Itaewon Class (2020)

Life is marked by tribulations, but we must grow and mature.

This drama give me thrills. Its not your average drama and the characters are interesting. Look - there's people here who complain about the "wooden" characters and don't realise that the acting is a reflection of the writing. This is based of webtoon and Park Seo Joon stoicness IS a defining character trait that his character has to work around and he does try despite how uncomfortable and messy it was (as how growing up is in real life). People forget there was a a total of 10 years time skip and the character did not just did a 180 per se, I've gathered a character analysis of mine and other thoughts of their developement below. You need to think about it that way, they had to fit a webtoon into 16 episodes. And believe me, I know they could have gone to at least 30 episodes with the amount of character growth, but they did the best with what they have and made the series drama length. The writing, acting, story was good, and worth the watch.

Here both the main leads are opposite in personality yet bonded with one thing in common, and their choices in own journey is what brings them together. This is a drama about the underdog and the usual heroic traits that is emodied by Park Sae Ro Yi through his usual determination and stoicness and his unbending to his principles despite the tragedies he face. The main story is about how he will accomplish the hard task of beating down Jangga Co, headed by Chairman Jang. However he is not an infallible hero and soon, encountering many life lessons, from people in his past and present, the Dan Bam crew, Yi Seo, Soo Ah, the brothers, through pursuing his revenge, they come to understand what is most important in their life and how much you can change your life with just the choices you make.

No character here is perfect. And this is its main strengths. There are so many themes explored: what being true to yourself costs, is it worth doing it if it hurts others (no matter how you try not to get others involved), how parents shape their child, what life is all about, and what is important in the end. This drama allows you to experience many emotions and its this that make the crew stronger and wiser. Here, a hero becomes a real human, that needs to be grounded in life and be shrewder to actually accomplish his objectives. And to navigate all of the traps set by his enemies requires planning, strategy and patience. Our hero may have patience but the writers are honest in showing that he needs others to be his second set of eyes and to teach him his on what he is lacking, and the fact is, he can't do it alone. They need each other to be successful and only after that, is he able to defeat his enemies, and the for him, closure over his own tragedies in what he calls, "his endless nights".

The acting was good, casting was great, and writing, pacing, direction was well done and music represents their struggle well, I love V's theme.

Some of the weaknesses of this drama: The main evil person is SO evil, that his character never for once causes us to takes his words seriously even IF there an element of truth because we all think "oh, he is manipulating us again" The writers don't give him a real chance to show us his inner thoughts other that this character really is beyond salvation. We all dislike him because that make him easy to hate. Despite that he has a story of how he was poor and wanted to feed his family to make the business, we don't understand WHY he became such a ugly character. And then the show hints that aw, he started from the bottom like Sae Ro Yi, but doesn't go on to show anything else. So he serves as just a shadow of maliciousness waiting for SRY to meet him at the final boss battle. His premise leaves a lot of questions to be explored.

Also some of the themes did NOT have time to be expressed well. Like the transgender issue, racial issue, bullying issue. There was many themes just jampacked in a show of only 16 episodes which could have fit more. I understand maybe the main story wasn't enough to also fit in the new themes while avoiding filler episodes so there's that. It would have been better to leave it out then because stories like Tony and the grandma side story and also his time in prison and the gangster history was also left to dust. Similarily, the love story and IC's growth also had potential to do more instead of the 10 year time skip which is a lot, but still I felt they knew to prioritise those two stories the most and it showed. The 2 main stories they did choose to develop, developed well despite the rush and was a fresh take that Kdrama land needed.

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On Yiseo and Saeroyi relationship:

I like the dynamic between Sae Ro Yi and Yi Seo. They are similar in personalities, but one distinct difference is that he stands by his conviction even when he gets punished for it, while YiSeo reminds me of Ying Luo from Story of Yanxi Palace; cunning, intuitive, resourceful, intelligent but with a heart of gold.

Where SRY's philosophies and kindness puts him in a position where he ends up being the 'suffer in silence' type, YiSeo has no such qualms in striking back AND gets away with it, even if her audacity [or recklessness] gets her into trouble.

I like that she chose him; to support and protect him from that particular weakness [helplessness against injustice] that he has, how they balance each other's outlook in life literally like Yin and Yang; her rash, apathetic attitude with his wisdom, his destructive temper with her cool-headed shrewdness. The fact that this time it was a female lead that was the rock in the relationship, the one pursuing the guy and staying by his side.

I'm not really sure why people expect PSY to make a total 180. He has never been good at expressing his emotions and showing his affection towards others. We've seen how much he loves Yiseo by how much he shares with her, how honest he is with her. It may not be the most exciting way to show it but it's realistic to his character.

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The start was promising, but. Eh?

To be honest, I just wasted my time with this show.
Now I am bias because im a BIG freak for romance shows and this barely had any nor made sense.
People ship Soo-ah and Saeroyi, yet I don't. Soo-ah put herself before anybody else. She knew Saeroyi liked her yet never accepted his feelings and kept leading him on? I also thought her personality was a bit boring. Nothing special with her.
Now the main couple, Yi-seo and Saeroyi. Made no sense to me. Seemed force tbh. Since Episode 7 I was thinking, "Why does Yi-seo even love Saeroyi in the first place" as they barely spent any time together. Saeroyi was also in love with Soo-ah so theirs no moments with Yi-seo and Saeroyi. Also, Yi-seo's character is some what eh to me. She isn't my favorite but I didn't like her attuite when it came to some people.
The acting was average and good. Nothing mind-blowing. I do love Park Seo-Joon as that's the reason WHY I even considered watching this drama, but. Wasn't worth it.
Music isn't mind blowing either. It's average aswell, I only liked the outro music and sometimes the intro music. Also thing I love this drama for is whoever decided to cast the guy for Toni. First Kdrama I've seen with a person of color!
Unless you just need something to watch or you're into revenge dramas with slow romance then go for it. This show wasn't THAT bad but I defo am not going to rewatch this show unless I just need a blast from the past or what not.

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I am not a film critic but I am a picky viewer from Canada. After watching Crash Landing on Netflix , I needed to watch the next best thing and I heard about this show. The story of Itaewon class is unique which featured social issues in Korean setting.
ALL the casts were amazing in acting ! You can feel how they delivered their role in a true to life scene. Having a plot of revenge , courage , friendship, love is integrated in every scene. Park Seo-Joon as Saero-yi was able to reach his goal and ended up still the good loving son, friend and kept his true feelings for the woman he loved. I think it was love at first sight when he first laid eyes on Yi-seo who happened to contribute a lot in his quest for happiness.Hey, age does not matter ! Kwon Nora was a great support till the end . Like anybody else wished , she should have a part two story with the new chef who she finds amazing . Kim Da-mi role was strongly delivered with fierce and humor in the name of pure intention to help her great love Sae-ro-yi. And their love story totally worked for me. It is sweet and great relief that finally they will experience happiness together. The pup casts were great supporting role , each of them have their own story to tell. One thing that also caught my attention was the great acting villian roles of Jangga Group father and son. Ahn_Bu hyun delivered a superb role as a son who longed for his father love and trying desperately maybe the girl he really liked can still love him who was Kwon Nora. Great story! Music was really cool and cinematography was at par. For those who said the story was dragging, I don't think so. Here in Canada there is subtitle, so it's easy for me to read it in a good pace. Well done IC.

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What a breath of fresh air!

Likes: The character of Yiseo and Kim Da Mi playing her. Park Seo Joon's...well...everything. The Itaewon setting and vibe of the drama. The great emotional acting.

Dislikes: the 2nd half of the drama sort of lost it's way. the time lapse to the future where everything sort of wraps up neatly in 1 episode type of thing. The cliche sub stories to advocate diversity.

It's so rare to come across really cool female leads that are smart, mean, and likeable. I love the character of Yiseo for not pretending to be nice, for being smart, strong and confident, and being able to fight for herself. And I love the actress Kim Da Mi that plays her. I remember watching the Witch Part 1 and asking who is this kick ass actress that blows me away with her natural acting? And again she doesn't disappoint in this drama. She is definitely one to watch.

Park Seo Joon really blew me away with his intense emotional scenes in this drama. I've always thought of him as a great actor, but he really shined in this one. It's a memorable character with a memorable haircut. :-)

I loved that they set this in Itaewon as it's almost it's own character, but I thought that they were trying too hard to be diverse and hip. If you are going to try to open up minds, then you should flesh out the sub stories better instead of going down a cliched route. The first half of the drama was so good, but the second half I felt the story sort of lost it's way. Overall though, I did like it...just wish it could have been a little tighter.

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I was hooked from the start. Yes, the plot does involve the usual drama between a rich family vs handsome main lead. The main lead, Saeroyi, is admirable. His tenacity, stubbornness, and ability to continue to persevere through all the obstacles that have been thrown at him by Jangga's Chairman and his oldest son is what eventually will win your heart. Even at times from his only childhood friend and love interest, Soo-A. She was the only other person aside from his father he had on his side. But, the more you watch the more you find yourself joining Saeroyi's fighting spirit, fighting! In addition, to an entertaining plot I think the drama added something very valuable to kdramas, a diverse cast from various backgrounds. There were some underlying issues that surfaced with this drama that weren't necessarily part of the main plot but I'm sure resonated with many viewers. Part of these struggles were faced by two of the main cast members Hyun-yi who identifies as transgender and Tony, a darker skin Korean. Additionally, two of the team members including the main lead himself were ex convicts. Yi seo's battle with mental health concerns and counseling were also briefly touched upon. I would also like to add, though I do not agree with all of the actions taken by both female leads. I truly enjoyed seeing strong independent female roles instead of the norm of the pretty girl tearing up at every other scene.
Whilst the plot is centered and focused on revenge, you are able to feel for each character as they also battle their own personal problems and lean on each other. Even with some of the challenges in terms of the business/revenge plot being a little generic this is by far not your typical K-drama. If you are looking for something refreshing to watch, this is it.

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Revenge by accident. And romance to distract you.

If you are looking for a satisfying revenge story, don't watch this! Watch "The Glory" instead - it is also not perfect, but a more satisfying watch. Here, in Itaewon Class, the ML is driven from the very beginning to get revenge, but he has no plan. He is successful in the end but only because he is lucky and somehow stumbles into it.
It feels like the narrative they wanted to push is: you just have to be a nice guy, then success will come to you. Also, it is very slow moving, the actual revenge only happens in the last episode. And even then we don't get a big finale with a bang.

The romance that is woven into the story gets a bit too much at times and is also a bit weird, especially the unconditional love the ML shows to the b*tch character for the longest time. Speaking of characters, the character development is quite weak in general, but two characters stand out to really behave erratically:
- The young heir: obviously a nice guy, he turns evil with the snip of a finger and hates himself for it all the while. And that while being the second character after the ML who should have the highest interest of getting revenge on the old scrooge, given his awful childhood.
- The second FL, the childhood "friend". She is an awful person from the very beginning and has no growth till episode 16. And all the while she seems to hate herself, judging by the single sad face expression she displays throughout the series. I'm surprised how many reviewers rooted for her.

The series was praised a lot for its diversity: a trans girl and a black guy. Well, the creators were probably meaning well, but it ended up being quite transphobic and racist. Both characters lack depth and they get no time to explore their stories. We have 16 slow-moving episodes and the black guy speaks what, maybe a total of 10 minutes? And while I don't think that only actors from the matching minority should play minority roles, I woudn't be surprised if they didn't find a trans actress who was willing to take on this simplistic role.

Some smaller observations:
- The story spans over maybe 15 years, starting in high school. But the appearance of the ML doesn't change at all - not even his hairstyle changes :)
- Of course, severely hurt people run from the bad guys following a street, instead of hiding in bushes. And of course the bad guys chasing them by car take forever to catch up. Enough time to stop for a little romantic scene. And of course, when you have the choice of running away by car or by foot, you choose the latter. I was screaming at this stupidity.
- What are the odds of running into your unknown grandma by coincidence in a country of 50 million?

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GIVE IT A SHOT!

To start off, this story is a complete cliche. Just a normal revenge plot with a complicated love triangle. But that's where the negative aspects of the show end. (even though many might consider it enough to drop the show, I suggest all give it a try)

I absolutely loved Itaewon Class as a whole. It had everything I was looking for in a Kdrama and more. First off, this drama isn't much on romance. Even though I mentioned earlier that it has a complicated love triangle, the romance aspect of this show is close to nil, which I really appreciate for some reason (considering the fact that I'm a huge romantic, it surprised me that I came to like it). The charm of this show lies in the bonds of friendship and trust the characters share among themselves. The loyalty, the hard work and the genuine nature of each character won me over and what topped it all off was the perseverance of the main lead. The female lead was so cocky and imperfect but so raw as a human being. No one is perfect with the way they think and the character of the female lead proved that right. I had mixed opinions on various characters throughout the course of the drama but in the end, I was able to make a firm decision on all of them.

The acting was definitely incredible. Especially the actors who played the antagonists were really good at what they did. The OST of this drama is worth going on everyone's playlist that every track suited the scenes they played it along with.

The plot could have been better but the number of laughs and smiles that came out of me and the anxiety the show gave me makes up for all the plot holes I came across.

Definitely worth a watch.

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Great idea. Average execution.

I think I should begin by of course applauding this drama for its activism, if it can be labelled as that. Kim Tony was a surprising addition to me, as I've never really seen a kdrama get so far into how black people are treated in SK. It was interesting, but only really dealt with in like 1 or 2 scenes and then Tony's character was doomed to fade into the background. I then have to talk about Hyun Yi, the transgender MTF character in the series. The actress is stunning, and was very good at making me feel for her character too. I loved her scenes, although I think at the end she ultimately met the same fate as Toni and faded into the background, as I guess her character was not deemed as important to expand on as the dreaded love triangle (square? more?). Another shame.

Onto the main actors. Park Seo-Joon did amazingly well from the very start. His "crying" scenes pulled me out of it at times, but that's a minor criticism. The revenge plot is what had me so invested in this drama and what ultimately stopped me from dropping it a few episodes early, and it was ultimately the acting chops of Seo-Joon, Geun Won and Jang Dae Hee that had me on the edge of my seat at many times. The two villains were excellent at making me want to punch them both in the face. Perhaps a bit lame in how typically "evil" they were, but a joy to watch all the same. I only wish the drama had focused a little more on their storylines, especially towards the very end of the drama.

Jo Yi Seo and Oh Soo Ah. When Yi Seo came on the scene, I honestly loved her. She seemed very bad-ass. Shame they completely destroyed her character and made her into a lovesick fool, much like Sae Ro Yi. I don't even want to talk about the love triangle too much, as it annoyed me to no end. It took over all other plot by the end and made everything else seem unimportant. Sae Ro Yi rejects Yi Seo all series long and shows no genuine interest in her, then in the course of 30 minutes falls irreversibly in love with her and coldly rejects the woman he's held on a string for the past 15 years, proceeding to have flashback upon flashback of their time together (I've already watched the series - I don't need to see it all again in flashbacks when we're reaching the climax of the show?) and seemingly leave all his dreams of revenge behind for her all of a sudden. The actors also show no real chemistry, making the pairing cringe-worthy to say the least. I actually ended up wanting him to be with Soo Ah, especially after finding out she'd spent the last 10 years compiling information to help the guy who just threw her to the side like she meant nothing lmao.

I can't keep going on like this or I'll be here all day. To summarise, the revenge plot is a great one and the drama starts of very well, but as usual with many many dramas, the awful romance overtakes it and ruins the character development of all characters involved (I refuse to discuss Geun Soo, my baby). I definitely wouldn't re-watch this, although i will say i rated it so highly for its really good start. plus the ost.

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