REVIEW: ‘Viral Hit’ Episode 2 — “I Have To Become Stronger”

With his recent fight going viral and making him a ton of money, Yoo Ho-bin (Satoshi Niwa) sets his sights on his next stream. But a couple of thrashings confirm that he needs to learn how to fight if he’s going to make this channel work. Can he find a quick and easy way to grow as a fighter in Viral Hit Episode 2 “I Have To Become Stronger?”

Protagonists don’t have to be heroes. Many motivations can make for compelling narratives. The pursuit of wealth, revenge, or power can work just as well as morally upstanding endeavors. However, a character’s goals need to be clear so the audience can know how to feel about the protagonist’s pursuits. Viral Hit Episode 2 unfortunately seems incapable of picking a lane.

As Yoo and Woo pursue their future broadcasts, their ultimate goals never come into focus. At least not Yoo’s. Woo very clearly just wants the money. It feels like the series is hesitant to have Yoo’s motivations feel too similar, lest the audience find it difficult to cheer for him. So while he pursues financial gain, the series hints at other motives. This episode sees him expose the bully in his life, Pakgo. While exposing the bully to the world is the desired outcome, why it is sought-after is left hazy.

This lack of clarity wouldn’t be bad if Yoo himself seemed uncertain. If the boy was struggling with where his newfound channel was taking him, the wavering of the narrative could build intrigue around the character’s development. This isn’t the case, however. Rather, he seems to know to what extent the different potential motivations compel him. The show just isn’t sharing it with the viewer.

Beyond its motivational floundering, Viral Hit Episode 2 gets a fair amount accomplished from a narrative perspective. Yoo’s second stream sees him confront Pakgo, outing him as a bully. The scene follows the formula for the previous episode’s fights. Yoo gets walloped, while everyone watches. There is one element of the fight that does set it apart.

During the heat of the moment, Pakgo comments about Yoo’s mother and her fight with cancer. Like before, this verbal attack on his parent enrages Yoo. However, his opponent is simply too big to fall to his reckless attack. Anime loves portraying anger and motivation as the biggest fuels to turn a fight. If you charge an obstacle hard enough, it will always come down. Viral Hit Episode 2 acknowledges that this is not always the case. This sets some realistic governors on what Yoo can hope to accomplish in his current state.

Once the fight ends, Yoo learns that if his channel is going to continue to grow, he needs to get better at fighting. If he can stay on his feet for just three minutes, their revenue will greatly increase. So, Yoo turns to everyone’s favorite means of learning stuff quickly: the internet.

Yoo’s biggest hurdle hits him quickly. He needs to learn how to fight fast. Fighting is not something one learns overnight. Especially not at Yoo’s size. If he was bigger, he could throw his weight around like your average bully and manage ok. To fight opponents that are bigger and stronger than you requires lots of study and practice. Often years of it. But when he stumbles across a video channel about fighting hosted by a martial artist in a chicken mask, his prayers may be answered.

We see a few early moments of inspiration help Yoo in this episode. But it will be interesting to see how fast the narrative allows him to grow. Since he seems more interested in not getting hurt badly than actually winning, he might be able to grow fairly fast without too much suspension of disbelief. However, we’ll have to wait and see.

The other major development this episode brings is Yoo’s growing friendship with Bomi. After quitting his job at the fast food restaurant they both work at, Bomi gives Yoo her contact information so they can keep in touch. These obvious first steps for a romance subplot leave a lot of apprehension in their wake. Whether or not the audience will believe Yoo can attract Bomi’s affection is hard to say. The main protagonist does not come across as overly likable. And with so much of his focus on fighting, it’s worrying how well Bomi will fit into the narrative.

Viral Hit Episode 2 manages to lay out a solid amount of plot, propelling the narrative forward. However, the lack of clarity regarding Yoo and his motives makes it hard to gauge just how much the rising NewTubu star deserves cheering from the audience.

Viral Hit Episode 2 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.