Cashero Review: Being a broke hero is expensive!

The series was created by Lee Chang-min, Lee Jane, and Jeon Chan-ho, with Lee Jun-ho starring as the protagonist, Kang Sang-woong.

The drama centers on the life of an ordinary man, Kang Sang-woong, who inherits superhuman powers with a serious catch. Every time he uses them, it drains the money in his pockets, which immediately puts his altruistic acts and economic dilemmas at odds.

From then on, the protagonist must constantly weigh whether helping others is worth the cost of losing his own meager resources. Thus, Cashero raises questions about life choices and priorities, exploring themes such as economic stability, social responsibility, and morality.

Review

Despite the original premise, critical reception has been divided. Some reviews praise the originality of the concept, highlighting that Cashero brings a breath of fresh air to the genre by ensuring every heroic act is measured not just in moral terms, but through real personal sacrifice. This idea resonates deeply in a world where tough choices between personal well-being and the common good are part of everyday life.

Other critics, however, are more biting. They point out flaws in the script and execution, suggesting that despite its promising concept, the series doesn’t always fully explore its dramatic potential. The narrative often oscillates between light humor and melodrama without fully committing to either.

Nonetheless, the series reached high positions in Netflix's global non-English TV rankings, which suggests strong acceptance from the general audience.

The highlight of Cashero is undoubtedly this constant questioning of the hero about doing good at a personal cost, literally.

Since we are not talking about Bruce Wayne, but rather a man who is penniless and has a partner who wants to get married, buy an apartment, and build a comfortable life together, he is constantly caught between a rock and a hard place. He must choose between saving strangers who have nothing to do with him or prioritizing his own relationship and well-being.

This makes many of us identify with him, as he faces the common struggles of ordinary people. The same quality that makes Peter Parker one of the world's most beloved heroes resonates here, as the audience relates to the protagonist and his limitations.

It would be far too easy to be a billionaire hero with nearly infinite resources, where losing money to help strangers wouldn't make a dent at the end of the month. But what happens when it literally puts you at risk of bankruptcy? What would you choose?

Altruism is beautiful in theory, but the series shows the practical losses and adds another limiting factor to Kang Sang-woong's powers. The money can never belong to someone else, it must be his own. The only exception is if he earns the amount or takes out a loan.

In other words, this broke hero even has to go into debt to help others.

So, would anyone in the same situation do the same?

Despite the interesting premise, the series falls short in character development. Aside from the main couple, the supporting cast is barely sketched out.

Their backstories, origins, and personal struggles are hardly explored. Most importantly, their convictions are never mentioned to give consistency to their reasons for acting. Using superpowers in this world requires sacrifice, and for that, a strong motivation is essential.

Lee Jun-ho delivers a likable protagonist, but he does not reach the levels of charisma he displayed in King the Land. Here, the character feels somewhat flat at times and doesn't fully sell his moral doubts, despite presenting them, which occasionally makes him feel inconsistent.

The father, who passed down his abilities, is portrayed as an apathetic figure who often seems indifferent to the responsibility he thrust upon his son. After all, what father would do that without at least feeling guilty about putting his son in real mortal danger?

At one point, the father advises Kang Sang-woong on using his powers, but it consists of cliché, surface-level words such as, “your heart is the source of your powers.” To be honest, this wasn't even necessary, as the protagonist's growth curve already showed him to be aware of his motivations and character.

And we know that's not quite how it works. In this story, the protagonist could have the best heart in the world and want to save all of humanity, but without money, he would just be someone full of good intentions.

The villains are quite Manichean, appearing almost like caricatures at times. They seek power and money, and nothing else.

In a series featuring such an interesting moral dilemma, there was room to give the villains varied motivations. This would have made the plot even more complex and engaging. There was a clear lack of creativity in this department.

One of the series' biggest flaws involves the plot holes and loose ends.

Characters who appeared to have been killed, which would have made perfect sense, suddenly reappear at the end of a chapter without any explanation of how the organization allowed them to survive.

A terminal illness that one of Kang Sang-woong's partners reveals in one scene, showing him depressed about it, is never developed, making it a random and unnecessary scene. Similarly, the introduction of a daughter in the final scenes feels out of place, especially since she wasn't mentioned once throughout the series.

The villain's actions, shown from the beginning as provoking the hero to use his powers, are never explained. How did he know about Kang Sang-woong’s existence? Was he tipped off? By whom? Why does he have this personal obsession with the protagonist?

Where did Kang Sang-woong’s budget come from to achieve his goal at the end of the series, considering he was always portrayed as being broke?

The show lacks development and explanations for situations that wouldn't even be missed if they hadn't been introduced. Adding all these gaps together makes the work less interesting than it could have been.

Yes, it is worth it as a solid piece of entertainment.

But if you are the type of viewer who notices flaws and gets bothered by them, you might be a bit disappointed.

However, if you just want to binge a short K-drama for fun without high expectations, it is worth the time.

Now tell me, would you also spend everything you have and everything you don't have to save strangers?