Friendly Rivalry Review

I sometimes enjoy watching school dramas, but unfortunately, Friendly Rivalry left me disappointed.

The series had so much potential, but unfortunately, it fell very flat, especially halfway through.

The show centers around Woo Seul-gi (played by Chung Soo Bin), a new student at a highly competitive school.

She joins the school after being relentlessly bullied at her previous one. Seul-gi was raised in an orphanage after being abandoned by her parents.

She arrived at her new school and crossed paths with Yoo Jae-i, a perfect student whom everyone adores.

Jae-i is smart and determined, but also has her sights set on gaining admission to Korea’s top medical school, a goal that Seul-gi shares.

At first, it seems like a typical school drama, focusing on the rivalry between the two ambitious students.

However, things quickly start getting confusing.

It becomes somewhat baffling when it appears to mix different genres, and the plot easily lost me.

It felt unsure of what it was trying to be.

Another issue I had with Friendly Rivalry was the title itself, which didn’t seem to fit the show’s content.

The rivalry between Seul-gi and Jae-i wasn’t nearly as strong as the title implied.

The side characters themselves were also hard to boring. We have Jae-i was cold and weird and very unpredictable.

She was so obsessed with Seul-gi it didn’t make sense – apart from the obvious fact that she liked her. But this wasn’t explored.

Meanwhile, Seul-gi often came across as overdramatic and annoying.

There were moments that felt like the show was engaging in queer-baiting.

Friendly Rivalry could’ve been an interesting drama, but the plot felt all over the place.

I didn’t feel any suspense, especially as the drama between Jae-I and her dad came to a head.

However, the only thing the show did well was depict the reality of the brutal school system.

Overall, the series left me feeling unsatisfied and confused by its boring plot and uninteresting characters. It’s definitely not one for me.

Disclaimer: all options are my own, just my personal take and not influenced by anyone else.

Trigger warnings: sex and nudity, suicide, alcohol drugs, smoking, swearing.