If you're looking to get stuck into a new show that's a little bit different to the usual, then Itaewon Class is right up your alley.
Itaewon Class won't pop up on most 'recommended for you' lists in Ireland, unless of course you've actively been seeking out Korean dramas to watch (and Netflix has plenty of them). Luckily, having spent a few years in the city of Daegu, I still have some friends that are able to point me in the direction of some really good products of the booming Korean TV industry.
If you're into that kind of thing, keep an eye out for a list of the best shows to come out of the Land of the Morning Calm but in the meantime, I can't recommend Itaewon Class highly enough.
The show takes its name from a bustling area of Seoul that's famed for its expat community and a nightlife that's popular with young people in the Korean capital. In the first episode we meet Park Saeroyi, a high school loner who, by end of the first episode, is faced with an event that will shape his life for years to come.
Driven by revenge, and an impressive business acumen, the likeable yet stubborn Saeroyi embarks on a mission to punish the people who have wronged him with the help of some friends he makes along the way.
The opening episode is set in 2006 and the 13-episode series takes us all the way up to 2020, as we follow our hero's journey towards his goals. As the episodes pass, the extent of Saeroyi's heartache becomes clearer and there are scenes towards the end of the series that won't fail to hit you right in the feels.
Itaewon Class is at times a teen drama about star-crossed lovers and at other times a show about warring businesspeople who would do anything to get one over on each other. By the last episode, it pretty much goes full action movie as the battle for supremacy rages towards a gripping finish.
Underneath it all is a lot of heart and a plenty of lessons on the importance of loyalty. The eagle-eyed among you will recognise lead actor Park Seo Joon from Oscar-winning movie Parasite, in which he played the friend who gives the family a supposedly lucky scholar's rock. The actor only had a short cameo in the Hollywood blockbuster and this show allows you to see his full impressive range.
Itaewon Class will make you laugh, make you cry and its addictive K-Pop soundtrack will have you singing along in a language you're not familiar with in no time. It's a perfect show to get stuck into over a lockdown weekend and you can get taster in the preview below...
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