School, arts/music/acting/sports/science college or university shows. I don't include shows I felt were too gritty, gloomy or graphic for this genre. 15+ means I think age rating would apply. This doesn't include dramas that only start in school or has their school history. General theme or my favorite lines from shows that I watched. Series/versions are grouped together.

ABC School of Love📖

Tencent TV

Can the pure love of 17-year-olds endure through all the challenges of adulthood?

Chen Xiao Xi (Shen Yue) and Jiang Chen (Hu Yi Tian) are high school friends and neighbors who grew up together. Xiao Xi is happy-go-lucky and doesn’t like to study much but she has a talent for drawing. Jiang Chen is popular for his good looks and high grades. Their friends include swimmer Wu Bo Song (Gao Zhi Ting), who will do anything for Xiao Xi, and Xiao Xi’s best friend, Lin Jing Xiao (Wang Zi Wei), the most beautiful girl in school.

How will the realities of life shape the friendships and love of these young adults?

“A Love So Beautiful” is a 2017 Chinese web drama series directed by Yang Long. It is based on the novel To Our Pure Little Beauty by Zhao Gang An.

A Love So Beautiful

Pure Love Team

It’s not quite what she meant when she said she wanted to be small again. Chiyomi Horikiri (Maika Yamamoto) is a peppy high school girl who has a crush on Shunichi Minami (Taishi Nakagawa), a fellow classmate who is both smart and good-looking. They used to be very close when they were small kids and each other’s first love, but they grew apart after Shunichi’s father disappeared and changed his outlook on life. On a stormy night, Chiyomi has an argument with her parents and runs out of her house. While trying to avoid getting wet, Chiyomi wishes that she could go back to the happier time of her childhood. But suddenly, Chiyomi shrinks in size and becomes 15 cm tall! When Shunichi happens to come by and sees the tiny Chiyomi, he takes her home with him. Can Shunichi figure out how to help Chiyomi return to her normal size or is Chiyomi doomed to live out her life as Shunichi’s unseen companion? “My Little Lover – Minami Kun No Koibito” is a 2015 Japanese drama series directed by Kazuya Konaka. It is based on the manga “Minami Kun No Koibito” by Shungiku Uchida and produced by the same production team of the popular dramas “Mischievous Kiss: Love in TOKYO” and “Mischievous Kiss 2: Love in TOKYO.”

My Little Lover - Minami Kun No Koibito

Little Lover Team

My Strange Hero contains a sketch of the turbulent life of the main character Kang Bok Su. By showing Kang Bok Su's life from his school days, this drama presents how a good teenage boy has gone bad and how he grows up into a good adult by resolving misunderstandings. Kang Bok Su was a handsome and good-natured high school student. He willingly helped his schoolmates who were in trouble and fought against anything he believed unfair and unreasonable. Naturally, most of his schoolmates liked him. One day, however, he was falsely accused of bullying his classmates and ended up being expelled from school. Even his girlfriend and best friend didn't trust and betrayed him. Now, as a grownup, he plans to go back to the high school and take revenge on those who framed him and made him suffer since his teenage years. However, things start to go wrong. Bok Su gets to be involved in a series of incidents and falls in love in the high school.

My Strange Hero

JTBC

This is a story of Kang Mi Rae (Im Soo Hyang), a girl once bullied for her looks. Mi Rae decides she wants a fresh start and gets plastic surgery to transform her face. When she becomes a college student, she meets Do Kyung Suk (Cha Eun Woo) from their middle school days, who sees people for what they are on the inside and not on the outside; he then becomes attracted to Kang Mi Rae. As Mi Rae begins to get teased once more and labeled as a "Gangnam Beauty" for getting plastic surgery, Kyung Suk becomes the one person that stands up for her. In the process, Mi Rae begins to recover her lost confidence and discovers that true beauty is not about what's on the outside.

My ID Is Gangnam Beauty

The Beauty Lovers

Hunan TV

He’s had to fight his way through life, and now he has to survive a boxing ring.

Ming Tian (Lu Han) has had to work hard to provide for his younger siblings while growing up poor and without parents. He had to learn to use his fists to survive in the harsh world.

When he gets a scholarship to attend a sports university, he meets fighters of a very different kind. Fang Yu (Guan Xiao Tong) is the heir to a family conglomerate, but she goes against her family’s wishes to attend the sports university and become a boxing champion.

When Fang Yu’s friends, Song Xiao Mi (Ivy Shao) and Cheng Ya Nan (Li Meng Meng), meet the handsome Ming Tian, they all vie for the chance to train him. With the help of Fang Yu and her friends, can Ming Tian become a skilled sportsman?

“Sweet Combat” is a 2018 Chinese drama series directed by Ke Han Chen.

Sweet Combat

The Lovely Fighters Team

iQiyi

When a handsome math genius has personalities as different as day and night, is there more than meets the eye?

Xiao En (Dylan Xiong) is a handsome math genius with a high IQ. 

Lin Yuan (Wendy Zhang) is a bubbly girl who can't get over a heartbreak. 

When Lin Yuan meets Xiao En she can't resist his charm and intelligence. But as she is drawn him more and more, she can't help but notice his day and night personalities. 

Could Xiao En be the one who mends her broken heart or is he harboring a much larger secret? 

"One and Another Him" is a 2018 Chinese School Romance.

One and Another Him

1+1 Team

KBS2

Ask any Kdrama connoisseur to recommend a fan-favorite classic and one of them is bound to suggest Boys Over Flowers. Also known as “Boys before Flowers”, this iconic Kdrama hit is based on the Japanese manga of the same name.&nbsp;
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The story centers on an average schoolgirl Jan Di (Kyu Hye Sun) and her confrontations with the four richest and most spoiled boys in her high school. Collectively, these four are known as the “F4”. Coming from a humble family in the dry-cleaning business, Jan Di only got into the prestigious and expensive Shin Hwa High School on a stroke of luck after saving the life of someone on the school’s property and receiving a swimming scholarship in reward.
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Not one to stir up unnecessary trouble, Jan Di keeps to herself and tries to avoid interactions with rich kids like the F4. However, a turn of events occurs when Jan Di’s best friend Oh Min Ji (Lee Si Young) crosses Goo Joon Pyo (Lee Min Ho), the leader of the F4, by accidentally getting ice cream on his shoes. Jan Di decides that enough is enough and stands up for her friend against the group.
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As it turns out, Jan Di discovers that there’s more to the members than their spoiled-boy façade and finds herself falling in love with one of them. At the same time, Goo Joon Pyo begins to battle his attraction towards her. How will this love triangle change the dynamics of the group?
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Achieving sky-high ratings and bagging plenty of awards across Asia around the turn of the last decade, Boys Over Flowers will be a treat for anyone interested in the themes revolving around issues like socio-economic disparity, family ties, and the joys of love and friendship.
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Get ready for addictive drama, romance, and comedy at its best! With a cast made of worldwide famous actors, this puppy love story is a must-watch for those into the world of kdramas.

Boys Over Flowers

🌸The Fabulous Four Team🌸

Could it be possible for two people from entirely different worlds to be destined for each other? It’s not easy being a college student but nothing has ever been easy for Hong Seol (Kim Go Eun). Born into poverty, Hong Sol is a hardworking student and part-time worker determined to overcome her station in life. Existing worlds apart is Yoo Jung&nbsp;(Park Hae Jin), the rich heir to a multinational corporation who is known for being broody and manipulative towards those he dislikes.
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Worlds collide when Hong Sol is given a scholarship meant for Yoo Jung. Suddenly, her financial woes are significantly alleviated by receiving one year’s worth of free tuition. Additionally, Yoo Jung appears to have changed for the better and has become kinder and friendlier to her although the actions of his past are not so easily forgotten. His behavior is confusing, and the plot thickens when Hong Seol finds herself caught between the reformed bad-boy Yoo Jung and his estranged childhood friend, Baek In Ho (Seo Kang Joon). Is Yoo Jung genuine in his attentions? What will Hong Seol choose to do when caught in the cross-fire of old grudges between In Ho and Yoo Jung?

“Cheese in the Trap” is a 2016 South Korean drama series directed by Lee Yoon Jung. It is based on a webtoon written by Soon Ggi. This series marks the television debut for film actress Kim Go Eun.

Cheese In The Trap

I'm trapped

Hong Seol (Oh Yeon Seo) never thought of herself as anything special. A young university student, she never stood out as exceptional or even extraordinary. She went to class, worked part-time to pay her tuition fees and living expenses, and spent time with her friends. As average as average could be, Hong Seol never thought she’d catch the eye of someone as out of the ordinary as Yoo Jung (Park Hae Jin).&nbsp;

A senior at the same university, Yoo Jung has never been one to blend in. The handsome son of a wealthy family, he’s never had to work his way through school, but that hasn’t kept him from thinking himself above his peers. On the contrary, he’s always been kind towards others, helping out where he can. With so much going for him, he’s always been one to attract the attention of others, but very few have been able to catch his eye. Until now.

Intrigued by Hong Seol, Yoo Jung begins to take an interest in his underclassman. When he finally decides to ask her out, the two begin an unexpected and awkward relationship that will cause more than a few heads to turn.

Based on the popular webtoon of the same name by Soonkki, “Cheese in the Trap” is a 2018 romance film directed by Kim Jae Young.

Cheese in the Trap (Movie)

Captured Team 

It could take a fresh perspective to solve the most difficult crime cases. Two genius high school students (Ahn Hyeong Seop and Yoo Sun Ho) discover that their parents have disappeared one day. They turn to a police detective (Kim Nam Joo) for help to finding their parents, only to end up helping the detective solve other tough criminal cases. “Rebel Detectives” is a 2017 South Korean web drama series.

Rebel Detectives

The Rebel 🔎

This is a crime-fighting team that works!

Ok Jin Kyung (Kim Nam Joo) is a detective with the Mirae Police Station. She works hard for justice and will do anything to get the job done. She gets help from two genius high school students, Seol Oh Sung (Ahn Hyeong Seop) and Pyo Han Eum (Yoo Seon Ho), who have been given honorary crime-fighting positions as a profiler and forensic scientist.

But will there be a case that even this expert group can’t crack? “Rebel Detectives 2” is a 2018 South Korean drama series directed by Park Sun Jae. It is the second season to the drama series “Rebel Detectives” (2017).

Rebel Detectives 2

Rebel Detectives Team

Fuji TV TWO

A girl with average looks and poor grades sees a boy on the first day of high school and falls head-over-heels in love with him. Kotoko (Honoka Miki) admires Naoki (Yuki Furukawa), the most handsome and smartest boy in school, from afar for three years. But fate throws them together under one household when her family home is struck by a falling meteor and destroyed. During her home’s reconstruction, Kotoko’s family stays with her father’s childhood friend, who just happens to be Naoki’s father. Despite living under one roof, can Kotoko possibly get Naoki to think of her as more than just a nuisance? “Mischievous Kiss: Love in Tokyo,” also known as “Playful Kiss: Love in Tokyo,” is a 2013 Japanese drama series. This is the fifth television adaptation of the Japanese manga “Itazura Na Kiss” by Tada Kaoru, following the original Japanese series “Itazura Na Kiss” (1996), the Taiwanese series “It Started With a Kiss” (2005) and its sequel “They Kiss Again” (2007), and the Korean series “Playful Kiss” (2010).

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