Backstreet Rookie is a tough one because it created so many controversies that I can't even count them lol. lSome were unfounded like the ones against the protagonist couple. Problematic scenes? where? They barely had any romance scenes at all so ??? Ok to some the first kiss may have been offensive to some but there's much worse in other Korean Dramas it felt like some of the audience was way too harsh on this one. The one controversy I did agree with was the Daeksil one. His character was offensive for many reasons and I admit his scenes were pretty hard to get thru esp in the beginning. I learned to ffwed thru him and enjoy the show without him in it.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way I think it's easier to rate this show better on the acting, the plot and the story and the parts that I enjoyed,

The emotional parts in the drama were surprising. They were exceptionally done when they wanted to go deep into it like the differences of class in Korea(Rich vs. Poor) the bullying, the emotional strains some situations can cause on people and when people feel inferior to others. For this show being rather silly I liked how that was shown those moments touched me.

The character arcs were good too especially Saetbyul's I think her character growth was the best on this show. KYJ did a good job wiht this character too. JCW was soo good too. Loved how he portrayed that innocence, romance and sweetness of his character. Choi DaeHyun showed that he can do more than the strong, action heroes all the time. I know some of his fans didn't like this role for him but I did. Just like I liked SB for KJY. I see why they chose to do this show and IA with their choice.

The romance was pretty enjoyable, it was a slooowburn without any physical affection and although I was disappointed at first, I was satisfied with it at the end. Like I mentioned somewhere else what mattered to me in the end was if I believed the love between the characters and I did.

The OST was okay I only liked the main love song which was Something. Not much of the OST was memorable.

My Overall Rating( 9.0). I'm just gonna go with my gut, the reason I'm giving it a high rating while others may not is because I liked it. Despite it's flaws and the controversies I enjoyed watching it every weekend. I looked forward to it & it's one of my favorites of the years. I'm gonna miss it but I can always go rewatch when I feel like it XD.