Weak Hero

Action, Rage and Friendships

What a powerful series! I heard of it only a week prior to it's release and when I started watching, I couldn't stop. I binged the whole show in one sitting!

Don't be put off by the bullying and high school storyline. This is more than the average revenge drama. There are many layers to our 3 main characters. The story revolves around 3 students, one is a studious kid, the other sleeps through most of his classes and an excellent fighter and the last a transfer student. The three end up forming a deep bond over the harassment by their class bullies. I found myself cheering for them with every obstacle that they encountered. The action scenes are incredible. Some are a little gruesome. You really have to wonder if bullying in Korean schools really as bad as the claims are.

The show is not all dark. It has it's sweet moments as well as moments that make you sit at the edge of your seat in excitement.

I genuinely loved the series but I have to deduct 0.5 simply because of what happened at the end. It was extremely frustrating and upsetting for me to watch.

The acting of all the actors (including bullies) is simply top notch. Although there were a few times when I felt like the storyline defining the characters was a bit extreme. I didn't pay much attention to the music but whatever I did hear, it was quite enjoyable. I hope people give this series a try and I hope you will be pleasantly surprised just like I was.

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An Emotionally Gripping Prequel with Complex Characters and Heartfelt Friendships

The series delves into high school bullying through the untold backstory of Gray, aka Shi Eun, based on the webtoon Weak Hero. Unlike the webtoon, which quickly touches on the events that shape Gray’s antisocial and harsh nature, the series takes its time to build the world around the characters, highlighting the connections that will ultimately lead to their downfall.

The narrative is primarily seen through Shi Eun's eyes, focusing on his complicated relationships with both friends and enemies. Shi Eun is a deeply antisocial character, disconnected from his peers and uninterested in seeking companionship or approval. His cold, empty gaze, brilliantly portrayed by actor Park Jihoon, destabilizes those around him, evoking fear and curiosity from others.

The series is intensely violent, exploring psychological abuse, group violence, bullying, mistreatment, and child abuse. The brutal and raw nature of the scenes, especially in the opening moments, is gripping and shocking—so much so that it becomes almost addictive to watch.

What stands out in this series is the poignant friendship between Shi Eun and Soo Ho, a bond that becomes the emotional backbone of the story, especially for the upcoming season 2. Their relationship is built on mutual respect, boundaries, support, and protection—a true bromance that adds depth and warmth to the otherwise dark narrative.

The friendship between Shi Eun, Soo Ho, and Beom Seok adds another layer of emotional richness. At first, their bond is heartwarming, but the series gradually reveals the depth of Beom Seok’s trauma and his responses to it. In the webtoon, Beom Seok is portrayed as a shallow, jealous character, but here, the show adds significant depth to him, making us empathize with his pain and struggles.

Overall, the series feels deeply human and offers a strikingly realistic portrayal of the emotional complexities of high school life and the consequences of trauma. As a prequel, it sets the stage for the larger story, providing essential context for Shi Eun’s character and leaving us eager to uncover the full picture in the next season.

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Literally one of the BEST shows I've ever watched.

I finished watching this in one go 2 hours ago, and let me tell you, the tears haven't stopped. It's like I'm a broken faucet, constantly pouring out water.

I loved EVERYTHING about it, the writing, the cinematography, the actors, the OSTs. Everything. Park Jihoon, Choi Hyunwook, and Hong Kyung did an amazing job portraying the characters perfectly, I can't even explain in words how amazing it is, because it legit left me speechless.

The last drama I cried this much over was Kim Woobin's 'Uncontrollably Fond', ever since that drama nothing really touched up on my emotions, but this was another level of artistry. I honestly think everyone should give it a try, it's just brilliant, nothing seems out of place, the storyline, and it's progression was seamlessly executed, and nothing feels out of place.

The actors, writers, directors, and staff deserve all kinds of praise for producing this kind of art. I sincerely hope that there's another season, because I don't think I can handle this ending, I need another season.

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How perfect is this drama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have seen hundreds of dramas but nothing come close to the ML's acting skills in this one. I wasn't a huge fan of the ML before but after this wow......... respect.

All casts are exceptional but Park Ji hoon sets the bar little more higher. In k-dramas, generally they all have a bad habit of having a 'liberal democratic ' way of punishment. Basically just humiliation for the accused. But for the victims those are just ways to say even if you were at the wrong end of the barrel, you cannot and will not have the same power/choice as them. But this drama rewrites everything and that's exactly what sets this one apart from others.

I really wanted to add some recommendation but then nothing came to my mind. Nothing of the same genre came close to this series as a comparison.

So excited looking forward to season 2.

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A weak boy can be powerful if he's with his friends who are perfect match for him

I really appreciate the dramas like this,the story, acting, action everything is looks so realistic.
About story, there's no doubt about it that the story is so different from other school dramas I watched so far until now. The story simplifies how friendship can change a person and turns him into a totally different person.
About acting, Sometimes I thought that it's not a drama, that's a real life. Everytime in every scene it really looks so realistic. Jihoon really did a great job and worked so hard in his every action and emotions. Hyun-Wook is also so good in acting,this is my first time watching him. He learned biking even when he felt scary, whatever he's too good. I would like to see him more active from now on.
About music,it was quite good. The intro song is really good. But more than the intro song, I would like to listen the song which was played on the end of the episode 7.
About Binge watch, actually you will understand the story in one go,so don't need to watch again. For me this is actually hard to watch again because it's full of emotion. Everytime I saw Shi-Eun's face in the drama that made me sad always.
Overall it's too good. Jihoon deserves a award for his acting skills. I hope more people discover this amazing drama and watch it.

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Amazing acting!

I'm trying to figure out how to write this review, because I've just finished it and have taken a few minutes to collect myself....

Park Jihoon and Choi Hyunwook, and honestly all of the other actors, are incredible in this! Park Jihoon's acting is award-worthy in this, as is the entire drama.

The drama has 8 episodes, which were all released at the same time. I've seen comments saying that this is because it's meant to be binged, which is understandable, as you could lose the emotional buildup between episodes if you had to wait to watch each next episode. But also, they could have done this to get it aired by the end of 2022 so that it was available to be considered for the current year's awards. (Or possibly, they just didn't have a time slot, but I doubt that's the case.)

For some reason, a lot of people are unaware that Park Jihoon has been acting for about 15 years, so he's an actor-turned-idol, not the other way around. He's not one of these green "noobs" (I hate that word) with no experience under his belt. He's had stage and television experience, plus the experience with Wanna One and his solo singing career. So I would have expected for him to do well, but he went beyond my expectations and blew me away with this drama, as well as At A Distance, Spring Is Green (which I also recommend.)

Choi Hyunwook is younger and less experienced, but still not new to the acting world. He was my favorite character on Twenty-Five, Twenty-One because he has such charisma, and I had the same thoughts as I watched him in Weak Hero Class 1. He has that strong but confident personality that is cool and captivating.

Also I want to mention that Shin Seung Ho had me mesmerized with his calm and cool exterior....

So anyway, the drama...it was violent. I usually shy away from such things as violence and bullying, because if I hide my face, they don't exist, right? No. They do, but I know (hope to goodness) they don't exist at this level in S. Korean high schools. I was fully immersed, and had to pause occasionally to remind myself that it was a drama and no one really got hurt. It was good enough that I never thought of dropping it, and even interested in watching season 2.

I'm sure there are triggers for some people, and it's probably not for everyone, but if you can watch it, it's definitely worth every 10 rating that it got.

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I wanted to check out the first episode out of curiosity and ended up watching all eight episodes within 12 hours. It was 100% Park Jihoon's portrayal of Si-eun that hooked me. Those sad eyes and that emotionless voice expressed so much intensity. Choi Hyun Wook was also so charismatic as Soo-ho; his energy is infectious and the two of them together really warmed my heart. However, to be clear, this isn't a warm drama! This is intense and violent, the eight episode length gives it such a fast pace although still allowing character development to be evident. Every cast member played their part so well.

I truly hope this gets a second season. Noting that I have not read the webtoon.

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GREAT ACTION & AMAZING BROMANCE!

SUCH A GOOD SHOW OMG!!! I totally did not expect it to be this good because I wasn't that interested in the synopsis or the actor lineup but it proved me wrong! I am amazed by the different images that Jihoon showed me through his role in this drama. It is so different than his Wanna One days. I am also so in love with Sooho! Sooho & Si Eun are too adorable together and I'm so sad T_T I will be keeping an eye on both Jihoon and Hyun Wook's future projects. The plot and action scenes are also so amazing and thrilling to watch!! It is a bit graphic but so exciting and satisfying to watch nonetheless. I love it when the weak character shows his other side! I wasn't expecting the plot to turn the way it did halfway, but the drama was still very good and kept me engaged until the end. No wonder everyone is raving about this drama! I TOTALLY RECOMMEND IT!

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Must watch!

I never wrote a review despite watching hundreds of dramas but I had to leave one for this one!
I don't see any flaws to it! The story is captivating, actors are brilliant, you get really attached to the characters because they are realistic and well written. The fighting scenes are realistic and great as well, which changes from these drama were the main leads practically fly without breaking a sweat!
The last episode was so intense I realised that I was barely breathing!
If you like stories about the underdog, deep friendship and action, don't hesitate! But brace yourself ;)

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