Itaewon Class (2020)

Itaewon class was really good. Personally i love dramas with a revenge plot. He kinda saeroyi kinda started that then stopped and let others do if for him. I loved his name so much tho. Had to look for the meaning,lol.
From the reviews i read before watching it, Soo Ah was portrayed as this really horrible character, althought i
didn't really like her much, i also didn't like the way Saeroyi abandoned her for Yi seo . Like dudddddeeee, this girl's probably ignored all other guys just to end up getting rejected, felt so sorry for her.
Then Yi Seo kinda just kinda toned down her psychotic side, but why? Lol. I really loved that about her tho.

The show overall was ok , though it just went from this anticipation feels to just wanting every episode to finish so you can go sleep.

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Itaewon class is a cradle of all topics and it worth it!

At the beggining, I should admit my reasons why I began to watch Itaewon Class. I have known about this drama since it was airing, but I wasn’t sure if I will had to try it in future. In any case, my great friend recommended this to me and then I found out Kim Dong Hee acts here which was for me really predominant factor because I have known him from the Extracurricular where he amazed me. The another reason for me was also Park Seo Joon who I have met in the Hwarang (which is my nostalgic series although it isn’t anything special).

Although my reasons didn‘t touch story line at all, the story line was exactly what made me to watch this drama farther. Yeah, and of course actors and actresses, romance that wasn’t fluffy and dull, ambience which was just unique and I really want to go to the Itaewon sometime (but I don’t know how I will do it because I live in the heart of Europe, country named Czech republic and that’s why my English is still really bad), topics of gender, different colors of skin, thinking about life in different forms… There was really many things and someone can say that’s why this isn’t good. But exactly opposite – this mix of all topics with great characters and unique story line made this drama extraordinary.

I must admit that before writing this review I read reviews of others. And I freaked out a little bit because of the negative opinions. Again I have different opinion than others, I should be less surprised, I have different opinion almost all the time.

The story has incredibly interesting thought, I liked how emphasis was placed on moral values, which Seo Joon as Park Sae Ro Yi was showing us mainly – his character is one of the most interesting here for me, he compels you to think about yourself and your life and you probably really say something like „he has an interesting view on the world and I think I should live like him“ (but if you are already living like this, you probably won’t say this and your reaction will be same as mine, just you will admire him like character).

In my opinion, the story line is kind of new (or I watched only a few dramas and this story line is actually totaly cliche, what I know, but I loved this), all the time we are wandering in the dark topics, which will fascinate you, melt your heart or often make us cry, and definitely we can’t expect sweet romance like for example in Wait, My Youth. So if the romance is for you main point in the drama, you probably will not be satisfied with this. The story line here serves us romance like the last bite, the moral values, teamwork, hardwork and so on are the main priorities for this plot. Itaewon Class is really good especially because of the thoughts which this tries to tell us. And I love these types of dramas a lot so this is my cup of coffee.

As far as characters, I can mention Park Sae Ro Yi, how I said before, he has incredibly interesting temper and all the time he comples you to be obssesed with his life story. For Yiseo, I probably understand both opinions from viewers, I understand someone doesn’t like her, but also I get why someone loves her. For me Yiseo was like a nut – sometimes I didn’t like her behaviors because sometimes she was obssesed with Park Sae Ro Yi, sometimes her words were maybe too creepy. But I definitely can’t deny that her character was interesting for me. Also her character had nice development (now I want to mention one scene from last episode but I can’t cause I don’t want to spoiler something, so I don’t do that) and I enjoyed that.

Again I must bow to Kim Dong Hee, this boy is amazing actor and again he acted perfectly, character of Jang Geon Soo was fascinating to me the most, although he was secondary character.

Every character won me by something, with exceptions (I don’t like jerks, so sorry, Jang Geun Won). All of them were realistic because they were doing mistakes, nothing wasn’t pink in this drama and I think this is really great.

I have actually only one thing which I didn‘t like and that’s why my rating isn’t 10/10. I didn’t like end’s fighting scene too much – or maybe better saying, I am not a person, who loves these fights, so for me it was too much, but I understand it. Just it wasn’t for me and I believe it could solve in another way. On the other side these action scenes fullfilled the absurdity which I find in every asian drama.

Romance which is waiting for you here is postponed to the background, it is a big plus for me. I am not a person (yes, these sentences „I am not a person“ are my favorites) who is romantic, I watch completely romantic show rarely. So romance here was perfect for me. Also I can say the romance here wasn’t bad like others write in their reviews, I can’t imagine different way of the romance here, the more passionsate love will not suit this story (but it’s only my opinion and we should respect our opinions).

All in all, this review is too long, I definitely can recommend Itaewon Class! I am amazed by this and I think if you want a story which will amaze you with the idea and thoughts, which the story wants to deliver to viewers, here you will definitely find it! Just try that! You have nothing to lose, just try it and you will see if it worth it!

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Revenge by accident. And romance to distract you.

If you are looking for a satisfying revenge story, don't watch this! Watch "The Glory" instead - it is also not perfect, but a more satisfying watch. Here, in Itaewon Class, the ML is driven from the very beginning to get revenge, but he has no plan. He is successful in the end but only because he is lucky and somehow stumbles into it.
It feels like the narrative they wanted to push is: you just have to be a nice guy, then success will come to you. Also, it is very slow moving, the actual revenge only happens in the last episode. And even then we don't get a big finale with a bang.

The romance that is woven into the story gets a bit too much at times and is also a bit weird, especially the unconditional love the ML shows to the b*tch character for the longest time. Speaking of characters, the character development is quite weak in general, but two characters stand out to really behave erratically:
- The young heir: obviously a nice guy, he turns evil with the snip of a finger and hates himself for it all the while. And that while being the second character after the ML who should have the highest interest of getting revenge on the old scrooge, given his awful childhood.
- The second FL, the childhood "friend". She is an awful person from the very beginning and has no growth till episode 16. And all the while she seems to hate herself, judging by the single sad face expression she displays throughout the series. I'm surprised how many reviewers rooted for her.

The series was praised a lot for its diversity: a trans girl and a black guy. Well, the creators were probably meaning well, but it ended up being quite transphobic and racist. Both characters lack depth and they get no time to explore their stories. We have 16 slow-moving episodes and the black guy speaks what, maybe a total of 10 minutes? And while I don't think that only actors from the matching minority should play minority roles, I woudn't be surprised if they didn't find a trans actress who was willing to take on this simplistic role.

Some smaller observations:
- The story spans over maybe 15 years, starting in high school. But the appearance of the ML doesn't change at all - not even his hairstyle changes :)
- Of course, severely hurt people run from the bad guys following a street, instead of hiding in bushes. And of course the bad guys chasing them by car take forever to catch up. Enough time to stop for a little romantic scene. And of course, when you have the choice of running away by car or by foot, you choose the latter. I was screaming at this stupidity.
- What are the odds of running into your unknown grandma by coincidence in a country of 50 million?

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Going into this I was super hyped to finally watch this as Ive heard really good things about this drama and I love Park Seo Joon so Im always stoked to watch his dramas....though unfortunately this one fell somewhat short for me =(

It started off great!! I loved the first 8ish episodes but after that, the story just seemed to lose its momentum...the pacing seemed to slow down, became somewhat repetitive and very predictable....which made me start losing interest in this drama very quickly to the point i was debating on even finishing the drama by episode 12....but since i already got that far I pushed myself to finish.

Apart from me not really liking the overall story, I really did enjoy the different characters, its diversity and cleverness in incorporating societal issues that many people deal with in their daily lives. That was refreshing to see, and I really did enjoy each character's story and their development. They all felt real and relatable. Now, I want to talk specifically about Saeroyi and Yi Seo....I loved Park Seo Joon's character Saeroyi in the beginning. I loved his perseverance, determination, and a sense of justice he had!! Couldnt wait to see how his story would unfold and how he would prove Mr. Jang wrong in the end...however I was left unsatisified...Saeroyi seemed to mellow out half way through the show and didnt seem to make much progress in beating Mr. Jang until near the end and it really wasnt even his doing...which was a total let down...I think it would've been more satisfying if Mr. Jang wasn't sick..so that his defeat wouldve been even stronger but thats nots really important LOL!! On to Si Yeo...I was looking forward to her character as many people seemed to praise her...however she was the character that I admired the least and was annoyed by her throughout this entire series. Her character was probably one of the main reasons for me not enjoying this drama. Her confidence showed off as arrogance to me half the time. Yes, I loved that she was an assertive and intelligent female. Knowledgeable in her field, but her behavior and the way she talked to people was just not admirable for me. She always seemed to be looking down at people and insulting them in some way shape or form. If she wasn't so bossy, manipulative and clingy (specifically towards Saeroyi) I think I wouldve liked her more. To me she had very little character development, until maybe the end and even then it was still 50/50...but at least we did see she was way more professional in how she spoke to people especially friends. I honestly couldve went without any romance in this story because it didnt really seem to do anything for me at all...I didnt believe in the main couples relationship...and honestly wouldve preferred Saeroyi to stay single orrr end up with Soo Ah (even tho I knew from the beginning she wouldnt end up with him because their love/bond was just not strong...it never was...and she never was transparent with her feelings with him. )

Overall, it was an okay drama, not the best Ive seen but Im still glad I watched it but its not a drama I will rewatch. The OST THO!!! isss awesome, probably my favorite thing that came out of this drama.

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Okay like after five days I finally finished ITAEWON CLASS.
And oh my god it became one my favourite k-drama. It was incredible good. So so good. It was so good, incredible actor and I like both protagonists so much. And the message behind it was so incredible. Also the OST's were so great, that i almost downloaded evry song :D

So like it was the first time the girl protagonist wasn’t so girly and she didn’t even once said: “Oh nO I dOn’t liKe hIm.” From the beginning Yi-seo said, she like him and you could feel that. In general i liked her a lot (okay in the beginning she were a little odd and I didn’t like how she was treating Geun-soo and also some things she said, wasn’t that perfect but she definitely changed to someone really good (and I liked her in the beginning because she did her own thing and if people talked down to her she fight back.) And Saeyeori, I like him a lot. I like his principles and that he always stands for the right things, also that he protects his own people. I like the message, the moral and the ethics a lot in this drama and I could definitely identify with them.
And Seung-kwon, I think he was my favourite character, he was funny and also developed to someone really good.
Geun-soo, I don’t know, it was an up and down, sometimes I really like him but then in the next episode I hated him so much but I really like his actor Kim Donghee, I watched him in Sky Castle and he is such a great actor.
Hyeon-yi was also great, I liked her attitude and she was so strong. I think it was the first time a transgender played in a k-drama, I liked it a lot.
Toni, Toni was also cool. I liked him also and I was so sorry for him because of his Dad.
Soo-ah, I don’t know, On the one side i liked her but on the other side i don’t know, she went to Jangga co. although she knew what they did to Saeyeori. But she did the right thing in the end.
And the last Geun-won, I don’t know I even can’t say, I hated him. He did awful things and I understand if no one wanted to forgive him but he had also an awful father.
Jang Dae-hee, he was the worst person. It was horrible to watch how he always stayed loyal to his company but didn’t even once cared for his sons.

In conclousion I really liked the drama, i also like Park Seojoon a lot and actually I'm quite a big fan of his acting. I don't know if I would watch it again but it was really worth it watching it.

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A story that is full of emotions

I watched this drama solely after hearing about the acting skills of all the individual Actors that made this drama so popular and they really didn't disappoint me through all the episodes.. Each episode was fully packed with all its up and down.. And I really enjoyed the story line.. The actors were so immersed into their characters... That I was emotionally attached to them.. And the negative character played by the father and son is surely to talk about.. I totally enjoyed it..
But I did have a small wish... If the ending could have been a little better and a little impactful..

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not bad to say the least

i was definitely hesitant to start this drama as most of the top reviews haven't said too many good things about the actual plot.

of course the acting was fantastic — from all the characters. i loved the diversity and the social issues that were brought up. however it felt like they were brought up just for the sake of it; hyunyi's gender identity was explored for maybe 1 episode max and the racism against toni was only like 20 minutes long. i wanted to see more of that but it was over as soon as it started basically.

the storyline itself is good; it definitely had a lot more potential but it went downhill fast. i enjoyed the sunshiny vibes in the beginning (other than the car accident of course) and watching saeroyi work to make his dream come true was fun. i really liked seeing him achieve his goals with his friends. then it got really intense with illegal activity like kidnapping and attempted murder. felt like the show lost sight of what it was about because why are gangs suddenly involved?

it was a good drama nonetheless and it made me shed tears but definitely had a lot of wasted potential.

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Overall good

Itaewon Class started as one thing and finished as something else, which isn't a bad thing at all, but I can't point my finger at what troubles me still.

I thought the troublesome thing was Soo Ah. I couldn't stand her whole "I'm the most important person in my life" thing. Ok, you go, girl, I can get behind that. You can put yourself first, and that's perfectly fine by me, though she used Sae Roy loves to have some kind of moral boundaries, and I got kind of annoyed. She redeems herself towards the end. I understood her motivations, but why not be clear about it?

Maybe my problem was with Dae Hee and his archetype of a villain. Nobody goes to those lengths just to make a person kneel. I understood the desire he had to be the most powerful person in the room, for real. But people letting and accepting everything was too much.

Amazingly enough, Yi Seo was ok. She was always selfish and never hid it from people. Her endgame was Sae Roy. I find it tiresome sometimes, but I understand it, and to be honest, I didn't care that much.

The OST is something else. Just perfection! Every music was a match made in heaven. And Taehyung with Sweet Night chef's kiss.

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I've hesitated writing a review but the ratings are all over the place. I thought I would add my two cents. This is one of these love it or leave it genre of dramas. Although, the storyline (revenge) is a commonplace theme in different dramas this drama does an exceptional job of depicting the execution of the plan for revenge and its accompanying hardships. It started with great cliffhangers which allowed you to have a desire to return, weekly to follow the episodes. The added bonus was the highly skilled unusual (pretty and strong) female actress who plays the female lead n this drama

In this dramas, the viewer's common sense was put to the test near the end. Instead of focusing on the story the viewer would have to start asking basic questions - like why did she do this/ or why didn't he do that? or normal questions like why don't you call the Police? why are you running down a road? Or why are you out of the hospital so soon after a near-death experience? and the list becomes endless near the end and distracts away from the initial quality of the drama. For some reason, Korean writers are infamous for killing a good drama with a bad or poorly thought out ending because of the cliche culture. This is definitely the case in this drama.

Needless to say, it is still a watchable drama and worth the investment of time. As a reviewer, I was disappointed by the endless "reflection" moments during the end. Before I end -- I must say I was TOTALLY disappointed in the development of romance in this drama. Logic could not even save these afterthoughts of "who in the heck writes these dramas?" Give it a go and you will love it, leave it or be muddleheaded after finishing.

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Every character is so full of themselves

This drama is just plain bad! The first few episodes were pretty good. Then the writers completely lost their way. In terms of conflict, the writers forced it by having the main leads basically s--t talk each other. Also with the exception of the main character, all the other characters just don't make sense. That's the reason why I couldn't like any of the them and found all of them increasingly annoying with each episode.

What finally made me quit watching was when Park Sae Ro Yi, the main character called up Jang Dae Hee, the villian of the story who was dying of cancer, and told him you better stay alive so that I can get my revenge. Come on! It's absolutely absurd!

To sum up, this show is bad. Oh my god, it's really bad.

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This drama got better by each ep. That doesn't mean it started as a 10/10 and became a 20/10.
It literally started at point zero. They went through all the revenge setup cliches that it was agonizing to watch, BUT it improved alot as it went by.

My favorite part was Yi Seo. I'd not have watched this if it weren't for her and I'd have totally missed this cliche yet rare gem. she was everything, strong, independent, she stood up for herself, she had alot of aegyo and though she was not "perfect" she did grow and improve as time went by (also she could easily kill someone and get away with it xD)
But the 2nd fl had her own charms too. They were both like parallel opposites. One was driven, and one took things slow, a little too slow :)

SRY is actually my 2nd least favorite male lead type (the 1st is of course the jerk).
He was naive. Stubborn. 1 minded. Driven by revenge. a little hard headed like a rock, BUT he didn't let that ruin or control his life, tbh this might be the most rational revenge plot ever xD
His stubbornness and 1 mindedness was also his charming point. He saw the good in people and he gave them a chance without being fickle about it. He didn't let others sway him but he did listen to the voice of reason.
This was not a romance drama nor was it a love triangle.
Sure they had a love line, and the usual 2 fls and 3 mls (ie the double triangle), but there was no rivalry. No hate. No angst. No one fought for attention, everything just happened naturally and -a little too- slowly xD.


I wonder which points were made by the drama writers and which parts where done by the webtoon writer. The development of the plot seems like a kdrama move while the well layered characters feel like a webtoon move :)
this was not plot driven or character driven, but the characters saved this from becoming another useless drama..

the ost here was gold, Lee Chan Sol, Gaho, Ha Hyeon Woo, SONDIA, Kim Woo Sung, Kim Feel and the others all set a great mood throughout the drama~


I don't rewatch dramas so it's always either a 1 or 10 :)

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