High School Frenemy (It's Thai, but it's a remake of School 2013 and totally worth it.)
I didn’t watch School 2023, but I heard people say that HSF focuses more on the relationship between the main guys than s2013. What I can say is that HSF has action because it’s pretty violent, everyone’s fighting each other all the time.
I loved it so much, but it could’ve been better. Fuji’s redemption arc was so unnecessary, he felt guilty but ended up doing even worse things, so that guilt was useless, and he still needs to die. I absolutely LOVED what Haji did by finding Sei’s friend for him. It was such a meaningful gesture, it showed that he really understood the whole situation. We need a special!
I wasn't sure if she was ace before episode 6 but after episode 6 she isn't. She says she gets attracted to men…
Oh, maybe it’s because we watched with different translations? She says that no matter who she dates, she eventually starts hating sex, but the hate she describes is the kind of hate that paralyzes her (like that scene where she literally can’t move to go apologize, just because it might lead to sex afterward). That’s why I saw it differently, maybe? like, in the beginning of relationships, she forces herself to have sex because she’s trapped by society’s expectations. She needs intimacy, she wants a relationship, and she believes this is just something she has to do. But then she always reaches a point where she literally can’t do it anymore.
Since I can't stop thinking about this drama, here's another random opinion: I don't think Fuji is asexual. And not just because he had "sex" with Sei in the last episode, ace people can have sex too (look at Kaori, for example, who I totally see as asexual). I actually know a few couples where one partner is ace and the other isn't, and their relationship still includes sex. Ace people just don't feel the need for it, but some of them choose to do it for their partners, not as a sacrifice, but because they want to. That’s why, seeing how Fuji seems to have an aversion to any kind of physical contact with Sei (even hugs or holding hands), I feel like there's something way deeper going on with him. A lot of people have pointed out that he might be using this lack of intimacy as a way to control Sei, and honestly, I don’t have much of an opinion on that. But I’ve always believed that a big part of Fuji’s repulsion comes from internalized homophobia that completely paralyzes him.
I got confused on one dialogue at episode 6 where sei mentioned to fujisawa that "we can't come back" come back…
In my view, when Sei says this, he’s just trying to say that if that happened, things would never go back to how they were. The relationship wouldn’t be the same anymore, no matter what change happened, it just wouldn’t be the same, which was the ideal for Fujisawa.
Is it misogynistic? Her ex is, that's the point. But the ML shows her there is another option.
Why would I talk about something I don’t know and that hasn’t even happened yet? And for the record, I didn’t bring anything up in the first place, my examples were a direct response to the first person who commented. You completely misunderstood what I was trying to say, so I don’t see the point in continuing this conversation with you. I just want to point out that you’re talking about my so-called “prejudice against misogynistic attitudes” (wtf?) while at the same time projecting a codependency onto the FL that was never shown. It was never even implied that she wanted to get back with him. In fact, she literally says she was blind to the fact that he didn’t seem satisfied, and she hasn’t once tried to excuse the way he acted (so far). Saying it’s okay to perpetuatea outdated world because the character “gives you the vibe of a codependent woman” is insane.
Is it misogynistic? Her ex is, that's the point. But the ML shows her there is another option.
I’d recommend Shanai Marriage Honey as an example of the same kind of cliche, but one that still manages to preserve the FL’s identity and desires. https://kisskh.at/77393-shanai-marijjihani
Is it misogynistic? Her ex is, that's the point. But the ML shows her there is another option.
You completely missed the point. My criticism is about the need to keep pushing the idea that a woman needs a man to protect her, teach her how to value or love herself, and how to make good decisions. And what you said makes it worse, he already knew who she was and still wanted to force (I know, just at first) her to stay in a marriage with someone she doesn’t even know. That’s manipulative. Whether a woman is mentally stable or not, she doesn’t need a man to save her. I’m saying this to question why we’re still creating dramas with this narrative in 2025 without bothering to challenge or flip these ideas I pointed out, not necessarily to judge every single action of the characters.
Is it misogynistic? Her ex is, that's the point. But the ML shows her there is another option.
I didn’t say this with the ex in mind. He’s shown as awful just to contrast with the "kindness" of the ML, and that’s normal in most dramas. But it ends up turning into a "good guy savior" narrative. He doesn’t accept anything she imposes because he decides what’s best for her based on what he thinks, even though he barely knows her. He doesn’t accept her divorce request, even knowing everything happened under unusual circumstances. The only thing he shows about the whole situation is some kind of smugness, wanting to continue the marriage because "he’s going to make her happy." Sure, it’s forced and normal for dramas like this, but the FL is portrayed as this naive woman who, in society’s eyes, is a level below the ML. And just that is already a goldmine for subtle misogynistic tropes that go unnoticed. To sum up, it’s not about the characters being sexist, it’s about a universe built on this outdated perspective that offers nothing new and reinforces the normality of something that, when looked at more deeply, is not good.
1 
1 
I absolutely LOVED what Haji did by finding Sei’s friend for him. It was such a meaningful gesture, it showed that he really understood the whole situation. We need a special!
That’s why, seeing how Fuji seems to have an aversion to any kind of physical contact with Sei (even hugs or holding hands), I feel like there's something way deeper going on with him. A lot of people have pointed out that he might be using this lack of intimacy as a way to control Sei, and honestly, I don’t have much of an opinion on that. But I’ve always believed that a big part of Fuji’s repulsion comes from internalized homophobia that completely paralyzes him.
https://kisskh.at/77393-shanai-marijjihani
Sure, it’s forced and normal for dramas like this, but the FL is portrayed as this naive woman who, in society’s eyes, is a level below the ML. And just that is already a goldmine for subtle misogynistic tropes that go unnoticed.
To sum up, it’s not about the characters being sexist, it’s about a universe built on this outdated perspective that offers nothing new and reinforces the normality of something that, when looked at more deeply, is not good.