High School Frenemy (2024)

This show was great! Probably one of the best GMM series this year, if not the past couple years.

I almost didn't watch it due to it *not* being listed as LGBT or Gay. In my opinion, the genre should be changed, there is quite a bit more than a bromance between the main leads here, and some of the girls are also a bit sweet for each other. I would say that it has slight elements of LGBT throughout. No kissing or anything like that, but there is hand-holding and lots of sweet gazes and suggestive comments and I love you-s.

There was terrific chemistry here, especially with the main leads, but also with the supporting characters. I think there was more flirting and chemistry in this series than in most of the BL series of the past year! The acting as a whole was terrific.

There was a lot of violence, but the underlying story was good, and it had good character development and for most of characters they didn't leave too many loose ends. I won't say too much, many have commented about elements of the story, so no need to rehash it here other than to say it was unique, and well thought out. It didn't drag, nor did I get bored with this series like I did with other GMM series this past year.

There wasn't much to criticize, there was some very obviously fake rain in a couple places (dry in the background) and the fighting was a bit over the top compared to what injuries they sustained during the fights. But overall this was a pretty well produced and edited series.

Couple of notes:

Saint really does have a cute puppy dog face. Saint and Shin are definitely a couple, and are fooling around with each other. Everyone knows they are a couple, even (or especially) Chatjen. These boys are in denial here.

So is it Ken+Knot, Ken+Nate, or Knot+Ken+Nate in a throuple? Sure seems like there is some sexual tension there in that group.

Jeng has crazy psycho killer eyes here, but is somehow sexy/hot. I sure wouldn't kick him out of bed!

Could they have chosen any taller, larger, and more "Western" looking actor for Ken's dad? Ken sure didn't get any height or skin tone or looks from his dad. Maybe he is the postman's son, and that is why dad is resentful of Ken?

Chatjen was a very interesting and positive addition to this show. Mark did a great job with this part.

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(B)Romance is strong

I’ve watched School 2013 but it’s been a long time ago, therefore I didn’t remember much or nothing, that’s crazy, I just know Lee Jongsuk and Kim Woobin were in it, not more.

So I think, this is a really good serie that depict mainly the special relationship (a deep friendship) of Saint and Shin, and then, in the background, there’s also some high schoolers’ conflicts.

What I really liked is that they took time to introduce little by little some events to catch our attention. The pace was good although I would sometimes find it a little bit too long or maybe, they were focusing on some details that were not that important (or even, what I didn’t consider important).

However, it was still nice to follow their journey, it’s like a bit of coming of age, family matters, friendship matters and even to adapt in this kind of society that being called « High School ».

The school bullying is still alarming, concerning along with a lot of fight scenes so it might not be for you for this part. But still, this serie was very engaging and I also think it’s mainly because of the dynamic of SaintShin (the two actors did a great job) that carry the show. Their bound is very special and precious.

Oh and I really love the intro song, it suits so much the vibes of High school frenemy.

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Best (b)romance I have ever watched.

One phrase: Chemistry is chemistrying
If I knew when I was starting this tv show that was recommended by my friend my life is gonna change, I will find my new family and have the best time of my life watching all the content and the episodes along with people needing and screaming the same things I would have started it earlier.
Class 2 will always have a special place in my heart.
Saintshin really changed the trajectory of my life, it feels like I’m exaggerating but guys it’s true.


What I didn’t like:

- I won’t deny I got annoyed at first with the repetition of “Please forgive me” “No” “Please forgive me” “No”. Not knowing the backstory, not knowing exactly their bond, I thought it was kind of tiring and felt like if this were to happen to me I would be mad mad. BUT! : Once I learned exactly the back story and Shin’s feelings about the situation I changed my mind. Even tho I was a little bit annoyed I was rooting for them from the start but when I learned everything ??? I was ROOTING ROOTING like OH MY GOD. I just feel like they could have reduce the draggy part a little bit. Just that.


What I liked:
EVERYTHING!! Let me break them down:

-My most important thing: their bond. Never seen a bond as strong as this. It’s raw, it’s so beautifully portrayed. It’s the reason I wanted to continue watching. The reason this show won the hearts of thousands of fans.

-The acting: I swear their acting is something else. It more than saved the show: it elevated it, it made it bloom. They were ALL amazing. Every single actor was so good but Skynani outdid themselves. They shined! Their performances were so REAL so emotional. But yeah I gotta give credit to all the actors. I’m thinking of specific scenes, especially towards the end that made me even cry.

-The emotions: In this tv show I’ve cried, I’ve laughed, I screamed. I was fangirling, I was deeply moved , I was proud. I was happy, I was sad, I was stressed, relieved etc. Felt too many emotions to count.

-Their relationship with ChingChing, the baby sister will make your heart melt. And the friendships?!?! The relationship with Chadjen😭 All of them I can’t spoil. I just loved this show so much, I can’t watch anything now, I MISS THEM😭 MISS MY FAMILY!

-Themes: It dealt with some important themes. Like autism, bullying, pressure from parents for school, drugs, alcohol, abuse, friendship and family bonds.

-Can I also appreciate the teachers?! As I also just received my teacher degree, I felt so motivated, so inspired. I loved their efforts, their love and actual care for their students. Oh my gosh this show really changed me.

Overall: PLEASE WATCH IT YOU WON’T REGRET IT! DON’T GIVE UP BEFORE EP 11!!!!!
WISH IT HAD MORE EPISODES

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Skynani ATE

I never NEVER leave reviews but I honestly think this is one of the best works from gmmtv like EVER????????
Cast, chemistry, music, everything is PERFECT.
No cringy scenes whatsoever or any debatable acting, this is seriously a must watch.
Now let me talk about both Sky and Nani… OH MY GOD!!!!!!! Their chemistry is INSANE, one look and I was screaming at the screen. I don’t wanna be that type of person but I will, their chemistry is wayyyy better than some actual bl couples out there.
Apart from that, their acting is TOP TIER!!!! Seriously, they made this series what it is and it’s all thanks to their acting.
I’m so happy they are getting the recognition they deserve, so go ahead and don’t miss the opportunity to watch this!

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I know, I know. I'm super late with this one. To be honest I was just going to keep it for a set of micro reviews (as if there's anything micro about any of those, sigh), but well. *looks down* Yeah. So here I go.

Oh my gosh this show. What can I even say about this show. Gird yourself because you think I was long winded before? Ha, you don't know long winded.

The thing is that this show was completely off of my radar. To the point that I don't even remember if there was a mock trailer for it at some point, and to this day I don't think I've seen the official one either. The only reason that I bothered watching is that one of my mutuals was telling me about it and I said, "huh, this reminds me of School 2013 I think it was. I watched it because of my undying love for Lee Jong Suk." To which they replied, "oh yes, I think it's an adaptation of that."

And since I had watched that one and remembered liking it well enough, I decided to binge watch the first eight episodes (all that were out at the time).

I've never been so happy for an "eh, I guess" watch in my life.

Because this show was so good. Part of it is the source material - School 2013 was an excellent show that explored themes of friendship, the pressure that students are put under by parents to succeed, the trouble people get themselves into when they are desperate...it's just great. And this show explores that as well. Part of it is the cast - everyone was amazing even though I will never stop being mad that I loved Foie's Mr. Sung as much as I did - but in the end what it is is the same thing that got me with Peaceful Property: this show has heart.

What I loved most about this show is how hard it fought the idea that is so prevalent today that people are stagnant. That is a lesson that I really wish we had more of in today's world - so often we're willing to hate others forever based on something they did years upon years ago, often with very little evidence that they've continued to do so as they grew older and ultimately, wiser. So often the thing that we are holding against them happened when they were teenagers. And so often those opinions have changed. But we don't account for that, and neither do some of the teachers (most notably the Vice Principal) in this show. They see Class 2 as a project, or irredeemable thugs, or lazy and unmotivated. And Class 2 isn't really interested in changing that belief.

It isn't until someone actually expects them to do better - not demands it to get money for the school, but because they know that they are capable of it - that the kids start to change. But it's not really changing, as Mr. Sung points out later. It's that they're growing up. As we all do. And finally, they're doing so in an environment that is allowing them to actually grow.

But it's not jus the kiddos who are learning. It's the adults too. Because shockingly enough, we don't stagnate after we hit 20, either. So many people in this show are in the process of change. Of striving to be better. Of learning - sometimes hard - that their way of doing things isn't the only one, or even necessarily the right one.

Not that everyone in the show did change. Jeng remained a dick throughout, and I appreciate that, because while I do love the heartwarming message the truth is that some people actively choose to make the wrong decision and then keep on that path regardless.

At the heart of the show, though, was friendship. Fractured friendship that is being mended, tested friendship, new friendship, and friendship that is so fierce it causes people to reach down into the darkness swallowing you and yank your stubborn ass out by force, even if they have to enlist the help of every single person in the class to do it.

Shin and Saint's friendship was of course front and center, and I adored it - these two are so ridiculous about each other in the absolute best way, and I think we all knew that Shin was never actually that mad about Saint breaking his leg but about breaking his leg and then leaving him - not only taking his dream but also taking the one person, ironically, who could have made it bearable: himself. The amount of pain all over Shin every time he saw Saint's big pleading puppy dog face was enough to know that, but if we didn't get it they then had him literally scream it at him (to be fair, pretty sure Saint didn't get it. He's lovely but also kinda dumb, poor thing). Their friendship was the glue that held the show together, and it was threaded throughout even when they were barely talking or had worked things out and then somehow managed to adopt the rest of the class as their unruly kiddos. They were glorious, and both Sky and Nani did such an excellent job that I immediately put Wu on my to watch list even with that absolute farce of a mock trailer. I will watch anything these two are in together, BL or not. And I genuinely did watch most of HSF without shipping Saint and Shin, although by the end I was convinced that no they're in love actually (Shin absolutely is aware of this and Saint is not. See lovely but dumb). GMMTV's first branded bromance pair? I'd be down for it.

That said, Saint and Shin's friendship wasn't the only one in the show that got me. Eve and Peeta did too, as did Airy and Eve. I liked them a lot - Eve and Peeta's friendship is being tested a bit by her overbearing mother sticking her big foot in where it isn't wanted, but I really loved that when it came down to it and Peeta was starting to fall apart Eve only cared about her well-being. I also really liked that despite the initial dislike and distrust between the girls from the different schools, Airy was actually a really good friend to Eve, level headed and giving decent advice when she and Peeta were in the middle of falling out. I also liked the way she and Tangmay went to bat for Eve when they thought that Jan had kicked her out of the Thai competition due to preferring Peeta instead, and then apologized when they learned they were wrong.

The one friendship I did not expect to feel so much about was Ken, Knot, and Nate, though. I thought they were going to be just a trio of hapless bullies, there to be fought against and not much else. But no. Instead of making them two dimensional bullies and not much else, they made them well rounded human beings who adore each other to pieces, who clearly bonded because they feel like they have no one else (this is especially shown in Ken's case, that dude's dad sucks). The way that Knot begged both Nate and Ken to please think about their futures because he loved them so much. The way that Knot and then Nate pretty much dragged Ken out of Jeng's gang by the scruff of his neck (with help from Saint and Shin, resident Batmen and aforementioned coparents to a bunch of kids only a couple of years younger than them). The way they rallied around him and were willing to do just about anything to help him out. That's love, and it won me right the fuck over with ease.

Ken in particular got me in a damn chokehold. The way his face would get whenever anyone treated him like a friend always made me feel a bit teary. And the way that he really did start trying once he realized that there were more people than Nate and Knot on his side, and that he didn't actually have to fight the world.

I also really need to take a moment to talk about how amazing Mark Pakin was as Chadjen. Just an amazing performance. I really hope that he gets at least a nod for it.

I guess this turned into more of a love letter than it did a review, but whatever. The show was amazing and I loved it. The only criticism I have is that I feel like Ken's father's turn around was a little too pat. I do like that the kids weren't the only ones learning lessons and changing, but I don't buy that one conversation with Ms. Jan took Ken's dad from drinking too much and saying things like his son would never amount to anything and it was a waste of time to care about him to sincerely wanting to make an effort. I also wish that we'd seen at least some of how Shin's mom went from very reluctantly allowing Saint back into their lives (understandably, to be honest, considering everything) to making him food and treating him once again like part of the family. I have my own thoughts about it, and we didn't have to see it, but it would have been nice.

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very good congratulations gmmtv

i finished watching it a while ago and i'm only now writing this review, and after following everything that's happening again in sky and nani's lives, apparently from what i follow on X they're advertising everything there in thailand.

Their success is well deserved, I see people more fanatical about Bls, thinking that the two of them would end the Bls industry hahaha this opinion is very apocalyptic, it's obvious that they won't end anything because bromance has always existed, I'm talking about the original not the censored Bl from China.

But talking about the series itself, it's obvious that I, like most people, fell in love with Skynani because of their acting talent, which is rare to say these days, especially on GMMTV, chemistry and obviously a good script always help, which is sorely lacking in Bls.

The only thing I found exaggerated is how much fighting there is.

But the acting from most of the cast is very good, especially Mark playing an autistic character.

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GMMTV Finally Does It Right

As a certified hater of GMM for their often lazy writing and lackluster shows, I cannot believe this show came from them, but here we are. The writing, the acting, the music, the storylines, the characters, everything was top tier.

I absolutely loved the complexities of the students, which appear exaggerated for TV, but showcase real issues that many students all over deal with. It showed the value of having adults who you can trust and who care for your well-being, and how important that is for kids, especially when those adults are your teachers when you don't have trusted adults as parents. The complexity of Ken's character wonderfully portrays how easy it is for a high schooler to get trapped in the wrong lifestyle, especially when you don't have supportive parents. I loved how Peeta and Cable's characters reveal the pressures students feel to please their parents and the toll it can take mentally. I loved Chadjen's character, Mark did a wonderful job playing Chadjen, I adore his character so much.

Now getting into Sky and Nani's characters as Shin and Saint, their friendship, bromance, relationship, or whatever the writers call it, was also a great take on the complexities of close friendships and how hard it can be to stop being friends with someone you really love. At first, I thought Shin might have been taking it too far with Saint until we learned why they stopped being friends, and then it all made sense. I know a lot of people got caught up in the is it a BL or is it not a BL but I felt that near the end, it was not important to me anymore. Their relationship is so deep and filled with so much love that it really blurs the sort of line between friendship and relationship; it somehow seems deeper than that. Sky and Nani are such a great pair. Nani's acting was a standout for me, but a lot of the other characters are a close second, including Sky. Overall wonderful show, and I will definitely be rewatching.

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