After hearing so many rave reviews about Study Group I decided it was time to see what the hype is all about.
Study Group consists of 10 episodes and follows our main character Yoon Ga Min (Hwang Min-hyun), a trained fighter who is bad at studying.
Ga Min is bottom of this school’s academic ranking, despite spending hours of studying and even having his own tutor whose name is Ms Lee.
He joins Yuseong Technical High School after looking for a fresh start and a place to focus on his future.
However, Ga Min is unfortunately placed in less-than-ideal circumstances as the school is full of bullies, violent pupils, and students who don’t care about studying.
what happens in study group
He ended up starting a study group after his tutor mentioned that most students’ grades go up when they do. Funny enough, Ms. Lee, who used to be his tutor, runs his group years later because she’s now a teacher at the school.
The teenager makes friends with a group of students, each with their own struggles and aspirations.
Each student has their own reasons for joining, including Lee Ji-woo (Shin Su-hyun), who wants to pursue a career as a teacher.
Kim Se Hyun (Lee Jong Hyun), who is poor and faces pressure from his father to quit his studies and learn a trade, goes against this in hopes of attending college. Meanwhile, Lee Jun (Gong Do-yu) joins the study group because he sees that Ga Min is good at fighting – and wants to learn too.
Next, we have the villains of the story—there’s a ton of them. The drama’s filled with insane, evil leeches who suck the fun and innocence out of everything.
But the worst of them is PI Han Ui mostly because he does nothing, says nothing, but still somehow manages to wreck the lives of many students at Yusang.Then we also have his sidekicks, who apart from one didn’t deserve the screen time, there is also a whole thing with the Yeonbaek Gang and the kids at Yuseong school.
So here’s a look at some things I loved and didn’t love so much about Study Group.
my thoughts on study group
The friendship element was just so heartwarming. It is the best thing ever. Ga Min Kim Se hyun, Lee ji-woo, Choi Hee won, and Lee Jun, always uplift and protect each other. They’re just a bunch of adorable humans who are dependable and nonjudgmental.
The best secondary characters in any kdrama. Aside from the main cast, I really love Ga Min’s mum. Although she is painted as the villain, trying to transfer her son to another school, it’s hard not to notice how proud she is of Ga Min throughout the series.
Eventually, she realises how his new environment is positively impacting him. She also doesn’t force him to study, and she has an impressive background in Taekwondo. Who would have expected that?
Then you have our detective in the series. Despite him knowing that Sun Cheol was voided into giving a false statement he doesn’t look at the facts. Instead, he starts speaking to the teenager on her personal level, so he doesn’t regret ruining the rest of his life.
I Hate Pi Han Ul. That’s all. He’s a serious menace to society.
Another confusing bit was when one of Pan Han UI’s minions was getting beaten up by a backup fighter. The fighter may have been stronger than him but also it didn’t seem like he was defending himself. At least Ga Min came to the rescue and saved his sorry ass.
In episode 3, we learn that Yuseong School has a mix of female and male students. However, I’m not sure if it’s just me but it seems like there’s more boys in the school than girls.
The stunning graphics in the intro!! Need I say more?
the best and worst bits of study group continued
The series is fast-paced and although it was engaging, some plot points felt underdeveloped. This rapid progression leads to a feeling that the story is moving quickly without fully exploring certain aspects.
The fight scenes. When I first started watching Study Group, I thought it would be a typical high school drama about the usual struggles—grades, academic pressure, and maybe a bit of first love. But, I quickly realized I was mistaken. I hadn’t read the webtoon beforehand, so I wasn’t prepared for how much violence would be a part of the series. Honestly, it was pretty overwhelming at times.
While I understand that the show is trying to show the challenges the characters face, the constant fighting and aggression sometimes feel like they overshadow the other important themes, like academic struggles and personal growth. I think this intense focus on violence can distract from the deeper issues the characters are dealing with, like the pressure to succeed in school and their relationships with each other. It’s almost as if the show’s message gets lost amidst all the chaos.
As much as I appreciate the effort to explore different aspects of high school life, I couldn’t help but feel like the academic themes, which I was really looking forward to, took a backseat to the constant action and drama. It makes me wonder if the show would have had more impact if it balanced these elements a bit more.
THAT ENDING! So actioned packed.
heartwarming scenes
Let’s discuss one of my favourite scenes in the series. It isn’t a part of a huge action scene or cliffhanger, but is one of those unrated scenes that melts your heart.
It’s when Se-hyun is sat with his friends in a convenience store, where they are all having ramen.
They’ve all taken their midterms and Ga Min seems stressed like he’s sure he’s failed the exam.
In a moment of comfort, he says to his friend: “What happens when you boil water? Nothing happens. Water starts boiling and it creates opportunities when it reaches boiling point.
“But nothing appears to be happening until then. Until you reach your boiling point, you might think nothing is changing at all.
“But you put energy into something steadily, a big change has to happen eventually.”
In the first episode where Ga Min questions whether he’s good enough and Ms Lee shows what an amazing teacher she is.
Also when the Study Group are painted as bad students after trying to save Sun Cheol, Ms. Lee responds by giving them words of advice. Ga Min starts by saying; “I’m sorry Ms.Lee” to which she responds “You tried to save one of our students Sun Cheol. It’s bad you endangered yourselves behind my back.
“But the gesture wasn’t wrong.” Ahhh so cute.
characters
Yoon Ga Min
Yoon Ga Min really does come across as the picture-perfect student. He’s handsome, good-natured, and smart—everything you’d expect from someone who has it all together. But, honestly, that’s not the full story. Even though he works so hard to improve his study habits, no matter how much effort he puts in, he always ends up at the bottom of the class. It’s frustrating to watch because you can feel how badly he wants to succeed, yet nothing seems to change.
His academic struggles put his dream of going to university at risk, and in a desperate attempt to improve his chances, he enrolled in a technical high school. But even that turns out to be a huge mistake. It’s heartbreaking because you see him trying so hard to make the right choices, only for things to go wrong at every turn.
This is one of those kdramas where the main lead feels like an underdog—a dark horse, really—trying to overcome impossible odds and defeat the ultimate villain. I can’t help but root for Ga Min, because despite everything he faces, there’s this glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, he can turn things around.
Ms Lee
Ms. Lee is my second favorite character in the entire show. She’s kind-hearted, yet incredibly determined to do what’s right.
What I love most about her is that she doesn’t just talk the talk; she goes above and beyond to help her students in the study group reach their goals. It’s clear that she genuinely cares about their success, even if it means making sacrifices along the way.
She also works tirelessly to make Yuseong High School a better place, even if it means stepping on a few toes or going against the traditions, authority, and even some of her colleagues.
Watching her stand up for what she believes in, no matter the cost, really made me admire her. She’s the kind of teacher who doesn’t just teach lessons from a textbook, but from the heart, and that’s what makes her such an unforgettable character.
Park Geon-yeop
Apart from being a negative Nancy I didn’t really see the point of Patk Geon-yeop being in the storyline of the show. I feel like he was always just watching and staring waiting for everyone’s downfall. The way he was with Ms.Lee and his negative perception of face study group wasn’t nice, particularly since Ms.Lee was close friend with his mom.
Choi Hee-won
She’s adorable and I absolutely love her style. I would’ve loved if the romance between her and Kim Se-hyun was explored further.
Kim Se-hyun
As much as I loved to hate him Se-hyun he was relatable. He was often torn between pleasing his parents and trying to follow his dreams.
Lee Ji-woo
I really liked Lee Ji-woo character development. In the first few episodes of Study Group she is somewhat stubborn and self centred but as the shows goes on she starts caring for others and shows her vulnerable side.
Lee Jun
I loved Lee Jun. He was always so optimistic. Even when the Study Group fell apart he always believed they would come back together. And I was so pleased he managed to excel at his fighting skills!
Overall thoughts
Overall, Study Group was faced paced, and an easy watch. Although It didn’t go as deep into everyday high school life and romances, it did show some of the tougher parts of school, like bullying and violence.
It nice to see how close the students are with their families. It could’ve included more fun, light moments, but overall, it was really entertaining and enjoyable.
