Weak Hero Class 1

A hero is as good as his antagonist

I recently watched this as it became available on Netflix, started on a Tuesday and couldn't put it down for 3 days, I had to stop all my regular dramas just to finish this.

I thought we were about to embark in your typical story about a bullied guy and how he becomes stronger until he beat his bullies, but Weak Hero Class 1 is much more than that.

Si Eun, brilliantly performed by Park Ji Hoon, is not your regular timid protagonist that suffers bullying. He is a child deeply affected by trauma, who feels abandoned by both his dad and mom, and who finds some sort of second family in Su Ho and Beom Seok, and the later addition of Yeong I. He doesn't stand down, he fights and bites back. I personally loved Si Eun, it's a difficult character because it relies a lot on the audience reading his silences, therefore a good actor was essential, and Park Ji Hoon did just that.

But they say a hero is as good as his villain, or his antagonist in this case, and I have to say Oh Beom Seok is a fucking perfect antagonist. I can't stop talking about Hong Kyung and how brilliantly he portrayed Beom Seok through the series. Sometimes the connection to the antagonist motivation feels forced, because we have never seen them become the main villain, but this is the opposite in Weak Hero Class. We are watching how Beom Seok slowly falls into the same pattern as his bullies, and how he becomes a bully himself, and his motivations are clear, so clear that you cannot help but feel bad for him. And that one cannot stop hoping he will see the light and return to their friends, until he walks past the point of no return.

The trio is complete with An Su Ho, also greatly performed by Choi Hyun Wook, which is the main tank of the series, a good fighter, and a good person, but what I like about Su Ho is that he is not good to the point of being stupid, he is a good person, but he never let others walk all over him, and he stops things when he feels it's the right time to stop them.

The three of them are surrounded by a brilliant cast of young actors and older actors, and they all play their part brilliantly. The episodes are short and the series benefits from this, as the pace is perfect. The blue filter this drama has fits perfectly with it's a sad story, with the occasional glimpses of the sun when there's more hope.

I recently watched Study Group, and it was fun to have so many characters that also have a role in this other drama. Although they are quite different in tone, I would say watch Study Group if you want a more up-lifting story, perfect for when Weak Hero has left you depressed.

All I have to say is that this was better than expected and that I cannot wait for season 2.

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I usually stray away from writing reviews unless I genuinely need to talk about the show. Weak Hero was not at all like any expectations I had when going into it. Keep in mind I have not read the webtoon, so I cannot compare it to its original content, and am only speaking my opinions of the show.

Weak Hero Class 1 isn't too fast paced, it gives you enough backstory for all the characters that you feel like you can understand them, and gives you glimpses into how actions are done without dragging through the boring stuff or making it longer than it has to. All the characters had something about them that felt real and easy to relate to yet were still complex and had very distinct personalities and opinions.

Sieun, the main character, is your typical nerdy high schooler who keeps quiet and gets picked on. Beomseok is the transfer student who is immediately picked on. Suho is the good fighter who wants everyone to be at peace. These are all rather familiar character types to anyone, except Weak Hero Class 1 manages to make them much more than that. I think the way the characters were developed and transformed was so well done. In fact, I'd say this show does it better than just about anything else I've ever seen.
First, let's talk about Beomseok. Beomseok right from the start is set up for his rather unfortunate fate. He's this kid whose been the underdog his entire life, both at home and in school. Have you ever heard the saying that talks about either being abused or being the abuser? That saying is a great way to describe the mentality we see displayed through Beomseok. Every minor scene with Beomseok is a step towards his transformation into the antagonist. For example, the first true interaction he has at his new school makes him feel cornered. Automatically, this makes him think he needs to oblige to avoid being bullied again. However, after the situation ends and he understands that Sieun isn't going to put up with that sort of behavior, Beomseok clings to him, searching for comfort and protection from his classmate. Now, this obviously becomes a genuine connection that also extends to Suho, but it shows Beomseok's vulnerability, about how he feels like if something isn't done defensively, he'll only continue to suffer. Weak Hero Class 1 also gives us insight as to how Beomseok thinks subconsciously through almost everything he does, whether he's asking Suho a favor or it's through the glances he shares with his friends. There is a really good article that explains Beomseok's development really well that explains it much better than I can, but essentially, they slowly built Beomseok into what he became, it wasn't just one sudden incident that changed him. Building him the way they did felt much more real, more plausible. Even after everything he had done, and what he believed, you still see the vulnerable, hurt Beomseok we were originally introduced to, and it makes you wonder why he had to turn out like that.
Sieun, on the other hand, felt a little bit like wasted potential to me. His character felt much more thought out than many others under the same cliche. He wasn't just some bullied loser who hated the world and everyone in it. He warmed up to Suho rather quick and easily forgave those who apologized. He even cared for Youngyi, who was supposed to be against him. Yet, he wasn't so forgiving that it felt unbelievable. He always noticed smaller details that went unnoticed by his peers. He was always the first to asking Beomseok if he was okay whenever he seemed upset or left out. Overall, he was a great friend and seemed very dedicated to school and doing well for the future, even going to cram school and watching videos to study off of in his free time. Yet, after the situation with Suho and Beomseok, his character took a turn for the worst, disregarding almost everything he had going for him prior. While I think it was the right choice for the plot and I understand why it was done (without this the plot likely wouldn't have advanced), it still felt disappointing to see a character with so much potential throw his life away so quickly. Maybe it didn't make as much sense because we're still not aware of his mentality. I think his development would make more sense if we understood how he felt about his parents, or why he studied so much for school. Was it because he wanted approval? Was it because he had big hopes for the future? Or was it perhaps because he had nothing better to do? However, because of Sieun's big switch up, I felt both curious and excited to see how his story. It left unpredictability, and because of that I can overlook the slightly disappointment I felt.

Overall, Weak Hero Class 1 is a very well-written story with even better written characters who leave you feeling emotionally attached and wishing for their ending to be happy. It also allows you to feel excited, and leaves room for twists without leaving you without unanswered questions. I 100% recommend this show.

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10/10. no words, just tears.

this drama DESTROYED me in the best and worst ways. like... i knew it was gonna be heavy, but i wasn’t ready for how real it felt.
park jihoon as yeon sieun??? LITERALLY one of the best performances i've ever seen. he acted with his eyes. the way he showed pain without even saying anything... insane.

the friendship between sieun, sooho, and beomseok??? i’m still crying about it. the way they needed each other but were also their own worst enemies... it broke me.

the fights weren’t just cool (even tho they were SO well done), they meant something. every punch hurt ME too.
and the ending??? bro. BRO. i’m never recovering from that. i finished it and just sat there staring at my wall for 20 minutes.

honestly, this isn’t just a drama about school violence. it’s about loneliness, about finding people who make you feel like you're not alone anymore... and what happens when you lose them.
i love it so much. i’m begging everyone to watch it.

weak hero class 1 owns my soul now.

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where do I even start

I loved this drama from end to finish it was so simple yet said so much about people and why you should never judge them. I do believe that the ending shouldve been better, since it felt quite rushed and as if there was some plot missing to the storyline but otherwise it wouldve been a 10/10 the casting for the main character was insane, throughout the drama there was so much friendship chemistry between the characters especially the mc it was insane, the actors eyes potrayed such an emotion that could've had a story just on their own. It was mentioned throughout the drama that his eyes were cold yet I felt something different whenever I saw they was he stared at the characters as if it was real life. I definitely recommend this if you want a tragic yet constant emotional ride when watching something

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Absolutely amazing!

This is one of the best adaptations I’ve ever seen. Most adaptations just don’t live up to my expectations, but this one exceeded them. I 100% recommend this.
The cast has to be the best part of this drama. When I found out Park Jihoon would be Sieun, I knew it was going to be amazing, and I was right! Choi Hyunwook is also an amazing actor, and he played his role perfectly! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the ost for this drama. It’s one of my favorites. I still listen to it even to this day!
I absolutely can’t wait for season 2 of this. Hopefully they keep up the good work!

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What A Phenomenal Drama

This is an intense show already. I'm on episode four and man, just seeing ML, Si-Eun (Park Ji-Hoon) smile for the first time is pretty remarkable. I also just finished Twinkling Watermelon a few days ago so it's nice to see Choi Hyun Wook again. Can't wait to see Ryeoun as well!

That tiny shred of happiness was very short-lived. What on Earth is Beom-Seok's (Hong Kyung) problem?

The way these people don't communicate is killing me. First Yeongi (Lee Yeon) doesn't tell Si-Eun about the message from Beom-Seok, then Si-Eun doesn't tell Su-Ho (Choi Hyun Wook) about the bad guys holding Yeongi hostage.

Beom-Seok such a vile, pathetic, disgusting excuse for a human. He's worse than the actual OG bullies because at least they accept who they are. What's crazy is I saw multiple people saying he was actually portrayed far worse in the web toon.

This fricking cliff hanger. I hate it all so much. I swear when I looked it up prior to starting this, it said that Weak Hero Class 2 came out in 2024. Boy am I bummed out that it hasn't even started! Regardless, this show was amazing and the actor's absolutely crushed it.

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Weak Hero Class 1 is a must watch!

Oh my god I just finished it and I just can't, it's amazing.

At first I felt bad for Beom Seok for hanging out with the wrong people similar to the guys that used to bully him. I mean, it was nice to see him smile but for the wrong reasons! I started to dislike him when he was starting to become a bully himself, which was really disappointing to see.
Shi Eun has my heart 🥺💗 Park Ji Hoon did an amazing job and he played the character so well that he made me feel every emotion.
Soo Ho.... PLEASE WAKE UP 😭 Choi Hyun Wook also did a wonderful job so please don't let that be the last of him!!
All the bullies can go to prison for all I care.

Please watch it, it is such an astonishing show! You will not regret it.

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Loss of innocence

This show's thematic focus seems to be about the tragedies of school bullying. Of course that is a theme. However, that theme is situated within something deeper: the loss of (youthful) innocence. Yeon Shi Eun's greatest battle is not against bullies or preserving friendship, but against the corruption of adulthood. Part of adulthood, psychologically, is the recognition that the world is broken and appears to be that way perpetually. That there seems to be such strong spiritual interest in the afterlife, usually an image of something ideal and blissful, reflects on our pain of living in a broken world. Consider a young person voting for the first time feeling like their vote and voice matters in the big picture. Or someone who attends a political rally. Of course these actions matter, but the adult mind recognizes we're throwing cotton candy at brick walls. We're disturbed by how the brick walls of social behavior developed, self-proliferate, and that we have little power to change things at a broad, macro level. We labor to contribute to society through family, work, community, and in those spaces, we experience nepotism, bias, ignorance. It takes so much energy to retain our values, our innocence, our vision of a better world. Right now, Shi Eun is fighting so hard for his innocence. His refusal to retaliate or attack Oh Beom Seok symbolizes this inner fight.

The three male leads were terrific. But I was also impressed with Young Yi and Jeon Seok Dae in their support roles. They were morally complex and I would love to see greater development for these characters. The thugs/villains were unremarkable, bearing no complexity, and were your average dumb thug unable to learn and grow. I'm not a fan of the portrayal of adults (teachers, police, family) being completely inept in handling school bullying issues. In terms of social commentary, it feels like slap in the face to the difficult work these roles play in our society. Many teachers, police, and parents already feel undervalued by society. Can the story show us some glimpse into the critical value these people provide?

The show has succeeded - perhaps too well - in explaining what the societal problems are. It is desperately clear what's wrong. However, the narrative has done little to shed light on what the solutions are. I'm interested in that discourse. What can students, adults, and society do to improve upon these issues? So far, what I'm getting is pick up a pen, a fire extinguisher, and strike back. I hope the future material can facilitate discourse for solutions.

The opening sound track, "Weak Hero", by Meego, is haunting. Thinking about it gives me goosebumps. Listening changes my affect immediately. It's the perfect musical embodiment of innocence lost. It reminds me of how powerful music is as a companion to script and image.

Overall, this is a high quality show and I'm hoping that it widens its lens a bit and doesn't belabor the point of bullying. Or simply provide graphic violent fight scenes to satiate our bloodlust. I hope the story takes us to a wiser and more peaceful place.

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Park jihoon's acting was amazing and so natural.

Overall, this show was best as the acting and the story lineup matched very well. I am looking forward to the second season of it. Also the fighting scenes and anger sciences of park jihoon are shown very well. I am also looking forward to other dramas of park jihoon . Like what if there would be the second season of love revolution and at a distance spring is green.


PARK JIHOON IS THE BEST ACTOR.

J.

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