A few weeks after a major fight breaks out in the science lab, one of the participants was found dead at the school. Authorities concluded that the student killed himself in a fall though there has been some rumours that other participant of the fight is the culprit. A group of students decide to hold a class trial in order to uncover the truth about the incident.
Originally a novel by Miyuki Miyabe, it has 2-part movie series and 12-episode drama. Currently, the drama is available internationally on Netflix.
This series provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents:
- Woo-hyuk's dad and Joon-young's mom both physically and verbally abuse their sons, the former taking after him while the later almost Driven to Suicide because of it.
- Ji-hoon's biological dad inflicted horrible physical abuse on him and his mother, to the point of leaving him several physical and emotional scars. As if that wasn't horrifying enough, he even beat his wife to death, infront of Ji-hoon, when he was just seven years old.
- Adults Are Useless: Played with. Seo-yeon's believes the students should hold a trial because the adult parties are too motivated by self-interest. It should be noted that it is an adult (reporter Park) who points this problem out to her in the first place. The school's faculty and police do side with Woo-hyuk's dad due to his influence. When a detective tries to question Woo-hyuk, she gets reprimanded and threatened to lose her job. However, Seo-yeon's parents and their club advisor try their best to support the kids helping the kids see it through. The adults begin to take a more active role as the trial progresses. Furthermore, some actions taken by adults, which seem pointless and/or counterproductive become more understandable as underlying issues are revealed.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Joo-ri was ostracized by her school for her ache and smell. Cho-rang is also made fun for being fat and stupid.
- Asshole Victim: The prosecutors taking Woo-hyuk side. Later, Woo-hyuk's house suffers an arson incident with his grandmother dying in the process. So-woo and Joo-ri are less extreme versions of this
- Bratty Half-Pint: Seo-yeon's younger twin sisters.
- Broken Pedestal: And a really sad one at that. As Ji-hoon tries to uncover the truth behind So-woo's suicide, he comes across another horrible truth- that his father, the man he considered his saviour, is probably the perpetrator of his best friend's suicide. Things only get worse as his father refuses to say the truth no matter what, much to Ji-hoon's disappointment and heartbreak. However, he does come through in the last episode, finally fessing up to his and the school's wrongdoings.
- Chick Magnet: Ji-Hoon has a large female fanbase for his appearance and his role as the cellist. He got several of his fans to sign the petition without bothering to read it.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Ji-hoon. His biological father was physically abusive, and it's revealed that not only did he beat the poor boy countless times (even whipping him with a belt), but even beat his wife to death, in front of a seven year old. While he was adopted by the loving and caring Kyung-moon, the events traumatized him to the point that he'd have hallucinations and suicidal thoughts, even. In seventh grade, he was admitted to psychiatric hospital, where he met So-woo. And add to that the whole ordeal he went through before So-woo's death, and he's been living with said guilt until the jury in the final trial judges him innocent of any crime.
- Driven to Suicide:
- What the school and police are trying to prove what happened So-woo. They were right.
- Subverted with Joon-young, who stops a few moments before Seo-yeon arrived.
- In episode 12, it is revealed that Ji-hoon was once driven to a phase where he'd have suicidal thoughts, due to his extremely traumatic past.
- Good Parents: Seo-yeon's parents, especially her mother, really tried to discourage Seo-yeon from looking into the case out of concern for her. However, when their daughter decides to commit to it, they become supportive and even try help out with the case.
- Jae-hyun, despite his morality, obviously cares for his adoptive son Ji-Hoon. He treats him well, despite the fact that Ji-Hoon's actions during the trial are making Jae-hyun's life increasingly difficult.
- Hidden Depths:
- Reporter Park. He was aware Soo-woo's role as the Watchman and that that there is a new one active. It's also implied he his purposely goading Seo-yeon to take action
- Min-suk, despite being second smartest at the school and originally being at odds with Seo-yeon's friend group, stays at school trial club even when threatened with expulsion
- Ji-hoon's past.
- I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Ji-hoon has been blaming himself for So-woo's death, due to being unable to prevent him from committing suicide. And he's been living with this unfounded fear and guilt since the first episode.
- Kids Are Cruel: Woo-hyuk and his flunkies tormented several students at the high school, the comments on the anonymous student board, and many of the students had bullied Joo-ri and Cho-rong.
- Like Father, Like Son: Woo-hyuk himself notes that very much takes after his father.
- Likewise,in one of the earlier episodes, Ji-hoon asks his adoptive father if he looks like him, and he assures him that he does. Him asking such a question hints that he most probably fears that he might turn out like his biological father, who was extremely abusive.
- Out-of-Character Alert: Why So-woo's brother doesn't believe its a suicide and why the attorneys do
- Parents as People:
- Many of the students parents, some wanting closure for the incident. Others not wanting their kids to be distracted from their studies and college exams because of the events
- Jae-hyun who works under Woo-hyuk's dad as his right hand man and is willing to several shady things for them. However, its clear he loves and he cares for his adopted son very much.
- Woo-hyuk's mom initially seems almost as bad as her husband. However, after repeated beatings from him to her and her son, she decides to help turn her husband in. She then tries to runaway with her son
- Parental Substitute: Jae-hyun as Ji-hoon's foster dad.
- Parting-Words Regret: Ji-hoon, finally fed-up of So-woo's continuous hurtful jabs at him, despite him being very patient, yelled at So-woo "to just die if [he] wanted to die that badly", in their last fight on the rooftop. It's clear that this conversation has haunted him ever since, and for large proportions, he blames himself for his best friend's death, and heavily regrets saying those words to him. Though it isn't really his fault, as what truly drove him to suicide was the school, not him.
- Past Experience Nightmare: Due to his past, Ji-hoon suffered from these along with sleep disorders and hallucinations throughout his childhood and up until seventh grade, where his condition got so bad that he had to be admitted into a psychiatric hospital to receive proper treatment. After So-woo's suicide, he starts having nightmares again, due to his own subdued guilt.
- Personal Horror: Not being able to save So-woo from committing suicide has left Ji-hoon with a whole lot of guilt and self-loathing, on top of his already Dark and Troubled Past.
- Remember That You Trust Me: Ji-hoon reminds Woo-hyuk this often after he becomes his prosecutor.
- A Shared Suffering: In one of the most heart-wrenching scenes ever, Ji-hoon reveals the truth about his abusive biological father to help convince Woo-hyuk he very well understands where he is coming from, having gone from the same, if not more horrible, experience.
- Sadist Teacher: The student advisor. She works hard against Seo-yeon and her friends, giving them school demerit points whenever she can and slapping Seo-yeon several times for talking back.
- Scales of Justice: As part of the movie promotional art.
- Scars Are Forever: Ji-hoon has several scars on his body, as a result of the many severe beatings that his biological father inflicted on him.
- Secret Test of Character: Ji-hoon does this to Seo-yeon, in order to confirm her resolve for the trial. Doesn't go out well.
- Stepford Smiler: Ji-hoon, big time. As revealed in the final hour, he has been blaming himself for his friend's death ever since their fight on the rooftop. Even so, he manages to mask his sadness and guilt behind a smiling facade in front of everyone, throughout the series, only once dropping it at the end of episode 8. However, it is only in the last trial that this facade completely falls apart, where he tearfully tells the truth about that night to everyone, including his own terrifying thoughts that So-woo's death could have been, or rather, was, his fault. Oh god, someone give this kid a hug already.
- Tragic Bromance: Ji-hoon and So-woo. So-woo's death left Ji-hoon with tremendous guilt, as he blames himself for not being able to talk him out of it, and leaving him alone on the rooftop to die, due letting his own emotions take over. And the guilt is so overwhelming, that he believes that he "killed" So-woo due to gross negligence. However, it's not really his fault, because what drove him to suicide was the school, and not Ji-hoon.
- Villainous BSoD: One of Ji-hoon's cross-examination forces Woo-hyuk to reflect what he had put a lot of the students through. He very remorsefully apologizes to the court audience
- You Are Not Alone: What people around Seo-yeon try to remind her of.
