I can't help but feel a tiny bit disappointed by Itaewon Clas. It wasn't bad, I think my expectations were simply a bit too high. Mostly, I wanted to watch it because it seemed pretty different from other kdramas, with an offbeat vibe and maybe a little more raw. In the end, it was relatively standard as far as dramas go, I didn't feel like I was in new territory. They did tackle many different social issues and showcased characters that came from varied backgrounds, which is commendable. It does feel a little forced and shallow at times, but since that is not something kdramas are used to doing, I suppose that it's a good start and a nice effort.
Park Sae Ro Yi is instantly loveable, though he sometimes borders on annoyingly forgiving. I tend not to like characters who never get angry when people act badly towards them, but in this case every time it happened and I got angry, I was just kind of okay with it because he is so charming in that weird, aloof and kind of stiff way.
I think Jo Yi Seo started out as a very fun and compelling character. I loved her in the beginning, where was a bit of a wildcard, unpredictable and weird, in an equally infuriating and charming way. When the romance plot became more prominent though, she became less interesting, she was just obsessed with Sae Ro Yi and that was it, even though before that she was shown as someone who didn't care about people in general. I quite enjoy the idea that she was a loner and never cared about someone else, but when she fell, she fell hard, but I'm sure there was a way to do that and maintain who she was as a character. Generally speaking, I feel like there are three general eras of Jo Yi Seo (her cold, "sociopathic" self, her whiny, i-have-a-crush self, and her final more mature, resigned self) rather than coherent and consistent development throughout the run of the show. She ends up in a satisfying place, character-wise, and she's still a fun character, but I was a bit bothered by it.
Oh Soo Ah was a bit flat, she's spunky and fun as a teen, but as an adult she doesn't go through much change. I understand that the point was that she was loyal to a fault, until we saw her rebel against Jang Dae Hee near the end, and I thought that was well-done and interesting, however since she is one of the main characters, it would have been more satisfying if she had has more of a personality.
Jang Dae Hee was a great villain, as was Jang Geun Won, but in totally opposite ways. Jang Dae Hee is cold and menacing, powerful and clearly an impressive man, he commands respect and is a force to be reckoned with, a truly worthy opponent for our lead. I loved seeing him go from utterly confident that he would prevail to increasingly petty as Sae Ro Yi got under his skin. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jang Geun Won is the guy you love to hate, the bottom of the barrel. He has neither class, nor power, no true ambition of his own besides enjoying his unearned status, and he's a coward. He's vile and constantly exasperating. And yet, you feel for him, because it can't have been easy growing up with his father, and he's also responsible for a lot of his worse traits. I found myself constantly rooting for him a little, hoping he would pull himself out of the hole he had been digging for himself, but I can't say I'm disappointed with the direction they took with his character at all.
Why did they make us hate Jang Geun Soo? His arc was so strange, with no pay-off.
The rest of the cast was competent, and their characters decently written, I have no complaints. They added much needed levity in parts, and interesting side-drama, I liked them all.
The main storyline was a little repetitive at times. We got an awful lot of: Sae Ro Yi will never manage the next step. But he so determined. Actually nevermind, it's going great! It's actually going a little too well. There might be something up with that. Oh nevermind, Jangga seem nervous, so they didn't plan this I guess. Cool! Oh, no, actually it WAS all part of Jang Dae Hee's plan. Lather, rinse, repeat. Obviously it's to be expected that there are big steps forwards and stepbacks alternating, but it could have been handled better.
In short, that is my problem with the show. There are a lot of aspects that are okay, but could have been done better. My final word is that this is a competently made drama, that deals with important topic that are rarely discussed in kdramas, but it doesn't really strive to go a step above. I enjoyed it a lot, but it left me hungry for just a little more.