Stupid Genius is a Vietnamese BL comedy about a group of high school students with poor academic grades. The main character and his friends consistently get the worst test scores in their class. Despite their notorious reputation, a new teacher wants to inspire them to take school more seriously. Some gifted classmates become mentors and give tutoring lessons. As they study together, the protagonists develop an attraction to each other.
The playful humour in Stupid Genius is hit-or-miss. Some cheerful moments charm me due to the lighthearted cheekiness. Yet, other childish jokes seem obnoxious, perpetuating the immaturity of this high school drama. The series has too many one-note characters and underdeveloped plots fighting for attention. Also, none of the juvenile romances feel serious. They resemble frivolous schoolboy crushes rather than complex love stories.
Stupid Genius Summary
Title:
Thiên Tài Hạng Bét
Series Info:
Vietnam (2023)
Plot
Khoa is a high school student in Class 12A13. He has a notorious reputation for having the worst academic grades in school. Khoa and his friends, Hoang, Kha, and Thao, jokingly call themselves the F4. The nickname describes how they flunk all their tests and assignments. These students have given up studying and seem resigned to their notorious reputations.
Mr. Tuan is a handsome new teacher at Khoa's school. The other teachers feel sorry for Tuan since the principal assigned him to Class 12A13. Nobody has expectations for these failing senior students. However, Tuan seems determined to help their grades improve. Going against what everyone else thinks, Tuan believes in his students and encourages them to study hard.
Khoa is a talented badminton player who aspires to be selected for Vietnam's national team. He spends most of his time practicing instead of studying. However, Tuan tells him that academic performance is one of the official selection criteria. Khoa doesn't stand a chance of going pro without improving his grades. Due to his teacher's feedback, Khoa worries about his future. He recognizes the importance of balancing his aspirations and academic responsibilities.
Khoa enlists the help of Vinh, an academically gifted classmate. Despite his outstanding grades, he is in the same class as the other failing students. Khoa asks Vinh for help. However, he upsets Vinh after accidentally hitting him with a shuttlecock. They don't have the best start to their relationship. However, Khoa continues buttering up to his intelligent classmates. His good deeds eventually make a difference. Vinh agrees to give private tutoring lessons and help Khoa get better test scores.
Meanwhile, Kha is a superstitious student who gets tarot card readings from his classmate, Phuong. She gives him relationship advice and says that the love of his life will be three centimetres taller than him. Kha is puzzled since no girl fits this criteria. As he ponders his reading, Kha bumps into Hoang. The two are surprised to see each other. Kha, who maintains a cool delinquent image, doesn't seem like the type to believe in superstitions. Hoang teases him for ruining his image. Hoang agrees to keep Kha's secret if they share answers in the next school test.
Stupid Genius Trailer
Stupid Genius Cast
Characters
Khoa
Pham The Bang (Phạm Thế Bằng)
Khoa is a high school student from Class 12A13. He and his friends have a notorious reputation for getting terrible school grades. They consistently have the lowest scores on tests and assignments. Khoa is an aspiring badminton player who hopes to get selected for the national team. However, he realizes his poor academic performance may hinder his dreams.
Pham The Bang
Pham The Bang (Phạm Thế Bằng) is a Vietnamese actor. His first BL project is the 2021 drama, Stupid Boys, Stupid Love. He also appears in You Are My Sunshine (2021), You Are My Stupid Boy (2022), The Star Always Follows You (2022) and Stupid Genius (2023).
Vinh
Nguyen Tien Hai (Nguyễn Tiến Hải)
Vinh is Khoa's classmate in Class 12A13. He is an academically gifted student who gets the top grades in school. Despite his stellar academic performance, Vinh is placed in the same class as his failing classmates. Initially, Khoa and Vinh don't have the best relationship. They clash after a badminton accident. However, Vinh eventually agrees to give private tutoring lessons and help Khoa raise his grades.
Nguyen Tien Hai
Nguyen Tien Hai (Nguyễn Tiến Hải) is a Vietnamese actor. His first BL project is the 2023 high school drama, Stupid Genius.
Supporting Cast
Hoang
Nguyen Thai Khang (Nguyễn Thái Khang)
Kha
Nguyen Quoc Nam (Nguyễn Quốc Nam)
Thao
Cindy Diem Mii (Cindy Diễm Mii)
Phuong
Cao Tieu Thanh (Cao Tiêu Thanh)
Mr. Tuan
Truong Minh Thao (Trương Minh Thảo)
Ms. Le
Cast Highlights
- Khoa's actor (The Bang) appeared in various Vietnamese BL dramas, including Stupid Boys, Stupid Love (2021), You Are My Sunshine (2021), and You Are My Stupid Boy (2022).
- The Bang also has a supporting role in The Star Always Follows You (2022). The actors portraying Hoang (Nguyen Thai Khang) and Phuong (Cao Tieu Thanh) also appear in this series.
- Mr. Tuan's actor (Truong Minh Thao) is the star of the 2021 Vietnamese BL series Mr. Cinderella.
- Hao Dan has a guest cameo in Episode 1, portraying one of the high school teachers. The actor is the star of various BL dramas, including The Star Always Follows You (2022) and its sequel Stormy Honeymoon (2023).
Stupid Genius Review
Review
Drama Review Score: 6.0
Stupid Genius is a lighthearted high school comedy with a cheerful sense of humour. It features a group of rowdy and rambunctious students involved in playful mischief. These cartoonish characters have larger-than-life personalities. They often banter, establishing a fun, energetic back-and-forth rapport. Not taking itself too seriously, each episode contains many cheeky jokes, snappy one-liners, and silly shenanigans. Stupid Genius is hilariously goofy and may succeed in putting a smile on your face.
While Stupid Genius can be amusing, its comedy is on the childish side. The adolescent humour targets a young demographic and may not resonate with adult viewers. The teen characters behave immaturely, fussing over trivial topics that would only matter to youths. In addition, several jokes feel culturally outdated. Are we still in the era where a gay guy dropping the soap is considered funny? The series also makes other problematic comments. When a character complains, his friend retorts, "Why are you acting like a girl?" Ugh, these icky remarks get under my skin.
In Stupid Genius, the protagonist struggles in school and needs to improve his grades. His love interest mentors him during one-on-one tutoring lessons. It's a solid premise for a BL drama, but the storyline requires more development. We hardly ever see the characters studying together. Instead, the series veers into trivial subplots irrelevant to its central themes. Classroom hijinks, romantic fluff, and random supporting characters dominate the narrative, all fighting for the spotlight. Stupid Genius would benefit from trimming the filler and focusing on one cohesive plot.
Although Khoa and Vinh are attracted to each other, the relationship scenes are shallow. Their flirting feels juvenile and doesn't convey the feeling of two teens infatuated with each other. This BL romance resembles a frivolous schoolboy crush rather than a substantial love story. A strong breeze can blow past the couple and knock over whatever flimsy bond they have. Likewise, the secondary couple is obnoxious. The series wastes time on Hoang and Kha, whose petty bickering gets on my nerves. Their pointless catfishing subplot is the worst part of Stupid Genius.
Stupid Genius has an energetic cast who injects much enthusiasm into their roles. These performers work splendidly with the comedic material. They embrace the characters' eccentricities, delivering quirky jokes and wacky expressions. Thanks to their perkiness, the series always feels entertaining and upbeat. My favourite is Vinh's actor (Tien Hai), who looks very sharp on camera. He has the ideal image for leading a teen BL drama. Unfortunately, he doesn't share much chemistry with his costar (The Bang). Their rapport seems more platonic than romantic.
Stupid Genius has a happy ending where the characters become studious. It also emphasizes street smarts, suggesting that test scores don't necessarily define the future. I like the mature messages in the finale. This series reveals it has depth beneath its goofy humour, and I wish we had seen this potential earlier. It's a shame the plot focuses on schoolyard antics instead of exploring meaningful themes. Overall, Stupid Genius feels more like a juvenile comedy than a sophisticated BL drama. There are too many dumb jokes and not enough intelligent ideas.
Summary
Goofy story
Stupid Genius has a cheeky story about a group of rowdy students. Although some jokes are amusing, others feel immature and obnoxious. There are too many subplots fighting for the spotlight.
Juvenile romance
Khoa and Vinh's connection is shallow, resembling a frivolous schoolboy crush rather than a substantial relationship. They don't share romantic chemistry. The secondary couple is annoying, too.
Energetic acting
Vinh's actor (Tien Hai) looks sharp on camera and makes a good lead for a teen BL drama. Everyone in the cast brings lots of energy to their roles. They handle the comedic material enthusiastically.
Happy ending
Stupid Genius has a happy ending where the students learn to be more studious. It also emphasizes the value of street smarts. I like the mature messages in the finale, revealing this series has depth.
Okay artistry
The production values seem acceptable. However, I'm tired of always looking at the same classroom setting. The finale is refreshing since there's finally new scenery and a change of location.
60%
Stupid Genius is a cheeky comedy with goofy schoolyard antics and an energetic cast. Yet, the series squanders its potential on juvenile romances, immature storylines, and problematic jokes.
Stupid Genius Episodes
Episode Guide
- Start Date June 9, 2023
- End Date July 14, 2023
- Episodes 6 episodes
- Episode Length 15 to 25 minutes
Stupid Genius has a total of 6 episodes. Each episode is around 15 to 25 minutes long. The last episode is around 25 minutes long and includes an extra scene after the ending credits. It is a short BL drama, and you can finish the entire series in under 2 hours. Stupid Genius started on June 9, 2023 and ended its last episode on July 14, 2023.
Episode Reviews
Episode 1
They call themselves F4 due to their failing grades in school. That's funny, hehe. The premiere feels hectic, introducing many characters and storylines. The plot is overloaded for a 15-minute episode.
Episode 2
Are we still in the era where gay guys dropping the soap is funny? C'mon, do better than perpetuate outdated jokes. Seeing the two BL fangirls go from enemies to friends is cute.
Episode 3
Although the actors are cheerful and enthusiastic, the humour seems mostly hit or miss. Vinh's actor (Tien Hai) looks very sharp on camera. He's a good candidate for leading a high school BL drama.
Episode 4
I wish the story focused more on the characters improving their academics. It seems like they barely studied together. The narrative goes off track into many random subplots.
Episode 5
The lead couple's romance feels very plain. Even by high school BL standards, this love story is barebones. The secondary couple is even worse with their annoying humour and immature antics.
Episode 6
Even if a few scenes are clunky, I like the mature messages in this finale about studying. The emphasis on street smarts is a clever touch. For the first time, Stupid Genius shows potential.
Stupid Genius Behind the Scenes
Videos
Behind the Scenes
7 minutes
Stupid Genius Information
Links
- YouTube Stupid Genius YouTube
RL Studio
RL Studio is a Vietnamese BL studio that produced various dramas. It created the trilogy, Stupid Boys Stupid Love (2021), You Are My Sunshine (2021), and You Are My Stupid Boy (2022). In addition, it made The Star Always Follows You (2022), Stormy Honeymoon (2023), and Stupid Genius.
Director
Nguyen Thi Thu Ha (Nguyễn Thị Thu Hà) is a Vietnamese director who worked on the The Star Always Follows You (2022) and its sequel Stormy Honeymoon (2023).