I was in the mood for a gritty, gory crime/thriller, and this one fit the bill!
“Dreams are expensive.”
The Rundown
Behind the name: Literally: Human Class, 인간수업
Country: South Korea, 2020
Genre: Gritty, Thriller-ish, Crime
Production: Studio 329
Director: Kim Jin-Min
Writer: Jin Han-Sae
Distribution: Netflix
Cast: Kim Dong-Hee (as Oh Ji-Soo ), Park Joo-Hyun (as Bae Gyu-Ri), Jung Da-Bin (as Seo Min-Hee), Nam Yoon-Soo (as Kwak Ki-Tae), Park_Hyuk-Kwon (as Jo Jin-Woo), Seo Ye-Hwa (as Na Sung-Mi), Kim_Yeo-Jin (as Lee Hae-Kyung) & others
Hate it or Love it? Love it
Synopsis in a Sentence: Oh Ji-Soo is a top student with a stellar record--he keeps a low profile and stays out of trouble, while maintaining a side hustle that’s enviable to any prostitution ring, until he’s blackmailed by a fellow student, and then his life, and the lives of everyone he knows, start to unravel...
On Writing: The Plot
The story is sooo original! Especially for the South Korean TV industry that shies away from the gritty bits of society. It shows everything; bares it all out, and captures the nuances of issues from the societal and individual angle, reflecting the “ungodly” aspects of society that’s part and parcel of every community and country, and the reasons behind the developments of such aspects. It’s a great story, well written, craftily captured, and fabulously executed.
Three cheers for the plot!
(4.5/5)
On Acting: The Cast
A very well cast crew!
Oh Ji-Soo is brought to life by Kim Dong-hee, and he is very good, very credible, in showing the nuances and layers of the character’s state of mind. It’s easy to develop empathy for such a layered character in such a gruesome business. And it’s a job well done!
Bae Gyu-Ri, played by Park Joo-Hyun, is the numb daredevil, and spoilt rich kid, who has no qualms with blackmail, and Park does a top job of it.
Seo Min-Hee is the girly girl/or the subject of the story, and actress Jung Da-bin relays her so well, she’s relatable and understandable and annoying in good balance.
Bully, Ki-Tae is Nam Yoon-Soo in this drama, and he’s so convincing, we think of him as a heartless hoodlum which means, great job, actor!
And for the adults in the series, the home room teacher, Jo Jin-Woo, played by Park Hyuk-Kwon and Detective Lee Hae-Kyung illustrated by Kim Yeo-Jin, are fabulous and give authentic renditions of their characters.
So overall, a very well played cast!
(4.5/5)
On Production: The Creativity
Production is very nicely suited to the genre. The music selection is fabulous, and creativity is exceptional. Everything from the script to the cast is brought together by the production and it’s a job so well done, it’s almost unreal.
Shoutout to the production team behind the scenes who never get enough credit for what they deserve!
(4.5/5)
On Resolution: The Conclusion
It ends so well, we’re wondering if there’s a season 2, and we hope there is, but even if there isn’t, it’s a realistic resolution, and it’s very well done.
(4/5)
The Verdict: An enlightening, thorough, nuanced, and gritty rendition of society!
Overall Score = 17.5/20
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