I, a Gangster, Became a High Schooler (2024)

the ending ruined it all

To be honest, I didn't want to write any reviews yet but after seeing this drama either rated way too high or (unreasonably) too low, I'll give it a try. Please note that I will neither comment on the removed BL (as the endless and to nothing leading discussions are honestly exhausting) nor the casted rapist. I also did not include them in my review as I'm trying to be unbiased (in this regard!).

The drama started off strong but finished weakly. I really liked the first two episodes and couldn't wait for the others to air but my excitement didn't last long as I got slightly bored in the middle (tbf, I tend to get bored easily) and was left highly disappointed at the end.

My biggest issue lies in the fact that while representing several mental illnesses the drama failed to successfully capture and confront (!) the struggles of those affected. Instead of dealing with the issues, they just threw them in and have left them that way. So, what's the point of this drama then?

[Spoilers]
I'll start off with Yiheon: This boy is suicidal and severely depressed, has one shxt of a 'father', is being brutally bullied in school and gets verbally abused by his mentally ill mother who is a heavy drug addict. Deuk Pal (a gangster with a good heart) actually SAW his struggles and wanted to HELP him. That's great, right? To kick some bullies in the ass und make them pay for everything. He worked hard to make Yiheon's life better... only to actually HAVE his life at the end. Who are you kidding man? Why destroy the whole purpose of Deuk Pals hard work by getting rid of Yiheon in order to not have to deal with him anymore? They did him so wrong. Depression doesn't go away that easily. Yiheon didn't want Deuk Pal to have his life just because he was the one who changed it, made it better and therefore deserve it. He believes that even if he returned, he cannot be as strong as deuk pal and his life will be shxtty again. Deuk Pal has proven to be wise, so he should have known this. At least he hesitated. But he shouldn't have taken over his life. The end couldn't have been any worse.
Moreover, there's no way his mother could have recover this fast. Addiction is no joke and her internalized anxiety was way too deep for that. If you decide to portray a drug addict (and his healing) then please give it some second thought, especially if you won't be able to elaborate on it.

I believe if the producers didn't limit the number of episodes to 8 they could have focused more on the struggles (adapting to his new life) and healing of Yiheon (regaining energy) in the second half. The actor, Chan Young, did a great job, although he could work on his crying more.

Now Se Kyung: The potential regarding his character is HUGE. In my opinion, the portrayal of verbal abuse and its severity was a success. The feeling of regret and guilt towards Yiheon was also successfully captured. But, again, what was this end? Se Kyung wanted Yiheon to be back and Deuk Pal promised him to bring his friend back. Then why the hell is he so unbothered at the end?? Without ANY remorse. His regret and guilt just disappeared after talking to Yiheon. Man, but that's not how people's minds work. And where was his father at the end? Did he just give up and Se Kyung is now free? As if.
I know the story focused on Yiheon but it would have been great if they also focused more on Se Kyung so we can watch them both heal and begin a new life.
Jae Hyung did a brilliant job portraying him. I really like him as an actor.

I also have to give Yoon Chan props (i believe it's his first drama). His acting was great and I look forward to see him in more dramas.

Conclusion: I enjoyed watching this drama and would have recommended it if there wasn't such a bad ending. The story could have been much better if they focused more on the actual struggles and issues of Yiheon and Sekyung, make them both slowly heal without throwing one into the sea and remove all the deep feelings of the other towards his friend and father. I guess this should have been a happy ending but it wasn't for me.

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I'M ALL FOR IT WHEN THEY FIGHT BACK

going into this I didn't expect much after seeing the movie version because of the love I have for film version, I was a bit worried they'll drag the story and such but the first 2 episodes got me hooked immediately


the bromance is definitely gonna be bromancing but I wish they kept the BL aspect of it , it would've made the story that much more interesting but oh well , we can't always get what we want

I'm so excited to see where the story goes so I'll update my review when I finished the entire series

UPDATE
I just finished the drama and it was PHENOMENAL, I'm definitely gonna be rewatching this one, it had everything I look for in a action/school drama

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Good Drama

Sorry for the spelling. English is not my language and I have no time for proofreading.
I wont talk about some aspects, because already been discussed in the drama page.
I am NEUTREL, as long nobody insults me.
It is no masterpiece, but very enjoyable to watch and pulls you in very fast.
I know whell what it is about, but even if i am a bl writter, watcher and have friends in the community I CHOOSE to watch it.
I will only review the drama overall
Starting with the theme.
Who likes souls/body swaps i think this drama does a good job, especially the one who took a bullied 19 old teen body is an adult and not to forget, a gangster who met in his 47 years of his life a lot of difficult things to overcome.
I read some time ago that he does not act like one
First: each person is different. He wanted a change for himself, as he was attending to take the exam of his life, study wasnt his best.
He was kind with minors, women and even his gang who saw them as his family and so they did.
As he passed away he let a big gap in their life.
Now, the overall story.
I do like how he tried to step in and try to fix the life of the boy he took over
- making friends
- making him go to collage for a future
- family: here is harder, considering his mother is a drug and alchool addict mostly thanks to the father secretary.
Also, he took the job to make KSH independent from his father. A smart boy, but depressed, scared and anxiouse when came to the man who should had form him as an adult.
I like the bond between them
I think SML does sees the ML... in the drama, becsuse we know in the novel he had feelings for, as a father figure he never had in his life.
I like how the ML takes kids under his wing as he did with his gang.
The bond between them is made beautiful...
Comedy: beside some darker moments, the drsma has a lot of comedy too, mostly coming from the bully jim min, who always says the words wrong.
Hope he will redeem himself and see how much wrong he did.
The ost is good too.
Like ost 1, 2 and 3.
Overall great drama. Buget might not be high, but for me does not matter. The young cast does great.

Now, lets see how they will wrap it up and how they will make the real owmer act once it is coming back to the new changes in his life.


Watching the last epispdes, the ML tried anything but seems the original owner was to tired.
Considering they change the bl to bromance I was expecting this. To be honest I was rooting for the gangster.
Why?
He is kind, ready to help and seems he needed a second chance to life.
As the original owner, in the drama we only met him for few minutes and from.the eyes of the other characters.
We know he was deelply depressed and was sadly way to tired to fight for his life.
Overall a good drama.
If you are bl lover you find bromance
If you are not you find a deep friendship.
As a bl lover I saw the 2nd mostly due the gap between their ages.
As for those who will rate it 1 because they took out the bl, I do suggest after a good time to check it. You will find a good drama with a good bond between the leads
Check it and you wont feel sorry.

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a very well handcrafted show

Some people are pissed because they axed the BL part. I have not read the original story (which was not BL), neither the novel (which was BL), but I can't understand why people are sooooo dumb on concentrating only on this aspect. I guess they had a spot on the china market and when money talks you don't have a choice if you need financing of your project. But who really carez, everyone should judge a show on it's own merrits.

We got a great show. The story was interesting, the dynamics between the different people where interesting and the vibe of the show to have a gangster improving the lifes of the people around him was great. The side characters like the chairman, the "witch" and the four boys did not leave a mark for me, they were neither very prominent in the scenes (except in the beginning for the four deliquents) and we did not get a good background on them.

We see a character developing which is not seen often nowadays especially for Se Kyung, Jae Min and even his mother. We also see a redemption arc for Jae Min and great chemistry between Se Kyong and Deuk Pal. You feel the admiration and tension between both leads. The production quality was good as well even when they did not have a big budget, the OST was nice too.

Even with some flaws this was a refreshing drama depicting real world problems like bullying, abuse of power, depression and non existing parental skills. I also liked the light scenes inbetween a quite dark story. Overall I can recommand anyone to watch this show.

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"Switch & Ditch: A Tale of Promises and Bromance"

I love the cocept i know soul swap is an old concept but the way they changed BL story into bromance it was good. The real and raw emotions of yi heon (gangster) who is educating others as well as sending them into right path at life was soo adorable especially with "bill man" and se kyung life changed a lot after they meet him. I love the plot and story too. At last yi heon was happy with gangster and left, it was so heart touching but old yi heon was so tried of this world and went. Then gangster got his dream come true with se kyung. I love the ending too, hope they make season 2 for this wonderful series.

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An overrated boring show that doesn't deserve all the hype it's getting

High School Return of A Gangster is based on a BL webtoon that is turned into bromance. For that, people were hating on it (they were right about hating on it because it simply shows homophobia) but I didn't hate on it from then at all. Instead, I dove in here and loved the first episode and was excited for the other remaining episodes. So, I continued watching it to only find the drama getting more and more boring. I mean, we HAVE TO agree that MOST teen dramas are a bit overrated except for Twinkling Watermelon, All of Us Are Dead, Lovely Runner and Pyramid Game among others (there are more but i can't seem to remember). I didn't include Night Has Come because it's SO underrated (one of the first underrated teen dramas). This show, HROAG, is an okayly-written drama with a boring plot. So basically, Kim Deuk Pal wanted to change Yi Heon's life by helping him overcome school bullying, making new friends, protect his mother, graduate and get into a good college BUT he also wanted to let him go to juvie by helping the bullies escape from it (especially Jae Min) so he just accepted to get into juvie because he didn't tell the bully Jae Min to get the evidence. Look, I get that he was trying to be nice to a kid whose life is miserable, but when someone makes a mistake, HE HAS TO PAY FOR IT! And HE DID, only because Se Kyung told him to. If he hadn't told him, Yi Heon would be in juvie for doing NOTHING! That's the first thing he did to the boy Yi Heon. Now the second thing is at the finale, where the real boy insisted on dying so the old man would live (It would've been shameless had he not insisted) but I was surprised at the old guy, he didn't even try to tell him to live instead of him ONE TIME! He just continued on living in his body happily ever after. Okay, if you are arguing that Deuk Pal deserved to live, the kid also did, too. This show makes suicide a happy ending for the boy. Basically, the boy thought of suicide as a happy ending for him and didn't want to live. What about the depressed people who are watching this?? This show will just make them even more suicidal!
Disappointing. But I have to give credits to Yoon Chan Young. Great Job. I'm giving this an 8 just because of the acting. Otherwise, it would have been a 7

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havent't watched anything THIS good in a long time

I'm a fan of all the actors in this movie... I know most of them from previous works and i totally enjoy seeing them again. They are more than pretty faces! (Well, it doesnt hurt that they are pretty.) The young cast is also excellent, both in looks and acting skills, and the plot is really entertaining! The word for this is FRESH approach. The drama also conveys motivational messages and all, so it's got everything you could expect from it: action, mystery, suspense, comedy, bromance, family issues, self-achievement, compassion etc.
I'm really happy to have found this little gem.

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A High School Return of the World’s Toughest Guardian Angel

I’ll drop the bomb now.. “High School Return of a Gangster" has got to be one of, if not the most ENTERTAINING, MEANINGFUL, and IMPACTFUL "FEEL-GOOD" series of 2024. Dare I say.. even a masterpiece!

I did not read the original novel, so I’m not sure how faithful it stayed to its source material but when looking at the drama’s storyline, although the concepts aren’t new or fresh, it felt as if the writer cherry-picked some of the most interesting genres, tossed them into a pot, and weaved a compelling tale free of plot holes with exquisite pacing, a steady flow, an unpredictable factor, solid worldbuilding, and impactful characters who had their share of character development. Not to mention, it had the most thought-provoking ending I think I’ve ever seen in cinema.

Originally derived from a BL novel of the same-ish name, I was initially hesitant to give this one a go due to its supposed straight-washing. Although it would’ve been nice if the drama retained its BL elements, I was pleasantly surprised by the BROMANCE. It’s subtle, but I can see just how impactful scenes of two people maintaining 2-second eye contact could be if you cast the right people to portray the characters. That being said, Yoon Chan Young and Bong Jae Hyun practically BREATHED the characters to life and embodied them in such a way that made me resonate with their thoughts, feelings, and actions.

On the topic surrounding the cast, I’d like to give a round of applause to the casting team. Don’t underestimate the capabilities of the younger actors who made up 90% of the cast! We did NOT get botched crying scenes or actors who were there just to look good for the camera. The entire team oozed with NATURALNESS, CHARISMA, and delivered an IMPECCABLE performance throughout.

Looking at the characters, we have the unlikely du— I mean, three MUSKETEERS that practically STOLE THE SHOW: The nerd (Choi Se Kyung), the fighter (Hong Jae Min), and the lover (Song Yi Hyeon). Throughout the series, we see steady development for each character, as well as a natural relationship development between the three leads. What I like about these three is how they’re REALISTIC in the sense that they’re FLAWED. I despise dramas that depict specific characters as simply black or white. I like characters who can pack a punch— characters who have some substance, and that’s exactly what we see in this drama. On top of that, the writers gave us a K.O kind of redemption arc for Hong Jae Min (still recovering from this).

As for the experience, this drama scored 10s across the board for cinematography, production, and soundtrack. We got a diverse selection of songs ranging from the classic 80s vibe to the modern, upbeat ones. All of the songs fit the scenes well and are definitely ones that I am adding to my next shower playlist! Also, for the first time in a long time, I watched a drama that had me eagerly waiting each week for the episodes to release. Although it was torture, the revelation was worth it!

Overall, DO NOT KNOCK IT TIL YOU TRY IT. Although I understand that some people are avoiding this drama to boycott the whole straight-washing of a same-sex original work, it’d also be unfair to miss out on such a hidden gem that delivers in all aspects, even making up for the missing BL element with its ambiguous undertones.

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LIKE A BLAND TTEOKBOKKI AND NOT SPICY ENOUGH

CRITICAL REVIEW: “HIGH SCHOOL RETURN OF A GANGSTER”
Without reducing my appreciation for the main role actor: Yoon Chan Young, who succeeded very well in playing Song Yi Heon & Kim Deuk Pal, 2 different characters, let me give a review of this drama.

INTRODUCTION
“High School Return of a Gangster” is a South Korean web series that blends the genres of fantasy, drama, and high school life. The series has attracted attention for its unique premise of a gangster's spirit inhabiting the body of a high school student. While the concept is fresh and intriguing, the execution has received mixed reviews.

PLOT SUMMARY
The story follows Kim Deuk-Pal, a 47-year-old gangster who dreams of attending university despite his lack of formal education. One day, he witnesses Song Yi-Heon, a 19-year-old high school student, attempting suicide due to severe bullying. In a twist of fate, Kim Deuk-Pal’s spirit enters Song Yi-Heon’s body. The series explores Kim Deuk-Pal's efforts to navigate high school life, confront bullies, and form a bond with Choi Se-Kyung, a seemingly perfect student dealing with domestic violence.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND DEPTH
The series introduces characters with significant potential for growth. Kim Deuk-Pal’s transition from a hardened gangster to a compassionate high school student is central to the narrative. However, this transformation often feels rushed and lacks the nuance needed to make it fully believable. Similarly, Song Yi-Heon’s struggles with bullying and depression are presented poignantly, yet the show does not delve deeply enough into his emotional journey, leaving his character arc somewhat superficial.

PACING AND PLOT EXECUTION
The premise of body-swapping is promising, but the series struggles with execution. The shift from gangster drama to high school life feels abrupt, and the transitions between these worlds are not always seamless. Certain plot points are left unexplored, leading to unanswered questions and a sense of incompleteness. A more balanced pacing could have allowed for a more thorough exploration of the story's themes and characters.

TONE AND GENRE SHIFTS
The series oscillates between comedy, drama, and action, which can be disorienting for viewers. While the blend of genres has the potential to create a rich narrative, the lack of a consistent tone makes it difficult to fully invest in the story. The gangster elements sometimes clash with the heartfelt moments, leading to an uneven viewing experience.

SECONDARY CHARACTERS
The supporting cast in “High School Return of a Gangster” is underdeveloped. While the main characters receive attention, secondary characters like Choi Se-Kyung, who has a compelling backstory involving domestic violence, are not given enough screen time to fully explore their motivations and growth. This lack of depth in secondary characters detracts from the overall richness of the narrative.

CENSORSHIP AND ADAPTATION CHOICES
One significant point of discussion among fans is the removal of the original BL (Boys’ Love) theme from the web novel. This censorship affects the dynamics between characters, particularly the emotional complexity and relationships that could have added depth to the story. Fans of the web novel have expressed disappointment with this change, as it alters the essence of the source material. We don't understand why Choi Myung Hyun [Se Kyung's father] hates Song Yi Heon so much!
The removal of the original BL (Boys' Love) causes the story of Se Kyung's father's jealousy towards Song Yi Heon to turn into hatred. And this totally ruins the entire story.

VISUALS AND DIRECTION
The cinematography effectively captures both the gritty gangster world and the bright high school setting. However, some action sequences lack finesse, and inconsistent lighting in certain scenes detracts from the overall visual experience. Despite these issues, the series manages to create a visually appealing contrast between the two worlds.

OVERALL VERDICT
“High School Return of a Gangster” is an ambitious series with an intriguing premise that ultimately struggles to find its footing. While it offers moments of genuine connection and unexpected humor, the execution of its unique concept falls short in several areas. The character development, plot pacing, tone consistency, and adaptation choices all contribute to a viewing experience that feels like a blend of missed opportunities and occasional brilliance.

For viewers willing to overlook its flaws, the series provides an interesting take on the body-swap genre and high school drama. However, those seeking a more polished and cohesive narrative may find “High School Return of a Gangster” lacking in several critical aspects.

CONCLUSION
“High School Return of a Gangster” presents a unique and engaging concept that could have been a standout in the body-swap genre. However, its execution leaves much to be desired. The series’ strengths lie in its fresh premise and occasional moments of emotional depth, but it is ultimately hampered by rushed character development, inconsistent tone, and underdeveloped secondary characters. Fans of the web novel and viewers new to the story may have differing opinions, but the series’ potential is undeniable despite its shortcomings.

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