Who Are You: School 2015
Synonyms: School 6
Episodes: 16
Episodes: 16
Country: South Korea
Aired: Apr. 27, 2015 - Jun. 16, 2015
Network: KBS2
Duration: 60 mins.
Genres: Drama, Friendship, Romance, School
Viewers Rating: 8.2/10
My Rating: 9.5/10
Synopsis: Sekang High School is the most prestigious private high school in Seoul's Gangnam District, and Go Eun Byul is the most popular girl there. Meanwhile, her identical twin Lee Eun Bi is living in an orphanage and is bullied at school. Then one day, Eun Byul mysteriously disappears. Soon after, Eun Bi loses her memories and is mistaken as being Eun Byul. Eun Bi then starts living her life as Eun Byul.
Cast: Kim So Hyun - Lee Eun Bi/Go Eun Byul
Nam Joo Hyuk - Han Yi Ahn
Yook Sungjae - Gong Tae Kwang
Review
Contains a lot of spoilers!
General Impressions:
I feel like Who Are You: School 2015 ended almost like how The Girl Who Sees Smells did. It was a magnificent drama throughout the whole series, besides the last episode, which crashed and burned. I am a shipper for Tae Kwang and Eun Bi, so of course I'm upset that Eun Bi ended up with Yi Ahn, but that wasn't the reason why the ending fell apart for me. It was because of the bad writing. Not only did they rush it, they added an unnecessary time skip that could have been better dealt with if the drama was, maybe, 20 episodes long. They also completely changed Eun Bi's personality to match Eun Byul's, and that was the main reason why Yi Ahn "fell" for Eun Bi in the first place, because she had traits that Eun Byul didn't. And finally, they even changed Lee Eun Bi's name to "Go Eun Bi." Sure, I do like the idea, but it makes the whole rooftop scene with Tae Kwang, when he was the first person to call her by her real name, absolutely pointless. That was, definitely, one of the best TaeBi moments to date, and they just completely blew it off. But taking away all of those factors, this rest of the drama was bloody awesome.
Story: 8.5/10
Anyway, the story of this drama was great to follow. It had amazing potential, and the writers did an excellent job of executing this (besides the last episode, but I've already ranted about it, so there won't be any more comments on it... probably). I loved how they made sure to use Kang So Young in every possible way to make her the best bully she could have been, but I do wish that they used the video blackmail a bit earlier on because that was something that could have had a lot of action with. However, one of the main problems I had with the story is because of the Soo In incident. I feel like that only got attention during the last few episodes of the drama, while it should have gotten more.
Acting/Cast: 10/10
I had not a single problem with any of the casting choices. They were all excellent, and just because their personality was awful, doesn't make them a bad actor, it was the writers' choice to do that. First things first, the main cast. Kim So Hyun is, by far, the best teenage actor I know, and she did a great job of playing both Go Eun Byul and Lee Eun Bi. I can totally tell which twin it was because of the atmosphere, personality and just the general look. Not many actors can do that, yet she did it at the young age of 16. So amazing. Next is Yook Sungjae, my oppa. I'll be honest that I didn't really know oppa very well before Who Are You: School 2015. I have loved some of his songs with BtoB, but I didn't have a favourite within the band. But now that I've seen his acting, he is so lovable and amazing that I'm so glad I still get to see him in We Got Married. Sungjae oppa hasn't done many acting roles, yet he can take up such a complex character and execute him so brilliantly. That's true talent. And lastly, Nam Joo Hyuk. After a while, when Yi Ahn started acting like a complete jerk, I wasn't very fond of his character (but that was the writers' choice), but I could still respect him as an actor. His acting wasn't Hyun Bin level, but it was convincing and great to watch without having to worry. As for the supporting characters, I really loved the acting of Lee Pil Mo, Lee David and Jo Soo Hyang. They brought the story to life in many aspects and made the drama extra special.
Music: 10/10
How can anyone not love the music in this drama? If I have more than one favourite song/soundtrack in a drama, that means the rest of the soundtracks will be splendid as well. My favourites were Love Song by Yook Sungjae oppa, Reset by Tiger JK, and Your Name by SHINee's Kim Jong Hyun and Lee Taemin. They are so great to listen to, I have them saved on my phone so I can listen to them whenever I have the time or I just feel down in general. Love Song is my ultimate favourite though because I can listen to my oppa's voice for hours on end without getting sick of it.
Re-watch Value: 9.0/10
I would never pass up the chance to watch this drama again, but only if I watch the last few episodes' scenes with only Tae Kwang and Eun Bi because I feel like those are the only precious moments done well in the final episodes (besides the Go Eun Bi incident). Even if the ending was either open or YiBi, my TaeBi ship will always remain the ultimate true pairing in this drama, and maybe the rest of 2015 as well. Nothing can change that.
Final Verdict: 9.5/10
Overall, this drama was amazing and right until the end, I thought it would be able to beat Kill Me, Heal Me for the top 2015 drama, and Pinocchio overall. However, as things turn out, the cliche, first-lead route was taken and that ruined how this drama developed and grew on me. Make sure to watch this drama if you haven't just yet (although I've probably ruined most of the drama for you because this review does contain a lot of spoilers)! It was a lovely run of a series and I've sad to see it leave.
 |
| Tae Kwang, Eun Bi/Byul + Yi Ahn. |
+ Yook Sungjae and Kim So Hyun
+ Soundtracks
+ Excellent story
+ Brillant acting for rookie actors
- Han Yi Ahn
- Yi Ahn and Eun Bi ending
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