Weak Hero (2022)

Who we are and how we got there

I work with kids from adolescence to eighteen years of age. To sit and listen to about half of this populated group is to hear the hurt....my dad is in rehab, my mom's boyfriend beats her up and we hide. The stories are endless and sometimes, by the time these kids are eighteen, they lose the light in their eyes. Each year, each unforeseen and tormenting circumstance results in hope fading. This drama was the best I've watched at the portrayal of anger, ambivalence and abuse from the trusted caretaker to a child and how these events shape who they are in their journey.

Korean actors never cease to amaze me because I cannot see where the actor ends and the character begins and especially in these eight episodes. Park Ji Hoon, Choi Hyun Wook and Hong Kyung seamlessly show each facet of emotional turmoil they are going through and even though I'm not a fan of violence, the fight scenes were so realistic that I went to check the behind the scenes to make sure the actors were okay. Shin Seung Ho has a small but impactful part in this and in my opinion, lights up the screen in both "Alchemy of Souls" and "Weak Hero Class 1". He will be one to watch out for in 2023.

As for the other three actors mentioned above, flawless performances from all even down to their micro expressions. The weak and strong intertwining for the sake of friendship, the weak and the flawed holding onto each other for dominance, every bit of this is told in a way that won't let the viewer go. Simply amazing.

The only thing I marked slightly below perfection is in rewatch value. To see each character's torment is something I cannot tear myself away from in the first viewing but to go down this emotional rabbit hole a second time this soon would be too much. It's that good, that precise, that realistic to life. I have fingers crossed there is a season 2 to show where the path leads next.

Leggi di Più

two heroes and a bunch of cowards

yaaa, i didn't know Park Ji Hoon can act this gooood! i was really surprised.

the plot was great, and i really like the friendship between Sieun and Suho. in a way, i envy their friendship. they are both loyal and care about each other. both are my favorite characters in this drama.

what about Oh Beomseok? well, what about him? if you give me a chance, i would like to hit him with a broomstick and eat him alive (yikes jk). now now, calm down. seeing how i hate him this much must have shown how good the actor did his part. well done! *thumbs up* looking things from his perspective, i could understand why he did what he did, even though his reasons could never justify his actions.

enough reading this, just go watch the series! it's worth it ^^

p.s. i hate how bullies always gang up on someone and how rich people always get away with crime. cowards.

Leggi di Più

Opposite to the title, the drama is strong

Weak Hero Class 1 is a high school thriller series that follows the story of 3 students who doesn’t care about anything else, and somehow gets involved in constant fights due to bullying.

Most of the school centric dramas are romance, which becomes monotonous watching after a certain point of time. Weak Hero Class 1,however, is a thrilling, yet sobering portrait of young students and the different struggles, difficulties and momentary joys they experience while growing up in a society that, too often, neglects and pushes them aside, that successfully stands out as one of the best dramas of 2022.

With just 8 episodes, the pacing is superb and the action sequences were well crafted. And perhaps what the series does best is to show the immeasurable toll such violence and abuse can take on one’s physical, emotional and mental health. Especially for teenagers who may be experiencing other types of abuse, hardship and struggles outside of the school walls as well.

School violence is certainly not a new theme for a K-drama. But Weak Hero Class 1 is able to take that familiar topic and present it in a way that focuses more on the characters, particularly the victims, and show the unfortunately lasting effects of such violence. The best part of the drama were the 3 leads who had an amazing chemistry on screen and their change in characters once the events turned dark.

Adapted from a webtoon, Weak Hero Class 1 is engaging, highly effective action packed school based drama. The finale teases a 2nd season and yes I am very much intrigued to see what happens next.

My Rating : 8.5/10

Leggi di Più

I didn't know what to expect going into this because the description on Viki didn't give too much away (which I appreciate). It had me hooked from start to finish and I ended up watching all 8 episodes in one day.

The story was interesting and I never knew exactly which way it would go. It kind of felt like there were two different story arches that happened over the episodes. That being said, I wish it was just an episode or 2 longer. Parts of it felt rushed at times but, ultimately, it was still enjoyable.

I LOVED the acting in this drama. I'd seen the other 2 main leads in otters dramas but this was the first time I'd seen Jihoon act. And he did AMAZING. He really transformed into the character and I honestly forgot the he was an idol. If I didn't know him before this, I would've thought he'd always been just an actor!

All in all, this was a great drama. I'd watch a season two.

Leggi di Più

I have zero idea why this series has such a high rating

Pls don't waste your time, people. The whole movie from top to bottom was full of unnecessary violence that never ended. It was a never-ending loop that was far from satisfying. The brotherly relationship between the cast started well but fell off the rails for no good reason. No closure was given. Overall, this was one crappy movie that I wasted my time watching.. . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Leggi di Più

Retractable pen

We are at a fight scene in a high school.
And this is basically continuing throughout the whole show. This drama does not shy away from violent scenes.
Verbal abuse, mistreatment, bullying as well as physical violence, such as beating up, ganging up as well as a decent amount of stabbing.
Among all those, we get to see three friends, who stick together to help and support each other.

The story itself could have been divided in two parts. The first four Episodes were amazing. We got to see how the friendship between Shi Eun, Soo Ho and Beom Seok was formed.
Honestly, it felt so fresh and natural how those three found together and what they are willing to risk for each other, while the plot is developing.
But sadly, the second part lost my interest. Not because it was not interesting, but more because we got literally thrown into a villain arc. There was little to no transition from the first four episodes to the last four.
And suddenly, a more or less important side character became the main villain.

The only thing that kept me there and not dropping the whole show was the character Soo Ho.
Choi Hyun Wook played his character so perfectly. He was dorky, charismatic and was just adorable in the entire drama.
He as well as Ji Hoon managed to portray the bromance of Shi Eun and Soo Ah in a way, where they do not have to speak much, to understand and care for each other.

Park Ji Hoons character is a hard one to play. You need to find the right/ decent amount of indifference, coldness as well as anger and joy in your facial expressions.
And to be honest, I am not really sure, if he managed to do so.
I have been waiting for some major character development, and even when I got it, it still did not satisfy me.
One thing I have to give him.
He can portray anger quite well. Paired with the retractable pen and the monotone sound, the emotion came off well.
I was shocked to see the last Episode and wished he would have shown more of this potential in former episodes.

Hong Kyung managed to deliver that, what the director gave him. His story plot was rushed, yet he put on a convincing show by convincing us of his current anger and hate.

Overall, a short, fast-paced little series. Interesting characters, compelling plot and a friendship, you wish to have.
I am excited, what season 2 will bring us.

Leggi di Più

a MUST watch

i started this kdrama a couple of hours ago and i finished it all in one sitting. its very rare nowadays for a kdrama to catch my attention like this, but jesus christ this was one of the most interesting eye catching kdramas ever. not one episode was boring and each cliffhanger ending made me want more. such a difficult watch because of how the violence and sometimes you get frustrated watching it— but it’s just something you can’t keep your eyes off. acting was phenomenal especially from the actor of sieun, the performance when he finally brokedown and yelled in school before punching the window in the corridor struck my heart with pain. everytime he would express sadness i would feel it with him…just amazing casting. on a side note: what i felt was unnecessary was youngyi’s sudden involvement into their friendship? perhaps thats why i was on beomseoks side for a while even though at some point i just stopped defending him and slowly started to dislike him, i still feel zero connection with youngyi…her character feels so unnecessary if we don’t look at beomseoks jealousy. but i guess she was only needed for stirring stuff up with beomseok for the sake of the plot but still it just felt so random that they befriended her…overall such a great show. sieun and sooho have the best chemistry out of everyone in the show. you can just tell they care for each other a lot…love those two the most<3

Leggi di Più

Violence with an art form and a touch of reality

As someone who enjoys kdramas, I come across dramas I love quite often. But never have I felt compelled to write a review on them before this one. Most of the time I see dramas that I really enjoy but rarely find one that has me hooked from start to finish, unable to take my eyes off the screen and obsessed. This one is the latter.

The story revolves around friendships, the dark side of school life and other real life issues. The action and violence is a plus. The numbness, helplessness and rage are so vivid.

Yeon Si Eun is an unique ML that I don't think I have encountered before. Park Jihoon deserves all the attention and applause for his acting here. The way the character starts getting more comfortable with Soo Ho and Beom Seok and developes friendship with them, quelling his long lived loneliness.

The ending took the cake for me. After he almost lost someone dear to him, we see the rage and hurt from betrayal encapsulated in Yeon Si Eun. When the moment arrives where he is supposed to take out his emotions on the perpetrator, he is overwhelmed by a sort of helplessness and understanding which leads him to not execute his 'revenge'.

Jealousy, miscommunication and many misunderstandings later, they all parted their separate ways but Si Eun's story hasn't ended. We're all left to wonder what else will unfold, a bittersweet longing in our hearts.

Leggi di Più

Broody and gripping

Weak hero class 1 was a refreshing take on the bullying system and school violence in Korean high schools. It came off as vaguely relatable and unusually intriguing. It showed an unique dynamic between three students who got into A LOT OF SHIT and showed their vulnerability as teenagers.

The cute bromance made up for the intense action-packed fights and adrenaline rushes. Sometimes, there's too much going on the screen and I ate up all that chaos wholeheartedly.

With one of the best pilots ever, it built a lot of expectations going ahead. The writing in the first ep was on point structurally. The screenwriter knew exactly what she wanted us to get introduced to in the first ep. Regretfully it immediately took a U-turn and started to be more plot-centric. Followed by some letdowns the focus changed to a controversial character who sadly wasn't that interesting to watch.

Shi Eun's nuance was skillfully incorporated by the writer and portrayed by the actor Park Ji Hoon. He was visibly blue, dull, and gloomy but his sudden outbursts and piercing words without a single emotion hit hard like that book he threw at Yeong Jin. Giving him chapped lips and a pale look delivered so well. I was very INTO his character and thought we would get more layers of him (which we didn't) so quite disappointed by that. It suddenly abandoned building his character and focused more on the plot.

Soo Ho was likable and cool. Hyun Wook played this character with charm and made him particularly memorable.
Isn't Bum Seok the new nation's enemy? Just kidding! I appreciated his arc and enjoyed scrutinizing his character. A big shout out to Hong Kyung's acting; he nailed it by making the character extremely unappealing.

The production value uplifted the whole show. The intro smoothly goes into my list of "unskippable intros" and the entire aesthetic it went for was so awesome. Still, I think the first two eps were far more well-executed than the rest. It was a shame that the entire concept of the latter half of the drama failed to deliver. My emotional investment in the show was not as high as I had expected.

Overall this was a contemplative show with some great acting though a slight letdown through the later eps.

Leggi di Più

MY FAVORITE TYPE OF SHOW

I am leaving this review after my 3rd rewatch of this show. It's so freaking good. The way the friendship started, the way it developed one side and slowly fell apart on the other side - just the perfect blend for me. And the action scenes? Brilliant. Anyone who saw even the first glimpse of the first episode should be intrigued by it. And the acting is chef's kiss 💋. I absolutely had no expectations for the acting since it is a mini mkdrama and the first seven episodes were even available on YT but from the first episode the brilliancy of their roles could be felt. I don't know why I felt like crying from the first episode. Maybe because it was just the story I was looking for? But nevertheless I loved this. the only actor I knew at first was Choi Hyunwook (from 2521) but damn now I love Park Jihoon. Outstanding actor!!! He even won the *BSA Best New Actor Award 2023* unanimously for this exact role! So proud of him. Everyone played so well. Now patiently waiting for the season 2 which has confirmed to start filming this year.

Leggi di Più

Slightly Above Average

Am I uhh... Missing something? I'm seeing all these incredible reviews, so I decided to binge it one sitting as recommended and I'm feeling perfectly average.

The first half is 10/10, great pacing love the characters and their relationships. The friendships are 👌. Honestly I want at least another 6-10 episodes of these three together, learning to fight, supporting each other. Instead we get a sudden massive tone shift and a heavy ass second half entirely driven by character conflicts that are underdeveloped. Frankly by episode 5 I didn't care about any of the characters enough to be ready for their heated conflict.

And then the ending(??) Beom hasn't developed in a single way and just f**ks off to another country after causing so much conflict, Soo Ho is in a goddamn coma after apologizing to Beom just because he has to not because he knows anything about how Beom' s feeling (not totally his fault but whatever), and our main guy Si Eun learns the value of friendship I guess, too bad his only friends are out of the picture and he's all alone and then it all ends like it began with him and a pen in his hand. I just... For a second half so emotionally heavy they sure love to not give us any payoff. This might make sense in the context of a 200+ chapter webtoon, but not in an 8 episode drama.

It's an 8 from me.

Leggi di Più