Itaewon Class (2020)

Story: It was good, but it was not the greatest. I don't know, the first episode felt a bit "meh", I already had an idea of what was going to happen from the first 10-20 minutes, but stayed for Nara and PSJ and thankfully the rest of the drama did not disappoint. Aside from inaccuracies about Kim Da Mi's character, it was not that bad, but it was not that great in my opinion. The plot was different-ish compared to other dramas, but the ending bit was a bit too wild to go with the rest of the drama. I did not mind it, but it cut the flow of the drama a bit, IMO.
Acting/Cast: Of course the cast and their acting was top-notch and I'm glad that they touched on topics like racism in Korea with the inclusion of Toni (Chris Lyon/Ryan), as well as LGBTQ-related things.
Music: It was good, not the usual set of soft/sad/melo/ballad type of songs. My top 3: Diamond - Ha Hyun Woo, Sweet Night - V, and Start Over - Gaho.
Rewatch Value: I don't like rewatching dramas in general, to be more specific, I simply can't so it's more of a score to help me get the average overall score.

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Something fresh and real

This is my first review and more for my entertainment :)

Itaewon Class, while having a pretty common story, manages to capture the attention of its audience, why you ask? Because of the characters, and the cast that portrayed its characters so beautifully.
Humans are neither good nor bad (sadly, we find that concept very often in dramas though : "the good guy" aka hero, "the bad guy" aka villian, and the "well-mannered" female lead) and I think this drama perfectly captured that.
Here we have something different. Even the "bad guy" was not entirely bad. His actions were not justified, but they kind of made sense (to me at least). The female lead, that many people here even called "Bitch", is someone with antisocial tendencies, and she knows it. Sometimes I loved her actions and her decisions, and sometimes I was disappointed. And by dissapointed I dont mean, that I am blaming the writer for not writing a more "morally acceptable" character, but more in the sense, that she did something, that was probably not the nicest thing to do, but it is part of her "nature".

I think the cast did a great great job! I could probably write pages about every single character, and what i found intriguing and what could have been better about them.

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S O L I D P E R F E C T I O N !!!

WOW! Just WOW! I finished Itaewon Class just now , weeks after its last episode aired worldwide. I know I'm late to join the party but I'm grateful I watched this one and I won't skip my chance to write a good review here and spread the words about how good this drama is. Gosh! This drama is on another level! It's mind blowing! It's a solid perfection!

I'm seriously in awe and losing my words. I'm speechless! I don't know what to write here because right now, there's too much good things in my brain waiting to be poured in this review. This drama is 180 degrees different, comparing to any K-drama nowadays. It's nothing about lovey dovey relationship or cutie pie story. It's all about something real: fighting hard and be determined while achieving your goals!

The casts in this drama are amazing. Park Sae-ro-yi is the man of his words. He had been through sickest and darkest hell but still standing strong until he finally achieves his goal in the end. Jo Si-yeo is the real deal, the badass! She's the real definition of fierce. Her confident is what makes her very rare and precious. She's genius, has nothing to afraid and exactly knows what she wants in life.

To me, there's not many movies or dramas which can change my life and give me new perspective after watching them. But Itaewon Class is seriously a game changer. Please tell me, how often you watch a movie or drama which successfully boosting your spirit at their ends? When you find one, it feels so so so good and somehow, satisfying!

To sum up my review, I will simply put: Itaewon Class makes me wanna try at life again.

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The typical story of a poor main lead who defies all odds to battle a bad, rich antagonist.

There are a few key differences though:

1. The character of the male main lead - a very morally upright person that "does what he believes in". This may lead to socially indifferent situations, some logically questionable decisions, and also some superbly heroic ones, and while it isn't necessary different from a lot of main chacters in dramas today, the intricacies in his character development, and the way its acted out is superb to say the least.
2. The character of the female main lead - a exceptionally smart and good looking girl who may seem socially cold, her character is not something you would often see, especially in Korean dramas where they would simply be there just for emotional support.

The first half of the drama was exceptional, beautifully directed and shot. The pacing was on point, along with the character development of the team, but then, as with a lot of successful Korean dramas, it got popular, started getting littered with product placement, and the effort, character development, and everything that made it great got lost with it.

TLDR: The writing and key plot points were very clever and well thought out, and I'll be sure to give the webtoon and any of his future works a look. But the lack of execution from direction and production towards the second half of the drama was disappointing to say the least.

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This drama is one of the best dramas I have ever seen. I personally prefer thriller, crime and action drama. Therefore, for romance it should be very good to catch my fancy, and above that it should be an epic to make me write a review praising it. This drama is one of those.
Firstly, acting is superb and either of the male or female leads are specially great and bring forward their persona completely, either in their facial expressions or their dialog they build characters that the viewers can connect with. The male lead is a very talented and known actor that does not need much introduction but what surprised me was the acting of the female lead. It was breathtaking. The personality of the female lead and her acting is so strong that in the most scenes her role feels more important to me than the male lead. Sometimes the acting of an actor or actress is so natural that you feel like they were born to take that role and no one will be able to do better; this was one of those times.
secondly, direction is good and the flow of the story is always appealing.
thirdly, music complements the dialog and events completely. Specially in important scenes music is like a third dialog that helps transfer more emotions and meaning and completes the scene.
As for the rewatch value I would say definitely and without doubt. Actually I believe this drama is gonna be one of the classics in a few years.
The only complaint that I have about the drama is the logic problems in the story. maybe it is a problem with the webtoon and not the drama itself, but never the less it exists. Some events seem too far-fetched to occur in real life which make the story feel like a fantasy and something that is never gonna happen. I'm specially talking about the phase of development for the male lead and his teem. Another matter is that in some specially important scenes, the reaction of the characters to someone or some events are unrealistic and sometimes too strong, it seems that they react in this way just to make story move forward and make something -usually romantic- happen between the characters.

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What can i say about this drama?
For one i absolutely loved it. For me i literally couldn't find a fault in it. This drama is a breath of fresh air. So unlike other dramas. It tackles so many issues of modern day problems. Being racism, and the harsh opinions on those who want to live as a different gender. These components are rarely introduced into Korean dramas. And i especially like how they were involved with this drama. The actors were amazing. Park Seo-Joon did a great job playing his character. He was strong, and caring. Never wanting harm to those he loved. And Kim Da-Mi also did a good job in playing her character so badass and protective over the ML. You could easily tell how much she loved him. These main leads were perfect for the role. The whole cast were amazing. The story line was great to. I found it easy to follow without getting bored at all. And with the music as well. It made it so much better, and with some scenes, was very intense lol. This is definitely a drama i would rewatch. I'm sad that it is over because now i don't know what to watch next. For anyone who is thinking about watching this. Don't hesitate. Watch it. You will not regret it. Its soooooo good! And for those who are wondering if this drama has a happy ending... it doesn't.... Nahhh i'm joking. Best ending ever!

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Itaewon Class Is Fun But Not Special

As far as Kdramas go, Itaewon Class does nothing to distinguish itself from any other Kdrama that relies on tired tropes, sibling and romantic rivalries, and overarching themes of revenge. Still, the characters are likable enough and the performances are pretty solid and manage to maintain a consistent energy throughout. There's even an attempt to address hot-button issues like racism and transphobia but they seem to resolve too easily and in an unsatisfactory way just to score some quick social justice points. And I'm not sure why Chris Lyon's character, Toni, would be the only staff member at Danbam to be required to learn English. But I did enjoy the cinematography, the fashions, and the overall David v. Goliath vibe of the show.

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i really liked so
this show was really so emotional and pure love
it made me feel warm many times

except few things in it like the timing, it wasn't right during the last episodes in many scenes
such as when (ahn bo hyun) was chasing them with his car (park seo joon) was telling the FL about his feelings
far away from being incorrect time for this confession the car took so long to reach them although it was very short distance
and many other flaws like this during the end

it has also a great messages
like..
*under any circumstances you should never abandon your principles
because once you abandon one time the rest will be easier

*and away from whom you love, even if for long years
only situations & supporting can make you continue loving him or not


what bothered me much.. i felt the ML was senseless many times, he even discovered his feelings too late
and i couldn't feel sympathy at all with (ahn bo hyun) the whole drama although he was victim for his father

and (Nara) was a real selfish, coward B***h

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Inspirational Park Saeroyi is worth 16+ hrs of your drama watching time

At first, I was not that into the show, just finished Sweet Home, and here's yet another show where there is nonsense bullying, a corrupt parent enabling their child's evil deeds, turning the child into a mini-version of themself, and the evil cycle continues on. But Park Saeroyi (Park Seo Joon). It's impossible that he will not grow on you. He's just so decent (How to be you?), which is so rare nowadays. Itaewon Class is a great inspirational underdog (revenge) story.

As the world becomes more and more chaotic, it's becoming much harder to be a stickler for the right morals and principles, as people struggle to survive in a 'dog eat dog' world. It's so easy to conform, and take the easy path. Saeyori knows the righteous path is usually the harder path, but he knows no other way.

I appreciate that the writer veered away from the usual 'Candy' heroines, both Soo Ah and Yi Seo (Kim Da Mi) are complex and driven characters, but the romance has to be the weakest part of Itaewon for me. The idea of a Romeo and Juliet type of romance between Soo Ah and Saeroyi felt more drama epic, I wished the writer showed more of Soo Ah's struggles along the way. For Yi Seo, it was hard to understand her very frank ways at first, I'm also not comfortable about the fact that she risked it all for Saeyori. Maybe I'm more forgiving in fantasy dramas than real-life setting lol.

Itaewon has an unforgettable OST that's just perfect for the motivational message of the drama. Good cast, I watched Ahn Bo Hyun in Kairos first, but he's a phenomenal villain here that comes off a little unhinged. All in all, Itaewon is more than a classic revenge story in a modern setting, it also tackles struggles of the youth and life lessons, including timely issues like transgenders, racism, business startup, and that there is no single path to success. Saeroyi is definitely worth 16 hours of your time.

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This series was very interesting! The story of this series was very empowering and motivating! The actors and actresses displayed a lot of powerful emotions and persistence in terms of displaying each roles emotions and actions with passion and care. I was immediately drawn to this series after watching the first episode! After each episode, my interest remained throughout the entire series! I was impressed by Park Seo-Joon and Kim Da Mi’s exceptional deliverance of their roles! Their on screen chemistry was admirable and adorable - waiting out til the last few episodes was a different approach but the long awaited blossom of love til the end was worth the wait! Full of passion, persistence, competence, hard work, determination and exceptional acting! What more could you ask for in K-Drama Series! :)

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This was definitely a fresh drama with a beautiful storyline that almost seems real and surreal at the same time. Inspiring, lively and unbelievable at times, is what I would describe this series. Personally, the first part of the drama was more my style, as it kept me coming back for it. Iteawon Class is a lot about Korean culture, and lets you into the newer emerging culture about business and nightlife in Seoul. A lot of viewers were quite disappointed with the ending, which is totally understandable with the whole shift in dynamics and the main point of the story. However, I dare to disagree, as the characters and the overall aesthetics are what made me fall in love with the drama. On top of that, the side characters got their little own screen time + there was an emphasis on Korean food, which looked amazing. Yes, some character development was disappointing, but it is not something major. Lastly, I found the OST very dreamy and uplifting, and now some songs are on constant repeat.

Although I thought it would not be your typical drama, it did have those cheesy Kdrama moments. I do believe that this drama is worth a watch if you are into vibrant, inspiring slice of life series!

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