I work with kids from adolescence to eighteen years of age. To sit and listen to about half of this populated group is to hear the hurt....my dad is in rehab, my mom's boyfriend beats her up and we hide. The stories are endless and sometimes, by the time these kids are eighteen, they lose the light in their eyes. Each year, each unforeseen and tormenting circumstance results in hope fading. This drama was the best I've watched at the portrayal of anger, ambivalence and abuse from the trusted caretaker to a child and how these events shape who they are in their journey.

Korean actors never cease to amaze me because I cannot see where the actor ends and the character begins and especially in these eight episodes. Park Ji Hoon, Choi Hyun Wook and Hong Kyung seamlessly show each facet of emotional turmoil they are going through and even though I'm not a fan of violence, the fight scenes were so realistic that I went to check the behind the scenes to make sure the actors were okay. Shin Seung Ho has a small but impactful part in this and in my opinion, lights up the screen in both "Alchemy of Souls" and "Weak Hero Class 1". He will be one to watch out for in 2023.

As for the other three actors mentioned above, flawless performances from all even down to their micro expressions. The weak and strong intertwining for the sake of friendship, the weak and the flawed holding onto each other for dominance, every bit of this is told in a way that won't let the viewer go. Simply amazing.

The only thing I marked slightly below perfection is in rewatch value. To see each character's torment is something I cannot tear myself away from in the first viewing but to go down this emotional rabbit hole a second time this soon would be too much. It's that good, that precise, that realistic to life. I have fingers crossed there is a season 2 to show where the path leads next.