Here where shows for teens are rare, hullu hullumpi yläaste has always stood out. The show about three friends starting middle school, filled with stereotypes of students and teachers. A new season came out every summer and it was a pain to wait, but definitely worth it.
The writing is actually pretty decent. The comedy works most of the time really well and there are many quotes I still hear at school. Since the target audience is kids under 14 there is a bit of toilet and slapstick humor that doesn't stick with older watchers. That's really my only complaint but one could say that's just how teens are. The writing in general is nothing special but nothing bad. The characters are stereotypes, there are the two quiet girls who only talk to each other, one goth, the insecure overweight kids, the troublemakers..but the writer can make the characters fun and memorable. There are more serious moments and the episodes tackle themes of issues that finnish teenagers struggle with such as weight, crushes, parties, parents, jealosy, and there are teacher dedicated episodes too, and they are good.
The main storyline is basic but I have always been invested in the crush Antti has on Jaana, and there hasn't been that many side plots but the series is really good at giving the illusion that there is a world outside of the school.
The voice acting is surprisingly good, especially since there are only 4 or 6 actors and they don't even have formal education, they just were interested in helping with the series. The animation is a bit stiff but it's nothing bad, it's pretty impressive coming from a hobbyist who has no education on the topic.
The soundtrack is fairly basic, mostly composed by the animator too but it's not all that bad. None of the songs really stand out other than the intro song.
Overall this is really great and I'm really waiting that this gets translated and is seen in other countries. Sure there are a lot of cultural things that don't translate well outside of nordic countries but I have hope.
