REVIEW: ‘Weak Hero Class 2’ Pulls Its Punches

Weak Hero Class 2 had a tough act to follow after the intense emotional devastation of its predecessor. Unfortunately, it pulls its punches when it comes to its emotional beats in favor of speeding through its plot, making for less impactful storytelling. It’s a shame, too, because much of Yeon Si-eun’s (Park Ji-hoon) journey is spent being haunted by what happened to Ahn Su-ho (Choi Hyun-wook) last season. And the friendship meant to prove that he’s starting to heal is never wholly developed enough to hit home.

Set not too long after the last season ended, Si-eun is starting over at Eunjang High, the only school willing to take him after he was blackballed from schools in Seoul. Rumors follow him, with many speculating that he came to the school after killing a student. What is meant to be a fresh start for Si-eun is more of the same, with bullies picking on the weak all around him. However, he’s not as quick to intervene. His mind is haunted by memories of what happened to Su-ho, who remains comatose.  Si-eun simply wants to be left alone.

Of course, that’s not going to happen. After witnessing Choi Hyo-man (Yoo Su-bin) going too far in beating up the precious cinnamon bun of a student, Seo Jun-tae (Choi Min-young), Si-eun channels Su-ho and intervenes with calculated violence that draws the attention of Go Hyun-tak (Lee Min-jae), and inevitably, Eunjang High’s top dog, Park Hu-min aka Baku (Ryeoun). Throughout Weak Hero Class 2, Si-eun finds friendship among these students, but Su-ho’s shadow still lingers with Si-eun’s everlasting guilt.

That guilt permeates his actions as his acquaintance with Baku inevitably drags him into a much larger conspiracy surrounding the gang alliance known as the Union. At the heart of it is the cold teen leader, Na Baek-jin (Bae Na-ra), obsessed with bringing Baku into the fold by any means necessary. He demands obedience at all costs, immediately putting a target on Si-eun’s back. Si-eun’s need for self-preservation ultimately gets overridden when Jun-tae calls him, leading him to invest in this battle against Baek-jin and the Union.

New characters introduced in Weak Class Hero 2 pale in comparison.

Part of Weak Hero Class 1‘s strength was in how much time it took to build the friendship between Si-eun, Su-ho, and Oh Beom-seok (Hong Kyung). This time was well-spent. By the time the series took a turn, it barreled towards an unavoidable tragedy that meted out well-earned, if slightly rushed, emotional devastation. Weak Hero Class 2 doesn’t come close to fleshing out its new characters enough to earn that emotional investment, even with the significant screentime focused on Baku and Baek-jin.

Despite Ryeoun and Bae Na-ra’s earnest acting efforts, the complicated nature of their characters’ relationship never fully resonates. There are obvious gaps in development that their acting ability can’t gloss over, making the conflict feel a little forced. While this is happening, Baku’s friends are trying to find a way to take down the Union, leading to the plot bouncing around with little finesse. That’s not to say it’s not reasonably tense for the bulk of these plot developments, but it’s a case of doing too much.

While Si-eun gets put on the back burner in favor of Baku and Baek-jin, actor Park Ji-hoon benefits from pre-established character development that carries over into the new season. The echoes of Si-eun’s past haunt him, with his mind almost always on Su-ho and the guilt he carries. Yet, Si-eun is not far from the edge, with every instance of someone trying his patience leading to Ji-hoon’s well-executed micro expressions belying all the rage the teen carries within.

It’s clear that part of Si-eun’s journey is about finding balance and healing. This surfaces blatantly halfway through Weak Hero Class 2 when he’s about to make a life-changing decision. Despite choosing to be alone, he has tasted friendship and knows the good it can bring, but also what happens when it falls apart. While his choice to push through his stasis is heartwarming, the writing in this season undercuts its impact with how little his new friendship this season feels as strong and earned as the previous.

Park Ji-hoon’s Si-eun gets by with character development carrying over into this season.

With only eight episodes, Weak Hero Class 2 is forced to split its time between its plot and characters, and suffers for it.  In terms of building up the intensity, the pacing set makes sense. The pacing is frenetic, going full speed ahead for better or worse. But in going larger with its criminal empire and introducing a litany of new characters, the series would have benefited greatly from having a larger episode count to give time to flesh out the characters and relationships.

However, one character benefits greatly from his minimal screentime, and that’s the psychotic Geum Seong-jae (Lee Jun-young). Despite the questionable wig they put on Lee Jun-young, within minutes of the character’s introduction in Weak Hero Class 2, you know immediately what you are getting. This character craves a good fight, even at his own expense. In the short screentime we get with Seong-jae, Jun-young gives everything to his performance, selling us on the manic, unpredictable energy of the character. Aside from Si-eun, Seong-jae is the most clearly defined character of Weak Hero Class 2.

By the end of Weak Hero Class 2, the closing scenes seem to set up a potential third season, should Netflix decide to continue the series. However, given the streaming service’s innate ability to ruin things before it develops legs, don’t get your hopes up. That bitterness aside, Si-eun’s arc comes to fruition. Starting the season, he was afraid to make friends. Now, he is surrounded by people who care for him and with the best news he could have ever received. It shows how far all of the backstory given in Class 1 has gone to make this moment feel good.

Good writing shouldn’t entirely rely on what’s come before, yet Weak Hero Class 2 never fully weaponizes what made its predecessor so strong. It lucks into some of its stronger moments with Si-eun, but much like Si-eun, Weak Hero Class 2 is haunted by how much it pales compared to Class 1. It pulls its punches when it counts, and takes wild swings that never land in pursuit of something more ambitious. Unfortunately, when poorly executed, ambition leads to less-than-satisfying viewing and hopes of what could have been.

Weak Hero Class 2 is now streaming exclusively on Netflix.