Movie Review: Duty After School
I made this review to rant... also please don't watch this drama!
You can watch Part 1 though, it’s really good😒
I am writing this with a lot of pain and anger. I can’t call this constructive criticism because I'm really upset😭
This review is long af but I promise you it’s a good and funny read.
Personally, I don't think the plot of the drama made sense from the beginning because why are you sending kids to fight aliens in exchange for points for their college exam? The script was just terribly written from the start.
I get the message they were trying to convey about how humans are evil, but it still doesn’t excuse the insane plot holes the drama had.
Who writes an ending like that? There is a reason why everyone in the Kdrama fandom is calling it the worst ending in the history of Kdrama because it is!
Personally, I think the drama should have been named “All of Us Are Dead” instead of “Duty After School” because it suits it better.
Let’s talk about the plot a little before I dive into the characters…
It is basically a typical alien drama with the same plot of them coming to destroy every human on Earth, but the only difference with this one was the government sending kids out to fight the aliens in exchange for extra points for their college entrance exam. The funniest part was their parents signing them off without thinking twice. Why are you signing your kids off to go shoot guns? At Aliens? THEY ARE KIDS! But I guess desperate times call for desperate measures.
It’s interesting how brave they got later on and decided to fight back against the spheres even after seeing their classmates get killed. I loved their character development a lot. It would have been great if the drama ended on a good note instead of the traumatic ending we got.
I personally think the directors of the drama decided to release Part 1 first because they knew how bad Part 2 was😭
Let’s talk about the cast (Can I point out that I had no idea who the main characters were, so I’m just going to select a few and talk briefly about them).
The Spheres (Aliens)
The main characters! They were just too smart. The way they think and attack is scary. They’re criminals! They have criminal minds lmao.. too bad they didn’t get enough screentime💀
Lee Chun Ho
The best platoon commander! He was literally the only sensible adult in the drama that saw no reason as to why they had to send kids to fight aliens. There was no reason for him to die the way he did. I don’t know, but the writers could have changed his storyline a bit so he could live and maybe focus on giving us a better ending. He trained them so well though, their growth as individuals is all thanks to him. He will forever be hot to me skjskjsk.
Kim Chi Yeol
He was my favorite from the beginning, light as the sun and calm as the sea. All the time he used to contemplate whether he should ask Kim Na-ra out pissed me off more than the spheres killing everyone. It was only natural that he was one of the few who survived in the end. He has a kind heart.
Kim Na-ra
The coolest one out of all of them. I am so glad she survived because all that bravery she had would have been for nothing. She was the only character who wasn't annoying from the beginning. I know she liked Kim Chi Yeol back, but she was just waiting on his stupid ass to speak up first… he never did.
Do Soo Cheol
The visual of the drama! I had to go look for his other dramas after this because I needed to see more of that pretty face. His death pissed me off, but at least he died in the hands of spheres and not his classmate. 💀
Kwon II Ha
He annoyed the hell out of me in Part 1. I really can't stand bullies, to be honest! But I loved his growth in Part 2. He became one of the strongest characters in the drama, and it's sad how that led to his death. Maybe, just maybe, if he had stayed a bully, the massacre wouldn't have happened. (I don't support his attitude, but I kind of needed that attitude in the last episode).
No Ae Seol
To be honest, when Bo-ra kept complaining about her in Part 1, I was on Bo-ra's side because, as demeaning as those words were, Bo-ra was right. Ae Seol is slow and pure, and it’s that pureness that almost led them to their death. There’s no reason for anyone to be that gullible, especially when facing the end of the world. But that aside, she ended up being the one saving a few of them at the end, so cheers to character development.
Yeon Bo-ra
Literally one of the coolest characters. As annoying as she was at the beginning, she was very realistic, and most of the things she predicted earlier came to pass. I hated how she bullied Ae Seol, but she was being realistic. Her death hurt me.
Jo Jang Soo
Y'all! I'm still mourning. His death hurts me so much! I had to pause the drama after he got shot. There was no reason for him to have been killed by his classmate that way. No reason! After everything he had done for them and him. Nahh, the writer messed up on this one.
Kim Ju-Yeong
She was their mother, literally! I don't think they would have gone far without her. She handled them so well because if it was me, I would have slapped them numerous times for always screaming and complaining.
Jo Hyeong Shin
A GREEN FLAG! That's just what he is. I would have called him FATHER, but HUSBAND is a better word *brings out wedding ring*
Cha So Yeon
Really wished she would have spoken up earlier maybe it would have prevented the massacre but she was in shock and I can’t blame her. I blame the directors and writers.
Kook Yeong Soo
I have words! Words I can’t say here because it would be too vulgar and Substack might have to send me a warning. I have curses in my head that I would like to pour onto this character but let love lead. Right from the first episode, I knew he was going to be an issue, I knew he would cause big problems for them but I didn’t know it would be that BIG. He got scared he was going to get found for killing II Ha and sexually assaulting So-Yeon so he decided to kill every one of them. That scene broke my heart to pieces, I couldn’t move for minutes after watching the scene, like what just happened? They were so happy that they were going home and he decided to just end their lives like that? I’m so mad at him, and that just makes him a good actor for bringing that kind of emotion out of everyone. This is all the writer’s fault btw.
I have searched for ways to sue the writers because I'm so mad.
What makes it more annoying is that the drama never ended like this in the webtoon. They all survived in the webtoon, but the writers felt they were smarter and decided to change the storyline. It hurts! I shouldn't have watched it, but I was looking forward to it so much.
I hope the writers know I'll never forgive them. I'm overlooking every other plot hole, like why is there no mention of the second platoon commander in Part 2?
I would have preferred it, if they had died at the hands of the spheres because that is what the drama is all about - the spheres!
Why not just follow the webtoon? What is wrong with you?
Duty After School had so much potential, it's a shame the writers messed it up.
I recommend watching Part 1 though. It was really good. The drama should have ended there… pfft.
Sorry o🤭