Disturbing story of suffering people.
It's hard for me to wrap my head around what I have just seen and what exactly I was supposed to get out of watching this show.The idea behind the story and the issues presented were extremely interesting, but at some point I had a feeling as if too much was happening in too quick of a pace with too much of over the top action. It moved from dark psychological school thriller to dark action flick? I felt like instead of giving us a cohesive story, the writer wanted to outdo himself by writing more extra and shocking scenes and plot lines one after the other.
The biggest problem I had was the fact some characters did not feel grounded in the story. Gi Tae and Hae Gyung were the two that stood out for me the most and I failed to understand them and their motivations. The change from school bully and teen delinquent to whatever Gi Tae became at the end seems random. Hae Gyung's introduction to the plot and her obsession over the case were also questionable.
On the bright side (if you can even call it that), all the characters were bad people, morally gray at best. While it was refreshing and interesting to watch a show where there are no heroes and no one to truly root for, it can also make you feel depressed and overwhelmed.
Some plot lines that were introduced led nowhere and were mere devices to push the characters into a corner, hence never got a proper closure, like the whole side story of Ji Soo's father or the guy Gyuri's parents worked with, that clearly was interested in her.
But then, truth to be told, the whole drama had no closure and clear cut ending. The last few scenes literally presented more new questions than answers. With that heavy of a story, leaving viewers without proper explanation may be risky. I myself feel as if my brain was just turned into pudding and any attempts to understand the ending or certain plots would lead me to more confusion and frustration.
The acting was quite a masterpiece. All the lead actors aced their roles, which were not easy to pull off. To sell a story, performers often use their own experience as a reference, but with crazy stuff happening in this show, it's hard to even imagine what the characters would feel, not to mention act it out. On other technicalities, it was beautifully shot. While the pictures were gruesome at times, I still enjoyed the camera work, use of colors and shadows and the transitions between the scenes.
Overall, not a drama for everyone. Gore, death, pain, suffering, abuse, mental and physical struggle - it's a perfect combination to get yourself in a depressive state or murderous mood. I took my sweet time watching this drama, not being able to watch more than one episode per day. But then binged watched the last three just to get it over with. While, in some weird way, I enjoyed the process of watching, I also feel exhausted and happy it's finally over.
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Though the issues that extracurricular is dealing with are not the typical korean school drama presents, even though the angst, drama and having the character hit a low point is part of the korean drama repertoire, the drama did a good job with dealing with them, keeping the pace fast and the cinematography dark and moody. So, the idea was there and so were the elements to make a good psychological thriller, however, the drama didn't succeed in doing so.
First of all, the characters, not all of them, but the main ones, were annoying. Actually, the leading lady was unlikable and not easy to root for, in a drama were you have to like the criminals. The main character was a bit too toned down, with the title of genius being only a tag that followed him, but in reality, or, at least as far as the drama showed us, he was just a boy with a good idea, but lonely and in a desperate situation. The characters overall were acting way too mature for their age and it was difficult to be believable.
Second of all, the drama had its boring moments. The whole action thing got tiring to watch after it followed one twist after the other and the frustrating moments were too much. And yet, somehow, they managed to get the interest hit low beats towards the end. However, the ending was nicely managed. The performances, also, were brilliant from everyone in the cast, even though most of them are young actors.
So, overall, six out of ten.
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Sorry if this goes against the general opinion but this drama is just a giant ball of frustration and disappointment for me.1. The beginning of the episode was interesting but then it just gets boring.
2. The main characters in the show are just really unlikable and there are no character development at all.
3. Its just stupid to think that the main character is smart and daring enough to run his security/pimp operation but then all of his other actions shows him just being a wimpy, indecisive and scared kid.
4. No backstory to explain what happened or why the characters are in these situation. Pretty convenient that Jisoo just happened to be saved by an ex-military man and proceeds to form a loyal partnership?
5. Positive is when we are not being frustrated, we are treated to some good and thrilling scenes that keeps you wanting more.
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An After-School Passion For Crime...
The message of the Extracurricular becomes clearly evident for viewers over the course of the show ; South-Korean society can become a “ dog-eat-dog” world if individuals are impoverished, or if they do not match-up to the expectations of being “ successful ”( succeeding in school, being rich , going to university and getting a good job), and none so are these pressures more apparent than for our main protagonist, Ji Soo.Kim Dong Hee ( Itaewon Class , SKY Castle) ventures once again into another South-Korean social critique as the high schooler Ji Soo; a model-student who soon falls from grace when he becomes involved in illicit after - school activities in order to attend and pay for his fees to go to University .
Directed by Kim Min Jin ( Time Between Dog and Wolf, Lawless Lawyer) and written by screenwriter Jin Han Sae ( Irish Uppercut) , Extracurricular undeniably addresses many realistic issues typically glossed over by mainstream South-Korean high school dramas; delinquency, prostitution, violence, the poverty gap, crime and academic stereotypes, are refreshingly neither “played down” nor ignored over the course of the series.
Nevertheless, despite its realistic topicalities and issues, Extracurricular was severely flawed by its characters, plot inconsistencies and overarching storyline as well.
Whilst it is hard to really fault any of our main cast within their performances, the character progression around many of our main protagonists was fairly lacklustre to say the least. By default, Ji Soo should have been an intriguing protagonist; hardworking, impoverished, a tragic past and who becomes a victim of the forced social pressures in order to “ succeed” by partaking in numerous shady crimes. However, in reality, there were few prominent or truly captivating traits or elements present within Ji Soo as a character. Although he arguably had some form of strength within wanting to survive in a cruel world, his impassivity at key moments often made him hard to feel any strong sentiments towards as an individual.
Arguably our female main lead Gyu Ri ( Park Joo Hyun) had some elements such as coming from a well-to-do family , holding a nasty grudge against them and her mysterious reasons for getting close to Ji Soo which made her a more intriguing character than our male lead. On the other hand similar to Ji Soo, Gyu Ri lacked a lot of character depth during key moments, making it hard to hard understand both her initial enmity towards her parents as well as exactly how she became so interested in Ji Soo in the first place. Similarly, the second leads of the series, school bullies Min Hee ( Jung Da Bin) and Ki Tae ( Nam Yoon Su) were undeniably intriguing characters, however, their lack of emotional depth and backstory often made them feel more like “ stock” leads simply used as plot devices, rather than actually intriguing individuals.
To summarise, it’s fair to say that the series Extracurricular, isn’t your run-of-the-mill high school drama; it isn’t afraid from offering a deeper insight into tricky issues, themes and topics, as well as having an intriguing plot, however, a fairly inconsistent ending , several badly-written characters with poor depth and backstories and lacking realism at times, often made this series feel a little lacklustre in comparison to other psychological high school dramas out there. Worth a watch if you’re looking for something to pass the time, but certainly not worth actually investing time towards.
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Other than that, the acting, music, production, and direction are all fantastic. I was in awe of all actors! Kim Dong Hee really proved himself to be a versatile actor! I was especially surprised to see Nam Yoon Soo's role! In Temperature of Love, he completely made me fall in love with him, yet in this show, the mere sight of him annoyed me. Park Joo Hyun and Jung Da Bin also did a phenomenal job!
The show is a little exhausting to binge since it is very dark. However, it is a very thought-provoking show written in an excellent manner. There are many twists and great character development. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, then this one is definitely made for you!!
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Which is to say I loved this drama and a big part of that is because it did a good job you getting you deeply invested and rooting for our protagonists even though you know they're doing some seriously illegal, unethical stuff. Oh Jisoo is the clever underdog who dreams of an average life that his circumstances might never get him and you can't help but get attached immediately. Kim Donghee is a really great actor, I hope his star only rises from here. Bae Gyuri meanwhile is privileged but trapped and definitely sociopaths on some level. I'm pretty certain her connection with Jisoo is the first genuine one she's had which makes their story so much sadder. She was the clear highlight for me, even though she's manipulative and unlikable she's undeniably clever and quick on her feet and just so enjoyable to watch. I wanted her happiness as much as Jisoo's! I'll be keeping an eye out for Park Joo Hyun's future projects!
The drama is graphic and drops in heavy topics when it comes to sex work and the criminal underworld so I'd avoid if those topics are uncomfortable for you. But otherwise I highly recommend! It's a rollercoaster with our teen leads as all of them navigate a dangerous world none of them are fully equipped for and attempt to somehow come out the other end unscathed. It's definitely dark and angsty but like watching a crash you can't tear your eyes from!
P.S. No spoilers but the ending is slightly open-ended if that's also something you avoid.
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In terms of the story writing, I felt that the foundation of the series as to why each character behaves in such a way does not justify their actions. This is probably due to the poor script writing which ends up ruining such a good series that could have been the best K-series if done right. The most frustrating thing about the show is probably the fact that the "genius" male lead isn't a genius at all. He made alot of mistakes that could have been well avoided. The show kinda felt like it was trying to achieve the level of money heist where the protagonist is well liked by the people despite the wrong doing but yet due to the conservative thinking, they decide to fall back to its safety net where the show served as a lesson for us to think about how each mistake leads to a dire consequence and there is no turning back.
Despite the poor writing, I must commend the actors and actresses for their emotional and impactful acting. Their character were however, difficult to relate to which results in a lot of conflict trying to understand how each character felt and why they make certain decision.
Regardless, I managed to finish the series as it kept me on the edge with every episode and made me continue watching as I had to find out what will happen next.
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Jaw-droppingly GOOD! A show about survival.
Ok so one night I was on the Netflix front page and impulsively clicked on this drama because of Kim Donghee's face in the preview; seeing it pop up was a pleasant surprise! Since I really enjoyed his portrayal of Hamin in A-Teen, I had high hopes and was super excited to watch him act in another high school drama. Turns out his new role as Jisoo, like Hamin, fits that straight-A model student trope, so clearly he excels at these types of characters.In the many directions this drama could've gone, I gotta say I never expected this drama to turn out this way. Don't be fooled by the label of "high school drama". If you think this is going to be your typical high school rom-com with conflicts related to academic pressure, social belonging, people drama, and filial expectations, you're in a for a big surprise because this drama takes all of these to the next level.
*Just how far are you willing to go to ensure a good, stable future?*
This drama raises the question of the moral integrity of criminals. Are crimes crimes regardless of who is doing it and what they do, or are they forgivable under special circumstances? Are they always driven by greed? What if they were necessary for survival and weren't hurting anyone? Those were the questions floating in my mind as I watched.
Our male protagonist, Jisoo, is this hard-working, ordinary high school student who normally keeps to himself and lives a pretty mundane life. Except the one thing people around him don't know is that he anonymously works as the head honcho of a prostitution, or as he likes to put it, "protection service" app that pairs buyers (prostitutes/gigolos) with sellers (clients). If the participant is confronted with a dangerous situation, one middle-aged man named Lee Wang Cheol's job is to step up and protect them. So he ends up doing most of the dirty work, while Jisoo organizes everything behind the scenes.
In the beginning, we learn that Jisoo lives alone. Both his parents abandoned him years earlier, leaving him to fend for himself. That's why he needs this high-paying job and uses the money he makes from this job to pay for all his tuition, fees, and bills. As viewers watch scenes displaying his work ethics at school while doing his job at the same time all for the sake of achieving his dreams to graduate, we find ourselves admiring his level of conscientiousness and can't help but empathize with him, even though deep down we understand what he is doing is wrong. At least in my case, I was rooting for him the whole time. It didn't seem right to not want a good kid like him to succeed in life, so I kept praying that he wouldn't get caught. haha
Then a girl named Bae Gyuri, a member of the same club Jisoo is in, comes along and that moment was when everything changed. She eventually found out about Jisoo's secret part-time job through snooping through his stuff. Eager to escape her constricting life, she told Jisoo that she wanted in. Although Jisoo was reluctant at first, after multiple blackmail threats of exposure and destruction from Gyuri, the two agreed to join forces, becoming partners-in-crime. Their relationship dynamic and vibes reminded me a lot of the main characters in another Netflix show I love called The End of the F***ing World.
Soon after the two got caught up in dangerous situations they never thought they'd be in. People who were against the app sought out their identities and wanted revenge on them. Jisoo's plans of staying safe through distancing himself backfires and things turn into a matter of life and death. The two start lying, fleeing, and doing everything they can to save their source of income. I had to sit and watch as Jisoo's life started falling apart little by little and the worst part is there was nothing I could do about it. I guess the thing that shocked me most was how far he was willing to go to keep his job a secret. Of course, if caught, he would get sent to jail but curiously, in his mind, not graduating and having a stable career was worse than getting arrested. The frustration felt as if taking one step forward was two steps back. Every attempt at concealing themselves only made matters worse.
By the end, the character I became extremely attached to was Mr. Wang Cheol. Him acting as a (grand)father figure to Minhee made my heart ache. Hats off to Choi Minsoo for his realistic, melancholic portrayal. You can tell he is wise, really cares for Minhee and would do anything to protect her despite her protests. That's why I was so affected by his death. Although I saw it coming, I still bawled my eyes out during the final battle scene between him and the karaoke house owner. The coolest thing about this Ahjussi, though, was how tanky he was. haha I mean he was able to withstand damage from a mob's attack AND getting a f*cking axe in his back, started walking not long after he woke up after being unconscious, went back to fighting a larger mob, suffered repeated punches, kicks and stabs, and still ended up having the strength to beat the shit of psycho karaoke house owner. What an absolute legend!!! I respect his commitment and sense of duty to the job.
Kitae was the character I didn't know how to feel about at the end. I detested the way he bullied the kids for no reason. Just seeing his smug face made my blood boil. However the last few episodes somewhat humanized him as it depicted his heroism. I think they were supposed to be his redemption episodes since he stood up for Minhee. But don't hate me if I say I can't forgive him for being a d*ck and a heartless boyfriend to her. But now that I think about it, the question again is is he truly worse than Jisoo? Or Gyuri?
The final thing I want to mention was the creativity in the host of symbols and metaphors scattered throughout the drama. Scenes like the one of Gyuri imagining bullets through her parent's head represented the true feelings towards her parents. The hermit crab represented Jisoo tendency to retreat into his shell and when his dad stepped on it, he was crushed as well. The self-burial dream scene represented his own (metaphoric?) death and the loss of hope for his future. Every scene was incredibly well shot and delivered. The actors performances were mind-blowingly intense and raw. When they sobbed, screamed, and cursed, I was able to feel their mental distress and insanity through the screen. These actors will definitely go far in the future.
As for whether I would recommend this drama, as much as I love this show, I can't say it's for everyone. If you like fast-paced, dark shows and can handle seeing lots of blood on screen, I'd check it out. They should have put a trigger warning because there are some R-rated scenes. The violence can be pretty shocking. I'm glad I gave this a shot though. This might be my favorite drama this year thus far!
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What a wild ride!
DAEBAK in all caps!!! This drama was such an exciting and wild ride and so easy to binge. I started watching it randomly because it showed up in my Netflix recommendations and I'm so glad I didn't judge it by its teenage angst looks. This really is a thriller more than anything, full of unexpected and extremely frustrating twists. It's also super dark, and violent, so don't let the High School setting fool you. More than anything it's a twisted coming of age story about a shy and awkwardly passive yet extremely ambitious student who's nothing like he seems.Kim Dong Hee is brilliant as Ji Soo! I love when characters who should be "bad" are the story's hero. There's something fun about rooting for the supposed villain, and Ji Soo is so sympathetic that I was invested in his story from the very beginning. This is also the story of the most toxic relationship ever! That's where Park Joo Hyun comes in as Bae Gyu Ri. They are a great match in the worst way and I loved despising her, although she too had her sympathetic moments. Their relationship felt real, not just playing up cheesy chemistry. This isn't really a romance, it's more about a deep connection between two unlikely friends that gets way out of control. Still, the dynamic between her aggressive narcissistic personality and his soft-spoken and passive nature became addictive. I wasn't impressed with either of them in the dramas I've seen each of them in previously (A Piece of Your Mind, and Itaewon Class), but I was very impressed with them both in this.
The entire cast is also amazing! With a story like this is very easy to get on a soapbox and make the characters too one dimensional just to make a point. The cast helped make all the most unbelievable moments seem plausible. I absolutely loved Mr. Lee and the Homeroom teacher. Min Hee and Kwak Ki Tae were annoying and also very real. The true villains were a little campy but still sinister enough to be effectively scary. The character I liked the least was the female cop, but that's not because of her performance. I really cared about what happened to all of the characters, and that's impressive for a shorter drama.
However, the heart of this story is literally watching how one bad thing slowly leads to another until the story picks up to an unrelenting pace. It's like watching a train fly off the track and keep picking up speed. This is the kind of story that makes you want to yell at characters through the screen for their actions! I liked the earlier episodes better than the later ones, the final episodes were much more action-focused, but I was hooked the entire time. It also all happens at a pretty fast pace since there are only 10 episodes, which felt like the perfect amount for this story, although I do wish it had a better ending. That's my only complaint. I can appreciate the imagery, and there are a lot of cool imagery driven scenes, but I just want to warn folks that the ending is an open one. Whether that's leaving room for a second season I don't know, but I wish they just had a definitive end. This didn't ruin the story at all for me, it just stopped me from rating it a 10.
Would I watch this again? Definitely. The thrill of the unpredictable would be gone but I think rewatching Ji Soo's journey, knowing where it all leads, would still be very entertaining. It's also visually exciting, so there's no way that I would be bored.
Overall I would definitely recommend this drama, but with a warning for those who find the subject matter too sensitive. The lines between what's morally right and wrong are continuously crossed (that's obvious by the disclaimer with each episode). I personally found it refreshing that a KDrama wasn't afraid to get gritty with the subject-matter without adding a preachy moral lesson. I also like stories about imperfect characters and this drama has plenty. Don't judge a book by its cover is definitely a reoccurring theme. This drama is the perfect example of that, with the perfect title too. If you're looking for an addictive and easily binge-able drama, with a teen Bonnie and Clyde meets Fight Club's self-discovery sprinkled with Parasite's morality mood, then without giving too much away I definitely recommend that you add this drama to your watch queue. And If it's all too intense it's the perfect length for a one day binge with still some time to watch an episode of something more lighthearted once you're done. Or, if you're like me, you can start watching it all over again.
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Terribly stupid execution and awful characters all around.
This is a short review. A more in depth review will be posted on my blog.I cannot in good conscience recommend this drama to anyone. I would have absolutely dropped if I wasn't buddy watching it. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. The concept behind this drama was so intriguing and would have really been great, but I kid you not when I say that everyone in this show is fucking stupid. EVERYBODY.
The show, although well acted and directed, is actually completely illogical. No character growth, no flow of story. Nothing.
Episodes 1 - 2: Fine
Episodes 3 - 8: Stupid
Episode 9: Interesting
Episode 10: Irrelevant
Skip it. Thank me, later.
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The problem with this drama is it was extremely boring and frustrating. The whole of this drama is made to make us question the MC actions however there are numerous SC who show us that they are wrong. First of all, the premise of this drama is that the guy is a pimp and how after someone finds about this everything just goes into a downward spiral. There are numerous problems with the fact that this drama is boring. Let's start with one of the main problems. The characters seem to not have many motivations and are doing things for only one viable reason. This makes them appear quite flat and bland. They have little to no ambitions and the whole point of this was to make the characters be simple but their life complex. This idea sounds good on paper but when it is executed there is just a big old mess of ideas and themes they want to take up. To show so many problems make it unclear what direction the drama wants to go and makes the whole ride a bit messy.
This can be shown within the characters themselves. For example, Seo Minhee is a girl who offers compensated dating and gets one bad experience which ruins the way she views the business. She grows from this experience and views the world differently due to this incident. She becomes closer to Mr.Lee and genuinely wants to pursue a better life. Now, this premise sounds interesting and it could've been interesting however they make her a truly flat character who doesn't seem to have any motivation to do what she does. There seem to be no reasons for her offering services like that at such a young age it's just forgotten about. The only reason that is shown is that she loves her boyfriend though there never seems to be any evidence of this to follow through.
Another good example is Seo Minhee's Boyfriend, Kwak Kitae. This is the classic school bully trope who has an army of cronies under him. They show him as smart, quick, strong and an egoist. This is another example of an extremely interesting character who's gone to waste. I must admit I am a bit favourable to the actor of Kwak Ki Tae but the way they presented him was extremely one-note. He's just pure evil, there are no motivations, no ambitions. It's just that he's a bully and he's obsessed with his pride. Though he seems to have a soft spot for his girlfriend they never expand on that and instead shut it down by saying he's doing it for his pride though it doesn't expand on why. The problem with this character is that he's such a one-note bully and that would be fine if the drama presented itself as a Makjang however it didn't so this character becomes flat and boring.
The MC themselves are not people without problems and they probably have the most. While you do eventually get used to these characters, they both are extremely frustrating to watch and also have little to no motivations. They are presented as the ACE of their schools however we never see anything to back up that claim. Throughout the show, they seem to be doing extremely stupid actions that will land them in trouble. However, I did like the romance arc as their chemistry was natural and it was charming when they showed hints of their feelings. They both aren't interesting enough to carry the show or be in most of the scenes and this wasn't the actor's fault it was more of the script that gave this problem.
The ending is one of the most frustrating scenes I've ever seen as they just wanted to continue this for a new season. As almost everything is tied up but they still needed a few strings loose for a new season. It doesn't truly make sense why this happens and why they couldn't wrap up everything and make it end. This move was more to make sure this drama would renew for another season than just end it once and for all.
This drama was frustrating and missed a lot of great things it could've done. It had an interesting premise, fantastic promotions but was done badly. I wouldn't recommend you to watch this drama and wholly agree with the rating I have given!
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At first I wasn't sure whether I should watch Extracurricular because of the trailer that didn't really speak to me. (Specifically the girl shooting her parents by whistling and the gory genre is not up my alley) But nonetheless clicked on it and didn't stop bingewatching until I finished its short but sweet 10 eps.
Yes. its that good.
-Main Characters
I loved the male lead's unique personality (awkward potato at first, but very chaotic neutral near the end) But as the story went on the awkward potato became less awkward and more things started happening not according to what i thought he was like in the beginning. So it fell a bit into the abyss of -every male leads personality ever- . Luckily because of the story and the choices he got to make in that story made that abyss a lot more -background. Near the end his personality became a bit more stable, and some traits came back more frequently (but darker hehehe).
I was amazed at the female lead's personality, which sadly seems to be an unpopular opinion. Personally I wouldn't like FLs who are the forever damsels in distress and cant seem to live their lives without the male lead saving them. But as a matter of fact, Gyu Ri was more badass than Ji Soo throughout the whole drama. What people found annoying (From what I've read) is that she is born in a rich family and shouldn't mind others' businesses. But what no one seems to get is the way she is feeling and her goals/ intentions, and just describe her as annoying because she doesn't do exactly what the male lead wants her to do. That exact point makes her a more believable and realistic female character.
Story
The initial setup was amazing, you immediately notice this is not your usual Korean drama. The amount of swearing, violence, the prostitution plot and mentioning of things that are usually not mentioned in kdrama ever (homosexuality for example) are already a few of the ways why this show is unique. They even had a few non-korean pop culture references (Ji Soo underlined the sentence 'Life is strange before the storm hits' for example)
The story itself is almost completely unpredictable. its a rollercoaster ride in the dark and you missed all the safety exits, whereas now it is impossible to get off. The premise started out fairly simple (except the ml being a pimp basically) with not much going on, tho the further you get the darker the issues become. Until you reach the point they cant get out, nor do you know where you would have gotten out if you were one of the lead characters. Near the end the choices they made became somewhat illogical, but not unbelievable (still could figure out the why) and the angst was very well portrayed in those situations. I cant tell much else without spoiling so I hope I at least convinced one person to go and watch this very good and addictive show.
(I gave the music an 8 since it was good but not 'I need to shazam this' -good. Rewatch value became an 8 because i never rewatch anything, yet feel like it wouldnt be boring to rewatch it if I wanted to)
Ps: I loved kwak ki's dimples, and the old (not that old but ok) -man, also really hoping for a season 2!
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