This review may contain spoilers
The Weaker Hero
I'm going to start by saying that this second season is good but is nowhere near as good as the first in terms of plot, storytelling, character development, and even action. But having said that, I actually enjoyed this season more. Why? Because it's not as somber and depressing as the first. The characters in this are actually more endearing, even the villains, though not as compelling as the baddies in the first. The friendship between the mains is real and wholesome, and they are written as such that they are more ideal and less flawed. The action scenes are more fun and, I daresay, far more unrealistic that you just have to turn off your brain so you won't question every last bit. But the things I enjoyed in this season are the reasons why I think it's inferior.
There is a lack of development in the characters other than Si Eun. Baku is sort of interesting but he's nothing more than a cookie cutter good guy who wants to protect his loved ones and does everything loud and big to the point that it becomes annoying at times. I think Ryeoun is miscast in this, btw. He's basically playing another version of Suho and he just doesn't have the energy and charisma that Hyun Wook has to make it fully work. The villains are lackluster as well, especially Bae Na Ra as Baek Jin. His pseudo backstory and the writers seemingly wanting the viewers to have more empathy for him because he was bullied and donates money to an orphanage is forced and lazy. Just show us that he's not as bad as he seems, you don't need to tell us. Interestingly, the villain that pulled more weight is Seongje played by Lee Jun Young. Despite having zero backstory and limited screen time, Jun Young actually brought a lot of nuance to his portrayal of the role. He struck me as a kind of Loki or Joker. You don't really need to know about what happened to him in the past and what made him like that or truly understand his motivations because his unpredictability and presence are what really matters. He was the best part of this season save for Jihoon imho. His fight scene with Jihoon is hands down the best fight sequence this season, very reminiscent of the fights in the first. Not to mention that their chemistry is just undeniably palpable. I would love to see them star in another project one day.
Speaking of Jihoon, I didn't like the fact that his character, Si Eun, was sidelined and the spotlight momentarily shifted to Baku. The story revolves around him, without him, there is no Weak Hero. Sure, the other characters deserve screen time too, but not at the expense of Si Eun. He was purposely sidelined to lift the other characters up. A good writer doesn't need to do that to give importance to the other characters as well. This was bad writing tbh. This didn't happen in the first season so I don't know what the writers were smoking when they did this.
The plot by itself is not even half as interesting as I thought it would be. And the fact that they made the main villain flat and less compelling made this season weaker as a whole. Yes, it's more enjoyable for most people because it features more popular actors and the characters are written to be less imperfect so you feel like cheering for them more. But it's the imperfections of a character and the grit of the story that makes a drama better because it makes it more real and thought-provoking. Those are the things that the first season has that this season doesn't. Weak Hero Class 2 is but a shell of its predecessor.
Some say that we shouldn't compare the two because these are different seasons. Yes, they are different seasons but they're supposed to be part of the same story, the main character is the same, and as far as I know the team behind it is mostly the same. So there's no reason to expect it to be wholly different in tone, writing, and characterization. They should be compared, and anyone who says otherwise just doesn't want to see anything negative about anything or maybe they simply have their own preferences. The thing is, people don't think the same way and there will always be people who will criticize something you love. Besides, constructive criticism is necessary for improvement. If they ever make a third season, I hope they can make adjustments and produce a better season than this.
There is a lack of development in the characters other than Si Eun. Baku is sort of interesting but he's nothing more than a cookie cutter good guy who wants to protect his loved ones and does everything loud and big to the point that it becomes annoying at times. I think Ryeoun is miscast in this, btw. He's basically playing another version of Suho and he just doesn't have the energy and charisma that Hyun Wook has to make it fully work. The villains are lackluster as well, especially Bae Na Ra as Baek Jin. His pseudo backstory and the writers seemingly wanting the viewers to have more empathy for him because he was bullied and donates money to an orphanage is forced and lazy. Just show us that he's not as bad as he seems, you don't need to tell us. Interestingly, the villain that pulled more weight is Seongje played by Lee Jun Young. Despite having zero backstory and limited screen time, Jun Young actually brought a lot of nuance to his portrayal of the role. He struck me as a kind of Loki or Joker. You don't really need to know about what happened to him in the past and what made him like that or truly understand his motivations because his unpredictability and presence are what really matters. He was the best part of this season save for Jihoon imho. His fight scene with Jihoon is hands down the best fight sequence this season, very reminiscent of the fights in the first. Not to mention that their chemistry is just undeniably palpable. I would love to see them star in another project one day.
Speaking of Jihoon, I didn't like the fact that his character, Si Eun, was sidelined and the spotlight momentarily shifted to Baku. The story revolves around him, without him, there is no Weak Hero. Sure, the other characters deserve screen time too, but not at the expense of Si Eun. He was purposely sidelined to lift the other characters up. A good writer doesn't need to do that to give importance to the other characters as well. This was bad writing tbh. This didn't happen in the first season so I don't know what the writers were smoking when they did this.
The plot by itself is not even half as interesting as I thought it would be. And the fact that they made the main villain flat and less compelling made this season weaker as a whole. Yes, it's more enjoyable for most people because it features more popular actors and the characters are written to be less imperfect so you feel like cheering for them more. But it's the imperfections of a character and the grit of the story that makes a drama better because it makes it more real and thought-provoking. Those are the things that the first season has that this season doesn't. Weak Hero Class 2 is but a shell of its predecessor.
Some say that we shouldn't compare the two because these are different seasons. Yes, they are different seasons but they're supposed to be part of the same story, the main character is the same, and as far as I know the team behind it is mostly the same. So there's no reason to expect it to be wholly different in tone, writing, and characterization. They should be compared, and anyone who says otherwise just doesn't want to see anything negative about anything or maybe they simply have their own preferences. The thing is, people don't think the same way and there will always be people who will criticize something you love. Besides, constructive criticism is necessary for improvement. If they ever make a third season, I hope they can make adjustments and produce a better season than this.
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