O Romance da Meia-noite em Hagwon (2024)

Talvez não seja pra todo mundo

Esse drama me encantou desde o primeiro episódio por conta do forte apelo no tocante à temática educacional (sou professora de língua e estudante de Letras) e pela química do casal principal. O plot é realmente interessante e te mantém entretido, principalmente se você tem interesse em metodologias de ensino e conflitos da área.

Parabenizo as atuações, que foram excelentes por parte de todos os atores envolvidos. A direção permitiu que as performances brilhassem ainda mais por conta dos takes longos e cheios de tensão. Esse estilo de filmagem me lembrou o drama chinês Fake It 'Till you Make it (que também é maravilhoso). No entanto, isso pode fazer com que algumas pessoas achem que o ritmo é um pouco lento. Há situações que exigem muita atenção por parte de quem está assistindo, já que algumas coisas não acontecem de maneira explícita. Ou seja, a cena acontece e você precisa tirar suas próprias conclusões sobre o que aconteceu, já que alguns diálogos não são expositivos e são bem longos.

Fizeram um bom trabalho na escrita dos personagens. Um exemplo é como a Seo Hye Jin é um pouco frustrante em alguns momentos, mas não de uma forma que nos faça desgostar dela, já que ela parece uma pessoa real, pois tem camadas. Digo isso porque sua personalidade é um pouco passiva demais, e isso em momentos em que esperamos ações mais diretas da parte dela. Nem falo nada sobre o Jun Ho, já que ele é a própria definição de charme. Como a própria Hye Jin fala: "Quem não gostaria do Jun Ho? Ele é engraçado, meigo e responsável". Muito difícil não se apaixonar.
O romance entre os personagens é muito cativante e cheio de química. Você vê que eles são almas gêmeas, independente da diferença de idade (que é de apenas 6 anos). O primeiro beijo deles me fez prender a respiração. O relacionamento é maduro e se desenvolve um pouco lentamente (mas não muito).
Os personagens coadjuvantes (com algumas exceções) são muito bons, em especial a Srta. Nam. No início, nos sentimos desconfiados de sua índole, mas à medida que vamos assistindo, vemos que ela é uma das personagens mais "legais" do drama, por ser super afiada, direta e firme.

Infelizmente, nem tudo são flores e a direção que o plot adotou me decepcionou um pouco. Entendo que essa questão dos cursinhos na Coréia é bem séria e real. Já tinha sido apresentada à esse conceito no drama Crash Course in Romance. O problema é que achei que esse drama iria focar muito mais na questão educacional do que de fato focou.
Eu estava bem empolgada pra saber a metodologia diferente que o Jun Ho iria apresentar para seus alunos. Eu realmente queria saber sobre o impacto que isso causaria no aprendizado deles, já que ver a relação estabelecida entre os alunos (dois deles em específico) e os protagonistas foi uma das partes que mais me deixaram felizes. Esse foi, de fato, o enfoque da primeira parte do drama. A própria Hye Jin tem um desenvolvimento de personagem com relação à sua metodologia e princípios como professora, e eu achei que o final do drama iria se dedicar a explorar um pouco mais isso. Mas aí o drama focou totalmente no plano "maléfico" das duas antagonistas principais, que tentaram à todo o custo destruir a Hye Jin. E é aqui que o drama perde um pouco do seu realismo.
A vilã principal (a Bruxa Cinzenta) é uma personagem muito caricata, de forma que parecia ser parte de outro drama, não desse aqui. Toda essa guerra de cursinhos pareceu um pouco patética em alguns momentos, apesar da justificativa do mercado educacional ser muito competitivo na Coréia. Em muitos momentos, a partir da metade do drama, me peguei pensando: será que isso realmente acontece? Acredito que todas as decisões que os roteiristas tomaram foi para salientar que o mercado dos cursinhos é cruel, mas isso fez com que o plot perdesse um pouco de brilho.
Eu já acho um pouco estranho termos uma vilã em um drama que marca um tom bem realista desde o primeiro episódio, com personagens cheios de camadas, sendo ela a única unilateral.

O final me agradou bastante dentro da decisão que os roteiristas tomaram (que eu citei acima), mas acredito que se tivessem seguido o foco inicial de debater sobre as questões educacionais e metodológicas, seria MUITO mais interessante e empolgante.

Encerro repetindo que: esse drama talvez não seja para todo mundo, mas apesar das frustações, foi bom e me deixou ainda mais desejosa em acompanhar o Wi Ha-joon em seus próximos trabalhos.

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A refreshingly sassy KDrama, critically reckoning with the South Korean education system (and love)

“The Midnight Romance in Hagwon” promises a love story with its international title - and that's what we get. Jung Ryeo-won and Wi Ha-joon are creating the relatively adult, authentic aura of a tender but complicated love relationship between a former graduate and his former tutor. Yet, the two are more than a couple. Today, as teachers, they inspire each other to teach didactically creative. And in doing so, they also inspire their students.

Thus, the KDrama, which in the original means something like “The Graduate”, basically offers more than a romance. It is rather a quite critical reckoning with the South Korean education system. The criticism: It's less about education than about grades -and a lot of money is involved in getting good grades. The students learn the correct answers to their questions. They therefore receive any effective support outside of school, mainly in the tutoring academies, provided their parents can afford it. However, there is one thing, the students don't learn: how to ask the right questions. They don't learn to question or get to the bottom of something. They know their material they have to memorize and what formulas they should be able to apply. Everything else is not part of the entrance exam or a prerequisite for qualifying for admission to one of the three large SKY universities. It has to be Seoul National University, Korea University or Yonsei University (S, K and Y), if anyone in South Korea is to become something...

"The Midnight Romance in Hagwon" aka "The Graduate" takes stock of the prevailing, dubious, even misleading values of a society, still trying to convince the people that they have to obsessively achieve something in order to be valuable of some sort.

When it comes to the academy teaching staff, it is about tailor-made exam preparation, courting parents an acquiring new students. Looking to the right or left, seeing a student as an individual human being with dreams and needs, let alone respond to them? Oh my! Whether it's students or scandals, it's never about the people. It's always about the money. A lot of money. The competition is enormous. The South Korean education market is a lucrative economic engine that is humming along happily.

This KDrama offers a wonderfully staged, emotionally sensitive and vivid approach to these issues, using the fate of various ambitious, highly motivated teachers who would like to try something different, but are not allowed to. They are surrounded by elitist parents who are ready to do anything for the glorious future of their beloved, dearest offspring. They are also surrounded by fiercely competitive academies that are just waiting for someone to make a mistake, because then those protégés can easily be poached and their own coffers start ringing instead...

What a refreshingly sassy KDrama, dealing with all those issues...

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A cry from the heart about the current state of arts education in Korea

Ahn Pan Soek always chooses to highlight a social issue in his dramas and essentially this drama explores the current state of arts education in Korea with a romance blended in. If you hope it’s the other way around you will not only be disappointed, but probably miss the point entirely. Having said that, the romance that does unfold is beautifully written, directed and acted. And the lesson in arts education is a rallying cry to bring it back to life and reveal it’s passionate, emotional heart.

He likes to find writers who can reveal both the underbelly and the heart and here he has collaborated with yet another subtle and mature writer, Park Kyung Hwa. She only has one other credit to her name which is delighting in the rating of 7.1 on the MDL richter scale. Obviously not earth shaking. Unfortunately there are no reviews, so I have no idea why it was rated so low. But here she is ably proving herself to be a typical Ahn Pan Seok collaborator with a nuanced and obviously well-informed script. She manages to highlight the different responses made by each character in pressure situations and handles the character development well, giving the viewer enough verbal information to follow along with the complex internal emotional landscapes that she is playing with. The emotional games that get played out in the final two episodes are especially good.

The pacing is very even and focuses on slow studies of people’s reactions. The life lessons learned here are not on a romcom level, they are difficult questions around the intersection between ethics and ambition, and, compassion and competition, requiring some thought and sensitivity to follow and appreciate. It really takes off about two thirds of the way through, at a point where often a drama flags.

The characters are closer to realistic so have good and bad about them, but are not exaggerated. For some they might be too ordinary, but I think that the actors do a good job at showing the hidden undercurrents and the depth is there if you look for it. At the start the FL makes some quite unprofessional moves and the ML bludgeons his naive way ahead. But this slice of life story leads you through the realistic steps that will change both their minds and their attitudes. At times there’s a moral superiority at work which might be a little difficult to swallow. But this is dramaland after all and the antagonists are kept within the bounds of credibility.

As with other Ahn Pan Seok dramas, the love story at the heart is sensitively portrayed. High five to Jung Rye Won and Wi Ha Joon who have great, believable chemistry. The uncertainty and awkwardness of the beginnings of intimacy are beautifully brought out. And the bedroom scene is such a joy. Full of warmth and naturalness. Ahh Pan Seok and his crew obviously manage to create an environment on set that allows the actors to feel comfortable and easy, so that their laughter and intimacy seem more real.

The supporting cast is a panel of very familiar faces if you are an Ahn Pan Seok stan. All of them are good and there are no two-dimensional cardboard cut-outs. As for Seo Jung Yeon’s hair, it is a sculpture in itself. It’s got enough product in it to hold up the Sydney Harbour Bridge and she wears it with impressive style. Who needs Medusa when you’ve got her death-stare boring into you from across the desk.

Overall the drama is a damning indictment of the Korean arts education system and the forces that keep it on the straight and narrow, where free thinking and self-learning is sacrificed to conformity and examination grades. In terms of thinking it creates more of the same, rather than individuals who can think outside the box and move in unique directions.

The majority of my working life was spent in “western” universities and I watched them change in order to accommodate the rote learning styles of the many countries whose students provide the financial survival of western education, once political policies turned them into businesses. Much has been lost in the process.
A PhD was once an entirely original piece of research in a field not previously studied. It required breaking new ground in an area carved out by the scholar. Now it has often become being included in someone else’s research programme to write papers and includes taught courses. Many students flounder if they are not told exactly what to do and how to do it.

Gone is the education in imaginative and original thinking and the confidence to explore academic freedom. This was the actual purpose of an arts education. But the drama reveals how that is undermined, such that the student never gains this skill, but only learns to parrot what is thought by someone else. At one point the character Lee Jun Ho (Wi Ha Joon), in his battle to teach differently, says “The smart ones… understand it will become an asset of their lifetime.” The whole essence of this thinking is carefully revealed in Episode 12 and it is explicitly delineated in step by step terms like a cry from the heart.

I won’t elaborate on, imo, how self defeating it is to push children in this way to rote learn so that they can get into a university (Seoul National) which is currently (June 2024) ranked at 62 on the THE scale of global universities, 14th in Asia, with an arts and humanities ranking of 176-200. (https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/seoul-national-university) That’s indicative of a good university, but nothing exceptional. Children who get into the top university in the world - Oxford University - do not study in this way or for such punishing and unsustainable hours. Go figure…

Where Ahn Pan Seok and I completely part company is the music. My musical taste is pretty eclectic and I’m willing to embrace almost anything if it’s good. But banal and bland, predictable and pedestrian - nah. It’s not even as though you can just ignore it as background noise, tbh it’s often so cheerfully twee it attracts the ear. How he can be so subtle in his directing, yet have such naff taste in music is beyond me to understand. I’ve never watched a drama of his where the repetitive songs have not annoyed the hell out of me in every episode. Look, I’m sure there are people out there who love them, but I’m simply not one of them.

What I do like about his approach to music though is that he doesn’t always use it. His directing and the quality of the acting allows him to sometimes let emotional scenes play out without having to manipulate the viewers’ responses. They are good enough to stand on their own and silence is the thing that adds poignancy. Then immediately afterwards he’ll use something with brass and percussion at max reverb that wouldn’t sound out of place in a Marvel movie. What can I say…

As I have experience in the field and care very much about education I was probably able to read the message more thoroughly than most and as a result I really enjoyed this drama.

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Conventional Drama with Minimal Impact..

In a world awash with romantic dramas and emotional rollercoasters, a 16ep series must offer something truly captivating to stand out.. Unfortunately, this drama falls short of this mark leaving much to be desired.. The narrative lacks significant depth.. And the chemistry between characters is rather mediocre.. The romantic elements are decent but lackluster with no particularly ambiguous or complex themes.. The drama lacked the depth needed to truly engage with the viewers or atleast with me.. Overall it’s a “so-so” affair.. Neither compelling nor terrible.. But undeniably underwhelming..

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Captivating premiere, Realistic education plot. Plus, heartwarming romance!!

The midnight romance in hagwon is captivating, the school and academy setting made it more interesting. And that's not all, the argument of seo hye jin and the school teacher on the multiple choice question made it more realistic.

There are many teachers out there who simply can't accept they made a mistake, especially when that mistake is being pointed out by an academy teacher or a student. When students tells some teachers about a question having more than an answer in the options given, they'll refute them by saying "I've already told you this is the only answer for the question". And they'd be more infuriated should the student mention that his/her academy instructor proved her right.
Humans learn from their mistakes, but some believe their mistakes should be covered just because they feel their pride would be hurt. And that's exactly what this teacher tried to do.

And honestly, school teachers and academy instructors perform the same duties but in different manners, I guess. school teachers teaches according to the national curriculum while academy teachers teaches a bit beyond curriculums. But all in all, both of them teach and impact knowledge, isn't it?

This drama is indeed very promising, with excellently executed plots. I'm excited to see more captivating episodes to come!!!

The romance between the two leads is both heartwarming and believable. The chemistry between the actors is undeniable, and their interactions are both funny and touching.

The writing is sharp and witty, with a good balance of humor and pathos. The dialogue is natural and believable, and the characters' emotions are conveyed with authenticity.

The acting is superb, with all three leads delivering nuanced and emotionally resonant performances. The actors bring the characters to life and make them feel like real people.

Finally, it picked up when it reached episode 12. What can I say? I've got to say I love how mature the relationship of both leads are. They understands each other. Although I think the story could have been summarized with 12 episodes, rather than the 16. Besides that, it's still a good watch. It's a mature drama I'd recommend.

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Beautiful romance with great chemistry

PROS:
◇The romance (There is an age gap and they are both adults)
◇The chemistry
◇The writing very slice of life
◇The main couple
◇The friendships
◇The realistic characters.
◇The married couple that own the restaurant. What lovely green flags ?


CONS:
◇The Meolodrama work senses dragged a little in the 2nd half.

Overall glad I watched it. Honestly a really nice watch when it was on.
If your a fan of slice of life's with a side of Meolodrama and 100% a happy endings? Then I recommend checking this one out. ♡

CONTENT WARNING:
◇Same language
♡ Romance ♡
◇A fade to black scene and kissing

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Pointless Idealism, beware you will be dissappointed

I consider myself a very broad-minded individual who watches all sorts of dramas and honestly, the subject matter is important to me but they failed to deliver it compellingly. I'm not even complaining about the romance but about the lack of coherence and the presentation of the story itself. The real issue isn't just the plot but the pacing, tone, coherence, and expression of ideas throughout the drama. The script starts with a strong foundation of idealism, but those core themes are abandoned by the end. It's a classic case of bad writing where the initial promises aren't fulfilled. It's too preachy and idealistic while lacking that "realness" quality. You can tell what they were trying to say but they failed to convince the audience with their story-telling and execution it in a memorable way. Surely there is more to a hagowan teacher's life?

I hated the preachy tone of this drama and the impractical idealism (country, education system issues vs personal idealism). Can one teacher change a whole socially entrenched system? I get the issues of Korean education but I was excited about a story of that one teacher that actually cares about the kids, but it was not. the drama is written in a weird, cliche way. The portrayal of the characters doesn't tell their stories well at all.

From the outset, this was not a story about the struggles of the FL to reach her dream but a critique of the education system, teaching, and how teachers see themselves with all the pressures that the hagwon industry brings. That's why we have the struggles and the politics, the competition etc.

After acting like a virtuous sacrificial lamb who was ready for a crusade fighting for the academy & the students and profession she loved. Even going to the extent of being so condescending and preaching to the “white-haired witch”, talking about ethics etc.

After creating a strong female character like the "white-haired witch", the writer wants me to believe that she was slapped out of existence when she was a good strategist and businesswoman throughout the drama. Questionable ethic yes, but very focused.Many things sub-plots are left hanging with no explanations or closure at the end. I found it hard to believe that the "white-haired witch" who was a strategist who planned her moves would get into a catfight as her ultimate end. That was so out of character with all the expectations built up by the writer from the beginning. I thought there would be some great mind games and a reveal at the end that would justify all the politics, fighting, and competition. In the end there was nothing.

I would have applauded the writer if the story was all about the FL's struggle to reach her dream from the 1st episode but it's not it's about a system she was trying to protect. Therefore the whole build-up of the drama from episodes 1 - 16 is totally out of sync with that ending.

You are made to believe that there is more but there really isn't anything, just a disappointment.

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Intensely boring and completely lacking of any substance

Don’t be fooled by the title. This is no “noona romance” drama. In fact theres barely any romance to begin with. It’s a drama that primarily focuses on a niche story about teaching in hagwon and what it’s like to be a teacher.

The writer presented it in a way that gives a false impression that it’s thought provoking and it might have some symoblism thrown in here and there but it’s completely devoid of anything interesting.

This drama brings absolutely nothing to the table. The characters are extremely uninteresting due to lack of characterization, no comedy at all, no stakes or interesting villain, and absolutely no romantic progression whatsoever.

Just a bland old story about teaching in hagwon. That’s all this is. It has absolutely nothing more to offer rather than that.

If you are in to that niche then this might be the drama for you but for the vast majority of people this drama is better than sleeping pills and it might even cure your insomnia.

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Mismatched writer and director makes for a mediocre melodrama.

Beautifully directed in Ahn Pan Seok's signature style, but unfortunately the writing isn't on par with the production. While APS often chooses dramas with a strong thematic narrative over detailed characters or complex plots, MRIH didn't developed any of those elemnts. Newbie KDrama writers usually work for years as uncredited assistants before they shop their own scripts and this one probably should have stayed an assistant a while longer.

Something in the Rain and One Spring Night (APS's previous works) are middle-class societal issues slice of life with melodrama romances. They primarily tackle how parental abuse primes women to accept abuse in the workplace and their romantic relationships, which creates a cycle. The FL is saved by the love of the ML, but he's an unsuitable partner and they have to conquer trials, tribulations and villains to be together.

Classic melodrama, close curtain.

MRIH doesn't deviate much from that formula - embattled hagwon tutor FL trapped in a career-life crisis until first student (and of course, first love) ML shows up to free her - but puts more focus on issues in lieu of romance. Which is perfectly fine, if the writer does a good job at meaningfully addressing those issues.

So what critique does MRIH offer?

That education should focus on students... without any realistic means to do that.
That authority in education is the enemy... without any exploration of how or why.
That teachers should be good teachers... which just circles on back to the first point.

It leaves a lot to be desired in depth and subtlety, especially compared to similar dramas that tackle education issues. The plot that attempts to reinforce those themes is equally lacking - it's mostly petty office politics blown exponentially out of proportion with some makjang circumstances and farcical villains to match.

The lack of a strong narrative would be understandable if the relationships and personal struggles of the cast took a central role instead, but every side character speaks with one expository voice - the writer's. And the writer is only concerned with one thing - hammering their message home over and over and over.

There's really nothing else to distinguish MRIH except the romance, which isn't particularly compelling unless you're into the student/teacher taboo. ML is a manic pixie dream boy - impulsive, devoted and with minimal development outside of facilitating FL's journey to personal fulfillment. FL suffers from Mature Female Lead Syndrome - so well rounded there's no edge to her personality. Together, they're unmemorable except for the florid bodice ripper romantic interludes that occur with regrettable regularity.

UPDATE: Having now finished the drama, I stand by all the assesments in this review.

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A masterpiece ✨

Finished watching today, this drama is one of those dramas that grow into you with time and that will leave you reflecting a lot, it’s so realistic that it feels like you are living with them and witnessing their day to day life, the human stories inside and outside the academy feel so heartwarming and relatable and the actors and especially the main leads did an excellent job in their roles, their romance felt mature and realistic and still manage to give you butterflies even for the old audiences past 30 like me, i enjoyed watching it a lot and it’s going to be a drama that is among the classics of the kdrama land ✨

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