Itaewon Class

Promising start, Lame Story. Problematic OTP

Itaewon Class started on a promising note but degenerated into a lame story with problematic OTP. Initial episodes were good. I was solidly behind Sae Ro Yi’s quest for justice . The crew he assembled was interesting.

Early warning signals:
- I didn’t care for the OTPs. I was indifferent to Soo Ah after she joined forces with Janga. I liked
Yi Seo ‘s sharp acumen but felt let down when she started being clingy to Sae Ro Yi.

- the hero - Sae Ro Yi was becoming bland. With a singular expression and singular hairstyle. After his pain in the early episodes, now it seems nothing fazed him. I can’t relate to him.

Still I labored on. But at episodes 10-14, I can no longer ignore the obvious:

STORY IS LAME:
It resorted to improbable plot devices like a passable cook winning national champion, a fairy grandma storyline, a chaebol heir so stupid he boasted his own murder to a near stranger, and successive car hits.

But the biggest weakness of the writing is absence of believable transitions. There is a cartoonish stubbornness displayed by the characters - just like Sae Ro Yi’s unchanging hair - but then bang! - they make an abrupt switch. The audience isn’t brought along in the journey. Examples:

- The unquestioning loyalty of Sae Ro Yi (ML) to his original love was caricaturish . A normal person would at least be hurt when Soo Ah joined hands with his father’s killer. But no, he’s such a saint, he accepted readily as if his love was simply choosing a red lipstick. Ok no matter. After the time skip he continues to be unwavering .....then bang! abruptly realised he’s in love with another person all along. What nonsense.

- The younger brother renouncing his family connection. He didn’t seem conflicted at all. Then bang! - one day he crossed over to the dark side. Ok.

- A badass sociopath female who became super clingy. Which brings me to...

PROBLEMATIC OTP:
Yi Seo repeatedly saying “I love you” to Sae Ro Yi. SRY firmly declining and saying no, no, no. Then on ep 14 (with a few token flashback), makes an unconvincing about face. He’s in love with Yi Seo all along! (Umm, which part of no, no, no did we miss?) At best, this OTP is cringey. A bigger issue is the screenwriter applauding borderline harassment behaviour and finding it lovable.

The only progressive element is diversity inclusion.

With the help of FFWD button, I did finish it. I enjoyed Park Bo Gum’s cameo, otherwise ending is predictable. And as for the hero? Sae Ro Yi is now hooked up with the clingy female but continues to be as preachy as ever.

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Started off boring, was good in the middle and went off the rails towards the last 3-4 episodes.

This was promised as an upbeat, youth drama. Instead what I was served consisted of some bits of what was promised with a heck lot of makjang. I think this drama was poorly written and executed. This should have remained as a underdog to riches story instead of the unnecessary revenge, crime and what-not being included.

Kim Dami stole the show. But even an actress of her caliber felt like she was struggling towards the end because the direction in which the plot went made no sense. Park Seo Joon had an ugly hairstyle and was mediocre at best throughout the entire drama. Shame, because this drama could have been one of the best roles he would have had. Kwon Nara is okay for me - never does much, but I believe she did the best to her potential.

There were some cool offbeat things about the drama like the youth culture of Itaewon and a diverse cast with issues like LGBTQ+ and racism being addressed. Some characters were great, others were okay. I feel like my time was wasted while I was impatiently waiting for episodes to come out. I won't even categorize this drama as a one-time watch. My recommendation would be to either skip it altogether or do a lot of skip-watching to get through this.

Park Saeroyi reminds of old-time self-sacrificing characters in old Bollywood films. They only live by principles and only want to be the better person in every situation, no matter how unforgiving the other party may be. Romance felt forced and the friendship focus drifted off pretty badly. Not to mention the time jumps made it all the more uninteresting.

At least the drama had a decent soundtrack.

It wasn't worth my time if not for those few good Itaewon-centered episodes and beautiful city and Namsan Tower views in a lot of scenes. It made me miss Seoul a lot.

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At first I was very curious about how Saeroyi would achieve his goal against Janga, but as the drama progressed there were absurd situations that you could predict how the revenge would end, but I didn’t think it would be so bad.

First Yiseo appears as the savior of Bandam and the only person "capable" of turning everything into success ,I don’t know how but she did.
On the other hand Sooah , who achieved what the main character longed for. Then where is the character of Park Saeroyi ??? He accomplished something on his own ? At times I was inspired by his way of thinking, but there were only empty words at the end. ?

Not to mention the romance that was sold us in the end, Itaewon Class deserves the award for the most forced, toxic and insipid couple that you could ever see in a drama. ??

Yiseo who was already hateful at first , gets worse with her one-sided love. Her obsession with Saeroyi was so irritating to see and the way she said things to others, I even thought she was more unpleasant than the "villain" XD No joke !??

The only thing I could recommend from the drama is its decent OST !
Sondia , once again I love so much you voice ♡

My rating : 5/10 ?

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The Strong Prey on the Weak

The strong prey on the weak, that's what the President believed his whole life, but he never once accounted to one day being the weak. Life is but a series of learned lessons, and if one pays close attention, they might be blessed enough to understand its power and the fact that every weakness contains within itself a strength. For me, the biggest takeaways from this drama are that one should focus on character, not reputation, and count their blessings rather than their misfortunes. In the end, revenge was a proper fuel to get Sae-yo-ri to where he needed to get to, and once he got there, he understood it was time to let it go because revenge only makes wounds fester. The value of life is in the people you choose to have around you. It is too short to waste on people who don't respect, appreciate, and value you.

I enjoyed this drama a great deal, with all its subtle difference in, or shades of meanings, expressions, and actions. Most importantly, I appreciated the writer, director, and actors for tackling sensitive matters such as racism, transgender, relationships, and love in all its forms. True love is to love with all of one's being -- provide support and love to that person through anything and everything. Love hard, with everything you've got. I also appreciate this drama for all the heated and passionate discussions and for helping me understand that the meaning of life may mean different things to different people. Still, we are all just trying to live to the best of our abilities.

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Itaewon Class was a drama about surviving the obstacles a person may face in opening a business. It talks about many issues such as corruption, bribery and how people might use their power for the wrong issues. The popularity of this drama is no surprise as when you have PSJ as your lead then there isn't much to worry out. However, something was missing in this which caused my rating to go down significantly.

The start of this drama was amazing, we meet Park Sae Royi and find out the reason for him wanting to take down Jangga. We meet all the main characters and find out their motives. This part of the drama is truly wonderful as you get to know these characters and you feel emotions for them. Even though it is probably the time you will weep the most tears for these characters.

During the first half, they also talk about various prejudices and obstacles the Danbam group face. Such as Hyun Yi coming out or Danbam not being successful even after all the effort Park Sae Royi faces. We see Kim Dami gradually falling in love with Park Sae Royi and genuinely root for her. We also see the inspiring story of ex-convicts trying to make a name for themself.

*Also on a side note: I know that this was the scriptwriters first ever drama and I think she did a great job for her first time. While what I'm about to say isn't nice I do genuinely believe she did an amazing job for her first time.

However, all of this beautiful base seemed to crumble in the second half. There is a lot of things I had a problem within the second half. It felt as if they just switched from a nice drama about youth to a makjang ( and don't get me wrong I love makjang just not in a scenario where it's not matching with the vibe of the drama) which didn't match with the original premise. There were unnecessary twists, completely useless side plots and ridiculous scenarios. I would prefer to break it down character by character.

First, Park Sae Royi. His character at the start was a youth full of idealism and was overall very lovable. However, to the end, you realise his true motivation is greed and not justice. You might ask, how did I come up with this conclusion? Well, there is a scene with Soo Ah when she begs him to stop going after revenge and live a normal life with her but he refuses. That was the first time I realised he wanted something more than justice. How when Jang Geun Won's arrest came, I realised now this is more of a battle of greed and pride.

I feel like this change of mentality is more due to the influence of the person right next to him. Jo Yi Seo. Her character at the start was nice and even though they claimed she was a sociopath she didn't fit that label. She also seemed to very obviously manipulate people and didn't realise the importance of networking. Another thing I didn't like was how she was a genius in everything even though she seemed to have never worked in an actual company. I felt her character was too perfect in the world of management and seemed to get everything her way in a very unconvincing manner.

I also felt that the romance plot between the two was very badly executed. Jo Yi Seo seemed to genuinely love him but the way they showed this was bad. As she seemed to ignore his direct requests of her behaviour when if it was the opposite most people would've claimed he was harassing her. Which gave an unrealistic message to viewers that would give people the wrong idea.

Also, many people said that Yi Seo was a better fit because of the way she stayed by his side. However, if you use that knowledge then he should've chosen Seung Kwan or Hyun Yi. As they were the people who stood by him just because they liked him and wanted to protect him not expecting anything in return. They genuinely wanted him to succeed and that was better than expecting something like affection. I think her character was great for the business aspect but the romance was pushed too much.

The romance could've been nicely executed however the fact that they did a 4-year skip makes it hard for us to connect with this ship as we don't know what all happened in 4 years. This skip is problematic in many ways however we can discuss that some other days. For example, Jang Geun Soo becomes a director in 4 years now even for dramas that's a stretch a high school graduate becoming a director in four years. Geun Soo was just used as an unnecessary side plot. He's good then he's bad now he's good again. There was no character development and there's no no sense to his whole character. I'm not kidding when I say that his character served almost no purpose to the story. I honestly started to cringe when he came on screen because unlike the other characters there's no motivation to his choices and is overall badly written.

Now onto characters, I liked. First was Hyun Yi, I honestly loved how she was the one who was normal in this drama and also how unlike many tv shows (Western and Asian) her being transgender is not her personality trait. She was what a genuinely good person is in real life. She helps people and seems to be the only person who sees what's going on at times. I loved her character and I think she shows a lot of the struggles with being a member of the LBTQ+ community even when it's not on the centre screen.

I liked Jang Geun Won and Jang Dae He a lot. I think they made you hate them yet pity them. Jang Geun Won is not an inherently evil person but his upbringing caused him to be. How Jang Dae Hee was also manipulated by business and how his objective became different after facing tragedy. I liked how they both had quite similar stories yet the way they grew up affected the way they looked at their situations. I think they both acted extremely well and I'm excited to see both of their new projects.

This one is more of an unpopular opinion. Its the fact that I liked Soo Ah a lot. I felt her character was something I could relate to a lot and how she was a real woman. The way she reacted to Royi rejecting her was was something I would expect a real woman to feel. Letting go is never easy but we need to do it because we may be what's holding the person back. I liked how her ending was with Park Bo Gum because it shows that she's starting a completely new life of satisfaction. Also, how she was the one who truly brought down Jangga, not Royi was a powerful moment as you realised he was not the only one affected by his father's death.

I felt like this drama missed a lot of potential ideas and themes like how unfair life is for ex-convicts, mental abuse and, the reality of bringing down a company. I feel like the revenge card was not well played as even though he was planning to make Jangga bankrupt the drama seemed to forget how many people would go bankrupt and how many enemies Royi would get.

Overall it was an okay drama that had a lot of potential which was wasted. It is not really rewatchable because it's too plot-driven to rewatch. Also, it was a little too predictable but it is enjoyable or at least tolerable till episode 12 so I'd recommend to either do that or forward watch

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The first 5/6 episodes were really good and had a good pace to it- i was immediately binge watching it. But slowly to the middle they didn't simmer out the story in a well-balanced way and it was always a fluctuating spike of interesting scenes and boring scenes (mostly boring xp). Additionally, they also over-dramatised a lot of minute and insignificant scenes in an attempt to keep the story’s pace going- but it only further distanced the audience from the story as it seemed so unrealistic and reminds them that this is just a drama.

A lot of the characters lacked development and were just played it out in small stories here and there- not having a good dynamic as a whole cast together. Only Saeroyi’s character development was complete and consistent, Yi-Seo’s was almost there- though a tad bit forced. The main problem I have with the show is how archetypal all the characters were. Archetypal characters can be played out nicely when the layerings are done carefully- but because ALL of the characters were pretty archetypal and only Saeroyi’s story was the main focus, all other characters did not have a chance to shine and seemed rather flat and unnatural.

Another thing i would criticise is how the director lacked awareness of what each scene may bring to the table. The first few episodes established the love story between Saeroyi and Soo-ah SO WELL that it may mislead a lot of audiences to root for them. They had a much more natural chemistry as compared to the latter love story, albeit their efforts to make the audiences hate Soo-ah and favour Yi-Seo.

This was a good story and held its central values tight, it definitely had a core message that each audience can have takeaway points from- unlike most K-dramas. But it had too many elements they tried to implement and the romance was almost unnecessary, though it made the show a tad bit cuter. I would still recommend the show though my comment seems rather negative HAHA. But that’s because i really loved the show at the beginning, and the thrust of the story- i just felt like they didn’t play it out well in the middle and did not do the story justice. I would also like to compliment how unique the setting of the show was! It was such a treat for us oversea-audience!

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Itaewon class as one of the most expected drama in this year was just an okay experience for me. I agree that there are segments which were different from the regular set of ROM coms but sometimes the drama tested my patience. Park SEO Joon had very little to do in this drama where the rest of the costars where mainly involved in the acting part. Finishing the drama, I had mixed feeling . Rich evil guy is something that is overused in kdrama world, and in this drama, it seemed more unrealistic. The chairman who played the antogonist role was superb ,I would say. The lead actress was okay, but there were moments when her acting got on my nerves.
Music and ost are below average. Finally , this is not a drama that I would recommend if you value your time and data

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Overall, it's not bad. I'd say if you like the characters, then I don't see any reason not to like it, as it's basically all your normal k-drama fare stuff here. Reason I'm not a big fan is because I didn't like all the characters. I really could not stand Jo Yi-so from beginning to end. I couldn't find a single likable thing about her. Considering she is one of the two main leads, I just had a harder and harder time caring about this show as it moved forward. Honestly, my feelings toward her were borderline hate. I have nothing against the actress btw.
Park Sae Royi was fine, but it all honesty nothing special. He is your basic sturdy lead who is supposed to be the all around perfect person everyone else looks up to. Nothing to dislike about him, but at the same time not super interesting. I'm probably more negative toward him just simply due to him being paired up with Yi-so.
It's nice and all that the show tried to add some progressive elements with Toni and Hyun Yi, but I feel like they could have done more, especially with Toni. For once I would like to see a foreign looking character be born and raised Korean, to stick it in all the racist faces that will only accept them as being foreigners. But yet once again they fail to do that here by making Toni just another one of these characters who has never even lived in Korea until a year previously. Nor was he even a registered Korean, which only proved the annoying Yi-so's point that he wasn't Korean. I appreciate the try, but I hope the writer can push things a bit more progressive next time, and not just what felt to me as just surface level.
The one thing that kept me going through this show was the revenge plot. It was entertaining and I enjoyed Yoo Jae-Myung's dastardly villain. And for better or worse, I did really like Nara in this, even though the show had to go and do her wrong, but she is a secondary lead so what else is new.

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A Mixed Bag with a Dose of Deus Ex Machina.

Before I started the show, I expected a fun lighthearted youth drama about a bunch of 20-something year olds finding success in a saturation of big coporate businesses. Boy, was I wrong because I got the opposite. If you're someone who enjoys full blown gushy romance, this show is not for you. It definitely gives off an anime-risque vibe on the first few watch with its vibrant setting & flashy array of costume/outfits with a rambuctious main theme song sung by the talented Gaho. The core essence of the show is the main character's journey towards his ambition of success & revenge against the largest food company in Itaewon, J Co run by Jang Dae Hee.

The story is presented to the viewers from Saeroy's perspective as a teen boy into his adulthood as a 29 yearold. Saeroy is a socially inept adult who comes off as revering, & upright but also awkward & aloof at times, but nonetheless a calm, collective person who doesnt let injustice fly by. As a teen, he is somewhat distant to social circles due to his nature but after unfortunate circumstances, grew up to be someone of compassion & friendly. Saeroy's finer quality is that he's very patient & understanding of others. He is a man who lives with a set of principles. But his greatest attributes is also his greatest flaw which hinders his development. He's stubborn as a mule.

Park Seo Joon does a great job playing the role of Saeroy. There's alot of nuances in his body language & facial expression that doesnt rely heavily on dialogue. I dont consider myself to be a fan but this drama actually made me like him.

Yiseo is the main counterpart to the drama's story to helps Saeroy on his path to success. She is introduced as genius teen turned 20 years old who has behavorial issues & depression. She's nonchallant towards people, crude, unmannered, impulsive & reckless with a disregard to rules. Because she grew up self-absorb, so she is also narrowminded. Her quality is being wellversed in todays tech/social media & her expertise in management/business although she reads a bit like a know it all- encyclopedia. Her partnership with Saeroy as a friend/business partner is one of the show's highlighted aspect. Because she's presented as a terrible person, her flaw is her change to be good heavily relies on her love for Saeroy, not neccessarily for herself.

Kim Dami is a star. Her performance on this show has been my favorite thing about the drama. She plays off Park Seo Joon really well. Theres alot of nuances. She's a great emotional actress who cries effortlessly well. She's given alot to do in terms of dialogues & physical performance and she hits every beat.

I appreciate the heavily flawed characters since majority of them are introduced to be purposely terrible, which is quite refreshing from the usual cast of goody two shoes. The villians are fine. After or so they become a bit cartoonish & downplayed along the way but good performance by Yoo Jae Myung & Ah Boh Hyun. Kwon Nara does a fine job with what she's given with to do as Soo Ah.

I wasn’t too keen about the way the show highlighted social issues, specifically regarding bullying, mental health, sexual harrassment, anti-lgtbq, & racism. It is great that the show decided to delve into these kinds of issues especially in retrospect to todays's out look on marginalized people, depression, problematic behavior. The problem is when social issues are presented to the viewers, it isnt quite explored in depth & is gloss over in a light manner. It has potential but the writing barely scratches the surface. There's definitely psychological aspects pertaining to certain characters but it's not addressed in depth. Everything seemed to resolved by mere call outs and hollow apologies.

Overall, the characterization left something to desire, somewhat 2-dimensional. There's potential to explore the complexities of the characters. Everyone's existence barely revolves outside of Danbam or Saeroy's character. The viewers dont get to see how characters lead their daily lives, where they live, how they eat, sleep, the usual domestic activities. The writing lacked character development. The sudden growth exist to serve as a plot point. Drastic character action/change without buildup. The story suffers from a dose of deus ex machina. Certain things happen too seamlessly. The struggles/obstacles don't hit hard enough & is resolved in a short mannered. A story like Itaewon Class & its cast of characters, the show needed to be atleast 20 episodes to give everything more depth or maybe it's just the flaw in the writing. Because of the show's short span of 16 episodes, its drawn out sometimes as heavy-handed exposition rather than gradual progression.

Dont expect romance. Kim Dami & Park Seo Joon does a very great job at portraying the heartfelt moments between the two. SRY & YS were obviously two depressed people. The fact that the show didnt delve more in depth into their psyche to make it more palpable through out from have made SRY & YS much more relatable than how they were presented. YS was intrusive half the time. Im not sure if the writer intended this to be read as romantic because it is not. The codepedency is jarring. I initially liked the idea of YS & SRY as a pair more than what the show presented them to be overall. Their platonic relationship rings much truer early on as friends/business partners although Yiseo exudes verbal harassment & uncceptable behavior in the workspace.

Visually, it is a good looking show. The cinematography is beautiful. The ost & music composition is great. The show does suffer from straight cuts, which is apparent in the later episodes towards the later run in the show. Ep 1-10 are the strongest in terms of direction/acting & in writing. Ep 11-12 are fine. Ep 13-16 during the timeskip arc has glaring issues from a technical standpoint, both in writing & direction. The early essence of the show is bare & the storytelling feels bogged down. It almost reads something out of a telenovela or a kdrama from early 2000's. It's all very anticlimatic & everything is tied into a nice little bow at the end. Certain events felt contrived.

The way the show-writer handled the overall story is a mixed bag. It does have its moments but potentially to have more finesse throughout. If you want a revenge story with more grit, you might look somehwere else. But all in all, its one of the more unique & entertaining dramas that I watched with its distinctive cast of characters.

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Itaewon Class is a drama that strives to stand out from the crowd by proposing a peculiar mix of characters, including a black boy and a transgender, in contrast to a plot based on the most typical clichés of Korean drama: the class struggle and the love triangle. Despite the contrast, on the whole, the series managed to blend well the typical elements of kdramas with innovative and peculiar components, offering us a fabulous set of characters, perhaps at times too eccentric, a compelling soundtrack and excellent acting, where Kim Da Min and Park Seo Joon stand out.
However, as it often happens with kdramas, it has failed to entertain me in the long run, the solidity of the plot begins to lose its charm towards episodes 7-8, when the story begins to forget more and more about the revenge that the protagonist initially aimed for, fitting him into a forced love triangle and in a power struggle inherent in Jangga Co.
At the same time, the characterization of some characters will begin to falter, first of all, the protagonist, from revengeful man to martyr, he didn’t do anything for his own pub, other people have worked hard to make his dream come true, while he was busy helping & supporting everyone, enemies included. This kind of character totally clashes with his initial revenge plan. Overall Itaewon Class deserves to be viewed because as a whole it stands out from the multitude of drama that comes out every month, offering excellent performance in various aspects but it fails in the most important, the screenplay and the ML characterization, due to the inconsistency of writing. The drama had the potential to do more, especially without the romance part.

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