This one’s fun, interesting and, quite honestly, you’ll never see the end coming!
“Remember those school days you hated and loved at the same time? I am Sam brings back those days through an interesting set of characters while inspiring you to dream and achieve. Shall we take a trip back to high school?”
The Rundown
Behind the name: Direct translation = I am your teacher (Also known as: “Not in the Textbook” and “Private Lesson”)
Country: South Korea, 2007
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Broadcast by: Korean Broadcasting System 2 (KBS2), 2007
Director: Producer: Kim Jung Kyu
Compare to: (I’ll have to think about this one…)
Hate it or Love it? Somewhere in between
Synopsis in a Sentence: A gangster’s daughter needs additional attention to get through high school, so her father hires a private tutor and buys a house for them to live in; the tutor (who is also her high-school teacher) is now put in a weird position between managing the worst kids in school and keeping the gangster’s daughter out of trouble.
It starts well. You get a feel for the characters, learn about their situations, and even laugh at loud at the naiveté of the characters. You’ll empathize with their shortcomings as you anticipate the progression of the series, but then, how do I put this? It’s not a bad series at all, but the end just kills it.
On Writing: The Plot
Not bad. Some parts make you laugh, you get the feel for “public school” life in South Korea, you feel the love and growth of the characters, you get inspired by the impact of a great teacher on his students, you laugh at the stupidity of the characters, you understand the power of good friendship, e.t.c, e.t.c.
At a certain point, you’ll feel as though you’re part of “Homeroom 8” (the name of the class), you’ll be reminded of the value of formal education, and you’ll be inspired to dream big. If anything, that’s not bad writing.
(3.5/5)
On Acting: The Cast
A good one.
<- Park Min Young (Yu Eun-Byul) established herself as an actress with I am Sam. Her portrayal of Yu Eun-Byul brought you a bit closer to the meaning of the series.
Of noteworthy performance are Park Chae Kyung, who portrayed Min Sa-Gang & Choi Seung-Hyun (T.O.P of Big Bang), who portrayed Chae Musin. Both characters brought to light the difficulties faced by the students of “Homeroom 8” (otherwise known as the deviant youth of society).
<- Yang Dong-Geun (Jang Yi San) played the role of the great teacher quite well. Though his character was timid and fundamentally annoying, he was able to highlight the passion of an inspiring mentor to his students. Lee Min-Ho also highlighted the playfulness of Moses’ jovial character quite well. I can imagine that his performance in I am Sam established the beginning of his (then) mini fan base.
(3.5/5)
On Wardrobe: The Fashion
Not much to talk about here. Nothing came across as strikingly off-the-wall or even remotely inspiring, probably because most of the wardrobes just school uniform. One thing to mention though, as we’re on wardrobe—you’ll get to see T.O.P cross-dress as a woman at the end of the series. Not particularly inspiring, but laughable.
(2.5/5)
On Resolution: The Conclusion
The romance was starved throughout the series. Talk about inappropriate relationships! We understand the desire to create an off beat, we-can-try-to-make-it-work relationship in a “romantic comedy,” but a romantic relationship between a teacher and student is just plain creepy! (And honestly, improper, especially as she’s a minor). There was absolutely no chemistry between Yu Eun-Byul (Park Min Young) and Jang Yi San (Yang Dong-Geun), and the slightest likelihood for romance between them was killed by the pairing — Dong-Geun and Min-Young? Really?
If the genre was supposed to be a “romantic comedy,” we were made to forget the “romance” part of it. What type of romantic comedy has no romantic pairings? The most likely pairing for romance got killed 3/4ths into it. We would have loved to see Musin (T.O.P) and Eun-Byul pair up or better yet, a love triangle between Musin (T.O.P), Moses (Lee Min-Ho) and Eun-Byul (Park Min-Young), but that didn’t happen. I mean, what’s a high-school comedy/romance series without quirky romance and love triangles? Seriously!
(2.5/5)
The Verdict: Please, lay off the creepy, inappropriate relationships; otherwise, it’s good fun to remember just how "fun" learning can be with the right teacher, and at the same time, watch young stars like T.O.P and Lee Min-Ho perform in one of their earliest work.
Overall Score = 12/20
Watch I Am Sam [http://www.mysoju.com/i-am-sam/]
Park Chae Kyung Lee Min Ho
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