Frankly, I can count the amount of Korean dramas I have watched by merely using my fingers. My sister has been trying to convince me into watching more of them but it's a futile attempt, I might say. Perhaps the number of episodes that most Korean dramas have and the length of each episode are the things that I find quite unappealing (I mean, I'm an avid fan of The Good Place for God's sake - in which one episode takes up only 20 minutes or so). But of course, I can't deny that Korean dramas usually deliver remarkable plots so I guess I have been missing out.

I asked my sister if she could recommend me any Korean dramas that don't have 'romance' as one of the central themes (no, I am neither heartbroken nor am I currently in an angsty, "I don't believe in love" stage of life). She then suggested me to watch SKY Castle, which was aired circa 2018-2019.

Equipped with the awareness that this particular series received ratings as high as 9.6/10, I knew that I was in for a treat. It's a 20-episode satirical dramedy commenting on Korean education system. It sounded like it would educate me whilst screwing me up emotionally - killing two birds with one stone - so I crossed my fingers and gave it a shot. Thank God I didn't let my disinclination to watch dramas that exceed 15 episodes engulf me. SKY Castle has proven that it is absolutely deserving of the acclaim surrounding it.

Before I start my review, I'd like to note that SKY Castle taps into issues that might be sensitive and triggering to some (note: suicide, self-harming and depression). 

Let me give you a gist of what the story is about. Initially, there are four families (Kang, Cha, Park and Woo families) who are a part of the SKY Castle community - with SKY as the abbreviation for the top three universities in South Korea: Seoul National University, Korea University and Yonsei University. The families are wealthy. Like, crazy wealthy that they could easily purchase my entire existence. With all the money that they have, they have one common obsession: getting their children to enroll in any of those three universities mentioned above. And mind you, they are willing to do anything - literally anything - to accomplish that. 

It's not an exaggeration. The social setting established in the drama accurately reflects how excessively competitive the Korean society is when it comes to their children's education. After all, secondary education in Korea, above all else, is college admission based. Much of their education is focused on competing to get a place in reputable universities. Consequently, Korean children would have to attend private after-school academies, resulting in their going home at 11 p.m. So you can guess that the children's mental state while in the process of achieving that goal is almost entirely neglected, which explains the abominably high suicide rate in the nation. 

Going back to the drama, the story begins with the only child of the Park family, Young-jae, getting a place in the medical program in Seoul National University (SNU). Of course, the family is over the moon since they have something to brag about. The other families? Well, of course they're happy to hear the news as well. Showering the Park family with compliments on how smart Young-jae is becomes their forte - but only because they would like to know the secret behind his success. From thenceforth I could really feel a sense of foreboding and it was proven true as all hell breaks loose when something happens to the Park family. Then, another family (the Hwang family) moves into the family's residence in SKY Castle.

The families residing in SKY Castle (Read the theories on the meaning behind each family portrait here.)

The story progresses with us following each family's dilemma: Han Seo-jin (of the Park family) is caught up in trying to enroll her daughter, Ye-seo, into SNU's med school like Young-jae. She's willing to go extra miles to make that happen. Noh Seung-hye (of the Cha family) is distressed by the educational and life values that her husband has been consistently forcing down their children's throats. Jin-hee (of the Woo family), despite having a desire to enroll her son in a medical school, seems more laid-back. But her problem is that she's a very indecisive character, with no clear stance on what and who she believes in. On the other hand, Lee Su-im (of the Hwang family) is a loving mother and writer, who is determined to write about the Park family's tragedy. There are some other conflicts among the husbands of these four women but going there would cost me to write a much longer entry and as someone who's not used to writing reviews on a blog, I can only do so much SO PLEASE WATCH THE DRAMA!

From here, I will be including some major spoilers so if you're thinking of watching this drama and you'd like to be safe from having the plot spoiled, then calmly stop reading. 😜

The prime focus of the drama is placed on Han Seo-jin's story. She's very, very hell-bent on trying to make her daughter, Ye-seo get perfect scores in every examination in order to secure a place in SNU's med school. And so is Ye-seo. And I, as opposed to that, can never relate. Long story short, Seo-Jin decides to hire an exam coordinator named Kim Joo-yeong. Apparently, she is the one in charge of coaching Yeong-jae in order to get him into SNU's med school....and look what happens to his family after he is accepted. So, connect the dots, ladies and gentlemen. I won't go into further details on what really happens but I can assure you that the drama surely exposes you to conflicts upon conflicts and provides you moments where you will question what is real and what is not.

I really love the character development in this drama. Most of the characters appear to arrive at their own thresholds and afterwards, experience growth in the way they think. Personally, I really love Noh Seung-hye's character development. She's one of the characters I have always been attracted to since the beginning of the drama. Living in a patriarchal household, her opinions are often shut down by her husband. She cares deeply for her children and watching her husband pressure their twins, Seo-joon and Ki-joon, devastates her but really, she doesn't have a say in that matter - thanks to her husband who's keen on getting their children to the top of the social ladder, or 'pyramid' in his case. However, Seung-hye realises that she needs to put an end to it. It's enlightening to see a woman who has been kept silent by a man reach a point of realisation that men are garbage she does have the right to voice out her opinions on the way they should monitor their children's studies. She receives all of my applause when she brings down the suffocating study room that her husband prepares for their twins. Like...you go, girl!

Apart from that, I also like Ye-seo's character growth. This might be a very unpopular opinion since Ye-seo is basically a spoiled brat. Trust me, I found myself hating her more and more by each episode (kudos to the actress, Kim Hye-yoon, for taking on that role so well). But the more I think about her character, especially towards the end of the drama, the more I feel like we can't completely blame her for her mad fixation on getting into SNU's med school and her overall self-centered attitude. We definitely can't be mad at her for being so dependent on Coach Kim, either. Sure, it's annoying when she keeps on pushing her mother to let Coach Kim remain as her coordinator even when Seo-jin thinks that it's a precarious idea. But can we really blame her for that? Yes, she herself deeply desires to become an SNU medical student but her parents' own obsession can also be a catalyst for her obsession. Seo-jin and her husband, Joon-sang are also the kind of parents who treat Ye-seo like a trophy to brag about, which can also drive Ye-seo to become the self-centered student she is. As if whatever she does is justified and can never be wrong. Let's talk about her excessive reliance on Coach Kim. She wouldn't be overly dependent on Coach Kim if it wasn't for her mother introducing the idea of having an exam coordinator plan everything out for her to help her get into SNU. As a result, Ye-seo seems like she can't do anything on her own when before that, she got into Shin A High School top of her year by herself, without any help from any exam coordinators whatsoever. Thank goodness Ye-seo also reaches a point of realisation that helps her to have more faith in her own capabilities. 

These two characters bring us to one of the paramount messages that SKY Castle intends to deliver to its audience apart from the harsh truth of the Korean education system, which is regarding parenting. Comparing children to a blank canvas is not groundless. The way parents choose to shape their children has a huge effect on how the children behave and view the world, as portrayed by Ye-seo and her parents. I was also raised in a household where getting good grades is prioritised but I'm grateful that my parents are not too strict if I slipped and got a grade below their expectations, so I can see how it has shaped me into a person who is well-aware of how important it is to work hard and be successful in my undertakings but is not too pressured to please my parents. Honestly, I think I am more pressured by my own self. Anyway, going back to parenting. Of course, it's undeniable that most Asian parents tend to push their children to become very "exam-oriented" and it would probably take centuries to abolish that orthodox value. It's not exactly a bad thing to practice, but a limit needs to be made clear. Take Seung-hye's twins for example. I'm pretty sure that they're not the type that is unwilling to study. In one of the scenes in the drama, we can see that Ki-joon can actually solve a complex Mathematical equation under four(?) minutes. But their father's methods in monitoring their education and how he constantly forces his expectations on them are the things that lead the twins to losing interest in studying. 

One last thing that I would like to talk about is regarding (MAJOR SPOILER ALERT) the ending of the drama. The final episode ends with a shot of Coach Kim smirking at the camera, which might imply that she has been released from prison and is still very much determined to prey on other families. But that's not too logical. I agree with some opinions stating that the ending symbolises that although the four families have resolved their conflicts and changed their sentiments towards their children's education, the society outside has not changed. There are still people like Coach Kim who have malicious intent and there are still families who are obsessed with getting their children into esteemed universities, by hook or by crook. I love that message. It might tell us that although we, as the audience of the drama, have gained awareness on the reality of the education system - either Korean or our own nation's - there is still much that we have to do to curb the existing problems that revolve around the system and even the way our society perceives education. But here's the thing - it is not impossible.

I had a good time watching this drama - laughed, cried, grew attached to some of the characters, hated several of them and did some self-reflection. If you've watched the drama, feel free to share your opinions as well! For those who have read this humble review of mine and are interested to watch this drama - if you want a drama that serves a good plot, lasting messages concerning the devastating reality of the world nowadays, stellar performances from the actors and the actresses as well as comedy, I assure you that SKY Castle should be at least added to your list, if not at the very top of it.

Thank you for reading this long review! Have a beautiful day, everyone. ❤