English Dub Review: Viral Hit “Special Training”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Taehun is Hobin’s next opponent, but unlike Pakgo, Taehun is a trained martial artist who specializes in taekwondo and used to fight in an MMA series. Can Hobin really defeat a former pro?

Our Take:
One thing I learned from last week’s episode is that bullies can harass people at any place, not just school.  Taehun is clearly no exception, as he uses his taekwondo to make his targets suffer instead of using it for good.  So, if you thought Pakgo was a pain in the ass, then you haven’t seen the twisted side of the former MMA fighter.  Taehun’s actions make him the perfect target for Hobin to elevate his online popularity.  However, the problem is that Taehun is more experienced with his fighting skills than Pakgo, making him a predator instead of Hobin’s prey.
Taehun’s presence is seen as a way to elevate the show’s stakes and themes of bullying and courage, even though it risks undermining the emotion behind them in the first half.  However, based on this week’s episode, it may also be able to kick the tension up a notch.  For starters, Hobin challenges Taehun to a fight in which the winner keeps the channel and the money that goes with it.  This gives Hobin an entire month to train his ass off. Sadly, the mysterious channel he’s relying on isn’t as helpful as we thought regarding the impossibility of beating taekwondo as a regular person.  It also doesn’t help that Hobin’s plan to fight Taehun in an alley on a rainy day got derailed due to a sudden weather change.  Despite the impossible odds, though, Hobin pushes through with the fight even though he’s frightened of losing his life to that psychopath.
“Special Training” shows that all bets are off, but it also continues to emphasize the main characters further as they’re at risk of losing their channel.  Taehun’s professional skills left Hobin revisiting his fear of humiliation following his confrontation with Pakgo in the park, resulting in him persevering to fight back his phobia to protect his friends.  As for Snapper, he also deals with the embarrassment of being a weakling in front of Gaeul.  However, there’s a good chance he’ll find the courage to stand up for himself after being inspired by Hobin’s brave actions.  Considering that the fate of their channel is on the line, let’s hope he and Hobin survive what Taehun’s got up his sleeve so we can witness that moment.