School 2013 VS Who Are You: School 2015

Now that a School 2017 is in the works at KBS, I figured I'd write a comparison post for the dramas which inspired it.
  In the early 2000s, KBS released four segments of the School series, which is now known for launching some of the most popular Korean actors and actresses of the decade. Well, in 2013 it was revived with School 2013, and it's the drama we have to thank for all the Lee Jong-suk and Kim Woo-bin we see on our screens nowadays. Then Who Are You: School 2015 came about, sporting a plot about as different from School 2013 as possible. But which was better?

NOTE: The spoilers I've mentioned are crucial in understanding why these shows are or are not good.

School 2013 is a drama portraying the events of a less-than perfect school, and the students of Class Two. This differs from other school dramas I've watched like Great Teacher Onizuka or Gokusen, because it's far more grounded and realistic. The teachers and students are normal people with normal problems. What this drama really did right was capturing the opinions and dilemmas of high school students, some of their issues were very relatable.

  The students were each very unique, with different circumstances and views. My personal favourite was Go Nam-soon, a stoic and quiet boy on the surface who prefers to stay away from unwanted attention. In reality, Nam-soon has more than a few secrets and stays isolated to stop anymore incidents happening. Nam-soon is the favourite target of the school bullies, and he's pretty passive towards them, until a face from his past appears and stirs up all everything he tried to bury. Lee Jong-suk did a fantastic job of relaying how much Nam-soon's memories and regrets tortured him, it was quite the impressive performance. Go Nam-soon and Park Heung-soo's angsty journey to putting the past aside was the highlight of the drama for many. Lee Jong-suk and Kim Woo-bin are actually best friends from their modelling days, so it's far to say they had undeniable chemistry.

  The dynamic between the teachers was the other noteworthy thing I've taken away from this show. The relationship between Jung In-jae and Kang Se-chan was really heart-warming. I threw a fit when I realised the two main leads of Baby Faced Beauty were acting together again, and it was as entertaining and adorable as I expected it to be. Although the two of them had very different approaches to educating and opposed each other on almost every issue, they eventually came to admire each other for embodying what the other lacks. My favourite moment of the series was when In-jae wanted to give up and leave, but Se-chan told she was the teacher he wanted to be. Watching them become solid partners who, together, could find the best path to successfully guiding their students was wonderful. As usual, Daniel Choi and Jang Nara were just golden.

  In conclusion, although I believe that this drama was well written and the actors did a great job, I feel that occasionally it was rather unbalanced. I lost interest in some of the more mundane story lines, but the stellar cast and amazing chemistry made up for it ten-fold. Overall I enjoyed it greatly and would recommend it to anyone who can’t resist a heart-warming school drama.

Who Are You: School 2015 was the first Korean drama I  heard of in advance, watched the trailers for, witnessed the premiere of, and followed until the end. I was so happy with it for the majority of it's run - and then it imploded. How can something so good go so wrong?

  Rather than attempting to portray realistic school life like it's predecessors, Who Are You: School 2015 was a mystery about a pair of twins, Lee Eun-bi and Go Eun-byul. Somehow, these two went to separate homes as children. Eun-byul was adopted, whereas Eun-bi lived in care her entire life. 

  Like School 2013, there was a nice blend of well-known actors and new faces. The casting was pretty strong for the most part. This drama was undeniably a great choice for Kim So-hyun's first leading role - she's an incredibly talented girl, so telling her twins apart was a breeze. From their facial expressions, to the way they talked and moved; Eun-bi and Eun-byul felt like completely different people. Nam Joo-hyuk was far less stunning - this is partially due to the fact his character was poorly written, but he also didn't seem ready for a main role. He's improved massively since, though, and his character in the ongoing drama Weighlifting Fairy Kim Bok-ju is adorable. The breakout star here was Yook Sung-jae. His Gong Tae-kwang was this mouthy, cheeky, tortured boy; and he was the only one to treat Eun-bi as herself. It's no mystery why fans of the drama everywhere were raged when he was sidelined by Eun-bi for stupid Yi-an at the last minute - because love is mysterious? 

  Who Are You: School 2015 hardly resembled School 2013 at all, which depicted a more stark and realistic version of school. Frankly, I found this more entertaining. Whilst each character in School 2013 was beautifully written and resonated with me far more, School 2015's eerie and dark tone with an extra twist of romance kept me invested throughout most of the show.

  But everything that was good about this show was ruined by a nonsensical and heartbreaking ending. I won't describe it, because a blood vessel in my head might burst if I think about it too hard, but it did no justice to the rest of the show and that is just plain sad. 

To conclude, although I liked School 2015 much more, School 2013 is the one I'd have to recommend here, simply because the writing and actors pulled through consistently until the end. I know whether or not the writers, directors and producers of Who Are You: School 2015 suddenly hated the drama they'd created, or if they just had a shared moment of madness; but the show's ending completely destroyed everything that I loved about it in the first place! In comparison, School 2013 was solid. 

  According to KBS, School 2017 will go back to the roots of the series, which is quite a relief. I'm cautious, but ultimately optimistic for what the new year may bring.