Kdrama Deep-Dive Review: From Logic-Defying Fights to the Real Stakes in Life
I was totally delighted when I started watching Study Group with—as I mentioned in my intro piece and will say again and again, because he is just so adorable—the bespectacled, innocent-looking young fella with god-like fighting abilities. But as I kept watching, I started noticing something that unnerved me. The fight scenes were so ridiculous and utterly impossible.
And then it hit me—the producers and directors of the drama had done something brilliant. They brought a manhwa to life. And since I’m not a fan of anime or animated manhwa to begin with, this was absolutely perfect. I watched it with pure glee—and you should have seen my face!
Now, don’t get me wrong. I do appreciate anime, and I’m still reading my all-time favourite manhwa Eleceed. But when it comes to animating it, that’s when I feel the rubber meets the road—and almost always, it falls short of capturing real facial expressions on a real face. And that is where Study Group comes in to hit the spot.
Take this scene: Gamin is in class on the fourth floor when he sees someone—Jun—clutching a registration form, a sign that he wants to join the study group Gamin is starting. But Jun is being beaten up by bullies, and the form is ripped apart. Gamin has a deadline to gather enough members to make his study group official. He needs Jun. So, what does he do?
I sat there, eyes wide, not believing what I thought he was about to do. And then—he does it. He jumps. Down four floors. Lands in a perfect crouch. What?!
With that scene alone, this drama may have just secured its place as one of the most iconic manhwa adaptations in history. Or maybe I’m exaggerating—but you wouldn’t think a k-drama about a study group would remind me of Kill Bill, and yet, here we are. The over-the-top action, the sheer audacity of it all—if Tarantino made a manhwa adaptation, it might look something like this… or maybe not. He wouldn’t be as fun, just as Study Group wouldn’t be as dark.
And then we have Gamin, striking his Ultraman-like pause before unleashing his final and ultimate signature move—his uncle’s forbidden secret techniques. He pauses. Then he strikes. And then, of course, he wins.
For a kid who struggles academically in school, Gamin has an uncanny ability to read his opponents. Sometimes, he even lets himself get beaten—for a purpose. Like when he allowed himself to be flung around the room just so he could snatch the pen drive from the PC console mid-air. Or when he deliberately took a hit, just to stop Hanwool from crushing the poor guy he had pinned beneath his foot.
But is Study Group just a string of absurd fights? Or is there something beneath all the flying punches and bone-crunching kicks?
That’s where the drama leans into a familiar k-drama theme: the use of power and influence to exploit the weak—through fear, money, and outright torture. And it’s not wrong—to call out that theme from a storytelling perspective. These despicable acts need to be exposed. They happen in real life, often unseen until they happen to you. And how blessed we are, sitting comfortably at home, watching and enjoying the drama from a safe distance.
When we see the teachers bowing to those they should be standing up to, we sneer at them, calling them out for failing to make a difference, for not standing by their values. But have you ever considered—if you were in their position, would you truly do any different? Would you risk your job, your safety, just to stand against forces far more powerful than you?
And that’s exactly what Ms. Lee, their homeroom teacher, did. And for that, she was nearly killed when someone broke into her house in an attempt to silence her.
That is why strength isn’t just about fists flying—it’s about standing your ground, even when the cost is high. And maybe that’s the real genius of Study Group. It doesn’t just bring a manhwa to life through wild, exaggerated fights—it also brings its weighty themes to life. Power, corruption, survival—all wrapped up in a story that’s as gripping as it is ridiculous.
And at the end of the day, fists can only do so much. The real fight? That’s deciding where to stand and when to stand—even when every instinct tells you to run.
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