The ‘school dramas’ that were synonymous with pure and innocent youth have changed.

Their stories, which are depicted as brutally honest, such as ‘entrance exam competition’, and ‘school violence’, are capturing the attention of viewers.

The currently airing TVING drama ‘Study Group’ and LG U+ ‘Friendly Competition’ are gathering attention by simultaneously depicting stories of teenagers.

The two dramas are getting responses that say they are “stories more realistic than reality” as if they are looking into ‘human society in miniature’, but some point out that the risk of ‘copycat crimes’ among teenagers could increase. Coincidentally, the reason that the two dramas depict stories of teenagers and have ‘youth viewing prohibited’ is also for this reason.

‘Study Group’, starring former idol Hwang Min-hyun, tells the story of high school student Yoon Ga-min (Hwang Min-hyun) who forms a study group and prepares for the college entrance exam.

In the process of Hwang Min-hyun, who wears black horn-rimmed glasses, revealing his ‘fighting prowess that he cannot hide, it portrays the cruel reality of school violence. The ranking is determined by fighting, and it is not a problem even if students who are victims continue to fight.

Director Lee Jang-hoon, who was in charge of directing, added cartoonish fantasy elements so that attention is not focused solely on ‘glorifying bullies’, ‘eninciting school violence’. Thanks to this, it recently rose to the top of ‘Today‘s Tving Top 20’, and also ranked first in the number of weekly paid subscribers to Tving.

‘Friendly Competition’, which became a hot topic due to Lee Hye-ri’s drastic transformation, is the same. The thriller depicts the fierce college entrance exam competition and vividly depicts the desires of high school girls.

Lee Hye-ri, who plays the role of Yoo Je-i, a genius high school girl, does not hesitate to use any means necessary to not lose her position in the top 0.1%. She often pours harmful drugs into her mouth, and as her relationship changes from friendship to ‘obsession’, she even shows a kiss scene between two people of the same sex.

Director Kim Tae-hee, who is in charge of directing, said at a recent production conference, “It realistically captures the emotions of teenagers, but it is not a work targeting teenagers.”Through preliminary research, I tried to realistically capture the thoughts of teenagers these days. Rather than a high level, I thought about what would reflect reality better.”


Reporter Lee Jeong-yeon annjoy@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.