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Itaewon Class korean drama review
Completed
Itaewon Class
1 people found this review helpful
by catherine
Aug 10, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Revenge dramas are ALWAYS fun

I'm a sucker for a revenge plot, and this one caught my eye because it was business and brain-oriented, not like the other revenge dramas where the main guy just goes around beating up bodyguards and secretly recording corruption. No, Park Saeroyi did everything BY THE BOOK, and I appreciated so much that he was willing to play the long game.

I was super into this drama for most of it. Even though the romance was unusual, I actually didn't have an issue with the age gap, because we saw Saeroyi fall in love with someone who stuck with him through the years, instead of the typical "first love" trope.

One point of the romance that did sit badly with me, however, was a non-consensual kiss which I would've preferred was actually a dream.

A lot of people have complained about the car crash writing of the last three episodes, and I pretty much felt exactly the same way. I would've loved it much more if PSR just continued with his plan and most of the conflict remained business-y, instead of suddenly throwing over-the-top kidnapping, gangsters, car-of-dooms, and hostage situations into the mix. In doing this, it essentially didn't give me the redemption arc that I wanted (that would've been more realistic and heartfelt) but also seemed to make the situation much less realistic and out-of-control.

Still, I loved how this drama managed to balance smaller sub-plots with different characters that addressed LGBTQIA+ discrimination and racism in Korean society. It's definitely not something you see in every drama and they handled it pretty well.

A gem of a character I wish got more screentime was Ho-Jin, the nerd who was bullied who went on to be a genius financial advisor. I loved that he had such strong character development and found it in himself to "forgive" his bully at the end, knowing that being successful and happy was the best revenge he could've gotten. Beautiful scene.
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