Origin and release year: South Korea (2020 – Itaewon Class) 

Korean title: 이태원 클라쓰

Starring: Park Seo Joon, Kim Da Mi, Kwon Na Ra, Yoo Jae Myung, Ahn Bo Hyun, Kim Dong Hee, Lee Joo Young, Ryu Kyung Soo, Kim Hye Eun, Chris Lyon, David Lee, Yoon Gyung Ho, Son Hyun Joo, Choi Yoo Ri, Hong Seok Cheon, Choi Myeong Been, Yoon Bak, Jang Young Hyun, Cha Chung Hwa, NC.A, Kim Ki Bum, Moon You Kang, Kim Ji Young, Jung Yoo Min, Seo Eun Soo, Jeon Noh Min, Lee Joon Hyuk, Choi Min Yeong, Kang Hyun Suk, Park Bo Gum, LABOUM Sol Bin

Director: Kang Min Gu, Kim Seong Yoon

Screenwriter: Cho Kwang Jin 

Synopsis: An ex-con opens a street bar in Itaewon, while also seeking revenge on the family who was responsible for his father’s death. (IMDb)

If you’d prefer to watch a video review of Itaewon Class, check it out here: 

Itaewon Class was one of the first K-dramas to feature foreigners in a representative way and not as funny stereotyped props as most K-dramas tend to do. The foreign characters had actual character quirks, arcs, narratives, and plotlines – which had an actual influence on the drama. 

Thanks to the drama being set in Itaewon – the foreign district of Seoul – it represented and dealt with a lot of demographics and subject matter that are still ‘taboo’ in conservative Korea. For instance, we had a transgender character, motifs about racism, etc. The drama is rich in social commentary – which was super refreshing for dramas at the time. 

Park Seo Joon showed out, once again, in this drama. For once, he was not as much of a lovesick puppy as he tended to be typecast at the time, which added a redeeming quality to his character. 

With that considered, the love line in this drama felt extremely forced. There was not a lot of chemistry going on between either of the female leads and the male lead – and it almost felt like it was an unnecessary addition to the story.

It felt like Park Seo Joon had an unrequited schoolboy crush on Kwon Na Ra and then it just faded into nothing until Kim Da Mi came into the picture to have the schoolgirl crush on him.

He’s an actor who does exceptionally with romantic acting and usually has great chemistry with his female leads, but Itaewon Class was a miss in this aspect, it was not a romance and it shouldn’t have tried to be one.

The female characters… Firstly, Kwon Na Ra’s character was a bit all over the place, whilst she was not the main villain of the story, she started out as a semi-antagonist, then turned into a full antagonist, and then switched to a protagonist of sorts as the second female lead. Kim Da Mi’s character was an unlikable smart aleck. Her character arc made her more compassionate but it still didn’t necessarily make you like her cocky demeanor.

It’s a shame because we love strong female characters but they just didn’t endear themselves to the audience. Their acting was phenomenal though, don’t get us wrong.

Regarding Jang Geun Soo (played by Kim Dong Hee) and his controversial portrayal that had Korean netizens questioning if he fits the character or not… The baby face was not doing him any favors to be fair. However, this writer thinks that Korean netizens missed the point of how this character was written. He wasn’t ever meant to be capable of becoming evil, his character was meant to become desperate and then do things out of desperation, even if he doesn’t really agree with them – which is what we see. Kim Dong Hee portrayed his internal conflict to a tee.

Itaewon Class had a pretty solid storyline and plot. It was a binge-worthy viewing experience that’s definitely worth watching and still stands the test of time.

What did you think of Itaewon Class? Let us know in the comments!