Weak Hero

The Weak Hero who packs a nasty punch

Would like to give a big thank you to all the previous reviewers and reviews; because of those reviews, this went up in my watch list. After watching a few dramas and movies such as Better Days that deftly if not heartbreakingly tell the story of bullying, this one is up there in its unique quality albeit with a different angle focused on shifting alliances and developing friendships of several teens. There is less emphasis on the male/female romantic relationship dynamic. This drama doesn't just focus on the bullying at school, its gives a glimpse of how its weaved into the fabric of society at all levels whether its parents bullying their kids or in low level criminal gangs.

It was an interesting casting choice with the ML, he has a pretty boy face and even though he's supposed to be 5'8, the other male actors seem to tower over him which adds to the concept of a weak hero. I've seen the ML in Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency which is a real light hearted rom-com and he plays an entirely different role in this. Its dark and at times it gets intense. His acting in this role is good, he captures the nuances of someone who has been suffering from parental neglect and being an outsider in his school. He seems depressed or numb to it all but is still motivated to do well academically which makes him a target with the bullies. His personality of not wavering when the bullies challenge him keeps him in the crosshairs. The situation ends up spiraling out of control. All the actors and actresses did a really job breathing life in their roles. There are some areas I felt was pretty good in adding realism to the motivation in the character's actions. When Oh Beom Seok asks Ahn Soo Ho to help Yeon Shi Eun when he's dragged off by thugs for a beating, Ahn Soo Ho declines since he's not that close with Yeon Shi Eun. Ahn Soo Ho isn't going to go out of his way to help someone unless there's some benefit that he gets out of it. Oh Beom Seok is meek and conflicted with the bullying he has endured at school and at the hands of his father. He comes from privilege but even with it, it doesn't allow him to escape from bullying in the school.

There's a fair amount of bare knuckle and knife fights, they look realistic and were choregraphed pretty well. The ML isn't a skilled fighter but he does have quick wit and a fair amount of courageous insanity that he brings to a fight. Since he is underestimated, he catches his opponents with an element of surprise and he has a lack of hesitation in making the first move once he's cornered. The ML does get beaten up a fair amount so it's not like he's some superhero dude who with a flick of his finger knocks all the thugs out. Kudos to the story tellers for adding that realism but you do question the ML's sanity in some situations where the odds were really stacked against him.

The drama was pretty well written, good acting, and the pacing was good - I didn't feel bored at any point, it is a rollercoaster of emotions. Appreciate the quality storytelling angle on bullying and the social effects from it.

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really powerful

very powerful drama, I got the same vibes as I did when watchin D.P. but this one hurt me more. I've never sobbed like this when watching a drama but this one broke me. To see these kids face so much pain, abuse, violence, bullying, neglect...I can't handle it. very painful!
soo-ho and shi eun's friendship was great!
I was so impressed by park jihoon's acting. i only saw him on at a distance, the spring is green before and I liked him in that one as well but this one was really sth else. for 8 episodes we only saw him smile for one second...
the whole cast was amazing!!! give them awards!!!
I sobbed and sobbed for soo-ho. episode 7 was heartbreaking!!!
quite violent, had to close my eyes sometimes.
the OST was amazing and one could not skip the intro. can't wait to listen to it on Spotify, together with the D.P OST.
have not read the webtoon

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Park Jihoon's Tremendous Acting

Park Jihoon will go a long way to go with this extraordinary acting. Best idol turned actor for sure. The extreme acting made me baffled as it was as good as a veteran.
Hyun Wook is another great actor who is proving great just like Park Solomon. It is great to see great acting from young actors as most of them suffer with very poor acting.
Park Ji Hoon will turn into one of the best actors of the Kdrama history if he goes on like this. What a performance!
Hong Kyung provided the best acting of the drama itself with conflicting issues all around him. His character was conflicted, confused and violent. So he had to put a lot of effort in acting and it paid off well.

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I'm Speechless! What was the hell is that?

In short: Anyone who can cope with brutal violence, should watch this series immediately, don't wait even a second!!!

In long: I came just as I finished the series and I don't even know how to start. I might make a typo, sorry in advance.

First of all, I want all the applause to go to Park Jihoon and Choi Hyun Wook. they deserve such a big round of applause... they were both the most talented young actors I've seen lately. They made me hold my breath for 8 episodes and lose my mind while watching the friendship they portrayed with their magnificent acting.
Edit: I just learned that Park Jihoon is an idol and also he has a very cute face card and cute idol persona in real life, i can't believe that he is the same person who plays that Si Eun character in this drama. lol. he is an amazing actor.

Then I want to add the following. first of all, this drama is definitely a heavy drama in terms of display of violence, just like "the king of pigs". So if brutal violence is too much for you, please don't watch it.

The second thing I would like to add is that this series did not actually contain any public service ads. that is, it actually involved real life. It contained everything that could happen in real life. what we are normally told, when bullied go and complain, make sure the authorities will protect you. but no, neither parent, nor teacher, nor police… none of them will try to save you. No one will care about you like no one cares about si eun and soo ho, this drama perfectly portrays the realities of life. be against bullying, a word that can only be spoken in public. From the highest status to the lowest, no one will even care if you are bullied. And that's why this show is never, ever pity. They put the facts before us without hesitation.

In some scenes, I had to stop, give myself some time and continue like that. I won't be able to get over this series that I couldn't get over the same "the king of pigs" (themes are similar).




SPOILER but this is a call to the screenwriters: do not leave si eun alone at another school in the second season and let us watch their happy moments with his friend soo ho, PLEASE!

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Drama is so much fun!!!! I thought it was just a school action, but it is deeper than that. It explained the feelings of teenagers, their psychological struggles, their relationships, and their oscillations. I feel that I came back to see myself when I was young, so I was really affected and really loved it. The drama deserves praise and appreciation.
I think they put in extra effort because it's live action so they really deserve appreciation !

Park Ji Hoon is a good actor. I felt every feeling the character felt, dullness, sadness, depression, and even feelings of warmth in the hospital scene.

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Exhilarating (binged in 6 HRS) but Doesn't Justify the hype/high rating (9)

Debated long before starting this, cause high rated K-dramas in actual had not done it for me, recently. Took a chance, binged it with a few episodes in 1.5x speed & wrapped up in under 6 hours. Have not seen the webtoon, so my review is basis the drama only. Given the high rating this drama has, mine would come across unpopular but this is my humble take on it.

10/10 for the acting, but 7/10 for the story/writing.

If the message of the drama was on taking action than talking like mature people; giving in to pure unadulterated rage because you have been a victim too long, then it did not appeal to me. I cannot imagine what are they going to portray in Season 2 differently, other than more rage-fights in a different setting. This season in itself is complete though not satisfactory, with half-hearted character developments & relationships. Honestly, I found the first half to be better, which is what kept me engaged to finish it. But the latter half of the show for me just lost the point or rather could not make a definite point. While the action scenes were good they could not carry the weight of the drama which ultimately made it lose the initial charm & excitement.

We have seen bullying in shows, anime, manga in varying degrees. This drama interprets/portrays it well in terms of:
1. how bullies are (how they get into it sometimes due to situation but in the end by their own choice)
2. how the main characters stand up to it, while forming a bond themselves
3. what are the external factors that affects this evil of our society (role of adults and their interference)
4. Overall the impact of all the above on the lives of the main characters and those around them, which is a message to real society.

Si-Eun is not shown as a conventional hero - while he is gutsy, uses his wits to fight battles but does not always come on the top on his own but has help. The help comes in form of the deuteragonists/his friends, support characters, situations etc. which keeps the story/character (almost) realistic. Expecting the story to continue on this track, with Si-Eun grows individually, enjoying new friendships, courage to stand up to the bullies & the associated evils (gang, unethical adults). Si-Eun, Su-ho & Beom-Seok while had different personalities, family issues etc. I thought the focus would be on their growing bond/bromance even if they face ups & downs, growing into mature adults. I was surprised, but ready to understand when the story takes a different turn (the rift in friendship). But my problem lies with the fact that the writers/directors did not execute this unexpected turn well as below:

1. They did not explain the rift well, cause they did not explore the grey character well.
- We have bits and pieces of their backstory, minimal depiction of their internal debate & anguish.
- It is like the character woke up one day and chose to be evil. The transition & its explanation is missing, which is the fault of writers/directors.
- Neither do other characters make efforts to understand them, but rather take it on face value. So we cannot even understand the gray character from their perspective.

2. Si-Eun being filled with pure, unadulterated rage as he pulverizes everyone in sight. Like why? And why all the time?
- Being the ML, he takes things into own hands to mitigate the above said rift.
- But the focus shifts from communication to just violence/pure rage.
- Si-Eun is essentially a character who uses brains more than brawns.
- Seeing him throughout the drama, especially second half - I am wondering if the focus of the whole story only on taking action & not being calm/practical/ mature about situations?

3. The whole character of Su-ho and Beom-Seok was just messed up in 2nd Half.
- Add in Lee Yeon's character's influence in all of it, it makes it even worse.

The second half lacks proper explanation, characters' choices are more confusing than making me fully sympathize/hate any character. It's like just because they realized that they can fight, so they end up fighting all the time for every situation. Like what happened to calmly talking or discussing, especially given these characters are not inherently prone to action.

Personally, I would say it is a good drama with some great acting, so definitely a one-time watch.
But it is not a great drama that I would recommend (i.e. pester you until you watch it) or be memorable for me.

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IMPRESSED WHEN UNEXPECTED

I had zero expectation and I think that is why I was so impressed with the acting and story. It is feeling I cannot describe. I watched this right after a boring Chinese youth drama with happy ending so this was a complete 180 degree change of mood and feeling. I would recommend this to people who are finding drama to watch after finishing or dropping a boring drama.
Youths who are tired of life should watch this drama. Choi Hyun Wook's acting is superb in my opinion. Shin Seung Ho showed me something different after AOS character that I liked more than the hero. This is my first time noticing Hong Kyung so I think he did a great job portraying his character. Overall I liked it.

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I am absolutely surprised and satisfied

To start it off i have read the webtoon and am currently reading it as its still ongoing. At first i was trying to figure out what part of the story this season is and i already knew what sadness i'd have to experience towards the end once i figured out what part of the timeline it was. They really did this webtoon justice. This season being the backstory of mc surprised me because i was left wondering how a whole season was dedicated to the backstory that we only caught glimpses of in the webtoon. This drama really made me feel so much empathy and sympathy for mc as the writers, directors, actors, everyone involved did a great job at portraying the story, personalities and emotions involved. Manhwas being put into drama formats have always been scary because some have flopped and others were done amazingly. This is one of those dramas that will satisfy the audience that already read the webtoon. I am pleasantly surprised how well done this is. I recommend this drama so so much to both new audience and webtoon readers. Im sure there will be more seasons after this after seeing the end of the drama where they gave us a glimpse of.. a character, to not spoil it for non-webtoon readers. Have a great time watching this as im sure you'll enjoy :)

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A Complete Knockout

This drama is amazing. I’ve been waiting for it because I really like Park Ji Hoon and was excited to see this project in the works for him. The aura of the premise and the snow overall sold it to me, but with most things I highly anticipate.. they either don’t come out, or they fall flat.

Weak Hero Class One soars beyond my expectations and delivers a gritty, thrilling, and clean drama that is full of everything I love to watch but haven’t seen enough of. It isn’t over saturated in any way, neither on the end of being too dark that it takes itself too seriously, or not taking itself seriously enough.

This drama doesn’t have things it doesn’t need, like unnecessary adding romance, it focuses on its characters and keeps its tone throughout. This drama is binge-able (which I did do) and leaves more to be wanted, but not in a way that it didn’t wrap up what it needed to for the first part.

It’s short with 8 episodes long, but it doesn’t lack budget or care. The script is as clean as the visuals, and the fighting is beyond what I’ve seen in a k-drama for a while. It has a lot of fight scenes that are pretty brutal and not for the feint-hearted, and a lot of them. It’s not redundant or sprinkling in fights; they all serve their purpose

I love Yeon Shi Eun uses his smarts to beat people senseless in unorthodox ways. How he goes over what he’s about do do/doing, with theories and proven facts is engaging. The actors on this drama are all young and they look like high school students.. which is a plus plus. The main cast are amazing in this and very impressive.. especially Park Ji Hoon. He takes his character and brings him to life believably, bringing heartbreaking moments, and pure intimidation with his attitude towards other characters. He’s not out there with his intimidation, he’s just way smarter .. and that’s scary. In a good way. It’s so satisfying to watch his overpower those physically stronger with his knowledge. I like how he orchestrates the fights for himself rather than completely letting others do it for him.

The dynamics between the main three is also very good. I love seeing Choi Hyun Wook play this character of a jock again like in 25-21, but this time it’s still completely different of a character. He’s morally a good guy, and he fights for others but keeps an aloof attitude. The flight choreo for him is insane and engaging the whole time as well as the fun and charismatic lines he delivers. The character of Oh Beom Ho is also very interesting and adds a mellow balance to the main three, his story is also heartbreaking and full of deception.

This drama just falls right in line with my interests in what I like to watch. I love dramas like this to the core. It’s got action and it’s got the grit to back it up. It’s not scared to keep its tone but still has its funny moments. Park Ji Hoon is so impressive with the acting. He portrays the looks of pain and anger so well. It’s all believable and there isn’t a sore spot with any of the cast. Everything checks the right boxes with this one and I can’t wait for part two.

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THIS SHOW DELIVERS RAW EMOTIONS AND COMPLEX CHARACTERS

Weak Hero Class really moved me with mix emotions in every episode. From the first episode until the last, it kept me hooked and never let me down. Each episode built up the tension while also showing deep and meaningful character moment.

What stood out the most to me aside from the gritty fight scenes was the contrast between Si eun and Beom seok in the relationship with Suho. When Suho stopped Si eun from going too far with Yeong bin, Si eun was upset at first but he understood Suho's attention and grew from it. Beom seok on the other hand, took it negatively misunderstood Suho's actions, which created a rift between them. This difference in perspective highlights how people deal with care and friendship in very different ways.

Beom seok is probably one of the most complex characters I've seen in Korean dramas. He's my favorite because his story is written with such depth that made me feel something, sympathy, frustration, angry, and even sadness at the same time. His journey shows how insecurity and pain can twist someone's view of the world. Just wow, it's well written.

It's more than just a school action drama. It's powerful story about friendship, pain, and the choice people make when pushed to their limits. The writing is sharp, the acting is strong, the ost is fire, and the emotions feel real.

Plot 9/10
Acting and Characters 10/10
Cinematography 8.5/10
Writing 9.5/10
Pacing 10/10
OST/Score 10/10

Overall 9.5/10

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