Duty After School (2023– ) User Reviews

Part 1 Great , 2 bAd

[anubhavkushwaha-33519 · 6/10 · 26 April 2023]

Part one was great , everything was good there were some cringe moments and everything, but all was good then comes the second part specially that ending. Also what is that CSAT , i get it's important and everything but really that important that it made that boy like that , he got mad and killed em?. Nope !

I always hated these pathetic people who make themselves victims in every situation. This proved my hate further.

Also who does that? In a apocalyptic world , you never leave your gun far that you can't immediately reach and react. The military guy said in very first episode "Your weapon is your life". Yet in the middle of everything they were so relaxed.

Slow paced, low budget CG with angsty teenagers

[kkgoh07 · 6/10 · 2 April 2023]

Of the same ilk as "All of Us Are Dead" (Korean high-school zombie disaster mini-series).

Duty After School is adapted from a shorter Korean webtoon. Noticeably slower pace of action compared to other similar thriller series. A LOT of Part 1 is spent on the angsty emotions of teenagers being unknowingly drafted into a war against aliens. Lots of scenes with the usual social/political jibes at the Korean education system, bullying, yada yada you know the drill by now.

When there is any action, it's spent on the kids running around like headliess flies, screaming and panicking. Period of calm are denoted by even more angsty teenage scenes with angsty emotions. Did I forget to mention almost all the male kids are angsty and behave like 12 yr olds?

The age and behavior doesn't make much sense ... since they are all supposed to be 17-18 (final year of highschool). Several countries like Israel, Singapore and yes, even S. Korea, start their mandatory conscription draft at age 18. And they definitely don't behave as immaturely as the kids here do.

But hey if you're like me, with nothing better to do and easily entertained watching disaster films, all while complaining about the infinite plotholes and even more infinite ammo, this is the perfect way to waste a Sunday.

Good enough first part and I believe it will be way better on the second, lets see

[hanalisss · 7/10 · 8 April 2023]

This was worse than I expected but still good?

I guess because I am used to the quality of this kind of kdramas lately, ie: all of us are dead, kingdom, sweet home, my name... I was excited when I read the description if this one and was very much looking forward to it.

The beginning was too slow and kept focusing on the students relationships and lives pre invasion, which it dragged way too much and made me as a viewer literally hate the whiny kids who are just crying and complaining about how unfair the training is without actually getting a grip of the global situation. If they were younger It may have made more sense, but we are talking about 18/19 years olds....

Once you get past that and the action starts and the students get a grip of the situation, it becomes better. I believe this is part one if the show so I believe it will be much better now that the pace has picked up.

Effects aren't the greatest but you won't notice at all, and i love the fact that the girls are also capable strong and independent.

I will rate at 7 but I might change it depending the second part of the season.

If you're starving for different kind of apocalyptic story, this may be a good choice

[maisie33 · 10/10 · 3 April 2023]

Duty After School limited drama series originally comes from Korean comic or manhwa with the same title. The story is about 3rd grade high-school students who become army reserves, to fight against aliens. This series is a bit different from other apocalyptic stories, where we usually see how the government and researcher trying to find solution to end the disaster. Here, you will not see a lot of that.

The manhwa writer, Ha Il Kwon, is well-known for his coming-of-age stories. He mostly talks about a facet of growing up, so the focal point of Duty After School, is about how Platoon 2 (3rd grade high-school class 2 students) deal with this crisis, along with their platoon leader & his trusted companion. This series gives us an insight on the psychological side of the students and how each of them are dealing with this disaster, so I can say it's more emotional.

Judging from the way this drama is executed, the director & script writers have tried to stay as faithful as possible to the original source. That being said, if you expect you will see the government's role, or in-depth explanation of the extraterrestrial and how to annihilate it, you will not get it here, unfortunately.

It's quiet fast-paced, so much things happen in short amount of time. There are many characters, but they are given a fair sceen-time so the story is not focused only on one, two, three main characters. I find all the students relatable. They have different ways to deal with such situation. Few of them are good at shooting and calm, some of them are quiet rational, the others can be crybabies and have a mental breakdown, and for me personally, this is one of the strong points of the story. Not all of us are Na Ra and Jang Soo. Not all of us can be as kind as Chi Yeol. Not all of us can be as tough as the Class President. Some of us can be like Soon Yi, Ha Na, even Ae Sol. I can say this is the strongest point of the series.

As for the CGI, it's good enough for me although some editing perhaps are quiet rough. The cinematography is top-notch, however.

Also, you should not be worried because Duty After School will provide you a well-balanced and rightful amount of suspense, drama, and comedy. It's light, but also terrifying, and on the other hands, it's meaningful. You can learn a lot from this miniseries.

If you're a fan of disaster, apocalyptic stories and you're starving for something different, Duty After School may be a good choice. Once you decide to watch this, I hope you can have the same sentiment as me :) Cheers 🥂

Good Enough

[PennyReviews · 7/10 · 16 June 2023]

Korean Drama " Dute After School Part One " is a sci fi horror story in a school setting.

The story is full of emotional scenes and a few gory ones, with the aliens and their invasion being kept at bay for the last episodes when the action truly kicks in.

The characters, moreover, are kind of annoying, truly teenagers caring for having fun and focusing on their own problems, rather than the current situation, that is until they come face to face with their reality. Which is to say that they were realistic and original.

As for the performances, everyone in the cast, especially the young ones, did a great job with their characters.

So, overall, seven out of ten for the first part.

Korean Drama "Duty After School Part Two" is the continuation and conclusion of the story.

The drama takes up from where the first part left off, even though it feels like the characters had gone through a major character development, as they are left alone to fend for themselves, while having to choose between staying at their protected spot or venturing out to find their families.

The story, moreover, presents a new twist, with the main villain, in the end, and the main danger being the students themselves rather than the aliens that have now taken over.

As for the characters, they really grew up and distinguished themselves, with their relationship offering plenty of emotional scenes, especially considering that they are just young people robed from their chance of living their teenage years.

Finally, the performances were pretty enjoyable.

However, the ending was rushed and didn't offer any information for what happened next.

So, overall, six and a half out of ten for the second part.

Great show

[lon_jaeh · 9/10 · 18 April 2023]

Its pretty decent show. If you liked all of us are dead then you probably will like this too cgi is good .

Mind you people talking about the cgi. Compared to other CGI the level of CGI on this show is great already. Cgi will always look like a cgi it will never make it look super real. Ive seen worst . Also yes i was annoyed with some weakling and petty characters. Ofcourse they are all young and highschool how old would that be... People complaining how its about kids whining.they are true to how they portrayed being kids and petty. We have been all in that stage. Dont even deny it we all have complains when we were young imagine being drafted to serve at a young age . People complaining about the characters lets say this all happened in real life maybe you guys cant fight lol. For sure the way the characters acting petty and whining there's alot of those in real life.

So much better than it's being given credit for...

[SaraSaysStuff · 9/10 · 19 September 2023]

This show should get so much more love than it does. Literally, every episode is done on a grand, epic scale where you would think you're watching a movie. Seriously, pick any episode, watch it from beginning to end, and you'll see that each an every episode is done so greatly that it is on par of any action, adventure, alien butt-kicking movie level. There is not a single moment of this show that doesn't keep you involved in the army style action of a group of rag-tag teens working as a team to eradicate an alien foe, and a group of characters that you'll love and also hate, but will still root for. Yes, this doesn't have the "Hollywood ending" that you may hope for. But you also have to remember, this ain't Hollywood, if you're going to get yourself involved in a kdrama, you better expect the unexpected.

Part 1 =9, Part 1 = -5000

[tecnogaming · 1/10 · 25 April 2023]

I went with this series without knowing anything about it and started watching it. It was so good that the entire family joined me. By the 3rd episode everyone was so hooked that it was one of the only topics of discussion after 6pm at home, how will the kids survive the next mission?.

Everything was "too good" to be true and I was about to recommend this series over any other hollywood trash to all my friends, I was very proud of liking Korean shows that almost never dissaponted me before.

Then chapter 6-10 came in and everything I cherished so much about the first part went downhill in ways I just cannot express properly here.

It's like the series first part 1-5 were directed and written by the very best of korea and then part 2 (chapter 6-10) were written by morons who really enjoy seeing everyone suffer for no reason.

The whole "feeling" of Part 2 is: meaningless, useless, gritty without any redeeming value, senseless, pointless.

Everything that they care so much to build up to Chapter 5 were completely destroyed in front of my eyes, like someone really wanted me to suffer for no reason.

I was left with a sense of hopelessness and frustration beyond belief.

It was not "good gritty bad ending" it was "utterly pointless gritty". Part 2 seems to be written by someone who really disliked all the characters and the audience and wanted the whole thing to implode on itself for no reason other than "shock value".

Then it hit me, I hated this series so much because it tried too hard to be the "game of thrones" of Korea... well congratulations!! You succeeded in making the first TRULY AWFUL series that I TRULY HATE.

Now when they ask me if I ever hated a korean show, I have this show to prove that it is indeed possible, that koreans really screw things up this much.

much better if compare to All of Us Are Dead

[wearebestfd · 10/10 · 8 April 2023]

I like this drama way better than All Of Us Are Dead!! First of all the acting of the the young actors and actresses are much better. I see some reviewer said it's slow paced but I think the pace is okay after the 1st episode! And since i watched All Of Us Are Dead first so I can't help but compared to it since the background are both in highschool. It's building up its story line yet still have its intense part. We can't help but just want to keep watching it! Too bad it was not as famous as All of Us Are Dead because it's not on Netflix but i personally like this kdrama a lot! If you like this type of aliens/disasters/survival dramas I think it's worth to watch!

Part 1 = 9 stars , part 2 = not even 1 star, trash!

[nmimran · 1/10 · 22 April 2023]

I was absolutely thrilled when I first got my hands on part one of the Duty After School series. The series had everything I could ever ask for - army, guns, monsters, and aliens! It was the perfect combination of action and suspense that left me on the edge of my seat throughout. It gave me such "All of Us Are Dead" vibes .

I was eagerly waiting for part two, but boy, was I in for a rude awakening. The storyline was atrocious, the bad direction was all over the place, and that ending! It was the worst ending I've seen in a century! I honestly think that even the creators didn't know what they were doing with part two.

It was a complete and utter disappointment, a pile of trash that left me wondering why they even bothered making it. Part one was a masterpiece that deserved every bit of its 9-star rating, but part two barely deserves a single star. I wouldn't even watch it again if someone held a gun to my head and forced me to.

I don't know what the creators were thinking. They had a goldmine with part one, but they completely dropped the ball with part two.

If you are reading my review then let me do a favour for you "DO NOT WATCH PART TWO".

I wasted my valuable time watching part two, I am still asking my self why the hell did I waited a month for this trash?

Need More Attention!

[shaquibtaekyub · 10/10 · 14 April 2023]

DAT Drag me to write 1st time review .... I see , many people Liked All of Us Are Dead , if they do then pls give it a chance , Yhh! It won't be as popular as All of us are dead bcz it's not a Netflix show.... This Drama is Just Appropriate, From friendship to Thrill to Comedy , it's just all fine .... and within 6 ep they made me connect to this Masterpiece ! And many people saying that a bunch of 19s crying and complaining! 1st of all that's not 1% true , Yhh who won't complain , they are in gheir 20s only , they need parent and all , but they fought their best....

Idk, What I said But HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Requested

[deyr-57661 · 10/10 · 2 May 2023]

I once commented how this drama and I am doing it again this is not just a drama this is my emotion we all want part 3 to come so that everyone is alive And part 3 start happy staring and happy ending please part 3 release. My heart is broken cuz last scene everyone die. This is best drama ever but worst ending everyone wants part 3. And this is best drama ever. When Mr Lee and teacher part im so sad part 1 not happy ending and part 2 worst ending ever everyone says it's my 2023 best drama we are waiting part 3 we are hope your team release part 3. Everyone agree for part 3 .last thing I want to tell this is really best drama we all love this drama.

This show was, shockingly, almost perfect!

[aim-99967 · 10/10 · 30 May 2023]

Why do I say almost perfect but still gave it a perfect score?

Because 9.8 out of 10 isn't an option.

The acting was almost always amazing!

The suspense was too.

The plotline was superb! (and for the reviewers complaining about the fun the kids were temporarily having, frig, they're still kids, and also, there are different ways to cope with trauma, which this series did an excellent job of exemplifying, including the great acting in doing so) Thankfully no wokism was pushed on us, since it showed the good and bad for both sexes, nor pushed alternative sexes onto us viewers.

Also, thankfully no political ideology of any persuasion was either.

From good to bad

[ayesharashed-17124 · 5/10 · 25 April 2023]

When I watched part 1, i thought this is it. This is going to win people globally though it was not on global platform. But part 2 disappointed me and i rewatched AOUAD. Honestly, AOUAD is much better than DAS. There were infinite plot holes. Like the biggest plot hole was that (1)students knew the weakness of spheres and yet they didn't bother to share it with others.(2) The students somehow managed to survive spheres but years trained soliders couldn't do it. And the ending, don't even ask about it. If you want to watch, just control because you will want to watch part 2 and part 2 is the reason why series became trash. You will notice all the flaws(that you didn't even know existed) after watching part 2. And the kids are always crying, and people say,"what do you expect, they're jus 19." 19!!!! Even i never acted that way in that age. Yeah you're allowed to be sad about situation but till when you will wait for heroes to come and save you.. what even made me cringe that part 2 was not even about spheres. In the last episode, students are enjoying in amusement park and WHAT!!! Spheres who are suppose to run behind the voice are not seen anywhere. The another platoon member(kim won bin) is also not seen in part 2. In part 1, the truck that was lost left first but the one behind them didn't see them on their way. This is absurd. The only thing that was good no matter how bad the kids cried, their acting was flawless. No ae sol is example. She didn't had any lines in part 1 but her expression were everything. The cgi were pretty good. They can't be super real but they were good. It taught me(at least) that the monsters actually live inside us. They just need the time to come out and devour everything.

Watch at your own risk.

This Mini Series Broke My Heart

[novadam-55897 · 10/10 · 4 May 2023]

This mini series ending is very emotional. And it's very creative. That friend killed by one of the friends. That is the most emotional part in this mini series. In the next season, in the future, pls you must bring those friends again. By time travel or something. I think it will be great. You can have some more views. If you do that. Because it will be a happy ending. Now its it sad ending. Please do that lots of people will be happy about that if you do that.

If anyone didn't watch this yet, please watch this mini series. It's very heart breakable. At the ending you will cry. I can't think that everyone dies except 2 or 3. You must watch this series as soon as possible.

Confusing

[lynos560 · 1/10 · 23 April 2023]

The first part was a fabulous building up story it wasn't new but refreshing and wel written the actor fab.... But the 2 part did they switch writers? Did someone told them their budget was cut what happend? The story is so not logical like the jammed 4 seasons in to 4 parts? The prison scene? The other highschool kids? Moving in to Seoul? Looked like they where short of money and somebody cancelled the show!! What a shame I would have accepted the end but not like this noway... Worst written show after a fabulous first season. The director must have been high on something during the shooting of the serie every blind person could have noticed it was a crap second season really crappy.

Kinda good

[giojohop · 9/10 · 21 August 2023]

Kinda good but It have a sad ending like I want to kill the director cuz the ending is so bad it even make me cry Like Nothing happen when all die but when Kim chi yoel answer CSAT there is No friends beside him that really make me said Pls make Season 3 I really want to watch it. And It have a good drama.first season was really good but it began boring when all the kids have began to have use to with the situation And there were No more Alien attacks in season 2 but the ending make me really sad And can't sleep for many days so pls pls pls pls make me season 3 and Put back all the characters who died.

Part 1=good Part 2=wtf?

[kdramaprofiler · 5/10 · 21 April 2023]

Part 1 was so good. We get to know everyone and the current situation and so on. After the military order they go into the training and as always something happens. Till the ep 6 it was all good. Action, story, emotions. Just perfect.

Not sure what happened then. There is time skip, where the kids are all alone out of nowhere. No military, not even the older dude in part 1. They go hunting for the monsters, when before that they barely did shoot and now they hunt? Anyway after they go hunt again and meet bunch of criminals in prison alive in cells???? How is that possible with no food or water? And other group meets another group of kids alone? When in part 1 they barely could go outside of perimetr? I won't even talk about last 30 mins of ep 10. That made no sense at all. I give it 5/10 cuz part 1 was really good, part 2 not really.

DON'T WATCH IT

[buitdiane · 1/10 · 23 April 2023]

Part 1 was superb and it excites you to watch part 2. I've waited for so long but Part 2 just disappointed me. The plot line is tash, this will just made your head hurts cause of the characters. The series will just waste your time and specially in Part 2. What kind of nonsense does the author have. I can't accept the ending of the series, it's completely not worth watching for. To the people who want to watch this series, I'm warning you that instead of enjoying it , this will just give you stress. It's more on teenagers acting like a baby. They are bad at making decisions too, they're already 20 but they still act like a kid. They should have character development in Part 2, but it just get worse.

POOR SCRIPT AND MANAGEMENT

[itsyezi · 3/10 · 24 April 2023]

When I first watched the teaser of this drama I thought 'wow it's great' got All of us are dead vibe and everything was just so good like guns, monsters and fighting except script like first part was kinda good but there were also many mistakes umm ig that can be ignored but the second part was worst it was like the writer forgot the whole story or they were just trying to finish it asap. Don't watch this. Only gonna waste your time. They should have added more efforts to make it a good one but they ended it so bad. A total waste of time and a huge disappointment. I really hated this drama. Don't even worth 4 stars and the 3 stars I gave is for the first part in the middle from 4 ep to 6 ep.

Not a fan - so slow and focus too much on whining teens

[cherlockhome · 1/10 · 4 April 2023]

I was expecting something good because I do like Studio Dragon productions.. but sadly this one is not what I expected.

During ep 1-2 its more about the teens focus group background and their friendship which is super boring and too slow. I feel like some scenes are meant to be funny but it came out weird and boring.

There's a lack of the awareness of the horror they should feel having those "unknown balls" over their head for a year. But instead they just living their life like "oh its unharm its been a year" Wtf is that attitude? It runied my mood towards the series.

Not to mention a poor script. Some conversations are so stupid i can't imagine. For example, the school teacher just announced that students will have to do the military training, students are panicking and soon after that there's a military truck drive into the school and one student say "oh what are they doing here?" Its stupid things like this that really put me off.

Go to ep 3 if you want to see what came out from those aliens ball. Don't expect to see good cgi tho.

Because Its like a project cgi from freshman year.

I couldn't continue but best of luck to those who wants to power through till the end. I cant magine how tortured it would be.

Many Plot Holes and Human Flaws - From 8 star to 1

[bjvisitacion · 1/10 · 23 April 2023]

Must Read : (MAJOR PLOT SPOILER)

Part 1 : 8/10 Part 2 : 1/10

Story went downhill in part 2 of the series, Episode 7 to 10

The series presents a multitude of plot holes, human flaws, and unfinished storylines that leave much to be desired. Imagine the frustration of surviving months of hardship, fighting off alien invasions, and scavenging for survival, only to be senselessly massacred by a crazed individual obsessed with SCAT exam, who ultimately died in the end. The lack of resolution for certain characters and storylines in part 2, such as Won Bin's being gone and the 3 student survivor from Part 1, leaves a void in the narrative. Additionally, the fact that a giant sphere was supposed to pose a significant danger to the characters, the show failed to effectively portray just how terrifying it could be, and the Kim Chi Yeol and Lee Na Ra storyline is left unresolved.

The time skip of two years to a point where all the spheres are gone leaves a sense of emptiness and lack of closure, as the supposed villains are not fully explored or defeated. The unrealistic obsession with CSAT points in a world overrun by alien threats is a questionable choice, and the characters' lack of common sense regarding the cancellation of the exam is frustrating. The failure of the characters to react quickly and grab their weapons when Jo Jang-Soo gets shot seems illogical and undermines the development of the characters throughout the series.

Although the series showcases good character development, it ultimately falls short in delivering a satisfying conclusion, with some characters simply disappearing without explanation. The potential for a more nuanced and fulfilling narrative is wasted, leaving audiences to question the direction and purpose of the story.

The start is good the ending ruins it all

[alessatziolis · 1/10 · 24 May 2023]

The first half was great, world building, character introductions and story was smooth and weep thought out, then the second part of the show came out and it all went to hell, and certainly not because of the aliens. But the writing fully changed, the characters development went out of the window. The sphere aliens were barely a thing anymore.

And the final episode made me wish I hadn't spent so many hours watching this series because it didn't make sense, mainly because it was only indicated an episode earlier. A lot of things that happened in the show and that the show spent time building never got addressed again. Super weird.

Pain in the axxx X Brain -_-

[grimreysarath · 1/10 · 15 June 2023]

Starts with an apocalyptic world then sidelined the aliens to show a soapy teenage drama. Characters with low IQ. Soapy drama, unwanted rom com during an apocalypse. Showcases a bunch of Korean High Schoolers literally dying to get into an Exam. Seriously idk is this a real situation in korea. However its so lame an excuse to pull through. Cry babies, screamers, nerds what not.... The prison episode is the lamest episode that'll take you to the edge of quitting. If you are not a fan of cringe scenes and still wanna try this series just don'ttttt you're gonna regret so badly. Aliens are doing cameo role and shows up just in time to keep up the series.

The show REALLY fell out at the end

[justdan2023 · 5/10 · 25 April 2023]

Part 1 is great ig. It has some best moments. The character arcs and the script are well-written. The character flaws were quite unique, relatable and can be reasoned with. Though I might say it sometimes it can be a bit stupid but that's all.

Part 2 is where everything drops. One moment, they are shooting the spheres and then another moment, they are on some effing carousel and ferris wheel. Like that kind of transition where it starts really serious and drops to a very lighthearted tone is just too jarring for me. And also, the acting is very over the top and exaggerated, and that guy with the SAT obsession is really making me grit my teeth. I can see what they are trying to do, but the executions were not done well and very rushed, especially the finale. And it barely gave any closures to any of the characters at all too.

So my advice is that you watch part 1 and then you stop right there, and imagine that in the future, the spheres are all dead and they have matured and lived happily ever after.