Itaewon Class

이태원 클라쓰 ‧ Drama ‧ 2020
Completed
xin49
1 people found this review helpful
Sep 10, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 4.5
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Horrible.

This show was genuinely crazy in the worst way possible.
There was a racism plotline that made the FML seem even worse than she already less, I get morally gray characters and characters with dislikable traits however, I found myself consistently rooting for the second FML for the sole fact that I hated the FML. The FML justified the racism in her country on the basis of continuing the status quo which was weird, she told the black guy BORN IN KOREA to LEARN English because he looked like someone who should have known English so he should just conform to others judgements and standards. Somehow, her friend ends up getting a crush on her and as a result he outs his trans friend for NO apparent REASON, he of course gets some bad redemption arc and all is well (it's not)

Also, don't think I forgot the ML, I hated him, his grudge was reasonable but by the end of the series I didn't care that his dad was murdered by their rival solely because his character was just as if not more annoying than the FL. He left the FL walk all over him and disrespect him and didn't care. His mushroom cut did not help.

The only thing that keeps the rating above 1 is some of the side characters, Soo-Ah, Hyeon-yi, and Toni. They were all cool characters who were likeable.

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Completed
dadaoftwins
1 people found this review helpful
Dec 1, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 5.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 1.0

Possibly the worst hairstyles ever for both the men and women

The story marginally passed in that it barely kept my interest. The casting is great in the diverse sense. Kim Da Mi is believable as the digital marketing specialist but she's so unattractive to me. I didn't find her relatable in any other way. Kwon Na Ra is much more attractive and a better character. There were some good performances here and there but I didn't find it convincing.

This plot had potential but failed in so many ways. I will not watch it again and can't recommend it unless you're extremely bored and have nothing better to do.
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Completed
Aims
1 people found this review helpful
Mar 22, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.0
This review may contain spoilers

I almost loved every second of it

Itaewon Class for me was very unexpected, it was exciting, thrilling and I almost loved every second of it but I wasn't even expecting to like it. I went into this drama thinking this might not be my cup of tea but ended the first episode thinking, wow this is brilliant, when can I watch the next. Each episode ramped up my anticipation to see the next and my excitement for the upcoming week when I would finally get to Friday.

This drama did not shy away from controversial topics and I thought that was brilliant, instead of letting it fly under the radar they instead discussed these topics. The topics were discussed through an entertaining, well thought out, narrative and in my opinion, they did well for the most part. I do believe there is one issue that could have been handled better (Spray paint) but I do love that they are now addressing different topics and the lives of different people and possibly opening up new conversations.

One of the things that I loved most about this drama, are the characters, minus the antagonists, and their friendships, I loved that the characters, especially from DanBam, cheered each other on while also learning more and more about one another and being understanding. I loved Park Seo Ro Yi's' resilience and the fact that no matter what obstacles were put in his way, he would still find a way to get where he wanted to be. I especially loved the friendship between Yi Seo and Hyun Yi, especially towards the end, their friendship made me so happy and the way they supported one and another was brilliant. Although I did love the friendships, the romantic relationship was a bit exhausting to watch, with Yi Seo not letting go even after being told no countless times. In my opinion that completely disregarded Seo Ro Yi's' feeling and to me it felt hard to watch as well as that the love triangle just felt weird. With these two women fighting over a guy for years, it just felt odd that it would go on that long, I understand that they think he's a great guy but in my opinion, it just seemed very tiring and I couldn't understand the amount of time spent fighting over and pining for him.

As well as this another aspect I did not like about this drama, is that it felt like a completely different drama towards the end, it's like they jumped ship into a new genre and left me baffled. While I loved the drama as a whole, the last few episodes were not my cup of tea and just seemed off to me but that might just be me being picky. It just didn't feel like the drama that I was watching from the beginning and it disappointed me, I watched the drama for the friendships and the behind the scenes of the business, not for whatever this was. I suppose it was where one of the main aspects came into play but it just didn't ring true to me and I still can't quite put my finger on why that is.

I thought it may be important to mention as I don't normally like OSTs, but the soundtrack to this was empowering and awesome, I loved how the music made you want to get up and do anything. Whenever I was sad about anything, I could put this soundtrack on and feel happy again. My favourite song from the soundtrack was Gaho Start, which actually felt like the perfect song for this drama and often brightened the mood of any scene it was in, in my opinion.

Overall, I do love this drama, while the last few episodes and the romantic relationship did let me down, how I felt during the beginning and middle of this drama made up for that and left me feeling sad that it was over.

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Completed
torochii
1 people found this review helpful
May 10, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

Definitely one of the best K-dramas of the Year

First 6 episodes were absolutely insane! So so good! So intense! I kinda wished the story was always as intense and "realistic" as those first episodes, but for a K-drama it's definitly one of the best out there. Touches important topics such as discrimation, racism, lgbt... just overall amazing!

Who would've thought a korean prodution would touch such topics... i am truly impressed and satisfied with the evolution of times! All the actors killed it, but there would be no Itaewon Class without Park Seo-joon and Kim Da-mi... forever iconic duo! Every K-drama with Park Seo-joon is already a guarantee is going to be good! He never disapoints! A MUST WATCH! Probably already one of the best of the year!

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Dropped 6/16
wormcat
4 people found this review helpful
Nov 1, 2020
6 of 16 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 5.0
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

I've no clue what all the hype about this show was about.

I hated this show, the cast were quite good, but I hated the characters of both the first and second female leads with a burning passion. I get the whole thing about the female lead was supposed to be admired by male watchers for her loyalty. But honestly she gave me the creepy crawlies, i hated her personality, yes she was strong sticking up for herself, but otherwise a plain asshole to almost everyone around her, Also, i hate the main leads haircut. Also, what real character development occurred, all they did to the FL was water down her personality. I also found her super clingy and creepy, and i feel bad for actress that played her (who is stunning btw).

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Dropped 7/16
Randomness47
2 people found this review helpful
Jul 21, 2020
7 of 16 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 2.5
This review may contain spoilers

Interesting story, romance makes no sense

This drama had a lot of potential and there were many parts I liked, but the romantic parts have ruined it for me and I don't think I can keep watching because of that. The cast is really cool and like many other reviewers have said the diversity and attention to social issues was a big plus for this drama because they make it stand out from many other dramas and add interesting, realistic facets to the story. I also loved the revenge storyline, and Yoo Jae Myung and Ahn Bo Hyun were able to elicit a strong emotional reaction with their portrayals of their characters. Just the first few episodes inspired fury, grief, pride, happiness, and determination. Additionally, he drama made an interesting commentary on class and corruption.

However, where the drama really fell short for me was the romance. It was not only unnecessary, but also left me confused as if I were missing something. Park Sae Ro Yi's crush on Oh Soo Ah seemed to pop up out of nowhere, but was sweet at the beginning and the story provided enough context and explanation that I was able to accept it even if it seemed a bit farfetched. However, as time passed and the story progressed,Sae Ro Yi's romantic feelings for Oh Soo Ah began to make less and less sense. His primary goal in life was to get revenge for his father's death and yet he was completely willing to accept the fact that she had devoted 7+ years of her life to work for the family responsible for his dad's death and the subsequent cover-up? Additionally, his crush lasted years and years without any indication that she reciprocated his feelings even though he had only been close with her for a short time and hadn't even had contact with her for 7 years? And yet their relationship made more sense to me than the romance pushed between Sae Ro Yi and Jo Yi Seo.

While I really appreciated Jo Yi Seo as an interesting addition to the plot line as well as her general bad*ss-ery, she was an overall unlikeable character. She and Sae Ro Yi had little in common and no visible chemistry. While I am sometimes okay with an age gap between couples in dramas, the age difference was far too clear in Sae Ro Yi and Yi Seo's relationship to overlook. While Yi Seo was able to help Sae Ro Yi with his business using her experience and connections; emotionally, the two were almost never on the same page. Additionally, on multiple occasions Yi Seo got in between Sae Ro Yi and his actual crush, Soo Ah, which I thought should have drawn Sae Ro Yi away from Yi Seo instead of toward her. Every time the two of them appeared together on screen I found myself wondering "Am I meant to want them to get together?" Because their relationship made absolutely no sense. The scene that made this clear for me was when Sae Ro Yi allowed Yi Seo to tag along on his trip to visit the detective who had mishandled his case and began telling her all about his life. Because Sae Ro Yi had never been open about his emotions, plans, or experiences before (not even telling his Soo Ah who had been around for his dad's death and he supposedly had feelings for) and because Yi Seo had never expressed empathy or interest in anyone else (including her supposed best friend) this scene seemed wildly out of character for both of them and left me completely confused. Was I meant to believe that because of their "romantic attraction" they were going to act like completely different people? Even when they had no reason to be romantically attracted to each other in the first place? Instead of adding to the story and drawing my attention like romantic plot-lines often do, I found myself getting irritated with the characters and the story every time there was even a hint of romance. This unnecessary addition to the drama really hurt the story instead of helping it.

Overall, the drama has a lot of potential, and perhaps I will eventually end up finishing it by simply skipping over any romantic aspects. But because the love interests are such integral parts of the story, I fear I will miss out on important plot points if I don't watch the emotionally confusing and out-of-character romantic moments.

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Dropped 5/16
wangranhee
3 people found this review helpful
Aug 24, 2020
5 of 16 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 5.5
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
I started this drama without great expectation from the plot as I am not the type of person who enjoys revenge stories. I started watching this only because of Park Seo Joon. The story started off great. I respected Sae Ro Yi's character though he didn't have much development. I know the whole story cuz I read up the summary. I detested the main female lead's character. There is a thin line between being badass and being a hypocrite and in my opinion, Jo Yiseo was leaning towards the latter side. An instance is when she tore up the DanBam poster that Sae Ro Yi gave her. It didn't have a particular reason and to me felt just like a forced action to make her seem badass and cool. Such instances were there all over the story. I didn't like the second female lead either. She seemed too self centered and said she would date Sae Ro Yi only after he became rich. Jo Yiseo also seemed too immature and whiny to have a strong bond with Sae Ro Yi. He was mature though slightly naive. So if the romance was removed I would have liked this a whole lot better. I also felt that one second Yiseo tears up Sae Ro Yi's poster and falls in love with him the next second. The romance was confusing and messy which overshadowed the revenge plot. The OSTs acting and everything else was pretty good in my opinion.

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Completed
DeadPrincess
1 people found this review helpful
Apr 2, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
I've seen a lot of reviews saying that the plot is poorly written and I have to disagree with that. Because it is probably one of the best written kdramas ever and I'm definitely a huge fan of the writer after this. Yeah you have to pay attention to the small details but that's what makes this drama so beautiful.

So let's start with the characters. Saeroyi. The character development and the deepness of his character is mind blowing. The way I fell or him because of his actions right away and I felt like his character is someone who deserves the whole world says a lot. His dark past and things he had to go through yet he still managed to be the best person ever believing in himself and people around him made him not just a character in a kdrama but almost like a role model. "I value people not money" is probably the most beautiful thing he said. He could've choose the easier way so many times yet he still decided to stick to his principles and beliefs because that's what his father thought him. And if that's not someone you would want to look up to then I don't know who is.
To be honest Yi-Seo's and Saeroyi's characters were completely different but that's why it made a great balance and I loved them both as I think their love story was so well developed and everything had a reasoning.
The supporting cast. Again, brilliant. I truly felt like I knew these people as their character were so well written explaining actions we might not agree with ( such as SooAh). That's what it made them so realistic. We don't always make good decisions thats why we are here so we can learn and move on.
Even the evil characters. Yeah I hated them which was needed as they created the tension however sometimes they still had reasons behind their actions.

This drama thought me so many things, made me happy, made me cry. There was no moment when I was bored which I think is really important when it comes to kdramas. Every single detail and plot had a reason behind it. The plot was so nicely laid out and the ending was truly perfect. Everything we needed.

The romance. Probably one of the best ones I've ever seen. I knew why those two people fell in love and I knew why they needed each other. Because it was clearly explained and it was slowly developed. It suited both of their characters. It was meaningful and beautiful.

And the music. What can I say? Just perfect.

So if you hesitant to watch this drama please don't be. I am so glad I did because I can say it is one of the best, most mature drama. Not with some pointless characters or plotlines. Not with some lame romance. It's just perfect. Perfect balance of action, romance, comedy, crying, happiness. Everything was so well presented and I wish I could watch a drama like this again.

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Completed
Newbb
1 people found this review helpful
Mar 22, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 6.0
This review may contain spoilers
This drama was overly hyped through social media. To be honest, the first half of the drama was totally great which makes me hook into it. The storyline was somewhat new and unique for me since it was all about revenge and food war. But as long as I watched the series the hype of it really strike down since there are episodes that are totally nonsense and left me thinking that I might lose the interest of watching the rest of the series. But for the sake of it that I already made it this far just made me force myself to finish it till the last episode. But the good side about Itaewon class was that it tackles a major issue in our daily life especially when it comes the discrimination and acceptance to the public of both different races especially for black people and the members of LGBTQ.

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Ongoing 6/16
Park Jae Hyun
6 people found this review helpful
Feb 17, 2020
6 of 16 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.5
In my opinion, Itaewon Class is pretty awesome.
First of all, I'm a really big fan of the casting. I like Lee Joo Young's role (her tomboyish nature reminded me of her character in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo) and also the other characters are very fitting in looks as they are with their personality. I enjoy the funny scenes as well as the scenes with more depth. I'm looking forward to watching as the plot develops further. I would very much recommend watching this drama as it is very unique and interesting.
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Ongoing 4/16
Abdulllah
9 people found this review helpful
Feb 9, 2020
4 of 16 episodes seen
Ongoing 1
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers
Last year hotel del luna gave me this feeling that is excitement and eagerness to wait for the next episode
Liked the personalities of both main lead and female lead
They both are just amazing and music is ???. You can watch itaewon class on Netflix which makes the ep available ASAP as 2 hours after airing in korea or Other third party websites such as kissaian which usually takes 6-12 hours.
Cant wait for the next episode ????????????
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Dropped 4/16
glorian pascasio
4 people found this review helpful
Aug 24, 2020
4 of 16 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 5.5
Story 5.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 4.0

Not worth of my time.

I stopped watching this drama even though i love park seo joon.

i already watch a lot of korean dramas but I added this drama on my boring list.
the casting was great. park seo joon, kim da mi, ahn bo hyun and kwon na ra they are really good actors and actresses.
I know that they are trying to be different to other kdrama storyline but i stopped watching because story is getting uninteresting. i don't hate the drama, it is not the type of drama that i like.
I love their OST especially Gaho's Start Over. whenever i listen to that song it makes me feel like i should watch the itaewon class.

if i will continue this drama. it is not on my priority list. maybe i can only finish this drama for one to two months unlike for other dramas that i can finish it for less than a week

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Itaewon Class poster

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  • Score: 8.4 (scored by 101,398 users)
  • Ranked: #777
  • Popularity: #24
  • Watchers: 183,810

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