Heesu in Class 2 Review: More Like ‘Teens in Class 2’
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
‘Heesu in Class 2’ is the kind of title that makes you want to be invested in the story of the lead character, Heesu, but somehow, a whole lot of other characters keep interrupting our view of Heesu’s world — like the guy who sits behind Heesu and joins a knitting class to impress his crush. It’s a subplot that wasn’t even part of the original webtoon this Korean series has been adapted from. But okay, let’s discuss the plot first.
Directed by Park Kyung Min, the ten-episode series stars Ahn Ji Ho as Lee Heesu, the baby of his family, with three feisty older sisters constantly entangled in romantic drama. What about Heesu? Well, he’s popular at school for giving dating advice to fellow teens but has never been in a relationship himself and is stuck in unrequited love with his childhood best friend Chan Young (Cho Jun Young), a star athlete who constantly changes girlfriends. When handsome neighbor and class topper Kim Seung Won (Lee Sang Jun) starts paying a lot of attention to Heesu, a new romance brews. But can Heesu in Class 2 truly move on from Chan Young?
The series focuses on two major romantic subplots: one is Heesu’s feelings for Chan Young and his growing bond with Seung Won, while the other follows Chan Young falling in love for the first time with a student named Ji Yu (Kim Do Yeon), who turns out to be his favorite YouTube singer, Summer. Ji Yu is introduced a little later but quickly becomes central to both Chan Young’s and the viewer’s heart. Kim Do Yeon adorably emotes Ji Yu’s sunny dual personality, an ‘ice princess’ at school but a warm, goofy friend behind the scenes, Ji Yu shares strong chemistry with Seung Won too. Lee Sang Jun is charming as Seung Won, playing a nerdier, less musical counterpart to Ji Yu.
Heesu in Class 2 tries to balance both couples equally, though at times Chan Young and Ji Yu’s romance seems to dominate, mostly because it moves faster. Meanwhile, Heesu and Seung Won’s love story is a slow burn, capturing their shy struggles with confessing their feelings. Seung Won, though seemingly aloof, is hopelessly in love with Heesu and even invents a fake crush to get closer to him. Their platonic build-up has a few sweet moments but definitely deserved more screen time.
Ahn Ji Ho is adorable as Heesu, a sweet dreamer who loves stargazing and solving other people’s problems, skills honed by growing up with three outspoken sisters. Kim Han Na, Park Kyung Hye, and Jung Ye Nok play the sisters, adding comic relief through their constant bickering and love-life messes. Their chaotic dining table discussions subtly shape Heesu’s view of romance. Honestly, more scenes with the sisters would have been more enjoyable than some of the unnecessary focus on Chan Young’s tennis playing in the show.
The webtoon kept a razor-sharp focus on Heesu, with all other characters revolving around him. The live-action series, however, often pushes him to the periphery. So many major changes from the source material were made that the showrunners could have renamed the series to lower expectations about Heesu’s screen time. They should’ve taken notes from Netflix’s Heartstopper, another comic adaptation that balances multiple relationships without sidelining its leads. In Heesu in Class 2, just when a scene starts to build excitement between Heesu and Seung Won, especially in the last few episodes, the focus abruptly shifts to Chan Young and Ji Yu. The 2024 Korean series ‘Love in the Big City’ is an even better example of how the creators keep a tight focus on the primary protagonist of the show.
Cho Jun Young is very cute as Chan Young, you can see why Heesu is hopelessly smitten, but it’s still absurd how clueless he remains about Heesu’s feelings despite them spending so much time together that you’d think they were twins. In the webtoon, Chan Young is far more perceptive and aware of Heesu’s interests. Similarly, Ji Yu’s character was just a regular girl in the comic, but the show turns her into an aspiring K-pop singer, adding several trope-y angles. Ironically, for a series where music becomes important, Heesu in Class 2‘s background score and songs aren’t very memorable.
All that said, the cinematography is breezy, the cast has good chemistry, but those hoping for a faithful adaptation may leave disappointed. Overall, Heesu in Class 2 is a cutesy drama best suited for viewers looking for a light high-school romance featuring multiple protagonists, but not necessarily a deep dive into Heesu’s story.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars. Watch the series on Viki.
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