Genius of a Performing Arts High

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After 10 years of dedicating his life to opera ever since he had quit the performing arts high school, he had failed at an interview. Losing his motivations, Jo Yunjae depended on alcohol to live out his days until one day, he had been sent back 20 years in time, to the day before his high school admission.

The reason for his time travel nor the terrible condition his body was in did not matter to him. The one and only, most important thing was that he could still sing, not as the previous baritone but as a long-coveted tenor.

Associated Names
One entry per line
예술고 천재가 되었다
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Life, Once Again! (8)
The Great Storyteller (7)
Top Management (5)
God of Music (3)
An Art Student Who Lives Twice (3)
Upki Girl (3)
Recommendation Lists
  1. TOP of the toppers, BEST of the bestest
  2. Idol/Actor/Superstar novel
  3. KR Novels Recommended by a Picky Reader
  4. An actual attempt at ranking
  5. Rising Up in the Entertainment Industry (Best Of)

Latest Release

Date Group Release
12/30/20 Genesis Translations c11 part13
12/20/20 Genesis Translations c11 part12
12/14/20 Genesis Translations c11 part11
12/11/20 Genesis Translations c11 part10
12/06/20 Genesis Translations c11 part9
12/02/20 Genesis Translations c11 part8
11/23/20 Genesis Translations c11 part7
11/13/20 Genesis Translations c11 part6
11/06/20 Genesis Translations c11 part5
11/02/20 Genesis Translations c11 part4
10/28/20 Genesis Translations c11 part3
10/20/20 Genesis Translations c11 part2
10/16/20 Genesis Translations c11 part1
10/11/20 Genesis Translations c10 part11
10/07/20 Genesis Translations c10 part10
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Review
46 Reviews


Valven
Valven
May 28, 2020
Status: v11c2
The translation is perfect. The german is correct, the emphasis on opera is amazing, the world-building is factual, the improvement of characters is astounding and the past has an amazing role. Marvellous story.

The world of opera is extremely hard to describe because perfection is what is needed. Our MC was not perfect, below-average in fact. He struggled to find a place in the world and 20 years is proof of that experience. While his fellow peers go beyond the means of success, he stagnates as a mediocre Baritone. His application... more>> of learning and improvement falters and in the end, he is defined as such.

This story is a bildungsroman. A coming of age, in which several geniuses surround our Main Character. And Jo Yunjae, who was previously a mediocre opera student, becomes one of those geniuses due to his 20 years of experience.

Now, I'll try to be concise but it's hard to describe this kind of story. Since I've caught up with the raws, I'll just describe the amount of effort the author has put into this story. The research has to be immense or the experience within this book is impossible. The author has managed to articulate and emphasize the hard use of vocabulary as well as produce an understanding of the world in terms of music. It feels alive, and you learn a lot about this type of thing simply due to this book. Genuinely, I was surprised. I thought this type of quality in writing was impossible, especially in eastern Asia. I have to congratulate the author, for this story is limitlessly engaging while being correct and factual simultaneously. As I've compared this to the translations, it's extremely impressive that both the author and RainTL has managed to be correct in all forms of what is opera.

Now, character design. The romance is very, questionable. I'll copy the descriptions from "Vermouth"
Spoiler

FEMALE CANDIDATES:
Chloe (piano) - At first I thought it would be her but then she kinda took a backseat in the story. I really like her though.

Lee Suh-ah (soprano) - I could see her as being the female lead. I think their romantic progression could be cute, with Lee Suh-ah being kinda a tsun in the beginning and then falling for him and opening up. Classic shoujo romance plotline. I also ship her and Yunjae so I think I'm biased. I mean, think like 20 years down the line when they become opera duet partners and dominate the world. Out of all the other girls, I feel like she's the one who is on the most equal footing with Yunjae and I would love to see Yunjae with someone who was just as good as him. (Okay maybe I just have intense power couple fantasies)

Song Mirae (mezzo) - At first I was kinda annoyed by Mirae but then she definitely grew on me. Love how forthcoming she is with Yunjae. Wouldn't mind if she swept him off his feet haha

Yu Minji (composer) - A lot of collaboration/partnership potential. Don't see much romance potential. She seems like a cool character though.

Han Dasom (soprano) - Yunjae's relationship with her is so heartwarming but I see it as more of a mentor/mentee relationship. It's really heartwarming to see her growth. I feel like Yunjae sees the past him within her and wants to help her because of that.

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5 Candidates for romance. In terms of FML, all of them are amazingly well-done to a point where each character can be remembered, but personally I'm reading this for the opera. As I said, these characters aren't dull. They're masterfully crafted and of a variable significance to the MC as well as the world around them. They feel alive and that's all I need in these types of stories. Now, let's talk about the Main Character, Jo Yunjae.

If I had to compare Jo Yunjae to God's Song's "Jun Hyuk" or The Great Storyteller "Juho Woo", they're similar but different. What I like about those stories is the mindset those MC's have. This story doesn't falter at all, in fact, it succeeds in terms of design and development. In The Great Storyteller, we're shown a masterful genius writer and how he creates books that don't fit his age; but Juho knows that in his past life he failed again and again, miserably. That emphasis on 'genius' like in God's Song is important because that term has been defined as 'a young person at the pinnacle' of anything. Genius could mean perfect and in these stories, we have to keep reminding ourselves that they're not geniuses, but fakes reincarnated (excluding Jun Hyuk). This story does it incredibly well and Jo Yunjae uses his past as a device for his geniune genius, which was overshadowed by his lack of. One thing similar about these novels is simply, age. Juho Woo (TGS) is calm and unfazed, which reflects his past life which was old and insensitive to failure. Jun Hyuk (GS) is another breed, a genius or an epitome of a musical virtuoso. Jo Yunjae reflects his past life and begins anew, improving on the basis of 20 years of experience. I find it very fulfilling to read. -

[My opinions are written in italics.]

My feelings about this are in retrospect, fantastic. I'm reading with a pace of curiosity, with significance over Music and direction of improvement. The comedy is fantastic, pale and awkward yet very hilarious. The romance is subtle but sweet, several candidates and it's a genuine setup for a reliable drama. The diction of each music note, or the "ah, ah!" is unfathomable and I've been very expressive in my mind over these things because I've experienced it. Translations are beautiful and I'm very convinced that if I haven't read this, then God's Song would still be my favourite book in this genre of what we call Musical writing.

My prediction on the story? Jo Yunjae will most likely be a virtuoso, a maestro, a conductor, a composer and most importantly, although dubious, "the genius of a performing arts high."

Alright, that's it from me, 5 stars. <<less
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Absolute-Melody
Absolute-Mel
Apr 17, 2020
Status: v5c6
[EDIT] Now that we've thoroughly chunked our way into the story, I'm glad to see this novel finally earn the rating it deserves. What was originally shot down as 1-star is now sitting at 4.4-stars! This novel has so much potential and the author has already tapped into that boundless pool to write what appears to be a masterpiece: an opera novel that constantly keeps me in suspense! If you want a human protagonist who loves to sing and welcomes growth even after 2 decades of experience, this novel is... more>> for you. If you want solid side-characters, a modern-day story, and a straightforward protagonist who (as far as I've read) has not relied on Deus Ex Machina, this novel is for you. If you enjoy anything to do with singing, expect to hear it, not with your ears, but with the author's supple words transcribing the melody directly into your brain. Basically.... READ IT!!!

[OLD REVIEW] at v2c2

I'm not sure why the rating is so low when their isn't much to really critique... actually, I'm highly intrigued by this particular novel. The translation is very clear and has no visible errors. One major point I would like to emphasize is the adjustment period for the body. I honestly believe this aspect to be underplayed in most time traveling novels. This adjustment period that the author has established truly adds to my immersion. As an aside, I just love that one line describing the MC's dry throat due to nervousness. The character feels real and (what can I say) I'm immersed. Not too much to go off of so far, but definitely high potential. <<less
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Takeru Takaishi
Takeru Takai
Apr 20, 2020
Status: c2 part5
Honestly, one thing that made me like this novel is that the protagonist is inferior physically, compared to the others, at the age he time traveled until the future. It is like his baseline is four, and can grow to fourteen. The other's baseline is higher than him due to him (1) not blessed with a good body and, (2) not trained since early age. He is accepted to the school simply because there is no other candidate for that position too, not because he has the skill to... more>> back it up. So, the second chance he had only shown him his path to reach his previous level, and even then he cannot force it because he'll ruin his body. <<less
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jklm
jklm
Jan 25, 2022
Status: v9c7
The music aspect, especially with a focus on opera, is super interesting.

The harem aspect, especially with the MC being mentally way older, is not interesting.

I like the time travel, and the advantages and struggles it gives the MC with vocal techniques. Some of the ways those around him misunderstand his massive leaps in skill (because obviously no one would assume time travel) is fun.

The harem takes away from the story for me. The majority of the side characters with significant screen time are all harem girls. It's definitely not the... more>> worst harem story I have read, the MC isn't creepy, and the girls do have personalities and abilities. It's just that 1) they feel a bit like pokemon he's collecting, like he has to get one of each personality and skill type and 2) harem is always way worse when you have a mentally ~40 year old and a bunch of high school girls. Like, the only thing that keeps it from being completely gross is that he doesn't seem aware of their interest and isn't really interesting in them (he definitely seems to act like more of a father/big brother/teacher figure), but that could change at any time.

Basically, it's a pretty good story made mediocre by harem. The harem is tolerable if you can put up with it, but prevents the story from being as good as it could be. <<less
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Maxmeteor1
Maxmeteor1
Apr 22, 2020
Status: c2 part8
Only 2 chapters in, but so far the novel seems like a pretty good and serious 2nd chance story, where characters are realistic and not 2-dimensional. It is a slightly technical in the beginning, especially as opera is not a subject many people will have prior knowledge of, but that does not detract from the novel in the slightest as you can really feel the MC's desire to improve himself, his love of opera, and ... more>>
Spoiler

his desire to never be as lonely as he was in his past life, and thus make friends

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Aozorah
Aozorah
Jun 01, 2020
Status: --
I’m not good in writting reviews but I just had to write one for this novel.

This is one of the best 2nd chance novel I’ve ever read. The story is about a guy who was an opera singer that reached a wall in his career and was given a 2nd chance to redo his life in the musical world.

The MC’s personality is very likeable, despite having 20 years of musical experience, he still shows his love for music. He practices like a madman to further improve himself, he's not arrogant... more>> about his vast experience in the world of classical music, and even went to the point of using his experiences to help his friends further develop their musical career.

The character development of the MC and his friends is so well written. His interactions, relationships, and banters with friends are very entertaining to read, albeit he is a bit dense in the romance department, and doesn’t seem to be interested as of the moment.

The only issue I see is that the story has too many musical jargons right off the bat.

One advise I can give if you will pickup this novel is, if you are not familiar in music, you might be overwhelmed with the musical jargons at first, but as the story progresses, you will naturally understand most of them, especially with the types of voices which was a bit confusing at first.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this novel and is hoping to read some more. Hopefully the quality of writing doesn’t drop as it progress. <<less
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Pendragon05
Pendragon05
May 19, 2020
Status: v11c3
One of the best music novel I've ever read along with God of Music. Just finished reading the raws/stopped at Act 10 Chapter 2 and it's really good man. Though he struggled at first because he was reverted back to his old self/body which is basically a newbie, he works hard to get back to his former self before he was sent back. Due to his enormous experience in opera and music, he also have a potential to become a opera conductor for which the conflict between the people who... more>> wants him to become opera actor and also the ones who wants him to be a opera conductor. Really good. Really worth it man.

Edit: I like the idea of him going to another club instead of the music department. Gives him flexibility and chance to further improve himself by doing what he wants since we all know that he lacks the talent compared to other characters. <<less
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Meloonseed
Meloonseed
May 05, 2020
Status: c4 part5
This is an academy-esque vibe so far. It's fun. It's like, 90% of JYJ trying to get better at opera, and 10% daily life. Might sound a bit boring, especially to people who know jack sh*t about opera, but. It's pretty fun.

Even if you aren't a singer/musician, whatever, you'll enjoy it. Check it out.
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NUCritic
NUCritic
May 02, 2020
Status: c4 part4
So good! Satisfying and enjoyable.

MC knows his limit and knows how to improve himself. With his past experience he improves on a fast phase with huge determination. I look forward if there's a 'conductor arc'

Also. I'm shipping him with Sungha.
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Oceanskyice
Oceanskyice
May 21, 2020
Status: c6 part7
I've never seen anything close to this kind of novel before— there's king of music and some others, but none tell the story in the point of view of a opera singer. It's incredibly detailed in describing vocal techniques (I sing too, so it's reasonably okay) and the MC is rather endearing in how composed he is in anything that has to do with singing but horrible at social interaction. Because the MC is a time traveller, he does have a leg up from other students, but not exaggeratedly due... more>> the his young body. It seems like another novel where the MC is only skilled because of time travel or experience, but it turns out that our MC has many virtues of his own. From what I can see, it's going to be legendary.

also, the translation is incredible—the speed (once a day) and quality is top notch for a novel with such difficult vocabulary. <<less
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kjpo34
kjpo34
May 05, 2020
Status: v4c7
This is a really really good, heartwarming slice of life focused on opera. The protagonists and characters are great and you really see him trying to make a better future for himself because he loves opera and understands his limitations. You also learn a lot about opera in this boarding school setting so it’s really fun!

As someone who reads a ton of those fighting fantasy stories this is like a breath of fresh air, and the translation quality is EXCELLENT. Please do give it a try!
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athena67
athena67
May 05, 2020
Status: v4c7
I like this book so far eventhough i've just read four chapters. For characters especially the MC, I like to see how did he show efforts to improve his skill.
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AImmortalZ
AImmortalZ
Dec 14, 2021
Status: Completed
This novel is one of my favorites since it is similar to "The Great Storyteller, " except instead of writing novels and books, "Genius of a Performing Arts High" is about opera singing. What I enjoy about both of these novels isn't about romance, but rather about the focus of their themes (opera, writing), and the authors offer such accurate material that I frequently wonder whether I should major in one of them. These books will assist me in better understanding things and will allow me to relate to them.
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StarBolt420
StarBolt420
Jun 30, 2020
Status: v9c2
I started reading this novel on a whim. A random recommendation I saw in the comments of another novel I had been reading. But I have never been more thankful I found this novel. Despite being a complete idiot and understanding little about opera, I got hooked by the story immediately. Even though the main character has experience beyond his teenage years in his past, the author somehow still manages to find ways for him to learn to grow as a character. This growth is even more satisfying as Jo... more>> Yunjae is frequently called a genius but Jo Yunjae refutes this. He thinks of himself as a cheater, someone using his past life to cheat and compete with these genius' he would have never even touched in his previous life. That is what makes this so compelling, we see his doubt and hesitation at the prospect of competing with these unrivaled talents slowly disappear as his own undiscovered talents emerge, not from his past life experience's but from within him, talents he always had, and talents he can now make shine as bright as those around him.

The characters each have their own personalities and quirks, the scenes seem to come alive with emotion as you can feel the amount of research and dedication that had to be put into writing such a masterpiece of a novel. Lastly, the slow but genuine improvement of Jo Yunjae puts a smile on your face, as you ride the roller coaster of his journey to the peak of his previous life but most importantly, beyond that peak, breaking past his previous limits to a place once thought impossible to reach for a "non-genius" like him. <<less
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Opalescent
Opalescent
Jun 25, 2020
Status: c18.13
As someone who also take singing class in college, I can relate to a lot of what the MC is feeling. As someone who took a break from singing for 3 years, attempting to sing again takes a lot of recovery time. The high notes that used to be easy to reach now requires more effort, and the flexibility of switching head and chest voice that used to be second nature now requires a lot of practice. The amount of air that I used to be able to hold in... more>> the lungs also decreased, which means less power. Singing sure is an athletic thing.
The way the author keep readers hooked to the story is top-notched, and I couldn’t help myself reading all the available chapters in a single day.
Spoiler

I didn’t find his ability of switching vocalization methods that amazing or unique, but I like following his progress as a singer.

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TeddyWestside
TeddyWestsid
May 29, 2020
Status: c7 part7
A interesting and novel take on the mainstream back to the past trope.

Use of popular genres like school life, harem, and romance but with the added twist of the unexplored subgenre of music which is opera, makes the story different while still being familiar.

Enjoyable read at the moment.
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Yami-NN
Yami-NN
May 24, 2020
Status: c7 part2
This is a wonderful piece. The main character, although he returned back to the past, still continues to learn and improve. He is not an all-knowing person, mastering new techniques. And although this is an opera novel, it is also interesting and easy enough to read for a person who does not understand opera. The interesting thing is that he really has to adapt to his young body. He does not seem too better than his classmates, there are also more talented people there. Minor characters are very colorful and... more>> their character is well written. Although the main character is good at opera, but he does not understand interpersonal relationships at all and it is a lot of fun. I recommend you read this or just try it. This is quite refreshing compared to most of the same more type of novels.

(Sorry for my English)

(//▽//) (*/▽\*) <<less
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yujichandesu
yujichandesu
May 14, 2020
Status: c6 part1
10/10 novel. Very enjoyable read even without any basic musical knowledge. Character interaction is very fun. MC is a likable person.
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Juslin
Juslin
Mar 26, 2023
Status: c11 part13
This novel is very much a hidden gem. In fact, I think it's actually a pretty good starter novel for anyone looking to get into web novels. This novel is very refreshing to read, with how the protagonist slowly picks his life up together with the help of the people around him. Despite being a returnee, he isn't all-knowing or arrogant, and he humbly learns from others that are better than him. It's very enjoyable to read about the protagonist's self-improvement, along with his companions.

Also, don't get too intimidated by... more>> the musical context of the novel. The novel is still very good even if you have absolutely no knowledge of any music theory or any classical songs. Though, you might get more interested in those after reading this novel and getting inspired by the sheer amount of passion for music the characters have. <<less
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ziki
ziki
Dec 17, 2020
Status: c11 part10
The novel is little overwhelming at first. It bombards the reader with various opera singer terms, slogans and lifestyle in general. For an average reader that had never anything to do with it... it's very easy to get lost.

Thankfully it's only the first impression and while there is truly a lot to learn about opera in this novel, eventually the average reader can get used to those, while on the other hand we have a very good execution of 'travelled back in time slice of life' genre.

So far I read... more>> two of those. Life, Once Again and The Great Storyteller. Both have far more chapters than this one (TGS is even finished), while this one has only 100 chapters translated right now. Still I must say that be it the MC or side characters, I do like the ones in this novel a lot. MC in particular stands out compared to it's counterparts. What's more there is finally some good old high school romance in this series.

For a series that takes place in high school, I also prefer the lighter tone that this novel has compared to the grave cruel reality of Life, Once Again.

Last but not least, even though this novel has just 100 chapters, I feel that Jo Yunjae already had more development as a character and also as a singer compared to the other two... which includes a finished series.

In any case I like this series a lot and recommend it over other two. <<less
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