Extracurricular (2020)

I don't write reviews so i'm going to make this simple and straightforward for those who want to watch the show.
This drama is definitely the best drama I have watched of 2020.The cast is so young yet all of their acting is amazing. I had mixed feelings about certain characters however, that's what makes the writing better and adds more complexity, it definitely kept me interested. It also really felt like more of an adult show although it is a high school setting as it includes more swearing and use of more adult things so I loved the feeling of it not being like your typical teen drama. Sensitive topics are discussed in this series so I would give a trigger warning but I loved the drama overall. Would love to watch it again with someone.

Leia Mais

this drama has good story to show which everyone knows exist in society. But i feel like there were so many questions remain unanswered. Like so many. Plus they just try to push the story by showing unexpected twist which is not possible. How come the main character is that talented and have guts to do such kind of work but so stupid to keep making mistakes. Why does he carries the hat everywhere when it was given by minhee? After by accident hitting her and taking her mobile wy didn't he switched it off??
And who take their school bag with them to their "prostitution " job?? I don't feel any sympathy to any character. Not even that minhee girl,she brings the disaster on her by herself. There were no background story,no reasons behind action, and no logical process at every "twist". It feels like that the story is just keep going without any fixed ending,with so many plot holes.

Leia Mais

The Korean highschool Breaking Bad you didn’t think was possible and never knew you needed

When Extracurricular starts, it's hard to work out what you're watching. A highschool kdrama? A gritty American teen soap? Some weird amalgam of both?

Weirdly, it works in the same way that Parasite worked. And it's the success of Parasite combined with the distribution power of Netflix that probably sparked the production of a show that is basically Breaking Bad but with highschool student pimps set in Korea. These are words I never thought I'd write.

Anyway, everything about this production is good. The acting, the music, the cinematography. The script is fast-paced and disturbing and violent and full of expletives and if you're like me you won't be able to stop watching. Show is pure crack. And as an indictment of the destructiveness of capitalism, it's brutal in the same way that Parasite was brutal. And brutal in a way that few Korean dramas have had the courage to be until now.

Kim Dong-hee is mesmerising as the quiet, repressed straight-A student, Oh Ji-soo, who runs an online security service for prostitutes from his phone to pay for his tuition. Park Joo-hyun proves that her recent role in A Piece of Your Mind barely scraped the surface of her talent. Her Bae Gyu-ri is a complex but nonetheless entitled bored rich kid itching for some self-destructive behaviour to make herself feel alive. She discovers Ji-soo's secret and the world unravels from there.

Extracurricular never allows the viewer a moment for complacency but it does tease optimism frequently. Despite the borderline-sociopathic nature of our two leads, the actors give them both a perfect air of lost adolescence that makes us want to see them succeed. One is impoverished, neglected, and isolated. The other wealthy, over-parented, and popular. And yet they are somehow the same. And that sameness comes probably from the way that society has failed them.

Extracurricular is an addictive drama born from a marriage between a culture that brought us Makjang and a dramatic heritage that includes Breaking Bad. It's a narrative child that works somehow, even when it shouldn't.

With a lot of swearing, violence, adult themes and references to things like sex trafficking of minors, it won't be for everybody. But for this viewer it worked. Can't wait for the inevitable Season 2.

Leia Mais

I have three words: what the ****. In a good way. This show was so intriguing, brutal, stressful and it caused me to think so many things. From the first episode to the last I always thought "oh no what is gonna happen next" and even though it sometimes got too brutal for me and I had to look through my fingers this was such a good show!

It is difficult to write this review when I don't want to spoil(which I wont so don't worry), but if you want to watch a show where you are gonna question why you feel the way you do, this is the show for you. (at least that's what happened to me). Even though I must say I don't think this drama is for everyone given the heavy themes it deals with.

The story is dark and serious, well written, not too fast-paced, no irrelevant side-stories and such, and even though it's 10 hours it only feels like a 2-3 hour movie when you're done.

The acting was also so so good. I have now watched almost everything Kim Donghee has been in and he only gets better every project he's in. I didn't know the other actors/actresses playing the main characters prior to this drama, but they also did a really really good job, and so did the supporting characters.

I put the rewatch value at 9,5/10, mostly cause I think if you watch it again you are gonna notice more stuff, but I'm not sure I can watch it again right away. It's a story you need to process.

I hope my review was helpful!

Leia Mais

Extracurricular has the best Korean serial quality in my opinion right now.
My beginning when watching didn't have much expectation, but when episode one made me think it had a pretty good plot and when I entered the second episode it made wow this is amazing. I got carried away in this story which was packaged simply but made the audience really feel this was real. Issue like this are indeed considered closed but this is real around us, and must be recognized by everyone.
I have no complaints for this series, all the casts are very good at playing their roles even though they are still young. In the romantic story between Jisoo and Gyuri, it amazes me because it is so deep where they are with each other. Hope the next season will be in 2021, because this series is highly anticipated by fans. Thank you Netflix

Leia Mais

Coming into this drama I thought it would just be any other thriller type drama and I honestly watched it because of dong-hee as he played in ateen, sky castle and itaewon class , and his acting is pretty good. After just watching the first episode I was really suprised because I didn't it to be this good. And after every episode, I found myself just shocked because of the plot twists and just the shock factor after every episode (sorry if that didn't make sense). But anyways this drama is really good please watch it.
Also I fell in love with park joo hyun, her acting was soooooo good, her emotions were all so real and *spoiler alert* she was able to cry on the spot like wuuuuuuuuuuuu. I feel like alot of very good actors and actresses can't cry on the spot and the fact she could change emotions like a full 180 is insane and i just hope she can get casted for more work I really love her work. dont worry im not a sasaeng fan

Leia Mais

Superb Acting! Not your typical high school story AT ALL!

I LOVE this movie. In general I like romance and comedy...easy, light stuff like that ;). This IS NOTHING LIKE THAT! But, it got my attention from the start! I got so bored with K movies lately; even if somehow they manage to be ok at the begining, I lose interest very soon, or at best I can watch (some kdramas) untill almost the end, but stiil. can not the last 3-4 episodes... I just loose interest...they are so predictable and boring. This movie captivated me from the get-go and lasted all the way untill absolutly the last minute! I loved everything about this movie ( less the stupid, dum fighting scenes at the hotel)! The acting is SUPERB! I love both main actors so much!!! WOW, both were CAPTIVATING!!! Man, do these two kids know how to express emotions (and without overdoing it) ?! Looking forward to seeing their future work!!! I will watch every movie these 2 kids appear in! The storyline and how it develops is great as well; as I said, I NEVER got bored or guessed out the ending. Though many will disagree, I think the ending was perfect. Though I will so much like a continuation :) This is not a cute romatic drama, but boy, what a drama....and ending being a love story after all, without any actual love scenes...wow, that ending got me.
???????

Leia Mais

Very extracurricular! Not your usual school story

This is great drama brilliantly crafted all parts of the plot came together and worked out with surprise outcomes to the end〜 I binge watched last 3 episodes　〜but do not expect the usual school story of romance, bullying social and domestic problems、 this is tough unforgiving bloody and violent and shows the sordid underside of society with these not- yet -adult school students plunged into the adult storm of reality。 Some characaters〜 not the main leads〜 I found difficult to have any empathy with - these were just childish and caused all the trouble because they were the most confident they knew it all but actually least able to handle the dangerous world they trod into but I accept the actors played the part well to create those feelings in me. I do not think there was a single person not playing their part well. Knowing the plot I will not rewatch 〜only need one watch for message to hit through but highly recommend if you have strong stomach and strong mind to deal with this drama.

Leia Mais

I was recommended this drama from a few friends and I decided to watch it with kind of high expectations and was completely blown away. I never leave reviews but I had to leave one for this because of how good it was. I couldn't stop watching, every single episode kept me at the edge of my seat and I could barely breathe. It was almost like I was feeling the stress the characters felt.

The acting was incredible! I've seen Kim Donghee in A-Teen and SKY Castle but his acting here completely blew me away. His character is quite different from his other roles but he pulled it off so well; I could feel his emotion in some of the scenes. He definitely has a bright path ahead of him! Park Joo-hyun as Bae Gyuri played her role extremely well. Contrary to most, I loved her character and I definitely felt like she bright a spark to the show! Her character was super female-empowering and very intriguing, Gyuri is incredibly smart and playful and you never know what to expect from her or what she's going to do next.

Overall, if you enjoy a short drama/thriller (10 episodes) that is dark and revolves around crime, I highly suggest to watch it! The show also really reminded me of the WebToon, Lookism, so if you read/enjoy that webtoon I definitely recommend.

Leia Mais

And all of a sudden is my favorite kdrama

NO ONE TALK TO ME! This was definitely the best kdrama i've ever watched!
Definitely NOT for everyone though! I love f*cked up stories, and usually only watch truly crazy stuff like this in western produtions, so to be able to see it in korean it's something i didn't see coming!
10/10! The acting, the characters development, the story, the plot twists... it's just chief's kiss, honestly!

Not used to these kind of endings from a korean production, though. I fully accept these type of endings from movies (mainly western ones) and so on, but it's legit the first time a kdrama leaves me like this... and i kind of like it. It's insane... honestly! Just wow... Kim Dong Hee has 4 kdramas on his CV so far... and on the list there's Sky Castle and Itaewon Class... HE IS INSANE! A main role at his age... wow. I CAN'T WAIT to watch what this kid will do next. I'll legit watch anything he's in! Super impressed! (good job JYP aha)

Leia Mais

It's one of those dramas that leave you with an open mouth and tons of questions right at the end.
Extracurricular... what can I say about it? I feel like there should be more. And apparently there will be another season. Maybe after that season has ended I'll finally be able to describe the experience properly.
To put it simply, though, Extracurricular was a very intense very crazy and very very good kdrama. The main lead, Oh Ji Soo, was a bad guy who wasn't actually that bad. Bae Gyu Ri was similar in that sense but offered a completely different character than other dramas have shown before. Both main characters were exceptional, so much so that despite their wrong doings, I was on their side the entire time.
The season finale showed something that can only be resolved with another season. Personally, I think I'll set aside my entire review for that time when we have more answers.
For now, I just want to say from the bottom of my heart that this drama was great. Truly. I await the next season.
Enjoy watching.

Leia Mais

This drama is absolutely out of this world. I wasn't really expecting much and only wanted to watch it for Kim Dong Hee, but it exceeded my expectations by a ton. The acting and the emotions conveyed were on point, the theme song is so catchy, and the plot line is intriguing and you just can't get enough. I bingewatched all 10 episodes in one day because I couldn't put it down and I kept wondering what would happen next. This isn't your typical high school drama; it's so much darker and tackles a larger topic and really pinpoints the struggles and risks some people will go through when they're desperate. The message of the story is big, and everything that happened was so unpredictable. Right when I thought things would get better, it just kept getting darker and darker and it left you with so many questions in the end. But overall, this was a amazing drama and if there's a season 2, I'll be right here waiting for it.

Leia Mais