Latest news with #WeakHero2
Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Netflix's new K-drama with disappointing reviews tops global charts, beats When Life Gives You Tangerines, Resident Playbook, and more
Netflix has unveiled the top 10 TV shows in its non-English category for the week, and to everyone's surprise, one K-drama that debuted just 5 days ago has outshined giant hits like Park Bo Gum and IU's When Life Gives You Tangerines, knocking the show down to seventh place after it dominated the charts for nearly 7 consecutive weeks. It has also overtaken Son Suk Ku's Heavenly Ever After, which opened with strong ratings. With just eight episodes, Park Ji Hoon's Weak Hero 2 has made a splash on Netflix and, in just a week, climbed to the number one spot. The show is a sequel to the 2022 release Weak Hero Class 1, and is adapted from a manhwa of the same name. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO Starring Park Ji Hoon in his new school Eunjang with his new anti-bullying gang, Ryeo Un (Twinkling Watermelon) as Park Hu Min, Choi Min Yeong (XO, Kitty) as Seo Jun Tae, and Lee Min Jae (Uprising) as Go Hyun Tak, the miniseries K-drama has hit No. 1, dethroning shows like The Gardener, A Glass Dome, and Netflix's new Brazilian documentary A Tragedy Foretold. With 6.1M views this week alone, Weak Hero 2 is No. 1 in 9 countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Oman and parts of America, and ranked in the top 10 in 63 countries, including India, Japan, Peru, Argentina, and more. Seon Suk Ku's Heavenly Ever After has slipped to the No. 5 spot with 2.9M views this week, while the acclaimed medical K-drama Hospital Playlist's spinoff, Resident Playbook, sits at No. 6 with 2.1M views. Park Bo Gum's When Life Gives You Tangerines is currently at No. 7. Thanks to the popularity of Weak Hero 2, season 1 of the show has also climbed back up and is now at No. 8. All in all, K-dramas seem to have taken over the entire non-English chart with their recent chart-toppers. Why Weak Hero 2 is disappointing despite global success Weak Hero Class 1, which impressed its audience for portraying the raw emotions and pain of a bullied teenager, their meaningful friendship, and most of all the slam dunks and punches shown in the manhwa, landing straight in its live adaptation, were completely missing in season 2 of the show. Fans accused Netflix of butchering the show by rushing the plotline, skipping proper character development, and leaving out action sequences that just didn't match up to the comic. Some characters never even got their closure, especially Na Bae Jin, who suddenly vanished after things went south for the union, and in the end, all we saw was a funeral. Though fans who haven't read the manhwa still loved Park Ji Hoon's acting and praised the storyline and the bond Ji Eun shared with Baku, Go Tak, and the XO, Kitty fame, so it won't be wrong to say the OTT streamer is cashing in on the success of the first season. Weak Hero class 2 plot Si Eun gets transferred to Eunjang High after getting expelled from his previous school. He is still haunted by the past and undergoes therapy while contemplating a foreign move suggested by his mother, as he keeps blaming himself for his friend Su Ho's current situation, who is in a coma after a fight sequence in season 1 that hurt him badly and left him in a near-dying state. In Eunjang, Si Eun, who is a loner, tries turning a blind eye to all the bullying and fights, but when Seo Jun Tae keeps getting bullied again and again by Hyo Man, he has to take charge. And that's how he meets Baku—Eunjang's top dog—and his second-hand, Go Tak. Together, the two will do anything not to let their school become a part of the union. The Union is a gang alliance run by school kids, each from different schools, who call themselves top dogs and operate like a mafia syndicate, dealing in stolen phones and bikes.
Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Weak Hero class 2 review: A manhwa misfire, but Park Ji Hoon and Ryeo Un outweigh the flaws of Netflix's rushed adaptation
Weak Hero 2 is one of those rare high school K-dramas that got a second season, and watching how the show was butchered in parts, especially with the rushed scenes and a race to wrap it all up in just eight episodes, tells you exactly why K-drama makers are always hesitant about greenlighting sequels. Weak Hero Class 2 picks up right where Class 1 left off, with Park Ji Hoon in the lead, still haunted by his past and struggling with the guilt that his best friend Su Ho is in a coma because of him. Season 2 follows his life at a new school, Eunjang High, after transferring from Byuksan (his former school) under the cloud of a violent past. Rumour has it that he almost killed someone and got the boot from his last school. Though the initial build-up was gripping and showed a promising storyline, especially for a sequel to a series that won hearts with its raw portrayal of teenage pain, Season 2 quickly loses its emotional punch and depth. Weak Hero class 2: Baku and Ji Eun keep the heart beating For someone who loved Weak Hero Class 1 without singling out a single flaw, loving how it took on South Korea's extreme school bullying culture, Season 2 came with sky-high expectations. I was hoping for a more intense take on the issue, god-level actioners, and most of all, deeper character development, especially with Choi Min Yeong (from XO, Kitty) joining as Seo Jun Tae, a bullied guy who sees Si Eun as a ray of hope and wants to live by his formula of Newton's third law. But none of those ever happened, and at times, it felt like no real efforts were made, and Netflix just wanted to ride the wave of Season 1's success. (Which its doing). ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO But it was the bromance, we guess, that saved the story for fans. We thought Si Eun would be a loner again through most of the episodes, especially after that opening sequence showing him in therapy, popping pills, and battling insomnia. So it was honestly a relief to see him have Hu Min (Ryeo Un) and Hyeon Tak (Lee Min Jae) by his side. Park Ji Hoon's performance, the way his eyes always pop out when he sees his friend getting bullied, the way his cheeks flush, you can feel the sensation. He's just brilliant. But Baku, Eunjang's top dog, who's dead set on never letting his school join the union, was the character for me. The heart of Season 2. He's strong enough to burn the whole union down on his own if he wanted to. But it's the emotion he carried that hit the hardest. The union boss, Bae Na Ra (D.P.), plays Na Baek Jin — Baku's childhood best friend, turned underground shady boss. And Baku, clueless about what made him turn that way, holds back from going full throttle on him. The show probably wanted us to feel sympathy for Baek Jin, but, just like Baku, we too never found an answer. Being the main antagonist, his arc felt rushed and abrupt, and all we got was the boys crying at his funeral in the end. A big disappointment for Manhwa fans Weak Hero Class 2 debuted with a fan war. K-drama fans and manhwa loyalists are battling over the show's pros and cons. But siding with the manhwa fans makes sense for now, since the show is adapted from the same, created by Seopass and Kim Jin Seok. The first season debuted on South Korea's homegrown streaming platform and Netflix quickly acquired the rights for season 2, and is now dealing with accusations of rushing the show so hard that it missed out on vertical aspects the comic had. Some criticised the weak writing, some felt the platform ruined their favourite story—it changed some characters for the worse. This season focuses on the four Eunjang friends who battle against the Union, led by Na Baek Jin of Yeoil High, his second-in-command Geum Seong Je (Lee Jun-young) of Ganghak High, third hand, Do Seong Mok of Yeonsung High, and Baek Dong Ha. The Union is backed by gangster CEO Choi (Jo Jung Suk) of Cheon Gang. At times, the series seems desperate to mimic some high-school Hollywood cult formula, forgetting that K-dramas have their own charm when it comes to school gang alliances, not the kind that feels like a full-blown mafia ring. From phone thefts to bike deals and underground ops, just too much for students in school uniforms who are not even in their senior years. The central storyline involving Baku and Baek Jin lacks impact, especially since they're constantly labelled as former lovebirds and best friends, with their interactions clearly showing pain even during fight scenes. For a plotline that eats up so much screen time, the emotional backstory and motivations between the two childhood-friends-turned-rivals feel underdeveloped. Even the dialogues were lacklustre and felt like some of them were taken straight out of a melodramatic soap opera, clearly stripping off the tension between the characters. The only one who actually tried to stand out like the manhwa was Geum Seong Je. Jun Young playing Wolf Keum was easily one of the best casting choices, many praised how the comic book character had an uncanny resemblance to his on-screen version, and even his mysterious personality delivered. The last, we saw of him, he was taking charge in place of Bae Jin, completely unaware of what happened to him but looking all excited to sit on a pile of money without knowing the consequences. Our take Netflix's version of Weak Hero is more polished, flashier, and released on a grand scale, but still hollow. While season 2 was an 'okayish' successor to the first, for me, it never came close to the impact of season 1. But something tells us it'll return for a season 3. The cameo of Ahn Su Ho (Choi Hyun Wook) in the final moments, where he wakes up from a coma, sees Ji Eun, and their eyes say a thousand things, was that classic K-drama cliffhanger. When he asks, 'Who are the guys behind you?' and Ji Eun replies, 'Uri chingu' (my friends), the show teases another round of rowdy boys teaming up to take down bullies. Fan theories are everywhere—some suggesting Su Ho will join Eunjang. And since the show left so many loose threads, a next season might just tie them up. The action tried to land blows across all corners, warehouses, rooftops, alleys but when the big Union vs. Eunjang brawl hit, too much of it felt like a rehearsal with sound effects doing the heavy lifting. Left us flinching… but not in the good way.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Weak Hero Class 2 leaves manhwa fans disappointed as they accuse Netflix of 'butchering' the K-drama: 'Made it look bland, cheap'
After a wait of two and a half years, the second chapter in the Weak Hero series, titled Weak Hero Class 2, debuted on Netflix on April 25, 2025, with much fanfare. The action thriller is based on the manhwa of the same name, created by Seopass and Kim Jin Seok. Weak Hero Class 1 premiered on 19 November 2022, on Wavve, South Korea's homegrown streaming platform, but Netflix bought the rights for the second season after the unprecedented success of the first part. Fans of the manhwa and series who quickly binge-watched Weak Hero Class 2 have taken to social media to share their disappointment, calling out Netflix for a lackluster adaptation that failed to meet expectations, skipped key details from the comic, and didn't live up to the seamless execution of the first part. Weak Hero Class 2 plot details Weak Hero Class 2 picks up after the heartbreaking finale of the first part, which left Ahn Su Ho (Choi Hyun Wook) in a vegetative state while Yeon Si Eun (Park Ji Hoon) was forced to transfer schools. Carrying the burden of his guilt as he held himself accountable for Su Ho's state, Si Eun has sworn to practice solitude in his new school, Eunjang High. However, it doesn't take him long to realise that his uniform may have changed, but his circumstances have not, as he once again finds himself entangled in the dark and gritty world of bullies— only this time, they're more dangerous than ever. Just like in the first part, despite his cold and distant demeanor, he gets lucky with friends (let's forget Oh Beom Seok) and finds himself united with Park Hu Min (Ryeo Un), Seo Jun Tae (Choi Min Yeong), and Lee Go Hyeon Tak (Lee Min Jae). Together, they fight against the Union, led by Na Baek Jin (Bae Na Ra) of Yeoil High, his second in command Geum Seong Je (Lee Jun Young) of Ganghak High, the third in command Do Seong Mok of Yeonsung High, and Baek Dong Ha. The Union is supported by the gangster CEO Choi (Jo Jung Suk) of the Cheon Gang. The series weaves a compelling narrative, showcasing the dehumanising bullying culture in South Korean schools, while also portraying heartwarming friendships that make the likes of Seo Jun Tae believe in the power of Newton's third law. To every good action, there's a good action. Why are fans dissatisfied with Weak Hero Class 2? Fans, especially those who have read the manhwa, are not feeling Weak Hero Class 2, with many pointing out that the second part, consisting of eight episodes, is too fast-paced and doesn't focus on the development of characters. Several K-drama fanatics also accused Netflix of toning down on the fight sequences that made Weak Hero Class 1 the phenomenon it is today. Some also called out the "weak writing," which allegedly lacked impact. Taking to X, one user wrote, "Netflix absolutely butchered Weak Hero 2!!! What was one of my favorite Kdramas of all time? Looks like shit now." Netflix absolutely butchered Weak Hero 2!!!What was one of my favourite Kdramas of all time. Looks like shit now "Weak hero class 2!!! The live action didn't do justice; they've just ruined my favorite webtoon… it's just a completely different story!!! Too many important characters are missing, and it's very rushed... I'm all excited for nothing.," one user added. Weak hero class 2!!!The live action didn't do justice, they're just ruined my favorite webtoon.. it's just completely different story!!! Too much important character missing and very rushing.. i'm all excited for nothing 😭 Meanwhile, fans on Reddit echoed similar sentiments, with one user writing, "I've only watched the first four episodes till now, and if I'm not lying, it's mostly a mess and nowhere close to either the manhwa or Class 1; they rushed it way too much. Character development is pretty bleak, ngl. Fight scenes are good, especially Grey and Wolf's fight; they nailed that one down. As for Donald, it's pretty weird to explain, as they changed his character way too much, and I'm currently unsure if that's a change for the better or worse. My thoughts might change a bit after finishing it, but yeah, for now, that's it." Another user wrote, "Literally 220+ chapters in just 8, 30-minute episodes; it's nothing close to manhwa or season 1." "Cool fight sequences, but the overall pacing was way too rushed for me. I felt like they were just going through the motions, and they really didn't show Gray doing much observing of his opponents or working his way up the ranks and making a name for himself — it feels like he lost most fights. and everything was just sort of mashed together. Donald Na felt very underwhelming — not the actor's fault, but they nuked his backstory. Everyone's acting is great, and the friend group (Gray/Ben/Alex/Eugene) has fantastic chemistry, but I couldn't actually buy into any emotional scenes because there was no build-up to them. The banter is delightful, though. My favorite adapted character is probably Wolf; I loved him in the webtoon as well, and he really feels just as unhinged in the drama," added another Redditor. Check out more comments in the Reddit thread below: All eight episodes of Weak Hero Class 2 are now streaming on Netflix. For all the latest K-drama, K-pop, and Hallyuwood updates, keep following our coverage here.
