The male lead, Sakuragi Kenji, is a former delinquent turned lawyer.
Due to taking on the case of a failing school's bankruptcy restructuring—and for the sake of his own future—he comes up with a bold idea:
To single-handedly form a special training class for students from a no-hope school, and through one year of effort, get at least five of them admitted into the nation's top school: Imperial Capital University.
It was the kind of goal that, in Jing Yu's past life, would be like taking a group of students scoring only 300–400 on their exams in their second year of high school, and somehow boosting them up to 670–680+ within a single year.
Totally unrealistic.
I mean, if all it took was one year of hard work to jump from a failing score to the top percentile, then why do people study for over a decade to take the college entrance exam? Everyone could cram in the last year, right?
Sure, there are exceptions—geniuses who can pull that off.
But if an ordinary person actually managed to do that? Then guess what—
They weren't "ordinary" to begin with. They were just a hidden genius all along.
But this is a drama, after all. Of course, it has to dream big and ignore some logic.
No one wants to watch a main character do stuff that everyone else can do in real life.
It's because the goals seem unattainable in reality that viewers get hooked.
The plot moved at a brisk pace—a classic strength of Japanese dramas and anime from Jing Yu's past life.
In Jing Yu's fan chat group, everyone was stunned by the way 'Dragon Zakura' opened.
"Okay... this is kinda crazy."
"But... weirdly addictive."
"I thought this was gonna be a feel-good high school romance about chasing dreams. But it's about a lawyer trying to get famous by creating a cram class that pushes delinquents into Imperial Capital University?!"
"Yo, anyone here actually from Imperial Capital Uni? Tell us if this setup is even remotely possible."
"I'll say this—apart from the elites at the very top, there's not a massive IQ gap between students at regular colleges and those at prestigious ones. The real reason for the score gap in entrance exams is over ten years of accumulated effort and study habits. That's it."
"Take language learning. Even toddlers can speak with their parents. But some people study a foreign language for over ten years and still score 40 or 50 out of 150. That's not about intelligence—that's about effort. It's the same for every subject. Two people can have similar IQs, but a decade of different study habits will turn into a 200+ point difference in scores."
"If the goal was to get one or two students into Modo City University, I'd say okay, sure. But Imperial Capital University? That's just blowing smoke."
"Still... I kinda wanna keep watching. This show is surprisingly fun."
Even in the drama, most of the characters think it's impossible.
And the audience? Yeah, pretty much the same.
But that's the point.
If the main character had a goal that everyone thought was realistically doable, who would bother watching? If it feels achievable, viewers would just go and do it themselves.
The entire first episode of 'Dragon Zakura' revolves around this mission.
Convincing the board of a failing school, negotiating with the chairman, forming a special training class…
And then—the episode ends with a speech in the school gymnasium.
In front of a group of rowdy delinquents who are applying makeup, blasting music, messing around, and showing zero respect to teachers, classmates, or their own futures…
Sakuragi Kenji steps forward and begins his speech.
"All of you... You are a bunch of idiots.
Go ahead. Be losers for the rest of your lives."
This is why 'Dragon Zakura' scored so highly in Jing Yu's past life.
It wasn't just because the plot was over-the-top or that it served motivational clichés.
It was because—somewhere in there—it actually hit home.
Lines like the ones from Sakuragi Kenji—sharp, brutal, and honest—cut deep.
Even in the group chat, everyone stopped joking around.
"Anyone interrupts me again, I'll beat your ass."
'Sakuragi Kenji' explodes. The sudden switch in tone hit like a truck.
"If you keep living like this, you'll be lied to for the rest of your lives.
Society runs on rules. To survive, you have to follow those rules.
And who do you think makes those rules?
Smart people do.
Rules made by smart people to benefit themselves—
To control and exploit dumbasses like you.
And those of you who think studying the rules is 'too much trouble'?
You'll spend your lives getting scammed—by people smarter than you."
The speech lasted several minutes and was incredibly intense.
Not just the students in the show—but the viewers at home—were stunned silent.
Yes, 'Dragon Zakura's premise was idealistic.
A bunch of flunkies fighting their way into the top school? Unreal.
But dramas have to reflect hope.
You work hard—you deserve results.
Otherwise, why would anyone watch?
But beyond the motivational fluff, the show delivered truths.
"I hate Imperial Capital University."
"Anyone who thinks getting into that school means your life will be smooth sailing—
Anyone who sees a rival from that school and instantly feels inferior—
Trash. All of you."
"But society doesn't work the way you think.
Once you're tossed into the real world, all that's waiting for you…
is frustration and regret."
"If you don't want life to chew you up and spit you out—
Then study. Get into Imperial Capital University.
I don't care if you're dumb or ugly—
All of you, get your asses into Imperial Capital University!"
And that's how the first episode of 'Dragon Zakura' ends.
Sakuragi Kenji's brutally realistic words, paired with this completely insane premise, somehow stirred something in the audience's hearts.
"Why… why am I getting so fired up even though I know the plot is totally ridiculous?"
"I was a bad student too, but watching Sakuragi Kenji roast those slackers felt SO satisfying!"
"I mean, he's right. I know he's right. I just… didn't wanna face it."
"Goosebumps! Jing Yu-sensei never misses!"
"This drama is dripping with chuuni energy. But you know what? Screw it. I'm going full chuuni this season. I'll be normal again once it ends."
"Same here. As long as it's fun, I'm in. I watched the whole episode with this goofy auntie-smile plastered on my face."
"Can relate. I graduated high school ten years ago, and I still think about how different my life would be if I'd just worked a bit harder.
I don't think jumping from bottom-tier to Imperial Capital U in a year is realistic.
But making it into a decent university? Maybe that one year could've changed everything."
"So… what are you doing now?"
"No degree. Can't land a decent job. I'm stuck at home helping my parents run errands."
"You could always work in a factory or deliver food?"
"My parents won't let me. They say if I go get a job, no one will collect rent from the dozens of properties we own in the city—and it'll cut into their mahjong time.
I'm screwed either way. Just a spoiled landlord's son with no skills.
Last night, my high school buddy posted a video at 3 AM showing his whole company grinding for their dreams…
While I was lying in bed, sleepless for six hours, wondering about the origin of the universe, the future of mankind…
And what I should eat for breakfast."
"???"
"???"
"...…"