Teach You a Lesson

if you ever watched any kdrama about school bullying and felt primal, homicidal levels of rage toward these underaged shibalsaekki haksaenis, this is where all your fury will be released. by a charming “onepunchman” level almighty dude who enters this schools and starts delivering precise, heavy-duty, government-issued corrective slaps in the name of juvenile justice I guarantee the first couple of episodes will make you feel butterflies in your stomach from the pure joy of seeing how brutally and effortlessly these bullies get handled. really satisfying. But..later episodes failed to keep me immersed. I am bothered by the portrayal of South Korea’s social norms, laws, and justice system in kdramas. Even though I know it partially reflects reality, at times it feels so different and exaggerated that I can only perceive it as poorly written fiction. While watching, I often find myself asking “why” and “how,” and it is the frequency of these questions that disrupts my immersion. The more they arise, the more they challenge my sense of logic within the story and pull me out of it, as I either stop believing in it or become too occupied with questioning it. This may sound a bit serious and critical, but apart from the silly style, it actually covers some heavy topics and it’s not just about this particular kdrama. I often struggle with Korean shows in general when they move into legal or investigative explanations. my mind always turns off when they start speaking laws. I recently stopped watching “Good Boy” for the same reason: every time the story shifts into investigation and clue-gathering, I just lose my cognitive functions. If I keep writing, I would end up breaking down every episode and pointing out what I did not understand, so instead I will focus on what I did enjoy here I liked that the episodes were based on real bullying cases. The emotional pain and vulnerability of the characters did not feel fictional, it managed to shake me and make me feel something. The main character is clearly the anchor of the story, but the supporting cast also complement him well. Some of the side character stories were also interesting to follow. My personal favorite side character was Kim Su-gyeom in episodes 6 and 7. 2 stars but its more of a me problem