This review may contain spoilers
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.
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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