High School King of Savvy (2014)

Here is my, much biased review on High School King of Savvy.

This drama was so fun to watch! The actors all did an amazing job and it is just the perfect noona romance! So lovely to watch!

I would say it's rather light hearted, but for me, who is a fan of heavy tragedy dramas, this was just a nice break from the tears and heartbreak. I won't lie tho, I did cry for this drama! Oh I did...

One thing with this drama that many people disliked, was the character of the female lead. I am one of those few people that actually liked her. No matter how weird or crazy she might seem to others, I think that she was the perfect picture of an independent person. Much more realistic than all perfect female leads out there...

Also, if you want to die laughing... This is your drama. Every single episode made me laugh out loud and I'm so happy I gave it a chance, I suggest you do too!^^

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Watch me slowly spiral over this drama :)

Up to ep 10: So far, very enjoyable plot. The character dynamics are definitely the highlight of the show. It has typical character tropes from kdramas of the 2010s but they never overuse them in a way that the characters become unbearable or annoying. However, if I had to nitpick, the female lead definitely be dumb and has you questioning how she can be so naive and gullible but I don’t think it ever gets to the extent where I find her to be unlikeable. OKAY BUT THIS IS WHERE I'M LIKE NO RN bc it harbours on character dynamics. THE ROMANCE BETWEEN THE ML AND FL! BIG NO FROM ME SIS! While I def felt that the show did not necessarily push the romance in our faces, I don’t like to see it. The way the drama openly shows romantic scenes when the ML is a LITERAL MINOR gives me the biggest ick. I would have never saw their initial dynamic to be that of romantic affection but rather the ML appreciating and acknowledging the FL’s kindness and pure heart. SO WHEN THEY GOT TOGETHER AND FRICKING KISSED I LITERALLY GAGGED. It’s even more gross bc they establish the ML’s personality to be immature and very much the spirit of a high schooler so well, that there is no way I am able to accept their romance. LIKE NO WAY. So this is where we are, them dating and her just finding out. Despite this, I’m enjoying the show. But ik I’m def gonna deduct at least a 0.5 rating for having to witness a minor-adult relationship.

Up to ep 13: Ok so I’ve actually lost it. I can’t believe she’s actually dating a minor. LIKE GIRL EVEN IF U WAIT IT'S CALLED GROOMING! WHO TF CAME UP WITH THIS PLOT. I do love the sister dynamic tho. But omg they really are trying to push this very illegal relationship onto us now and trying to make us root for it BUT NO FUCKING WAY AM I GONNA ROOT FOR THEM LIKE BFFR??!!

Final: OMG THIS DRAMA FELL OFF SO BAD IN THE LAST FEW EPISODES. Ok for one, the couple got a happy ending which I will ONCE AGAIN SAY IS COMPLETELY ILLEGAL!!!!! WHY DID NO ONE AROUND THEM TALK ABOUT THIS! THE FEMALE LEAD NEEDS TO BE LOCKED UP ASAP LIKE WTF! In all the conversations about their relationship not being feasible or a bad idea, it always revolved around his age and his immaturity and that he’s a high schooler on a surface level discussion. The conversation always centred around him and not her, when she is the literal adult in the relationship. The drama made it even worse by having them get married, like girl what????? Ok my extreme problem with the relationship aside, because of their heavy focus on the relationship and trying to convince us that it’s totally okay, they scrappily handled the other plot points. More time could have been dedicated to these much more interesting plot points than the romance. The main appeal of the first half was definitely not the romance and it seems the writer didn’t understand that as they focused sooooo much on it in the latter half. For one, the older brother ‘s return was poorly done. Why did he just disappear and be uncontactable even though he’s back in Korea??? And the explanation for why he bailed was lame. They made the brother out to be such an ass for the way he would just simply not show up for his family. And then to have him leave without acknowledging the father or saying goodbye properly even tho in his email to his younger brother, he talks about regrets by missing out on time with them??? Make it make sense!! And the whole brother's revenge on the company felt so rushed. Clearly we have a bad man but it wasn’t set up like that, so clearly the writer had a dilemma of having to protect the company or destroying it to take the “villain (but not really villain bc they set it up so bad)” down. So when he decides to back out of the revenge, it just comes out as anti-climatic. But if the alternative were to happen, then it would harm all the characters we have come to root for.

Overall, the direction this drama went in in the second half damn pissed me the fuck off and it’s such a shame bc I feel like it had a pretty strong start.

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korean drama school at its best!

This drama is really excellent in all aspects... I cannot recommend it more! Eye-candy actors (totally!), entertaining plot, nice camera work, perfect details, reality check in place!!
This one gets on top of my romcom list - with some melodrama thrown in the mix.
The ML is so handsome and so loveable! He is just Prince Charming at a young age! The FL is almost as good... The secondary cast? Tremendous!! I'm in love with everybody, from the adorkable friends to the shallow office colleagues and those two dummy plotters!! Even the slow moments are enjoyable.
The ML is SO lovable - energetic, passionate, loving, bright, innocent, playful, kind-hearted, hot tempered... I'm at a loss for words. He is just loveable and perfect! The FL is lacking as a character, but relatable (I'm sorry for not liking the women who fall drunk in the street). Every character is interesting and gets enough screen time. Even the Tin Men of the series have got a heart.
So many funny moments, most carried by the ML, but everybody is good in his/her own way.

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i really liked it
the romance was really great and made you pass through all emotions
specially the last scene at ep 12
this was one of the most brilliant scenes i've ever seen in a romantic drama
i really loved it so much

At the beginning i couldn't understand (Ha Na) role
She provoked me much till the limit i was about to drop the drama
i saw her:
*was far away from being naive
*Something wrong with her actions and attitude :/
*The way she is talking, walking, acting and the look in her eyes was extremely provoking and stupid
till i knew that she had an accident

it was totally illogical that a secondary student be a manager without any experience and leading a whole team
this was a total joke

inspite of that i liked it so much and i laughed a lot
except the age phase
if he was 24 and she was 34 i could accept that and it would be more logical
but it was talking about adolescent immature person as a manager at international company versus adult one

i wished so much clear happy ending for (soo hyuk)
He really deserved a good one
and his father i wished his end would be different
a strict one he deserved for all what he did
this end was unfair

FOR me i could consider this drama as a fairy tale because (in Guk) was the type of men who doesn't exist ^_^

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It made me cry, laugh and I really enjoyed it.
STORY
I gave it a 10/10 because I REALLY, REALLY LOVE high school dramas and this one has hidden identicals too! That would make fall for it even more. I liked how they also had sport included. WOW!! I love his passion for Ice Hockey!!! Made me cry...
ACTING/CAST
OMG Seo In Guk?! YES!!!! That got me to watch it instantly!!! Also Lee Yeol Eum, I liked her, well, pretty annoying, but cute! ^_^ Sorry to say, but I didn't like Lee HaNa in here...Bien...BUT Seo In Guk is in there! XD YASSS!!!
MUSIC
I... it's been a few months since I've watched this ( but still remained in my heart), so I don't remember it. But I listened the osts on Youtube and...uh...hasn't got me... I'll just give it a 8.0
REWATCH VALUE
I gave it a 9.5, not a 10 because... well... the plot is amazing!!! But there was a good episode, but it was a really sad one. So, I couldn't rewatch it. But I am able to watch the first episode over and over again.
OVERALL
Overall, it is 10/10 but I would want to put 10/INFINITY!!! It was a awesome KDRAMA and I REALLY High Recommend this drama to those HIgh Schoolers (like me ^_^) Or just a KDRAMA ADDICT! THIS DRAMA IS #1 on my list currently!!!

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Hard to comment nicely - why do so many people love this?

Doing my best to be fair, especially as I was able to bear watching so little of this drama. But I had two attempts and still found it unwatchable. Why do so many people seem to love it? Beats me!
It is aimed at 13years plus. I am 5 times that age, so, obviously, this is not for me. But I saw many clips on YT with LSH and was intrigued, I followed my curiosity and so found myself in this awful position. But .... it was, indeed unbearable to watch! And me, well, I watch many dramas made for young people and even children, but I think that even when I was 13 (and I remember myself quite clearly at that age) I would have found this deeply condescending - and if not that, then still just awful.
First - the cast - are great, but my score there could not be higher because frankly the material could not, with the best will in the world be helped by however excellent the acting.
The storyline - I felt that the switching back and forth between school, ice hockey team, and the company was clunky and ... well pretty awful. Either ice hockey or school could be unnecessary - probably the hockey, for me, but who cares. The premis of a schoolboy standing in for his brother had potential - but .... execution failed big time
I found the writing absolutely abysmal with lazy repetition of over-tired cliches. ALL the females were mindless jerks - and this drama's target is probably young girls - which I find completely shameful. Korea is doing it's young people no favours here. Most of the male adults are petrified idiots unable to think or even form a coherent sentence - the young boys were pretty realistic young boys - idiots, too, but well, they are, and that's perfectly OK.
The FL, is yet another cliche - the dowdy, naive, sexually ignorant nerd unable to stand up straight or walk properly, reduced to taking tiny steps and serial self-humiliation. The ML is OK, but written in a pretty lame way. Both these actors did their best given the material - and, I suspect, the director.
If everything got a lot better later on, I apologise, but you need to KEEP your audience for goodness sake!
LSH (appears to play the only human being on the planet - well, apart from the adoptive dad and grandpa - so far, anyway. all those YT clips make him appear his usual cold but powerful tsundere, but (so far) he is lovely. Those scenes in which he featured were the only ones worth watching for me. And I am only a tentative fan of his.
And, yes, the direction - going for slapstick in a certainly fanciful piece, which would I think have been better served by some subtlety. Men unable to navigate a perfectly functional corridor without legs and arms flailing about in panic, women gossiping and simpering at work, and wearing completely inappropriate clothing which would never be tolerated in most offices, everyone unable to speak properly without stuttering, spluttering, and almost gagging on their lines. This is not down to the actors - this is clumsy direction. Technically it was competent filming, but that's it.
If you want to see "impersonation" dramas done even half way decently there are dozens of for example 1930s and 40s black and white films to model your work on - and those are outstanding, so you only need to get half as good to be a lot better than this. And before you object "but this is for teens" I was watching those films at the age of 9 and I still remember them, or those are American - well, the ML is trying to be an ice hockey star so the culture is clearly transferable! Lazy, lazy, lazy direction. Or production, I dunno where the decisions are driven from but it comes from the top.
I'm very aware that this viewing is a paltry sample to base a review on, but I am deeply disappointed with this drama, and I really did do my best! I skipped the most annoying bits or speed-watched and still I was overwhelmed by the sheer dross of it all. I really wanted to like at least the FL but she was so badly written!
Yes, this is an old drama, and has aged very badly - but it did not need to be THAT bad!
If I had been watching as a 13 year old I would have felt the same. Even if watching it at 10 years I would have felt similarly - at that age the complete lack of a strong female character would have had me legging it at the same point in the drama. I'm sure the FL eventually shows her strength, but young girls need a FL who is quickly engaging, and even if imperfect (all the better actually) admirable in some way, and a body of peers who are engaged, intelligent, yes, struggling perhaps, but not completely brainless ALL THE TIME!!!
If you are one of the apparently many who loved this drama - my reaction to it is no comment on your taste - we are all, thankfully, different!
Rant over. I feel a bit better now.

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Story is just right. Not bad but but not good enough to be lined up with i hear you're voice. Its good coz its unique. the story is not simple so you will want to finish the series. Something that I just feel so absurd (please don't take this against me) is that the guys are soooooo good looking for their love interest

The lead male is amazing. The way he changed his facial expression and overall aura from one person to another is outstanding. Something that I just feel so absurd (please don't take this against me) is that the guys are soooooo good looking for their love interest. The female lead is great too however, I don't find her matching the male lead's chemistry. I just think that they don't look together all the time.

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Updated Review 2021:

This is an updated review after a recent re-watch:

I wondered as I was re-watching this drama if I would have trouble getting through it a second time. Would I find myself frustrated and disappointed with the story? Would a second viewing ruin the feelings I had the first time around? Would I find the age gap extremely uncomfortable? Surprisingly, I found the opposite to be true. I happily breezed through the entire thing over the course of 3 days and then subsequently suffered from the wonderful/dreadful drama hangover so many of us experience when we finish a drama we’ve loved. This, of course, makes me very happy as it means that I still enjoy the drama as much as I did the first time I watched it.

So I guess I’ll go about this review by addressing the thoughts/feelings/complaints I had with the drama the first time I watched it and how I think/feel/would complain about the drama now.

1) I have to start off with the most important aspect of this drama, that being the age difference. This is going to be the make or break part of the drama for most people, and understandably so. I myself couldn’t initially remember just how wide the age gap was between the leads, and for awhile, I secretly hoped it would be only five or six years. Alas, it is eventually revealed to be ten.

To be honest, I’m still confused about the exact ages of both leads, but the age gap didn’t bother me while re-watching. Of course, that’s probably solely because the male lead is played by a much older actor, so it’s easy to ignore the gap. Would I feel the same way if this were real life and not Seo In Guk playing a character much younger than himself? Absolutely not. Real life is very different from a Kdrama. But the leads work well together, you see very little of Min Seok’s school life, and there’s no untoward or inappropriate behavior in the main couple’s relationship, so I was able to overlook it. Not everyone else will be able to do so, however, so it’s something to keep in mind going into the drama.

2) I liked Director Yoo as a character much better this time around then I did the first time. I understood him better and wasn’t as turned off by him as I had been before. Yes, he’s a dismissive and thoughtless jerk, but up to the moment with the forced kiss and the fist fight with Min Seok, that’s all he is. And afterwards, he’s incredibly respectful and apologetic towards Soo Young and even displays some nobleness in his effort to save his father’s company from possible ruin. He’s not as fleshed out of a character as he could have been (which is a shame as he could have been much more interesting and provided some real competition for Min Seok), and the story still provides no compelling reason for me to believe he actually falls for Soo Young in any way, but he’s not as terrible a character as I thought he was, and I’m happy to be able to say that.

3) This isn’t something I personally had or have any complaints about, but it is something a lot of other viewers have complained about, so I think it’s worth mentioning. We get to see how masquerading as the Director affects the hockey side of Min Seok’s life, something that ends up being a very poignant part of the drama, but we don’t see it have any effect whatsoever on Min Seok’s academic life. He never gets caught skipping school, there’s little focus on his grades, there’s little focus on his school life at all. This will bother some people as it’s an unrealistic plot hole, but it never bothered me as I was never invested in that side of the story to begin with. Ultimately, Min Seok’s academics were never all that important to him. He was clearly not a superb student to begin with and most likely didn’t have any serious plans of higher education. His goal was to play hockey, and that’s why we spent so much time watching him working, practicing, and playing with his team. It’s also why it’s so poignant and heartbreaking to see him have to give up that dream later on in the drama. Is it a flaw of the drama that this part of his life gets so little screentime? Most likely, but I don’t really care.

4) Hyung is an underwhelming character and only serves as a vote in a boardroom, the catalyst for a beloved characters death, and a transit for a massive information dump long after we needed to know most of the information. He’s disappointing, and we never needed to see him in person. I did like Seo In Guk’s performance as Hyung better this time around then I did the first time, so I’ll give props for that, but otherwise, he’s useless. (The scene where Soo Young and Min Seok’s friends mistake Hyung for Min Seok is pretty funny though.)

The thing about this drama, after tallying up the flaws and the virtues, is that there are conflicts that need to happen and secrets that need to be revealed, but the writers consistently liked to put them off till later. Instead of building up to the right moment and slowly revealing information as they story went along, they would do it all at once. This is both a good thing and a bad thing in terms of storytelling. On the one hand, this alleviates a lot of the unnecessary tension and frustration you go through in most dramas. On the other hand, it means that a lot of things play out in a way that’s not realistic. For example, Soo Young and Min Seok’s relationship isn’t discovered by anyone outside of a small group of people until the very last episode, but there’s no way they were That good at hiding it. More people should have found out or at least have been suspicious. Am I saying that I’m bothered by this? No. I got what I wanted out of the drama, so I’m happy. But it is poor storytelling, and I can admit that.

So to wrap up this review, am I more aware of this drama’s flaws then I was before re-watching? Yes. I am. But do I love it just as much or more than I did before though? Also yes. Yes, I do.

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