened (finally), and the fights? Still ridiculous—but now they had emotional context, which made them 10x better.

Characters like Sehyun got fully fleshed out. Jiwoo became more than just a pretty face (though she still deserved more depth), and even Heewon, annoying little gremlin that she was, had a moment of comedy gold with the “I have Gamin’s baby” line. Give her a tiny slay for that.

Oh, and let’s not forget: Yun Gamin's plot armor is literally made of vibranium. Like bro broke down a digital security door with some light cardio. I don’t care if he trains like Saitama, that door should’ve held up. Plot convenience was served hot and fresh every single time.

Rating for these eps? A solid 9.2/10. They carried the whole show.

• EPISODE 10: THE “LIVE. LAUGH. ANIME LOGIC.” ARC

I have so many feelings. Let’s be real: the ending was satisfying for what it was. If you weren’t super invested, it gave enough closure to walk away happy. It tied back old characters, delivered emotional climaxes, and wrapped up arcs in a clean way. But if you really cared about the characters and needed resolution to some of those unspoken things (cough Jiwoo and Lee Jun cough, I was robbed of their dating era), then you’re left staring at the screen like: “That’s it???”

Also. We need to address the final fight scenes. The punches-colliding-breaking-windows trope? The walls crumbling from impact like we’re in Dragon Ball Z?? I get that it’s supposed to be stylized, but sweetie, this is high school. These are students. Why did a classroom wall collapse like someone summoned a Jutsu?

Still. There was something kind of heartwarming about the ending. Heewon's entry with all the characters of past episodes was insanely cold. Everyone showed up for that one big dramatic happy moment. It gave that classic “we’ve targetted eachother throughout the whole show but gotta come together to save our teacher" camraderie, and I ate it up.

Rating? 9.5/10 for vibes, 7/10 for logic.

THE MAIN CHARACTER MISSING HIS DEPTH?? YUN GAMIN.

This needs to be said: Yun Gamin, our protagonist, seriously lacked backstory. I’m talking zero family dynamics, no clear insight into his past, and no clear reason for his desperate want to ace his studies. Why does he have a 10 p.m. curfew? Why is studying his only personality trait? What drives him? None of it is explained. He was reduced to this “I fight for my friends” + “I love studying for mysterious reasons” + “I’m too dumb to get into college but I still try” blueprint. And like… that’s not a character, that’s a motivational poster.

I’m sure the webtoon probably did him more justice, but for first-time viewers like me, Gamin felt like a hollow lead—especially when surrounded by side characters who had actual arcs. His development was more implied than explored, and that’s a major miss.

THE ACTUAL BEST ARC? SUN-CHEOL SUPREMACY.

Listen. Blonde Boy ate. His entire arc—trying to prove himself, fighting to study and succeed for the sake of his grandfather’s pride, to become a great man for him—was genuinely moving. It’s the only part of the show that made me cry, and I don’t mean like a casual sniffle. I mean I was bawling. That scene hit so hard because it was grounded. Relatable. Human. His struggles weren’t about absurd fight scenes or anime logic. They were about wanting to be enough for someone you love. He deserved every minute of screentime, and honestly? He carried emotional depth for the whole cast.

SHIPS THAT SUNK BEFORE THEY SAILED: JIWOO x LEE JUN

The slow-burn, the DIALOGUES, THE LOOKS—everything was giving “rivals to lovers.” Lee Jun literally lived rent-free in Jiwoo’s mind during her final battle. His words were her motivation. His words were her anchor. Her epiphany. And you’re telling me… NOTHING came of that? After all that flirtation?? I feel robbed. Like genuinely pickpocketed by the writers. Just give me a hand-hold or something. A shy smile. A nod. ANYTHING.

This was such a missed opportunity, and I will never not be bitter about it.

FINAL VERDICT

Study Group started off like an underwhelming school fight drama and transformed into a full-on live-action anime experience. Once you accept the absolutely bonkers logic and lean into the over-the-top style, it actually becomes… fun. Heartfelt. Even powerful at times.

BUT. It’s also flawed. The plot armor is real. The group dynamic never really fully came together. It was pretty endearing but I would have liked to see them hangout once in a while outside the study group, maybe a small montage would have nice. The romance was non-existent despite all the baiting. And let’s be honest—there’s still too much left unsaid.

If it gets a Season 2 (which seems unlikely as far as I have read), it could fix a lot. But even if it doesn’t, I’ll remember this one as a messy, ridiculous, unexpectedly gripping drama that made me yell at my screen multiple times.

Rating: 8.0/10
Vibes: 11/10
Physics laws broken: 78
Deserved ships sunk: 1
Emotional whiplash: Severe
Would I recommend it? Only if you're ready to watch a drama that lowkey thinks it's One Piece.

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An exciting youth drama with heart, humor, high-energy with wild action and soft villains

𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 is one of those shows that’s easy to enjoy even when it’s a little ridiculous. It’s fast, entertaining, and full of heart — a blend of comedy, determination, and chaotic action that somehow works. At its core, it’s about perseverance, teamwork, and believing in yourself when no one else does.

The story of a group of students defying expectations and fighting to succeed is inspiring and surprisingly emotional at times. The character dynamics are great, and you can really feel the passion behind the cast’s performances. The pacing stays sharp, keeping you invested all the way through.

Now, the action — it’s completely over the top. Think exaggerated punches, physics-defying jumps, and school fights that look straight out of a cartoon. It’s pure Looney Tunes energy, and while it kills realism, it adds to the entertainment value. If you don’t take it too seriously, it’s a fun watch.

The only real weakness is the villain. For a story with this much energy, the main antagonist doesn’t quite deliver. They don’t exude real menace or tension, and their presence feels more functional than memorable. It’s a missed opportunity, especially in a series built around conflict and growth.

Still, the heart of 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽 shines through — it’s a story about friendship, purpose, and pushing forward no matter what. Even when it leans into the absurd, it keeps a strong emotional core that makes it worth watching.

Pros:
✔ Great 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 and strong teamwork theme
✔ Over-the-top action that’s fun if you embrace it
✔ Uplifting message and solid pacing
✔ Light humor balanced with sincere emotion

Cons:
✘ Villain lacks presence and real intensity
✘ Action is hilariously unrealistic
✘ A few predictable school-drama moments

Would I rewatch?
Yes — it’s not perfect, but it’s fun, fast, and full of heart. The kind of show that keeps you smiling even when it gets a little absurd.

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cit. "What if our efforts didn't change anything?"

All this gratuitous violence inflicted on people who don't deserve it is disgusting! Going to school must be a nightmare for many students! Bully bastards are a really fucking problem of today's society.
The message I can read inside this series is that the winner is the one who hits the hardest and that with kindness you can only get away with it, which is not exactly a good thing.
The fact that this guy and his teacher want to change the situation and rehabilitate the school is a good thing but the plot is poor.
This guy wants only to study and he would fight a lot to succeed.
He seems like a genius and then takes a lot of beatings. One of the scenes that made me furious is when this "hero" is on the roof of a building, finds the door locked and starts slowly analyze the situation while his classmates are brutally beaten (hurry up and get your mates to open the door for you!), unrealistic fight scenes, lines like "let's go study" when he's speaking with an half dead guy after fighting?

I dropped out for several months
Finally I decided to watch the last 2 episodes.

Dreams and hopes against money and contacts. What will win?
Throughout this journey, with no police (just a detective), the bad guys never get hurt while the good guys get slaughtered. It makes me nervous. Especially if you think that with just one shot you could kill or knock a person down. Here they get stabbed before reacting and the next day they are back on the loose. How is it possible?
Then when one of the bad guys shoots his gun in the library, the ammunition seems endless. Fists and blows that go through the walls.
Pure fantasy, when the rest would have been quite real.
Final... The only culprit seems to be the gang leader and all the others not even investigated?

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More like superheroes

June 2025
An academically challenged student, meets his old tutor now teaching at his school, and decides to set up a Study Group. The biggest challenge isn't his lack of an academic brain though, but the fact his school is better known for fighting, with rankings amongst students for that, and not test results.

Added to the mix is a bullying hierarchy, run by a vile, obnoxious student with a powerful father.

This drama somehow manages to balance a lot of violence, with humour, the warmth of growing friendships, and characters changing the course of their lives.

It's incredibly infuriating at times, for all the usual reasons, and is totally OTT and fantastical, in terms of the fight scenes, and just what goes on in the school.

Aspects reminded me of Class of Lies.

Hwang Min-hyun makes a perfectly believable high schooler. He does seem to be a casting favourite for characters that are reserved, thoughtful, sometimes awkward, yet strong, resilient and loyal.

Considering just how violent this is, it surprised me that there's still a significant feel-good element to it. A biggish surprise, sadness, hurt, anger, all the emotions associated with the subject matter, this story has it all.

The fact it was often so outrageous is possibly what enabled me to not be turned off by the bullying. More true-to-life and I would have dropped it, I think. It's what puts me off trying Weak Hero.

This borders on superhero territory though, with what characters are able to withstand. Female characters are tough and reslient, too. One in particular goes through a subtly amusing transformation.

It had me glued and I found it surprisingly entertaining. I'd have liked more on the outcome around awful characters, Pi Han-ui and Ma Min-hwan, but it seems there might be a S2.

The character I most wanted to see messed up?... Ma Min Hwan (played by Baek Seo Hoo). Very charismatic ~ more so than Pi Han-ui, I thought, but a complete psycho. The fact his bright, smiling appearance, was totally out of synch with his cruel nature, made him scarier.

Actor Yoo In-soo was reunited with Hwang Min-hyun, but back in a thug/delinquent role again. I prefer the different side seen to his acting, in Alchemy of Souls (he was bleach-blond Park Dang-gu). I hope he gets more options to play personalities like that character had.

Prrhaps there's a message in this drama somewhere, but if there is, it's pretty much drowned out by the often gruesome fighting.

The OST was OK, but I was not keen on the main song, Backpacker, which I personally found too repetitive.

I'd be happy to watch this again.

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He Looks Weak. He Fights Like a Storm. He Teaches Like a Father.

The main character speaks softly — carefully articulated words, low intonation, and always few in number. His eyes often glisten with emotion. His face looks gentle and harmless, almost like a "baby face." He wears glasses and doesn't look like a fighter at all. His academic performance is terrible.

And yet — he kicks a metal door so hard it leaves a shoe print. He dodges punches without even looking. A single close-range punch knocks out his enemies. He grabs someone's collar and throws them across the room. His hits can break walls. He jumps from the third floor without hesitation. Even a flick to someone's forehead sends them flying.

Props to the fight choreographer — absolutely top-notch.

Wait — don’t stop me yet.

There are moments in this show that truly moved me. We are shown a raw depiction of society: financial struggles, students who think working right after high school is more realistic than college, injustice, unchecked power, and broken systems.

The MC is the kind of friend who never gives up on others. He guides them not with cheesy lines, but with quiet persistence — like an old soul. He protects his friends from a distance, steps in only when necessary, but is always nearby.

This is how an MC should be — someone who always finds a way to stand against injustice, even if it means using clever, sometimes unorthodox methods.

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