Index

Viral Hit ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

Country: Japan | Year: 2026 | Episode: 6 | Channel: Netflix

Cast: Oji Suzuka, Ai Mikami, Araki Sugou & Meru Nukumi
Plot: Kota Shimura is a high school student with a difficult life. His mother is hospitalized and he is constantly bullied by his peers. One day, he accidentally fights with a classmate during a livestream. The video receives a lot of views. That’s when Shimura realizes that he can make money out of fighting.

Review: This drama caught me by surprise. If you forget the crazy context of the show in which students can fight for a living, parents encourage them to win, teachers don’t seem to care about bullied students at school, the drama is quite entertaining and good. I literally binge-watched it! The main quartet is quite interesting. Shimura is defenseless, but he learns how to become stronger and fend for himself. He’s a symbol of hope for all students who are in a similar position. I was so involved in his fights and rooting for him. The story is also about friendship (Shimura and Kanegon), romance with Aki and Kaho, but first and foremost resilience. Characters develop the ability to go through life and fight back against people who try to dictate their lives. I highly recommend it!

Teach You a Lesson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

Country: Korea | Year: 2026 | Episode: 10 | Channel: Netflix

Cast: Kim Moo Yul, Jin Ki Joo, Lee Sung Min & Pyo Ji Hoon
Plot: School teachers have a hard time to discipline students which causes serious social issues. So, authorities create a new organization named the Educational Rights Protection Bureau. Na Hwa Jin is part of it and is thus sent to a problem school as a supervisor. There, he can educate students without any restrictions.

Review: Desperate situations require desperate methods. I think that’s exactly what we should focus on with Teach You a Lesson. I get the controversy related to using violence to educate – it was already an issue in the original webtoon. However, I personally liked the drama and the way they explained why violence can be a necessary evil in certain situations. Schools are ruthless, students are bullied, teachers are powerless, the system is defective and laws never protect victims. In that context, the sentence ‘give them a taste of their own medicine‘ is the only solution to tackle these problems. That being said, there is something satisfying to see bullies (whether it’s parents, teachers, students or else) being punished for their wrongdoings. Each episode also teaches a valuable lesson, not only to ‘villains’ but also to viewers. These problems are real in our society and require actions. Of course, the drama remains a little bit idealistic, as they don’t mention the consequences of such methods on bullies nor do they give actual action points that can be implemented in real life. But at least, it exposes the issues loud and clear. On top of that, it’s entertaining. I just enjoyed watching Na Hwa Jin in his sexy black suit educating everyone, the Minister of Education was so upright and righteous, Im Han Rim was crazily lovable and Bong Geun Dae such a cute and innocent genius. I can only recommend the show, I loved it!

Absolute Value of Romance ⭐⭐ (2/5)

Country: Korea | Year: 2026 | Episode: 14 | Channel: Coupang Play, Prime Video

Cast: Kim Hyang Gi, Cha Hak Yeon, Kim Jae Hyun, Kim Dong Gyu & Sohn Jeong Hyuck
Plot: Yeo Ui Ju is an ordinary high school student during the day and a romance novel writer at night, using her handsome teachers as her main characters. One day, she unexpectedly meets four of them in real life which turns her school life upside down.

Review: I’ll admit that I have mixed feelings about this drama. On the one side, it was a cute and funny high school story. Yeo Ui Ju is a teenager who simply wishes to fulfill her dream to become a writer. She’s determined and strong. I also liked how they intertwined reality and fiction, using her teachers as main characters of her novel. On the other side, I felt like there were some issues with the overall plot. Teachers are quite irresponsible, always putting Ui Ju is a difficult position (like when one asks her to film her teacher’s class or by giving her demerits for no reason). My other issue resides in the negative view characters seem to have on BLs. Ui Ju writes BL novels and everyone around her judges her for that. It felt like her friends, parents and teachers were quite narrow-minded. To me, the dislike was disproportionate. Same for her writing novels. Yes, she should not use real people as inspiration and protect their privacy, but what is the issue with just being a teenager and writing a book? For these reasons, there are some parts of the drama that I didn’t like.