Emotional rollercoaster with phenomenal characters and brilliant storytelling
Yeon Shi Un is a smart student but he's physically frail, making him an easy target for the bullies who are jealous of his top grades. Based on a webtoon with the same title, it deals with an unlikely bonding heroes who stand up for themselves in their unique ways. The underdog become the alpha dog in this Pavlovian classic battle, fueled by rocking OST, amazing camera angles, unique film-editing and well-paced pen clicks!It is short yet it covers a lot of deep values of youth fragility and found friendships. WHC1 seems to be grieving and questioning the youth fragility, showing how teenage life is like walking on thin ice, how the past leaves a trauma long after the incident. Trigger warning! There is much violence as it is a bullying story, all the blood, pain, violence, but... it is also very fun!
Sure, bullying drama is not new, but the storytelling is very unique. From the intro we see this cool blue-tone, it's quite mellow, I absolutely adore it, and adore seeing the intro even more as I get into the final. It doesn't look gory. It feels angsty. Loved the fighting scenes, the choreography for the fighting scenes are like dance, like I'm watching a musical.
the story wouldn't have the impact it has, if the characters didn't feel as real as they do. The journeys that they go on individually and then all together are just heartbreaking. I felt so much emotion watching them. I laughed, I cried, I felt angry, I have such a strong connection with the characters and I thought that's so rare nowadays... to feel so connected with characters. They're really easy to relate to and I think that's because they're teenagers and I was a teenager and I relate to a lot of the stuff they went through, not the like taking down a gambling gang, but the friendship troubles and the exams and part-time jobs, stuff like that... It had everything I might want from a show like this trio: cute fighter, psycho brain, cinnamon roll who just wants to help.
Absolutely award-winning levels of acting. Their facial expressions speak more than speeches and actions, the quiet gazes worth more than words. Even though they are all amazing, I'm not taking anything away from any of them… but Park Jihoon who played Shi Un really stood out for me and I watched this show months ago and the climax scene with Shin Un the last episode... that still sticks with me. That scene is so powerful and it is literally because of his acting.
The plot is tight without fillers, it has no romance, but there are tons of conflict and I love conflict. I really like the dialogue and I also the visual storytelling is just skillful. Well-written scripts are more than anything I really look up to the show and the writers who worked on it because it really is just phenomenal. It's literally flawless I don't have anything bad to say about it. Hands down the most heartbreaking drama I've ever seen and I genuinely mean that!
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YES YES YES YES YES
WOW.Soo this is not going to be a long Review but I really need to put my opinion out here and praise this drama. When I saw the rating from other people I already had high expectations - and let me tell u it was WAAAYY BETTER then I could have imagined!! The acting in this series and the crazy fight scenes are OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! I just couldn't take my eyes of it not even a split second. This is definitely going into my top 3 favorite kdramas. I really hope the second season is coming soon !!
This drama is a big yes for me DEFINITELY RECOMMEND even if u are not in to dramas with fighting scenes then the story will change your mind on that !!! GO WATCH IT NOW!!
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its just So Good
like if i hve to be for real then this is one of the best adaptations from a webtoon like yes there has been some things switched around from the webtoon to the drama but it was still hella good and also not to mention that park jihoon’s acting in this was so phenomenal like the way he portrayed the emotions for each different episode like he is what you call an idol-actor like he is one of the best. even if you havent read the webtoon yet you can still enjoy without reading but i think it is better if you read the webtoon first because with this drama its a flashback with suho while as we were left off with a cliffhanger for when hes in eunjang the webtoon starts while hes in eunjang and goes on from there. but anyways this is hella recommended to watch and i absolutely love it.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
so so good
i watched this in one night, it is currently 5am and i am in tears at this series.the acting is amazing, park jihoon done such an amazing job with the emotions and his eyes are just incredible
it had a good amount of violence and really just told the story of their friendships with each other which I enjoyed a lot
really hoping for a season 2, id like to see how shieun copes at his new school and whether sooho lives or not? and do they keep in touch? I really hope so
seeing how sooho brought shieun out of his bubble, made him smile, encouraged him to live a little was very nice so I hope they can continue living together
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Overrated and Disappointing
LIKES:FX:
decent amount of realism to scratches and wounds.
CAST:
well chosen, great acting from ML Park Ji Hoon and Choi Hyun Wook. Liked Shin Seung Ho in this role, as Seok-Dae.
Cinematography, locations and sets were well done.
Female presence not really doing much in terms of romance, but provided some addition to storyline.
DIRECTOR:
some of the fight scenes were okay, but could’ve had better choreography.
MUSIC:
was appropriate for the scenes and theme song not overly played.
DISLIKES:
FX:
bruised and damaged knuckles from punching was overlooked. CGI/green screen used during car driving scenes was very bad, so noticeable.
WRITING:
Adult abuse never had consequences; the father got away with everything & nothing got concluded about it. They should’ve just left it out, because it was over the top violent.
No character growth for anyone, except maybe the one “bad guy” played by actor Shin Seung Ho .
Conclusion felt rushed and incomplete, almost like there were more episodes needed.
They could’ve left out the female friend part, because she had little under developed reason to stay with the main leads. Similarly the writer didn’t conclude the fentanyl issue.
Typical tropes and cliches used, which made it a bit boring and overly predictable.
No explanation why Beom-Seok did what he did and that is totally lazy writing.
The main character Shi-Eun in the end didn’t use his brain as his character was described or made to use in beginning, it was more brainless braun. It felt like the writer didn’t know how to create the ending with that foundation still intact.
The important characters, main leads, Soo-ho & Shi-Eun had no backstory, which could’ve been done with short flashbacks, while too much of it was given for Beom-Seok.
The reason for the three friends to spit up was badly executed.
Too much violence used for the abuse inflicted by the father (the kid would’ve been hospitalized, instead of showing up to school the next day).
PRODUCTION:
shaky camera syndrome and the fight scenes had too many camera angles and zoom in parts. No truly good fight scenes, like in TONG: Memories (2016), which had a similar concept. Pacing issues for everything other than the fights.
OVERALL:
This was VERY overrated. The good acting and music, couldn’t save it from bad writing and execution.
Recommend TONG: Memories or Bokutachi ga Yarimashita (Fugitive Boys/We Did It) or Age of Rebellion (2018), instead of watching this mess. No fight scenes were so good I would rewatch it. I don’t recommend this show, but might read the manga to see if it’s better. If they do come out with a second season, depending on the cast, I check it out, but with VERY low expectations.
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Thrilling, Touching, Thought-provoking
Fans of Crows Zero and High&Low The Worst, assemble! South Korea is entering our favorite genre, "high school delinquents fighting and bromancing," to challenge Japan's supremacy in it, and let me tell you: the Koreans are starting with an absolute banger. Weak Hero Class 1 is action-packed, entertaining, thought-provoking, and will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. It gives the bromance, friendship, and fights that are the genre's hallmark and at the same time presents a unique twist on the familiar story of high school rivalry.What distinguishes this series from its Japanese counterparts is that its setting is more realistic. We leave behind the Japanese high schools from hell and enter an average school, in which teachers, ordinary students, and, sadly, bullying exist. Notably, the guys throw punches not like anime fighters, but like real high school students, and this is why the main character, Yeon Shi Eun, is so memorable and likeable.
Unlike his equivalents from Japan, he is physically weak, but he compensates for his weakness with his strength of spirit, bravery, and intelligence. He is a person whom I grew to admire over the course of the series because he reminds the viewers that courage does not mean lack of fear – courage means doing the right thing despite your fear – and this is precisely what Shi Eun does from the first episode to the last. Even when he and those dear to him suffer from the cruelty and injustice of others, he does not lose the kindness of his heart. In general, if I had to point out just one thing that the production team of this series did right, I would say that they gave us a main character who knows right from wrong and acts on his principles.
It is worth mentioning that the plot is heavier than those of the Japanese movies. While the delinquents of Japan fight to establish dominance, uphold the honor of their school, punish criminals, have fun etc., the focus of this series is definitely the exceptionally severe bullying. There are bad gangsters to be defeated too, of course, but they are present only in the first half of the story – keep this in mind.
Surprisingly for Korea, another hallmark of the genre, "bromance with no heterosexual explanation," is as recognizable here as it is in Crows Zero and High&Low The Worst. From finger hearts to calling your bro "cutie" and putting on your helmet on his head, to jealousy, to staring that makes the viewers exclaim "I want someone to look at me the way Shi Eun looks at Ahn Soo Ho," to sacrificing yourself to protect or take revenge for your bro, the familiar signs are all here. Who is open-minded enough to see it will see it.
This review will be incomplete if I do not praise the actors. They were all brilliant. It was Park Ji Hoon who stole the show with his great performance, though. I have been following his career since his days as a member of Wanna One, and I like him as an idol, but I had not thought highly of his acting until I saw him as Shi Eun. I believe that here he finally showed what he is actually capable of.
Overall, if you are looking for something that both is action-packed and has an interesting, well-developed plot without melodramatic romance, annoying characters, and unfunny humor, which seem to spoil many Korean series, this series is definitely worth the watch. I have not been so invested in a story in a while. Kudos to the production team.
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Protect all 3 of them!! ALL 3!
I still have no words..Words simply cannot describe the feelings i went through while watching Weak hero class.. the main trio and their friendship was so amazing and i honestly loved them all and wished them ONLY the best, but to end up in the gutter like that?? AND FOR WHAT??
Yeon Sieun and his character development was honestly THE BEST! This brave, smart guy is like no other.. and the loyalty he showed to his friends? AMAZING! I have nothing but respect for him and the way he stood up for his friends until the end.. I wish everyone at least one friend like him.. if only Beomseok realized his mistake and just said everything out loud instead of.. acting the way he did.
I can only say the same things about Sooho.. and i need to mention that Beomseok was not evil, he was simply lonely, alone and lost.. He never had real friends before so of course he couldn't open about his struggles and insecurities.. I wish people would not be so harsh on him. He did make a grave mistake and acted disgustingly.. his character is obviously very flawed and weak mentally.. but can we blame him after seeing his home life and his past school experiences? Everyone have the right to be angry at him and i just wish he will realize FINALLY how far he went in the rabbit hole and just wake up.
Their friendship might be broken, but is it too late to be hopeful at least a tiny bit?
I don't know how the webtoon goes, but i just want these 3 to meet again and make up... That's all i wish for.
Also this s1 was made SOOO well and just made freakin excited for the upcoming s2! I can't wait for my boy Sieun to appear again and do some damage on some bully bastards!
PLEASE SEASON 2 COME VERY FAST!!
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THE ACTING AND ANGST HAD ME FLOORED
Okay so THIS DRAMA WAS IT!!! It served everything I needed from a kdrama. The ACTING, the plot, the cast, the cinematography, the music, the ANGST AND HEARTBREAK!!! I just can’t get over it.This show left me genuinely satisfied yet devastated. It’s been a while since I came across a show THIS spectacular.
Now let’s talk about the cast. PARK JIHOON..this guy made me cry blood..I mean, I knew he was an exceptionally good actor since I watched him in At a distance spring is green but in Weak hero as Si Eun, he just tore my heart out, made my jaw drop on the floor and left me shook, he is THAT EXCELLENT. I can’t stop thinking about that glass smashing scene, pure Trauma!!! HE DESERVES ALL THE AWARDS NOW 💔💔💔
Hyunwook..this cutie is a CUTE LITTLE BEAN WHO I WANNA PROTECT. He also did a great greattt job portraying such a lovely character Suho💔
Last but not the least, Hong Kyung, he also made me go through so many emotions..I didn’t know if I should pity beomseok or hate him at certain points💔
In a nutshell, this show left me in shambles, crying, weeping and craving for more! Need a S2 ASAP!!!!
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The acting in Weak Hero is a 10
I binge this in one sitting and I'm shooketh the ef up, it's good but heavy 😳😮💨❌️‼️WARNING‼️❌️
●violence
●school bullying
●physical (mental//emotional) abuse
3 MLs in middle school; The Smart One, The Athletic One and The Rich One and of course three different personalities and they became the best of friends.
Ep 1 started with the Smart One focus on his studies and grade, the Athletic One coasting through life calm and chill, the Rich One trying to avoid unwanted attention spiral into Ep 2 into one crazy fkkn mess.
This drama spiral so far into so many triggers in their life you miss (barely) their happy moments and it continues to spiral even more once the Rich One list of complexities,insecurities and LACK of communication comes in play and make one giant mess.
MY takeaway from Weak Hero is that all the adults and I mean ALL OF THEM are either absent, clueless, complacent, narcissistic, evil or self absorbs.
Only 8 episodes and(with plans of S2 as it should be) S1 ended on a Cliffhanger
(I'm also reading the webtoon)
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This review may contain spoilers
it's a very good adaptation.
from someone who read the webtoon (didn't read all but the most):I recommend it for the ones who read or didn't because it's reaaaally good.
I watched without noticing the "real context" of the story BUT at the end my mind could connect the story of the drama with the webtoon and realized that the drama is before the start of the webtoon.
so... the adaptation is really good and is beyond my expectatives.
the acting, music and story are all really good in general and because they "started from before" everyone can just watch it and be in equal aknowledge (about the actual story) with the ones who read it.
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Quick and satisfying, binge worthy series
I just watched out of curiosity and had no prior expectation or knowledge of it being some sort of webtoons. Got hooked on it right away and accidentally binge-watched them, Superb story that leave so much satisfactions. The acting (casts) were great in conveying the story. No normal k-drama tropes that usually left you unfulfilled. The drama captured the mood, and probably what is going on with the younger generations and the complacent of the adults and society around. I guess if this is Korea they should be vigilant of the issues. This would not be tolerated in the US because of our "gun wielding" mentality,Solid series and very satisfying. Hopefully they will be "class 2".
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Park Ji Hoon never disappoint viewers
First of all, i'm aware there will be violence in the drama but not to the extent that i was expecting. However, it also shows the reality of life. There are no guidelines how violent it should be since it all depends on the character, how they feel at that time. When someone who mind their own business are being provoked for nothing, they can be forgiving and not do anything. However, when you step on their tail again, don't blame them for fighting back. Bullies will never understand the pain the weak suffered, sometimes human only understand the pain when they experienced it themselves, so i'm fine with the extent of violence in the drama.This drama really have everything. Though only 8 episodes, but i love it. No dragging or makjang plot to extend it to 12 or 16 episodes. Directors chose the best cast for the roles, cast discussing with directors on the characters, scenes, etc. Actors professionalism to do their best for the drama.
Especially to Ji Hoon, you have done well, i do not shed tears easily, but from episode 7 onwards, even though si eun did not say anything, but your eyes expression tells everything, i could feel the emotions you were trying to convey. The scene of him visiting Suho at the hospital.. also the scene of the breaking the windows, i could see how helpless & frustrated he was with humanity, with life.. Why can't people just live and not create trouble? He deserved to win awards and i hope he will be rewarded soon.
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