An entertaining enough watch
June 2025Pretty enjoyable overall; character Hae-song as an older high schooler was believable enough.
Plenty of intrigue and even though the baddies were unmasked pretty early on, it was still an at times gripping watch.
What spoilt it somewhat for me, was the FL's character, whom I found annoying. I think the story was, in part, highlighting her hypocrisy of being someone who wanted to do better by her students, yet at the same time not seeing past Hae-song's background, and automatically seeing what was expected of "someone like him", rather than what was in front of her, if she'd looked even a tiny bit deeper. Not the best character development either, tbh, and I'd have preferred it if she, and other adults at the school, were just decent teachers for a change.
Some aspects were pretty silly, but there was also humour. I found it an easy watch.
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A mixed bag
The series is primarily an action/comedy. There is also a romance, but it is more in the background. The series was okay. All in all, I would give it an 8/10.The acting and cast are the highlights. ML, FL, and the main villain carried the series. The supporting characters were generally hit or miss. The students were strong. I would have liked a little more background, especially in the second half of the series. For example, the relationship between Lee Ye Na and An Yu Jeong could have been explored more. Then we have the NIS Team 4. My feelings about them are very mixed. In the first half of the series, they were fine, but especially in the second half of the series, where things get more serious, I found the characters here rather weak. Again and again I thought: These are supposed to be secret agents? Please act like it. And then we have the teachers. For me, they were the one of the biggest weakness. At best, some scenes were funny. But especially later in the story, their behavior bothered me. They literally behaved like NPCs. No opinion on anything, zero criticism of what was wrong at the school.
The music was good. Not outstanding, but nothing bad either. The premise and mystery of the series started off well and promisingly. But over time, it got weaker and weaker.
The secound big weakness of the series is the story itself. The first 5-6 episodes are promising and fun to watch. But the second half of the series in particular is a huge mess. There are so many inconsistencies and scenes that make you want to bang your head against the wall. I got the feeling that they weren't sure how to end the series. Above all, the comedy that worked well in the first half of the series was more of a hindrance in the second half. I kept feeling that the comedy was supposed to hide the weak story, but it didn't do a good job of it.
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Excellent show
I am totally obsessed with this drama.Awesome story - funny, serious, romantic, there is everything. FL and ML have palpable chemistry and this hooked me on the screen. Seo Kang Joon is on fire, he just eats screen as well as his interaction with Jin Ki Joo is absolutely adorable. Their acting is excellent. I am rewatching a lot of scenes because they are so funny or find something missed first time.
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funny & still funny
This is one of those shows where you can see the ropes, but you still fall for the story... It's so crazy funny, "normal" and over the top at the same time, it packs comedy, action, ordinary life etc all in one, so that you cannot but go for it! It's entertaining, relaxing, not at all gloomy or anything... and the details are executed with finesse!Handsome faces, hot topics, settings are anything but cheap. Of course, there is nothing serious abt it, even a school teacher can see through the cover of a NIS agent. The said agent cant even avoid the surveillance cameras or fight an old civilian!
Hidden advertising is a given.
Not by far a realistic journey, but a fun ride. Count me in!
Later edit: Too bad the director couldnt keep the funny note till the end. It turned into some average melodrama.
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This review may contain spoilers
seo kangjoon and jin kijoo need to meet in future project(s) please
This is the type of kdrama where you can just seat back, relax, and enjoy it. Just like what the actress said in one of her interviews, a comfort-bingeable series.The drama really worked for me being marketed as an action comedy with a mix of other things. I loved all the casts, they worked well together. Love miss Kim Shin-rok as the villain. Seo Kangjoon's Haesung and Jin Kijoo's Sua were nice to watch. Loved the Team 4. The principal and the school stuff. The students were all so cute. Even the NIS director was quite funny to watch.
some things i loved:
- that they didn't make the father figure (team leader) a traitor. could've easily gone down that route but they didnt. im glad they didnt. although it did make it easy to pinpoint who the rat was.
- Sua, as a character, had her own agency. maybe because im so used to kdramas years ago where the FL barely made any impact (havent watched many recent ones)
- the friendship between yena and yujeong, love how they didnt make them enemies
some minor complaints of mine, nothing big:
- wish they expanded more on the students, especially yena kim minju's character in contrast to yujeong
- the childhood trope was cute i'll admit but it didn't really add anything to the story especially since they keep holding back on the romance aspect of it. ESPECIALLY when they revealed that had history together, the reactions were so lackluster like whatt??? i expected a bit more reaction from that you know. especially since they keep showing childhood flashbacks.
- on that note, i really wish they had more romance scenes together.
- i cant remember the rest but for now that's it
if you're expecting a grittier and more in-depth drama, this is not for you. but if your just looking for something to chill, id recommend this one.
also, ive never had such a visceral reaction of wanting two actors (aka seo kangjoon and jin kijoo) to be together again in some future projects. please directors/writers whoeever has the power, make them work togehter again.
also another weird thing is that there barely any promotional stuff for this kdarma???? like not a lot of interviews or variety shows. is that normal?
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Undercover, charming ML
This drama is very good at the beginning. I like to see the efforts of Hae Seong and his team to complete the mission because it is their last chance so that their team will not be disbanded. And i also like the FL, Oh Su A, who was initially curious, changes into a cooperative person who is very helpful for hae seong's mission. But starting in the middle of the episode, it starts to get boring, I start skipping some scenes after eps 7. There is no denying that there are many clichés and predictable things throughout this drama. But imo, if those things don't affect the story too much, this drama still unique and good to watch.+ for me mi jeong and yeong hun are the scene stealer for this drama.😂
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This review may contain spoilers
A mundane take on espionage
An elite NIS agent is forced to take up the role of a high school student to cover up failure in his previous mission. In the aim of rediscovering the hidden treasure of Emperor Gojong, he comes close to the secret behind his birth father’s disappearance.Borrowing similarities from our endearing Main Hoon Na, this Korean drama takes a loud and mighty take on an espionage love tale. Just like Major Ram had her heart flutter for Ms. Chandni, Hae Song’s homeroom teacher O Su A finds herself attracted to her student. But here the mystery gets resolved fast and she gets in the process of helping the NIS agent.
The opening was quite dramatic and alluring. Skidding a bike and retrieving treasure by breaking through the sunroof was a high element to bring in an adrenaline rush. But the graph fell flat in the third and fourth episodes. Creating a typical villain out-of-school principal and a dramatic and greedy teacher who only pours cold water into the story.
The twist in the form of a mysterious and prestigious school council is a good idea. Since it is a Korean school drama, how can they miss showing bullying and depression?
Like in previous dramas, the school queen here also suffers immense pressure from her villain mother and starts developing a crush on the agent as he makes his way inside. She is conniving and misery-stricken like all dramas. You will find her pathetic and vicious at the same time. These types of shallow and copy subplots need to be handled more carefully. Also, O Su A should have been sketched better. Though the backstory behind her hiding her real name and learning kung fu deserves sobbing applause, it was still cliche.
ML and Fl share a poor chemistry. Your heart does not burn when they lock eyes. The villains are too predictable and their greed does not make them heinous. It appeared more like a 90s gimmick than a 2025 rush. If you are bored, give it a watch, but you will start anticipating the next moment after two or three episodes.
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Intriguing, well acted, often hilarious drama
I loved this mystery, action, and light romance drama for all the usual reasons, such as acting, story line, and production. But, the delightful comedy well placed in unexpected places made this a memorable drama. I am not a comedy fan, yet the routines interspersed throughout the episodes (especially in Ep. 11 from 23:16-30:02) were actually funny and oddly provided levity to the weightier sub-plots and characters.Was this review helpful to you?
If you are in the mood for a silly action cop show, with a side of buddy romance, this is an entertaining watch. There's lots of humor and an over the top villain, coupled with a mix of action/horror/mystery and the time enjoyably passes.
Props also to the main characters being normal people, and the evil character being a power hungry, unbalanced, corrupt panderer and enabler of the wealthy. Also! A hint of lgbtq romance amongst the side characters.
In the end though, like many other dramas, this drags at the end with a lot of nonsensical plot, especially the last 3 episodes. I loyally watched it to the end, as little has entertained me as much, but you really could stop at episode 10.
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fun if you don't take it too seriously
It was a fun watch and I loved KangJoon in this, just like some other have said, he carried the show. Because the storyline definitely did not make much sense, especially in the last few episodes the plot was getting a bit too ridiculous, the villan was just cartoon psycho evil, plot twists were a bit too predictable. The concept as a whole is actually a bit funny and unbelievable. Some parts and the side actors did make me physically cringe. Still, other parts were cute and genuinely funny. I think the female lead did a good job as well.Was this review helpful to you?
Second half was not even half of what First Half was.
Starring Seo Kang Joon and Jin Ki Joo, Undercover High School is a action drama that happens within a school, as the name suggests. With giving any spoilers, the drama starts strong, with some suspense and twists, good action and mature storytelling. The first half is engaging, although there are unserious moments at times.While the start was strong, the second half of the show falters to some extent, as there was not much fun left to the premise. I won't say the show is skippable, but it surely doesn't have a rewatch value.
While the show is a mystery-spy themed, the drama also focuses on tougher subjects like school bullying, student hierarchies, and the politics which govern the lives of both students and teachers.
A little romance with comedy elements in regular intervals somehow keeps the drama balanced. Maybe not strongly recommended as there are better dramas in this genre, but Undercover High School is a fun and watchable drama that does silly and clever things simultaneously.
3 stars for 'Undercover High School'.
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Good Enough
Korean Drama '' Undercover High School '' is a school mystery thriller with a strong comedic element.The story is not that original, but the mystery is, and the comedy part was well handled, with enough funny scenes to lighten the mood. The mystery was also intriguing, it was well paced, and had smooth twists.
The romance, on the other hand, could have been omitted, as it didn't really add anything to the plot, and was half baked in the end, as the drama opted to focus more on the mystery, thankfully, and not on the love story.
Finally, the performances were all great by everyone in the cast.
So, overall, eight out of ten.
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