Drama Digest
KBS is back with its popular School franchise series. School 2021 is a story set in Nulji Science and Technology High School, a specialized skill-based school that trains students vocationally. The drama delves into how the 18-year students protect their dreams, love, and friendship. Kong Ki Joon is confused about what to do after giving up taekwondo. Jin Ji Won is determined to become the best carpenter in Korea from childhood. Kang Seo Young is preparing for the college entrance exam to enter one of the top five universities in Korea. The three of them are in the same class. Young Joo is the new transfer student who was friends with Ki Joon in the past. He is known for his mysterious behaviour in school.
The Feel-Good Part
The students in this drama are more real to life as in all School franchise series. They are not flashy. The second female lead, Kang Seo Young, was a great character. Reum Byeol was excellent in her role in portraying Seo Young. The music and OSTs were catchy, soothing, and pleasant.
The Disappointing Factor
The plot is hugely generic and predictable. The acting was not up to the expected level. The story mixed up many subplots, and there were a lot of unnecessary characters. Only the main male lead had character development. There was also too much adult involvement in the lives of the students. More deep exploration of student life at a vocational school was necessary. Pretty much all the School franchise dramas have had bad management schools. The writers should move on and come up with something else.
In-Depth Analysis
Ki Joon and Young Joo lost their best friend while playing in the sea. They blame themselves for the incident and are unable to overcome the trauma. Their friendship had a fall-out after the incident. Ki Joon, Ji Won, and Ho Sung are childhood friends. Ji Won is one of the top performing students in the carpentry class, known for her burning passion and skills. She cannot stand injustice and tries her level best to change the situation. She can stand alone protesting the wrong dismissal of their classroom teacher. She is a bubbly girl who puts on a smile always despite having not-so-supporting mother. Ki Joon and Ji Won like each other, but they are afraid to express themselves because of a misunderstanding. Ho Sung has a crush on Go Eun Bi, a classmate whose dream is to be an idol. Ho Sung openly shows his love to Eun Bi and they are cute to watch. Nothing can stop him from loving his beautiful Eun Bi. Eun Bi is close with Kang Seo Young, the top student in their class. They both share a beautiful bond but are very blunt in showing their affection. Nulji Science and Technology High School does not have good management. The students are directly affected by this. Young Joo transfers to the school. Young Joo has a secret reason for his transfer and Kang Seo Young asks Young Joo to act like they are a couple due to a circumstance. Lee Kang Hoon is the new teacher at the school. He always ends up hurt while doing the right things. Koo Mi Hee is the chairwoman and is thirsty for power. Every character in the drama have their own secrets which unfolds as the plot develops and moves forward. Together, Ki Joon, Ji Won, Young Joo, and Seo Young fight the management for better school life. They also deal with the problems in their personal life.
Star Power
In the lead roles, we see Kim Yo Han as Gong Ki Joon, Choo Young Woo as Jung Young Joo, Jo Yi Hyun as Jin Ji Won, Hwang Bo Reum Byeol as Kang Seo Young, Kim Kang Min as Ji Ho Sung, and Seo Hee Seon as Go Eun Bi. In the other important roles, we see Jun Suk Ho as Lee Kang Hoon Teacher, Yoon Yi Reh as Lee Jae Hee, Lee Sang Jun as Lee Jae Hyuk, Park In Hwan as Ki Joon’s grandfather, Kim Gyu Seon as Song Chae Rin Teacher, Lee Ji Ha as Chairperson, and Kim Min Sang as Head of the school affairs department. We see Jo Seung Yun as Ji Won’s father, Kim Soo Jin as Ji Won’s mother, Lee Ha Eun as Jung Min Seo, Park Ga Ryul as Jo Tae Ri, Cha Joo Wan as Choi Tae Kang, Kim Jin Gon as Hong Min Ki, Park Keun Rok as Shin Chul Min, Shin Chul Jin as Oh Jang Seok, Go Eun Min as Kim Young Na, Kim Ye Ji as Jin Jin Soo, Min Jin Woong as Jung Min, Tae In Ho as Kim Moo Myung Teacher, and Kim Hee Chang as Employee.
Overall Opinion
The KBS School 2021 series has tried to tap into a new genre of storytelling with a generic plot. The audience who have not watched the old franchise might like this show, but it is difficult for those who have already watched at least one of them.
