My Strange Hero (2018)

"My Strange Hero" is a drama with a great cast but the drama itself doesn't get stellar grades from me. It starts out as a really interesting love triangle set years after a tragic event changes the lives of three students who are now reunited as adults at the same school. What it then turns into is a drama about school corruption, which wasn't bad, but was much less interesting. The characters are still strong, so that's what kept me watching even when the episodes started to drag. My main reason for continuing to watch was Yoo Seung Ho anyway, and he does not disappoint.

Yoo Seung Ho is so charming that the role of Kang Bok Soo is perfect for him. He plays a warmhearted jock who has more common sense than book smarts. Throughout the show, he becomes the unexpected "Hero" in various situations, and he returns to HS as an adult to finally graduate and get "revenge" on those who ruined his life as a student. He is matched romantically with Jo Bo Ah as Son Soo Jung who's character annoyed me at first, but they had extremely cute chemistry and I grew to like their romantic storyline a lot, even during it's corniest moments. Who interested me even more than the female lead is Kwak Dong Yeon as Oh Se Ho. He was such an interesting rival for Kang Bok Soo, and so sympathetic, that I almost couldn't dislike him, even when he was at his creepiest. These three characters are what got me hooked on the show initially. I found their backstory interesting, and their reuniting intriguing. It's when the story focused less on their dynamic and more on the school that I lost some interest.

Don't get me wrong, I liked the student characters too, and even liked the sometimes heavyhanded lessons and themes in some of the school storylines (suicide & performance pressure specifically). The underdog students in the Wildflower class were cute, and I liked rooting for them, but the whole save our corrupted school storyline was just too corny for me. I also liked Chun Ho Jin as teacher Park Dong Jun and was very entertained by Kim Yeo Jin as Im Se Kyung (one of the worst Kdrama mom's ever), but their roles started to feel redundant after a while, which made the short episodes feel much longer than they were. I actually have no complaints about any of the supporting cast and liked them all. Most of the characters are written to be pretty one-note, and the actors managed to still make them feel real.

Would I watch this again? No. As cute as it was at moments, I could not see myself watching the whole story again now that I know how things end. However, I did love the ending, even if it was pretty predictable.

Overall, this is a cute feel-good drama, that's never too serious, despite a few serious subjects, with an inspiring message about not letting labels or the past define your future. Maybe a bigger fan of school themed dramas would like this more than I did. Romance may not always be the main focus, but it drives the story enough to appeal to romance fans, and the two leads really deliver on the romantic feels. Yoo Seung Ho fans shouldn't miss this one for sure (definitely include me as a member of his fan club, especially after "I am not a robot"). It also certainly has moments that are full of awkwardly cheesy smiles, corny jokes, and predictable clichés, but somehow still had enough charm to keep me from dropping it. So I would definitely give this drama a passing grade, and recommend it, though I wouldn't add it to the honor roll. One thing the drama teaches is that having the best grades isn't everything, and having a lower grade doesn't mean you lack worth, and this drama is a great example of that!

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This show is a very interesting blend of genres and I think it mostly pulls it off. It balanced the tone fairly well so it never felt disjointed, and it transitions smoothly as the show goes along. It’s not a particularly outstanding drama, but it’s pretty solid.

The best part of this show are the main three characters and their respective actors. I think every one of them was perfect for their role. Jo Bo Ah is fantastic; her character is a rational (though very stressed) woman who is trying to get by but is also trying to do the best by her students. I appreciate that her choices feel realistic and she acts like a real adult. I really appreciated that her character didn’t string along Kwak Dong Yeon’s character but clearly stated her feelings and drew boundaries. Kwak Dong Yeon was frickin fantastic, playing a dark and twisted man who is also deeply scarred and searching for validation and affection. Yoo Seung Ho is his charming self. He truly has great charisma and I think he’s amazing in both serious and comedic scenes. The flashbacks to their younger selves are really great as well, and are sweet and heartbreaking. And goshdarnit, the main couple is so cute it’s ridiculous. They have great banter and chemistry. The rest of the cast is excellent too and I didn’t find any characters annoying or superfluous.

The show does feel more like a melodrama in the beginning and then shifts to a more romcom/school life show as it goes on. So I can understand that if you wished the show had stayed a little more dark and more of an interpersonal conflict centered show that you may be a bit disappointed. However, while I agree that would’ve been interesting, I still do like the direction that Bok Soo’s revenge took. Instead of being directed at a few specific people, it was turned into taking down the corrupt system that failed him in the past and is currently hurting other students. Was it kinda corny? Yep. Was it realistic? Not really. But I did appreciate the messages that the show delivered.

Overall I would recommend it if the premise sounds interesting to you. If you’re interested in only the melodrama or romcom/school life parts then other shows that focus more on either one of those would be probably better for you to watch. At the very least, the show may be worth checking out to see how awesome the main three actors are, and you can drop it if you end up not loving it.

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I think I’m too old for a nonsense story like that.

The idea of this adult guy going back to school to take revenge on his old friend is quite unrealistic, to say the least. Maybe if I was able to turn off my brain as I was watching, I would enjoy it more. And if the characters were any better.

Kang Bok Soo - the underdog hero with amazing brains (but not really), and some unrealistically good investigation skills. Was Seung Ho cute? Sure. Was the character interesting? No.

Female lead? Amazingly useless. At first she was there to tip the scale and get the misfortune rolling in Bok Soo’s life. After that, she was nothing more than a love interest. Quite frankly, you could remove her character from the drama and not much would change. She is also a prime example why I believe sometimes chasing your dreams is not a good idea, especially when you ain’t that good at the activity. Keep it as a hobby, because at times, you, somehow achieving your dreams, might hurt people you interact with.

Se Ho was an interesting character, but even he failed me by the end, bringing no nuance to the plot. Not to mention his mother has been just your typical mother-villain.

I have to say, I enjoyed the supporting characters far more than any of the leads. My heart broke a few times for Park Dong Jun, I was rooting like crazy for Park Sung Woo, and I wanted to help Lee Chae Min.

The acting was overall good. I am not the biggest fan of Jo Bo Ah, since she kind of acts the same in all her roles. By the end, I was also a bit tired of Kim Yeo Jin’s overacting, but then I cannot be sure how much of it was her decision and how much was she instructed by the director to go for such a delivery of the lines.

The production value was good except for the makeup. I would put better make up on the cast. What was that weird brown smokey eye, they did on Kwak Dong Yeon? Why did Yoo Seung and Ho Jo Bo Ah’s lipstick look as if they had kept it on their lips for 10 years until their lips looked so chapped it pained me to look at them? Someone explain, because I do not understand...

As for the ending, I don’t think it was possible to make it more of a cliche.

I get that this show has some nice wholesome and heartwarming messages, but there are so many better school dramas with the same messages, I see no reason why anyone should try this one. I would recommend watching anything else.

Overall? It would probably be better if I left it on my drop list.

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I've set my final rating for this show as Joy/10 and I don't even care that makes little sense.

Honestly, this marshmallow death of a show defies analysis or intellect. It bypasses the brain and goes straight for my endocrine system and so I love it despite its flaws (or even because of them).

On paper, My Strange Hero (otherwise known as Revenge Returns) look like a revenge drama - think Sassy Go Go meets Angry Mum. Kang Bok-soo (Yoo Seung-ho) returns to his highschool after 10 years to enact revenge on his former girlfriend Son Soo-jung (Jo Bo-ah) and best friend Oh Se-ho (Kwak Dong-yeon). In the process, he befriends a class of delinquent students and faces off against school corruption.

What sets Boksoo apart from its first frame is its commitment to forging its own path and telling its own story. From start to finish, this show knew exactly what story it wanted to tell, what message it wanted to send, what tone it wanted to set and who its characters were. It never waved from that. More than that, it never opted for tropes or cliches, preferring to be entirely itself from beginning to end. Boksoo may have come back to his school for revenge but what he really wanted - what we all really want - is justice instead.

I love Yoo Seung Ho's Bok-soo - a vibrant, kind and emotionally intelligent man. I love his badass girlfriend, a rare tsundere female who was waiting for a ball of warmth to melt her heart. I love them individually AND as an OTP and I can't remember the last time that happened *cough* INAR *cough*.

The show is far from perfect and yet its imperfections add to its enjoyment - if anything the show's flaws make it what it is in the same way as it strengths.

And while it technically can't compare to the great triumphs of 2019 - Sky Castle, Children of Nobody - it is still up there as one of the best shows this year.

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This is a drama that had me grinning often. I warn you, it isn't all happy go lucky, all characters have gone through traumatic events and the story can feel heavy at times, but the human interactions are very heart warming. It is a journey of healing and acceptance, about fighting and forgiving. Most characters succeed, others are too rotten to do so.

Our main character, Boksoo (which literally means revenge) is played by Yoo Seungho who completely kills it. He makes Boksoo so likeable and multi-dimensional that you don't wonder why people around him are so attracted to him, you will soon be one of them! One thing I always enjoy about Yoo Seungho is how much emotion he pours through his eyes, whether it is pain for the wrongs and betrayals in his past, or love and devotion towards Soojung, he is just perfect.

The female lead, Soojung does a very good job also. It is my first drama seeing this actress and I look forward watching more of her in the future. Like Boksoo, she also has to portray an array of emotions and both leads felt so organic and bounced off each other perfectly.

Although this is a story about revenge and righting wrongs, the love story is at the front all the time. When most other dramas throw one or two scenes of the leads being intimate and then move on to other plots, here you will get continuous attention to their romance and transformation. Also I love how once passed their initial misunderstanding, they have complete faith in each other and no minor character can put them apart. You can anticipate lots of forbidden love scenes in school which will make your heart flutter, without the guilt of a real teacher-student relationship (come on, they were high school sweethearts). One of my favourites will have to be the kiss behind the classroom door ;P

At the end of episode one I kind of laughed at Boksoo coming back to school for revenge, thinking it didn't quite make sense, but later Boksoo himself is lost and wondering how exactly he will manage. That made me buy into the plot a bit more.

The drama also deals with bullying, underage working conditions, absent parents, and many issues that young viewers will appreciate, yet it is also appealing to older audiences as the leads are in their late 20s. I found Boksoo's classmates surprisingly charming, and found myself caring for them. Even the kids from the Ivy class ended up becoming just victims of the system and finding some redemption. Boksoo's former homeroom teacher played by Chun Hojin was so likeable he almost stole the show. As for Oh Seho, the betrayer, his redeeming act came a little too late, and I am glad that they didn't try to make him be good friends with Boksoo again, it would have felt too forced and honestly unpleasant. The problem with Oh Seho is that he only decided to help Boksoo when his mother completely abandoned him, which makes one wonder, if he had still had some options left, would he have tried to amend anything? It was literally like, one day he gives the order to transfer the kids, the next his mother tries to make him take all the blame so he turns on her.

Kudos to Kwang Dongyeon though, Oh seho was great. I'm also looking forward seeing him in more dramas!

Lastly, I want to add that this drama is very beautifully shot. Korean dramas are raising the bar recently but his one tries its best to have nice visuals from beginning till end.

All in all, I highly recommend this show!

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First of all I had to say
Thank god I didn't follow the huge number of negative comments I saw about this drama

I must say I'm not a fan person of school dramas
I prefer mature relationships according to my age and mentality
But I have to admit also that
This was epic from all aspects
One of the best school dramas ever
Which combined between adolescents and adults in a very cute way

It had it all literally

Super cute amazing ML ??
Cute, amazing romance
Honest couple with eachother
Strong plot
Very well connected story
Bromance
Friendships
Supporting family, friends and lovers
Smooth events
Parental abusement
Good teacher
Bad teacher
Drama sometimes
Comedy with hilarious scenes most of the times
Character development EXCEPT for the 2nd ML's mother
She is going to be a huge B***** till the very end
Really some people meant to be scu***** all their lives till death

I know all the negative comments were about how the FL was a real B****
And yes she was a pain in the *** literally
She will made you pull your hair and screaming from depression
then everything changed at episode 06

She had her own logical reasons for being such a B**** like that really

I loved bok soo's class mates a lot specially
Sung woo & Young min a lot

I loved the atmosphere of this drama
It was very delightful, funny, warm and cute

Although I want to kill the 2nd ML almost all the drama but I felt sympathy for him at the end and changed my mind and want to kill his mother LOL

To those who was suspecting that this would never happen in schools and this drama was illogical

I would like to say
Under the name of corruption، stratified، racism and greediness
Anything will happen
The story was logical and happened a lot btw in real life when education turned to be business

Guys really give this drama a chance
It was really really really amazing
It's nearly impossible for me to rate drama 10/10
But this one deserved it

And the end was amazing and very satisfying
I really loved it
Highly recommended ❤️❤️

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Really good

I actually love this drama! It was extremely entertaining, emotional and had no boring parts. Ill start with the plot.
Many people dislike the unrealistic plot of this drama but I really like it, especially the way they executed it. A student being kicked out for school violence and returning to school years later for revenge only to find out one person who betrayed him became a teacher and the other a chairman of the same school.. I think the drama itself was very well done, It was funny, it was very emotional and full of angst in my opinion and really brought a lot of complex topics together. I loved the concept of students and the pressure they were under. A lot of dramas explore this topic but I love the way my strange hero did this. They romance scenes were cute and i loved how the relationship between the main couple originally formed. It was simple and realistic but also very well done. The sad scenes of the drama were very impactful and upsetting, the comedy was lighthearted and enoyable. Overall I love the story of the drama and the way it was executed. It was very consistent and entertaining, they new exactly what to do and where to do it.
the cast-
Yoo Seung Ho was great, he had a very nostalgic style of acting in my opinion. The highlight of his character was his smile and impactful performance.
Jo Bo Ah was new to me but she did really well. Even though Soo Jeong had many flaws, Bo Ah made her feel very real and sympathetic. Her performance was great and very believable.
Kwak Dongyeon was incredible! By far my favorite role by my favorite actor. I've noticed he's very good at playing tragic characters and he did amazing here. I have so much sympathy for Oh Se Ho. The little details he added to his performance, his sad and forced smile and the pain in his voice when he yelled was heartbreaking. He truly created that tense, overwhelming and sad atmosphere around him. I absolutely loved every scene he was in and enjoyed this role too much.
Special mentions for Kim Yeo Jin who is fantastic in playing villains and made me hate her character so much. The actor for Mr, Park was an amazing teacher and a very emotional yet funny actor, he's a true example of teachers being true heroes. I always have a lot of respect for teachers because I've had many good teachers in my life who all really scared about students.

The cast of this show was so amazing, they all brought too much emotion to their characters to the point I personally cared about every character. I think that even though the plot of this drama was quite interesting, untilmately it was the characters that truly brought the story to life and added so much emotion to this drama.The actor for Chaemin and the ivy class were also great and really created that tense forced atmosphere.
Every character was written very well and built up very well. The main 3 characters (Bo Su, Soo Jeong and Se Ho) were all build very well and I loved how the flashbacks slowly but consistently peeled off the layers of their friendship and really made us sympathise and understand each character. Each one of them had their moments of hurt and pain. Soo Jeong seemed very remorseless for what she did for a while but slowly, we began to understand her and why she felt and acted the way she did.

Same with Se Ho, he was developed very well and his character made a lot of sense. I could talk for hours about him. He was 2nd in the school out of 300 kids but his mom was never proud or satisfied of him despite how good his marks were. Then he saw Bok Su who got really terrible grades but was adored by his friends and family. Bok Su had literally everything Se Ho never had despite how hard he worked. He was a very awkward kid with an abusive mother so naturally he never had many friends or healthy relationships so he didnt realize that it was normal of him to feel jealous of Bok Su. I think he couldnt understand why he felt this way towards his friend and that was the beginning of his hatred. He thought Bok Su was a bad person for making him feel so miserable when in reality it was his mothers fault all along. I ended up feeling awful for him and admiring how he changed.
It was also cool to see how much Bok Su managed to inspire the students or wildflower class, he truly proved that good marks do not make a good future and that school was really a safe and fun space for many kids which is actually something I never really thought about. At first I agreed that students who arent good at school should find an alternative but Bok Su really had a point. School is important for other reasons, namely friendship, social experience and just fun.

I was a little bit sad with the ending, I understand why Bok Su didnt forgive Se Ho but I feel like he was kinda harsh even though Se Ho tried really hard to mae up for his mistakes. Se Ho's last scene seemed inda unfulfilling. It was great that he matured so much and forgave his mom but he was all alone in that empty looing place. It felt lie he was as alone as he was in all his other scenes. I wish they showed him as being a less lonely person because he changed so much. It felt like he still had no one on his side. But I loved seeing his face look so peaceful, he normally looks so hurt and angry but finally he found peace.

Other than that, I found the ending quite nostalgic but also very satisfying. It felt like a pretty much perfect end. I often feel unhappy with ending of Dramas especially when they show the end years later but this one was great! everyone grew up but it showed that nothing had really changed.
It was a nice feel good drama. It was funny, cute and involved a lot of serious topics. The plot may initially sound strange, but its executed amazingly and it really shines in its characters.

This drama deserves the quote "and they all lived happily ever after"

This drama also had good OST and music. Some music sounded like action music, I loved the sad violin music they had and it really made the mood.

There fore, I love this Kdrama! 9/10, definitely recommend!

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Worth it

This drama is very very good. It is sad,funny,happy and even weird. The story line is good and their chemistry aswell. One of the best dramas I've ever seen. This drama took my heart completely and I do not know if another drama will be able to compete. The moment I saw the drama I was very happy and curious why it would follow and always with a smile on my lips when we saw them together. Like other dramas that have awakened my expectations, this drama will always remain in my mind and heart as one of the best and most beautiful dramas I've ever seen and that I will always see when I'm sad. I just hope I can get through this beautiful drama without taking a few weeks to revisit it in my mind.

Update: It had the best and most beautiful end of what I saw. Everyone has made dreams come true and have remained friends until the end. I'm really gonna miss it. Seriously, this was the best the drama I've seen so far. I loved her and I still love her and it will surely stay in my heart. I really complained of happiness when I saw everyone together again and very happy. I'm looking forward for their future dramas together.

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This One's short

OMG! I was so reluctant to watch this one but finally decided to give it a try. And trust me, I didn't regret it even a little bit. My Strange Hero is my second fav drama after While You Were Sleeping. This is a complete package of comedy, drama, love and sadness. Every bit of the drama was just amazing. Especially how they they kept us glued to the seats till the very end. What I loved the most was the over-dramatization. It was in the perfect amount in the comedy scenes and they didn't add it in the sad ones, which didn't make this one a melodramatic drama. Plus, every one of the characters was soooooo dynamic, it is pretty hard to forget any. I don't generally re-watch dramas cuz lol, there are so many more to be watched, but this is one I wouldn't mind watching a hundred times.
In the end, guys don't hesitate and just watch it cuz this drama going to relieve you from all your stress.

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I really like the story and the character development that was put in here. This is one of my favorite dramas, I like how you can't just judge a book by its cover and that we should learn about who they are and what their intentions were before we judge them. It's romantic and funny with lots of emotions that I encountered from this drama. This is just my own opinion cause everybody has different tastes, so please don't hate cause you could be either the people who love this or hate this for what it is. I'm new at making review so please bear with me. I would recommend this to my friend if they were new to K-Drama.

*SPOILERS*

*YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED*

I was interested about the story and what these two characters went through when they were young, it was a very nice love story between the two when they were younger but suddenly took a tragic end, when they got older and met each other again I kinda predicted what was going to happen so it wasn't much a shocker for me that they were going to be together again but what happened during the procedure to change his plans and fall in love again, that was interesting how much they had to go through just to reach the point. The stories of the other students in the story too are really something that I liked to cause of how realistic it could be and how much emotions could cause that. This drama really made me went through lots of emotions while watching it. The character development is good in my opinion and the acting but some parts I feel like it went to fast but all in all, I liked this very much. It's a very nice love story between the 2 characters and shows that you should always hear people out and understand what they are going through than making your own opinion and judging right away of what you saw and heard cause some lies have good meanings in them. We should hear people and learn their stories and what they feel and are currently going through. The two characters went through a lot to be where they are today and it's very nice cause they went through lots of hardships and that we shouldn't let jealousy get the best of us.

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Cute Yet Meaningful

The drama hit home for me all the way until the end, in a way where I was super hooked.

First off, I definitely thought Yoo Seung Ho and Jo Bo Ah had really good chemistry, like no joke. I felt like having really good chemistry for the main leads is sort of rare to me. They were super cute together :') They were one of those on-screen couples where I wished that they had actually dated. I wished I had a relationship like theirs.

I learned that a big misunderstanding could lead to a missed chance.

I liked the morals as well, especially Kang Bok Soo's own good morals. He stuck by his morals and that created in him a really good, heroic character after he came back to the high school. He's willing to help out no matter what and is not afraid to stand up for others. Him breaking the standards really changed my perspective in life. Being stagnant and silent could harm others. He was able to change the situation around because he stood up for others.

The story gets really interesting throughout and this drama definitely left me satisfied! Wished that the main leads had a wedding and everyone, including Se Ho, would attend the wedding. That would be a great wedding :)

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