One: High School Heroes

Not for faint hearted

for me this drama has two main strengths： first it is an excellent portrayal of a dysfunctional family with one parent obsessed with achieving reflected glory for himself through his sons and the other too helplessly neurotic to function in the family at all、and Lee Jung Ha gives a truly great and sensitive performance showing the impact of this on him as the victim of his parents bullying and fighting back for victims of school bullying。secondly it has very good fight sequences although clearly often losing touch with reality and the constant violence does become too much at times。 the storyline and above all the end is reasonable。lots of interesting metaphorical touches and ironies at the end like the broken cassette getting repaired and the so called sane being shown as the really insane and vice versa、 it's the "sane" insane parent producing the broken child now labelled "delinquent"、 and I assume what is the juvenile detention prison not rehabilitating but reinforcing violence as power with the teacher leading the way： all well considered touches 、and at 8 episodes the show gets its message over without stringing it out with aimless repetition like many K dramas。 enjoyable in its way though、as often when I planned to watch a good drama again, so here when I get to the end there seems nothing more to see or say 。excellent job〜良く出来ましたね〜

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Mostly wasted potential, but not a bad drama

Not sure why they decided to release this drama in the same year as Weak Hero season 2 AND Study Group. Because all that did was make me think about how much better both of those dramas are.
Which is not to say that this drama is bad. It's not. It has some elements that I liked and wanted to see explored (namely the family drama. aka the root of Eui Gyeom's trauma). But this is, at it's core, a school fighting/bullying drama and while some of the fights were pretty good, most of them didn't really feel earned.

Eui Gyeom was a character that didn't always make sense to me, but I liked and wanted to see overcome his trauma. It was fascinating to see him constantly toeing the line of going a little too far with each fight. And then he does.
I thought this was such an interesting choice.....that they don't really do anything with other than attempt to set up a second season.
Speaking of, I can't believe the adults in Eui Gyeom's life took one look at him after he stomped on that kid in the end, and were like, "Hmm, I know what he needs! A prison school! Where he has to fight all the time and where even the teachers beat the kids! That'll help him get past his brother's death and his father's abuse!
Poor kid needs therapy, not a fight club school.

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Binge watch worthy!

I'm usually not that much of a fan of this high school drama genre but as I read the webtoon years ago, I decided to give it a try and I do not regret it one bit. It follows the webtoon quite well & I think the casting was really great! It has its deeper stories, very enjoyable action scenes & nice chemistry.

I have to talk about how great Kim Dowan and Lee Jungha are as Yungi and Euigyeom though...they could portray the complexicity of their relationship perfectly. The looks, the eyes, so many times were more than enough to express whatever was going on in their mind and i absolutely loved it. They really brought the characters to life!

Overall, this a great drama that i will miss, definitely binge watch worthy :) A season 2 seems to be hinted at the end of the drama, which is as scary as exciting to me, so i'm looking for it~

Nice, nice!!!!

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Good, but could be better

One is a series hard to describe, and just as hard to summarize whether I loved it or not. Some things I can easily say that I loved: Lee Jung Ha as Kim Eui Gyeom and Kim Do Wan as Kang Yoongi. That’s a pairing I’d never think could work so well together—but they are amazing.

But other aspects annoyed me a bit, especially since we had Study Group just a few months ago. Maybe it’s because One takes time to reveal a few key elements that are crucial to the story, and since this series was not released all at once, things moved weirdly.

You NEED to understand why Yoongi is hyping Eui Gyeom, you need to understand his reason, you need to understand why he wants to take revenge. At the same time, you need to understand the backstory with the brother to better understand Eui Gyeom. I feel like the series takes too long to drop both reasons.

So we see Yoongi in the hospital, we see Eui Gyeom suffocating himself, we see the visions and the walkman... but overall, it’s a lot of just Eui Gyeom suffering at home and beating people up, and the pieces take too long to fall into place.

Also, no one in their school being part of the main revenge group kinda makes us spend too much time with characters that don’t matter to the plot. But Im Sung Kyun, as bully-turned-voice-of-reason Seungjun, was great.

Terrible to say, but I was happy to see Eui Gyeom punching his dad in the hallucinations during the last fight. Curious to see how long it will take Wavve to make and release Season 2.

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A Fresh High School Drama That’s Fun but Feels a Bit Rushed

I really enjoyed One: High School Heroes. It was a fun and fresh drama with a lot of energy, and the story kept me interested throughout. That said, it did feel a little rushed at times, and there was something missing that I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe it needed a bit more time to develop some parts or to let the emotions hit harder.

One thing I really liked was the character development of Kim Seung Jun. His journey felt real and relatable, and I enjoyed seeing how he changed over the series. I just wish he had more screen time because there was so much more to explore with his character.

Also, the bromance in the show was something I totally loved. The friendships brought a lot of warmth and fun moments, and if there’s ever a season 2, I would definitely want to see more of that. More bonding and friendship scenes would make the show even better.

Overall, it’s a good drama that I’d recommend, especially if you like stories about youth and friendship. It just could have used a little more breathing room to really shine.

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Mixed feelings about it : the first half got me invested but then it was quite a let down

I really enjoyed the first half of the series but I vibed much less with the second part. At the start, the series felt very real with a deeply wounded main lead with huge mental shift and scary side. The fighting scenes were gritty and the drama took my breath away with the mental hurdle faced by the main protagonist, the way pressure was put on him by his family environment. However the series then went into more of a shonen style with characters trying to be "heroes" and fights feeling much less realistic and relatively repetitive. There were also introduction of new characters that were quite purposeless. Still, the ending hint at a sequel, which I felt could be quite interesting.

The cast was good but also definitely too old (with maybe the exception of Lee Jung Ha but even for him it was an hard sell) to play realistic high schoolers roles. The level of acting was good but the credibility really was missing. Still, I enjoyed finding back Lee Jung Ha in this drama: he is clearly breadening his range of acting, far from his sunshiny role in Moving. Production was good overall. They have not an outstanding amount of budget but the fight sequences are dynamic and well-made. I especially loved the flashback and the grey scenes making very clear the suffering of the main lead.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a highschool fight drama. It is in my opinion less good than Weak Class Hero but it is exploring relatively similar thematic, so if you enjoyed one, you might appreciate this one as well.

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Next stop for the duo: Satan's Embassy on Earth.

Once again, Wavve proves it knows how to do a lot with very little. In One: High School Heroes, the platform delivers a mature high school drama that actually respects the intelligence of its audience — and in a sea of lazy teen scripts, that alone is worth something. Sure, a few episodes drag their feet here and there, but the mental health arc of the main character (played with surprising depth by Jung Ha) more than makes up for it. He and Kim Do Wan have solid chemistry and real presence, and together they drive a narrative that, as I’ve said before, gets that school violence isn’t just random chaos — it’s systemic. It’s a machine where victims and aggressors simply switch roles depending on where they fall in the pyramid of power.

The ending works because it doesn’t try to wrap things up in a neat little bow — quite the opposite. It throws both leads straight into what the show itself calls a “hell on Earth,” a brutal arena where survival takes more than fists. It takes connection, empathy, and purpose. It might look like the series is glorifying violence, but what it’s really doing is using it as a language to talk about mental health, abandonment, self-worth, and resilience. If there’s a second season coming, I’m just hoping the fight scenes — already solid — lean even more into realism and weight, because the story underneath is more than strong enough to carry it. Bottom line: One might not have made global headlines, but it’s one of those quiet gems that has a lot to say if you’re paying attention.

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Great action drama with good storyline

Wow, what a nice surprise! I didn't expect it to be so good. I was captivated by the story from the first episode and I loved the Eui Gyeom and Yun Gi throup. I like how their relationship develops throughout the drama. The fighting is amazing, as is the storyline. The more we learn about Eui Gyeom's past, the more sympathy we feel for him and the more resentment we feel towards his family, especially his father.
The first half of the drama was amazing; I liked the fighting scenes, and Eui's desire to fight made it so captivating.

If I compare it to *Study Group*, I would say this drama is better, as the fights feel real and the storyline is great. Don't get me wrong, I like *Study Group*, but it lacked deep emotions and a complex storyline.

I hope we get a season 2 so we can see more of our superheroes.

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[spoilers??] one: high school heroes – eugyeom. just. eugyeom.

okay listen.
the way they portrayed eugyeom??? INSANE. i’m sorry but i’ve never seen anyone show those tiny shifts in expression so clearly—like full-on fighting mode one second, then blank, tight, emotionally locked down the moment his father shows up. it’s not just acting. it’s feeling. and i felt that.

that whole part where he’s filling out the “what’s your dream?” form and just hides it under the books when he hears the door??? yeah. that broke me a little. it’s so subtle but so loud. the panic. the instinct. the habit. the silence. the way he just... shuts off.
like yeah, he has dreams. but he’s been trained to either ignore them or feel ashamed for having any at all.

and idk if this is too personal but... the dad dynamic? way too real. like people from the outside might praise his father for being "so involved" or "working so hard for him" but all i see is a man trying to achieve the things he couldn’t when he was young. he’s not helping eugyeom live. he’s trying to shape him into something he wanted to be. and you can feel that weight on eugyeom’s chest in every. single. scene.

and that bit where he tries to choke himself at night?? people might say it's “too much” or “out of place” but honestly, if you’ve ever lived under that kind of pressure, if you've felt that silence and fear, you know. it’s real.
i used to watch dramas to escape reality. but this?? this drama dragged reality right back in. the way i literally flinch when his dad shows up, or when he pokes eugyeom's forehead with his index finger??? i wanna break that damn finger.

but that scene where he finally fought back… maybe it wasn’t the moment, but something cracked open. it felt like the start of him choosing himself. even if it wasn’t directly about his dad, it was a shift. he didn’t freeze. he fought.
and i hope—no, i PRAY—we get to see him rise from here. i want him to get mad. to speak. to breathe. to finally live.

also me: relates to eugyeom on a spiritual level
also also me: never fought anyone lmao (missed that part of the arc but spiritually i was throwing hands ok)

AND KANG YOONGI???
this guy is chaotic GOOD. pure punk energy. funky little gremlin with a heart, and i love him for it. definitely emotional support punk of the squad. 10/10, would adopt.

i’ll probably yell more when i finish the series but for now??
i’m invested.
i’m ready.
let’s go be heroes.

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🎬 If you liked Study Group or Weak Hero Class 1, you might think you know what to expect: broken boys, bloodied fists, and a high school war zone. But this drama goes deeper — into the silence at home, the weight of legacy, and the quiet brutality of being raised for someone else’s dream.
This is not a story about becoming strong.
This is a story about trying to exist.

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🧬 1. A Family Cycle of Violence

Kim Ui-gyeom is a top student, raised to be perfect. Not happy. Not safe. Just perfect.
His grandfather was a monster. His father ran from that — and became the same.
His older brother, the first "experiment", is now dead. And Ui-gyeom is next.

Transferred to a new school, he doesn’t get to start over.
He’s placed in a violent environment on purpose — watched by two adult observers, with his father’s full awareness.

> 📌 This isn’t about school bullying.
📌 This is a social experiment in disguise.




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🧠 2. Kim Ui-gyeom – A Boy Who Fights to Feel

Appears calm and composed.

In reality: on the edge of emotional collapse.

His Walkman, a keepsake from his late brother, is his only comfort.

When it's destroyed (Ep. 2), something inside him snaps.


He doesn’t fight because he’s brave. He fights because he’s suffocating.
His violence is not strength — it’s survival.


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🔍 3. The School Is a Lab

The school is no coincidence. It’s a controlled chaos:

Full of aggressive students.

No adult supervision that actually helps.

Two observers: Yong-jin (not a student) and a suited man.


> Ui-gyeom is being studied like a lab rat.
The school isn't healing him — it's breaking him down.




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🧑‍🤝‍🧑 4. Kang Yun-gi – Ally or User?

Yun-gi is bold, chaotic, and funny — the emotional support punk of the squad.
At first, he uses Ui-gyeom to provoke fights.
But over time, a genuine bond forms. Yun-gi starts to care — but by then, the damage is done.

Their friendship becomes:

🔥 a spark of hope

💔 and a mirror of betrayal



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👁 5. What Viewers Might Miss

Many viewers just see another fight drama. But if you look closer:

His father knows he’s fighting. He arranged it.

Yong-jin is a planted observer, not a student.

The mother is emotionally absent, nearly erased.

Ui-gyeom’s fights are less about justice and more about breathing.


Even his final "freedom" is questionable — it’s not a win. It’s just a pause.


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📺 6. Episode Breakdown

🎞 Episode ⚡ Key Themes

Ep. 1 Brother’s funeral. Father’s coldness. Transfer.
Ep. 2 Walkman smashed. First real fight. Rage awakened.
Ep. 3 Observation begins. Ui-gyeom targeted.
Ep. 4 Emotional collapse. Yun-gi grows closer.
Ep. 5 Secrets surface. Ui-gyeom nearly chokes himself.
Ep. 6 Father's manipulation becomes clear.
Ep. 7 Confrontation. Ui-gyeom finally pushes back.
Ep. 8 No clear “happy ending” — just breath, silence, and uncertainty.



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🧩 7. Symbols & Metaphors

🎧 Walkman – His connection to his brother, lost when it’s destroyed.

🪶 Sky imagery – Freedom he can’t reach.

🥋 Fighting – Not glory, but his only language of emotion.

🧪 The School – A lab. A trap.

🧍‍♂️ Yong-jin – Not a mentor. A handler.



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📌 8. Final Thoughts

> Ui-gyeom is not a hero. He’s a test subject.
This is not about justice. It’s about generational pain.
And if you really watch — really watch — you’ll feel it too.



This drama doesn’t ask you to cheer.
It dares you to understand.


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Fighting to Feel: Bruises, Bonds, and Buried Trauma

This series is a pretty typical high school action drama built around the theme of bullying, a topic that seems to be popping up more and more in Korean dramas these days. It follows Kim Eui-gyeom, a quiet and respectable student who’s dealing with a lot of pressure to be the “perfect son”, especially after his brother’s apparent suicide. He carries the weight of trauma and mental health struggles mostly on his own, and it shows, he’s always on edge.

After transferring to a new school, Eui-gyeom immediately catches the attention of the class bully. The tension escalates when the bully targets Eui-gyeom’s most treasured possession, a walkman that belonged to his brother. That moment pushes Eui-gyeom over the edge, and the fight that follows pulls him into even more trouble, drawing the attention of senior bullies.

Meanwhile, Kang Yun-gi, a chill and seemingly bored classmate, starts showing interest in Eui-gyeom and becomes an unexpected source of support. As their friendship grows, the two of them begin fighting not just in school, but outside of it too, all while Eui-gyeom’s home life slowly unravels.

The show tries to tackle some heavy themes, trauma, suicide, bullying, and abuse, but with only eight episodes, it doesn’t always dig as deep as it could. There’s also some confusion around Eui-gyeom’s fighting ability. At first, he seems inexperienced, but later he’s holding his own like a pro. The show doesn’t really explain if he had past training or if he’s just picking things up along the way.

That said, it’s still an engaging watch. The acting isn’t particularly standout, especially when compared to something like Weak Hero Class 1, where the lead gave a phenomenal performance. Here, things feel a little safer, and the bullies can come off as trying too hard. But the story itself is entertaining, and the bond between Eui-gyeom and Yun-gi is one of the best parts.

One character who really stood out to me was Kim Seung-jun. He doesn’t get a ton of screen time, but he’s definitely one of the most interesting. He starts off as a bully with a sense of honor and eventually decides to step away from all the nonsense. There are hints at a deeper story with him, especially involving his mother, and it’s a shame the show didn’t explore that more.

In all, it’s a small but promising series. If you’re into character-driven stories and watching unexpected friendships form under tough circumstances, it’s worth checking out.

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Don't need a second season but medication.

Honestly I think I would have enjoyed it more if I did not expect a mix between Weak Hero and Study Group, but something rather....in the middle. And then I would have been less disappointed.
The thing is, the fighting was FORCED as heck and yes the actors did a really great job but there is only much they can do. Let's be real, even Tenjou Tenge made more sense at this point. So yes, the fighting should NOT have been the focus of the drama because the plot around it was poor and lacking.
Also if there is something I absolutely despise in a show ? When they force some revenge plot that barely makes any sense. They had the means and yet they completely ruined it in favor of more fighting.

You know what I loved which explains that rate ? The angst. The messed up family. The young brother feeling love and guilt and anger toward his older brother. The constant pain. The mother finally realizing she needs to step up. The bully who tries to help because he realizes he is being stupid. The friend trying to redeem himself. The father who keeps blaming everyone instead of being better. Not everyone grows and it makes the show real.
However since they lost more time on the fighting part I am not curious to know what will happen to the characters.
So no thank you for that second season, just give me some medication.

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