Itaewon Class (2020)

Itaewon Class is one of those rare kdramas that have an explosive start. The first two episodes are enough to capture the viewers' attention and raise their anticipation. The plot is strong, very promising, I wouldn't say unique, but is still a rare gem in the kdrama world an feels like a breath of fresh air. The screenplay is amazing and gives a sense of hope and inspiration while showing common people strive through hardships and do the unthinkable. The drama has also touched sensitive issues like racism and lgbtq and has dealt with it quite well, given that it is a korean drama. But the ending just put me off very badly. I am so disappointed. They could have pulled it off in the most majestic way, yet they had to drive us all into the overused hole of romantic angles and cliches. The determination and principle that started the very plot of the drama seem to fall flat towards the end. The drama didn't do justice to many characters and gives a bad aftertaste.
Well, I couldn't end the review without talking about the characters. The group of misfits namely Seungkwan, Hyunyi, Toni, Yiseo and their boss/leader/mentor Saeroyi are the center of attraction in this drama. Park Seojoon's portrayal of the character Saeroyi is awesome. He is trustworthy, dependable and an awkwardly funny character, capable of making the viewers laugh with him as well as shed tears with him, though his decisions towards the end of the drama disappointed me a lot. The unbreakable bond between these characters is a delight to watch. Kwon Nara as Soo Ah has done a fantastic job. She represents the independent working woman of 21st century, struggling through her internal conflicts between loyalty, gratitude, competition and love. Ahn Bo Hyun as Jang Geun Won is totally believable as the typical rich brat who bullies anyone and everyone on his way but is actually an insecure kid at heart, terrified of his father. Speaking of his father Chairman Jang Dae Hee (played by Yoo Jae Myung) is the epic villain of the story. This character deserves equal appreciation as that of Saeroyi. He is evil, shrewd, plays dirty politics but on the other hand, is hardworking, self-made, inspiring and a successful man. Yoo Jae Myung gives a new persona to this vicious character and i am sure the viewers will see this villain in a different light. As much as I hate this character, there is a certain sense of admiration and respect towards him in my heart which I can't explain. Lastly Yiseo (played by Kim Da Mi)- oh boy, i can't deal with her. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't like her at all, nor relate to her feelings even remotely. She is a confident, smart and very capable young lady but has lots of negative traits. Okay, her character is meant to be a sociopath, but that doesn't give anyone the free pass to act in the most hypocritical way possible. She uses people and discards them like an old tissue. The fact that she is one of the main leads in the drama and doesn't even have a character growth at the end just angers me the most. The rest of the supporting cast have done their job quite well. I just wish there were an alternate ending to this story, a more righteous and impactful one. I would recommend you to watch Itaewon Class but I can't guarantee you that you will like the ending. For Park Seo Joon fans, definitely go for it, for the awesome fight scenes and his signature awkward comedy.

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Promising Start that lead to a disaster

THINGS I LIKE
(+) Strong starting hook
(+) Relatively strong to decent acting
(+) Diverse and inclusive cast
(+) Plot is somewhat inspiring
(+) 1-2 memorable OSTs

THING I DIDN'T LIKE
(-) Story quality decreases half way through
(-) Unnatural and misplaced romance throughout
(-) Flat antagonists that becomes more illogical as the plot progress
(-) Major plot scenes felt forced
(-) the main character Park SaeRoYi only accomplish his goals through luck

REVIEW
The opening episodes did an exceptional job to draw you in with a very unjust conflict that reliably foreshadowed the themes of revenge. The first 3-4 episodes was executed in a very unpredictable manner that was great at making you second guess on where the plot was going and made it effortless to binge watch. However, I can't give the same compliment to the rest of this drama as the scenes begin to drag soon after and this got worse later on.

(Spoilers) By far the biggest issues I have with this drama are the characters and their character development. Firstly, our main protagonist Park SaeRoYi really wasn't all that intelligent as a businessman. Had he not luckily got YiSeo to fall in love with him, he would have not even come close to his success in the end as he did. In fact, both of the women that loved him were far more competent than he was. It only took a numerous amount of second chances where he'd almost completely run his company to the ground due to his stubbornness before he was able to learn from his mistakes. And technically, Soo Ah was actually the one who destroyed Jangga, not SaeRoYi. Secondly, I also just cannot relate to YiSeo's character. It made no sense to me that she would love SaeRoYi so much just after learning about his past whereas before she was a girl who did not give a f*** about anything. Her character is quite controversial among all the reviews I've seen - people either find her creepy and overly obsessive or admire her dedication. Either way, her character as a whole is just a huge stretch especially if you consider how little she knew of Park SaeRoYi before deciding to dedicate her entire life around him. I also want to comment on HyunYi (the chef of DanBam). She came from a background with zero education and experience of cooking and somehow she is able to be beat Jangga just by some trial and error style learning with YiSeo's taste-testing? Like, I wish the world was that easy. The last comment I want to make are for the villains - both Jang Geun Won (the son) and Jang Dae Hee (father)'s character just feel really flat and one-directional. The son being reckless is something I can see but Dae Hee is the CEO of a massive corporation. Yet, his way of thinking is just way too immature for anyone close to being as successful as he is supposed to be.

Overall, I think this drama had good ideas and meaningful intentions but tried way too hard to make a grand finale for this story resulting in poor and disconnected execution.

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A soulful class of misfits

"My friends need me. And I`m curious about our future." ¬ Park Sae-ro-yi

This is one puzzling drama, I must be honest. From the moment I got into Korean dramas, I`ve seen quotes, edits and snippets of this drama scattered all over social media. After some time, I became a huge fan of Park Seo joon as a person and I came to believe that, when saddled with a good script or director(or ideally both), he can do great things. When it comes to this project, I was right. This is, without a doubt in my mind, the best role PSJ has ever taken on.

Giving life to idealistic, yet gravely wronged and revenge-fueled Park Sae-ro-yi was probably the best decision he has made in a while. Regardless of the other aspects of this show, this character will be one many fans will remember, even if you`re not fond of PSJ. I`m sure of it. This drama managed to highlight many, if not all talents he has to offer, proving that he`s not just a `pretty face` many people have been referring to him as for years. But he`s not the only positive about this ambitious program. In fact, the reason why this drama confuses me is due to its ability to overcome its own mediocrity. Let me elaborate.

Like many others before me, I`ve got to agree with the fact that this script is not the best. In fact, it`s not even that good, to be honest. While few shinning moments can be put aside, like Hyun-yi`s competition and clever parallels drawn between Mr. Jang and Sae-ro-yi, for the most part, this script isn`t the inspiring or, for that matter, soulful aspect of this drama. When it comes to direction, whilst adequate, it also wasn`t the main ingredient for this drama`s win with me. No, from my point of view, this dramas was bound to be seen as average or even below it in my eyes, since I`ve seen this plot, this ending, these characters befo-
...
That right there. That was the reason. The characters. The reason why this drama got me addicted enough to finish it in three days. The reason why I didn`t feel the need to take a break between episodes and devote my time to something more fulfilling for a bit. Never did I feel like that with this show. Even when they used predictable tropes to move the story along. Even when they dropped the ball on the last three episodes with our main couple. Even with the way they concluded the grandiose revenge. Through all these warning stops, I still cared about Itaewon Class. Because they achieved unity that was so effortless and charming. From the lovable but clueless Choi Seung-Kwon, brave yet vulnerable Ma Hyun-yi, optimistic yet scarred Kim Toni to, finally, savvy yet ignorant Jo Yi-Seo, this gang of misfits was a joy to watch. And this is why I must call my review a subjective one. Not everyone is going to think like me. In fact, I urge you not to. But when I talk about how chemistry between the actors can and will overcome almost every average script, directing etc. this is what I mean. Even if the characters besides Yi-Seo, Sae-ro-yi and Mr. Jang could`ve been more fleshed out, I loved what we got from them too. And I love the message behind our main couple, maybe more that their clumsy, but happy end. Support. Being there for one another when things get tough. Growing together. These are principles present in the relationship between Yi-Seo and Sae-ro-yi. Even if their actual progression to a romantic connection was indeed, rushed, for me it was believable BECAUSE we spent so much time watching them work hard together, make mistakes and grow. Key word:together. Which is why I would have never been able to buy a serious relationship between Soo-ah(whom I really like as a character, on her own) and Sae-ro-yi. I`ve had similar experiences and it`s not fun nor is it rewarding. I won`t spoil it further, but I would`ve been upset if they had ended up together because they are too fundamentally different to a certain point. One more thing I must mention is how they dared to make the main female lead an ignorant one when it comes to social issues like racism and transphobia, but let her grow in that department too. Never have I ever seen that in a drama.

As for the drawbacks, apart from these I`ve mentioned, I do feel like they could`ve substituted the last two episodes with more development from Toni, Seung-Kwon etc. I would be fine with this drama having 18 episodes, for example, if they were to use them on further development of side characters and the main couple. Another minor problem I had also, and I`m going to nitpick, is how many things were set up conveniently and some decisions that were made were questionable. The OST was good, with the theme song stealing the show for how well incorporated it came off. It was worthy of ITAEWON CLASS.

Finally, while this show had its fair share of problems, it was still fun, comforting and never boring, even when it was biting more than it could chew. A recommendation well-earned.

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PSJ was the reason for the success of this drama

PSJ was the reason for the success of this drama. You could put a bunch of actors in a room, but no one would have been able to portray his character (Park Saeroyi) like PSJ did himself. This drama was released at a time when Crash Landing on You (CLOY) was becoming one of the highest-rated shows of all times, and whilst this didn't quite compare to CLOY, it did however peak my interest in other ways. For example, the supporting cast involved characters from all different walks of life and is a good affirmation of that saying: "never judge a book by its cover". It highlighted discrimination, gender issues, corporate power/greed, and perserverance very well. There were some scenes which were a bit lacking and the chemistry b/w the lead actors could have been stronger, but overall this drama was well written and directed.

Storyline -- started off great but then overly exaggerated towards the end with unncessary back and forth revenge acts, and in particular, Jo Yi-seo's character who was just annoying, irritating and difficult to watch.

Acting -- great execution and compelling performances by Park Seo-joon in his portrayal as Park Saeroyi, and from Yoo Jae-myung who played Jang Dae-hee (CEO of Jangga Pub).

Characters -- I loved that each character came from all different walks of life and was determined to put up a fight regardless of societal standards and values.

OST -- wasn't that big of a fan of the (pop rock) OST to be honest but maybe just a few song selections here and there.

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I love Park Seojoon and was so thrilled that he had a new drama coming out. The premise seemed intriguing, and when I finished Episode 1, I was already desperate for more. However, as I continued on, I started falling more and more out of love with it.

While I'm a sucker for time skips in dramas ( usually I like that it helps to move the plot forward without having to go through all the filler in between ), this one seemed to make use of it too much without it explaining why or how we got to a certain point. The way certain characters were developed didn't seem consistent with their original characterization. It felt like the drama wanted us to get to a certain point, but it didn't really go about the best means in doing so.

I didn't feel anything for the relationships between the characters, and most scenarios were predictable at best. I do have friends who really liked the drama ( and others who hated it to the point they just dropped it altogether midway ) and it seems like people also feel a wide range of emotions towards it on this site. Wouldn't be a drama that I'd recommend immediately, but perhaps if you really like one of the cast members, you'd be interested in checking it out.

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Wow, so many negative reviews. Even though I agree that Itaewon Class is not the best drama out there and it has a lot of flaws, I can't deny the fact that I enjoyed watching it and I really appreciate the message the drama tried to say and did it very well.

Itaewon Class started in a very cliche way and honestly, I wasn't really into the first two episodes but I decided to wait before dropping it and I'm glad I did it because the drama truly got better as the actual plot started progressing. I loved the first half, it was slow-paced but at the same time it wasn't even close to being draggy or tiring. Each episode was filled with excitement and intensity. The whole atmosphere around ''DanBam'' was so heart-warming and beautiful and I was so glad to see Se Roy's dream becoming true. Itaweon Class is a very inspiring show and it really gives you confindence about your dreams and goals in life. Seeing our protagonist giving his all to achieve his dream, seeing the passion in his eyes, it just makes you feel very motivated and it gives you energy. Of course, the drama has a very idealistic view and Se Roy himself is an absolute idealist which is why it's hard to connect the storyline to the reality we are living in. But the purpose of Itaewon Class is not to be realistic and you shouldn't approach it that way.

The second half was when the drama started getting a little bit too draggy and repetitive. All things I loved in the first half lost their impact somehow and I lowkey stoped caring about what's happening between DanBam and Jangga Co. There were so many filler scenes which had literally no impact to the actual story and it was very easy for me to get bored.

However, even though I was definitely getting bored at one point, I didn't stop watching because I really, really loved the characters and I believe they are written very well. Park Se Roy, as I already said, is a total idealist who never betrayed his ideals and stayed true to himself till the very end. Being such a sweet and kind-hearted human being, his character is very easy to like.

Jo Yi Seo is definitely the most interesting character in the drama and she's also the one who developed the most. They introduced her as a sociopath and one thing I really love about IC is that they never try to romanticize the fact that she was a sociopath. It's true that she was a very cool, sassy rebel who knows how to kick some asses and defend herself. However, no matter how bold she was, some of her doings and things she said were horrible and repellent. Sociopaths lack emphaty and so does she. But as the story progressed, she developed so so much. Her love for Se Roy made her a better person. You know, Se Roy is this type of person who always gives you positive energy, whose ideals are so big that they make you feel small and you just want to become a better person like him. I have never ever thought that Yi Seo's love for Se Roy was an obsession.

Oh So Ah... was quite useless? When the drama started, I thought she would be a super annoying bi*ch but I think she was just... fine. I don't know, I feel like her existence in the drama was more or less poitless, but I guess Se Roy needed to have a crush on someone. I wouldn't say she is a bad character -- on the contrary, she was quite an interesting persona but it's just the fact that she had no real connection to the plot.

The Danbam crew was amazing! I love how different they were but how they got on so well. The villians -- Jang Geun Won and his trashy father whose name I don't remember were a bit weak to be honest. Especially the father, he was just annoying. Geun Won though... this man was just disgusting.

The romance is not a big part of the drama, but it is definitely there. I don't really know how I feel about it though. [SPOILER >>> ] Everything felt so rushed, like Se Roy liked Soo Ah the whole time, not showing any interest in Yi Seo, but then suddenly, he realizes that he was in love with Yi Seo all this time? It was way too rushed in my opinion.

The acting was very good, especially kudos to Park Seo Joon and Kim Da Mi! Also, my man Ryu Kyung Soo!!! I'm really thankful that they casted him, he is very talanted but very underrated unfortunately.

The ending was very satisfying and it gave a good closure to the drama. Gaho's OST in the end almost made me cry, I just love this song soooooo much!

Overall, Itaewon Class is a good show which has flaws, but it's quite enjoyable. The characters are its charm for sure and I would recommend it if you like character-driven dramas.

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Impressive array of emotion and depth, exceptional music.

My favorite Kdrama song so far has come from this series. I am a bird, yo, now cook me some fries! How you make a song with such weirdly shallow lyrics so beautiful I will never know, but it's absolutely stunning to my rock-beaten eardrums.

The Kdrama itself has such a deep, expansive, and compelling storyline. The lead actor is exactly perfect for this role, he's basically a world-wise older brother who quietly, slowly, but persistently moves through life past every failure to success. The lead actress, at first I thought she was a side-character. Her character is both fun and annoying, she's a legit shallow brat at the start. But her character arc is exceptionally well executed and she ends up being the anchor for the entire drama. The actress delivers an absolutely masterful performance that has such a broad range from child to brat to growth to powerhouse. Both the main leads have such growth and intelligent story arcs that you feel like you are watching people actually progress through life. The whole thing was really well done.

I went into this drama like...wtf Itaewon Class?? I don't want to watch a school drama...I don't want to watch a cooking drama...meh this sounds boring. But it got such good ratings I decided to give it a shot. Boy is it nothing like its title. It's not a story about cooking, and definitely not a story about cooking, it's an inspirational story of overcoming absolutely devastating life challenges. Not by supernatural ability or even astounding talent...they overcome every challenge by sheer force of will and dogged persistence. It feels like it's a story about actual people that could actually exist.

The best part about this drama is watching the growth of the lead and side characters. You're anchored by the male lead and you watch as the other leads and side characters like water moving around a rock in the river. They are often so far from where he is at every step, and yet he brings them all into his gravitational pull and they end up with such a deep cohesion that you literally want to be one of the planets orbiting the sun that is the lead.

Dude does have the worst haircut of all time. Couldn't avoid mentioning that. Someone at some point needed to take this dude to a barber in the show so we'd all get to stop looking at that truly disastrous fringe. I didn't knock any points off for the bad hair though, since clearly it fit with the character's personality....but come on...

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I am a huge Park Seojoon fan, let me start by saying that. But, I am not a blind fan and I can acknowledge his faulty dramas (Hwarang I am looking at you). I don't normally write reviews for shows I don't love either, but I just feel so strongly towards this.

In the beginning, honestly this was a great show. I was in on it, even if both the female leads annoyed me to no end. However, I could acknowledge the distinctive characters, especially Yiseo who was a refreshingly unique, and although we didn't see eye-to-eye (she is a damn sociopath), I would prefer her character over a typical candy girl. However, it almost felt like her character was being forcibly redeemed through the loveline to show her less manipulative aspects but it seemed obvious and awkward. Her character was refreshing in the beginning, but became whiny, childish, and completely annoying. And honestly, I was not asking for her character to change or suddenly become kind, because, again, that would be unrealistic. But, what I would have liked is not some sort of general acceptance of her character, as if she was somehow good or "badass". She was constantly shown to get whatever she wanted without consequences, and I would have much preferred she didn't "get" Saeroyi. It would have been so much better as a plot device to almost "atone" for her actions and realize she can't have everything. Just finished watching Misaeng, and there are so many characters I absolutely despise in the beginning but now naturally love/like, and it really did not feel forced, I almost did not notice I now liked them. Comparing that to Itaewon Class just made her character's awkward growth even more evident. Saeroyi's sudden turn of feelings towards love seemed so sudden and so forced, they should have left their relationship as coworkers and completely omitted any romance, even with Nara's character. I would have much preferred they shown her as a first love that he now knows is in a different situation from the past and let her go. The themes of camaraderie, friendship, and loyalty were so much stronger than the romance, and were the strongest aspects of the show. They should have continued to built slowly on that instead of the uninteresting romance.

Saeroyi's character was also not the strongest, he felt like a typical Shounen lead. However, it would be a lie if I say I didn't love Park Seojoon's version of the character; much like Naruto, even though it felt kind of annoying watching him accomplish so much based on stubborn goodwill (because that is really not how life works), it did feel rewarding watching him win and did put a dopey smile on my face every time seeing him happy. Jang Geun-soo's character switch into becoming an antagonist was also so sudden and his reasoning did not seem enough to make such a drastic change.

The acting was great, Seojoon was incredible (although that is a bit biased). Yoo Jae-myung as CEO Jang was also great and Dami played her role well too. Nara still has a way to go, I was not sold on her acting. The supporting cast was also decent, some stronger than others.

Considering the story, in the beginning it was really interesting and I was really glad it covered inequality, corruption, and also a lot of societal issues. But, eventually the show began to battle itself trying to become too "woke". And often times, the marginalized characters like Toni were shown to be discriminated against, but then the problem was quickly swept under the rug. It felt as if the issue was half heartedly added to make the show superficially look "aware" without actual thought and care being added to exploring it. The fact that the main female lead was openly discriminatory but became nice at the end simply because she saw some profitable value from the people she unjustly disliked was not enough redemption or a valid reason to gloss over the issues. Again, the plot felt very Shounen manga like, i.e. unrealistic problems being thrown at the lead, while predictable solutions just happened to be there too. (What are the chances the guy he saved from being bullied just HAPPENED to become an excellent investment manager, making him lots of money, and still being connected to the other CEO lady? What are the chances that the boy who he just expelled for punching was also the same person that ended up killing his father?).

Overall, I was excited in the beginning and genuinely enjoyed but at the end, watching became a chore so I dropped it with 2 and a half episodes left. I love you Seojoon, but this was not my cup of tea and I really hope your next drama makes you shine brighter than this did.

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My dude. Where do I start? The series was so promising at the start. Probably could have been one of the best KDramas ever. I don't know what the fuck the writers smoked to come up with the most cliched drama bullshit love story after the 4 year timeskip. The series was going so well, the characters were well made, nobody was overly good or overly bad. The love story seamed to either go towards the initial love interest or towards a no love interest at all. Then, out of nowhere. We get a dumbass timeskip and suddenly the main character who has loved a certain character for over 10 years and has been shown in the series to love that character suddenly does not do so anymore? Seriously? and then to top it all off, we get the most forced "its the end of the series we gotta have some high stakes action" bullshit ever. This just took me out of the series and reminded that I am not watching someones creative work. I am watching someones soulless commercial bullshit that just attempted to appease the fans of the show when it was airing. What a disappointment.

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This is NOT a drama for those looking for cliche romcoms, as romance is not a central part of the story.

Itaewon Class is about fighting for what you think is right, even when everyone else is against you. It shows the best and the worst of the Korean society and humanity itself. It's proof that there's no good or evil, but people who make the wrong choices, and that it's easy to judge without knowing what the other person is going through. It shows the importance of our choices - if you make a mistake, you should take responsibility for your actions, but if you are doing what you think is right, no matter the outcome, you'll have no regrets. And above all, it has a very clear message: there's nothing you can't do if you try hard enough, you just need the strength to get up again every time you fall.

The characters all have their own stories, and they are perfectly played by the actors.

The OST is good, I might even add the songs to my playlist now that the drama is finished!

I'll definitely rewatch the drama in the future, especially next time I feel like giving up.

Thank you for reading!

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