I waited to watch this as I remembered that the animated movie left a strong impression in my mind. I don’t think I was ready for the series at the time it came out. It is portrayed by real-life actors makes for a more realistic impression. Although I approached the series as a different entity than the movie, it is interesting to compare. Some parts of the animated movie felt more real than the real-life series.

The story is about the impact of school violence, bullies, and the incomprehension of adults, on those who went through that violence but also on those around them. There are a lot of themes, packed inside a good series.

Back to the animated source :
If you have seen the animated movie of 2011, you know that the story is contained inside the meeting of two middle school friends 15 years later. Discussing the past as the movie moves forward. The story is taking place on a single night.

The series :
Is it the same as the movie ? = no

I would describe the series as the characters of the original movie going ballistic. Like an alternate universe of ‘’what if’’, where the main character Hwang Kyung Min takes revenge on the bullies. You won’t wait long as the first two episodes set the mood for the entire series.

So how well was the translation of a 2 hours movie into a 12 hours series? You bet it is astounding on how they managed to grab my attention for the whole 12 hours. The writing is stellar, and the characterization is great.
Overall, the acting is also something to note. Especially, the kids playing Hwang Kyung Min (Lee Chan Yoo) nailed the acting on every scene.

The show is fast-paced, I really like the 12 episodes format.
Every episode has its own song, depending on the tone of the episode, I thought it was a nice touch.

Note:
In 2011 when I watched the animated movie, I had already finished high school, but being myself a victim of school violence, it made a big impression. Fast forward 11 years later, the scenes are still shocking, but I felt less connected on an emotional level.