Itaewon class started as a full of heart, emotional and intelligent drama not unlike its beautiful characters and it stayed that way for most of the part. To the point, that based on the first 60% alone, I'd give it a solid 9.

However, towards the end it lost a lot of its identity and took a turn most run-of-the-mill k-dramas do. The writing took a lot of hits as it floundered confused about what direction to take.

Out of the blue kidnappings, dramatic fight scenes, near death experiences and other ridiculousness that was so unlike what the show stood for. It started as a very bearing drama with a constant melancholic but hopeful vibe as it documented the journey of various characters with different paths in life who came together to build a dream with tenacity and determination. Never knew it would turn into fucking "The K2" towards the end. Lol

Speaking of characters, Park Sae Joon did a brilliant job bringing forward a hero unlike many others. He was the definition of silent strength, a brilliant mind and perseverence. A man who got up again and again even with the odds stacked against him. Someone who managed to retain his composure, compassion and child like purity despite all the shit life handed to him.

Kim Da Mi, surely the breakout artist of the year was a delight to watch. Yi Soo was a tiny ball of vicious energy. She was driven and determined to the core, with a sharp young mind and someone who never gave up no matter what you did to her.

At the same time however, she was also incredibly rude, selfish and did downright horrible things. I'm all up for that as it added to her complexity and made her sweet moments all the more impactful but I hated that her backstory was not explored at all. What made her that way? I would really like to know but nopes.

Some people didn't buy the romance but I did. I think the drama pulled this aspect fairly well. Both of them played a significant part in the other's life. For Yi Soo, her quest for love gave her genius but idle mind a purpose, it grounded her and made her a better person and for Saeroyi, Yi Soo was his backbone. The true kingmaker and the force behind his success. When everyone told him his dreams were impossible she not only stood by them, she made them happen.

They were good for each other which is why the romance rang true for me. Sure, Yi Soo was a bit obsessive and took it to another level but that was her character from the start. Love or success, she'd take everything to the extreme. (Again, I'm annoyed at the fact why that was so. We are just supposed to accept her personality as it is though without any insight.)

All the characters had their amazing moments in the show however some did not develop as nicely as they could have cause of bad writing 101. The second FL came through at times but mostly her victim-is-me mentality annoyed me to no end. The villains were okay-ish, none too exceptional but they did the job.

Over-all, the drama delivered a lot of important messages and did a good effort at being woke. That said, it also had a lot of corny, overly sappy and unrealistic moments where I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

In the end, I'll say that while this drama was definitely not exceptionally good in terms of writing and later on even the execution, it was a fun ride for sure. I binged it in 2 days straight and never found an episode that made me yawn.

So while I do reccomend it, I would advise not to have sky high expectations going in, because of the hype surrounding it.