Best School Dramas

1) LIFE is the best school drama I’ve ever seen. Deep, realistic, sad. Wonderfully directed.  It shows the hard truth about school bullying and, consequently, about life. 

WEIGHTLIFTING FAIRY KIM BOK JOO is one of the funniest school drama ever. The romance triangle is unrealistic, but the main characters are unforgettable. A must see if you like comedy.

AGE OF YOUTH is one of the best corean dramas ever made. Told from the female point of view, it depicts the lives of university students in their 20s, living together in a shared house and facing the difficulties arising from coping with love, study and part time jobs. Thanks to a masterful screenwriting, in just 12 episodes the characters evolve from immaturity to wisdom, each one facing their personal ghosts from the past and getting over it, granting us a sweet and deeply moving experience of the female universe. The actresses are all amazing and you cannot help but fall in love with them and yearning to see more (unfortunately the second season, Age Of Youth 2, is only a commercial project with no soul, written just to profit from the success of the first series). Mixing comedy, drama, romance, thriller and social criticism, here you get the most wonderful example of the legendary korean dramas magic. An unforgettable classic.

SCHOOL 2017 is one perfect school drama. It mixes romance, mystery, adventure, bullying, corruption, friendship and tragedy, and it is great in all of them. Female roles are played by the most beautiful and lovable actresses in Korea.  Also X is as cool as it gets!

SUNGKYUNKWAN SCANDAL is a brilliant historical school drama set in the Sungkyunkwan University of the late Joseon era, during the reign of King Jeongjo. It revolves around the exploits and love stories of four students, facing both personal and historical issues. It has all the best features of the contemporary school dramas: girl disguised as boy, forced coabitation, secret heroes, cool teachers, crushes, bullying, competition and friendship. It is both fun and engaging, thanks to an excellent story (adapted from a novel) and a great screenplay. The direction was very good, and you literally fall for the characters thanks to the amazing interpretations of the four leads. Despite its strange setting, this is one of the best korean school dramas ever.

MARS is an amazing drama based on a popular manga. A story about a couple of students overcoming their traumatic past and facing the evil of the world. This version is taiwanese, and it is the best one. The romance is beautifully intense thanks to the superb acting of the two leads, and the story is deep and very dark. A classic.

GOOD MORNING CALL is one of the most loved school romances around. It mixes all the best narrative devices of the genre, and the result is a very enjoyable love story. A classic.

ITAZURA NA KISS is an amazing mix of comedy and romance, with some very unrealistic but funny events driving the story. The characters are stereotypes, but if you don’t look for psychological realism, it is a fun ride. The original manga is so popular that it gave birth to dozens of adaptations, but I feel that this one is the best. A classic.

WHO ARE YOU: SCHOOL 2015 is a beautiful korean school drama. The story is based on the classic exchanged-twins theme, but it is one of the most wonderfully developed I ever seen. Both direction and screenplay are great, but what does really shines is the acting of the beautiful female lead. The romance is so good that in the end you have an hard time in choosing who between the two male leads deserves to get the girl. Even if not particulary original, this is kdrama at his best.

MY ID IS GANGNAM BEAUTY is an amazing school/college drama, one of the best in the difficult task of showing how girls live the hard competition for getting boys attention, and how they use many methods, from innocent lies up to plastic surgery. The theme of lying is explored in all contexts, from politics to divorce, but in the end sincerity, symbolized by perfume, prevails in all of them. A lot of psychology is used in writing this screenplay, and the direction is unprecedented for the detailed reproduction of human emotional engagement, making each emotion to show in every scene in a way that is at the level of the best anime. The cuteness of the romance between the two leads at some point remembered me of anime masterpieces like Kimi Ni Todoke, and that is probably the greatest compliment you can do to a school drama. Awesome.

ADOLESCENCE MEDLEY is a 4 episode drama about high school and first love. It is short, but it is so well done that it marks a reference high point for all high school dramas. Everything is so  beautifully crafted, from the sweet romance scenes to the sad fights with oneself to become adult, that you cannot stop watching it till the end. Direction, writing, acting, photography, music, everything is masterfully executed. The pace and the alternance of funny/sad/cute scenes can be compared to the best japanese anime of this genre, and this is the best compliment you can make to an high school drama. The two leads actors are talented and even if it is a short drama, their characters are unforgettables. The story it is also full of symbolic meanings, and you will realize in the end the importance of the Icarus myth in all our lives. Awesome.

HIGH SCHOOL KING OF SAVVY is a beautiful korean drama about an high school boy forced by the circumstances to work as a business director in place of his older brother. The double life of young student and adult manager allows him to compare the world of the youth with that of the adults. The result is at the same time hilarious and deeply enlightening, a wonderful love story that moves deeply and makes you fall in love with the characters. Direction, screenplay and acting are all top notch, giving us a very memorable drama.

THE HEIRS is a korean school drama about a difficult love story between a poor schoolgirl and a rich schoolboy heir to a big financial group. The romance is simple but beautiful, and while the story is not original and the screenplay full of cliches, the chemistry between the lead actors is great and it will grant a lot of strong emotions, from joy to sadness. The excellent direction is never boring, and it depicts a better and more detailed high school environment than other similar dramas. Park Shin Hye performance is amazing as usual, and you can’t help falling for her beautiful ‘cinderella’ like character.

NOBUTA WO PRODUCE is a great attempt to examine the issue of bullying and to propose a possible solution, while telling a good romance about a love triangle. Deep and sad, but also fun and redeeming, this drama is now considered a classic and quoted by other school dramas, despite being somewhat lacking in direction and photography. If you love school dramas you cannot miss this one.

HI! SCHOOL - LOVE ON is a great school drama with supernatural elements. The supernatural in it is minimalistic and does not ruin the suspension of disbelief needed for a good romance. Lovable characters and good direction make this a superb school drama.

YANKEE-KUN TO MEGANE-CHAN is a manga based school drama filled with fun, romance and action. A beautiful cast and an excellent direction made this drama one of the classics of the genre. The story is simple but captivating. It has a manga/anime-esque feel to it, and because of that it is never too slow, and you can’t stop watching.

AKAI ITO tells a wonderful love story between high school students, very enjoyable till the end, but also depicts the harsh plague of the drug dealers and its consequences on their lives. Drug addiction is an evil that all students have to fight in their school years, and this is the best school drama about this difficult topic. 

SOMEHOW 18 is a great school drama based on the classic time travel sub genre. Very well directed, this is short but is a true gem. Not to be missed.

SPROUT is a delicate and romantic drama about youth and the experience of first love. The story is cute and the direction is good. Very enjoyable.

CHIHAYAFURU is a three parts drama (three separate movies: KAMI NO KU, SHIMO NO KU and MUSUBI) featuring a blend of modern and traditional Japanese culture in a high school setting. The life of the members of a Karuta school club is filled with romance and friendship, in a poetic way. Probably the best anime to live action adaptation ever. Short but perfect.

CHEESE IN THE TRAP is a wonderful drama about university students. The romance is very original, and the moral ambiguity of the male lead adds to the realism of the series. It is also very rich in symbolism, and truly enjoyable thanks to an excellent direction. 

HI MY SWEETHEART is a very fun school drama. The story is about a good hearted student that falls in love with a girl and gets hurt so badly that he turns evil. The comedy and the romance in it are unrealistic, but the direction is so good that you cannot stop enjoying it. The actresses are beautiful and talented, especially the amazing Rainie Yang, and their performance is worth alone the price of the ticket.

THIRTY BUT SEVENTEEN is a school drama about innocence and a first love that goes beyond all life tragedies. Amazingly directed and beautifully written, it makes your heart flutter at every episode. With the only exception of the scenes telling the uninteresting second male lead story arc, the story is captivating and the romance is beautiful, light and sweet till the end. A very anime like gem.

DELIGHTFUL GIRL, CHOON HYANG is a school drama based on the classic premise of forced marriage, but this time between two high school students. The story spans well beyond the high school years, anyway, and we follow the romance up to the adult lives of the protagonists. This korean drama is a classic, and it was so skillfully  written, directed and interpreted, that even the more modern drama series are still using it as a reference. While it is not sophisticated as the those ones, and technically it shows its age, it is still one of the most enjoyables and cute love stories ever.

DREAM HIGH is a korean drama about the students of a school of art that dream to become singers. It is also a beautiful romance with a passionate love triangle that will make you cry. Even if you don’t like the music world, this drama is so good that you will be addicted in no time. The rythm, the execution, the writing and the characters are all amazing, and each episode is an emotional tour de force. The cast is also very talented, and you will love even all the supporting characters. Forget about Dream High 2, it is not worth your time. But this one is a rare gem.

49 is a wonderful japanese school drama. The story is based on the adult-soul-in-boy-body theme, but with an interesting spin added by the coexistence in the same body of both the soul of a father and his son. This allows for a very interesting and cute drama about facing youth problems, family relationships and love. It is also very fun and very well directed. A true wonder.

MOON RIVER is an incredibly funny taiwanese school drama. The premise is the usual poor-super-strong-girl-makes-rich-boys-fall-in-love, but the direction is truly excellent, putting it far above other similar dramas like Hana Yori Dango or Boys Over Flowers . Some parts of the screenplay are lacking (especially at the end it feels rushed and with gaps), but the story is hilarious.  The romance is unrealistic but still very moving thanks to the amazing actors and actresses in the cast. Very enjoyable.

GOMENNE SEISHUN is a strange but interesting school drama about love, genders and becoming adults. Some supernatural elements are added but the narrative is not affected by those, and the plot is very enjoyable despite a not excellent direction. 

KOIZORA is a drama about love and tragedy. The story is short but well directed. If you like tragic dramas, this is a very good one. 

35 SAI NO KOUKOUSEI is a didascalic but enjoyable drama about the problem of school bullying.  It is rare to see a drama that is both educative and fun to watch. The direction and the photography are lacking, but the story and the mysteries are engaging enough to keep you watching it till the end.  

LOVE EXPOSURE is a 4 episodes drama (but sometimes shown as a 4 hours movie) about how badly religions can impact the lives of schoolgirls and boys. The insane obsession of all religions in stigmatizing the most natural aspect of human life, like sex or erections, and in defining as ‘perverted’ what is just basic biology, is so damaging for the cultural and psychological development of childrens that such indoctrination should be banned forever. Only now mankind is starting to liberate itself from the religions madness and seeing it as the real pervertion, thanks to the positive influence of great thinkers like Richard Dawkins and of philosophers like Daniel Dennett.  This well made and beautifully interpreted drama is a great step in the right direction, and every child should watch it. A classic.

BRING IT ON, GHOST! is a funny school drama with supernatural elements, blessed with the beauty of the amazing actress Kim So Hyun. Addicting, cute and deeply influenced by some popular anime about ghosts, it brings on the table an unique mix of the classical korean romance formula (cute, warm and cozy!) with the action-comedy style of some popular US tv series like Supernatural, all inside a school setting, and with a great continuity between the episodes. Direction, cinematography and screeplay are not artistically original or deep, but still of incredible quality. If you are looking for some great entertainment, this is one of the lightiest and funniest korean school dramas around.

SASSY GO GO is a school drama focusing on competition for grades and teachers corruption. The romance is shallow and just an excuse to tell a story about competitive schools and their students. Good direction makes this enjoyable.

LOVE RELATIONSHIP is a japanese drama about a love triangle between one schoolgirl and two schoolboys. The romance is nothing original, but it is still interesting because we can see both the events during school years and then the consequences on their lives seven years after graduation. Until the end is very hard to tell who the girl is going to choose, and this makes the drama enjoyable.

NAEIL’S CANTABILE is the korean adaptation of the popular music school manga ‘Nodame Cantabile’ by Tomoko Ninomiya, and it doesn’t need presentation. Of all the live adaptations, this is the best one. Much better than the japanese version, as it is often the case with live dramas. But in this case I can say that the korean drama is so good that it can rival even the anime adaptation. The direction, the pacing of the script and the acting are amazingly well done, never over the top but always intense and funny. A classic.

THE LIAR AND HIS LOVER is a school drama about three high school students that get scouted by a big music studio to become a real band. All the struggles they face as they debut are told, both among the adults and the stars of the studio and the other students of the school. Envy, rivalry, gossip, teachers against and supportive of their dream, greedy studios executives and idealistic singers who drop all for music... all is represented faithfully and in and engaging way. The journey of these three students is interlinked to the beautiful love story between the band female singer and the songwriter of the studio, K, the other main character of the drama. While the story is simple, the director was able to express the true feelings of the characters, and to make us to fall in love with them. A beautiful korean drama you must not miss.

MIRAI NIKKI is a beautiful sci-fi school drama. The perfect mix of romance, mistery, sci-fi and thriller makes it so enjoyable. The original manga and anime were not so interesting, because of a much different story filled with supernatural elements and plot holes that broke the suspension of disbelief. The drama cuts it successfully instead, fixing all holes and removing the supernatural elements, giving birth to a much better story with also much more lovable characters. The cheap photography is the only true low point, but if sci-fi is your thing, this is the best school drama with a sci-fi theme.

HEARTSTRINGS is a musical school drama about the love story between a female student of traditional korean music and a male student of western pop music. The school life is depicted very well, and the many secondary characters are all interesting and well directed. The pace is excellent, and it really came close to a school anime in the attention to details and emotional narrative (but anime are still unsurpassed, thanks to the complete control of every frame). The chemistry between the two leads is really great, especially thanks to the amazing and talented Park Shin Hye (arguably one of the most expressive korean actress ever). The screenplay has some flaws (weak motives for the bad guys, cliches reasons for breakups, rushed or unfinished arcs, loss of tension during the last episodes due to predictable outcome, too many flashbacks, etc) but the school romance is pure gold, one of the most interesting and cute I ever seen in a korean drama. Do not miss this one.

MY STRANGE HERO is a korean school drama with a simple but beautiful story about a teacher-student love relationship. Being korean, a very conservative country, the age-gap moral issue is avoided with a trick: the male student looks as young as the others but is actually a 27 years old ex-student that was expelled and now accepted back to school to complete his graduation. The competitive and corrupt school environment is not depicted as realistically as in other dramas, and some stereotypes are abused, but the acting of all characters is good and even the chemistry between the two beautiful leads is very high.  Because of this the romance is very sweet. The only drawback is that the story is so simple that it could have been told in half the number of episodes, but the director seems to drag it longer than necessary and this makes it a little boring in the end. The comedy scenes are not as good as the romance, but it is still a ‘feel good’ drama that you’ll enjoy.

I”S (pronunced: ‘aizu’) is a japanese drama based on the classic manga I"s by Masakazu Katsura, a masterpiece and a school dramas cornerstone. The live version is incredibly well done, and sometimes even better than the anime. The acting is one of the best I ever seen in a japanese drama. An absolute must see for any school drama lover.

HANA YORI DANGO (and its sequels) is a popular school drama with some extremized elements about an imaginary rich people school. It is fun and enjoyable, but the unrealistic elements make the love story hard to be truly felt deep. The acting is also not very good, but even if I find it overrated you will still enjoy a fun ride. The korean version, BOYS OVER FLOWERS, has a better direction, but overall I find the japanese version to be the best one. 

ORANGE DAYS is a college drama about love, maturity and courage before the harsh difficulties of life. The story of the female lead, a talented violin player who lost her hearing, is deeply moving but is not the only one:  each character must face its own unfortunate circumstances to graduate to adulthood. This is a classic that shows a top notch level of writing and direction rarely seen in todays doramas. Unforgettable.

CHUGAKUSEI NIKKI is one of the best school dramas made in japan. Still far from Korean dramas, and light years behind anime of the same subject, it is one amazing work of art, full of passion and poetry. If you love romances in a school setting, especially about social prejudices and age gap, this is a must see.

TWENTY AGAIN is a school drama much deeper than it looks. It is two things: a beautiful “back to school” love story, that enchants without the need of supernatural elements, but also a wonderful essay on the meaning of the awesome school/college years, and it tells us why those are truly the most precious moments of our life and why they should not disregarded for the empty career delusion. A true manifesto for all school drama lovers!

DEVIL BESIDE YOU is a taiwanese school drama about girls falling in love with good and bad boys. While the screenplay adaptation of the original manga is written in a somewhat amatourish way, with too many cheesy or stupid scenes, it is still really worthy of being in this list because it is extremely fun to watch. Despite its many shortcomings, it is still entertaining because of the two charismatic male leads and, above all, because of the lead actress, the amazing Yang Rainie, the most beautiful and talented taiwanese actress ever, here at the beginning of her brilliant career. This is the very drama that made her popular for the first time, revealing her incredible talent. So while it is not as good as other dramas she starred in, it is worth watching.

HAJIMETE KOI WO SHITA HI NI YOMU HANASHI is a school drama (or more precisely a Cram-School drama) with a beautiful story of love and self realization. The amazing direction and skillfull acting captivates us from the beginning to the end, and the romance is superbly depicted by the talented and GORGEOUS female lead, Fukada Kyoko, one of the most experienced and beautiful japanese actress around. Her acting is top notch, and the innocence and cuteness of her character will make you fall in love. Adorable!

FUGITIVE BOYS is an amazing japanese school drama, filled with romance, lost innocence and redemption. The story is great, being a manga adaptation, and the characters have a complex and evolving psychology, creating a beautiful mesh of young boys and girls facing the hardness of life together. Beautifully directed, both sad and fun, it has the vibe of an anime. Not to be missed.

SWEET REVENGE is a very cute korean school drama about a schoolgirl obtaining the power to avenge all the wrongdoings and misdeeds done towards her school friends. Funny and well directed, it is a sweet drama that will make you fall in love. 

SWEET REVENGE 2 is as fun as the first series, but with also a sweet love triangle that keeps the whole story together. The supernatural element, the revenge note, is still just an excuse, but it’s a  funny and well made school drama from the first to the last episode.

EXTRAORDINARY YOU is a korean school drama about a girl that found out she is a character in a comic similar to "Hana Yori Dango" (the popular classical manga by Kamio Yoko). The story is at the same time mysterious, romantic and exhilarating (when parodying the classical school genre), and even ifthe ending was disappointing because no mysteries are unveiled, the love story is cute and original. 

ARE YOU READY? HEY YOU GIRL! (5 episodes + 1 movie)  is japanese school drama at his best. One of the most accurate manga adaptations around, it would change your belief that only anime can fully express the passion and the innocence of the high school life. The only thing keeping it from being great is that it is extremely short, but it is still a must see if you are into school dramas. Perfect reference material!

SHIMOKITA GLORY DAYS is a school drama adapted from a manga. It tells the story of a college male student that starts living in a boarding house with 5 beautiful girls, and of all the embarassing situations he finds himself into while trying to stay faithful to his jealous girlfriend. This is one of the best ‘ecchi’ school drama ever, with a perfect manga/anime style direction and you will laugh your heart out. A classic.

PRISON SCHOOL is a japanese school drama based on the popular manga by Akira Hiramoto. Being the manga a cult and already a praised classic, and being the anime adaptation already fallen short of it, I was worried that the live adaptation would also not turn out satisfactory in terms of quality. But I was wrong: the effort of the director and the cast was amazing. The attention to details and the faithfulness to the manga is top notch. One of the best ecchi school comedy ever.

OTOMEN is a good shojo manga adaptation, a drama with the pace of the manga and a good direction. The romance is somewhat slow, and the story very simple, but if you loved the manga this is still an enjoyable adaptation, especially thanks to the great cast.

MY DEAR BOY is a Taiwanese drama about a schoolboy that falls in love with a 30 year old woman after he get stood up by his crush, a girl in his art class. The romance is very cute and sweet at the beginning, but in the last half it becomes more serious and sad as the couple began to face the prejudices of the people. The writing is very good, and while the couple chemistry is not very good, it is still enjoyable and fun.

MANHOLE is only partially a school drama, because the protagonists keep going back and forth between the school years and the late twenties, but it keeps the feeling of a school drama because in it we follow the lives of a bunch of students and how their relationships change during the years. The script is really original and entertaining, and the romance that at first is cute and funny became more and more serious and emotional till the end. The characters are cute and memorables. If you don’t mind an unrealistic premise, just don’t bother questioning the logic of the events and enjoy the show. You won’t regret it.

MOORIM SCHOOL is a martial art school drama with fantasy elements. The action choreography and the special effects are lacking (nothing comparable to similar themed korean movies like Volcano High), but the story is fascinating and the four beautiful main leads acting is very convincing. The love-square between them is great, and while the other students and the teachers are not really playing a memorable role, you can’t stop watching it till the end and caring for the school destiny. Well done.

AT A DISTANCE, SPRING IS GREEN is a wonderful university drama about how love and friendship can overthrow the scars that make us weak against life. The actors are all gorgeous and skilled. Even if the screenplay lacks originality, they bring the story to life and capture us for 12 episodes. Do not miss this gem.

GOD OF STUDY is a wonderful drama about school and teaching. Based on the manga Dragon Zakura, it depicts the struggle of five students in improving their bad grades in a year, so that they would be able to pass an elite university entrance exam. While it spends much time in motivational speeches and in giving real study hints, it is never boring (like the more didascalic japanese version) and thanks to the excellent direction we really start caring about the characters. The romances between the students are beautifully depicted (even if ultimately unrewarding), thanks to the great performances of the young actors. The only issue is the over-the-top performance of the teachers, with the exception of the amazing Ba Doo Na, IMHO one of the best korean actress ever. She alone is worth the price of the ticket.

TO THE BEAUTIFUL YOU is the korean adaptation of the popular manga ‘Hana Kimi’, and I think it is the the best one. The story of a female student disguised as a male in a boys-only school is very cute and enjoyable. The romance is well developed, and while there is no much focus on group bonding and friendship as in the japanese version, the story gains in realism. This is a cute school drama, and the only things missing are all the ecchi situations from the manga, unfortunately omitted, that were mostly responsible for the entertainment value of the original.

LOVE @ SEVENTEEN is a taiwanese drama about five students experiencing love and betrayal at school, and ten years later finding a second chance to fix things between them. It is somewhat slow, but still a very warm and lovable story. The five characters are really interesting and cute thanks to the excellent interpretations, and they are the main reason to watch this.

MOMENTS AT EIGHTEEN is a good school romantic comedy. It is not particulary original and the ending is somewhat disappointing, but the acting is good and if you love this genre you will surely enjoy it.

HANA NOCHI HARE is a japanese drama that takes place in the same world of HANA YORI DANGO some years later, with completely new characters. The production quality and the direction is way better than the original series, and even if the story is much simpler the acting is much better and it really conveys the feelings of the characters. The love triangle dynamic is not original in any way, but the three lead actors are really amazing. Beautiful.

NOZOKI ANA is an 8 episodes drama about the students of an art school. The main character discovers that a girl in his class loves to peep, and thinks bad about her. But slowly he cames to realize that compared to all the other girls he meets, she is the one with the purest heart, and falls in love with her. Based on a manga, the direction is lacking tension but the story is very original and the ecchi parts of the manga are not censored but luckily preserved.

FIVE is a japanese school drama about a beautiful schoolgirl and five amazing male friends that care about her and try to protect her. The story is fun and lighthearted, and if you have read the manga you‘ll appreciate the characters so faithful to the originals. The only issue is that eight episodes are really too few, and the story feels too rushed, but it is still very enjoyable.