High School Frenemy (2024)

'B" in "bromance" may be missing but for sure not in "the best series of the year".

High School Frenemy is simply..... amazing. It's a mix of phenomenal acting, very good script & story and also beautiful and fitting soundtrack. If you've been avoiding this series just because "it's not a bl" - trust me and watch it. You're seriously missing out on one of the best GMMTV series of the year.

This is a story about two ex-friend: Saint (played by Sky) and Shin (played by Nani) who suddenly reunite because their classes are being merged. The story focuses on a conflict between two campuses (that are being merged) - Thep Burapha and Udon Pithak and also on a conflict between Shin and Saint. I won't go deeper into the story because it's time for you to discover it yourself :D Instead let's focus on characters and actors.

I'll start with the side characters. I love how almost every single one of them gets to shine. They're not just a background for the male leads. They are not here just to mess with them or help them just for the sake of their relationship improving/worsening. They all have their reasons as why they act like they do. We might not like some of them but we are able to understand them. They are crucial to the story. We get a lot of screentime for almost all of them while getting enough story from Saint and Shin. I think it's a perfect balance.

We also get an amazing performance from all of the actors. Chadjen, played by Mark Pakin, is one of the most important side characters. Mark portrayed this boy, who I think has some sort of disability(?), perfectly and a lot of us can agree that he was one of the most lovely characters in the whole series. There's also Ken (played by Kay) and his two best friends - Nate (played by JJ) and Knot (played by JJ). Personally their story was my favourite from all of the side characters. I really like that they're all different individuals, they have different feelings, they act differently - they're not just "Ken's gang". Also Ken is one of the most nuanced and interesting characters in the series :) Look forward to it!
Two characters that go through kinda similar things are Peeta (played by Bonnie) and Cable (played by the other Mark). First of all - their acting performance is AMAZING! I feel like they portrayed miserable feelings and emotions perfectly! You could really feel what their characters had to deal with. I also like that although their situations were pretty similar - they both dealt with it differently. Also the plot of Eve (View) and Peeta's friendship and their hardships was very good too.
In Class Two (the class of Saint and Shin and every one of these characters) there's also few more students played by Est, Prom, June, etc. but they all didn't have that much screentime OR individual stories so I won't go much into them. But they were all very good.

Not only the students are important in this story. Nothing would have ended like it did without the teachers - Ms. Jan (played by Maria) and Mr. Sung (played by Foei). They're basically the key to changes that occur in students. Both Sung and Jan are very different but as they're both homeroom teachers of Class II - they work together and complement each other very well. Ms. Jan is especially important because she is the one who often initiates help and tries to uncover the truth. They both were crucial to helping these troubled kids in becoming better people.

And now it's time for the best.... and by this I obviously mean Saint and Shin. First of all - acting. PHE-NO-ME-NAL! They're both such a good actors, they managed to convey the emotions, the characters.... flawlessly. Second - THE CHEMISTRY! People making fun of it for "not being a bl", saying that "b in bromance is silent" do these things because honestly... these two could literally be boyfriends and no one would question it. Both on- and off-screen chemistry because Sky and Nani is so amazing that they already gained a big fandom. People love it so much that most of them don't ever care if their series is a bl or not - we are all here for powerful chemistry and acting (btw the big engagement and new, big fandom literally made them get a series LAST MINUTE for gmmtv2025 - I'm not kidding, trailer for WU was filmed 6 days before the whole event.). Now diving deeper into characters. Both Saint and Shin are flawed. They make mistakes, they aren't always good, perfect people. Well the whole show is basically about fighting so obviously they cause a lot of trouble. But I think that is what makes them so... human. The show also goes deeper into reasons behind their actions. We can see how they suffer but we also can understand why and the effect it has on their actions. In the end you will probably end up loving both of them so much that it's genuinely sad to say goodbye to them. This show made me adore me so much that I giggled and blushed just by watching both of them spending time and being happy together. Truly amazing.

Another very important aspect of this series for me is music. It complements the scenes PERFECTLY. Seriously whoever put this whole soundtrack together is a genius. I love it so much that it's all I've been listening to for the past few days. Music can often either ruin or enhance my experience. In this case it's definitely the second :)

I'm very sad that this series came to an end. It made my Mondays and Tuesdays way better than they usually are and I'm truly thankful for that. I'm sure that this series will end up in all the Top 5, Top 3 series of the year rankings. For me, personally, it was the best. I haven't had so much fun watching a series in a long time and i have to thank High School Frenemy for this. To all actors, director and the whole crew - thank you so much for making this amazing show! Let's hope there's only good things waiting for Sky and Nani in the future. And if you managed to through all of this text... I'm telling you again - please watch High School Frenemy. You won't regret it.

[English is not my first language, forgive me for any mistakes]

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Redemption

I knew from jump I wanted to experience this drama. Fourteen episodes in, I am still amazed. The acting is so good, especially between Shin and Saint. I couldn't have guessed how they could revert from frenemies, but it was done in such a smooth and transtional way, I was wow-ed.

This series carries redemption in almost every characters life. From friendship, to learning, to making wrongs right.

Chadjen is the glue that holds it all together. Especially proud of the way Mark played this character. As an aunt to an autistic child, its good to see a functioning person on the spectrum.

Fighting! For the next two episodes. Will update.

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This was So impactful

it's been a while I wrote a review on this
app and this one deserves it soo much
being a part of hsf fandom since the pilot dropped and I am soo proud of the boys the whole cast and gmmtv thank you for giving us saint shin
the emotional rollercoaster of friendship
really made everything soo special
no matter how many times we joke about saint shin being in love and plz kiss each other we cannot deny the chemistry that sky nani bought to the show , it was cherry on top the music is perfect the storyline flows perfectly, evryone Got there redemption
tears were shed , bonds were made gmmtv gave us perfect example of how good teachers will always play important role in life 😭 , kudos to every actor
the director stunt team music department
evrything was perfect
and most importantly IMINA SKYNANI 🙏

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a decent show to let the ship of skynani sail

the only thing i asked from this show was for it to not be trash like some of gmmtv's shows and it delivered. but i would not say this was great or enjoyable by any means.
the show was well made in terms of sets and costumes. overall from a cinematography or aesthetic part this was good. but it was so damn repetitive.
we had a few major plot points but we kept circling around them by having the same conversation. up to ep 6, where we find out the reason for the friendship breakup, we keep on having the same conversation with saint and shin. the exact same set of dialogues were repeated for so long. same with the principal-teacher convo or any other conflict. we would repeat the same conversations which do nothing to move the story.
they could have distributed the storylines a bit more evenly, felt like we only focused on saintshin for the first half and suddenly everyone has a problem towards the end.
it might be the cultural thing but i could not understand the school system nor the two different campus things. people like this would have been suspended in my high school long ago. i could not also take some of the things they do/say cause they are supposed to be 11th graders here.
a lot of the back stories did not match the present for me. saint was so gentle abt shin in the past, the violence to him seems very out of character.
i feel like some of the other side characters could have some more depth as they were shown to blindly follow some leader. saint and the girls were shown to be close in the beginning but that friendship was not shown again.
i also lowkey didn't like how they showed chadjen. he was either a cute/weak character used to strengthen other's friendships.
the earlier episodes reminded me of home school the series so much. doesn't help that its the same director with almost the same cast. view, kay and the twins almost play the same characters in both the series.

nani impressed me so much. this is his best acting after f4. his works after that were very bad but he nailed this role. glad to see his improvement.
saintshin were friends on paper but the way sky and nani portrayed them added a layer of romance to it. almost all the episodes i was screaming at them to kiss. sky too gave a good performance
the rest of the cast were good too. this was bonnie's first series (i think) and she did well. can't wait for her gl next year. and viewjune, what we could have had. happy to see them together one last time.

so overall a decent show, this might be something skynani fans look at fondly after a few years.

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This is a BL if it was made in mainland China

Like everyone else said, it couldn’t be gayer. But I want to give props to SkyNani for such incredible acting. Although this is a "bromance," they had more chemistry than half the couples in the BL industry. They portrayed a love so deep and beautiful that I was genuinely moved.

For those like me who love BL, get ready to yell, "Just kiss already!" at least a hundred times.

The secondary characters were also fantastic, especially Chatjen, who was an amazing and beautifully crafted representation of autism. He simultaneously served as a bridge between Shin and Saint while also being their unofficial son and the head of their shipper.

All in all, it’s great. I’m eagerly waiting for the final episode!

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I expected more

The boring version of school 2013

I'm sure many would hate me for this but seriously as much as I wanted to love this, compared to the original this was so lame, and after giving it a few chances, I decided that this version isn't for me.
Now I loved school 2013 (k.ver.) so I somehow unintentionally kept comparing the two in the back of my head, and sadly I couldn't rule out for this version.
The characters are so tuned down, the bullies looks so softie and the bullied characters didn't gain my sympathy, the main thing I was excited for was Foei because I loved his character in the original series and wanted to see his interpretation for the character and somehow he did well enough to keep me watching most of it.
Now, is it a bad drama? No.
Is it unwatchable? Still no, but i had a hard time watching it, what helped big deal was the acting, and the flow of the story, and the fast pace, it manages to help me watch longer than I thought I would.
Still, it failed to keep my attention for a long time, I found myself zooming out while watching and this is probably the worst thing that can happen to me.
Generally not a bad series, compared to the original it's worse, but still watchable, the actors delivered and I would recommend it for the cast, but personally, and judging the drama as a whole I didn't like it very much.

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Amazing?

This is the first time I am leaving a review for any asian show in my whole life. The story line was so amazing. Bromance at its peak. Their chemistry was so so good and so real that everyone is rooting for them in real life too. Sky and Nani both are such amazing and great actors that took this series to a top level. Even all other supporting characters were amazing and their acting was great. Ken, the twins, Mark, the girls ,the teachers and yes our adorable chingching were very good. Loved this series to next level. I highly recommend to watch this. I hope we get to see SkyNani in more interesting dramas in the future.

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Delinquents with hearts of gold

I was browsing my favourite dramas (one of which is School 2013) here on MDL when I saw this remake.

I am not above admitting that I squealed (and proceeded to watch all the episodes released).

They made some changes to the original while keeping the most important parts. The change is just enough to make the story seem new to me, without straying too far from the core of the story. I also really like what they did about the class in order to add tension and conflict. (I do however sense that a bit of nuance from the characters have been removed, but I'll take it for what it is.)

The acting is top-notch (the guy who plays Shin? Brilliant. I somehow love Shin even more than in the original). The love-hate relationship is, so far well-executed (I'm at ep 4), especially due to the acting.

The feel of the show is gritty in a way I adore.

Note: you need to suspend some disbelief regarding head-injuries. Most of the characters would be badly concussed in ep 1 if it was entirely realistic. It does have great entertaiment value, no matter how over the top it might be.

Note: they made a character explicitly autistic and I actually quite appreciate the representation. The way the characters act towards this character is slightly infantilizing, the acting quite heavyhanded– BUT they are KIND towards him and welcome him as a treasured member of the friendgroup. And that is really heart-warming, I think, and actually made me feel good about my own autism.

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♾️/10....

💫When a person was a hot-blooded mad dog, he accidentally bit his current owner, so he became a stray dog that follows its owner around.Two old best friends divided by Past mistakes, united by love again.

Drama plot:
Which country actually allows this kind of violence in school? It was okay to beat teachers, fighting like thugs until it wasn't Shin. But when it came to Shin they suddenly became concern about students not having good surroundings.I was like Excuse me just say you have problems with Shin. Legacy of Thep burapha and Udon pithak continued but that wasn't concerning enough to School committee. Fake fighting scenes were an eyesore . When Saint was beating Shin suddenly bl0od disappeared when Shin broke his leg and started screaming. If anyone ignores cliche flaws the story is definitely good and their friendship development is eye catching specially Ken's friendship with others. The main thing is if I judge it from straight perspective no way I can forgive the person who shattered my lifelong dream who was once my best friend more like a soulmate. But yeah if Shin can do it's his life and decisions. One of the highlights for me was how the show dealt with themes of loyalty, personal growth, and forgiveness.The twins had the quickest development ever so does Ken.

📍Main plot:
Main plot for me was SaintShin ,chadjen,chingching,ken that is ♾️/10 . Dramatic intense gaze between Saint & Shin wasn't enough convincing to be mere best friends in the first place. How Shin treats Saint compared to his other friends is undeniable. The looks they saves for Each Other is like

" Gonna spend my whole energy looking at you, I don't care about you but I'll do everything a couple do just like no one is there except you, you're the last thing in the world for me , I'm kissing you definitely but no one will notice except chadjen"

The tenderness in their gaze definitely worth to compare with Chinese censored bls that is called bromance. peak chemistry these two share is amazing beyond words! Their mesmerising charm was like peeling an onion which invokes such an emotional rollercoaster after every layer. Just like lovers turning into raging enemies without hatred but angst. Flashbacks of their teenage lovely days after every two episodes was heart touching in the main time burning flames intensifying the urge to touch vulnerability. Without being couple they're already more of a couple than many of the official pairings. Every single SaintShin moment was screaming unresolved sexual tensions that's enough to make you yearn and yell at the screen "JUST KISS ALREADY". Saints' casual conversation with shin

"Giving up most important things, I love you, again I love you, I want you back like old days, I'm not giving up on you, you'll end up with me , I'll do everything whatever you say ,give me s hug,are we dating or just friends, you're everything to me, couple pictures,etc" which ended with both of their confessions.

Kudos to Sky and Nani to convey every part perfectly or more than perfection. Y'all already noticed just how much Nani improved since his past works . It's really deserves appreciates and Sky as marvellous as always . And Mark the phenomenal actor as chadjen proved again how great he is. Except teachers and school committee everyone did the best of them. Kudos to everyone👏🏻. Special Kudos to sweet little girl who acted as chingching definitely my most fav character with chadjen. This is SkyNani's first work together and they won our hearts to the extreme level that everyone around them admits.

This show proved that it's possible to create an engaging BL with a strong script, solid acting , perfect screen writing with genuine levitating chemistry between two boys .

Trending on twitter every week is unusual for Lakorns mainly without being old ship,old couple and limited marketing is really something. To sum up they used queerbaiting but I don't mind at all instead I liked more & more. Definitely a great BL without being BL . They made history being the first non bl couple to receive such massive support through their natural chemistry .

I'm sorry if there's any mistake or feels like less.. I'm overwhelmed and extremely happy that reviewing this one feels like touching a vulnerable soft thing that shouldn't be touched 🥲. . Damn 8 week of rollercoaster feelings that made my facial structures different from genuine blushing and giggling 🤭.

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BOYS WILL BE BOYS

Guys for CRYING OUT LOUD I guess we should really check out HIGH SCHOOL FRENEMY.

Two stubborn guys,
They fight like a divorced couple,
Make it look like one hell of a Romantic betrayal I can't possibly resist the urge of SHIPPING these guys and trust me you won't.

It feels pretty much like a queerbaiting show,
We have two Tops, sure the fighting gets intense, somehow annoying, 99.9% nonsensical but you're gonna pray to see these guys in a BL after seeing them going through the CAT AND MOUSE phase to the HARD TO GET LEVEL.

Never thought that a "PLATONIC UNBROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP WOULD GIVE ME THESE MANY BUTTERFLIES. LOL" 😘

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