When delinquent transfer student Ban Taehyeon, rumored to be the brawler at the center of a schoolyard fight, walks into class, the strict and upright Kang Hyeonbeom makes it his mission to keep him in check. Determined to reform Taehyeon into a model student, Hyeonbeom starts watching his every move… only to find himself slowly drawn into Taehyeon's orbit. As the line between discipline and friendship starts to blur, could Hyeonbeom really be the one getting “reformed” instead?

Problematic Student Patrol has story by and art by Rab. Translation and lettering by Lezhin. Published by Lezhin (September 19, 2025).

Content warning: bullying

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

When I was in school, parents used to talk about not wanting their children to be “labeled.” Typically, they were talking about learning differences and the fear of people thinking their children weren't smart (ah, the bad old days), but the far more destructive label is that of “bad kid.” Taehyeon in Rab's Problematic Student Patrol managed to get that one stuck to him in middle school, and eventually it led to him being forced to transfer high schools. He may not have been bad back then, but by the time he crosses paths with the other series protagonist Hyeonbeom, he's decided that he's just going to live down to his reputation. After all, if no one is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, what's the use?

Problematic Student Patrol is a lot darker than I was expecting. While it has elements of an enemies-to-maybe-eventually-lovers story – Taehyeon absolutely feels like everyone is his enemy at first, especially Hyeonbeom – the story is much more focused on the fallout of years of abuse. Taehyeon no longer tries because he doesn't believe in himself, and when Hyeonbeom's overly enthusiastic adherence to school dress codes first hits him, he assumes the worst. He can't help it: everyone has always treated him like garbage, including the older brother who appears to be his guardian. When Hyeonbeom's stickler tendencies plus good grades make a classmate attempt his murder, Taehyeon just accepts the blame…even though he's not the one who did it. In fact, he saved Hyeonbeom, but he keeps that to himself because if he gets expelled, well, at least he won't have to deal with everyone's assumptions anymore.

What makes this work is Hyeonbeom. His adherence to school protocols stems from a belief in the system, not the idea that those who don't follow them are bad. He earnestly wants to help Taehyeon, indicating that he fully believes in him. He knows Taehyeon can succeed if he tries, and that's a first for the other boy. It's also something that he needs very desperately in his life, and if there's a romance plot (Lezhin labels this as BL, so there probably is), it's got a solid base to build from.

Rab's art isn't perfect – it's a bit hard to tell some of the characters apart – but the story more than makes up for it. Even the kid who actually tried to murder Hyeonbeom has a reason for being the way he is that ties back to school and expectations. The more I read, the more I wanted these kids to be okay, because the school system and people's expectations can beat you down sometimes. But there's also sometimes a chance to fight back.

Bolts
Rating:

Problematic Student Patrol is a bit misleading because it's not exactly about a bunch of characters going on a patrol. We have two high school boys, one who is the comedically straight-laced model student who is all about the rules, while the other is the new problematic transfer student who might have a violent past. I read that description to you, and you probably already have an idea of what kind of story this is going to be. The story plays out without much of a massive deviation from that type of setup. There's some school drama with people believing rumors over actually confirming details, there is a whole nature versus nurture element to the story, and as more characters get involved, the violent actions tend to escalate.

Part of the reason why I liked reading this, though, is that it's self-aware and it has a sense of heart. This is a surprisingly funny story with a goofy sense of humor despite its occasional violent seriousness. A lot of the teenagers act like teenagers, either being too scared to rock the boat, or they just don't have a firm understanding of what is going on. There's also a good degree of angst here, but it never feels overly self-indulgent. If anything, having a character like Kang, who is so straight-laced in a monotone way, brings an element of self-awareness to the story that I think prevents it from feeling monotonous or boring. Plus, I do like the chemistry between him and our other lead, Ban. They butt heads all the time, but there is a strong, almost brotherly bond that also leaves hints for something potentially more. This is the type of story that I don't think leaves a strong, definitive impact because it's not necessarily doing anything new. However, it knows what it wants to be and what tools it has to tell the best version of that story.