Weak Hero Class 2

Presentation

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Overview

Synopsis

Yeon Si Eun transfers to Eunjang High School and becomes friends with Park Hoo Min, Seo Joon Tae and Go Hyun Tak. But in this new school, he now faces a violent group called The Union. The groupe includes students like Na Baek Jin and Geum Sung Je.

My Opinion (No Spoiler)

The highly anticipated second season of Weak Hero Class 2 didn’t disappoint me one bit. Here, we are introduced to new characters that all have backbone and interesting personalities. The villains are quite complex, oscillating between good and evil. Indeed, there are scenes when you feel empathetic towards Na Baek Jin for example or hopeful for Geum Sung Je, though they are the bad guys in that story. The new quartet is likable and all four boys blend perfectly with one another. I also really liked how they managed to show how the events from season 1 influence Si Eun’s life today whether it’d be Su Ho’s coma or his lessons on how good it can be to befriend others. Moreover, Weak Hero Class 2 is built on the same dynamics as season 1 showcasing Si Eun in the middle of a violent battlefield, as he tries to hold on. There are many parallels that we could do from the type of characters surrounding Si Eun’s to the situations he ends up in. Finally, the ending was good, but we really need a third season now. You can’t leave us hanging like that! Also, Park Ji Hoon’s acting performance still blows my mind, so don’t wait to see this drama.

Analysis

• New characters
  The good guys
  Park Hu Min, Baku
  Go Hyun Tak, Gotak
  Seo Jun Tae
  The bad guys
  Na Baek Jin, the leader
  Geum Sung Je, the psycho
  Choi Hyo Man
• The parallels with season 1
  Similar characters
  Same situation
  Different outcomes
• Friendship
• The ending

New characters: This new season is synonymous with change. Yeon Si Eun (Park Ji Hoon) is transferred to another school, and thus meets new interesting students.

The good guys: There are obviously two clans in Eunjang High School. First, there are the ‘good guys’ who are trying to prevent bullying and violence. Unsurprisingly, Si Eun adheres to this side.

Park Hu Min, Baku: Park Hu Min (Ryeo Un), also known as Baku, is the King of the school. He’s by far the best fighter, feared and respected by his peers. Under his reign, no one dares bully a schoolmate. Though Park Hu Min could take advantage of his strength and status, he’s a rather laid-back and nonchalant guy. He’s passionate about basketball (especially the Japanese anime The First Slam Dunk), preferring to enjoy life rather than study at school. But this is just a facade to cover a deep trauma. When he was younger, he could already fight and would use his fists to protect the weak like Na Baek Jin (Bae Na Ra) who was often bullied. He and Park Hu Min immediately became friends. Park Hu Min not only became his protector, but also his mentor in fighting skills. He taught him everything. Little did he know that Na Baek Jin would then use these skills in order to avenge himself on those who wronged him. Using this knowledge, Baek Jin rose to become the leader of the Union at Eunjang High School. Their divergent visions precipitated a fallout between the two friends that profoundly impacted Park Hu Min. He had raised a ‘monster’ and could only resent himself. Since then, he’s promised himself never to teach anyone how to fight ever again. When Si Eun’s arrives at Eunjang, the Union leader, aware of his reputation, wants to assert his power over this new rival. This propels Si Eun at the heart of school fights and forces Park Hu Min to take action and put an end to the chaos. He and Si Eun ally to take down Na Baek Jin and make their school safe again. Obviously, I think Si Eun was necessary to make Baku understand that his skills and connection with Na Baek Jin were crucial to win.

Go Hyun Tak, Gotak: Go Hyun Tak (Lee Min Jae), also named Gotak, is Baku’s faithful sidekick. He’s a taekwondo athlete whose thriving career ended after injuring his knee in a school fight. Though Park Hu Min felt partly responsible for this event, Go Hyun Tak never resented him. On the contrary, he considers him his best friend who would constantly protect and defend him. This led him to start basketball, like Baku, and aspire to another future. To me, Go Hyun Tak was such a sweet and cute character. He’s kind, protective of his friends, carefree and resilient. He could’ve hit rock bottom after his knee ‘accident’, but he didn’t. Instead, he found himself a new resolution and stood close to Baku, so he would not feel guilty. Though he sometimes doesn’t think first before acting, unlike Si Eun for example, he’s a good well-intended friend. He’s also constantly asking Baku to teach him how to fight. Despite his friend’s reluctance, Gotak is stubborn and keeps on doing it.

Seo Jun Tae: Seo Jun Tae (Choi Min Young) suffers a lot at school. He’s constantly bullied and can’t fend for himself. He pressured by the bullies to follow their orders (like to steal people’s phones, give them pocket money or run errands on their behalf). Yeon Si Eun’s arrival is a game-changer for Seo Jun Tae because he realizes that nothing will change if he stands still. He may be weak, but this doesn’t mean that he has to let others walk all over him. He can resist and fight back in his own way. So, he recovers the stolen phones and returns them to their owners, putting the Union bullies in a tough spot. Seo Jun Tae doesn’t fear the consequences anymore. Later on, the once fearful teenager becomes Si Eun’s sidekick before joining Baku and Gotak. Though he doesn’t know how to fight, he’s a good diversion and a smart asset. The part that interested me the most about that character is that he has a grain of craziness. He looks cute, innocent and inoffensive, but his behavior can sometimes be reckless and unexpected. In dangerous situations, he’s the type to act before thinking things through. This is proof of his courage in my opinion. Seo Jun Tae shows that you don’t need to be the best fighter or have insane skills to be brave. Every individual has his own strengths and must cultivate them in order to win his battles. Out of all the characters of the drama, Seo Jun Tae is by far the most attaching. His vulnerability makes you want to protect him, while his friendly face and shy behavior are the best way to connect the team closer together.

The bad guys: The ‘bad guys’ are part of the Union, a student organization secretly ruled by a gang that uses students’ juvenile status to commit crimes and avoid punishment. At school, the Union prones brutality, intimidation and terror.

Na Baek Jin, the leader: Na Baek Jin (Bae Na Ra) is a great villain. He’s a complex character on the fringe between good and bad. At first, he appears to be a cruel and ruthless bully. As the ringleader of the Union, he rules with an iron fist on his troops. He’s clever and excellent at fighting. However, there’s another, more vulnerable, side to him. As a kid, he was bullied for being an orphan. He was defenseless and with no real friends to share his struggles with until Park Hu Min appeared in his life. He took him under his wing, protected him from his bullies and taught him martial arts. Though fighting started as a means for protection, Baek Jin turned it into a weapon to subdue others like his bullies did with him. Seeing how traumatized he’s been from his past, you can only feel empathetic towards this villain. Circumstances may have fostered his resentment towards the world, yet he made his choices. No one forced him to adhere to the Union nor bully others. The last fight is quite representative of the character’s dilemma. He’s come too far now and can’t leave it all behind. So, he just pushes forward. In hindsight, Na Baek Jin was a lonely kid who gained strength and used it to take his revenge on the world. Unfortunately, he also lost his only friend in the process.

Geum Sung Je, the psycho: Geum Sung Je (Lee Jun Young) is a grey character, like Na Baek Jin, but in a completely different way. Contrary to the Union leader, Sung Je has never had any friends and has learned relationships through violence and authority. This led him onto a path of cruelty. At the beginning, Sung Je is a psycho whose unpredictable behavior makes everyone fear him. He’s then cast away from the Union and ends up all alone. Under these particular circumstances, Sung Je shows a different side of him. He suddenly sides with the good guys and helps them in their endeavor. He even offers an alliance with the quartet to take Na Baek Jin down. Though this may seem like a simple revenge, it almost feels as if he wants to redeem himself. Surprisingly, Sung Je is capable of doing good things too. I suspect this shift in behavior is because he’s experiencing friendship for the first time. If others can accept him the way he is (not matter how different), then maybe there’s a chance for him to finally make friends. I was truly hopeful that this character would change but Sung Je unfortunately reverts back to his old self at the end. He abandons the team and leaves. I believe Geum Sung Je got scared of what life could be if he were to change. He was not ready to jump into the unknown, so he went back to his comfort zone as a psycho. That’s such a shame because it’s clear that he could’ve been a great ally and friend, if he had taken the risk.

Choi Hyo Man: Choi Hyo Man (Yu Su Bin) is a fake bully who desperately wants to belong to the Union. Although the first episodes show him as an angry student who needs to pass his nerves on his classmates, it turns out that he’s quite a coward who easily gets scared. It only takes Yeon Si Eun a few punches to tame him. Later on, Hyo Man plays an important role as intermediary between our main quartet and the Union, switching sides when need be. He’s not that useless after all.

The parallels with season 1: The second season is exceptionally well done, not only continuing the first season’s events but also drawing parallels between the plots. This adds a dynamic that makes you hope the outcome will be different this time.

Similar characters: There are a lot of parallels between seasons 1 and 2 starting with characters. The two best fighters of the drama, Ahn Su Ho (Choi Hyun Wook) and Park Hu Min, undeniably share common traits. First of all, their talent. Su Ho and Hu Min are skilled fighters who refuse to leverage on their capacities to crush others. They only use them to defend and protect. They also have a certain nonchalant and laid-back behavior, but are actually troubled with traumas, issues and uncertainties. They also both act before thinking. They tend to be impulsive and jump right into action. In a nutshell, they are kind, cheerful, and loyal friends, as well as capable warriors. Seo Jun Tae and Oh Beom Seok (Hong Kyung) from season 1 can also be compared. The two of them are bullied by their classmates. They are defenseless and thus easy preys, but grow stronger thanks to Si Eun’s presence. Last but not least, we have Na Baek Jin and Oh Beom Seok. Both used to be bullied and learned how to fight to protect themselves. But they perverted that teaching and weaponized it. They then used their fists to assert power and dominion over others. They also have the same misconception of friendship. Making him a friend is not immediate and having a friend doesn’t mean that he’ll always agree with your choices – even the bad ones. In the first season, Beom Suk becomes friends with the duo Si Eun/Su Ho. He also expects the pair to include him and make him feel like he belongs. But when Su Ho doesn’t accept Beom Suk on Instagram, this trigger a series of unfortunate events for our leads. In season 2, Baek Jin lost Hu Min’s friendship because he’d decided to join the Union. Hu Min couldn’t agree with this choice and took his distance. Since then, Na Baek Jin has been harassing Hu Min and his friends in order to make him come back using violence as main medium. Either way, Beom Seok and Baek Jin are in the wrong.

Same situation: Not only characters, but also narratives from seasons 1 and 2 are echoing each other. In both of them, Si Eun is a loner at school. He doesn’t interact with people and only cares about studying. Some classmates try to mess with him, but quickly give up. Si Eun doesn’t open up to anyone, nor is interested in doing so until he becomes a witness to violence and decides to intervene. Problems start flowing the moment he breaks out of his silence. In season 1, he befriends Su Ho, while he gets close to Baku in season 2. In both cases, violence unfolds, escalates at school and spreads outside. Si Eun and his allies are up against the mafia, gang leaders and drug dealers. The cycle repeats itself and Yeon Si Eun stands at the center of it all.

Different outcomes: There is however a big difference between both season finales: the outcome of the events. In season 1, our main heroes had lost the battle. Beom Suk had triumphed as the ultimate villain, Su Ho was plunged into a coma and Si Eun, now labelled a violent psycho, forced to transfer schools. In season 2, all our heroes have gathered and stood strong against the bullies. This time, Yeon Si Eun has come up with the perfect plan to defeat the enemy. The final scenes showcase a fight between Na Baek Jin and his minions on the one side versus Si Eun, his friends and the rest of the school on the other side. The team managed to rally students to their cause, emphasizing that the only way to stop violence at school is to uproot the cause of it. So, yes the final fight is not fair because Na Baek Jin stands alone against Hu Min, Go Tak and Si Eun. But it was the only way to bring him down from his throne and put an end to his reign of terror.

Friendship: Just like in season 1, friendship is at the core of the drama. It’s the reason why all events unfold the way they do. On the one hand, you’ve got friendship that is sane and long-lasting. The one that can challenge adversity and overcome hurdles. Hu Min/Go Tak and Su Ho/Si Eun have this kind of bond. They have similar stories showing that they fought and got hurt together, but still held on. On the other hand, you have toxic friendship. The one that wreaks havoc. Baek Jin and Hu Min, as well as Su Ho-Si Eun and Beom Suk are the perfect examples. The fallout between both parties resulted in an unwanted war driven by resentment and anger, making collateral damages in the process. This is particularly visible in season 2. Baek Jin is obsessed with his former friend Baku. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to take him back and doesn’t hesitate to drag all Eunjang High School in the fight. If that broken friendship had been mended or at least discussed, there might have been a chance to avoid the chaos. Either way, I think Weak Hero is an excellent way to reflect on your own friendships as well. Where do you stand? Is your friendship capable of making you grow into a better person? Or does it just bring the worst out of you?

The ending: The ending of season 2 gives us a good number of answers, but also raises new questions – hopefully a third season will tackle them. First, Ahn Su Ho finally awakes. Second, Na Baek Jin has apparently died, but it’s unsure. Third, Geum Sung Je could potentially take over Baek Jin’s place in the Union. Finally, Beom Suk remains hidden and silent. This four events make me wonder:
1. In what state of mind has Su Ho woken up? Will he transfer to Si Eun’s school as well? Are they still friends? How will he behave with Si Eun’s new friends Baku, Jun Tae and Gotak? Will we get a new extended team? Are any new characters going to join?

2. Where is Na Baek Jin? Will he make a come back? Will he switch sides and ally with Hu Min against the Union? Will Park Hu Min forgive him? Can they amend their friendship? Will Baek Jin redeem himself and change?

3. Is Sung Je going to take over? Will he be more cruel than Baek Jin or will he display his good side again? What part is Cho Jung Suk’s character going to play? Will he get personally involved?

4. Will Beom Suk come back? Will he be part of Cho Jung Suk’s gang? Will he go back to who he was before? Is there a chance of redemption and forgiveness for this character? Will he apologize?

There’s still so much that I want to know, so they’d better make that new season quickly!