Itaewon Class: The First and Last Post

I only started watching IC two weeks ago, after Jules informed me that Itaewon Class wasn’t, in fact, about school and an ex-convict trying to become a teacher (😂). I’m really not into school stories. Not having found a drama that had grabbed me so far, I went into this with 0 expectations and info….and found myself instantly invested the moment Park Saeroyi appeared on my screen displaying autistic characteristics. I hence approached this show as his story with others serving as typical 10-min-exposure side characters (instead of being an ensemble) and it didn’t disappoint in that aspect. From start to finish, it was about his journey and the show stayed true to what it had set out to be – the underdog hero’s story with a thread of depression and suicide running through it, the latter being something that it never explicitly puts into as many words but which was woven into the story nevertheless, making me appreciate it even more. The show did have its faults (hiring the webtoon writer as the screenwriter when they have no other screenwriting credit to their name was definitely not a good decision) but it was otherwise well executed by the rest of the crew and the show did something that we all forget the importance of sometimes – be engrossing. I was never bored and, even as a serial dropper, I never felt the urge to drop it. I could get more into detail about all the things I liked and disliked about the show but I am sure people are going to write whole theses on it so I am just going to bask in the post-drama glow instead. And depression. I haven’t finished a show in a while (last was in 2019 November according to my MDL) and have forgotten how to deal with post-drama depression. Plus, I do not want to contribute to the cesspool of negativity this drama has generated. Life’s too short and busy for that. I do want to give a special shoutout to the OST as well as the unconventional side characters. Most importantly, an FL who wasn’t cookie cut. Wow was it a breath of fresh air.

So there we go, my first bean for 2020!! Yay!! Not a perfect show, but I have no regrets about this one. Come to think of it, its the first Park Seo Joon drama I have enjoyed. And ooooh, Kim Da Mi! I will have to follow her projects from here on out. I was surprised to learn that she wasn’t actually close to 18 haha. And now, back to my cave until I find another drama I like. Sigh.

P.S. THAT PARK BOGUM CAMEO. I might have squealed and cried as I shouted “WHEN ARE YOU COMING BACK TO ME?!” at my screen.