Edmondo
This review may contain spoilers
Solid Show, great first half -> poor second half
Honestly, the show overall was a solid show. One of my favorite aspects of the drama is that the pacing was really satisfying to watch unfold. It never felt like it was too fast nor too slow and did a great job at keeping my entertained throughout. There's not many dramas that I feel like can nail pacing as this one can. In particular, the fast-paced violence in the first half of the drama was especially satisfying, particularly when the bullies received their comeuppance.
While the plot was strong in the first half of the drama, the second half was not as well-executed.
The first half of the story was perfect. The character dynamics, the progression, the overall story was great. Then in the second half of the story the main focus turns to Beom Seok as he shifts into the main antagonist role. Unfortunately, the reasoning behind his villainous turn felt underdeveloped. His jealousy of Young Yi because Soo Ho followed her back on Instagram, while he was not, seemed like a weak catalyst for his actions. I get it, Beom Seok is written as an insecure individual who seeks validation from others. But using 2/3 scenes of Beom Seok stalking Soo Ho's following instead of showing Soo Ho getting closer to Young Yi when they hang out, would have been an example of a more believable way of showcasing jealousy imo. The catalyst for his transformation into the villain of the second half of the drama felt farfetched and unconvincing.
Furthermore, the character development in the second half of the drama was too focused on Beom Seok, which made the rest of the cast feel underdeveloped and less interesting by comparison. During the entirety of the show we get maybe 2 to 3 scenes that gave a good glimpse at Shi Eun's past and maybe 1 line from Soo Ho mentioning his family. We aren't given any reasoning as to why Shi Eun finds comfort in studying at all, nor maybe why Soo Ho got into MMA in the first place or why he stopped. No. Instead we're given so many scenes that showcase the tragic life of Beom Seok's suffering from his assemblyman father. It felt like it was repeated so many times to garnish sympathy points for Beom Seok's actions, but that left the rest of the main cast feeling underdeveloped and uninteresting by that point (in relative comparison). Consequently, the drama lost the balance it had in the first half, and the screen time was not distributed well for the plot it was trying to execute. However, in terms of character depth, this drama did deliver with internally complex characters such as Shi Eun, Beom Seok and even Seok Dae.
I think my main gripe in terms of the characters department was that both of the main characters were given no love in the second half of the show and felt like everything catered to Beom Seok. Beom Seok was always a step ahead, had connections to stronger people, and in the end even got away scot-free. It's crazy how they spent half the drama developing Beom Seok, yet at the end I couldn't care less what happened to him. Overall, just felt like the screen time went towards the wrong things (in the second half).
The acting was spot on by every single cast member. I have nothing but praise for all their efforts and their portrayal of their characters.
Overall, the Weak Hero Class 1 showed promise, but the second half's focus on Beom Seok's development at the expense of the other characters left much to be desired. It is hoped that a second season (if produced) will balance the focus on all of the main characters, allowing the audience to gain a deeper insight into the characters' backgrounds and motivations.
While the plot was strong in the first half of the drama, the second half was not as well-executed.
The first half of the story was perfect. The character dynamics, the progression, the overall story was great. Then in the second half of the story the main focus turns to Beom Seok as he shifts into the main antagonist role. Unfortunately, the reasoning behind his villainous turn felt underdeveloped. His jealousy of Young Yi because Soo Ho followed her back on Instagram, while he was not, seemed like a weak catalyst for his actions. I get it, Beom Seok is written as an insecure individual who seeks validation from others. But using 2/3 scenes of Beom Seok stalking Soo Ho's following instead of showing Soo Ho getting closer to Young Yi when they hang out, would have been an example of a more believable way of showcasing jealousy imo. The catalyst for his transformation into the villain of the second half of the drama felt farfetched and unconvincing.
Furthermore, the character development in the second half of the drama was too focused on Beom Seok, which made the rest of the cast feel underdeveloped and less interesting by comparison. During the entirety of the show we get maybe 2 to 3 scenes that gave a good glimpse at Shi Eun's past and maybe 1 line from Soo Ho mentioning his family. We aren't given any reasoning as to why Shi Eun finds comfort in studying at all, nor maybe why Soo Ho got into MMA in the first place or why he stopped. No. Instead we're given so many scenes that showcase the tragic life of Beom Seok's suffering from his assemblyman father. It felt like it was repeated so many times to garnish sympathy points for Beom Seok's actions, but that left the rest of the main cast feeling underdeveloped and uninteresting by that point (in relative comparison). Consequently, the drama lost the balance it had in the first half, and the screen time was not distributed well for the plot it was trying to execute. However, in terms of character depth, this drama did deliver with internally complex characters such as Shi Eun, Beom Seok and even Seok Dae.
I think my main gripe in terms of the characters department was that both of the main characters were given no love in the second half of the show and felt like everything catered to Beom Seok. Beom Seok was always a step ahead, had connections to stronger people, and in the end even got away scot-free. It's crazy how they spent half the drama developing Beom Seok, yet at the end I couldn't care less what happened to him. Overall, just felt like the screen time went towards the wrong things (in the second half).
The acting was spot on by every single cast member. I have nothing but praise for all their efforts and their portrayal of their characters.
Overall, the Weak Hero Class 1 showed promise, but the second half's focus on Beom Seok's development at the expense of the other characters left much to be desired. It is hoped that a second season (if produced) will balance the focus on all of the main characters, allowing the audience to gain a deeper insight into the characters' backgrounds and motivations.
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