La faune d'Itaewon (2020)

Corporate Politics: Cover-Ups: Revenge, and Pubs. All ingredients in a surprisingly satisfying show.

*Spoiler Free Section*

Itaewon Class was as someone else put it - trying very hard to be relevant. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed this drama. It has seeped into me and has been on the forefront of my mind for the past few days of watching. There were plot twists I didn't expect, there were characters who changed in ways I never thought were possible and there were character archetypes done in a well-rounded manner, one I've rarely seen to this standard. However, I cannot disregard the earlier statement. Yes, it tried very hard to be relevant but I think it worked.

Itaewon Class is a corporate political thriller with a sprinkling of romance, action, drama and bright-coloured lights. Within was a well-balanced cast with great representation. There were a few questionable scenes but overall the show proved to be a great, diverse, well cast well-acted and well-filmed piece of work. I believe that this show will be another that's on the top 10 lists for years to come. And though it is not perfect it is entertaining and enjoyable nonetheless.

The male lead, Park Saeroyi, is an empathetic/morally high kinda character. As we watch him through his life we are attached to his unwavering personality, revengeful dreams, and heartbreaking struggles. The supporting cast of characters is a melting pot of people with their own struggles that found their anchor in Saeroyi. Each one is unique in its own regard and each back story is heartbreaking and heartwarming. I rooted for some whilst I hexed others, and I found myself at the end of the show on teams I never expected I would be on. This show managed to make me doubt my understanding of characters and the written word, some scenes shocked and others were exactly how I would have written them. It was a fun watch and there were times where I was genuinely on the edge of my seat or crying for the characters.

The love V between three of the characters was bitter and annoying at times. At least for me. But it resolved itself sweetly at the end and in a very nice way that will be stuck in my head whenever I write another romance story. It was another blind lead type of romance where everyone else knew his feelings yet he did not know his own, until about 15 hours in... despite that though, it was enjoyable to watch and progress.

I was satisfied with the ending of this show. There are a lot of shows out there with endings that are not satiating. This was one, in my opinion, was not one of them. This show satisfied me and I'm glad it did. Sixteen off hours not wasted. It's a quality show that deserves some hype.

If you enjoyed Uncanny Counter, K2, etc. This may just be right up your street. Give it chance if you need something to watch.





*Spoilers in the form of quotes and rants*

1) The beginning and the last episode. I thoroughly enjoyed the build-up of one scene created in the first episode when Yi-Seo is talking to her councillor and the conversation regarding death between Saeroyi and Yi-Seo comes to light. It's well done as it paints him to be merciless and cold when in reality he is the polar opposite. And when at the end you find out the full conversation it's because both of them have found their true selves and have come to an understanding as we (the audience) have just watched that journey unfold; we now seeing it again highlighted to us. The parallels there work brilliantly.

2) When Yi-Seo and Guen-Soo got kidnapped I was certain he was going to die to save her. I'm actually disappointed that no character died in the last two episodes as it was, in my opinion, a) the right time to have done it and b) kinda implied. Though, Yi-Seo's escape was very fitting with her character, using Guan-Soo.

3) Yi-Seo. I loved her character. 79% chance she is a sociopath. I would have loved her to have had more sociopathic tendencies though and for the writer to have kept on that line a bit more. Not saying she couldn't have loved Saeroyi as that is 100% plausible, I just think more should have occurred. I also loved the scene where she used Guen-Won and recorded his confession. She was the MVP of this show in my opinion.

4) Soo-Ah annoyed me throughout the show. I hated her. Until. She pulled out the evidence against Jangga. Co. I just could not believe that she could work them after what Chairman Jang and Geun-Won did to Mr. Park. I was raging most of the show watching her help Jangga Co. But now, I see it was a brilliant way to blind the viewer to Soo-Ah's true intention of bringing Jangga Co down herself even if that wasn't always the case or was the last resort it was always something she was willing to do. She just needed the right motivator. I thought Saeroyi would have offered her a job, in the end, I think it was a missed opportunity.
Quotes that I enjoyed or thought had significance. (There as translated by Netflix and are likely to be remembered or recorded wrong, my apologies if there are any mistakes). But I like how she ended.

5) Hyun-Yi and Choi and Toni. I like their stories. I can't say much else. I like them.

6) the background love story was sweet! Min-Jung and Byung-Hun. Loved it.

7) Geun-Soo I wanted so badly to have stayed with IC. co and beat his father at his own game alongside Saeroyi, I was completely taken aback by his character development AND how he outed Hyun-Yi. I wanted to hate him but I'm sympathetic.... still annoyed though.

Saeroyi:
'I wanted to live myself without regrets. I regret... I miss you like crazy.' (Parallels between Yi-Seo's dialogue towards him and Searoyi's feelings).
'Am I going to die there? No. I'm going to survive. I'm afraid, if anything happens to Yi-Seo, that I will really be destroyed.'
I'm already happier than I ever imagined I could be.'

Yi-Seo:
'If you die, I'll die.' (Though most of what she said was iconic).

Soo-Ah:
'I thought, as the girl who was never loved by anyone else. That I should at least cherish myself.'

Seung-Kwon:
'I didn't know what those tears meant. But I'm relieved.'

Mr. Park (Saeroyi's father):
'You can overcome anything as long as you're alive.'
'How does it taste?...[sweet] Means you had an impressive day.'

Tee.

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Interessante mas...

Itaewon Class tem tudo que eu gosto em um drama, como uma boa história, ação, suspense, comédia sendo que esta está na medida certa, o que eu aprecio , já assistir vários dramas que tinha tudo para ser interessanta mas foram arruinados pele exesso de comédia.

Outro fator que me agradou bastante nesta série foi a protagonista feminina Yo Si Seo, ela foi incrivel, foi bem despresivel e infantil as veses porem para mim foi um grande destaque . A personagem foi bem intensa a atriz atuou muito bem interpretando ela. Eu adoro protagonistas femininas inteligentes, determinadas pró ativas e bem vestidas. Quero deixar claro que realmente desprezei a protagonista em boa parte do drama, ela de fato era desagradável mais ainda sim me chamou atenção.

O protagonista masculino foi fraco, bem sem graça, era uma boa pessoa mais não me impactou em nada, parecia uma porta sem expressão, dizia palavras bonitas mais não me convencia; falando nisso outra coisa que não me convenceu foi o romance, o cassal não tinha quimica estavam mais para irmãos do que para um casal, se não tivesse romance seria mais interessante.

Um aspecto admirável foi a amizade e a lealdade mostradas no drama, esse sem sombra de duvida foi o que mais me chamou atenção.

O inicio deste drama foi incrível, digo os 8 primeiros episódios eu realmente me agradaram, eu fiquei grudada na tela e cada vez que acabava um episódio eu queria continuar para saber o desenrolar da história, porém a história foi ficando repetitiva e cansativa para mim, ainda sim interessante mais cansativa, a história da vingança já estava batida e tudo corria em um loop infinito.

Em fim não me arrependi de ter assistido, valeu a pena porém não voltaria a ver, uma vez já basta.

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Good drama held back by female leads

I really liked Itaewon Class overall. I was gripped from the first episode which is unusual for me because it often takes me a couple of episodes to really get into a kdrama. I love a good revenge drama and Itaewon class is just that, however I did sometimes get frustrated with Sae Ro Yi's blind obsession with revege but at least there's also more to the drama.

I especially liked the storyline with Sae Ro Yi's employees. His employees are a bunch of people who would have a hard time fitting into Korean society, for example; ex prisoners like Sae Ro Yi and his co worker, a trans co worker (who would've been better off being played by a trans person) and a Korean co worker with an African parent. I loved seeing their trials and tribulations and the way they're supported by Sae Ro Yi.

I thought the revenge storyline was compelling, I've seen people paint the bad guy as cartoonishly evil but I kinda enjoy some of these kinds of characters. I also think some of the other "bad guys" are more nuanced than the main baddie which balances him out.

Possible spoiler next paragraph, I don't know how to hide them.

I think the worst part about the drama was how the two main females were written. Oh Soo Ah is annoying in that she goes with the flow and expects Sae Ro Yi to change her life instead of doing it herself and Jo Yi Seo is so much younger than Sae Ro Yi and keeps throwing herself at him.

Even with some of the faults in the storyline I did like the actors but as I said before having a trans actor would've been an improvement. I liked the way Itaewon Class showed off the neighbourhood of Itaewon and it makes me want to visit there. The OST was pretty nice, with my favourite song being You Make Me Back by Kim Woo Sung.

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A Long Story

Random thoughts:

- Park Sae Ro Yi 's hairstyle never changed once from high school to 15 years after
- All characters at some point in the show were hateful
- .....except these two: Ma Hyun Yi and Choi Seung Kwon - my favourites
- Jo Yi Seo deserves Park Sae Ro Yi, she was fiercely loyal to him and stood by his side throughout
- I don't feel as sorry for Oh Soo Ah - her potential chef love interest is yummy LOL
- I wouldn't really call this a love story
- I wouldn't call it a food show either
- Revenge, revenge, revenge that turned people insane
- So when you sometimes watch a show and you wished that the characters would just please speak up and be honest to avoid misunderstanding, well this show has that - speaking their minds without filter
- The show gets draggy with extended flashback scenes, some dialogues feel repetitive from previous scenes. Towards the end, I didn't really care anymore, it felt like it would never end, I was just looking forward for the finish
- It has great OST

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I thought this drama started amazing the storyline... the character build up and even the romance between Sae Ro Yi and Soo-ah the chemistry between them two started out amazing and not going to lie... I was rooting for Soo-ah the whole way in the romance department. I’ve seen a lot of Park Seo Joon drama’s and his acting is always top notch and in character but I know I’m going to get a lot of negativity for saying this but romance wise Park Sae Ro Yi and Jo Yi Seo had zero sparks for me ....the chemistry between the two is great but a brother sister/ family love . She was one sided the whole way through and usually when you have a one sided love drama in the end when the other actor falls for the other actor you see and feel that chemistry of love but maybe I’m spoiled with “fight for my way” and “what’s wrong with secretary Kim” the chemistry with park min young and Kim Ji won is just a million times better than that kind of romance with Kim da mi
This drama showed two different ways to show love between two types of family with money and friendship. It even hit very touchy subjects as in transgender and race in episodes which made this a very impactful show. But the ending was just kind of rushed in a way I mean the time jumps were no joke in some parts. I would of been smarter to have tired to bring back a season two instead of rush things.

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Who doesn't want a little revenge?

This was a unique take about revenge where the main lead devote his whole life for this grand revenge after his life has been ruined. It's just weird as well that the old guy keeps ruining this young man's life just because he didn't kneel down before him. For me, their reasoning and motivations are shallow but somehow they were able to make a decent story out of it.

Male lead and female lead doesn't have that much of a chemistry but the female lead really looks cute specially when she's pursuing the male lead. I just can't get over the fact that almost every character in this series is motivated or fired up by something ridiculous. One revenge, another one power, another one is love. But somehow they made it work.

I had high expectations for this series that's maybe why I am disappointed as to how the story unfolds. Anyway, I still recommend this series because you'll learn a lot about life. Like how pursuing something whole-heartedly can take you places. I still had fun watching it.

P.S: Will edit this in the future if time allows.

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Pretty decent kdrama even if the unnecessary love triangle is there

So I basically decided to watch the whole kdrama on Netflix since I wasn’t able to find the Webtoon anywhere. However I’m glad I did watch the drama since the webtoon pretty much had the blandest art I’ve ever seen ngl (no offence to the artist btw). The colours and the scenery man are just stunning like seeing the breathtaking views of Seoul day and night just blows you away!

I was really enjoying nearly all the characters. It was even unique that it added in transgender character who really needed more screen time to be honest. Lee Joo Young did such a nice performance as the character! I really wanted to see more of her character and Ryu Kyung Soo‘s character together! The character I obviously couldn’t stand is Jang Geun Soo who always simping over Yiseo and just turns his back on Park Saeroyi a few times. He is like a “damsel in distress” character like for effin sake man, wipe off from the story jeez! Btw the actor who plays him is cute tho, I’ll give him that lol! To add, it’s also good to see an African man join the group too, I like the fact we have a kdrama representing diversity woop woop!!

I gotta admit the whole thing took the whole day to finish it so the length to finishing it is ridiculous. Fair warning to all who have busy lives! I really enjoyed it though like it is worth the binge! It’s emotional, funny, gorgeous, tense, nearly everything you do or don’t expect in a romance drama depending how you look at it! Just watch kg guys, it’s a decent kshow to check out if you don’t want to read the Webtoon!

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Savage and genius female lead and kind male lead..best youth and romance drama..

Kim dami..one of the most talented and gorgeous kdrama actress...she plays such an unique and badass roles ... This drama is literally the masterpiece..the script, Acting, their costumes..the whole cast .music.. shooting set and their accesories..omg . everything is so good..
I wait so badly for every episode. This drama is just so good..and kim dami stole the show by her amazing Acting and gorgeous looks.she is bad ass intelligent girl in this drama..
And..our handsome parl seo jun .what can I say .he is so hot..in drama he is playing a nice .. strong and very intelligent man..
This brave couple stole my heart ..
One of the best kdrama of the all time.. period ❤️

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Good with a few lacking areas

I can't help but feel a tiny bit disappointed by Itaewon Clas. It wasn't bad, I think my expectations were simply a bit too high. Mostly, I wanted to watch it because it seemed pretty different from other kdramas, with an offbeat vibe and maybe a little more raw. In the end, it was relatively standard as far as dramas go, I didn't feel like I was in new territory. They did tackle many different social issues and showcased characters that came from varied backgrounds, which is commendable. It does feel a little forced and shallow at times, but since that is not something kdramas are used to doing, I suppose that it's a good start and a nice effort.
Park Sae Ro Yi is instantly loveable, though he sometimes borders on annoyingly forgiving. I tend not to like characters who never get angry when people act badly towards them, but in this case every time it happened and I got angry, I was just kind of okay with it because he is so charming in that weird, aloof and kind of stiff way.
I think Jo Yi Seo started out as a very fun and compelling character. I loved her in the beginning, where was a bit of a wildcard, unpredictable and weird, in an equally infuriating and charming way. When the romance plot became more prominent though, she became less interesting, she was just obsessed with Sae Ro Yi and that was it, even though before that she was shown as someone who didn't care about people in general. I quite enjoy the idea that she was a loner and never cared about someone else, but when she fell, she fell hard, but I'm sure there was a way to do that and maintain who she was as a character. Generally speaking, I feel like there are three general eras of Jo Yi Seo (her cold, "sociopathic" self, her whiny, i-have-a-crush self, and her final more mature, resigned self) rather than coherent and consistent development throughout the run of the show. She ends up in a satisfying place, character-wise, and she's still a fun character, but I was a bit bothered by it.
Oh Soo Ah was a bit flat, she's spunky and fun as a teen, but as an adult she doesn't go through much change. I understand that the point was that she was loyal to a fault, until we saw her rebel against Jang Dae Hee near the end, and I thought that was well-done and interesting, however since she is one of the main characters, it would have been more satisfying if she had has more of a personality.
Jang Dae Hee was a great villain, as was Jang Geun Won, but in totally opposite ways. Jang Dae Hee is cold and menacing, powerful and clearly an impressive man, he commands respect and is a force to be reckoned with, a truly worthy opponent for our lead. I loved seeing him go from utterly confident that he would prevail to increasingly petty as Sae Ro Yi got under his skin. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Jang Geun Won is the guy you love to hate, the bottom of the barrel. He has neither class, nor power, no true ambition of his own besides enjoying his unearned status, and he's a coward. He's vile and constantly exasperating. And yet, you feel for him, because it can't have been easy growing up with his father, and he's also responsible for a lot of his worse traits. I found myself constantly rooting for him a little, hoping he would pull himself out of the hole he had been digging for himself, but I can't say I'm disappointed with the direction they took with his character at all.
Why did they make us hate Jang Geun Soo? His arc was so strange, with no pay-off.
The rest of the cast was competent, and their characters decently written, I have no complaints. They added much needed levity in parts, and interesting side-drama, I liked them all.
The main storyline was a little repetitive at times. We got an awful lot of: Sae Ro Yi will never manage the next step. But he so determined. Actually nevermind, it's going great! It's actually going a little too well. There might be something up with that. Oh nevermind, Jangga seem nervous, so they didn't plan this I guess. Cool! Oh, no, actually it WAS all part of Jang Dae Hee's plan. Lather, rinse, repeat. Obviously it's to be expected that there are big steps forwards and stepbacks alternating, but it could have been handled better.
In short, that is my problem with the show. There are a lot of aspects that are okay, but could have been done better. My final word is that this is a competently made drama, that deals with important topic that are rarely discussed in kdramas, but it doesn't really strive to go a step above. I enjoyed it a lot, but it left me hungry for just a little more.

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