The Midnight Romance in Hagwon (2024)

The most interesting thing here is that the word "Midnight" is in the title

Exciting things tend to happen at midnight, right? Full moons come out. Showdowns happen. Interesting creatures of the night emerge to do nefarious things. Partygoers let their better judgments lapse. Sex, drugs & rock & roll!

[insert air escaping from balloon sound effect] That is most certainly not this show, however.

It is easy to identify the work of director Ahn Pan Seok. He casts a lot of the same actors. He inserts a long musical montage in every episode and uses the same song through an entire drama (not a choice that seems wise, but that's his style). The stories do not shy away from realistic adult relationships and very grounded portrayals of middle to upper middle class characters living middle to upper middle class lives. He really likes outdoor scenes that are barely lit. And his antagonists tend to be very one note, very limited characters.

With his previous two outings, "One Spring Night" and "Something in the Rain", he had relatively compelling main characters and charismatic lead actors. Particularly with "Something in the Rain", the presence of Son Ye Jin as the lead elevated the entire enterprise.

"The Midnight Romance in Hagwon" doesn't merely fail to reach the bar set by these prior productions where they excelled, it fails to register in virtually every element.

Main characters? Wi Ha Joon squeezes every possible atom out of the character of Lee Jun Ho, but it's a wafer thin character. He's a nice guy that's smart and clever and easygoing and things seem to work out for him except his friends who like him want to hang out with him when Jun Ho would rather have private time with his girlfriend. That's pretty much that extent of his woes. Jung Ryeo Won's Hye Jin encounters a bit more troubles but is enough of a Mary Sue that they're merely temporary annoyances rather than measurable tension. The two together are fine. Probably the highlight of the entire show is the romantic inexperience and awkwardness the two share.

Antagonist? Looks like the real life version of Vector from "Despicable Me" but without the brightly colored sweatsuit or the zany threats or the odd weapons or the pet shark or anything of interest really. He is, almost literally, a human stick in the mud.

Support characters? So Ju Yeon's Cheong Mi is legitimately a bright spot to the extent that she is permitted to be a presence. And Seo Jung Yeon's just obliterates anyone else on screen as the hagwon ice queen who perhaps eventually ends up being a more colorful antagonist but through eight episodes is more of a mere morally ambiguous plot fulcrum. The rest are so uninvolved that they fail to make any impression of any sort which is a tragic waste of some fabulous talents like Kim Jung Young and Kil Hae Yeon (who had been sensational as the horrifying, deranged mother of Son Ye Jin's lead in "Something in the Rain").

And it's not like if the material had somehow been amended this ship could have been righted. Sure, if some more time had been spent with the students, maybe there's a beat or two of a pulse in a subplot there. But there's nothing particularly engrossing about the day-to-day inner workings of a hagwon or the competition between two of them. So with very little as far as compelling inhabitants of them, there's just nothing but mild mannered, ordinary people with a not that out of the ordinary romance and...

Uh, and...

[cue the crickets sound effects]

Yeah, there's nothing else.

Not recommended.

Lire davantage

great actors invested into a non potential story!!!!

this should be considered in my opinion like a documentary about the korean academy teaching system rather than the premise of being tagged a noona romance/older woman younger man?!?! or with a minor side story of slight romance!!!! so don't be deceived to expect a noona drama that ended up to be a misconception in this mainly korean educational content!!! I think the poster is giving the wrong idea about what we are watching as it is barely having some vibes of romance!!!

I was interested to begin this story as it was "PROMISING" to have a noona drama my favorite genre and for the poster giving such vibes of a catching and firing chemistry between two top notch of first class korean actors!!!! but when diving in the drama for the first few aired episodes, I can consider that the perceived reality was so deceiving for such baseless story!!!! I didn't gave up to continue watching it though so many disappoitments but I am feeling nothing is changed in the way the script is written of only focusing on "the teaching korean system of academies"!!! so no wonder why the ratings are dropping a while ago!!!

I am not against to show is it what about the reality of korean education but I think it is tackled in a boring and lenghty way that made me losing interest in the story and asking myself what I am actually watching?! as it was totally different from what I was expecting to watch not only romance for sure, it is normal to have the focus on the academy settings but not to that lifeless extent shown, but even if there will romance I am feeling like the female lead is forced to show some interest in the male lead!!!

the director ahn pan seok of the story is known for his previous dramas of that "slow burning stories" style, though I am not a fan of that type of dramas that I watched some of it but I think every average drama he managed before was better than this current drama!!! I ended skipping a lot of scenes when it comes that the majority part of the drama till now is about that academy teaching only!!! there was complaints about the synopsis being boring but will we have that promising romance making some hopes to not give up?!?!

I think wi ha joon is doing a great performance and all his best to approach jung ryeo won but she instead always showing him a rude face and rejecting him for every suggestions he is proposing to her!!! though we witnessed some progress in their cooperation in the teaching activities but I felt there is a lack of chemistry in their acting!!! I think wi ha joon is a great actor paired with jung ryeo won but the way ryeo won is treating ha joon like she is forced to accept him to be her colleague or to exist in her life!! and like smiling to him against her will?!

I was expecting something different in their chemistry even if it will bloom in a later stage for the female to accept the male in her life and being him the first chasing her is not a bad idea but I am not feeling that amazing chemistry or an excitment even the preview of episode 6 is showing a great progress of ha joon to convey his sincere love and refusing that ryeo won will leave daechi chase academy for being employed at a new one!!!

I know there will be a lot people still pleased with the story and being excited to see the first move of wi ha joon to kindle this promising firing chemistry with jung ryeo won and not agreeing with my point of view about how I found the drama!!! but still I am curious how it will turn in the end though there is a baseless and boring story!!!

I was hoping to raise my ratings more than that but keeping the same situation of skipping a lot at every episodes was disappointing and it is unworthy to wait every week for a new episode!!! otherwise the music was the only thing making a great ambiance here!!! soothing the nerves and giving butterflies!!! I could be still didn't gave up the show for the sake of the great ost?!?!???

Lire davantage

Romance in Afterschool Academy

After watching Episodes 1 & 2, I’m in!!!!
Under the same director as 'Something in the Rain' and 'One Spring Night,' I believe in this one.
This tutor-student relationship, where in the past and now they are colleagues at an afterschool academy (called hagwon in South Korea), a young man falls in love and chases the woman, who is 6 years older than him, that he likes, is always worth watching. So far, both the female lead and the male lead have their own solid arguments. And the communication between them ?, especially when we can see the male lead's micro expressions as he talks to her at the cafe ?.

I also love the introduction, the OST, and the small details the director puts in each episode.
Let's see how the story will develop in the next episodes!!!

Lire davantage

The vibes are vibing, the romance is in the air!

Man resigned from big company to be close to his crush, and this happened in episode 1! honestly, we stan.

Ha Joon in a romantic role is giving everything, his open smiles, flirty posture, walking by FL's poster and admiring it, surprising her in ther office, this man was made to play the romantic lead, he's swoon-worty!

Jung Ryeo Won is as great in melo as she's being a badass, the woman has done both Witch's Court and Wok of Love, the range! She has a smile that is self-assured but not invulnerable, as we see from her alteration with that prideful teacher who wants to destroy her life.

It's been a long time since I was so enthusiastic about a drama, but this one is hitting all the right spots!

Lire davantage

boring

this drama is total rubbish... "tvN" advertises in addition to figuring out what to do with it, "Graduation" the story of a former student returns to the academy as an adult, still seduced by his former teacher.

Are they making a big deal about their age difference??
this drama is reminiscent of other dramas like "hello my teacher" which is much less boring, with the character of Gong Yoo who falls in love with his teacher and who is much younger and the age difference is almost similar, is it that serious, it's not a crime.. ????

The first episode is boring, slow, long dialogues and actors overact, and are not credible, personally I would not continue this evening sorry it's a waste of time, there are better dramas to watch...

Lire davantage

I want to watch this...why?

After 2 episodes with fast-forwarding, I don't get the hook to keep me watching. It feels more like a commentary on the serving the obsessiveness for kids to test well to get into college from the Cram School's perspective vs. students/parents--which of course Sky Castle and Penthouse series have made famous. And there have been several dramas lately featuring 'famous' afterschool teachers who find love--Crazy Love, Crash Course In Romance--so if you like the apparent 'slice of life in Korea' regarding the maniac focus on grades and college entrance with a romance thrown in, keep watching.
I thought a far more compelling school based drama was 2019's Black Dog about the hurdles of an aspiring teacher to get a permanent job in the school system.

Lire davantage