Weak Hero Class 2 review: K-drama packs solid punch despite weak character arcs

India Today

29-04-2025

When Weak Hero Class 1 landed, it didn't just break through the noise of high school dramas — it carved out a space of its own. Gritty, grounded, and heartbreakingly quiet at times, it understood violence not as action, but as aftermath. This season, though, doesn't quite rise to meet them. It simmers, it stings, but it never fully breaks the skin.advertisementIn Weak Hero Class 1, the emotional deep dive into the characters' psyche made the audience resonate with them and internalise their pain. Through Yeon Si-eun's narration, we were granted access to his inner world — cold, calculating, but cracked with pain. Ahn Soo-ho and Oh Beom-seok were never mere sidekicks, they were layered, deeply human, shaped by bruises that weren't always physical. Beom-seok, in particular, was written with such nuance that even in betrayal, he never felt like a villain — just a boy too broken to choose better.Watch the trailer of Weak Hero Class 2 here:
However, this is (almost) completely missing in the second part. The fight sequences grow more intense, but there's always an emotional disconnect that does not let the audience immerse themselves completely into the narrative.advertisementYeon Si-eun (Park Ji-hoon), now in a new school, carries more than trauma — he carries guilt, loss, and the kind of quiet fury that doesn't scream but simmers. Eunjang High might be a different battlefield, but the war — internal and external — has only escalated. Despite swearing off to not make any new connections, Si-eun finds an unlikely connection with Seo Jun-tae (Choi Min-yeong). Cornered and bullied, just like he once used to be, he tries to defend him, and a bond forms. He also forms a bond with Go Hyeon-tak, aka Gotak (Lee Min-jae), and Park Hu-min, aka Baku (Ryeoun), the latter being the person to keep violence off Eunjang High and preventing the students from joining the shady Union, run by Baku's old best friend turned adversary, Na Baek-jin (Bae Na-ra).Kang Hyun (Choi Min-young) brings a brief glimpse of what could be — camaraderie, maybe even peace — but we know that in Weak Hero, peace is always the calm before a storm. And when the storm strikes, it threatens, once again, to take away everything that Si-eun holds close. Park Ji-hoon plays Si-eun like a boy who's slowly calcifying into something colder. His silences speak volumes. His eyes — blank, then burning, then blank again — hold stories the dialogue can't touch. He recreates one of the most quietly devastating performances in a youth drama in recent years. There's no big breakdown, no cathartic moment of screaming rage; just a slow, crushing descent into numbness. And somehow, that hurts more.advertisementThe fight choreography remains a standout. It's quick, vicious, almost ugly at times — just how fights are supposed to be. It's intense, and fast, making you sit on the edge of your sofa during the sequences. The series, however, relies heavily on just the action. There are no slow, relishing-the-buildup kind of shots which made the first part stand out. Everything is hurried to reach the ultimate showdown, but, by then, you have significantly lost connect.The problem with Weak Heroes Season 2 lies with the character's alienation. What's Jun-tae's or Gotak's story, how did BFFs Baku and Baek-jin so detached that they became each other's arch nemesis, was Baek-jin also jealous of Su-eun's intellect - we never get to find out. It's worse for those who have read the manhwa.Weak Hero Class 2 wants to be a darker, more complex evolution of its predecessor. But in trying to escalate, it loses intimacy. It's still solid — well-acted, beautifully shot, and emotionally charged in flashes. But it doesn't cut as deep this time. And for a show that once knew how to wound with a whisper, that feels like a missed opportunity.3 out of 5 stars.
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