High School Frenemy (2024)

ROMANCE not bromance.

This is gay. ෆ

Im not joking, this show is more flaming than a pride parade float lmao.

This masterpiece of chaotic gay tension masquerading as a school drama has no business being as homoerotic as it is. I watched it expecting a fun, angsty teen soap and ended up screaming at my screen like it owed me emotional reparations ffs.

So we have Saint and Shin, two former besties turned raging enemies forced back into each other’s lives when their schools merge. Saint, the cold, stonefaced heartbreaker who apparently majored in being dead inside spends his days ignoring everyone like he is allergic to eye contact. And then there is Shin ♡ bless his hot-tempered, heart-on-sleeve self, who is ready to blow a gasket every time Saint so much as breathes in his direction.

I am telling ya'll, THE TENSION between these two could power the national grid. Every time I watched them on screen together, I felt like I was committing a fucking crime because the way they look at each other is illegal in at least 23 countries I'm not even joking. Shakespeare himself would be clutching his pearls.

Also the flashbacks are so sadistic because they just drip with the bittersweet remnants of a beautiful friendship and they give you just enough “we were once so happy” moments to leave you screaming at the screen, "JUST TELL ME WHAT WENT WRONG!" And when the big reveal finally drops...well no spoilers but let’s just say Saint didn’t exactly follow the friendship handbook.

And the acting is also so DAMN good. Their scenes have me convinced they are soulmates in some alternate universe or possibly in THIS one because they are fooling exactly no one.

My only regret is that these two didn’t get thrown into an actual BL because they are serving LOVERS so hard. They are giving us slow burn. They are giving us tortured yearning. They are giving us “I’d rather stab myself than admit I love you but oh god I love you so much”. Honestly, Saint and Shin have more chemistry in one glare than half the official BL couples out there. No shade GMMTV, but shade.

Side note: shoutout to Mark's character, who has autism and brings some genuinely refreshing and much-needed representation. He is so fucking precious, authentic and provides a nice breather from the on-screen storm that is Saint and Shin’s "friendship" crisis. NGL Mark is probably the only sane one here, while everyone else is busy having emotional stare-downs or fighting.

So, to sum it up: High School Frenemy is the most non-BL, BL series that ever non-BLed. It’s filled with emotions, teenage angst, broken limbs, unresolved sexual tension and enough romantic subtext to sink the Titanic. You will laugh, you will cry and you will absolutely scream at the screen, “JUST KISS ALREADY!” ♡

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Why Are U Gay? Who Says I'm Gay?... You Are Gay.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooo. Dafug you mean this isn't a BL? All that tension is wasted on a bromance? Look, being friends is nice, best-friends? even nicer, but these two talks/look at each other like they tryna book a honeymoon suite. Personally, I think they should kiss each others faces and get marry... cuz aint no way that tension/chemistry/dialogue is of the only friends nature! Also, half of this cast should have died halfway through episode 1, in a coma or hospitalised from all that beatings and fighting.

Listen, I think the word 'Friend' should be permanently ban from Saint and Shin's dictionary, cuz these two would do/say the most questionable, inlove-ness-ness thing ever then go:
Shin: I would have forgiven you for every bad thing you ever did, if you'd have stayed. You left me behind.
Saint: I'm sorry, I thought leaving was the best thing for you. The best way for you to live your dreams and be happy.
Shin: Without you in my life, I won't be happy. Apart from soccer, you are the only thing I care about.
Saint: You are the only person I care about too. Let's take a couple picture,
Shin: Good, you are my friend.
Me: Dishonour. Dishonour on you, your cow, and your ancestors goat!

I can't do this anymore. And no, it's not that I want every thing to be a BL, but like the writers and director are purposely trying to drive me insane with how they are executing this friendship. Legit, every episode I'm just waiting for one of them to confess, or just lean in a little bit and kiss, so I can go... 'I KNEW IT!' cuz, friends don't look at each other's lips like that. I was legit going 'kiss, kiss, kiss' in episode 12, instead of going 'how dafug is yous still alive right now Saint, you should be in a morgue right now.' And when they hugged, I cheered and cried a bit. Imma need GMMTV to cast these two in a BL so my soul can rest, cuz I aint finna chill with his whole bromance thing.

Not gonna lie though, I do love their friendship. To have someone who is there for you and cares for you it’s beautiful. I love seeing them goof already and tease each other of having 'feelings' and 'blushing'. Their roughhousing is all I'm living for at this point. Seeing how close they were in the past made me sad they had a fallen out. And with the little sister, they seem like a family. Still, I won’t say no to friends to lovers XD

This show is a BL, disguised as a bad bromance, cuz we can all see the BL in neon colours. Literally every episode Saint's like 'I want you back, I love you, please be with me forever' then Shin will look at him with those longing eyes and they'd stare real hard into each other's eyes. Literally, why is this a bromance? In what world is all that tension bromance? Nothing about Saint and Shin screams bromance. Those two are in love. Literally these was them, word for word:

Saint: The most important thing that I'm giving up is not school, it's you, Shin. I'm giving up on the chance to be with you.
Me: OMG, this a BL.
Director: No, it's a bromance.
Shin: You say, you're giving up what's important, and that means you're giving up on me. But you know what? You gave up on me a long time ago. Three years ago when you broke my leg. So, you don't get to leave me behind again.
Me: *in tears* Seeee, it talks like a bl, acts like a bl, it's a bl. They are in love.
Director: No, it's a bromance.
Me: No one asked you, Sharon. Damn!

First off, are those teachers at that school even qualified to take care of the children? It seems like no one knows what they are doing. The students just walks all over them, disrespecting them, hitting them, straight up treating them like trash. Literally, why are these children still in school?

Anyway, I am enjoying this show, a lot. The whole mystery regarding what Saint did to Shin to make him hate him so much, kept my interest. But oh boy, I was ready to pull my hair, because 6 episodes in and Shin is still going on and on, and on about how dirty Saint did him. 'You ruined my life. I will never forgive you. I will beat you up'. And I'm like sure, he's the scum of the earth, now tell me what he DID. Damn! Boy was so vague about what happened it got annoying. Cuz, my arse is nosy and I wanted to know what he did so I could judge and hate him too, but they kept dragging it. Literally, that plot device was like that one friend who always have sh!t to share but never does like:

That One Friend: You won't believe what happened to me today. I'm telling you, when the Pope finally left, the police had to fly the rest of us home on a helicopter. In the end, the president and his details had to sleepover at my house.
ME: OMG??? What the hell happened??
That One Friend: It's nothing really. I don't wanna talk about it.
ME: *Inwardly* I am stabbing you in my head.

No, but, I am so glad they finally told us what he did. And when I heard how Saint ruined Shin's dream by beaten him the hell up, then disappearing on him after breaking his leg, I was like... Never forgive him. As a matter of fact, beat him some more, cuz... what?? And knowing he did that because he probably didn't want his 'friend' to leave him is even worse! Nah, but Saint did him sooo bad. Learning that and seeing how Shin still didn't seem to truly hate him made me feel even more bad for him.

Yes, Saint deserved all the hate he's been getting from Shin. Hell, he deserves more than that, and sure he's trying and he's been working on being a better person, but damnnnn. That being said, I'm sort of glad Shin is starting to forgive him. He does deserves to be forgotten, he was young and stupid, but I still feel so bad for Shin.

Though, I was all giggles in episode 11, that roof top and bike scene was everything. I won't even mention the jump on your chest hug, the lip stares or nothing. Cuz apparently those are things friends do and say, so Imma shut up, and consider for the millionth time if I should open ao3 and write my own damn fanfic about these two characters with tags #notabromance #nobromancehere

Anyway, my main issue with this drama is the violence. Like, what school would allow all that to happen and not expel those students? They are so violent and mean, then, they return to school the next day like nothing happened. Some of these people should be in a coma, have major injury or like dead dead. Literally, after all the beaten Shin got, he showed up to school like it was nothing. That boy should have been in a coma or in an obituary page.

PLOT: the story is interesting, though there's so many gang stuff and nonsense fighting violence going on it drags. The bad guys are so generic it hurts. That one school bully is so bleh, and the two people following him ain't any interesting either. Well, Knot started having a personality in episode 11, so... let see if he grows. That being said, it took be a while to notice they were twins and not the same person doing both part. My bad. I'm looking forward to see how everything is gonna to come together, with the gangs, the students, the teachers and the leads.

CHARACTERS: So far, my fav is Chatjen, Mark really outdid himself in this role. I just love Mark. The leads, Saint and Shin are a close second, cuz I like the tension between them, the push and pull and how each makes me understand the characters they are playing. They were perfect for the role, and so far they've managed to make it very enjoyable.

Secondary characters: I'd thought the supporting cast were gonna be background noise, but most of them have depth. Cable, Peeta, Catjen. Everyone seems to have their own problems, even Ken and his friends. I can't believe this show managed to make me emotional about Ken. This character was unlikable for like 12 episodes, then bam emotions. I legit don't know if I should respect the redemption/depth arc or boo at it for being so damn emotional. The twins really pulled through for their friend, I though they were just gonna be airheads.

That shady teacher, being a bully was a surprise to no one, and that one female teacher is trying, but the poor woman is just sad. Her hitting her self had me going 'what even are we doing here?' I understand her wanting to quit, but damn woman, give yourself a break, nobody is perfect. I also like how the Eve and Airy developed from being enemies to friends. When Eve said, she used to have a crash on her, I clapped a bit. Looking froward to see what happens with them.

All in all, I am looking forward to the rest, as I'm enjoying myself a lot. I still don't buy this being a bromance though, cuz, literally, that makes no sense.

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1. GAY 2.Saint, wtf?!

1.
Tf you mean "this is a bromance?"
It's giving BakuDeku level "friendship"
Some BLs I've seen don't have as much chemistry as this does.
Denial is a river in egypt, the two leads are gay and whipped for each other

2.
Bro...
No...
Saint, tf was episode 10?
You can't be stupid enough to make the same mistake again, please
Dont walk away again

3.
Knot, ily. Thank you for having a conscience. Idk what would've happened if you didn't call Shin. He is probably my second favorite after Shin.

4.
This is the first time I'm seeing Autism representation, the second time I've seen it was in Home School. I'm pretty sure it's because of the director

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a bRomance

Listen, if you're not looking for an almost love story between two guys, just move along. While this show is NOT BL, it's working overtime to give you the same kind of feels.

Shin and Saint have a twisted past, and after an unexpected reunion, despite how Saint tries their relationship will never be the same again. The two used to be inseparable, right and left hands in a dangerous gang, now just the sight of eachother will trigger a fight. As their story unfolds more and more of their painful history comes to the surface, a story full of mistakes and misunderstandings that leave them both hurting. It's not an incredibly original story, and it's a little more drawn out than it needs to be, but the level of tension that the story builds adds a nice touch and I'm enjoying it for the most part.

The actors really make this show, Sky and Nani are both incredibly talented and their bromantic chemistry is definitely tangible. Mark has always been a diamond but playing a sweet kid with autism was a great new stretch to his range, honestly the whole crew is packed with talent. I will say I don't know who cast this, but between Sky and their Thai language teacher, someone must have put "needs to look like they're on the verge of crying 24/7" in the requirements because... yeah it gets to be a bit much.

Good production quality, the shots were well done, and I enjoy the action packed scenes.

Overall its a little over the top to just be a bromance, and a little short of being a good BL, so it kind of falls in this weird gap of leaving you wanting more, or less I guess if you weren’t hoping for a romance. I think the acting and the chemistry makes it worth the watch either way, and the story is interesting enough to keep you wondering what happens next, so give it a try! There are still several episodes left so if anything changes I'll update the review as needed.

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Redemption

I knew from jump I wanted to experience this drama. Fourteen episodes in, I am still amazed. The acting is so good, especially between Shin and Saint. I couldn't have guessed how they could revert from frenemies, but it was done in such a smooth and transtional way, I was wow-ed.

This series carries redemption in almost every characters life. From friendship, to learning, to making wrongs right.

Chadjen is the glue that holds it all together. Especially proud of the way Mark played this character. As an aunt to an autistic child, its good to see a functioning person on the spectrum.

Fighting! For the next two episodes. Will update.

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Delinquents with hearts of gold

I was browsing my favourite dramas (one of which is School 2013) here on MDL when I saw this remake.

I am not above admitting that I squealed (and proceeded to watch all the episodes released).

They made some changes to the original while keeping the most important parts. The change is just enough to make the story seem new to me, without straying too far from the core of the story. I also really like what they did about the class in order to add tension and conflict. (I do however sense that a bit of nuance from the characters have been removed, but I'll take it for what it is.)

The acting is top-notch (the guy who plays Shin? Brilliant. I somehow love Shin even more than in the original). The love-hate relationship is, so far well-executed (I'm at ep 4), especially due to the acting.

The feel of the show is gritty in a way I adore.

Note: you need to suspend some disbelief regarding head-injuries. Most of the characters would be badly concussed in ep 1 if it was entirely realistic. It does have great entertaiment value, no matter how over the top it might be.

Note: they made a character explicitly autistic and I actually quite appreciate the representation. The way the characters act towards this character is slightly infantilizing, the acting quite heavyhanded– BUT they are KIND towards him and welcome him as a treasured member of the friendgroup. And that is really heart-warming, I think, and actually made me feel good about my own autism.

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BOYS WILL BE BOYS

Guys for CRYING OUT LOUD I guess we should really check out HIGH SCHOOL FRENEMY.

Two stubborn guys,
They fight like a divorced couple,
Make it look like one hell of a Romantic betrayal I can't possibly resist the urge of SHIPPING these guys and trust me you won't.

It feels pretty much like a queerbaiting show,
We have two Tops, sure the fighting gets intense, somehow annoying, 99.9% nonsensical but you're gonna pray to see these guys in a BL after seeing them going through the CAT AND MOUSE phase to the HARD TO GET LEVEL.

Never thought that a "PLATONIC UNBROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP WOULD GIVE ME THESE MANY BUTTERFLIES. LOL" 😘

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A Gripping Tale of Friendship, Rivalry, and Redemption

Watching High School Frenemy was a refreshing experience for me, as it offered a unique mix of high school nostalgia, complex friendships, and the dynamics of rivalry. The premise of two rival school campuses merging, with former best friends Saint and Shin forced into the same environment, immediately drew me in. The series does a great job depicting how teenage tensions, misunderstandings, and past grudges can evolve and affect relationships over time. The tension between the characters feels real, and I found myself rooting for reconciliation, which added depth to the story and kept me engaged.

One of the highlights for me was how the show dealt with themes of loyalty, personal growth, and forgiveness. The strained friendship between Saint and Shin, and the reasons behind their animosity, made me reflect on how misunderstandings can often lead to deep rifts. Watching their journey reminded me of friendships I've experienced where small miscommunications led to bigger conflicts, which took time and effort to mend. This relatability is one of the series’ strengths, drawing viewers into the characters' emotional journeys.

Overall, High School Frenemy is a compelling series with strong performances and engaging storylines. Its focus on friendship, rivalry, and self-discovery made it an enjoyable watch. The show goes beyond typical high school drama, highlighting the importance of empathy and understanding in repairing damaged relationships. For anyone who enjoys youth dramas that go beyond surface-level plots, High School Frenemy is well worth watching.

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