High School Frenemy (2024)

ROMANCE not bromance.

This is gay. ෆ

Im not joking, this show is more flaming than a pride parade float lmao.

This masterpiece of chaotic gay tension masquerading as a school drama has no business being as homoerotic as it is. I watched it expecting a fun, angsty teen soap and ended up screaming at my screen like it owed me emotional reparations ffs.

So we have Saint and Shin, two former besties turned raging enemies forced back into each other’s lives when their schools merge. Saint, the cold, stonefaced heartbreaker who apparently majored in being dead inside spends his days ignoring everyone like he is allergic to eye contact. And then there is Shin ♡ bless his hot-tempered, heart-on-sleeve self, who is ready to blow a gasket every time Saint so much as breathes in his direction.

I am telling ya'll, THE TENSION between these two could power the national grid. Every time I watched them on screen together, I felt like I was committing a fucking crime because the way they look at each other is illegal in at least 23 countries I'm not even joking. Shakespeare himself would be clutching his pearls.

Also the flashbacks are so sadistic because they just drip with the bittersweet remnants of a beautiful friendship and they give you just enough “we were once so happy” moments to leave you screaming at the screen, "JUST TELL ME WHAT WENT WRONG!" And when the big reveal finally drops...well no spoilers but let’s just say Saint didn’t exactly follow the friendship handbook.

And the acting is also so DAMN good. Their scenes have me convinced they are soulmates in some alternate universe or possibly in THIS one because they are fooling exactly no one.

My only regret is that these two didn’t get thrown into an actual BL because they are serving LOVERS so hard. They are giving us slow burn. They are giving us tortured yearning. They are giving us “I’d rather stab myself than admit I love you but oh god I love you so much”. Honestly, Saint and Shin have more chemistry in one glare than half the official BL couples out there. No shade GMMTV, but shade.

Side note: shoutout to Mark's character, who has autism and brings some genuinely refreshing and much-needed representation. He is so fucking precious, authentic and provides a nice breather from the on-screen storm that is Saint and Shin’s "friendship" crisis. NGL Mark is probably the only sane one here, while everyone else is busy having emotional stare-downs or fighting.

So, to sum it up: High School Frenemy is the most non-BL, BL series that ever non-BLed. It’s filled with emotions, teenage angst, broken limbs, unresolved sexual tension and enough romantic subtext to sink the Titanic. You will laugh, you will cry and you will absolutely scream at the screen, “JUST KISS ALREADY!” ♡

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1. GAY 2.Saint, wtf?!

1.
Tf you mean "this is a bromance?"
It's giving BakuDeku level "friendship"
Some BLs I've seen don't have as much chemistry as this does.
Denial is a river in egypt, the two leads are gay and whipped for each other

2.
Bro...
No...
Saint, tf was episode 10?
You can't be stupid enough to make the same mistake again, please
Dont walk away again

3.
Knot, ily. Thank you for having a conscience. Idk what would've happened if you didn't call Shin. He is probably my second favorite after Shin.

4.
This is the first time I'm seeing Autism representation, the second time I've seen it was in Home School. I'm pretty sure it's because of the director

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Why Are U Gay? Who Says I'm Gay?... You Are Gay.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooo. Dafug you mean this isn't a BL? All that tension is wasted on a bromance? Look, being friends is nice, best-friends? even nicer, but these two talks/look at each other like they tryna book a honeymoon suite. Respectfully, I think they should kiss each others faces and get marry... cuz aint no way that tension/chemistry/dialogue is of the friendship/bromance nature! Also, half of this cast should have died halfway through episode 1, in a coma or hospitalised from all that beatings and fighting.

What's more surprising about this show isn't that it's tag 'bromance' but screams bl. No, it's how we had 16 episodes, and no one died from all that violence. And who even showed this children how to fight and start gangs? Whenever there's a fight scene, I'm alway like, 'Ooooh, is you dead?' only for them to show up the next day at school like 'who me, nah, I should be dead but like...it's Tuesday, we have Thai language classes so...' People, how did these people survive for this long?? Especially when none of them knew how to call the damn police?

Anyway, Listen, I think the word 'Friend' should be permanently ban from Saint and Shin's dictionary, cuz these two would do/say the most questionable, inlove-ness-ness thing ever then go:
Shin: I would have forgiven you for every bad thing you ever did, if you'd have stayed. You left me behind.
Saint: I'm sorry, I thought leaving was the best thing for you. The best way for you to live your dreams and be happy.
Shin: Without you in my life, I won't be happy. Apart from soccer, you are the only thing I care about.
Saint: You are the only person I care about too. Let's take a couple picture.
Shin: Waking up to see your face is what I've wanted my whole life. I don't like you, I love you.
Saint: I love you too, Shin.
Me: awwwwwwwww *heart doing jumping jacks*
Shin: You are my friend.
Saint: You are my friend.
Me: Dishonour. Dishonour on you, dishonour on your cow, dishonour on your ancestors goat!

I can't do this anymore. And no, it's not that I want every thing to be a BL, but like the writers and director are purposely trying to drive me insane with how they are executing this friendship. Legit, every episode I'm just waiting for one of them to confess, or just lean in a little bit and kiss, so I can go... 'I KNEW IT!' cuz, friends don't look at each other's lips like that. I was legit going 'kiss, kiss, kiss' in episode 12, instead of going 'how dafug is yous still alive right now Saint, you should be in a morgue.' And when they hugged, I cheered and cried a bit. Imma need GMMTV to cast these two in a BL so my soul can rest, cuz I aint finna chill with his whole bromance thing.

GMMTV were messing with us throughout this show. In the finale, with all the longing looks, playful touches and promises of staying together forever, and the 'I love yous' in the rain with faces so close, I was screaming, yaay, finally, only for them to go 'bish you thought'. Why are they playing us like that? Never before had a bromance tug hurt so much. Well, there's The Untamed, but we don't talk about that. Cuz really, is the bromance in the room with us? Huh, you call that bromance?

Not gonna lie though, I do love their friendship. To have someone who is there for you and cares for you it’s beautiful. I love seeing them goof already and tease each other of having 'feelings' and 'blushing'. Their roughhousing is all I'm living for at this point. Seeing how close they were in the past made me sad they had a fallen out. And with the little sister, they seem like a family. Still, I won’t say no to friends to lovers XD

This show is a BL, disguised as a bad bromance, cuz we can all see the BL in neon colours. Literally every episode Saint's like 'I want you back, I love you, please be with me forever' then Shin will look at him with those longing eyes and they'd stare real hard into each other's eyes. Why is this a bromance? In what world is all that tension bromance? Nothing about Saint and Shin screams bromance. Those two are in love. Literally these was them, word for word:

Saint: The most important thing that I'm giving up is not school, it's you, Shin. I'm giving up on the chance to be with you.
Me: OMG, this a BL.
Director: No, it's a bromance.
Shin: You say, you're giving up what's important, and that means you're giving up on me. But you know what? You gave up on me a long time ago. Three years ago when you broke my leg. So, you don't get to leave me behind again.
Me: *in tears* Seeee, it talks like a bl, acts like a bl, it's a bl. They are in love.
Director: No, it's a bromance.
Me: No one asked you, Sharon. Damn!

First off, for half of the series I kept asking myself, 'are those teachers at that school even qualified to take care of the children?' It seems like no one knows what they were doing. The students just walked all over them, disrespecting them, hitting them, straight up treating them like trash. Literally, why were these children still in school? In the real world they'd have long been suspended, right? But, in the last half, the teachers pulled through. I did like how they were there for the children, and did their best for them. With how horrible those children were, they could have given up, but they didn't, and fought for them, which is all a good teacher can do.

Anyway, I enjoyed this show, a lot. The whole mystery regarding what Saint did to Shin to make him hate him so much, kept my interest. But oh boy, I was ready to pull my hair, because 6 episodes in and Shin is still going on and on, and on about how dirty Saint did him. 'You ruined my life. I will never forgive you. I will beat you up'. And I'm like sure, he's the scum of the earth, now tell me what he DID. Damn! Boy was so vague about what happened it got annoying. Cuz, my arse is nosy and I wanted to know what he did so I could judge and hate him too, but they kept dragging it. Literally, that plot device was like that one friend who always have sh!t to share but never does like:

That One Friend: You won't believe what happened to me today. I'm telling you, when the Pope finally left, the police had to fly the rest of us home on a helicopter. In the end, the president and his details had to sleepover at my house.
ME: OMG??? What the hell happened??
That One Friend: It's nothing really. I don't wanna talk about it.
ME: *Inwardly* I am stabbing you in my head.

No, but, I am so glad they finally told us what he did. And when I heard how Saint ruined Shin's dream by beaten him the hell up, broken his leg and ruining his soccer dreams, then disappearing on him after, I was like... Never forgive him. As a matter of fact, beat him some more, cuz... what?? And knowing Saint did that because he probably didn't want his 'friend' to leave him is even worse! Nah, but Saint did Shin sooo bad. Learning that and seeing how Shin still didn't seem to truly hate him made me feel even more bad for him. Yes, Saint deserved all the hate he got got from Shin. Hell, he deserved more than that, but I was so happy when he finally earned his forgiveness and they became 'friends' again, or whatever the hell they are with those longing looks.

I was all giggles in episode 11, that roof top and bike scene was everything. I won't even mention the jump on your chest hug, the lip stares or nothing. Cuz apparently those are things friends do and say, so imma shut up, and consider for the millionth time if I should open ao3 and write my own damn fanfic about these two characters with tags #notabromance #nobromancehere #saintandshinnotfriendsbutboyfriends

Anyway, my main issue with this drama is the violence. Like, what school would allow all that to happen and not expel those students? They are so violent and mean, then, they return to school the next day like nothing happened. Some of these people should be in a coma, have major injury or like dead dead. Literally, after all the beaten Shin got, he showed up to school like it was nothing. That boy should have been in a coma or in an obituary page.

PLOT: the story is interesting, though there's so many gang stuff and nonsense fighting violence going on it drags. The bad guys are so generic it hurts. Ken and the twins were so bleh and uninteresting in the beginning, but glad they got a redemption arc, an emotional one at that. That being said, it took be a while to notice they were twins and not the same person doing both part. My bad.

CHARACTERS: My fav was Chatjen, Mark really outdid himself in this role. I knew Mark was a good actor since Last Twilight, even when Boston was wrecking his heart, I loved him. And here I just loved how well he played his character. The leads, Saint and Shin are a close second, cuz I like the tension between them, the push and pull and how each makes me understand the characters they are playing. They were perfect for the role, and they managed to make it a very enjoyable show.

Secondary characters: I'd thought the supporting cast were gonna be background noise, but most of them had depth. Cable, Peeta, Chatjen. Everyone seems to have their own problems, even Ken and his friends. I can't believe this show managed to make me emotional about Ken. This character was unlikable for like 12 episodes, then bam emotions. I legit don't know if I should respect the redemption/depth arc or boo at it for being so damn emotional. The twins really pulled through for their friend, I thought they were just gonna be airheads.

Also who the heck was cutting onions during that classroom scene in episode 15?? When they all decided to be friends and sharing food... awwwwww like, I was going through it. Love how they came together in the finale as well to help Ken. See how beautiful friendship can be instead of them fighting all the time. And don't even get me started on Saint and Shin confronting the mother that they were friends and the little sister coming to hold their hands and calling Saint brother. My tears were everywhere. I aint saying it looked like one of those forbidden love story scenes, but it did. I really do love how they are ride or die for their friendship.

That shady teacher, being a bully was a surprise to no one, and that one female teacher is trying, but the poor woman is just sad. Her hitting her self had me going 'what even are we doing here?' I understand her wanting to quit, but damn woman, give yourself a break, nobody is perfect. And was I the only one who went 'My sister, enough already, just go back to teaching like we all know you will.' when they kept baby-ing her? Yes, I understood her, but it was getting to a point when I was over that whole arc. And also who the heck was her father? In the finale, she kept doing 'dad I did it, I'm a good teacher, bla bla voice over' and i'm just sitting there like, whomst?

I also like how the Eve and Airy developed from being enemies to friends. I'm satisfied with the finale we got. Was so emotional when Chatjen left. Poor dude was so happy with his friends. I'm glad the students came around, and Class 2 became friends. Loved how closer Shin and Saint seemed in the end, and how the mother had accepted Saint into the family. It seems their future is gonna be tangled together forever, cuz Saint's whole purpose in life right now is... 'Shin. I'll follow Shin everywhere. If it's not Shin related I aint want it.'

All in all, I went into this show thinking it was a bl, and was surprised when it wasn't, but the story and characters kept me watching. Plot-wise, the story has been done before. The violence was very savage and I didn't buy it that it didn't have more dire outcomes. The teachers and violence part got a bit boring, but all of them adds together, and we got a beautiful story of friendship, redemption and forgiveness, which was told with a good cast and team. I enjoyed coming back to it every week, so I'll recommend this to all drama lovers, trust me, it's as bl as it gets, so don't let the bromance tag keep you away. Trust me. This is going on my list of fav dramas this year.

ALSO. We are getting WU with Sky and Nani as leads next year!! Ahhhhhhh. I'm hearing it's another bromance. At first I was like. 'No, curses!' but knowing the chemistry of these two, that show is gonna be more intense and gayer than any bl next year. So, GMMTV, go ahead keep playing with us, make them 'friends' again, I don't care, as far as these two are in the same series together, we've won. Damn, it's gonna be a long arse wait for WU.

Aanyway, imina SkyNani.

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The value of friendship

This has to be one of the best Thai productions for this year. It surpassed expectation because Thai productions have a penchant of doing everything over the top. There were a little but easily forgiven in the overall outcome of the series portraying the beauty of forgiveness and friendship forged out of love.

The entire cast portrayed each character with infinite dedication and they truly shined. Displaying each charachers nuances to bring forth their individuality. While Sky and Nani proved the quality of actors they are, it is Mark who showed his versatility and stole the show. Mark has shown how great an actor he has grown to be, be it drama or comedy, he nails it.

While the series is based off of a Korean show School 2013, I was glad to view this on its own merits and not as a comparison. The rainbow of emotions, from dark to bright, was felt. The production did well and I especially loved the 'gay' bromance. They teased with conversations and moments that bordered on them actually being a couple, but within the last 5 minutes of the final episode, we got as close as we are going to get.

Shin staring intently in to Saint eyes, he says
Shin: " I don't like you. I love you."
Saint, caught a little off guard, responds
Saint: "Yeah, I love you, too, Saint"
They both pause, silently holding each other's gaze under the shared umbrella, recognizing and admitting what they truly feel between them.

It's may only be a matter of time.

Plot: Two schools, arch enemies, are joined and so ensues the chaos. Teenagers at their worst will create havocand that they did. The Shin and Saint on opposing sides, clash regularly mainly due to pasts hurts that can not be easily forgiven. Backed by Ken and Thui and their respective crews, the voilence is constant as each is easily aggrivated by every perceived slight. Grappling to take control of the teachers are at a losz and must use unorthodox methods to help direct them in the right direction. Eventually, the battle is won but not before the entire school goes through the very painful process of rebirth. The end result is very emotional as each lowered their pride and held on to each other for support and protection.

Criticism: The repetitive sequences of the clashes became tedious as the script struggled to create reasons for each encounter. Basically the same conversation was had. 16 episodes was too long and with better editing 10 - 12 would have been enough. Some storylines dragged on for no apparent reason.
The students were allowed to show disrespect with no real consequences. A teacher chastices herself infront of the entire class, becomes depressed and resigns before the school year ends. She is repeatedly begged to return and only does so on the 4th or 5th try. While it makes for good tv (insert copious amounts of tears flowing by said writer), in reality, what kind of message does it send to the student body? Sone charactets were one dimentional (Jeng, Principal's assistant) and became a bore. After physically abusing his son for many years, a teacher has a conversation with him and immeduately he stops. Realistically, after one conversation with no apology to his son(which would have been another cryfest), was a message that was missed. The fight scene at the end: no words to describe that mess. Why take a bromance and insert bl language to create hype? While I liked it because SkyNani have a beautiful connection and play off of each other effortlessly, the quality of the acting should bring the buzz.

This was a very good watch and I believe I would rewatch this many times. I'm going to watch the original also. The music used complemented the scenes well. Would love to see Sky, Saint, Mark P, Kay, Mark J in more projects. Honorable mention, Shin's sister was adorable and Saint's father, despite his unfavorable first appearance, brought the warmth to Saint's lonely life.
One of the best.

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This Is Literally The First GMMTV ADAPTATION I LIKED

High School Frenemy is based off of School 2013, a South Korean drama about 2 Best Friends that ended their Relationship on bad terms when one hurt the other in multiple ways. These 2 Friends Reunite when they become classmates at school. The Korean Version starred Kim Woo Bin and Lee Jong Suk. Two KDRAMA STUDS.
Would I normally even start a GMMTV ADAPTATION. Heck no, I'd rather watch dogs bark at a cat up a tree but why this one?
First I adored the Korean Version. Second Sky and Nani. Their chemistry is insane and I'm not going to lie I was so pulling for their friendship. They're friendship was more like a relationship. These guys shared a deep abiding love which is why the BL Community called this a romance and not a bromance.
Sky and Nani deliver on all pistons.
The cast was nothing short of amazing (except Mark) I'm not a fan of Mark at all seeing that guy on screen makes me want to to turn it off and to be clear I don't mean Mark that played Chadjen but the Mark that played Cable the principal's son. Every one else was fantastic in my opinion.
The other Mark, The Good Mark made me love him more than ever and the release of his upcoming BL Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist.
All the Girls did a great job. Love all of them.
Eliminate Mark as Cable and this would have been Top 10.
Did they out do Korea...no not at all but they matched them closely in their own way.Sky and Nani were excellent. Can't say that enough.
Now WU will this be a BL or another Bromance?
This series is worth the watch.

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a bRomance

Listen, if you're not looking for an almost love story between two guys, just move along. While this show is NOT BL, it's working overtime to give you the same kind of feels.

Shin and Saint have a twisted past, and after an unexpected reunion, despite how Saint tries their relationship will never be the same again. The two used to be inseparable, right and left hands in a dangerous gang, now just the sight of eachother will trigger a fight. As their story unfolds more and more of their painful history comes to the surface, a story full of mistakes and misunderstandings that leave them both hurting. It's not an incredibly original story, and it's a little more drawn out than it needs to be, but the level of tension that the story builds adds a nice touch and I'm enjoying it for the most part.

The actors really make this show, Sky and Nani are both incredibly talented and their bromantic chemistry is definitely tangible. Mark has always been a diamond but playing a sweet kid with autism was a great new stretch to his range, honestly the whole crew is packed with talent. I will say I don't know who cast this, but between Sky and their Thai language teacher, someone must have put "needs to look like they're on the verge of crying 24/7" in the requirements because... yeah it gets to be a bit much.

Good production quality, the shots were well done, and I enjoy the action packed scenes.

Overall its a little over the top to just be a bromance, and a little short of being a good BL, so it kind of falls in this weird gap of leaving you wanting more, or less I guess if you weren’t hoping for a romance. I think the acting and the chemistry makes it worth the watch either way, and the story is interesting enough to keep you wondering what happens next, so give it a try! There are still several episodes left so if anything changes I'll update the review as needed.

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GIVE MY MARK THE BEST ACTOR AWARD ?

the whole series was amazing. I don't know what I should call this, a bromance, romance or A MASTERPIECE. I'm totally in love especially with Mark. Chadjen was supposed to be just a support character but he ATE and left NO CRUMBS. I cried at the last episode. how would I describe this? this series could be a true definition of masterpiece. DO YOU WANT A BL? this series is yours. DO YOU WANT A BROMANCE? this is your series DO YOU WANT AN AWESOME HEART-TOUCHING FRIENDSHIP SERIES? come here😭 i literally have no words to describe this series.

Let me just say this.

A MASTERPIECE 😭🙌

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Did i just finish this story or this story finished me?

One of the easiest 10-star ratings I’ve given in ages. So I loved everything about this series. That's it the review.
OК ОК
Kidding I have thoughts!

I liked characters and their story. Different point of view is used, which helps us to get into the hearts of the characters.Their feelings, their connection, friendship, support and chemistry between them … all felt so real. I liked both Saint and Shin. Both have overcome some anxious stuff in their past and had different ways to deal with that but yet they made the perfect couple ....uh uh friends and balanced each other out. OK. They are friends. They are the best of friends.
GMM believes in this???
Ohh lord have mercy ...just friends, just classmates, just neighbors.You get to see them bicker and banter (their banter was insane, one of a kind ), learn eachother by pushing buttons, flirt and they take care of each other. The chemistry was off the charts. My heart was skipping beats in a way that probably wasn’t healthy. This story ticked all my BL wishes and I can't gush enough about how much I enjoyed it. OK. I miss the kisses but I can survive it. Maybe...
The plot itself is set at a great pace with a little of everything. I get that build up I long for but also get snippets of side characters that complement the story giving you a little hope at the possibilities of their futures. A little angst and suspense, bickering and banter and some real emotional moments that had my eyes leaking a many tears.
That’s not all that’s to it though, High School Frenemy also excellently highlights friendship and positive teacher-student relationships. I am inclined to say, that what this story emphasizes is the love found in companionship, in whatever form that may take.
Another aspect which makes this story fantastic is that the characters have realistic flaws and shortcomings, which makes the story and character dynamics so much more interesting and relatable.
Their actions stem from their own experiences, doubts, and motivations, so you’ll always think, “Well, I get why they did that”.


Story - Once upon a time, two friends...… or something else entirely?
Acting/Cast - It's almost impossible to find a criticism for ... OK I am biased and please forgive me.
Music The song by Sky&Nani listens like listening to the favorite songs during a car drive. I hum away with the highs and the lows, drum with your fingers on the steering wheel, and turn volume button louder and louder while smiling and I'm trying to sing the lyrics.
Rewatch Value - Can I watch this series again for the first time? Can the aliens come and do that little luminous thing, so I can forget and watch it again?

Overall this story was very intense, captivating and moving. I enjoyed getting to see these characters and loved the finale of the story, it put a huge smile on my face.

PS
Chatjen was also amazing... He was a strong, kind, sweet, incredibly good and and I love him so much.

PS1
They sold it as a bromance, but I bought it as BL

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IMINA SKYNANI

HSF was definitely worth watching. Can't believe today (the 3rd December) is the last episode already. Their acting is so great, the story is great. I'm glad I really got to know them, get to know this serie. My mondays and tuesdays with them were great, crying watching the sad scenes, crying seeing these two (SkyNani) reconcile, crying seeing these two happy and Saint defending and fighting for their friendship and Shin telling him the true reason why he was mad at him. Looking forward to WU, whether it's a BL or bromance, I'll gladly watch it. Even if these two might not be together in Mu-Te-Luv, I'll try my best to support them through all their series (even if a part of mewanna see them as BL partners). IMINA SKYNANI!!

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Best series I have ever watched in 2024. (SKYNANI FOREVER!)

I don't know what to say... this series was different. From episode 1, I was hooked! SkyNani played so well as Saint and Shin, the friendship (bromance*) between both in the series was just beautiful in my opinion, from best friends to enemies to best friends again, it just wow. The last few episodes, it was intense, and seeing Ken's (Kay) part was the saddest to me, this also made me love the friendship between Nate(JJ), Knot(Aj), and Ken(Kay) the most in the series. The way the twins care for Ken whenever he is in trouble. And especially in ep 14, when everybody hugged Ken as he cried, it made me teared up...

Overall, I highly recommend to watch this series and IMINA SKYNANI! Looking forward to their series 'WU' coming out next year!

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