Weak Hero Class 1 (2022)

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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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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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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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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Complex lead w/nuanced character growth, emotions screamed through punches/throws/kicks, A+ delivery

I usually don't post about, let alone review, shows that are already highly represented (I don't post a lot as is), but this show truly deserves the 5 hours of time anyone who can handle violent content (EXTREME bullying and extreme injuries!).
That said, I honestly recommend you NOT read any reviews before watching. It's so satisfying to go in without others' perspectives. A clean slate is perfect for this IMO. With that said, this isn't really so much full of spoilers (as I don't really go into plot much) as it is a summary of the characters which may still be more than some wish to read about.

We start with a stone-faced high school kid, a complete loner whose parents, divorced middle class workers (an academy math teacher and athletic coach), pay him little attention. He dives into his studies like his life is on the line, goes to cram academies and not much else. When he places first in a math competition (that is either schoolwide or regional/national-something bigger than their class), the guy who places third (a rich, entitled kid who rebels by drinking, smoking, and buying fentanyl from a hulk-like runaway/homeless/orphan thug in a gang that exploits teens) gets irritated and makes him a target.

From there, violence becomes the main feature, but the reasons for being violent, the methods of fighting, and the approach to it are different for all of the key figures. There are, of course, lackeys that gang up on people in swarms, but they picked a truly unique lead here. How he fights is pure strategy. He's truly weak-his stamina makes him take 50% longer than classmates to run a distance most take 6-7 minutes to do, so he instead uses his brain. He scans his environment, calculates the best strategies he can, and goes for quick shocking moves, not a steady flow of hard punches. He is, to be frank, a badass in terms of his brain. His lack of social skills, though, is less enviable, but his apparent lack of need for friends/him seeming fine flying solo does make others (like the attention-seeking third place kid who we can assume has some home life issues/parents pressuring him to be the best because "how can you lose to someone without our abundance of wealth?" but we don't actually see the background of them because it would distract from the short and fast-paced show's focus).

Alongside him are two other classmates, one right away, another soon after. From the beginning, our second lead is a righteous classmate whose MMA skills are unparalleled, a sweet guy who works multiple jobs to help take care of the grandmother he lives with. He protects not just the lead from others but others from the lead early on. He gets along with everyone, is truly good-hearted and generous, and is impossible to dislike for anyone but the few bullies with their ego issues who can't stand someone being so well-loved by everyone, someone so assured in who he is that he doesn't mind anyone's opinion of him or anger easily at all. They become friends in a quite unique set of encounters day to day, but it is a hard-earned friendship for the golden retriever-like faithful pal.

Soon after the initial two have been introduced to us, a transfer student enters the picture. He is a rich kid who was bullied severely at his former school. His family situation, though, is nothing to envy. His father is an Assemblyman who we learn adopted him solely to improve his image. There is nothing but annoyance and hostility because he is a nuisance-he isn't winning awards that the Assemblyman can show off but instead is occasionally taking him from work when beaten up by other schoolkids at the school of all-wealthy people.

This show's fight scenes are incredibly powerful... for something with only 5 hours of viewing content, I found myself truly impressed by the sheer variety of reasons for fighting and ways people end up fighting people who are often total strangers. It wasn't a variety pack that was just "create all kinds of scenarios and throw them all out there to just have as much violence as possible" from my viewing. Nothing seemed farfetched, a scary fact. Sure, the chance of ONE PERSON having this assortment is farfetched for reality, but this almost has a "Girl From Nowhere" "tour of this town's adolescent violence" feel through the lens of the ML.

I always LOVE when students look like everyday students. Seeing a load of flower boys/princess-like girls is harder to get immersed in. I love that this particular ML, despite being able to "glow up" and look very pretty (I've seen him in such roles), looks like a pretty common, average kid. He isn't this tall model-looking guy with an anime-like face but a kid whose expressions make him seem generally not-so-attractive. The golden retriever who can fight like nobody's business, well, okay-he's like a young Jang Ki Yong and no one's going to deny he's got some really handsome moments here. The third player, too, can look rather intriguing in a way that has a bit of what make Lee Soo Hyuk and Noh Min Woo so drop dead gorgeous. He is an awkward squirrely skinny kid here, and his hair is intentionally made unflattering, his glasses not really doing much for him, either-they made the two friendless ones LOOK like kids who don't have friends. Pretty impressive on makeup/hair/wardrobe and of course the acting, too!

One thing really stood out about these kids' faces, the ML's in particular. Watching the stoic lead show warmth as time goes on and seeing the transformation in his EYES when slowly getting a bit closer to the SML is powerful! The acting is truly spot on start to finish, and there's a scene where the SML (golden retriever) mentions feeling a bit strange as he expresses how the lead, this kid who was nonchalant and "are we close? Do you know me?" with people who talked to him when attention went his way, is actually a really warm, considerate, kind person... it was one I'll remember a long time. Despite there being SO much violence, we really do see these awkward kids blossom... and one fall and develop intense envy and bitterness and sadness/loneliness and derail for that matter. The ML's development, though, is kind of magical. Even the end is showing a still-transforming adolescent. He's one of the most intricately written teen characters I've seen in a LONG time (maybe ever), and his delivery was IMPECCABLE.

You will feel such a wide range of emotions... sometimes the violence will be deeply satisfying (even though it shouldn't), other times deeply disturbing and even heartbreaking! It's like these actors really did punch out all of their characters' strongest emotions with every single punch, throw, etc. For the male lead in particular, we see the journey of his psyche and can tell his emotional state from the way he engages in violent acts. It's truly well-done. I'm REALLY stoked it's getting another season, something I rarely feel so excited about!

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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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