Master of Study is a South Korean television series that aired on KBS2 from January 4 to February 23, 2010 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 16 episodes. It starred Kim Su-ro, Bae Doona, Oh Yoon-ah, Yoo Seung-ho, Go Ah-sung, Lee Hyun-woo, Park Ji-yeon, and Lee Chan-ho. Based on the Japanese comic seriesDragon Zakura, it is about a determined lawyer who takes up a teaching position at a failing high school. To save the school from the ax, he comes up with the unconventional plan of starting a special class curriculum devoted to getting five students into the country's top university.
Synopsis
When scrappy and abrasive lawyer Kang Suk-ho is put in charge of the liquidating Byung Moon High School, he sees his own troubled past in the problematic students who live their lives with no dreams. He then offers to teach them and proclaims that he will get five students accepted into Cheonha University, the most prestigious college in the country. Everyone—including the teachers, students and the school's director Jang Ma-ri—calls him crazy. Quirky and earnest English teacher Han Soo-jung, who believes that the purpose of education is not about getting into a good college, likewise initially objects to Suk-ho's teaching methods and motivations. But he establishes a special class for the five delinquent students, including Hwang Baek-hyun who bumps heads right away with Suk-ho, to help them prepare for Cheonha University.
This was Kim Su-ro's first leading role in a television drama. Kim, who played a humanistic teacher in the film Our School's E.T., yet plays a completely opposite role as Kang Suk-ho in Master of Study, said that "both methods are correct. Kang Suk-ho's method is appropriate for the children in the drama, who want to prove themselves by getting into a good school." He added that the show is not about the obvious cliche—that high school seniors must study for college, but rather about taking on the challenge of getting into the top school just to get back at the credential-obsessed society. Dragon Zakura creator/artist Norifusa Mita complimented the show, saying, "It is energetic and entertaining. The characters have depth. I am satisfied." The popular manga was also turned into a 2005 TBS drama series in Japan.
Ratings
Master of Study scored solid ratings since its premiere and eventually became the top-rated show in its Monday and Tuesday evening time slot. According to daily statistics released by research firms TNS Media Korea and AGB Nielsen Media Research, the drama scored national viewership ratings of 26.8 and 25.1 percent, respectively, for its final episode, the highest ratings the show recorded during its two-month airing.
