♟️ Tails, we win ♨️ Now Pay the Tab °8.7° °Outstanding°
I'm a rock. Go ahead and sear me. I won't budge an inch because I'm a rock. Go ahead and beat me up. I'm solid rock. Go ahead and leave me in darkness. I'm a rock that shines all alone. I don't break, ash, nor decay as I go against nature's way. I survive. I'm... I'm the diamond.IC is the story of a man on a mission. Park “Sae” Ro Yi has been cruelly abused and tossed in the trash bin. He makes it his goal to beat his enemies at their own game ~ He's the /tenacious/ type. He has a 15 year plan. Ain't nothing gonna turn his head to the right or the left. He will not bow to anyone - his knees don't work that way… Until she changes everything.
Smack dab in the middle of Seoul, Itaewon is one of the wealthiest streets in one of its wealthiest sections. IC, which takes place there, is a 2020 release that is rated 85 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 70-minute episodes. There's 3 whole episodes of set up, & in ep4 things start to roll. And it's magnificent. It's rough: Business is a snake pit. It's a satisfying watch, and in the latter episodes, when so many features resort to padding, bad writing, and a general overall dip in quality, IC sprouts wings (and claws) as it becomes stronger and more forceful, with newfound depths. It opens to a counselling session.
Park Seo Joon (Gyeongseong Creature, Kill Me, Heal Me, Midnight Runners) is our ML, Park “Sae” Ro Yi. He looks completely different with that hair~squared. In What's Wrong with Secretary Kim-6.8, he's quite beautiful (WWWSk has an excellent cast, excellent interaction and many wonderful moments, but suffers from the occasional directing and writing miss). In IC, he's more rugged. He's manly. He's controlled on the surface & seething underneath, while exuding pain from every pore of his body. He's a star for a reason. In IC he gets to show his gravitas. He has scores to settle with Chm Jang & his son Geun Won. He decides to start a pub across the street from theirs and beat them at their own game. The Chm will not allow him to survive.
Kim Da Mi (Our Beloved Summer, The Witch: Part 1 The Subversion-7.6) is one of the best characters anywhere, ever, Jo Yi Seo. She's got a dangerously high IQ and a dangerous amount of snark. She's been described as a psychopath. She's the type of girl to decide her future with the flip of a coin. “If it's heads, I'll live the life my mom wants. If it's tails, my mom will cry…” She decides to work instead of going to school: She's matriculated in the Itaewon Class. As the show goes on, her part gets better and better and better and better. She's Omazing. Sae has never once disappointed her. She's decided she really likes him. “I'll kill everyone who's been bothering him.” She declares for team Sae. He should be very frightened, but he just doesn't know it yet.
Kwon Na Ra (Suspicious Partner, My Mister-9.5) portrays Oh Soo Ah. I've only noticed her in Bulgasal: Immortal Souls-6.1, which should have been better, but its problems didn't emanate from her. Yoo Jae Myung (Stranger, Prison Playbook, Portrait of a Family) plays chairman Jang Dae Hee. He's horrid, but his backstory is heartbreaking. He was the oldest of 4 and lost all his siblings to the food shortage and poverty. That's a dark part of Korea's history that is mentioned in features every now and then. (Uncle Samsik-8.4 uses it as a more central theme. The very name Samsik means to eat 3 meals a day and he got his power by first feeding the hungry people). His part seems like he's just a typical 2D psychopathic CEO and derelict father, but his character takes on extra dimensions in the double digit episodes. It's quite moving. He does a press conference in ep10 and his performance Is stunning.
Ahn Bo Hyun is the chairman's spoiled son, Jang Geun Won. He's so good at playing a jerk that you wouldn't know how adorable he can be if you haven't seen some of his other stuff. In Flex X Cop-8.5, he's cheerful and irrepressible. In Her Private Life-8, he's earnest and determined. In My Only Love Song-8.7, a comedy I adore and have watched a couple times, he plays the big silent type. I've also seen him in Descendants of the Sun-8.3, My Runway-7.5, and the subpar My Name-5.7. He's completely different in everything, so he's as versatile as he is good looking - and he /is/ a specimen. This is the first time I've seen him play a loathsome bully, and he is thoroughly loathsome. He only ends up serving as a great motivator.
Kim Dong Hee (A-Teen, Extracurricular) is Jang Geun Soo, a part-timer who has a relationship with the Chairman. He makes a very disappointing decision. As the show went on his acting skills failed to impress, but it could be the role he had to play. Lee Joo Young (Something in the Rain-8.6, Times) plays Ma Hyun, the DanBam Chef who is dealing with major changes. Her character is a lovely human being. Hey, not everyone is going to agree on everything all the time. I mean, 4% of people don't like ice cream. We do, however, have a moral obligation to treat every human being with kindness, dignity, respect, and care.
IC gets the award: It's the first Kdrama I've seen to feature an actor with skin browner than a paper bag. Chris Lyon, who is of obvious African ancestry, plays Kim Toni, a DanBam part-timer. He also sings and plays guitar. He's an American born actor who made friends with some Korean exchange students, visited Korea, and that led to some acting and music gigs. He hasn't gotten alot of work yet. He should. He's wonderful and projects a sense of genuine warmth and care. The comely Park Bo Gum (Record of Youth-5.8, Reply 1988-8.6) makes a guest appearance. Cho Kwang Jin (Cabriolet, Roppongi Class) is the screenwriter, and the directors are Kang Min Gu (May It Please the Court) & Kim Seong Yoon Young (Actors' Retreat). Good team.
IC is great drama, really good romance, and an overall philosophical treatise on pride, revenge, success, and what is really worth living for. The theme is: Happiness. “Beliefs. Ambition. They're words used by those who have nothing but their ego. If you gain nothing, that's just being stubborn and foolish,” says the most morally degenerate character of the show. But, wait a minute, let's define GAIN first, before we sign on to any philosophy. Is successful revenge GAIN? Sae thinks so for most of the show. Living a life based on hatred is really difficult, we learn. Sae tries to live a life motivated by hate and revenge, all while maintaining his moral principles. He keeps it up for a long time but finally must let it go. He finds he's lost nothing.
Leadership style is a theme. One Chairman asks an employee why s/he continued to devotedly work for a hated boss? “It's servility,” the Chairman explains to the blank stare facing him. “You've been tamed to my taste. I pressure everyone around me with the power to tame them like that. It's easy to control them, and I despise them.” The Chairman is held up in direct contrast to Sae, who elevates everyone around him except for the slobs he's trying to bring down. Sae picks up nobodies and takes them to the top WITH him.
Pride is a theme in most Kdramas. ‘It's about The Company.’ ‘The COMPANY provides for my family.’ ‘Ultimately it's about my FAMILY,’ we hear. No.it.isn't. It's about pride. These are the utterances of a person who is probably genuinely self deceived. Speaking of pride, that's what's up between Sae and the Chairman. “Will life be better if I get on my knees?” Sae is fed up. “Why is everybody obsessed with putting me on my knees?” Pride: It always lies. It's what makes us lie to ourselves. ‘Bow to me,’ Sae hears every few episodes. (What does that even do other than provide a temporary illicit thrill?) In the end, Sae understands what's really important. Then, nothing else matters. It's important to maintain dignity, but pride never does anyone any good; it's only a roadblock to living free.
“I'm nothing as bad as /that/ person... There are people going through /worse/… I should be grateful… Do you know what sympathy is? It is this wasteful emotion where you look down on someone and get comfort from it.” There's a gem from Yi Seo, who can be hard and cold. She's analytical, not touchy-feely. Sae is a caring mush and rigidly principled, which is contrasted with Yi Seo, a pragmatic utilitarian. Life is about balancing both sides: Both feelings and logic must be present, and balanced, or we fall into error. Her interactions with Seo transform Yi Seo because she is not only smart, she is wise. She quickly understands what true fulfillment is.
Yi Seo and the Chairman are contrasted. If she hadn't ended up falling for Sae she would have been /worse/ than the Chairman, who had the blessing of Sae's dad but learned nothing, and just took advantage. Wise Yi Seo chose a better life over mere financial gain. She ended up with all of it, but she chose the right path first; the rest followed.
“You can't gain anything with your conscience,” says Chairdad. Bad dad = bad son. A man with all the wrong values ended up raising a destructive monster. No surprise. “Everyone is just born evil. You know the evil nature principle. The theory that human nature is fundamentally evil. But if people stick to their instincts, society will collapse. That's why people repress themselves with manners, consideration, morals, and the law. Repression? It's stress.” Now that's a tantalizing quote. Hmmmm. Theologians would point out, about now, that we are born in the image of God, but we are fallen. Therefore, we know what is right in our hearts, but we are, tragically, unable to do it on a consistent basis. It's a subject worth giving thought to. Doing the right thing is never the easy thing, but it shouldn't cause undo stress. I would avoid anyone who claims it does. Speaking of evil, sometimes it's a matter of opportunity. Rich people do heinous things because they /can/.
IC isn't perfect, but it isn't far from it. One character pulls an Anakin Skywalker and goes too evil too easily. Yes, it's sad, but it's also cack-handed. They should have built up to it better. There's no dead zones or padding. I don't have many criticisms.
There's oodles of tasty treats, though. They serve chicken, and they can play chicken. Watch and see. Two women are vying for a man. One really loves the guy while the other seems to love the attention and sense of importance and control she feels from his devotion. The first girl puts everything into her love, while the 2nd woman never put an iota of effort in. Only one of them is worthy of his love. Sae happens, unexpectedly, to be out together with these 2 women, though he's unaware of anything when it comes to love and sex. When he leaves the table they have a riveting discussion. It's unforgettable. There's laughs and good cheer. Sae is actually pretty funny, he's such a rigid dunderhead in some ways. “What don't you like about me?” Geun Won thinks he can win over Yi Seo. Her answer: “Let me see… Your face, the way you talk, your voice, your pupils, teeth, eyelashes, pupils… Did I say that already? I don't like anything about you…” She is totally self-actualized, until Sae… “What's going on? Are you sure you're okay?” 🤣 Yi Seo doesn't have the answer for once. The soundtrack is GRADE A. Soft guitar and vocals augment the scenes with an almost indie vibe.
They give us a satisfying wrap up, something missing from too many Kdramas, though recently, that bad trend is dying out. At the end of all the years and all the junk, we learn: He who bows last bows most. So don't start the bowing game and make enemies in the first place! Live in peace, because “Living is a difficult thing to do”.
QUOTE📢
You have no right to determine my value… I'll do anything I need to… My life has just begun
Everyone makes mistakes. But not everybody takes responsibility, only the brave can do that.
Life is repetitive, you know… And it's predictable.
I'm doing it now… I'm not going with you… I have a date.
〰🖍 IMHO
📣8.6 📝8.8 🎭9 💓8 🦋5 🎨7.5 🎵/🔊8.5 🔚9 🤗8 ▪ 🌞7 ⚡5 😅3 😭5.5 😱3 😯4.5 🤢4 🤔7 💤0
Shazams: Still Fighting It by Lee Chan Sol & Kang Kyoung Yoon, & Say by YOON MIRAE
Age 14+ violence
Language: There are scattered occurrences of @$$h0le, SOB, F💣s -
The benefits far surpass the liabilities
Rated TV-15
Re-📺? Must
In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:
The one you love is right in front of you:
Crazy Love-7.8,
Romance is a bonus book-7.9,
Oh My Ghost 10,
Hospital Playlist 9,
Familiar Wife-8.5,
I'll See You When the Weather is Fine 9,
Something in the Rain-8.6.
Modern Day -
A Witch's Love 7.8,
Love to Hate You 8.9,
Her Private Life 8,
Touch your heart 8.2,
Crash Landing On You 9.1,
It's Okay Not To Be Okay 9,
Love Struck in the City 7.3,
Be Melodramatic-8.7,
Call It Love-8.4,
My Liberation Diary-8.9,
Cheese in the Trap-7.7,
Mine-8,
My Mister 9.5,
🎎 -
My Only Love Song 8.7 ~ excellent comedy,
Mr. Queen 8.5,
My Sassy Girl 8.5,
Saimdang 8.5,
The King's Affection 8.3,
Mr. Sunshine 9
⚡️/🛸 -
K2 8,
Private Lives 8.1,
Descendants Of The Sun-8.3,
When the Camellia Blooms-8,
Why Her?-8,
Sisyphus 8,
Tunnel 8.5,
Signal 8.6,
Blood Free-8.5,
D.P.-8.4,
The Cursed 8.3,
Flower of Evil 8.9,
The Man from Nowhere 8.9,
Black 9,
Squid Game 8.4,
Kingdom 8.3,
Sweet Home 8.4
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It was great, then it was a little what the fuck?
I watched this for mainly 2 reasons: 1. Park Seo Joon 2. Everyone kept saying how great this show was.And not gonna lie. It IS great.
It keeps you hooked to the end. However, it seems to have very high standards as a kdrama, but the last two episodes were kinda... what? NO SPOILERS, but some things that happen in the last 2 episodes are a bit... unrealistic and weirdly plotted.
But the ending is great, so if you're unsure on whether to watch it, I'd say watch it and judge for yourself!
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This review may contain spoilers
So going in i guess i wasn't expecting anything.I watched this drama without knowing what all the hype was about. I won't make this review super long.Just the main points.STORY:It was a refreshing break from the usual rom-coms and a pretty impressive story i would say. Though some elements of the story may seem unrealistic (like come on how convenient that a ex-convict with little education ends up finding a bad-ass genius who willingly helps him) , it's a show after all i guess. I did find what happens in the last few episodes wholly unnecessary though i guess the makers decided to wrap up the very long revenge saga in this way. I do wish it had been done better but we can't have everything.
CHARACTERS: I actually love the characters. There are the good ones ,the straight out villains,the struggling with conscience villains and the gray characters that belong nowhere,much like in reality. I did feel like some of the characters had potential to be much more(Yes I'm talking about Kim Da Mi) . But overall they did a pretty good job of showing the struggles and development of most of the characters.
MUSIC: If the osts aren't wholesome and true to the theme of the drama i don't know what is. I honestly still listen to the playlist to this day. It's my go to when i want to give up and need to push myself. I love the music. The ending song being sung by V is just another unexpected sweet addition to an already spectacular playlist.
So a lot of people had problem with the romance track in this drama. But i personally liked it. For the most part atleast. You guys have to remember that romance is not the main theme. So obviously there wasn't much of it. A lot of people said that the good story was ruined by needless romance but one of the things i actually admired about this drama was the fact that it didn't let romance interfere with the characters goals. Ambition always took the front seat and the romance was mostly bonding. Overall i would say it's a good watch.
As to rewatch value, I will definitely go back to watch the revenge sequence if not the whole drama whenever i want to get all fired up
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This review may contain spoilers
ok! i must admit. this drama was on my watch list and i only wanted to watch it because of the transgender character but once i watched the first episode i fell in love with the actors. the acting was 10/10 and the storyline was not something out of mind. i mean i normally don't like korean romantic dramas cause i think they're cheesy a lil bit but this one had the balance and more real. there wasn't any rich and spoiled boy character only the self-made ones and seriously i learned so much from this drama. i study business and successful people's lifestyle and for sure the storyline was so good and real.not to mention the soundtrack. Gaho is the best and i think he deserves more acknowledgment.
i already rewatched it 2 times since november and it's worth it!
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Wow
I really enjoy watching it and its take from me only 1 day to finish the whole 16 episodes, the revenge story its so amazing, you see park how he is a strong guy while he lose his father and years from his age in the jail also he not finish the high school because Jang ga corp. But he come back with belive in trust and people around him till make them fight for him and one of them fall like crazy in his love because she protect and love him so much i really love her role if she not exist in park life i dont thing he capable to achive his dream.I really recomnded for anyone who have free time and want to enjoy then watch & enjoy in this drama.
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Itaewon, we need to cook
Itaewon, we need to cook.As a show about revenge, pride it was pretty entertaining and engaging.
There were some points where nothing was really happening or when they bait you into thinking someone will betray someone at the end of the episode. Which was kinda pointless since it would just mean the ending of the plot. The ending is abit unsatisfying, but the lack of compelling subplots, next to a much more engaging main story makes this abit easier to digest.
The development of some of the characters was quite good and made sense most of the time.
The main character is likeable and has a really nice personality, as well as understandable flaws. The acting is quite good, especially from the president of Jangga. The main female character was very iritating to watch because she reminded me of someone I knew. Toni is the best character.
The music is pretty good but not as dramatic or iconic as something like Descendants of the Sun.
The title drop, despite being somewhat organic, was abit lacking and didnt feel as satisfying as some other titledrops.
Overall, an enjoyable watch, which I supplemented with a bag of nongshim shrimp crackers.
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This review may contain spoilers
A magnificient masterpiece
Itaewon Class is a drama that deserves to be watched by all. Not because I have a slight soft spot for Park Seo Joon (a sweetness to look at through his physique and acting) but because it deals with several themes that are still a problem in the world but especially in Asian culture in general (except for some points).First of all, and this is one of the major points of the story, he tackles the problem of social classes. From the first episode, we can see that the "weak" are obliged to submit to the economically strongest, letting their whims pass or keeping silent in front of them. But Park Sae Ro Yi, a character played by Park Seo Joon, will prove the opposite by opposing Jang Geun Won, son of a Jagga leader. Of course, as everyone suspected, everything does not go well for him and he ends up in prison, shortly after his father's death, for beating up Jang Geun Won, the person responsible for his father's death. Then everything becomes a "logical sequence" of events, that is, a perpetual fight between Park Sae Ro Yi and Jang Dae Hee, the president of Jagga, all sprinkled with a love story (although this later becomes a secondary one).
Two other themes, important to me, are also discussed, one of which is particularly touching to me. Racism and transidentity. These subjects are major points in the news nowadays. Numerous movements, already existing for some time, have become much stronger in the fight against discrimination, racism, homophobia and so on. I think it's quite good that the producers have introduced these subjects into the series, making it more striking because they are still problems that society has to deal with but doesn't want to address, as if they were still taboo. Obviously, they are not the first to have addressed these facts but they have tried to have a positive impact on the current mentality. Being black or transgender does not make people less human. It has always been there and it won't stop anytime soon, so we might as well accept it and live with it.
As far as acting is concerned, there is not much to say. It was a marvel to watch. I don't think it was perfect, but overall the selection of actors was the right one. All the characters in this series brought a little extra, both the main and secondary characters, and that's pretty rare to see, especially when, in most cases, the secondary characters are only there to help out with problems that one of the main characters may have, or just bring more problems than they already have. In Itaewon Class, the secondary characters had an existence of their own, independent of that of the main characters.
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Amazing, I’m speechless
I seriously didn’t expect this to have many bad reviews, and when I came here and saw them I was like O_o what why? Cause I loved the drama. Except for one ep, the whole drama was freaking amazing. The story about revenge and the love story also fit together, I admire how it isn’t made of cliches and actually focuses on all aspects of the show. I loved the suspense too, of what would happen next. The acting was great, and of course seo joon never fails to disappoint. I loved the diversity, the inclusivity and variety of different aspects too, plus the heartwarming moments, like in danbam, were just perfect. Also I wanna go to itaewon now :))Was this review helpful to you?
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Hard Work Pays Off
His attitude and his hard work...he is such a good man with a strong goal and zeal.I don't like Soo Ah even though she has a goal she shouldn't be like that and should have supported him and been with him through his hardships and thats what people say right one will find you while you are chasing the wrong one.Yiseo is talented and supported him and been through the rough times and proved that in everyman's success there is a lady behind.A good Story doesn't require any romance but there is love.I totally liked this drama.I have seen many Park seo joon's dramas but this stand's front and now he became one of My Favorite Actor and Oppa ❤️❤️.Was this review helpful to you?
A must watch!
This is one of the best Kdrama I’ve watched. When I fist heard about it I thougt it’s just another love story like other kdramas right now but when I started watching the 1st episode I can’t stop watching another episode. I also became a fan of PSJ because of his amazing acting in this drama! I love the storyline coz it’s not your typical Romantic drama, it is full of emotions! You should be emotionaly prepared when you watch it. The Soundtrack is also the best! I’ve been listening to it again and again! Love it!Was this review helpful to you?
Seeing Park Saeroyi (Park Seo-joon) constructing his life based on injustice was a lesson. His motivations always are revenge and this made him reach great things, money, friends, respect... But even with all this, his life always was sour. He wasn't satisfact with nothing until realizing the value of his life and what really moved your heart. On the other hand, we had President Jang (Yoo Jae-myung), that started your journey with the right ambition, but in the middle of the way lost his principles and let this ambition drag him to the end of the well. Saw this journey was pretty intense and made me reflect on my own ambitions and what can move me. Still reflecting on this. Without talking about the important topics that were trate in the drama, as preconception with gender and color of skin. If here in Brazil this is topics that still are delicate, I imagine the impact of this in Korea.
But talking about the production... The recent dramas are doing a great job showing visceral things to the audience. The places, the acting, the OST... Everything was very good and impressive. I loved Kim Da-mi as Jo Yi-seo! What character! She was totally consistent and funny! I love to have a female lead that was insensitive for once, even when she was totally crazy about Saeroyi. I'm not saying that this was healthy or that I agreed with this behavior, but I thought was new entertainment between so many female leads that look the same. Recently we have the amazing Ko Mo-young on "It's okay to be not okay", but I still thought Jo Yi-seo more unpredictable and different.
I love the close and how they put the heal of Saeroyi as a priority. We have romance and friendship, but the peace of Saeroyi with himself was the most remarkable thing. And how this journey tasted? Just sweet!
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