Itaewon Class (2020)

DEEP AND MEANINGFUL VIEWING IN MANY WAYS

Please be warned that this review contains spoilers. My focus in this article is primarily to consider the writing of Jo Kwang-jin. He is the author of the webtoon upon which "Itaewon Class" is based. He also wrote the script for the series.

Kwang-jin has done an exceptional job. I am full of admiration for him. The drama is intelligently written and sequenced with flair between main-story, back-story, side-story and parallel-story. A number of his characters are quirky and they enliven the entertainment. All the main characters come from a position of social weakness. For example: a black Korean who continually has to authenticate his nationality, two sons who are emotional casualties of a ruthless and domineering father, an illegitimate child, an orphan, etc.; even the billionaire villain was a starving street-child in his early years.

I was particularly impressed that Ma Hyun-yi, one of Kwang-jin’s characters was transgender and that Kwang-jin allows her to shine brightly in the sun. This is a major moment in Korean dramas given South Korea’s continuing reluctance to celebrate that, just like skin-colour or eye-colour or height (etc.), gender identity is a characteristic with which one is born and that ‘normal’ is a word that covers many possibilities. The events that culminated in Ma Hyun-yi’s coming-out as transgender on national television were riveting viewing, and the script and Lee Joo-young’s acting were superb. Anyone who watches this scene with a humane mindset will be emotionally touched by seeing what unconditional love looks like between genuine friends who sincerely care for one another and who see deeper than a person’s surface.

Park Seo-jun is one of my favourite actors and, in this role, he shows the depth and breadth of his abilities. As the lead actor, Park Seo-jun creates a Park Sae-ro-yi who is an uncomplicated man and who stays true his friends 100% of the time -- he never blames nor criticises them. This seems like a simple acting task on the face of it but as one follows Park Seo-jun from episode to episode, it is easy to appreciate that in acting Sae-ro-yi, Park Seo-jun has to dig deep. Sae-ro-yi wholeheartedly trusts those around him and he leads the cast when it comes to demonstrating unconditional love. Sae-ro-yi also never hesitates to accept responsibility however heavy that burden will be. Kwang-jin’s life-philosophies that are delivered to the audience via Sae-ro-yi are truly a gift to the world. In Park Sae-ro-yi, Kwang has created a template for what constitutes an immensely decent human being. It would be a wonderful world -- a really wonderful world, in fact -- if there were more people like Sae-ro-yi around.

In addition: the makeup is first class (watch how Jang Dae-hee ages and becomes increasingly ill); the soundtrack is exceptional and deserves special recognition; all actors create believable and authentic characters; the direction and the production are magnificent. I must also make mention of Ahn Bo-hyun’s acting. His performance as Jang Geun-won is incredible. I have never felt so sorry for the bad guy as I did for Geun-won. It is to Jo Kwang-jin’s writing-credit and Ahn’s acting that Geun-won comes to life as such a deeply flawed character with whom the audience can feel angry, sad and sorry. I never stopped hoping that he would see the error of his ways and change.

There is no doubt in my mind at all that any viewer who watches this show will we richly rewarded if they look beyond simple entertainment and straightforward romance. This is a memorable and outstanding drama. I anticipate that many awards will wander its way. I don't normally re-watch shows but I might make an exception for this one.

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No drama can beat this drama! It shows that no one should ever give up even if it takes 5 years or 10 years, it’s all about believing yourself and that’s exactly what Park Saeroyi showed. Many people hate Jo Yiseo’s character because she’s a “baddie” and she’s “disrespectful” but that’s exactly why I love her character, they need to show that even girls can be strong. Even though he’d character was cocky I really liked how she believed that she would end up making Saeroyi fall in love with her, even when she was loosing confidence she still promised to be by his side. The fact that Saeroyi finally gave up his pride and went in his knees for Daehee after so many years just so he could save Yiseo from danger shows how much she means to him I really enjoyed their chemistry in the drama and the last few episodes made it even better! Jang Geun Won really annoyed me the most ? Like he’s so handsome but he doesn’t know when to give up. I also really am glad that Jang Daehee (the chairman) finally went on his knees even though Saeroyi did it first it’s worst for Daehee because he’s the chairman and he was asking for forgiveness after his company was failing! Enough with those character i’d like to mention Ma Hyeonyi!! She’s so freakin beautiful like how can someone look so stunning with short hair??? The drama did not just display about working hard but it showed how so many people are against transgender and her character just played a big role to how our society is! Over all I don’t know why people have this drama so much because I enjoyed every episode! It’s really worth the watch!

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Where do I even begin with this drama? How do I begin to describe how excellent it is? How it made me feel? There was no question that I had to give it a 10/10. Everything about it is perfect. There is nothing I would change. The plot is fantastic, the characters are amazing, and it has THE best OST literally ever (I mean c'mon The Rose and Kim Taehyung have songs for it so like how could it not be?)

The Plot: Perfectly executed. I usually hate time skips and this drama had a good amount of them but omg they used them perfectly. It all worked so well together. The story unfolded in an emotional incredible way. I was invested in every second, every word.

Characters: The acting on this drama was so incredible omg. They all created such incredible characters, Each and every character had immense depth, and development. Each one was incredibly portrayed and aged as the show progressed. I use the term "aged" only to mean they each changed. Changed, in incredible ways. Whether they learned through love, hardship, or mistakes, each character grew and developed and it was incredible to watch. Even the characters that we are meant to hate, I loved. I loved to hate them.

Representation: I have to bring this up because never before have I seen a Korean drama with such blatant representation. This show brought up things other series never dared to touch. Whether it be the taboo against LGBT persons in Korea, or the existence of racism that still exists, this drama covered it in such a bold and emotional way. This drama was so important for that fact alone. It made a bold and beautiful statement and did it beautifully.

Honestly this drama can be enjoyed by anyone. It's set up in such a way that you don't have to be a fan of anything in it. I have absolutely no interest in dramas about restaurants, or business, or revenge. None. But it didn't matter because this drama was so much more than that. Romance, humor, friendship, hardship, death, tragedy, loss, injustice, unrequited love, loyalty, growing up, perseverance, and love. This drama wasn't about business, or revenge, or romance. This was a portrayal or what it means to live.

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I felt the emotions I had to cry the first 6 episodes the beginning eye- just can't because it was just- i can't describe it but it was a really good kdrama it was my first or second one I really love it and this one person annoyed me so much because why would you do this??? i want to slap him still






































































it was perfect tough

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Great Drama with a great message that everyone needs to watch

This is a story that needed to be told. Korea has too many prejudices that stem from fear and outdated traditions. I have too many personal experiences of intolerance towards many issues stemming from misunderstandings and ignorance. There needs to be more stories about love, equality and inclusion for all people no matter what their situation is. This is a great story about love in all shapes. I would love it if there were more stories of this sort. The acting was on point. I really felt for the characters and the story because they were able to portray such complex emotions. The music aids in bringing the story to life and I can't wait to rewatch it when I feel I need a boost of confidence.

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I enjoyed watching this drama. Above anything else, it's about sticking to your values and yout own self. Friendship and loyalty. Which is good, and interesting to watch. Specially when you see the characters influencing each other's actions. Even though the male lead is presenting as this upstanding guy with amazing morals, there are times in which he moves things according to his endgoal, even if he knows deep down that it's probably hurting somebody (like how he kept coming back to the ex-cop or in a way took advantadge of a character's feelings for him to keep her by his side when she could've have better offers). And the opposite thing applies, one of the characters is cynical and more of in a gray area but learns from watching him and I like that they start to enjoy live and human interactions together. She says it in the final chapter, neither of them knew what human warmth was until they tried to built it together.
I liked that the drama talked about racism, transphobia, ageism and so on, but I find it was a little shallow on its approach. Things don't solve themselves by miracle and knowing how the world, specially Corea, is about those topics, I don't really believe for example in the scene in which a character can easily say she is trans and everybody cheers on her. It's difficult to find that scene realistic, but I want to believe that there'll be a time in which it won't matter. Like the show said, you don't have to prove yourself, your choices, and in my opinion you don't owe people an explanation. I also don't like how easily forgiven the character who outed her was. Like I wouldn't even do that to somebody I considered my enemy, even less to a friend and in a society like that, wtf.
Other issue I had is that I do like the endgame couple and I was sold in why they fell for each other. He broaded her worldview and made her want to live and have values to believe in and work to achieve them by watching him and then later on wanting to fight for him. And she was his pillar, he's always done everything by himself, putting barriers even among his friends, but little by little she became a part of himself without his notice. I understand that, so that's why I liked the pairing. I just would've liked more scenes of them in the 2020 timeline pre-kidnapping in which he catches himself having feelings for her he can't quite understand yet. I think the writers clun to the love square-sometimes pentagon for way longer than they should've have done so.
I wouldn't say this is the best drama I've ever watched, but it was worth watching and I'm glad they're starting to include social issues like the ones they did. I also understand that there might be limits as far of what the writers can say on tv, and that even having a trans character and a character with a darker skin tone it's already a step forward.

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Fresh and Unique experience. Different from other dramas!

First of all, I'd like to say about how amazing the cast is. And I was swayed by the uniqueness of the theme in this story. From outside, it may seem as if it's a rom-com but to be honest, till way over the second half I was wondering who will Park Sae-royi end with, because it's that uncertain!

There are a lot of things that may seem 'obvious' but it still makes you want to keep watching and see how it goes. Alot of time it feels 'Ah?! I wonder how will he get there..' but the process is not disappointing at all!

The drama is fresh and unique because it's romance is not cliche and cringy. It's not rainbows and flowers and romance is not the very main focus of the drama, it's only the integral part that drives the characters, apart from Sae-royi who is only revenge-driven. The characters are not even remotely perfect and are full of flaws, yet they are surviving and co-existing as they interact with each other. It's not very distant from reality. Everyone here has there own values and beliefs, they make their own mistakes and stick to their principles, some fail alot, some are full of themselves and some become negative along the way while some don't change at all.

It deals with a lot of real life issues as well which I feel― in no way ― is over-exaggerated or too much. It touches the subject of transphobia and LGBT+ in a very mature and rather subtle way that would be socially accepted amongst the korean viewerbase as the subject of LGBT+ is a very sensitive one. This show also (rather first time I'm seeing and it was a little odd/out of place) subtly deals with racism. I came to love Toni, however his character was not properly placed or used so that's a bummer. Also ― realizing Sociopath is a mental condition though throughout the show, Yi-seo was hated because of that (even I did till the last few eps), but if only her condition would be properly evaluated, the viewers would have been able to sympathise a little with her behaviour. She's like a yandere out of anime, much like Gasai Yuno.

The OST is no doubt one of the best to exist! Whenever 'Start' played, I felt so happy. It was one of the reasons that kept me bound to the show. Also, if you relate, you'd see overly emotional OST in a lot of dramas that doesn't even fit well with the scenes but I can't say the same for Itaewon Class. The songs suited perfectly, were not so overly emotional or overly-emphasised, and kept the ambiance really perfect.

My favourite characters are Min-jung and Hyun-yi! And also the granny. Love them all too much <3

Overall, this drama is really cool. It's interesting and keeps you bound even when you feel as if you know what's going to happen. You just feel like 'how' will it happen, it's thrilling and also unpredictable at times. The real fun is in seeing how everything unrolls.

PS: Sweet Night <3

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Live without regrets

Purpose. Meaning. Justice. Revenge. Loyalty. Betrayal. Pride. These are the themes of Itaewon all rolled into one. This series is not without faults, I agree that there are big plot holes here and there and the ending was not fully satisfying. Those however should not take away from the overall storyline and superb acting of the cast. The story is about how people choose to live their lives and how their choices somehow affects how others live theirs..

The FL’s story is the most interesting for me, she’s young and has everything she wanted at her fingertips, effortlessly it seemed, yet finds that life is such a chore to live. She didn’t see any purpose in living and would rather not have been born. She eventually found purpose upon meeting Saeroyi, Somehow this simple-minded, but determined, man ten years her senior warmed her cold heart and made her see the colours of life, They fell in love in the most convoluted way possible.

Overall I find this drama complicated at the best of times yet very real and honest. A little over the top at times but hey if I get to see Park Seo Joon’s rom-com antics then I’m all for it.

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As we know it's about a young boy who is up against the no. 1 conglomerate in his country.
In the beginning episodes we are shown how he has some values and principles in life , and he is strong enough to achieve what he wants. The start is so promising that you know that the end is gonna be nothing less but epic.
We are shown the relationship that the main character Park Sae Ro Yi ( park seo joon) has with his father , which is beautifully shown and executed by the actors , and they make you believe , and you can invest in their relationship.
( Through out we feel the pain of his father's death and love they had , it is that good, we feel what the character feels how he felt the surge of revenge )
We also see Soo Ah ( kwon nara) as Ro Yi classmate, friend , and his first love, and its so cute( I was rooting for them till the end ) .
We are also introduced to the main protagonist Jang who looks and feels bad, you right away start hating him and we just know it's a great fight waiting for us.
Now the story moves forward 3 years and we still see the same Ro Yi strong , with a plan to take down Jangga co. which excites you more.
7 years of hard work and now he owns a pub at Itaewon his first step towards the end . We are introduced to some new characters like Jo Yi Seo ( also a love interest for park sea ro yi) who is young, strong , cleaver, mean and really smart. And wants to help Ro Yi to take his revenge cause she is madly in love with him. ( I enjoyed watching her in the beginning but towards the end it was more of an irritating experience) .
In future episodes we see the story moving forward and the character building and it is soo good , it's a rollercoaster ride and you're gonna enjoy it. Sae Ro Yi as strong and positive as ever and really inspiring, Soo Ah still cute who is working at jangga co. And struggling between jangga and Ro Yi. It is her character i relate and feel alive. Yi seo seemed nice, smart and psycho but i just couldn't like her. There are other supporting characters who have done a great job and you enjoy their part .
Upto the 13 episode the show was really good and i couldn't just get enough , but then some things went highway , like the main villen getting old and is not that strong anymore ( it somewhere killed the hype for the ending in me) , Kim Dong Hee turning into a confusing bad person and Yi Seo.
The last two episodes weren't satisfactory for me as we saw some major changes which we didn't see coming in Park Sae Ro Yi who had these values, principles and love for people , but now he is just another business man . We see Chairman Jang so week that he kneels befor Ro Yi who don't give a shit and i couldn't help but feel bad for the villen ( which should have been satisfying ) . We see Ro Yi falling for Yi Seo which was sudden and we had not built that in our minds through the journey.
Overall it was a good journey ( was not disappointing ) , the acting was good , story was good , OST were really good , the end wasn't great but it was worth watching and we also had PARK BO GUM with a cameo, which was lovely.
I would suggest everyone to go and watch it.

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Let's start with the good stuff first.

The first half Itaewon Class is amazing! The acting is on point, the story line is great, and I think that you can truly feel the emotions of certain actors (*cough cough* Park Seo Joon) when they are on screen. Although I have watch many K-Dramas, I have never seen one with a black character (that wasn't an extra) or a transgender character. I think that was very refreshing. Another thing that was refreshing was that no matter what obstacle the IC/Danbam group went through, they always came back to support and comfort one another. I loved that so much. But for some reason things started changing half way through the show.

My biggest issue was Jang Geun Soo. His random change from being the nice innocent part of IC/Danbam group to being the antagonist was so weird and kind of annoying. I understand that he liked Yi Seo for a very a long time and was trying to win her heart, but does it make sense to destroy everything that she had worked for and think that she'll come running into your arms? Like, what? She even told him that she doesn't like him in the way he likes her but he still continues to pursue her because of something she literally said YEARS ago. Get a grip dude. His character became increasingly annoying because he made it clear that the only reason why he was doing all of these terrible things was to get Yi-Seo who had publicly said on multiple occasions that liked, no LOVED, someone else.

And then Oh Soo Ah. She was just an annoying and forgettable character also. She would do all of these things to hurt Danbam but then would go and apologize to Sae Ro Yi right after. Her apologies meant nothing to me, which made them even more irritating. I understand that the chairman was the one making her do all of that stuff but still, why did Sae Ro Yi continue to forgive her? There were some moments that I think that he was just way too nice. He should have dropped her earlier and stopped forgiving her. She is hurting him on purpose. There's nothing stopping her for leaving Janga and going to Danbam (I can almost guarantee that she would get a job there if she asked for one). Instead she just continues to hurt She Ro Yi and Danbam. And then out of no where, she is now just another pushover Janga employee when Geun Soo shows up? Huh?? She was the chairman's right hand woman for so long but since Geun Soo made a prediction that was wrong, she's not anymore? The show just started confusing her character at the half way point and now she is just as annoying as Geun Soo.

This is going to turn into a long rant if I continue.

I haven't finished the whole show yet, I am almost done. I don't hate it, but there are definitely some characters that are getting on my last nerve. They are just so annoying and random at times.

I'll leave another review once I finish the show, but so far I would recommend it to others. It's not on my top 10 K-Dramas list but it is pretty good.

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