High School Return of a Gangster – Series Review & Episode Guide

Deuk Pal is an experienced gangster with a loyal following of henchmen. His two most loyal members are Dong Soo and Jong Cheol. Their boss, Chil Sung, decides to resign from the top position. He hands over the responsibilities to Deuk Pal, who becomes the official leader of the gang. However, his leadership is short-lived. That night, Deuk Pal encounters a deadly accident that changes his fate forever.

On his way home in the middle of the night, Deuk Pal sees a teenager climbing onto the overpass. This boy is about to jump off and commit suicide. Driven by reckless heroism, Deuk Pal dashes into the street to stop him. Before doing so, he is struck by traffic and dies on the spot. The teenager also completes his jump and dies at the same time. This deadly evening marks the end of both their lives, or it was supposed to anyway.

When Deuk Pal regains consciousness, he is surprised to wake up in a teenager's body. Due to divine intervention, he has been reincarnated as Yi Heon, the high school student who committed suicide that night. Deuk Pal is shocked and confused, but he cannot regain his old identity. His old gang members don't recognize him. They just think he's the twerp who killed their boss. Out of desperation, Deuk Pal returns to the overpass. He jumps off again, hoping to switch back to his old body. He survives the fall, but he remains stuck in the teenager's body.

Deuk Pal must accept his fate and get used to living as Yi Heon. He reads the teenager's diary entries to understand his life before the suicide. Previously, Yi Heon felt hopeless about his existence. He was bullied at school by classmates like Jae Min, Byang Chul, and a crew of cruel schoolboys. In addition, he can't cope with his family situation. His dad is the CEO of a construction company, but he's always absent from work. Meanwhile, his mom is drunk and addicted to pharmaceutical drugs. She spends each day at home in a daze.

Worst of all, Yi Heon has a dangerous enemy who feels threatened by him. Mi Kyung, his father's secretary, wants to eliminate Yi Heon and his mother to become the CEO's new wife. She uses dirty tactics to infiltrate their home. Deuk Pal must navigate the complex dynamics while attending high school as an ordinary teenager. Although he continues to be bullied, Yi Heon's gangster attitude flares up. He wants to stand up for himself. In addition, he meets Se Kyung, a mysterious classmate who may be connected to Yi Heon's death.

High School Return of a Gangster is infamous in BL circles. This adaptation has sparked outrage for erasing the gay romance from the original source material. After straightwashing the story to appeal to a mainstream audience, the series generated a positive reception from non-BL viewers. However, I want to write a review specifically from a BL fan's perspective. Is this drama worth watching, even without the gay content? My short answer is no. I don't recommend High School Return of a Gangster.

Let's start with the positives to explain why some people may enjoy High School Return of a Gangster. The premise is creative, featuring a gang leader reincarnated as a teenager. As you can imagine, this quirky scenario is the source of comedic antics, especially jokes that mock his age gap or gangster habits. The protagonist also acts like a badass. He's fearless against adversity, beats up the campus bullies, and confronts the corrupt adults. Beyond his strength, his words carry profound wisdom, inspiring other characters to grow as people. Fans will love rooting for Deuk Pal and celebrate him as a hero.

The early episodes are amusing when the gangster tries to adjust to life as a teenager, but the novelty fades after Deuk Pal settles into his new identity. I grow bored of the repetitive scenes whenever the plot revolves around bullies or gangsters. Their nonsense is uninteresting. I'm also aggravated by the over-the-top family melodrama. The screeching secretary and the tyrannical father act like one-dimensional caricatures, making it hard to believe these are real people. The annoying antagonists dominate the second half of the series, which becomes tedious to watch.

Flirtation would've made the plot less monotonous. Instead of another dull scene with the bullies, the series should explore the sexual tension between the leads. Imagine the excitement of their kiss! Sadly, the series has chosen gay erasure. Not only is there no BL content, but even the bromance seems reserved. The only affection is a pat on the shoulder or hands clasping together. A BL story would have fun with scenarios like the beach date in Episode 6, yet this drama eliminates any suggestiveness. It won't acknowledge the faintest possibility of a same-sex attraction.

Yoon Chan Young is talented and handles all the scenes with ease. However, his casting choice is a double-edged sword. His level of fame may have contributed to the decision to straightwash this series. If he wasn't willing to accept a gay role, I wish he'd stay away from this project. The other lead (Bong Jae Hyun) is okay, but he gets outshined by his costar, who has more time in the spotlight. You may also recognize Dong Soo's actor (Won Tae Min), who has starred in BL. Here, he plays a henchman with no romantic arc, and it isn't worth watching just for him.

High School Return of a Gangster has a feel-good ending that preaches justice and redemption. It's not bad, but as someone who consumes many dramas, I won't remember this particular finale in the long term. After finishing the series, my opinion remains negative. The story can't sustain my interest for eight hours without a romance. I also can't overlook the offensiveness of removing gay content from a BL adaptation, which sets a dangerous precedence. The low review score is to discourage you from watching High School Return of a Gangster. You aren't missing much.