Itaewon Class (2020)

Couldn't watch it to the end

This had a really good cast, but a really poor storyline. Surprisingly, as one of the strengths for Korean dramas is the ability of the writers to really develop the characters. This fell very short of that strength. The first couple of episodes were strong, but after that it just went downhill. For me, the weakness was in the believability of the characters to handle their lives. They seemed exaggerated, rather than human. Park Seo Joon's SaeRoy just wasn't believable. To go through what he did and endure such injustice, then behave so apathetic and stoic just wasn't believable. The same with Yoo Jae Myung and Ahn Bo Hyun's characters. To kill someone's father then go after that father's son, unjustly sending him to prison, then once released going after him again for even more vengeance just seems unbelievable. This was a revenge trope theme, and there are a lot of these type of dramas coming out (i.e. Reborn Rich, The Glory) that have stuck with the main plot, yet allowed the characters to show some humaneness even as they are enacting their revenge. I think where this drama failed was the main characters were way, way too exaggerated in their roles, and the supporting characters were way, way too subdued and neither were ever fully developed.

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Starts off really well and then...

I honestly loved this drama at the start, every Friday, I couldn't wait to go back home and watch the new episodes. And then it became really boring and stereotypical. Also I just couldn't stand some characters. I especially didn't like Kwon Nara's character.

Some parts of the story were also really hard to believe i.e. Tony's heritage, the whole thing with Hyeon-yi, like couldn't they simply hire a real trans actor? They wanna be inclusive, but on their own terms.

The acting towards the end was also not convincing at all, I really don't believe that he liked her after years of shunning her,

Overall it's a good drama but you probably wouldn't be missing it out on a lot if you drop it halfway through.

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If you like stories about revenge or underdogs coming up then this drama is for you. The romance could’ve been executed better but this story was solely about avenging the past so you rom-com lovers might not be so interested in this because of that. But if you want a break from the typical dramas then I recommend this one.

THE PLOT seemed a bit basic when reading up on it but I was intrigued to see how the life of an ex-con would be portrayed and lemme tell you they got the struggle life DOWN. And the different themes explored in this drama are what urged me to watch in the first place. There were a few sensitive topics that were addressed such as racism and gender equality, which were all executed very nicely into the story. I just wish they went below the surface a little more but with the way South-Korean dramas are, I’m glad they included issues like this to begin with. I think such sensitive topics should be brought up in dramas more often so people can be more educated and intelligent discussions can start.

THE MAIN CAST was interesting. Except for the villian and his father. Might be the worst antagonists I've seen in a drama. I was impressed with the diversity with the cast as well as the extras. This drama makes me wanna visit Itaewon lol. PSJ was solid in this. I didn’t like him in What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim and much prefer his role in this. You get to see a bit more of a range from him in this drama’s setting. His character was dedicated to avenging his father’s death but it never consumed him. There is a way to want justice without becoming obsessed with revenge and throughout his suffering, he never forgot his father’s teachings or the people who helped him along the way. Yi-seo was interesting but very contradicting at times. Hyun-yi was a tasteful portrayal of a transgender man and was one of my favorite characters. Toni had a lot of potential but was surface level in the end. I liked Soo-ah more than Yi-seo but you never really knew where her loyalties lay. Geun-soo’s backstory was good but he didn’t really do much throughout the series. His storyline could have been better executed. Geun-won was annoying and practically useless and was only present to help drive the plot forward.

THE MUSIC was good but nothing special

OVERALL I give this a 8/10. Probably wont rewatch again

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After receiving recommendations on MDL and Netflix, I finally decided to watch this series. Truth be told, I was a bit apprehensive as it did not look anything like my usual picks. That was my energy before watching this series... it was the complete opposite after I watched. I really wished I was not so stubborn and decided to see it sooner.
Itaewon Class is a progressive K Drama that feels different, and tackles tenuous matters that many other dramas avoid. Solely on that basis, this series deserves commendation for daring to do so. For being brave and bold enough to put out art that can encourage the important conversations.
I became invested from Episode 1, which was easily my favourite episode. The cinematography was beautiful and the groundwork for an intriguing story was laid. However, I do think the scene where Park Saeyori beats up Jang Geun-won at the hospital to be slightly dramatic and a bit drawn out. While I understand it is an emotionally-charged moment discovering that Geun-won was responsible . I think it could have been better done. Still this may be my all time favourite episode of a K Drama. It is really poignant and captivating, with some really great moments.
The story progressed really great in the early episodes, in my opinion. The characters were very interesting and layered especially Oh So ah, Yiseo and Geun-soo.
I am Afro Caribbean and was eager when Kim Toni appeared on my screen. It is impressive that he has learnt the Korean language but his acting honestly still needs some work. What he can do extremely well is sing. Everyone should check him out singing Start with Gaho on Youtube. It is incredible to listen their version! Besides the songs Start, Still Fighting, Maybe and Sweet Night the OST did not really stir me.

Some of the Life Lessons Interwoven in IC:

All Unfair Games Will Play Over
Injustices and evils committed against others do not simply disappear, they return in this karmic cycle called life. I longed to see Saeroyi get his revenge against Jang Dae-hee.

Just Keep Going
Even in the face of life's curveballs and surprises keep pushing forward. Saeyori's journey took him from the prison to the boardroom.

The Tables Can Turn
Jang Dae-hee was oncce highly revered as the owner of an extremely successful food company. Years later, the company is in limbo and being investigated for various crimes.

Power Is People
I think this perspective that Saeyori adopted is a nugget of wisdom that is often easily forgotten. The relationships that we forge with one another is our true richness and power. Also don't be afraid to connect with persons who may seem different from you like he did with Hyun-yi.

Now about the love story. I really wished he ended up with Oh So ah in the ending. But Yiseo was really a ride or die chick. Honestly, the last two episodes were not the best. Still I think this is a drama worthy of your attention. The lessons in it are paramount.

IC IS STILL SWEET!

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What a drama man. First time watched the weekly drama & totally loved it.
Itaewon class plot line is revenge, but there is much more to it. It breaks the stereotypes of Korean dramas & Korean culture as its shows about
-Transgender
-African (u can see one in the pic)
-Bar rules

Also, take a bow Park Seo Joon for doing such a fantastic acting. Have seen him in shewaspretty and whatswrongwithsecretarykim but in this he just nailed it.

KimDani was badass and I loved her style.
Would love to see more of her dramas

Thanks for reading,
Shaandaar Jenie Blog

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:)

Writing this cause i just finished it , tbh i watched along time ago the time it aired ( cause of tae ost ..... ) And found it so bouring left hunging at last 4~5 eps
Now i returned to continue but wooow i was so satisfied!
The last 5~6 eps was so heavy so good well ended
But for me it'll be better with some cutting for eps in between
It'll be better ( in my opinion) with only first 5 and last 6 eps , it'll give stronger feeling and leaves havier impression, I mean if i watched it all at once continueously i would give sooooo much lower rating as i intended to do before (5~6) but cause i had a long gap in between then came continue watching I'll give it 10 ignoring the things i hated
They ended it soooo well
At first i wanted him to end with so ah so bad and hated ye soo but after coming long time later i get it and accepting how the things are going ....
The acting is on point and the osts used every part was so perfectly fit to it and thats so important in completing the feelings of every scene, that i loved the most !
So for that amd other many things I'll give a 10 instead of 5

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Great and Good

To be honest, I watched this when i was first starting to get into K-dramas and I loved the story, cast, acting, and ost. The entire story behind Itaewon class is honestly incredibly inspirational as it taught me a lot of life lessons that a lot of people are not willing to teach me in real life. The reason that I titled this great and good is that I couldn't help but feel that their were some points to the story that were lacking. To avoid spoilers I wont go into specifics. However, the first 10 episodes were just chefs kiss and so satisfying to watch as the plot unfolded. However, after the time skip I felt that there were some inconsistencies with the plot. Nothing to do with the actors just bad writing as I guess my expectations were incredibly high because of the amazing first 10 episodes. Only to be slightly disappointed with an adequate but not quiet right end.
Now onto the specifics

Great
First, Actors amazing all around as even though the characters varied and there were so many different emotions showed from dense, psychopaths', sociopaths, butterfly (transformations), and dirt on the bottom of my shoe(people who have watched this know which characters I'm talking about :D) A lot of people often say that the hype behind this show was because of Park Seo Joon. However, I can't really say that because I was new to K-dramas at the time and didn't know anything about him. So I can say this as a neutral and uninfluenced party I loved this shows acting. The actors were all talented and there was incredible chemistry between the two main leads even in their darkest of time

Second, as someone looking to work in the film industry I found the behind the scenes work to be soooooooo satisfying to watch. The actions shots, profiles, angles, and even some discreet pigeon shots (distorted) were all included. So If you are worried about the shots and camera quality, there's no need to because It was Immaculate.

OST- Great, don't know much about music production so I can' get into the details

Inclusivity: I just had to put this in as a black member of the LGBTQ+ community (Biromantic). There inclusion of a black and a trans character in the main cast is something honestly unprecedented in Korea which I will always always always be grateful for. To be honest, the black character did indeed have a meaning to the plot but I feel like he needed more screen time. However, just the fact that he was in the main cast PERIOD will always have a special place in my heart.
The last scene was so satisfying toooo :)
Now onto the Good
I say good because it was just ok, nothing special

Story and script: The writers did a phenomenal job on the script and storyline in the first 10 episodes and I will always consider it to be some of the best intros that I have ever seen in my life. Just the last 6 episodes were underwhelming. They started out so great, but instead of reaching higher heights or plateauing even, the writing just plummeted. Not drastically but there were obvious changes in the script and storyline which tells me that the writers had cooked up a great intro but realized that there were 6 episodes left and were like "oh f*** we have to end this soon what are we going to do? Oh Ik how about a hospital scene those are always good! Oh how about a kind of but kind of not satisfying ending." I don't know if they changed writers at the end, but the close and personal touch i felt at first went away a little at the end because of how rushed it felt.
HOWEVER, I am not dissuading anyone from watching because of the rushed ending as overall this was a great show, that just needed a little more time to develop.

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Favorite kdrama of all time

I LOVED this kdrama and I will never shut up about it.
If you‘re contemplating about watching it, I‘ll encourage you to do so right now!

Story
This story had me hooked and emotionally invested from the first episode until the very end. It was an emotional rollercoaster that had me laughing, crying, and shaking out of anger. I could feel so much empathy and sympathy with Park Saeroyi and just wanted him to fulfill his dream and finally be happy in the end. Another thing I really liked about this drama is that it talked about topics that aren‘t frequently talked about in Kdramas like racism or transsexuality.

Characters/Cast
The cast in this drama was great and Park Seo-joon really killed it with this role. His acting was amazing and so authentic I literally had to remind myself that this is just a role. The side characters were all very unique and interesting and lastly the villains in this one were very well casted and never failed to make my blood boil.

Scenery
This drama and all of its beautiful scenes really made me fall in love with Itaewon. It just really shows the unique charme of this part of Seoul.

OST
Itaewon Class might have one of the best OSTs of all time. The songs were perfect and just so fitting for the drama that just hearing any of them makes me emotional.

No other kdrama has ever moved me as much as Itaewon Class did and I rewatched it like 3 three times already. 10/10.

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Corporate Politics: Cover-Ups: Revenge, and Pubs. All ingredients in a surprisingly satisfying show.

*Spoiler Free Section*

Itaewon Class was as someone else put it - trying very hard to be relevant. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed this drama. It has seeped into me and has been on the forefront of my mind for the past few days of watching. There were plot twists I didn't expect, there were characters who changed in ways I never thought were possible and there were character archetypes done in a well-rounded manner, one I've rarely seen to this standard. However, I cannot disregard the earlier statement. Yes, it tried very hard to be relevant but I think it worked.

Itaewon Class is a corporate political thriller with a sprinkling of romance, action, drama and bright-coloured lights. Within was a well-balanced cast with great representation. There were a few questionable scenes but overall the show proved to be a great, diverse, well cast well-acted and well-filmed piece of work. I believe that this show will be another that's on the top 10 lists for years to come. And though it is not perfect it is entertaining and enjoyable nonetheless.

The male lead, Park Saeroyi, is an empathetic/morally high kinda character. As we watch him through his life we are attached to his unwavering personality, revengeful dreams, and heartbreaking struggles. The supporting cast of characters is a melting pot of people with their own struggles that found their anchor in Saeroyi. Each one is unique in its own regard and each back story is heartbreaking and heartwarming. I rooted for some whilst I hexed others, and I found myself at the end of the show on teams I never expected I would be on. This show managed to make me doubt my understanding of characters and the written word, some scenes shocked and others were exactly how I would have written them. It was a fun watch and there were times where I was genuinely on the edge of my seat or crying for the characters.

The love V between three of the characters was bitter and annoying at times. At least for me. But it resolved itself sweetly at the end and in a very nice way that will be stuck in my head whenever I write another romance story. It was another blind lead type of romance where everyone else knew his feelings yet he did not know his own, until about 15 hours in... despite that though, it was enjoyable to watch and progress.

I was satisfied with the ending of this show. There are a lot of shows out there with endings that are not satiating. This was one, in my opinion, was not one of them. This show satisfied me and I'm glad it did. Sixteen off hours not wasted. It's a quality show that deserves some hype.

If you enjoyed Uncanny Counter, K2, etc. This may just be right up your street. Give it chance if you need something to watch.





*Spoilers in the form of quotes and rants*

1) The beginning and the last episode. I thoroughly enjoyed the build-up of one scene created in the first episode when Yi-Seo is talking to her councillor and the conversation regarding death between Saeroyi and Yi-Seo comes to light. It's well done as it paints him to be merciless and cold when in reality he is the polar opposite. And when at the end you find out the full conversation it's because both of them have found their true selves and have come to an understanding as we (the audience) have just watched that journey unfold; we now seeing it again highlighted to us. The parallels there work brilliantly.

2) When Yi-Seo and Guen-Soo got kidnapped I was certain he was going to die to save her. I'm actually disappointed that no character died in the last two episodes as it was, in my opinion, a) the right time to have done it and b) kinda implied. Though, Yi-Seo's escape was very fitting with her character, using Guan-Soo.

3) Yi-Seo. I loved her character. 79% chance she is a sociopath. I would have loved her to have had more sociopathic tendencies though and for the writer to have kept on that line a bit more. Not saying she couldn't have loved Saeroyi as that is 100% plausible, I just think more should have occurred. I also loved the scene where she used Guen-Won and recorded his confession. She was the MVP of this show in my opinion.

4) Soo-Ah annoyed me throughout the show. I hated her. Until. She pulled out the evidence against Jangga. Co. I just could not believe that she could work them after what Chairman Jang and Geun-Won did to Mr. Park. I was raging most of the show watching her help Jangga Co. But now, I see it was a brilliant way to blind the viewer to Soo-Ah's true intention of bringing Jangga Co down herself even if that wasn't always the case or was the last resort it was always something she was willing to do. She just needed the right motivator. I thought Saeroyi would have offered her a job, in the end, I think it was a missed opportunity.
Quotes that I enjoyed or thought had significance. (There as translated by Netflix and are likely to be remembered or recorded wrong, my apologies if there are any mistakes). But I like how she ended.

5) Hyun-Yi and Choi and Toni. I like their stories. I can't say much else. I like them.

6) the background love story was sweet! Min-Jung and Byung-Hun. Loved it.

7) Geun-Soo I wanted so badly to have stayed with IC. co and beat his father at his own game alongside Saeroyi, I was completely taken aback by his character development AND how he outed Hyun-Yi. I wanted to hate him but I'm sympathetic.... still annoyed though.

Saeroyi:
'I wanted to live myself without regrets. I regret... I miss you like crazy.' (Parallels between Yi-Seo's dialogue towards him and Searoyi's feelings).
'Am I going to die there? No. I'm going to survive. I'm afraid, if anything happens to Yi-Seo, that I will really be destroyed.'
I'm already happier than I ever imagined I could be.'

Yi-Seo:
'If you die, I'll die.' (Though most of what she said was iconic).

Soo-Ah:
'I thought, as the girl who was never loved by anyone else. That I should at least cherish myself.'

Seung-Kwon:
'I didn't know what those tears meant. But I'm relieved.'

Mr. Park (Saeroyi's father):
'You can overcome anything as long as you're alive.'
'How does it taste?...[sweet] Means you had an impressive day.'

Tee.

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Good drama held back by female leads

I really liked Itaewon Class overall. I was gripped from the first episode which is unusual for me because it often takes me a couple of episodes to really get into a kdrama. I love a good revenge drama and Itaewon class is just that, however I did sometimes get frustrated with Sae Ro Yi's blind obsession with revege but at least there's also more to the drama.

I especially liked the storyline with Sae Ro Yi's employees. His employees are a bunch of people who would have a hard time fitting into Korean society, for example; ex prisoners like Sae Ro Yi and his co worker, a trans co worker (who would've been better off being played by a trans person) and a Korean co worker with an African parent. I loved seeing their trials and tribulations and the way they're supported by Sae Ro Yi.

I thought the revenge storyline was compelling, I've seen people paint the bad guy as cartoonishly evil but I kinda enjoy some of these kinds of characters. I also think some of the other "bad guys" are more nuanced than the main baddie which balances him out.

Possible spoiler next paragraph, I don't know how to hide them.

I think the worst part about the drama was how the two main females were written. Oh Soo Ah is annoying in that she goes with the flow and expects Sae Ro Yi to change her life instead of doing it herself and Jo Yi Seo is so much younger than Sae Ro Yi and keeps throwing herself at him.

Even with some of the faults in the storyline I did like the actors but as I said before having a trans actor would've been an improvement. I liked the way Itaewon Class showed off the neighbourhood of Itaewon and it makes me want to visit there. The OST was pretty nice, with my favourite song being You Make Me Back by Kim Woo Sung.

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