🔸A bloody poem of unspoken problems, unborn friendships, and untold concerns. Weak Hero is not any kind of a manifest against violence, unlike Boyhood. It's a clear statement of what everyone could have had and what has lost to domestic and school violence. Friendship, trust, love, happiness, - all of them were wiped out with blood and boiling rage. It's been 1.5 years since the release of this drama, and I attest that the story gets better on the rewatch when you can closely examine the exquisite psychology behind it.

🔸The show proves that warlike personal relationships never bring any profit to anybody. Oh Beom Seok, aka the most hated villain, was adopted for his congressman dad's political influence. In psychology, bad relationship with parents can predict lower friendship quality, and it's exactly what happens in the drama with Beom Seok. His dad doesn't recognize him as an individual and physically abuses him on a daily basis, which results in Beom Seok struggling with social life. He is anxious even around his new friends and expects betrayal from them.

Beom Seok is so traumatized and broken that he can't navigate a regular relationship anymore. His new friends technically do nothing wrong, but they are no psychiatrists and they don't know how to treat Beom Seok in his condition. While therapy isn't going his way, and he reserves to violence as the only way to relieve his mental pressure. Hong Gyeong's performance as Beom Seok gave me chills. It is absolutely stellar.

🔸"Keep on pushin" says the slogan on Ahn Soo Ho's jacket, but, honestly, does he have a choice not to? He is all alone, without parents, working part time and sleeping at school. This life made him independent, taught not to expect anything in return and not to risk recklessly. But despite that, Soo Ho is loyal in good relationships. He trusts his friends enough to keep his phone unlocked. He is a little bit insensitive, but able to admit his fault and give someone a second chance. Exactly this attitude makes Ahn Soo Ho the best character in the show - and the one who's hurt the most.

🔸"You did nothing wrong", says Yeon Shi Eun's dad after his son causes major injuries to the three bullies who hurt his friend. Shi Eun is reluctant to form any relationship since his parents take little interest in his life, but he is considerate and caring in a friendship that accidentally came his way. He found his escape in keeping his brain busy by solving math problems, but math books will protect his friends only if used as weapons. As his rage grows he seeks justice in violence, too.

🔺Be careful when watching Weak Hero. You may find yourself falling for that violence when you start wishing some of the characters to be hit - this is exactly what the drama warns you about. After all the terrible things Beom Seok has done, you may start feeling satisfaction from seeing him being physically abused by his father, forgetting that abuse shaped him that way in the first place. There are many viewers who are angry for justifying Beom Seok's behavior, but there is no justification there, just as there is no justification for Shi Eun's aggression. It's just the way the society works. We cannot stop bullying and abuse if it's a regular part of our life.

That said, can you name Shi Eun the hero of this story? Or antihero? Or maybe this title belongs to Ahn Soo Ho? Or is it all a big irony? The drama wants you to decide yourself, and it doesn't offer a solution to the world peace. This brutality and honesty, in my opinion, along with the brilliant production is the root of its success worldwide.