Study Group is set at one of the worst high schools where a student (Hwang Min Hyun) studies hard but struggles to do well and is only good at fighting. He joins a study group for college entrance exams, but he ends up having to use his fighting skills to keep it going.
Hwang Min Hyun plays Yoon Ga Min. He loves to study and dreams of going to college, but no matter what he does, he makes awful grades and is always ranked at the bottom. He has high hopes when attending a new school, but he soon finds himself going up against powerful students and having to fight.
Han Ji Eun is Lee Han Gyeong. She is a new teacher at the school with hopes of making a difference. The situation at the school is pretty bad though. She helps create the new study group, but she also finds herself dealing with some very dangerous students.
Study Group is an action comedy drama set at a high school. It mixes a lot of fighting with humor and a bit of heart. The drama is based off of a webtoon which is quite evident by the overall style and tone. The fighting is exaggerated and over-the-top at times as are some of the situations. You definitely want to have your expectations prepared when going into this type of show.
I would say this type of drama is not my typical style, but I had heard such good things about it that I wanted to check it out. And even though there was a bit more fighting and action then I would prefer, I enjoyed the series.
Ga Min is quite the interesting student. In a very comedic fashion, he just longs to study and get better grades. This is contrasted with the irony that he is an amazingly skilled fighter which is completely opposite to his nerdy persona.
He is so dedicated to his goal that he seeks out students to create a study group. Then he becomes the most loyal friend you could want. He goes over and above to defend his friends and his new study group when it is threatened.
The drama has an interesting story in addition to Ga Min’s study journey. The school he attends is filled with fighting. There is even a ranking system tracking who the best fighters are. And at the top, is the most powerful student, Pi Han Wool, who rules over the school like a gang overlord. Everyone bows to his wishes, and he is incredibly dangerous. The students as well as new teacher Han Gyeong learn this first hand as they find themselves in danger multiple times.
There is a nice ensemble of students that we watch develop. Many of them start out at odds, but they slowly grow closer as they share common goals. Wonderful friendships emerge from all of the trials, tribulations, as well as the joys that these students go through together.
If you like action, there is plenty of it in this show. I thought all of the fighting was well done with great choreography. The stylized, over-the-top nature of it was fun and added a nice flair.
Study group is a fun drama with plenty of humor and a nice amount of heart. Fast pacing, plenty of action, and an engaging story keeps things interesting all the way through. The soundtrack also sets a great atmosphere. Then watching the developing relationships and camaraderie between the students was very heartwarming. Overall, I had a good time with Study Group.
My Rating: 7/10
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