Itaewon Class

Itaewon class was a breath of fresh air when it comes to Kdramas. It became an instant favorite in the community, and it is easy to see why. This story was not new, by any means, by the way that it was delivered by a great cast in an amazing setting sets it apart from dramas before it. Not only that it touched on topics that are usually not spoken about in Kdramas, and I feel that this subtle social commentary through the story telling is a great leap forward. This drama touches on heavy topics such as racism, economic inequality, and trans-phobia. All of these topics on their own are a lot to tackle, but Itaewon class takes on all three topics in a tasteful way.

Not only does this drama do a good job at addressing these important topics, it's just plain good. The very first episode kicks it off with the death of the Park Sae-ro-yi's father, and it never slows down from there. If you're anything like me, do not start this show if you don't do well with cliff hangers. Every episode leaves you wanting more, and you never really get that feeling where you go "okay, it's slow right now, I can finally leave it." at any point in this show. You're on the edge of you seat the entire time waiting for Park Sae-ro-yi to finally get his revenge on Jangga co, the family Jang family company responsible for the death of his father. Every time he encounters a set back you want him to bounce back twice as strong, and as you continue watching you realize that he will do so every time.

Unlike most dramas, I actually liked all of the characters. Park Sae-ro-yi was a prideful, kind, strong-headed spirit. The way that he was portrayed by Park Seo-joon made you fall in love with the quite and reserved character the minute he showed up on screen. Yi-seo played by Kim Da-mi was probably one of my favorite characters on the show. Kim Da-mi played a borderline sociopath who has never known a loss. She was a very head strong individual, who was already successful on her own, who made Park Sae-ro-yi's success possible. Without her he wold have taken much longer to achieve the goals that he had set for himself. As a character I just really enjoyed Yi-seo, and I loved that she went after what she wanted without any remorse.

The supporting characters in the show were also easily likable, and not annoying background noise as some supporting characters are sometimes. As you watch these characters grow together you watch them become a family all their own. They run into problems with each other, and with Jangga co, but each time they come out stronger on the other side. Societies misfits, the unwanted, become some of the most powerful people in the food industry. This sends a message that society does not control who you become, and seeing them succeed was gratifying.

The only character that I truly disliked was Oh Soo-ah played by Kwon Nara. There was just something about her character that just got under my skin. Unlike all of the other antagonists in the story, not that she was an antagonist... not really anyway, I never understood what drove her. In my eyes she was just a self-serving character that played both sides with no clear alliances. She played Sae-ro-yi, and the way she would constantly have him say that he still liked her really bothered me. I don't believe she ever truly had feelings for him, but she used him as more of a safety net. Knowing he still had feelings for her made her feel better while she spent her days working for Jangga co. All in all, her character was one of the most irritating in the show, and unfortunately she is there until the very end.

As far as plot goes it was well paced. The story that unfolds in front of you has you cheering and crying right along with the characters. The only thing that had me confused was the way the story went towards the ending. Once Park Sae-ro-yi and company finally make it big with IC co, his food company, the plot starts to slow down. It almost feels like the ending when he finally takes over Jangga co was anticlimactic, and feels very odd after seeing his almost die and Yi-seo being kidnapped. Even so, the ending where they all come together at the original pub that got it all started leaves a warm feeling behind as you see how far they have all come together.