High School Frenemy (2024)
This review contains vague spoilers. If you don’t want to know if SkyNani stop being enemies, don’t read this. Otherwise, I only give an overview and no details.
Someone was asking what I thought, so here it is. First of all, this is officially a bromance, not a BL, and it’s the beginning of SkyNani, who are not an official ship. But like The Untamed, many people will tell you this is a BL. There are many reasons for that.
First, though, an overview. This is based on a kdrama about a class of troubled teens from rival schools who are forced to come together in one class. Special teachers are brought in the help them. It is supposed to be a story of redemption/overcoming the odds for the students and the teachers. The focus, though, is on Saint (Sky) and Shin (Nani), who are former friends but now on rival sides. The class is filled with GMMTV actors we know and love, and the story deals with some of their problems as well as the Saint-Shin relationship.
I loved the show overall, but mostly for SkyNani. The only other actor who really deserves a shoutout is Mark Pakin, who plays an autistic character. He is both lovable and loving, and he does a great job bringing this character to life and making the audience really care about him. But, honestly, this show is successful because of Sky Nani.
The chemistry between SkyNani is off the charts. They are so good together, and I found them riveting to watch, even if their make-up/break-up and hate you/love you dance was only about their friendship. It is the kind of “I need you” chemistry and storyline that makes the story feel important. it is never boring when they are the focus of the action. Their relationship feels that essential to their lives.
By 3/4 through the show, they have permanently made up, and they spend the rest of the series declaring their love for each other and flirting. They both tease each other and openly joke about being a couple, being irresistible, etc. At no point did i think they would actually happen as a couple, but it is still fun to watch.
The series wraps up with the resolution of other class members’ and teachers’ issues, but i really only cared about Sky, Nani, and Mark Pakin. They play a crucial role in the ending, though, so I was only bored with maybe one episode. It’s not that the other characters are uninteresting or boring to watch, it’s just that they don’t compare in terms of screen presence to Sky, Nani, and Mark.
If you want a romance story, this is not for you. Also there is a lot of fighting. But if you like bromance that borders on BL, and the story sounds interesting to you, this is a must watch. I gave it a 9.0, which is very high for me. It was a great show.