Forest has a pretty simple concept: it's a getaway/healing drama set primarily in the mysterious Miryeong forest, shot primarily in the stunning Gangwon province of South Korea. It exhausts a few tropes, for sure, but it's still an enjoyable watch overall. The story is somewhat on the predictable side and the writing definitely could have been improved but I understand what their goal was with the series. The chemistry between the leads is quite good and their scenes are probably the biggest selling point of the drama. I see that it's getting an incredible amount of hate online when the truth is that many other shows are full of faults and unrealistic plot development that get overlooked. My bottom line is that it could have been a lot better but it's stil a nice enough show.
Itaewon Class was a breath of fresh air in that it takes familiar themes that we know well such as revenge and childhood affection and develops them in unique and unexpected ways. The cast is colorful and interesting and the leads are well acted and unlike your typical drama heroes. It doesn't lose steam until the end and there's plenty of jokes and exciting moments to go around. The OST only adds to the whole experience. The first few episodes are very much a setup and I didn't feel like it'll keep me interested but I realized I was slowly getting attached to the characters and it eventually became one of my favorite dramas ever.
