SaraaReviews: Itaewon Class
Welcome to the second #saraareviews post! This time I'm shifting my gears to talk about my other favourite thing other than books, which is K-drama. Through the years, watching drama has been like an after meal activity with the family regardless of any genre. Somehow my preference grew towards Korean, probably because I wanted to learn their language through hearing their conversations.
For standing with his principle and refusing to apologize for his actions, Park Saeroyi was expelled and his father (Son Hyun Joo) tendered his resignation. Together, the father and son started a restaurant of their own. Just when you thought the father and son can finally have good time bonding, Saeroyi's father was brutally killed in an accident due to Jang Geun Won's reckless driving on a rainy night.
Years later after working multiple odd jobs to earn money, Park Saeroyi opens up a bar called Danbam, meaning Sweet Night at the corner of Itaewon. A place he was first introduced by his first love Oh Soo Ah (Kwon Na Ra). Things slowly start to change with his staff at Danbam when Jo Yi Seo (Kim Da Mi) wanted to the restaurant's manager.
I love how this drama brings together characters that are unapologetically bold especially Ma Hyun-Yi's (Lee Joo Young) transgender character who struggled to live as an LGBTQ+ character in this drama. I love how this character shed light on the issues of representation and the public view of transgender folks and it made me wonder how the audience would respond to it. Same thing goes when Toni (Chris Lyon) came into the scene, who came to Korea searching for his father so that he could be a Korean citizen. Best part is, they hired Toni thinking that he could speak English when he clearly know nothing about it - a clear example of 'don't judge a book by its cover'.
Obviously the best characters goes to Park Saeroyi and Jo Yi Seo for being polar opposites of each other yet the kind that complements each other. Jo Yi Seo started off as a strong outspoken character where her confidence just makes you feel the 'I want to be like her'. As the story develops, you will grow fond Park Saeroyi for his kindness and forgiving nature, for he does not judge a person by their past but by their actions. He believes that trust should be the solid foundation among his staff and has proved that to be true as Danbam overcome every chalenge thrown by Jangga.
The diverse backgrounds of the Danbam crew from an ex-convict, sociopath, illegitimate son and so forth - they are all seeking for a second chances in life. Starting from the ground with Danbam, it was touching to see how they grow from colleagues to as a family and how each character work on their special skills to turn Danbam into IC Co, the largest food company that later bought Jangga.
'When there is a will, there is a way' sure resonates differently with Park Saeroyi as his determination was off the chart. It didn't matter how long he took, he always gets it done step by step - a line Oh Soo Ah said in one of the episodes. Despite his past, he persevered through and never lost sight of the principles his father instilled in him.
A few minor issues that are brought up include social injustice where the rich will always win over the poor is also fairly dominant in this drama whenever Jang Dae Hee steps into the scene, demanding Park Saeroyi to kneel and apologize for everything he did.
The plot proceeds until some time in the present day up where Jo Yi Seo came into the picture. It's not everyday that you see a strong female lead who is willing to bet on her life to make Park Saeroyi's dream a reality. This is something new in the K-drama scene (or at least it is, to me) to see the female lead being the 'brains' of the crew despite being only 20 years old. Through it all, she's proven to be an asset to Danbam and to Park Saeroyi. All she wanted was to turn his bitter nights sweet (reference to the name of the pub, Danbam).
In my opinion, one of the best scenes Jo Yi Seo had was when she was rejected by Park Saeroyi during the game of truth or dare with the Danbam crew - the part when she hold back her tears while looking down was really impressive. (If it was me, I would've stormed out of the place and start sobbing.)
With the expected happy ending for Park Saeroyi and Jo Yi Seo, I do admit that the ending isn't as exciting as it was at the start of the drama. Though it definitely captured and tied all the loose ends with all the main and side characters are successful now in leading IC Co. Even Oh Soo Ah earned her long awaited freedom after ending Jangga Co with all the wrongdoings that she kept track of. She too opened a cafe later on where you will see the Park Bo Gum's adorable cameo in it.
To wrap up the end of my first Kdrama review, here's my favourite quote from Itaewon Class. I have this written somewhere in my journal to remind me of the beauty of life.
That's the end of my first Kdrama review! Do let me know in the comments section you have any interesting K-drama to recommend as well (:
Love, Sara
Itaewon Class (이태원 클라쓰)
Like everyone else, I'm guilty as charged to say that I started watching this because of Park Seo Joon (bae) and it's also because his previous drama has never failed me. His visuals got my attention (and my heart) since 'Kill Me, Heal Me', then 'She Was Pretty' and 'Fight for My Way' so I'm not missing out on this one - though I'm impressed that the hairstyle isn't as bad as I thought. I may have started the drama a little late but better late than never. Based off the webtoon of the same name, let's get to the details. |
| Courtesy of JTBC |
Overview
Present day in the drama, Park Saeroyi (Park Seo Joon) is an ex-convict who aims to take over the Jangga Group, to avenge his father's death. 15 years ago, his life took an unexpected turn when he defended a classmate from the school's bully Jang Geun Won (Ahn Bo Hyun). With Jang Geun Won's background, it's no surprise that he could get away with his actions in school since his father Jang Dae Hee (Yoo Jae Myeung) is the CEO of Jangga.For standing with his principle and refusing to apologize for his actions, Park Saeroyi was expelled and his father (Son Hyun Joo) tendered his resignation. Together, the father and son started a restaurant of their own. Just when you thought the father and son can finally have good time bonding, Saeroyi's father was brutally killed in an accident due to Jang Geun Won's reckless driving on a rainy night.
Years later after working multiple odd jobs to earn money, Park Saeroyi opens up a bar called Danbam, meaning Sweet Night at the corner of Itaewon. A place he was first introduced by his first love Oh Soo Ah (Kwon Na Ra). Things slowly start to change with his staff at Danbam when Jo Yi Seo (Kim Da Mi) wanted to the restaurant's manager.
Characters Worth Highlighting
With many people expressing their hate for Oh Soo Ah, I'm in favor of her because I felt like I could understand her reasoning for her decisions. I don't blame her for the choices she made, just like how Park Saeroyi justified it. Making a decision is like hers is never easy but she always chose the one that would cause the least impact to Danbam. Funny how Park Saeroyi would not notice her feelings for him. Regardless, I'm so glad she got the ending she deserved after she left Jangga.I love how this drama brings together characters that are unapologetically bold especially Ma Hyun-Yi's (Lee Joo Young) transgender character who struggled to live as an LGBTQ+ character in this drama. I love how this character shed light on the issues of representation and the public view of transgender folks and it made me wonder how the audience would respond to it. Same thing goes when Toni (Chris Lyon) came into the scene, who came to Korea searching for his father so that he could be a Korean citizen. Best part is, they hired Toni thinking that he could speak English when he clearly know nothing about it - a clear example of 'don't judge a book by its cover'.
Obviously the best characters goes to Park Saeroyi and Jo Yi Seo for being polar opposites of each other yet the kind that complements each other. Jo Yi Seo started off as a strong outspoken character where her confidence just makes you feel the 'I want to be like her'. As the story develops, you will grow fond Park Saeroyi for his kindness and forgiving nature, for he does not judge a person by their past but by their actions. He believes that trust should be the solid foundation among his staff and has proved that to be true as Danbam overcome every chalenge thrown by Jangga.
Lessons
Revolving around the characters out of the ordinary, I find it fascinating that the drama weaves together stories of second chances and the truth in 'when there is a will, there is a way'.The diverse backgrounds of the Danbam crew from an ex-convict, sociopath, illegitimate son and so forth - they are all seeking for a second chances in life. Starting from the ground with Danbam, it was touching to see how they grow from colleagues to as a family and how each character work on their special skills to turn Danbam into IC Co, the largest food company that later bought Jangga.
'When there is a will, there is a way' sure resonates differently with Park Saeroyi as his determination was off the chart. It didn't matter how long he took, he always gets it done step by step - a line Oh Soo Ah said in one of the episodes. Despite his past, he persevered through and never lost sight of the principles his father instilled in him.
A few minor issues that are brought up include social injustice where the rich will always win over the poor is also fairly dominant in this drama whenever Jang Dae Hee steps into the scene, demanding Park Saeroyi to kneel and apologize for everything he did.
Saraa's Afterthoughts
I love the first half of the drama where it focuses on building the underdog story with Park Saeroyi who dreams of being a policeman and meeting his first love, Oh Soo Ah. However, the ending of the first episode caught me off guard with the death of Park Saeroyi's father and it was a heartbreaking moment. At the same time, this is where you see how well Park Seo Joon played that character in expressing his anger and grief after losing the only person who believed in him.The plot proceeds until some time in the present day up where Jo Yi Seo came into the picture. It's not everyday that you see a strong female lead who is willing to bet on her life to make Park Saeroyi's dream a reality. This is something new in the K-drama scene (or at least it is, to me) to see the female lead being the 'brains' of the crew despite being only 20 years old. Through it all, she's proven to be an asset to Danbam and to Park Saeroyi. All she wanted was to turn his bitter nights sweet (reference to the name of the pub, Danbam).
“Rich? I will make you rich. Jangga Co. gives you a hard time? I will destroy them for you.”
- Jo Yi Seo
In my opinion, one of the best scenes Jo Yi Seo had was when she was rejected by Park Saeroyi during the game of truth or dare with the Danbam crew - the part when she hold back her tears while looking down was really impressive. (If it was me, I would've stormed out of the place and start sobbing.)
With the expected happy ending for Park Saeroyi and Jo Yi Seo, I do admit that the ending isn't as exciting as it was at the start of the drama. Though it definitely captured and tied all the loose ends with all the main and side characters are successful now in leading IC Co. Even Oh Soo Ah earned her long awaited freedom after ending Jangga Co with all the wrongdoings that she kept track of. She too opened a cafe later on where you will see the Park Bo Gum's adorable cameo in it.
To wrap up the end of my first Kdrama review, here's my favourite quote from Itaewon Class. I have this written somewhere in my journal to remind me of the beauty of life.
"If life feels that much like a chore, then just die.
Your life might seem repetitive, but no one really knows what could happen tomorrow.
Who knows? Your boring life might turn into an exciting one"
- Park Saeroyi
 |
| Courtesy of JTBC |
That's the end of my first Kdrama review! Do let me know in the comments section you have any interesting K-drama to recommend as well (:
Love, Sara
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