This review may contain spoilers
The premise is intriguing. It's trying to explore people between humanity and trying to survive facing of prejudice in social class and status in society. It trying to explore about how much human would do in the worst situation in social standing, versus someone who already achieve so much, and has acknowledge high status in social standing. There is both opposite reaction between the way Soo Ah and Sae Ro Yi choose path in other to rise and being accepted and succcessful . And it's intriguing aspect in the narrative that never explore succesfully. It lack great effort to dig deeper and the writers certainly playing safe. Sae Ro Yi, someone who has so many handicap in earlier episode to achieve his goals, suddenly achieve so much and has so many advantage , so is the story, as if refusing to get deeper, and end up less believable. And in the end, they are losing track in the third act. . Some character action and development felt contrived and inconsistent. Well, After this, I really become appreciate a writers who attempt to write a very well written complex character, dare to take a risk in the myth of losing audience. Nice attempt though. I understand of what the writers want to convey, but it's just never reach the potential and feels less belivable in execution, in terms of writing and the direction. But thankfully, the unconvincing plot get helped by the strong performances from Yoo Jae Myung and Ahn Bo Hyun, who make a really convincing villain, and a reliable acting from the rest of the cast. Or else skip this drama and don't wasting your time,
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This review may contain spoilers
What I think about this series
Ep 8 is on fire. That complex move that the directors, screenwrighters and producers put in there is so cool. Its like trying to make us think if Yi-Seo is actually joining the other team or not.Basically I am jungshook at the twist plot, I mean... When Yi-Seo entered the Jangga.Co's building. My heart stopped beating due to the fact she is the main character so she cant betray the male character but my mind has so many doubts. But like is she planning to do something to their business or what because this hold for new episodes to be uploaded is nerve-wracking. But I think she has a trick up her sleeve since she likes Park Sae Ro Yi.
Favourite Part:
When I was spectating the Behind The Scenes of 'Itaweon Class' there was this scene-they were suppose to kiss but they were joking around and making fun of each other. Also when Yi-Seo kiss-blocked Soo-Ah and mentioned the 'Criminal Law Article 32' but then thinking about it she kissed him as well so she basically- I love her.
Ending:
Oh also people ahould stop thinking Yi-Seo is self-centered or selfish but basically thats her character, role. So people shouldnt say that they thinkbis the actress that makes Yi-Seo bad. I am sure enough that those peopld are no better than her. Anyways if u think she is cringy always remember nobody is perfect.
Thanks for reading.
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This is not for you if you don't like Jo Yi-seo
I did like the concept of the drama. I was absolutely in love with the story of Saeroyi vs. Jangga. I was wholly involved in the story about Saeroyi's path for revenge. And I especially loved Soo-ah! You got to see a lot of character depth in her, and her inner conflicts about right and wrong.Here's the thing though. I did not like Jo Yi-seo in the slightest. It was such a pity because I like Kim Da Mi! But I did not enjoy her character one bit. She was rude toward everyone. She was the type that would use people as long as they could do something that would benefit her. She was the "cool" girl that everyone adored with her huge social media following and extravagant lifestyle.
I think this show appeals to people who strive to be like Yi-seo. A lot of people liked her because she was hardworking and "badass". But honestly, she was not a nice person at all. Badass Female Lead doesn't need to mean Mean Female Lead. In the end, she didn't care about anyone except Saeroyi. I don't wanna spoil too much, but she had been largely offensive towards almost ALL of the characters. She willingly belittled most of the show's characters, just to get closer to Saeroyi. Her apologies were so lousy, yet all the characters ended up loving her anyway, which I didn't understand. Everyone I have talked to about this issue says that I just don't properly understand her character, but I really cannot see what I am missing. I wanted to like her but, sadly, I just couldn't. And it ruined the show for me.
The show had some good themes, even though I might have found the ending incredibly unsatisfying. I would not rewatch it though. At all. It was the kind of drama that once I was watching it I would enjoy, yet when I wasn't watching it, it would be hard for me to even press play. It took me a very long to finish it because I had to force myself to watch it. I honestly wouldn't recommend it, but if you like Yi-seo, this is for you.
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And I am so happy that Saeroyi managed to be successful and found the love of his life.
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This review may contain spoilers
This show had a lot of hype, and it had the incredible Park Seo Joon. I was expecting to fall in love with this one. The beginning episodes went through the backstory in too much detail. The middle was definitely the best, although some characters got under my skin (both the FLs and all the villains... aka, way too many cast members!). I sincerely wish the show ended as soon as we established what happened to everyone in 2020. The plot lines after that were so unnecessary and farfetched.
I wish certain people were redeemable. I wish a certain early-story "boss" built some sort of loyalty with our protagonist, instead of being tempted by money.
I also did not ever like either of the female leads (okay, maybe I came around when Park Bo Gum showed up). I found Sooah to be too self-serving and took Saeroyi for granted. I wanted to shake Yi-Seo, because I don't think it's a good message to suggest that if you persist with your affections, someday it'll magically work out. I also felt that she had no growth in the story, still only caring about her boss above all.
The OST (especially the Gaho song) was lit though.
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An optimistic heartwarming revenge story that's all about the people
Firstly, I have to point out I'm not a big fan of revenge plots and rarely fall in love with them like I did with Itaewon Class which has a more refreshing and modern take on the usual one man VS corporation storyline.I liked that this time, It wasn't a story of a tragedy but rather a fantastically optimistic telling of a person who got back at those who wronged him by not abandoning himself, his values or his precious people. Our main lead Sae Ro Yi got knocked down hard, at an early age, having lost his father, his dream of becoming a policeman and his freedom. Now following the footsteps of his greatest nemesis, he chooses a new dream, opens a restaurant and with the help of friends he met along the way they work together towards becoming the leading company in the food industry and thus taking his revenge on the current number one's leader.
------storyline gets a 10 from me
***Moving on to the characters/acting:***
1.Park Sae Ro Yi (SRY from now): SRY doesn't get much of a character development throughout the show nor does he necessarily have to. He is pure, inspiring, ambitious, never strays from his believes and protects his people no matter what. The consistency in his character is what makes him a such a great one and what draws people to him. Park Seo Joon never disappoints.
2. Oh Soo Ah (SA from this point): has to be the comment section's favorite character.SA is an orphan who relies only on herself and her ability, never asking or taking help from others, and always thinking and acting according to her best interests. She ends up receiving a scholarship from Jang Ga, the leading corporation in Korea's food industry which is also lead by our main villain and later gets accepted to work there. She is also SRY's first love. All and all she is a very well-written realistic character and the only flaw I find in her is her behavior towards our main lead. Despite also liking him she is always passive, never encourages him and acts as the devil's messenger in times not even by necessity, making me wonder does she really like him at all.
3. Jo Yi Seo: My personal favorite (sadly it seems I'm a minority): YS has some sociopathic tendencies, although never officially diagnosed, is a social media influencer with a large following, an extremely capable person and a genius who looks pretty like an angel but in truth is somewhat of a devil (loosely quoted). She meets our hero, falls in love with him and decides to do everything in her power to help him achieve both his dream and his revenge consequently becoming the new manager of his restaurant.
What I find so refreshing and endearing in her is how she, a 20 year old at the beginning of the show, never doubts her capabilities, bases her dream around a man but never feels apologetic for it or lets it diminish her value as a person. She strives to make him happy and to make him fall in love with her trough her actions as her financial and mental independence allow her to follow through with her decisions. YS's and SA's characters demonstrate that there are many ways to be a strong female, particularly YS who is both a strong female and is hopelessly in love with a man (because somehow dramas have them girls suddenly become all week and dependent on the man, and also a bit of change from the male lead who is always pulling strings for the girl is always a blessing). Now, some of YS's behavior is bit controversial and not to everyone's liking, I say you have to judge for yourselves how you deem her behavior to be as I find there's a big double standard in many of the comments on her.
4. villains: for the villains we have the CEO Jang Dae Hee (JDE) and his son Jang Geun Won (JDW). Honestly both actors did a good job, I pitted JDW and could never completely hate him even when he lost all hope of redemption as he was but a mere result of his father's values: the strong pray on the week and regular people outside of Jang Ga's ranks are livestock (there's a pig and chicken metaphor here but I won't get into it). But the true villain star is You Jae Myung who instead of hate got all my admiration for his acting skills and I secretly wanted to bow to him in admiration of his versatility. He did an amazing job playing a cold, collected, prideful and arrogant CEO who believes he's above everyone else. Also, apparently no makeup makes a scarier villain and those freckles should be added as a skill in his resume for playing bad guys. Overall, the "evil" characters weren't over the top and you could understand their reasoning. the only downside goes to JDW character development toward the end, frankly he lacked true conviction for his extreme actions and was kind of meh when he could have been a big source of feels and sobs from the viewers.
The side characters were awesome apart from Jang Geun Soo (the CEO's second son) who wasn't developed properly, and you got to give kudos for the diverse representation of people on the show.
----- charecters and acting get an 8.
***OST***: I have no complains-------it's a 10,I keep listening to it over and over. It fitted perfectly with everything that was going on in the drama and gave me a lot of feels.
***Rewatch value***: 7 because revenge still isn't my pick to relive boredom and yet Iteawon Class was simply too good.
***To sum it all up***, Itaewon Class had The Best Most Satisfying end for a drama I can remember in my almost 11 years of watching almost exclusively Kdramas and had me holding my breath for episodes come Friday and even during the entire week's wait. I don't like to criticize things especially if I enjoyed them so much, so even though it had some problems and sparked a lot of debate, I give it an overall 9 - to be objective , though i hardly am (in my heart it's still a 10).
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one of the best drama for me(A must watch)
I watched this drama when it was released.It was one of the best I have watched. It is great in every aspect such as acting which is best,music-one of the best OST's I've heard is there then cast is superb and they are well suited for there roles.I don't really understand how people can dislike this drama..it has great start which keeps you watching till the end and with a great ending as well. I think one who dislikes this drama may be addicted to some fantasy type of drama and are not used to this type of genre and story.
As I end I shd say that this is a must watch and if you have chosen this as your first kdrama then it your choice and keep on watching it till end.
Thank you✌
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Worth the hype not the hate
Plot: The normal revenge plot with some predictable outcomes but convincing and believable acting and time stamps. Diverse cast integrated with topics of lgbt, morals, self-worth, business and second chances in everything.Acting: PSJ will always be the most charming man for me. He did all the work with lots of help from the villains. The rest of the characters did good too.
Music: Only like a few songs but nothing remarkable.
Rewatch Value: I don’t think it’s a rewatchable type of drama but I believe it should be watched by everyone because the message of the drama is very important, especially in everyday life.
Overall: 8.5-9. The drama made an impact for me or maybe because i got the message or probably I understood something that some people didn’t notice because I’m the type of person who observes foreshadowing or meaning of every action. For example, as soon as Saeroyi woke up from his dream and cried like a baby, it made me think of a new born child who cries nonstop as soon as he was out of the womb. That moment, it reminded me that Saeroyi will be reborn, and I just knew that his revenge was not his priority anymore. Him kneeling down is not about his pride but more about peace of mind. I wasn’t annoyed with the female leads, I find them relevant with different personalities but still empowered. I like the diamond poem a lot too. Although some characters weren’t as amazing as the main leads they still deserve the recognition for their efforts and rather convincing roles. I didn’t expect romance in this drama as it wasn’t the main focus but the bonus was still cute. I didn’t feel like it’s forced too given the time stamps and their hardships together. It has some thought-provoking sentiments and lessons which are important for the youth and that’s why I gave high marks for this series.
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A soulful class of misfits
"My friends need me. And I`m curious about our future." ¬ Park Sae-ro-yiThis is one puzzling drama, I must be honest. From the moment I got into Korean dramas, I`ve seen quotes, edits and snippets of this drama scattered all over social media. After some time, I became a huge fan of Park Seo joon as a person and I came to believe that, when saddled with a good script or director(or ideally both), he can do great things. When it comes to this project, I was right. This is, without a doubt in my mind, the best role PSJ has ever taken on.
Giving life to idealistic, yet gravely wronged and revenge-fueled Park Sae-ro-yi was probably the best decision he has made in a while. Regardless of the other aspects of this show, this character will be one many fans will remember, even if you`re not fond of PSJ. I`m sure of it. This drama managed to highlight many, if not all talents he has to offer, proving that he`s not just a `pretty face` many people have been referring to him as for years. But he`s not the only positive about this ambitious program. In fact, the reason why this drama confuses me is due to its ability to overcome its own mediocrity. Let me elaborate.
Like many others before me, I`ve got to agree with the fact that this script is not the best. In fact, it`s not even that good, to be honest. While few shinning moments can be put aside, like Hyun-yi`s competition and clever parallels drawn between Mr. Jang and Sae-ro-yi, for the most part, this script isn`t the inspiring or, for that matter, soulful aspect of this drama. When it comes to direction, whilst adequate, it also wasn`t the main ingredient for this drama`s win with me. No, from my point of view, this dramas was bound to be seen as average or even below it in my eyes, since I`ve seen this plot, this ending, these characters befo-
...
That right there. That was the reason. The characters. The reason why this drama got me addicted enough to finish it in three days. The reason why I didn`t feel the need to take a break between episodes and devote my time to something more fulfilling for a bit. Never did I feel like that with this show. Even when they used predictable tropes to move the story along. Even when they dropped the ball on the last three episodes with our main couple. Even with the way they concluded the grandiose revenge. Through all these warning stops, I still cared about Itaewon Class. Because they achieved unity that was so effortless and charming. From the lovable but clueless Choi Seung-Kwon, brave yet vulnerable Ma Hyun-yi, optimistic yet scarred Kim Toni to, finally, savvy yet ignorant Jo Yi-Seo, this gang of misfits was a joy to watch. And this is why I must call my review a subjective one. Not everyone is going to think like me. In fact, I urge you not to. But when I talk about how chemistry between the actors can and will overcome almost every average script, directing etc. this is what I mean. Even if the characters besides Yi-Seo, Sae-ro-yi and Mr. Jang could`ve been more fleshed out, I loved what we got from them too. And I love the message behind our main couple, maybe more that their clumsy, but happy end. Support. Being there for one another when things get tough. Growing together. These are principles present in the relationship between Yi-Seo and Sae-ro-yi. Even if their actual progression to a romantic connection was indeed, rushed, for me it was believable BECAUSE we spent so much time watching them work hard together, make mistakes and grow. Key word:together. Which is why I would have never been able to buy a serious relationship between Soo-ah(whom I really like as a character, on her own) and Sae-ro-yi. I`ve had similar experiences and it`s not fun nor is it rewarding. I won`t spoil it further, but I would`ve been upset if they had ended up together because they are too fundamentally different to a certain point. One more thing I must mention is how they dared to make the main female lead an ignorant one when it comes to social issues like racism and transphobia, but let her grow in that department too. Never have I ever seen that in a drama.
As for the drawbacks, apart from these I`ve mentioned, I do feel like they could`ve substituted the last two episodes with more development from Toni, Seung-Kwon etc. I would be fine with this drama having 18 episodes, for example, if they were to use them on further development of side characters and the main couple. Another minor problem I had also, and I`m going to nitpick, is how many things were set up conveniently and some decisions that were made were questionable. The OST was good, with the theme song stealing the show for how well incorporated it came off. It was worthy of ITAEWON CLASS.
Finally, while this show had its fair share of problems, it was still fun, comforting and never boring, even when it was biting more than it could chew. A recommendation well-earned.
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Story is just amazing
Fast paced and well scripted story immediately grabs the audience in the first episode.and its the same with this drama itaewon cass. Seeing him in school actually made me confuse for a bit but as the story progress and he becomes a convict I got totally excited that whats going to happen next. And with each episode this enthusiasm kept on increasing. The transgender and racism character also gave me a reason to watch the show as it was quite refreshing.I liked that the story has less romance and more focused on the storytelling. Its hard to see dramas like this.
Park seo joon was as usual awesome. He just melted in the role of park sae ro yi. Kim Da Mi as Yi so was tough yet soothing character. It was her first drama and I really liked her.am gonna check out her other works.
Startover ost was has made its way into my playlist. Its usage in the BGM was perfect.
Rewatch after some time when the meomry fades away.
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I fell in love with a character of Park Seojun - Park Saeroyi. I liked him so much that I thought that it would be great to have a husband like him. I think his character is so mature and hardworking. It would be great to have someone like him by your side
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