Drama Digest
Juvenile Delinquency, or Hope or Dope, is a noir drama series. It revolves around a group of teenagers, who, united by the difficult and unpredictable circumstances in their life, try to find hope in dope.
Da Jung is a sweet 18-year-old. She attends school by day and after that, she has to transport drugs, pressured by her morally corrupt, abusive mother. While doing one of such deliveries, the situation gets horribly out of hand. Panicking and pushed to her limits, Da Jung decides to run away from Seoul to the countryside.
She meets Yoon Tak, a boy living in the countryside. He is a good boy, often getting good grades. He also shoulders the complete responsibility of his household, looking after his younger brother, along with their father. All of this, however, is very overwhelming for him.
From their very first meeting, Yoon Tak is drawn to Da Jung, who he finds mysterious.
She also meets good-natured Gook Hee, who has a crush on Ae Ran, his classmate. Ae Ran loves her mother dearly and she is often tormented because her mother happens to work in a pub. Da Jung also meets Yoon Tak’s trouble-making brother Yoon Jae.
Yoon Tak often tends to a garden. When she takes a closer look, she recognizes the plants as hemp or marijuana plants. On finding a money-making machine right in front of their eyes, the others decide to utilise it to change their lives.
The Feel Good Part
Since this is noir, the subject matter is heavy. The series is exceptionally made, with a wonderfully written plot and well-defined characters. To emphasize the nature of the themes, it has been shot in cool colours during the day and warm colours at night. It makes it clear to you that every moment in it will give you mixed feelings. So there are no true feel-good moments.
In-Depth Analysis
Teenagers and drugs are hardly a new concept or problem. But what this series does instead, is that it shows us the heart of the problem through the eyes of the teenagers. There is no preaching; the audience is already aware of it.
And because you see through their eyes, you feel as if you can understand their need to act the way they do. They are essentially committing a crime, but you don’t worry about them, like a parent or an adult. Instead, you are let into their secrets and misery, like a friend. And like a friend, you secretly cheer them on.
The plot is unique and brutally honest. It doesn’t shy away from showing that the characters are grey in the grey world they live in. They are emotionally vulnerable and sometimes unlucky, and that’s why the audience connects with them so deeply because they can find a friend, a parent, or sometimes, themselves in the story.
Therefore, while the audience feels sad with the characters, they are also charged by their youthful buoyancy and charm. The music is terrific.
The Disappointing Factor
This series doesn’t disappoint. However, it’s a gritty story about lost people. Some people might find that hard to digest. There is also a little emphasis on romance. Some might find this unsatisfying.
Star Power
The characters are very well cast. Won Ji An carries the cynicism and bitterness of Da-Jung with depth and understanding. Yoon Chan Young plays opposites to her as the equally nice Yoon Tak. It’s difficult not to adore Han Se Jin as Gook Hee. Yoon Hyun Soo plays the rabble-rouser Yoon Jae with ease. Yang Seo Hyun brings delicacy and vulnerability to the screen as Ae Ran.
Overall Opinion
Overall, the series is fantastic to watch. It has a very unique approach to showing the issues faced by teenagers in hostile, discomforting situations. Although they make mistakes, it is hard to criticize them as they remind us of how directionless we were at that age. You are well-advised to keep a box of tissues nearby.
