Most people will probably tell you that this show is the “ most original Korean drama, they’ve ever seen” or “ the best one ever”, however, there was something about this drama which took me awhile to work out where my problem lay from a critical manner. Of course, there’s no doubt that Itaewon Class has some selling points which were tackled for the appeal of the “ young generation” and “international” viewers. This is particularly seen through; casting choices ( note fairly newcomer actors Da- Mi and American Chris Lyon) , themes tackled( attitudes to racism, LGBT rights and of course released prisoners) , fairly unique plot premise and characters as well . So, where did a show with such brimming potential go wrong? Well, its biggest problem was for once not entirely upon the acting ( this is something which I must give the show some praise for , especially from Da-Mi ‘s emotionally vibrant role as her role character Yi Seo, against lead actor Park Seo Joon’s sometimes lacklustre moments) , but, upon the characters and plot itself. The show ( based upon the titular Korean webtoon) centres around Park Sae-royi ( Park Seo Joon) who during his teen years, was wrongfully imprisoned around the same time of his father’s accident, when he is angered by bully and legitimate heir to Jangga Group, Jang Geun-won ( Ahn Bo Hyun). After being released, Sae- royi claims revenge against Jaanga Group by establishing his own restaurant in Itaewon with the help of fellow misfits , intelligent and tech savvy Jo Yi- Seo as his manager ( Kim Da- Mi), Yi- Seo’s classmate and illegitimate son of the head of Jaanga , Jang Geun-soo ( Kim Dong hee), fellow inmate Choi Seung-kwon ( Ryu Kyung-soo) transgender woman and head cook Ma Hyeon-yi( Lee Joo - Young) and Guinean- Korean part-timer Kim To- Ni ( Chris Lyon). As a premise, the show has a unique flair to it, but, I think it’s quick to become apparent that a show which focused upon the characters as plot devices rather than human beings at times, certainly has lacking emphasis upon characterisation . This cliche grew apparent when the show trickled into the tropes of revenge dramas from illnesses, illegitimate heirs to the stereotypical cliche of love scenarios between the “ older” Male lead Park Sae- royi, the “ young prodigy ,and not so innocent” Yi- Seo , the “ tangled between love and duty” Oh Soo-ah ( Kwon Nara) and the “ puppy -dog outcast” Geun- Soo. Whilst there was nothing entirely wrong with having romance in a drama about misfits, Itaewon Class made the classic mistake of centralising too much focus upon the romance of these characters rather than as individuals with personalities, pasts and lives outside of their relationships . For me, this was particularly seen with Sae- royi. Considering the amount of psychological and emotional damage he’s been through as a character since episode one, you’d expect such a character to be a realistic, cautious and likeable Male lead who is able to relate to viewers through their own painful experiences. Instead, Sae-royi is a perfect example of a “ stock Male lead” who has little emotional outburst, awareness to feelings, manipulation or any moments of weakness which truly make us reflect as viewers upon his journey. Arguably , there’s his “ romance” with Yi- Seo to make him more ‘ human’ ; so lacklustre that it’s a question why it exists in the show at all . Sae-royi seems to constantly mislead this girl with “ obliviousness” only to suddenly be falling in love with her next moment, with little explanation or reasons behind his feelings. Whilst I find it hard to fault Da- Mi, Yi- Seo was a female lead who I absolutely loathed upon so many grounds. I can understand where drama viewers are coming from to an extent by the argument that Yi- Seo is a “ strong and independent female lead”. The show made that evident from nearly episode one when she is able to “make or break “ an establishment’s reputation through her social media account and hold herself in a fight against people using her wit as well. This is also what irked me about Yi- Seo as well. She was a strong character , but she had little emotional depth as an individual. Whilst she did have some scenes which exposed more “ vulnerable moments” , these scenes didn’t truly add up with her “ sassy” characteristics at times or were truly built to expose this side of Yi- Seo without seeming somewhat “ random” and poor writing . Note the scene with the confrontation with her mother early on in the show about chasing an ‘older man’ ( Sae- Royi) rather than following her mother’s hopes for her to become a successful and independent woman. Whilst to an extent the scene explains some of the psychological reasons behind Yi- Seo’s desire to fall in love in order to escape from the planned- out intentions of her mother, there was little emotional bonding or vulnerability both with Yi- Seo and the mother who raised her, or anything truly emotional to expose Yi- Seo as a human being in this scene . Whilst I guess there is the argument of Yi- Seo being a sociopath suggested by several fans by her ability to grow on emotional attachments through her manipulative intelligence, there are scenes later on ( such as Yi- Seo bursting into tears in front of Geun- Won) which question whether this is simply bad character writing , or simply a confusing interpretation for us as watchers . I don’t usually bring in comparisons to my reviews, but, looking at dramas with similar “ strong female leads “ like Jang Man- Wol ( IU) from Hotel Del Luna or Ko Moon Yeong ( Seo Ye- Ji) from Its Okay, Not To Be Okay , brings a stark contrast between “ strong” and “weak “story writing. Love or loathe both dramas, there is the undeniable strength within both shows of a female lead who has emotional emotional depth; exposing these characters not just as “ plot devices for romance”, but, human beings as well with feelings, scarred pasts and flaws as well . Overall Itaewon Class isn’t necessarily a terrible drama, but it the epitome of recent romantic “ fad” shows - mediocre storywriting, poorly-written characters and easily forgettable the minute the watcher starts a new drama. If you’re bored and looking for something to pass the time, I’m certainly not saying that you shouldn’t give it a go , however, this isn’t a drama to watch if your looking for something to genuinely commit time towards.