Stupid Genius – Series Review & Episode Guide

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 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.