The drama "Weak Hero Class 1," starring Park Ji-hoon, Hong Kyung, and Shin Seung-ho, is based on the webtoon of the same name by author Sion. Released on Wavve in November 2022, this drama received tremendous love from both original webtoon fans and new viewers. Today, we'll conduct an in-depth analysis of the differences between the webtoon and the drama, examining how the adaptation was approached and what changes were made.
Characteristics of the Original Webtoon "Weak Hero"
Author Sion's webtoon "Weak Hero" has been serialized on Naver Webtoon since 2019 and gained immense popularity. The original work garnered empathy from many readers by addressing the heavy topic of school violence while featuring realistic action and deep character psychology.
The webtoon's greatest strength is its delicate portrayal of protagonist Yeon Si-eun's complex inner world. Si-eun's struggle against violence through combat techniques and strategy, despite his physical weakness, is depicted not as simple revenge but as a desperate fight for survival. The webtoon effectively conveys the impact and tension of action scenes through its unique direction, while slowly unraveling the backgrounds and motivations of characters across multiple episodes.
Major Changes in the Drama Adaptation
1. Restructuring of Story Composition
The drama focused on the "Class 1" arc from the webtoon's extensive story and condensed it into 8 episodes. While the webtoon depicts confrontations with various antagonists across different chapters, the drama created a concentrated narrative centered on the incidents Yeon Si-eun experiences at Yerin Middle School.
Particularly, the drama maintained overall tension by establishing the confrontation with Oh Young-taek as the climax. Various characters appearing across multiple episodes in the webtoon were compressed into core figures in the drama, allowing for a complete story despite the short 8-episode runtime.
2. Changes in Character Settings and Relationships
The most noticeable change in the drama is the relationship dynamics between characters. While Yeon Si-eun is portrayed as a relatively isolated figure in the webtoon, the drama emphasized his relationships with friends like Ahn Su-ho, Park Beom-seok, and Gil Su-jin.
Particularly, Ahn Su-ho's character gained significantly more importance in the drama. Although he appears as an important ally in the webtoon, the drama delved deeper into Su-ho's family circumstances and inner struggles, making his friendship with Si-eun one of the core narratives. This enhanced emotional engagement for viewers.
Conversely, Jeon Seok-dae's character received less screen time compared to the webtoon. While Seok-dae plays a significant role across multiple episodes in the webtoon, the drama reduced his story by focusing on Oh Young-taek and his organization.
3. Differences in Action Direction
While the webtoon's action stimulates imagination between panels, the drama had to implement real action with actual actors. This made action training and stunt work by actors like Park Ji-hoon crucial elements.
The drama realistically reinterpreted the webtoon's exaggerated action depictions. For example, while Si-eun's fighting scenes in the webtoon include comic exaggeration, the drama increased realism by actually implementing CQC (Close Quarters Combat) techniques. Scenes like the bathroom fight and rooftop confrontation were reborn with the drama's vivid impact and tension.
4. Emotional Lines and Psychological Portrayal
The webtoon directly expresses characters' inner thoughts through narration and monologues. However, the drama had to convey this through actors' facial expressions and dialogue.
Park Ji-hoon portrayed the reserved and emotionally restrained character of Yeon Si-eun through subtle facial changes and eye acting. Particularly in conversation scenes with Ahn Su-ho and conflict scenes with his mother, the direction showed that silence and expressions spoke louder than dialogue.
Si-eun's trauma and anger, explained through text in the webtoon, were expressed in the drama through flashback scenes and symbolic direction. This represents adaptation that leveraged the strengths of visual media.
Advantages of Adaptation - Drama's Unique Strengths
✓ Completeness of Condensed Narrative: Despite the short 8-episode length, it achieved fast-paced development and highly engaging storytelling.
✓ Passionate Acting: Young actors like Park Ji-hoon, Hong Kyung, and Shin Seung-ho breathed life into the characters through their sincere performances.
✓ Realistic Action: Realistic reinterpretation of the webtoon's exaggerated expressions added authenticity to school violence.
✓ Emotional Depth: Amplified the themes of friendship and growth, multiplying the emotional impact.
Particularly, the drama provided freshness by adding original scenes that even webtoon readers didn't anticipate. Rooftop conversations between Ahn Su-ho and Yeon Si-eun, and everyday moments with friends created the drama's unique sensibility.
Shortcomings of the Adaptation
Of course, there were some disappointing aspects in the adaptation process. The most frequently pointed out issue among webtoon fans was insufficient runtime. Eight episodes were limited in capturing the webtoon's vast worldview and all character stories.
Particularly, as some supporting characters' backstories were omitted or reduced, their motivations weren't fully explained in some cases. While each character had deep stories in the webtoon, the drama had to focus only on main characters due to time constraints.
Additionally, perfectly implementing the webtoon's stylish artwork and direction in live-action had its limitations. The comic's exaggerated expressions and dynamic screen compositions inevitably had to be interpreted differently in live-action video.
Webtoon vs Drama: Which Should You Watch First?
The answer to this question varies depending on personal preference. Reading the webtoon first allows for a deeper understanding of the overall worldview and story, with the added fun of discovering adaptation points when watching the drama.
Conversely, watching the drama first allows for quick immersion with its condensed story and creates a strong impression of characters through actors' performances. Watching the webtoon after the drama fills in omitted parts for a richer understanding.
Personally, I recommend experiencing both works. Each medium has clear advantages and they complement each other.
Conclusion - A Successful Adaptation Case
The drama "Weak Hero Class 1" is a successful adaptation case that respects the webtoon original while creating its own distinct color. It maintained the core message of "even the weak can become strong" while adding direction and emotional lines suited to visual media, creating a high-quality work.
The webtoon and drama each show the world of "Weak Hero" in different ways. The webtoon delivers broader and deeper narratives, while the drama provides more focused and emotional storytelling. Enjoying both works together allows you to fully appreciate the true charm of "Weak Hero."
Now that both seasons have been released, comparing Season 1 with the webtoon holds even more significance. If you haven't yet experienced the webtoon or drama, this is a great time for a complete marathon of both seasons. Which do you prefer - the webtoon or the drama?