you draw wolf so good, i start geeking everytime i see ur fanart 😁😁 could you draw him + hwangmo, maybe in elementary/middle school? if so, thank you!!!
+ hope youre taking breaks as you need! burnout is realll 😬
eeek thank youu so much T__T sorry i took like forever …
x reader fics/hcs on tumblr dot com be like “you couldnt live with the limited number of fics/hcs about ur fave character. and where did that bring you? back to me” real fans never hate on the reader insert girlies theyre doing gods work
i lowkey committed to tagging characters by their localized names back before the kdrama came out and popularized the original names, and now it's hashtag awkward when i rb a post that uses the og names but still tag the localized names for consistency
Real talk, what do people think happened between Julia Chae and Wolf Keum after the scene in Chapter 127 where he orders his lackeys to chase after her, since we never see the follow up?
What did Wolf Keum do to Julia Chae?
He 100% beat her up, no mercy
He decided she wasn't worth his time and let her go
I think the difference that is most jarring to me about Weak Hero Class 2 is how they adapted Na Baekjin. Look how they massacred my boy. Manhwa Na Baekjin is many, many times more capable in both academics, sociopolitics, and fights than Drama ver.
To be fair, there's a fundamental change in their backstories that justifies Drama Baekjin in context. Drama Baekjin was saved by Park Humin, Manhwa Baekjin had to save himself. By any means necessary. Manhwa Baekjin never had any margin for error, he always felt that he needed to prove his strength to survive. He never would've allowed Cheongang to pull his strings like in the TV Drama. He also wouldn't be running a lame money laundering + iPhone and Motorcycle thievery scheme out of a bowling alley honestly.
I'm sorry TV Drama fans, but Manhwa Na Baekjin had class. He was so good at coming up with ways to make dirty money and never get caught that Cheongang started to copy his ideas, rather than Baekjin relying on Cheongang for... whatever business relationship they had.
Actually, I want to revisit this post to add that Bae Nara did an absolutely spectacular job portraying Na Baekjin, even with the subjectively watered-down screenwriting for the character.
In so many scenes, you could really tell how Baekjin was a complex, multidimensional character with a lot of things going on inside his head, even with very little outward changes to his expression or movements.
I especially liked how Bae Nara portrayed scenes where Baekjin is barely holding back anger, or even a hint of fear (like with the Cheongang executive, even though I overall do not like this change to the story). Although it's hard to imagine Manhwa Baekjin ever allowing himself to enter a disadvantageous power dynamic with another person, I also think Bae Nara perfectly nailed what that would look like.
If any lesser actor had been casted, I think I would've truly hated the TV Drama version of Na Baekjin, but Bae Nara's stellar acting in the role really convinces me not to.
In a way, TV Drama Baekjin is a version of the character who had something to lose (Baku), and therefore is more desperate, even to the extent of entering into a unbalanced business partnership with a large gang.
Weak Hero (Manhwa) vs. Weak Hero: Class 2 Review, What Went Wrong?
(+ bonus section where I ramble about What Went Right)
Introduction
People always like to preach that “the book was better than the movie”, but I believe that adaptations can still be perfectly enjoyable for both new and old fans, even if they diverge a lot from the original source material. I’ll even argue that deviation can sometimes be a net positive; an adaptation is an opportunity to tell a beloved story through a slightly different lens, and introduce new content so that old fans can re-experience how it felt to consume the source material for the first time.
But, an adaptation has to respect the original themes, messages and effort put in to source material.
I believe the primary issue with WHC2 is that the screenwriters had to condense 200 chapters of the story into only 8 episodes. I don’t mind if the characters’ backstories or the plot diverges from the Manhwa, like in WHC1, where instead 20 chapters got expanded into a fully fleshed-out season, allowing the writers to invest the necessary thought and care into the revised script. WHC2 is the opposite of WHC1 in that regard; the many changes made in WHC2 often undermines the source material, sometimes even to the extent of feeling like a disservice, rather than a homage to Seopass’ (the original author’s) writing of Weak Hero.
Table of Contents
The Cast
The Script
What Went Well?
In Conclusion
The Cast
WHC2 was forced to trim many of the supporting characters present in the Manhwa (even arguably main characters, like Gayool/Gerard), or combine multiple characters’ roles together (in the case of Hyoman/Colton and Pilyoung/Phillip). This dramatically reduced the quality of the setting; I’ve always loved how the Manhwa portrayed a wide roster of varied personalities, motives, and individual arcs, making the universe of Weak Hero feel real and alive. With so many named Manhwa roles relegated to mere background characters, the setting of WHC2 feels much more contrived.
I can only assume this change was made because WHC2 didn’t realistically have the budget to hire aptly talented actors for every major role in the story. I’m sure there are other production-related logistics that factored into how WHC2 got casted and scripted.
But, if WHC2 had chosen to adapt only 1 or 2 story arcs per season, I assume this problem could have been diminished to some degree. There are many recurring characters in Weak Hero, but majority of them would only warrant a minor cameo appearance in a season outside of their own story arc, if at all. I believe cutting a brief cameo of a major character from an arc that isn’t their own is far preferable to cutting the aforementioned character and their titular story arc entirely.
(But I may be completely wrong, and just making false assumptions about how hiring actors for multi-season TV series works.)
The Script
I have to wonder if the show-runner in charge of WHC2 was afraid that the series wouldn’t get green-lighted for a third season, and perhaps didn’t want to risk never giving the K-Drama audience a proper conclusion. So, they decided to adapt the entire main story, but with generous cuts to fit the 8 episode runtime. Therefore, the screenwriters had to pick and choose only the absolute highlights of the Manhwa to get adapted (many Manhwa fans would rank the Sieun/Gray vs. Seongje/Wolf rooftop scene as one of the best, if not the best fight in the series, and Seongje is largely the most popular Union executive out of the bunch).
This decision was, to some degree, fully correct, as I cannot say I didn't enjoy the rooftop fight, and I definitely clapped with joy every time Seongje (my personal favorite character) came on screen. However, with Weak Hero, it is oftentimes the little details that make the big climax of each arc feel so impactful. (Also, a large percentage of what got cut is by no means a “little detail” if I’m being frank.)
Although the screenwriters definitely tried to preserve as many of these unassuming, day-to-day puzzle pieces that keep the entire picture intact, it was inevitable that by truncating the overarching plot, far too much got lost in transition.
However, I think this call was not only unnecessary considering the popularity of the TV Drama, but it backfired as well. Now, many K-Drama fans are hoping for a third season, but the screenwriters have run out of source material to adapt, unless they attempt to incorporate story arcs out of order (which would undoubtedly result in even more deviation from the original plot, as many of the skipped arcs were centered around Baekjin/Donald as the main antagonist).
vs. What Went Well?
In spite of all the ways I feel WHC2 fell short of its potential, there were definitely aspects unique to the adaptation that I absolutely adored. If you’re a TV Drama fan who’s made it this far, congratulations, I’m done being critical (I think). I appreciate all of the work put into this project by the director, the actors, the production crew, and the screenwriters, even within the constraints set by the 8 episode runtime.
Here are a few specifics things I personally loved about WHC2…
Park Humin’s entrance. His introductory scene felt so much like something that his Manhwa counterpart would do, while also introducing the idea of him being a basketball (and anime) fan, which is new to the TV Drama. I had the biggest smile on my face when he appeared in the underpass, wearing flip-flops and blasting the Slam Dunk theme song.
In the Manhwa, Humin/Ben often acts as the mood-maker of the Eunjang group, and usually tries to defuse conflicts with a combination of his humorous attitude, and sometimes a judicious application of brute force (lol), so his debut in WHC2 is just perfect.
In addition, despite his outwardly lighthearted nature, Humin secretly tries to shoulder the responsibility of protecting his friends all by himself, as he feels it’s his duty as Eunjang’s “leader”. Although some could argue that it’s OOC for him to cooperate with the Union, even temporarily, I think it was a natural way of conveying the heavy emotional burden that Humin carries in both the Manhwa and in WHC2.
Seo Juntae’s character development. In WHC2, Juntae is initially bullied by Hyoman into stealing iPhones, but after meeting Sieun, he realizes his actions are wrong and harmful to innocent people, even if he’s driven by a fear of getting beaten up. This change in Juntae’s mindset isn’t as prevalent in the Manhwa, although he is still influenced by Sieun/Gray into standing up for himself and his friends in a more subtle manner.
Both the K-Drama and the Manhwa illustrate how the roles of bully, bystander, and victim are fluid, rather than independent of one another. I like how in WHC2, this theme is conveyed through Seo Juntae’s arc in the first episode, which gave him an additional importance to the TV Drama story that he doesn’t carry in the source material. Though in practice, this is a substitution for Taeoh/Teddy’s character arc, but the takeaway is same: who is bullied and who is a bully isn’t cut and dried.
Keum Seongje’s actor (Lee Junyoung). Would it even be a post written by me if I didn’t make it about my favorite character at some point? I am, at the end of the day, incredibly biased when I say that I really enjoyed how the screenwriters and Lee Junyoung choose to portray Seongje. The maniac smile during fight scenes was especially on-point.
Of course, just like with Humin/Ben, there are some differences—parts where I reacted “the Manhwa version would never say that”. But, I believe it’s uncharitable to rate an adaptation purely based on how accurate it is to the source material, like I explained in this post’s introduction. WHC2’s Seongje ticks all the right boxes in my book, and doesn’t fall into any of the mischaracterization pitfalls I feared could be made when I heard Seongje/Wolf was getting adapted into the K-Drama.
Just like the actor himself has spoken about in several interviews, the line “nangman habgyeok” (낭만 합격; ‘passed the vibe check’) best encapsulates Seongje’s core motivations, and his emotions-driven, ‘based on impulse/vibes’ kind of nature.
In Conclusion
WHC2 was not a good adaptation of the source material. Unfortunately. But I firmly believe it had a lot of potential to be better, and that the people involved in its production did everything they could to display as much of that potential as possible within the limited 8 episode runtime given.
In spite of many Manhwa fans’ disappointment with WHC2, I’ve also observed many Drama-only fans praise it, which I think is testament to how successful WHC2 truly is, when divorced from its roots as an adaptation. There are a lot of bad adaptations, yet amazing pieces of standalone media out there (in my somewhat unpopular opinion), and evaluating such stories from both perspectives is something I strive to do. WHC2 on its own is a pretty good K-Drama, though I’ve heard from some Drama-only fans that there’s a distinct feeling that something is missing, or that the story progresses too quickly, even without context from the Manhwa.
With a second season, or even just 8 more episodes, I think the Drama story could’ve improved by leaps and bounds, even if it still had to cut characters/arcs that are present in the Manhwa.
Also, the bottom line for me is almost always whether or not I enjoyed watching something. I can critique the media I consume up and down and left and right, but if I watched it to the end and didn’t feel like I wasted my time, that’s what’s most important after all is said and done.
If I’m being completely honest, I did enjoy watching WHC2 overall, and I’ve already posted about the specific aspects I didn’t enjoy, so to summarize my thoughts on Weak Hero: Class 2 with a cool quote:
i haven't seen it much, but the consequence of projection being so perfect(ed) help can't reach you. that feels very baekjin, if one removes all the glamor and threats. he is still a teenager underneath his iron-control of the union, of the schools. he is still the youngest character. i think is easy to forget that since baekjin appears so intelligent, above his peers.
which means━in my eyes, anyway━that nobody except sieun and/or baku can reach him, because baekjin doesn't consider them equals. for baekjin, unless you are an equal, that person isnt worthy to gain access to baekjin's inner world or friendship. because of his intelligence, he in part making his own prison with the union. even if only metaphorically. on one side, its an attempt to create community and stability (neither which baekjin got to have). on the other, the terror it creates for everyone else outside it.
thats like the crux of the issue in both the kdrama and manwha for baekjin as far i've seen (not yet completed the manwha).
i want to see a baekjin that struggles to accept himself without the projection to protect him. i want to see the baekjin where he does ask for help. but getting to that point, for someone like baekjin━can take decades. especially when one wants to leave a gangster life. which is filled with shame and guilt for everything he has done. without realizing the friends you always had but too blind to see.
snowghoul
theartofmadeline
