Weak Hero Class 1 Review: Brutal Beatdowns for Action Fans
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Yeon Si-eun is at the top of his class when it comes to math and academics but at the bottom rung of the ladder in popularity. He is often bullied in different ways by troublemakers in his class, and when he finally decides to hit back, it spirals him into a vicious cycle of violence.
Based on the Korean webtoon of the same name by Seopass and Kim Jin-seok, the eight-part first season of Weak Hero Class 1 is directed by Yoo Soo-min and Park Dan-hee. Park Ji-hoon plays Yeon Si-eun, the serious, broody protagonist who has no friends and lives with his father. He is frequently teased and tormented by a group led by bully Jeon Yeong-bin (Kim Su-gyeom).
Right from episode one, viewers can see that Yeon Si-eun has a weak constitution, he looks overworked, sleep-deprived, and is always studying. Si-eun uses his wits to beat the crap out of his bullies during an unhinged rage episode at school, only to be stopped before things get truly out of hand by classmate Ahn Su-ho (Choi Hyun-wook), a slacker known to have trained in martial arts. Actor Hong Kyung plays Oh Beom-seok, a new transfer student at the same school, who is used against Si-eun by the bullies. However, a turn of events leads to an unexpected friendship between Yeon Si-eun, Ahn Su-ho, and Oh Beom-seok.
Given that Weak Hero Class 1 is set in a high-school setting, the constant bullying and violence among students is often gratuitously overdone. But action fans baying for onscreen blood will absolutely enjoy all the raw punches, angry kicks, knife slashing, and body bashing that constantly fills the screen. Some action sequences are fantastically choreographed, and giving Ahn Su-ho’s character a martial arts background helps slip in some slick moves. That said, you can’t help but feel that our ‘weak hero’ is often saved by the stronger Ahn Su-ho. Yes, the series tries to highlight how the frail Si-eun uses his knowledge of physics and general intelligence to survive hostile situations, but many moments make him seem like a secondary hero in his own story.
Interestingly, Oh Beom-seok undergoes the biggest character transformation in Weak Hero Class 1, and actor Hong Kyung portrays it with convincing grit. From being a victim of vicious bullying, including domestic abuse at home, Beom-seok is first shown to abhor violence but eventually becomes a malevolent perpetrator himself. His character also serves as a showcase for class differences in the tale, as Beom-seok is the son of a powerful politician, which gives him access to easy money and also police immunity whenever he lands in serious trouble.
Lead actor Park Ji-hoon rarely gets to smile in Weak Hero Class 1, and I genuinely feel the makers should have inserted a few more laid-back friendship moments between his character and the others. But despite Yeon Si-eun’s extremely gloomy personality, he has a kind heart, which he expresses through his actions toward his new friends. Choi Hyun-wook as Ahn Su-ho is the only character who brings rare comical moments to the series, mostly through his confident, cheery demeanor and his constant hunger for delicious food.
If you’re the kind of action fan who’s not interested in comedic side-stories or romances cluttering the plot, Weak Hero Class 1 is a great pick for a dark, sad, blood-laden high school saga. What’s ironically tragic about the series is that Yeon Si-eun always tries to defuse violence through peaceful means, only to be met with even greater brutality each time he believes the savagery has ended.
The climactic episode of season one is all about vendetta and almost unfolds like a horror movie, where one of the characters goes on a diabolical blood quest to avenge a friend. So, even though there is no romance in the show, the friendships stand strong.
Rating: 7 on 10. Watch Weak Hero on Netflix.
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