Itaewon Class

I was really impressed with the acting and pace until the last 2 episodes when I felt it lost its way, I have also preferred a different ending with the love triangle too. Overall worth a watch but I believe a lot of reviewers who gave it 10 wished they had watched the entire series before being so generous.

The series started with great character introduction and it continued for the next episodes. The Acting, Writing, Most importantly the OST was brilliant for this drama till Ep.12 and Then The writers decided to pull Game of thrones. The Ending was so bad that I cursed myself for liking this drama. Most cringe things happen from time to time you will start hating the drama. So, I guess this deserves all the hype and positive reviews for the first 12 eps and the writers made a fool out of the viewers by giving one of the worst endings.

Review By Kamal K

Itaewon Class was an emotional ride with an especially promising start. Just after the first two episodes, I felt immensely attached to the main character, Park Saeroyi, and was looking forward to following him on his journey. Throughout the 16 episodes, I definitely learned a lot from his hardwork and values. Park Seo Joon did a phenomenal job with his character and left me in absolute awe. Whether it may be understanding the beauty of life or being reminded the importance of hardwork; I was thankful to be able to get to know and learn from Park Saeroyi.

However, apart from Park Saeroyi, I did have a few complaints for the other characters. Some characters were especially annoying, and lacked development. I did like that the drama showcased imperfect characters, but it also sometimes excused the ignorant behaviour of these characters - almost making it seem that such behaviour was appropriate to viewers. Some characters were especially inconsistent, and just seemed random. This switch was really annoying to see because it didn't make sense. I think these characters had a lot of potential to really compliment the story, but the writer just changed them randomly in order to make Park Saeroyi look good. I wish the side characters had contributed a little more to the overall plot but unfortunately we were unable to see that as viewers.

I was disappointed with the last two episodes as I felt that there were unnecessary additions to the plot. However, the ending was still quite nice and most questions were answered.

The OSTs were beautiful, and I know I will play them countless times in the future!

Overall, this was definitely a meaningful and enjoyable watch.

I was disappointed by the love story. Other than that really a brilliant show with great characters, amazing acting skills and a very entertaining storyline!

I'm really surprised by how divisive this show seems to be - based on the reviews it looks like people either hated it or loved it. I fell into the love it category (obviously). Interesting characters and a revenge plot line were the heart of this show, with a subplot of romance that people also either loved or hated. I understand that people don't want to waste their time on a show they won't like, so I would probably advise "on-the-fence" viewers that if you don't like Yi-Seo's character from the get-go (I personally loved her), I feel like you won't like this show (based on the other reviews I feel that her character is the perfect benchmark to determine whether or not to keep watching).

A small detail that I really loved and just have to point out was the symbolic use of hairstyles in this show. Also this is hella progressive for a KDrama - I loved how they brought up big issues like racism and trans-phobia. It was refreshing since most KDrama's definitely feel like they can be stuck in that awkward 90's phase of mentioning progressive issues in a way that is funny-offensive (think Friends).

Itaewon Class was such a great binge-watch, you can't help but want to know how it all turns out, and it has so many "yell at the screen moments" that make it truly enjoyable to watch. I did think that towards the end, the choices of some characters felt a bit melodramatic, but this didn't take away from my enjoyment at all. Definitely worth a watch!