Itaewon Class (2020)

I enjoyed Itaewon Class. It was not your typical K-drama focused on triangle romance, rich vs. poor and good vs. evil. Of course, it had all of those elements but the real story behind Itaewon Class is about a downtrodden good guy with a quest for revenge upon the powerful family that did him dirty. I f*** with this concept so I definitely enjoyed watching our "good guy hero," get his revenge. Does he ultimately get there? Well, you will have to watch 16 very long episodes to find out. Itaewon Class also progressively took on racism and transgender acceptance which I appreciated for being bold but felt like it was glossed over. Itaewon Class really missed a good opportunity to take the story to the next level.

The 16 episodes were an easy binge. They were long but they were entertaining enough to motor forward. The ending started to drag... A LOT. There were way too many flashbacks, repetitive conversations between characters, and dramatic slow mo editing, especially towards the end of the show. This drama could have done without all of that. I felt producers should have devoted precious minutes instead to all of those missed opportunities that I mentioned earlier.

Overall, I did find Itaewon Class to be a really interesting story. The main characters were easy to root for, the main villains were easy to despise. It did wear a bit on my nerves at how conveniently characters happen to be at the right place, at the right time. Main character goes jogging around the city, happens to conveniently run into female lead. Female lead flies off of motorcycle, conveniently happens to land on male lead. You catch my drift? Major eye-rolling ahead, people.

Anyway, I do recommend this drama. What else are you all doing anyway during this pandemic?

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Was Good At First...

I liked this drama at first and it was good enough to make me watch it all the way through. But it went downhill in the last few episodes. Most of the characters are annoying. (Not the actors/actresses. They did a good job portraying such unlikable characters.) The ending seemed so forced and rushed. No, it’s not the worst drama ever but it’s definitely not the top of anything. I guess it’s like when they make a movie based on books but in this case it’s a webtoon, What I’m saying is, I think the webtoon is probably better. I should read it and see for myself.

(I have nothing else to say but I need 500 characters...)

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POW!!

Park Seo Joon (PSJ), like I hadn’t seen him before. From “What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim” to OMG Park Sae Ro Yi! I loved every second he was on the screen in this story. However, here’s what worked and what didn’t work for me:

What worked for me was the story of a young man coming out of the dark, sticking with his principles, and standing in his truth. I loved how his character accepted responsibility for any and all of actions. Lots of great learning themes like, “emotions, love, and expectations are not give and take.” All of the bad guys did an amazing job! I sincerely have come to appreciate the outstanding level of acting Asian actors bring when portraying the ultra-bad guy. As an American, many times I am actually screaming at the screen about the depth of evil doing portrayed in these stories. For me, if at the end all I want is the bad guys to pay in the worst way for their nefariousness, I give all that credit to the actors (Yoo Jae Myung, Ann Bo Hyun, and Won Hyun Joon). I will certainly be on the lookout to see them again.

Park Seo Joon (PSJ) is perfect (period) in his ability to portray the tortured, disappointed, hurt, and angry young man. Part of the intrigue for me was just watching PSJ tell this story. Toward the end though, I found myself growing weary of the revenge aspect in this character’s end game. All that hate and pain only lives as we continue to feed it. Was Sae Ro Yi ever going to grow and realize that he drank the poison and is still waiting for the bad guys to die. While one can exact a revenge plan of action, the emotional toll is heavy on losses and expensive. Overall, the interest to stay the course to end of this drama was PSJ. I will continue discovering his storytelling as a new fan of his work.

The IC team all grew accordingly in most instances in this story. I loved the diversity, however awkward at times it felt. The awkwardness felt authentic, appropriate, and timely with regard to being new to the medium of storytelling in this instance for the culture. I loved the loyalty, and again, the consistent message to be sure to follow your own path. Live the life that serves your dreams. No one owes us anything and we don’t owe anyone, especially some misguided “fielty” that might include deferring our dream in honor of expectations. This message made the story worth watching until the end as each of the characters would have to step into their own understanding of it.

Here’s what didn’t work for me. The love interests, period. I did not love Yi-Seo as a character and especially as any love interest. The one salient point she made was in some later episode where she tells Oh Soo Ah, and I paraphrase, “while you’re just waiting on homeboy to come riding in to save you from your own delusions, Imma stick right here by his side become what he needs, and watch his heart melt for me. And so, we saw that happen. However, I just couldn’t get into who she was as a character. Both of these ladies were equally annoying and insensitive, I was not rooting for either of them to win his heart. Again, chalk that up to the actors, Kim Da Mi and Kwon Na Ra. Bravo!! I didn’t really miss the usual sexual tension in this drama. I was more interested in Sae Ro Yi. I couldn’t see him winding up with either one of them. Loved seeing the actress, Kim Yeo Jin (since Vincenzo in a better light) as Yi Seo’s mother, however, that character was just as annoying and shallow.

While the message to take responsibility for one’s own outcomes in life based on those experiences that build character, it was sad that Sae Ro Yi and bad guy, Jang Geun Won, were kind stuck in the past emotionally.

I would rewatch only to watch PSJ’s lovely face, fabulous acting range and to admire his talent. Otherwise, no because the female leads are just too annoying and uninteresting.

The production, story and soundtrack are very good. That’s my fifty cents worth! Enjoy!

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There are a lot of things that i had a problem with in the drama. First of all, why is it that when two people are shown as competitors, they also have to compete for liking the person. like if they have good and a healthy dating life, they cant be competitors. What i hated was that the women in the drama although started off as powerful women, they were eventually reduced to love interests of the male characters. The fact that the female character described as young genius multitalented athletic strong sociopath who had been to various places and had friends of varying nationalities and gender/ sexual identities was portrayed as a transphobic racist in the begining was kind of hard to digest. It portrayed paedophilia in certain parts. Also the typical chabeol shit , about being portrayed as the negative character.
Although this drama tries to be like about how we should let go of racism and queerphobia and stuff, but its like too cliche and fails to achieve that aspect and ends up being a typical kdrama about the chabeol as the villian.

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A Perfectly Told Story, what TV Should Aspire to Be

I was absolutely blown away by this drama. It's the first full length show I've given a 10. With an incredibly unique story and satisfying romance, with interesting and diverse characters with multiple and changing dimensions, with setups and pay offs executed perfectly and just the right amount of unpredictability, I was drawn in from the beginning and gripped until the end. I fell in love with every character, loving the enemies while also hating them, and rooting those who were trying to change or overcome hardship. Every emotion, I was along for the ride. When the characters cried, I cried. When they cheered, I cheered. When they loved, I loved. It's perfectly done, and I wish every show I watched from this moment forward were just like it.

It's not something to be taken lightly when I say I liked all the characters. In almost every other show I've watched, even the good ones, I tend to find a single character I care about above all others, and so my enjoyment of the show hinges on their experience and actions and plots. This time around, I cared about everyone. Not only did every person feel real and developed, they each were reaching towards their goals, all of them pushing past their own hardships. Instead of feeling for the characters through their attachment with the protagonist, I felt each one of them as a person, through what I knew about them and what I knew they valued. Because of this strong empathy, I was able to experience strong vicarious emotions in every situation. No moment felt unjustified or unearned. This one element is, in my opinion, the most important aspect of any show, and what makes or breaks whether you even decided to watch it, and whether it is memorable and exciting. These detailed and empathetic characters are exploited to their full extent, producing moments that lift you into the sky or crush you into the ground or set you on fire with rage, all while maintaining a balance of conflict and resolution that isn't too taxing on the viewer. Even better is that each character changes throughout the show, completing arcs which are believable and well-earned. I could easily name each internal flaw they all faced, although this is a spoiler free review and so I cannot (you can bet if there were spoilers the whole review would just be me ranting about every specific detailed that I loved). Long story short, the characters are perfect, and that's what's really important.

Let me quickly mention the diversity, which was extremely welcome amidst the generally homogenous production of Asian dramas. Perhaps there still isn't as much as we're used to in the west, but you have to admit they're making great strides. Obviously I'm referencing the Afro-Asian character Toni (although this could have been handled a tad bit better in certain areas), but what I'm really impressed by is the transgender character, Hyun Yi. She, after helping the other protagonists overcome their own preconceived judgements, manages to overcome her own flaws and learn to be confident about her identity, and the show fully accepts this identity in a mature way. Especially considering the often biased views of many other kdrama regarding even homosexuality, transgender representation is just great to see.

I loved the plot. Holy cow. I won't say it's the most genius plot, I've definitely seen shows that are smarter, but this plot embodies all that a drama should strive for. A clear set of values, a core message or two, and a thorough and interesting exploration of all these things wrapped into an intense and exciting main storyline. Where other shows might drop the ball while trying to subvert expectations, and others still might crank out something mind-numbingly predictable, Itaewon Class toes the line between the two effortlessly, leaving you without a clue as to where it'll end up but still being satisfying, justified, and most importantly gripping. This is one of the few long-form shows which have managed to keep me interested enough to binge it in a few sittings.

I hope I've said enough to convince that this is well-worth a watch. Don't judge it by it's premise like I almost did and just give it a chance to snag you and pull you along. I one hundred percent love this drama and implore you to watch it, as soon as possible.

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7.5 chestnuts?

It’s been a very long time where I can say that I was able to watch a number of episodes non-stop.
I did put this drama on hold for a while, I wasn’t even going to consider it. I have to admit I completely judged it without even giving it a shot, I didn’t know what to expect when I started it and my little theories were very much proven wrong (For some reason I assumed it would be a martial arts drama, idk I saw ‘class’ in the title and I went with that). This drama is way different from what I thought it to be.
Although some elements were very predictable, I truly enjoyed the concept of this drama. It’s different and a change from the dramas that mainly focus on the romance and I liked that. It’s nice when you’re rooting for other things besides the romance.
About the predictability though, I cannot stress enough how many times I screamed at the screen “I’m disappointed but not surprised!”
I truly liked every character but I will have to say not one failed to not frustrate me. You will find yourself being frustrated by each character in this drama.
I have to also mention the time skips in this! I felt like I went through a time machine. I can see why they were used for the plot to an extent. But I feel like we could have got more glimpses of what happened during them. QUESTION, HOW IS HIS HAIR STILL THE SAME AFTER ALL THESE YEARS?!!!!
Overall, would I watch this drama again? Did I enjoy it all throughout? And would I recommend it?
I wouldn’t necessarily watch it again and that’s because personally I have to be in the right mood to watch angst-filled dramas kinda like this. I mostly go for light-hearted and fluffy dramas so this wouldn’t really normally be on my radar but I can still say that I enjoyed it and I’m glad I watched it. However, to answer the second question, I didn’t enjoy it all throughout, I kind of feel like the ending was dragging for it to be you know - predictable. That being said, I would still recommend it to anyone, it’s a good drama and a lot of life lessons that could be picked up. Park Seo Jun really did great with his role!

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"Life is just one shot I won't hesitate; I have to live my own life"

Seeing the range of ratings and comments on characters doesn't surprise me. This was an interesting show. I often think about personal ratings objectively and subjectively. I might think a show is really top notch but makes little emotional impact and vice versa. If I think about rating Itaewon Class (IC) in terms of 'film craft' or 'intellectual analysis'- in other words, the more objective criteria - the rating would be much lower. For the 9.5 I'm rating it at, it's based on emotional satisfaction, re-watch potential, and how much it impacts my life.

The story is the weakest part of the show, yet good enough. Many plot lines felt outrageous, unbelievable, even unnecessary. The vengeance plot was overkill. However, there are cues for letting go of realism and flowing with the outrageous. That the intensity of Janga vs. Danbam battles is set in a 'my sauce is better than your sauce' setting, helps us realize the set/story is intrinsically silly. In most shows, the feeling I get is that the characters are advancing the story. With IC, it feels the reverse. It's about the story advancing character. Their distinctiveness and authenticity, itself, is the most enjoyable aspect of the show. Who cares who wins the restaurant business battle? We know from the start how that is going to end. Character presentation, alone, intrigues me and elicits reflection on self and society.

Music. Very effective. Two anthems, "Start Over" by Gaho and "Brand New Way" by Damon, were stand outs, emotionally priming us for the mood of the show. "Start Over" is rhythmically driving, sweet, uplifting; it's a great tune to symbolize 'driving towards a goal'. If I recall correctly, this tune plays as Park Sae Roy is running, thinking about his goals. "Brand New Way" is energetic, over the top, fight-like; symbolizing Jo Yi Seo's brashness and growing confidence of the DanBam Team to battle Janga. If I recall correctly, it often played after something exciting or positive happened for the DanBam team.

Ok, Jo Yi Seo next. I understand the comments about not liking Jo Yi Seo as well as her non-convincing 'chemistry' with Park Sae Roy. But this is perhaps where older life perspective generates a different perception (or simply just my personal taste). I'm older and have grown tired of well-defined human behavior and socially constructed norms. That Jo Yi Seo is off the charts on social norms, and IC as a show is not normed 'averagely', I found that off-beat vibe to be quite refreshing. Novelty alone isn't enjoyable, but when done well (enough), it has the potential to wash the boredom away in a redundant world of similar plot/character types. Jo Yi Seo was unapologetically herself both with other characters and how she presented to us, the viewership. She was not ladylike or friendlike or daughterlike in the normal ways.

Regarding Jo Yi Seo and Park Sae Roy's chemistry, it's under the surface and brewing, slowly. In romance, Park Sae Roy is shy, implicit, and proper. With his rigid principles, a wildcard like Yi Seo is hard to digest quickly. She's brash, explicit, improper. Oh Soo Ah is that classic, proper beauty we're trained to love at first sight. Sae Roy's inner dialogue, inner feeling, may not be well known to him. He's obsessed with moving forward, higher, achieving his goals. Jo Yi Seo is the one that propels him forward, what he's driving at the most, releasing his emotions towards a larger catharsis once he's achieved revenge/success. Her acceptance of him as he is, and what he wants to become, is absolute, even ruthless; she'll hurt others to help him. Oh Soo Ah does have chemistry, but it's mostly attraction at the surface (eye) level and a past connection that she's held onto, which is understandable when considering her relationship to Sae Roy's father and being an orphan. Sae Roy and Yi Seo are climbers; they need to take risks to grow. Soo Ah isn't in climb a mountain mode; she's looking to maintain security.

Jo Yi Seo's impact on the DanBam team is very strong as well. The poem she sends to Ma Hyun Yi during the contest is impactful; I'll post it at the end of this review. As with Sae Roy, Dan Bam members have a slow time digesting this odd, acquired taste that is the brilliant Jo Yi Seo.

It is food for thought for those of us in our own romantic adventures. Eye-level attractiveness is a good start, but where does that really take us in the long run? Personality, values, helping one another achieve life goals and dreams, has an even larger upside than 'physical attraction' in the long run. Admittedly, the younger version of myself was more concerned with attraction. It almost feels irrelevant now at an older age. Therefore, comments about Yi Seo not 'looking' like the right partner for Sae Roy strikes me as a youthful comment. As the characters mature, it's not surprising to me that Yi Seo and Sae Roy grow together the best, and that he did indeed prefer Oh Soo Ah in his earlier years.

Jang Dae Hee was outstanding. The scene in Episode 6 (~1:02:00- 1:03:30) where he learns about a surprise stockholder, laughs outrageously, throws down his clipboard, then says "I thought I was hungry" and then "It's time to eat" is top notch. Watch that carefully and tell me that's not incredible acting.

Contrary to much of the reviews here, I didn't connect all that much with Sae Roy. He didn't disappoint me at all. I just didn't get much emotional impact from his character. It's probably the fact that Yi Seo, the diamond next to him, simply shone too bright.

Fun fact, although I had much Korean food before watching IC, I hadn't had the traditional 'stews'. When I had the chance to order between Kimchi Stew and Soft Tofu Stew for the first time, it was so hard to pick. My taste preference was for Kimchi Stew, but the show's effect was pulling me hard towards the Soft Tofu Stew. I ended up picking Kimchi Stew at the last second, but it's cute that a TV show nearly decided my maiden Korean stew order.

Here's the poem that Yi Seo recites to Hyun Yi:

“I’m a rock.
Go ahead and sear me.
I won’t budge an inch because I’m a rock.
Go ahead and beat me up
I’m a solid rock.
Go ahead and leave me in darkness.
I’m a rock that will shine all alone.
I don’t break, ash, nor decay as I go against nature’s way.
I survive.
I’m a diamond.”

Itaewon Class, Episode 12
Poem by Gwang Jin creator of the original web comic series Itaewon Class.

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Talking about real stuff

Well...mostly at least. Although I found this drama very lengthy, it carries a special place in my heart due to the things that are talked about. Taboo topics that aren't very well spoken of in some countries are put into the spotlight in this drama - which I'm a sucker for. I honestly love people who use their public platform to speak about gender, racism and self developement in any form.

The following might be very controversial, brace yourselves (no spolers don't worry)

To be completely honest, there is none but one character in this Drama that I actually like...and the one I do like is a support role (hurray Kim Donghee). It's hard to say why I don't like these characters without giving spoilers but what I can say is, that I'm not a big fan of selfish "step over another" people. Nevertheless (Song Kang stans hands up) I guess not really liking any of the characters makes this drama even more charming, since you don't really have anyone to root for and, in my case, can watch without really caring what happens to the individuals.

I know I have been quite hard on this drama but it is only because most people know of it or have even seen it...so maybe people know what I'm talking about.

The overall acting as well as the production are perfect, all of these Actors and Actresses reall unterstood their assignments portraying their roles.

I'm guessing I am pretty torn between liking and disliking this one, so I really think it depends on taste and preference in story and development thereof.

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inspiring but romantically unsatisfying

OK. Here goes. Start.

First, I really liked Park Saeroyi. But even I should have realized that he would have gone way beyond expectation and just do what Park Saeroyi does. There are K-drama romances, and there are K-drama flannigans. This is one of them. Besides a perfect first episode, and an otherwise rocky start, it jumbles and tumbles like Dumbo but on solid footing. Because Park Saeroyi is first shown after seven years, smiling at Oh Soo-ah, wearing his heavy boots and he is almost never shown in different shoes after. The soundtrack was particularly good, K-dramas considered, and the insert songs were beautiful. More than just one I keep listening to after. Start, Still Fighting It (I hope they play it again after episode 14), Someday the Boy, and two others I think, I will have to find.

Yes, while I could finish, I dropped with two episodes remaining. I think watching this show, esp. after the food wars segment, gave me a motivation to make a decision about my life. I have a dream, but it's time to think about what I really want. Why I want it, and then, to think about how to shape my life going forward. I think this was a show that tried to do more than its 16-episode run allowed, but that's OK. I'll just pat it on the head and move on. I'll talk about how this show, until the romance didn't go the way I wanted, hit me.

So again, back to Park Saeroyi. You have inspiring characters, you have stalwart, unchanging characters, and you have good. Truly good - characters. In this, they put together all three. I may have the capacity for being truly good, and sometimes show it, but I need to be good every day. I need to be better, and be so good that even I don't doubt it (although I think that true good thinks it never attains the bar). I have a dream, and for the longest time I thought I wanted it for one reason. But I'm starting to realize what the act of writing really means to me, and that it's OK - perhaps better - to withstand the slings of arrows and outrageous fortune, and keep fighting it. Set a goal for further down the line. And aim even higher. I don't want to watch Breaking Bad for ambition, but Itaewon Class was about business ambition raised around people, the people around us we can't do it with. And maybe there's love too, and while K-dramas tend to "try romance" as a default (unless the premise distinctly forbids it), I saw something hopeful, something proud, in Park Saeroyi's ambition which was driven by revenge. In a way, his story resembles Edmond Dantès, where even he realized how he felt, and how he could go this way. I hesitate to apply this to my own life - this third part - because it's so much more delicate, and I need to get my life together first, before I can truly deserve that, rather than get my life together for someone else. I think in this way Oh Soo-ah, as she was to Saeroyi, is truly inspiring.

Other than Park Saeroyi's Tanjiro-levels fortitude, my favorite scenes were those with Ma Hyun-yi. Complete acceptance. Really lovely to see from a country that's somewhat trailing behind in that department, and I think like many other parts of this drama, a warm nod to the hope and strength and family we can bring to others. Itaewon Class is a powerful show, and while I'm not sure if I'm going to see the last two episodes, because I can talk about the two waylaid sons, the domineering chairman; Toni, who heightens the inclusiveness even further, or the former gang henchman who became a failed comedic support, the former bullied kid who slams at hedge funding, or the epic Kang Min-jung. There are tighter shows. There are "better" shows. But I think this one, more than Twenty-Five Twenty-One's Na Hee-do and My Mister, will make me at least think about the proper steps going forward. What do I really want to do with my life, who do I want to spend it with, and the kind of person I want to be. Thank you Park Saeroyi for showing me.

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Cho Yi-seo queen

Ep. 8 left me in a limbo. It'd be stupid to believe Yi-seo would betray Sae-royi, but I'm afraid that whatever she's planning will be misunderdtood -if it's not planned with Sae-royi.

This drama is so perfectly made that I have 0 complaints about it. Yi-seo is mean, selfish and goal-oriented no matter what, which makes me love her since her first appearance. But what I love the most about her is that there is so much room for improvement to her character and that's what I'm looking forward to the most. I don't really know how I feel about Soo-ah yet, but I definitely don't like her as much as Yi-seo. She's a strong woman who lets nothing stand on her way too, which I love, but I'm not entirely sure about her stand yet. Also, the fact that Yi-seo and Sae-royi are complete opposites makes their dynamic so much more interesting.

On the other side, I hope we can see some character development on Sae-royi as well. We see him as the perfect man: emotional, but cold-headed enough so he plans everything out; goal-oriented, but also incredibly empathic and people-centered, so he can manage a group to reach the goal. He is perfectly balanced and has been planning his strike back at Jangga for the next 15 years and can overcome every obstacle that gets on his way without losing focus or his values. He is way too ideal, even has the perfect amount of emotional character. There MUST be something to improve on him.

Of course we've seen him grow from a hot-headed teenager who was about to kill his father's killer with his own two hands, into a man with a perfectly-planned goal for his future; not to mention that he was an asocial boy with troubles to make friends, but who now is the owner of a pub in which his main focus is to reach his goals alongside his workers who he thinks of as friends.

There has definitely been some development in his character from teenager to adult, but I'd also like to see some improvement during his adulthood, but I just can't think of what could that be because he comes off too perfect.

Anyway, I'd still need to wait until the end of the week to see what on earth is Yi-seo planning after meeting Mr. Jang. It had been a long time since a drama made me this excited while waiting for the next episode.

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