Interview with Kim Toni (Chris Lyon) from Itaewon Class : th-cam.com/video/IPxHFzK4zqk/w-d-xo.html Another video you might enjoy as a Kdrama fan : 'Crash Landing on You & North Korea / REAL TRUTH (feat. N.Korean Supervisor)' th-cam.com/video/Mtv66mDYq40/w-d-xo.html If you enjoyed Kdrama Deep Dive please consider supporting us for future videos! Give us recommendations and feedback on our content : www.patreon.com/dkdktv Our merch is out! The one I'm wearing in the video :) dkdktv.myshopify.com
@Free Speech This is such an interesting comment. I didn't know that about the Tamil words in Korean but now it explains why the Korean language sounds a bit Indian (well to my untrained ear anyway) fascinating. Thank you for that I'm off to find out more!
Dude, I freaking love Itaewon Class. And I love that the writer is so unapologetic because, in one of the conference, a reporter asked if there will be change to the characters from the webtoon (transgender, sociopath, black, ex-convict, ex-convict/gangster) for the drama and he said no. In my opinion, I think that they expected him to change the characters because it is quite controversial for tv. But he said go pissed yourselves lol
Putting black and trans characters in a drama is a huge deal, and getting it to both air and be successful in a country where these stigmas are still very prevalent is staggering. I really hope this opens the way for more diverse writing/casting in dramas to come.
I really hope not! Am comfortable with the message, but I do not want to see no trans porn in Kdramas. I came to Kdramas to get away from the smut you are seeing in American movies.
Stop watching pron, buddy. It's not healthy TV is dead... People are watching streaming services way more than actual cable television... So yes it’s a big deal
@@Hqmptynpw The topic at hand is about Korea and korean dramas. Is it not? it is true that Asian Americans (and Asians in western countries in general) are severely under represented and I understand as I am Hispanic and feel our representation is extremely limited to stereotypical roles etc. as well. this is true of all poc entertainers in the U.S. regardless of their field/industry. You say it’s monetary and not racial, but there are so many personal anecdotes of people of different ethnicities/races experiencing discrimination in clubs etc, so why can’t it be both? Also while I do agree that there are definitely self righteous westerners who focus entirely too much on other countries or cultures nitpicking at them instead of their own, you can’t say that and go ahead and generalize hip hop culture and accuse it for glorifying violence etc. If that is your sole impression of hip hop, then you know nothing about hip hop, so like you said, learn the culture before attacking it.
I don't understand why people are defending racism because "it's their culture". If racism is part of your culture/race/religion, maybe it's time for you to reflect. It's 2020, ignorance and lack of exposure should no longer be an excuse. Korea and many other Asian countries need more dramas like Itaewon Class because it forces them to reflect on the values they hold dear. Asian countries often shrugged off racism as a joke/banter, they need to start addressing it. No one should be discriminated based on their race, religion, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, social status, education etc. Rule of thumb: treat others the same way you want them to treat you.
Much as you want to get mad, most people in Korea and other east Asian countries probably only very rarely encounter chances to consider their stance on these things in real life. While they may encounter tourists in large cities, interaction with foreigners is unlikely, and it wouldn't cross the minds of most to consider that a non Asian might be a native citizen of their country. In the west you're likely to see people of various races any time you go to a populated place, so discrimination quickly becomes evident, and if it occurs, the minority is often substantial enough to make its voice heard - but in Korea it just isn't like that. No one is defending racism, it's just that it's obviously going to take longer to solve a problem that occurs so infrequently in the lives of these peoples, and that on a national scale simply pales in comparison to other social issues on account of its victims being so few. Even in cases where there are significant numbers in the minority, like in the gay community, there's simply little to no local precedent for speaking out, and virtually no representation in the media until very recently. These things take time, and are difficult to set in motion, because the ones who lead the push for change will undoubtedly take the brunt of things. Prejudice is no joke, people still die in countries we consider 'progressive' today. But regardless, Korea is undoubtedly taking its first steps down this path, and much of the youth have a more open and accepting mindset due to the internet's cross pollination and global culture, and media currently being produced is starting to reflect that; hence Itaewon Class.
Also there is a foreign population in South Korea and people of different backgrounds have raised mixed race children in their country but like most Asian countries with a mostly homogenous culture they want to push their foreign population aside and pretend like it doesn't exist, that and immigration is more controversial in most Asian countries so it's extremely difficult to immigrate so most of the foreign population are expat workers even though they could've been in the country for decades. Japan does the same thing.
@Apple on which part of Asia are you talking about? I'm an Asian who's living in Europe since I'm 7 yrs old but still Asian is my home. And who are you to say that black people are not welcome to Asia? People like you are just so pathetic!!!
When I first went to Japan, many people said Koreans were a different race. I asked how they were different. Japanese said Koreans had more slanted eyes that angled upward. Then I went to Korea. I asked if they thought Japanese were a different race and they said yes. I asked how they are different and the Koreans said Japanese had more slanted eyes that angled upward. I thought that was funny.
@@Dina-up2nc I didn't think either was correct. Those comments plus other things I've seen over the years indicate that in both cultures having more slanted eyes angled upward was considered a negative thing. So basically, they both probably were just thinking something negative about each other. Personally, I think Koreans and Japanese look about the same. Japanese tend to be a little thinner and I see some facial types in each place I don't see much in the other, but for the most part, the same. Diet, culture, and fashions of course are different so they sometimes can make it easy to tell them apart. Oh, first time I went to Korea, I took a picture that included a Japanese man and a Korean girl together. When I returned to Japan, I asked many people to ID which person was Japanese. 80% guessed wrong. :)
erad67 Koreans have upward slant, Japanese have downward. Downward is seen as generally ok and upward depends on taste but has potential to be more attractive.
@@erad67 i believe the differences is in the mouths and cheekbones. japanese people tend to have rounder and smaller faces while koreans tend to have nice high cheekbones and slimmer faces. their noses are pretty distinctive, too, i notice japanese people tend to have smaller, but wider noses. edit: please keep in mind that the average korean doesn't look like a kpop idol lol.
While watching Itaewon Class I saw the BLACK guy and I was like am I watching the wrong drama??? I was like shocked and was taken away by the diversity I was like finally KDRAMA-industry are not being RACIST oh my god the SKY IS COMING DOWN
am saying like if you watch AMERICAN movies their are KOREAN , ASIANS who has decent roles. while in all well most BLACK people are not even in kdrama nor kmovies. and if they are in it kdrama their role are usually Cashiers, Drug dealers,and many more violent kind of thing
BEYONCEFAN JAYZ they don’t really have a huge population of foreigners that aren’t white or non Asian tho. I’ve never seen a Hispanic or Polynesian in korean film/dramas because they don’t really play a big part in korean society compared to a diverse country like England or the US
taiyona tiare that makes sense but still they need to know not only WHITE SKIN PEOPLE EXIST AND NEED TO STOP DOWNGRADING PEOPLE WITH DARKER SKIN THAN THEM. literally it now influencing the young kids in korea even in kpop those idols make fun of their members for having tan skin yeah it a joke but still kids are watching an they are going to think it ok to do that.
Itaewon Class was definitely a groundbreaker, as you explained. I was shocked as they discussed some real-life issues. I've been watching K-dramas for almost 10yrs, and I must say, this one was by far beyond my expectations,
@Young Young it was Saeroyi for me, its not often the MC is your favourite because they are usually typecasted as this good looking one dimensional character.. but Saeroyi was different. He was just a strong character who was not flawless but you could fully see him fix them as the show goes on and you entirely understand what his goals are to make you root for him. That's the reason of why I stuck with the show, it was solely to see him suceed and get his revenge. The side characters were also full fledged and added alot to the table, they brought flavours to it. I like Yi Seo too.. very interestingly written.
At this point I respect you because I don't know how you are able to retain all that information and just talk about it without messing up. I can't imagine how many hours it took you to make this video and edit it. Coming from a small youtuber as myself, this video was really helpful.
In all my years of being a K-drama fan, Itaewon Class is by far the only one that left such a deep and lasting impact on me. I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone, it's a story about life, loss, love, and labor with many many important lessons to teach. I got so attached to the characters, they were all relatable, unique, and vulnerable in their own ways. Thank you for your impressive analysis and background info on Itaewon Class! This one's going down as a titan in K-drama history 🙌🏼
exactly how i feel! i got so attached to all of the characters, and i felt like something was missing (ie. no new episodes) after finishing the show haha.
@@rarrbear It hits in a different way when you have a long experience with kdramas because you know exactly how revolutionary it is in its representation within the context of the Korean entertainment industry. I just finished watching it today and it was mmm mmm good.
I enjoyed Itaewon Class as a drama for similar reasons as David. It is idealistic yet it is the kind of idealistic which is inspiring and it is not really impossible to find people who are in part like Park Saeroyi. The drama has a lot of positive messages. If you do another deep dive for a kdrama, I'd nominate Kingdom (Joseon era period dramas) cause the styling and all those things are attractive and some things in the drama are obviously not easily understood by non Koreans. Thank you for going in such detail about this one 💜✨
@@prabhleenkaur1673 Yeah I was excited about season 2 and it didn't disappoint. It is about Zombies but also has some other elements which allude to politics and the monarchy
I'm Korean-American and I was almost banned from a theater because they thought I couldn't speak Korean. I was just shy as a kid, and I didn't want to talk to strangers. My mom was clearly fluent in Korean though, so this whole situation was outrageous to me.
No theater banned foreigner in SK, and u r NOT korean, ur playlist are full with Japanese. Wth Please dont lie to everyone. I’ve never banned from theater in Seoul as foreigner.
@@alpineboy3288 Are you saying that I'm not Korean just because I enjoy Japanese songs? There are many Koreans that enjoy Japanese media (and vice versa), so I don't know how you think that I am lying when I say that I am Korean. Also, this was many years ago, so it might have gotten better. That said, there are still clubs that don't allow foreigners. You can't use your own experience to judge every foreigner's experience in Korea. You are one out of many. People have different experiences in life. Just because you have never been banned doesn't mean that everyone else has never been banned. I suggest you use some critical thinking skills.
Can confirm this is true, even though they did nothing wrong to us. I have nothing against them and they are usually nice people. Chinese and Japanese, we hate them for our history and politics though.
My sister is learning Korean and she has a friend that is Korean who helps her out with her grammar and accent. He asked her if there was a lot of racism in America since he's heard it before and wanted to clarify. My sister told him, "Yes. There is. Not because we arent used to seeing different cultures but it's because we don't try to understand each other." I realized that that is exactly what's going on in Korea and their type of racism. They are conservative and not used to many things so when someone, who doesnt fit the visual standard, appears in Korea, they can't help but think it weird and discriminate. Which is rude. Point blank. I'm not defending, just seeing it through their eyes. And in America, we see a lot of cultures but since we tend to believe stereotypes more than facts, we become racist and aggressive. It amazes me how racism can show up in different scenarios and in different ways.
@@GranolaBars11 And the most prominent characteristic of assholes is that they don't *want* to understand others. Being an asshole and not wanting to understand is like a tag team in wrestling, pulling each other along.
Tbh I don't get why people say there's a LOT of racism in America, most likely b/c there're so many races. There're many countries who barely even accept immigrants so they can't even go live there in the first place. Also things are relative. B/c racism in so much more obvious and stronger in Korea and Hong Kong (you could get beat up for speaking Mandarin), racism in America is barely noticeable to me. It is still an issue in America, but it bugs me when people scream 'racism' for every little thing.
@@bulletproofdiamondwinstar9470 in regards to ur hong kong point. thats not how it usually is and was only recently the case due to a very unique situation. again, ur not wrong and it did happen but u also need to clarify things
One of my favorite things about the drama is that every character had their side story, when I saw Toni I got really exited but I didn't think his role would have any importance, yet I was wrong. Some dramas tend to add diversity but will completely ignore the characters after they are introduced, this is the first time I saw a drama like this and I'm so glad I watched it till the very end.
I know I'm late but Yeah.!.me too I thought they were just going to add him there for the sake of it I was glad that they didn't ignore him and actually gave him a story and all
Regarding Toni's character i don't really like the fact that they made him learn English anyway and none of them didn't know English still, even though they're supposed to work in a transnational company 🤷🏻♂️
T But Yi Seo speaks english and others are not really from that privileged background to know it and were busy enough with what they were doing. For Toni, english was the main reason why they hired him in the first place ( except that they literally just assumed that, I know) And it’s not like they forced him anyway, PSRY told him to learn it if you like working here, he did it because he wanted to.
Yeah but i feel like he had to learn it (because as Yi Seo said, for koreans he "looks like" as he can speak fluent English) otherwise he would get fired, how unfair is that.
Suga Kookie You don’t have to call me idiot for having an opinion. Again, I THINK he wanted to give his best because he care about Danbam not just because he’d be fired ( lol he has a rich grandmother why’d he even worry he can even study at university or do whatever the heck he’d like if he wanted) The others didn’t even think he’d learned english, and was worried when foreigners came in. That means they didn’t care if he learned english or not. It’s not like SRY was chasing him asking if he learned english and telling him to bring his TOEFL results so that he can work longer lol. Therefore, they didn’t FORCE him to learn english.
It’s just mind blowing that a society so driven on education can still be this racist. That makes me think that racism is and will be something people decide to be and not because they “don’t know better”
Education in this case focuses more on maths, English, chem, business etc, world studies and race studies nope which is what they need to understand racism, homophobia etc.
Racism is choice. The idea that someone is intelligent yet stills seeks to elevate through racism is a weakness that screams a lack of self confidence. If you confident of yourself, emotional maturity you stand on that not by putting someone else down to pull yourself up.
Classes about racism in society and it’s effects on world events are necessary. There is critical race theory proposed in the U.S. to teach about such things but mostly because our history books are omitting so many ugly truths like racial massacres of Native American and even Asian Americans. However, the right wing party is freaking out about it because they think it will make Americans turn against white Americans lol it’s just exposing historical events that were hidden by white Americans working in the educational system. Still, these types of classes are obviously important and is evident what happens when no one teaches this at all. In Germany they did a good job in reforming education into including all the horrid things of Nazi Germany even if it’s embarrassing as nation to teach children that their great great grandparents could’ve been one of the Nazi sympathizers. Most Germans are aware of their history and make it a mission to never revert back to that. It’s ok to expose our ugly histories, it’s to make us all better. Even if you’re country is mostly homogenous, there are roles every country has played in history and race.
As an Indian person, yes, handful of Indians from the older generations are racist, they think that dark is bad, black is bad. And therefore this false theory is incorporated into the younger generations. But there is a reason behind this. Because of history and being colonised, individuals themselves who were darker or black were ashamed of how they looked. And yes, I am a fair Indian girl, on the lighter side from the diversity of skin tones that we have in my country. I have been fighting for this for quite sometime now. Why do we think white is good? Because as coloured people we give into the concept of white is better. All colours are equal, and this is the only shameful part of my culture that I despise when it has so much more to offer. The amount of beautiful brown people I have seen is crazy. The amount of beautiful black people I have seen is crazy. Only we can make this change by rewiring out thought process. Whether it be the asian culture or not. I don’t think its a western concept only, its just easier to point fingers outside than to reflect on ourselves. Simple as that.
I like the drama so far. As a woman of color racism is never right and there is NEVER an acceptable use reason for being racist. Humans are humans regardless of their skin tone. If someone is racially different than me I am going to celebrate their uniqueness instead of boorishly allowing my own willful ignorance to distance them simply because I am not accustomed to seeing someone like them in my county, community, etc. Let's all take ownership for our ugly tendencies and behaviors (no more excuses of "THEY DON'T KNOW BETTER") and allow GRACE, TRUTH and LOVE to dictate our hearts and actions. God is watching and we are ALL his creation
preach! I hate people who say things like "well Korea is not diverse so that's why they are racist." No you are racist because you are a racist period. Let's not excuse it I really hope Koreans become more accepting and start treating people as people.
I really loved the drama, especially the part where Soraeyi sprayed at the club that didn't allow Toni. It shows that they are ashamed of those who show racism toward foreigners and the youth of Korea is more open minded.
This totally hits hard... I remember my friends and I went to Busan for a weekend while studying abroad at CAU in 2015. We were denied access to a club because the entrance dude said I needed to wear a skirt to get in. My international friend who was from Europe was wearing jeans, and let her in with ease, but when I walked up to the entrance behind her wearing pants as well, they refused access. As a Hawaiian, I am on the darker side, so that could have been an additional factor. "Ibban" is legit. Thank you for elaborating and bringing light to these terms and issues!
*believe me I'm just, JUST RIGHT NOW back from watching the last episode, with all those lingering feelings, immediately came to youtube and then I saw this on top of recommendation. And I'm here to say one thing. I never expected that I'd say something like this in my kdrama life. But this drama made me tell that. That is "this Itaewon Class will be the best ever and my only classic of all the dramas I've ever watched and will watch". I didn't think I'd say this ever. Cuz to me all the dramas were fun and exciting but none of the creative work I've seen in Korea, had been this "meaningful" this much "philosophical" this much giving "life changing" lessons. All the romantic dramas family emotional dramas thriller dramas yes they were all good and they all made me cry and laugh too. But none hit my life so hard like this drama. Like I said it's not even ten minutes since I watched the last moment of the last episode and my heart is still hovering over them. Those ppl those dialogues those directors those brain behind making such an epic those goosebumps giving ost's Hats off to all. I will not stop hereafter from recommending this to all my kdrama friends and this will never leave my memory throughout my life. This would be something I'd watch everytime I feel down. Those words of comfort warmth and inspiration in the dialogues will push you towards life like anything*
@@pratyakshashah3483 sorry I forgot to mention the ost. Yess... The songs. Right from the first episode when I heard them they gave me goosebumps... Almost all of them my most favourite. Everytime they get together, do team work and face the ordeals, tholthongi - the stone block song will come... As episodes passed by I started to sing along.. when it begins "nareul bwaa eeyayeeyaa" 😅 and then the song for Saeroyi is Geuttae Geu Aain- by Kim Feel. It always came during his emotional times and it made me teary eyed. The song for Yiseo was so swag everytime she did something crazy it comes. There's one more emotional song, that usually comes between Sooah and Saeroyi. But it also comes on many other emotional occasions too. Finally SWEET NIGHT by VVVVVVVVVV... my Godd... That's just another level . When I was watching that episode and the song started playing I was so indulged in the scene. It was the scene where Saeroyi finally realised whom he loves. So I was so indulged. But two seconds later I came back to my senses, paused the video and Literally screamed "OMGGGG was that VVVV???" and then immediately rewinded to two seconds back and listened it properly from the beginning. 😅💜
I feel that they rushed the story of Hyun-Yi's physical and emotional transition. It would've been cool to have an actual transwoman playing the role. Plus it's obvious that she and Seung-kwon are attracted to each other with all those subtle long gazes and them going to the movies at the end. I wish they explored that more. Also I wanted to learn more about Kim Toni's mother maybe a flashback scene. I must admit the weird love pentagon portion of the show was exacerbating and way to drawn out. I started fast-fowarding the Soo-ah vs. Yi-Seo scenes in the last few episodes. They could've used that time to flesh out the minor characters' storylines.
Her ending up with Seung-kwon would have been nice because I feel like it’d really hit that “transwomen aren’t gay men, men who date transwomen aren’t gay” note. It’s a genuinely dangerous idea and one that’s sadly common. In many assaults or murders of transwomen that are admitted to, when asked why they were done the assailant basically says “well, that... that thing, see they tricked me, they made me have sex with them to turn me gay and I just.. Like, I just lost it and killed ‘em. They tried to trick me into being gay, no way in hell.” I’ve gotten it myself in a way, in thankfully non-violent circumstance; I once told someone that I was trans and they started actively avoid me because, as a shared friend told me, they thought I liked them and they “weren’t gay” and didn’t want me to come onto them despite knowing I was exclusively interested in women. Having those two date in the show unabashedly could have shown people that not only are trans people normal lovely people but also that relationships with trans people are also completely normal and that there’s nothing wrong with any of it. Of course love the show and Hyun-yi’s character portrayal a lot but I agree with you, they could have done more I just recon they didn’t because of the source material.
Exo's proud mama bear I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you’re right, I think there have been a few trans idols in the past in experimental groups from small companies but they didn’t do well and quickly disbanded
The korean black guy, i can relate with him so much. Im Vietnamese born in Germany and I always was the only asian guy in school and never got accepted as a german fully. But i would say minordiversity in western country is much more accepted than in Asia.
I think this drama did a really good job of showing different kinda of discrimination but realistically. They didn’t make it fake like everyone accept them and loved them automatically. It’s a really great drama!
yeah, it hurt a bit at times, but that's just how it is, and the development was more than worth while it's a beautiful drama with solid writing just as with business, the core importance of a story is its people, its characters, and they really nailed it with the adaptation, not changing anything major to conform to korean TV's erasure culture
Wow so not only me that sees Itaewon Class like One Piece. Park Saeroyi really represents Luffy. His recklessness attracts people around in him and how everyone in DanBam gamble their life on Saeroyi because they believes in him and he is worthy. Maybe this is why I like this drama just how I love One Piece.
That corporate culture thing is so much like America and Britain during the industrial revolution. With daughters from families in America that were 'new money', they were often married off to a man with any title in the British aristocratic/ruling class. A common case with business owners in America up until (roughly) the sixties too, with their kids marrying into other big family businesses that are similar to their own family's business, i.e., an arranged marriage with a Ford marrying a Firestone. Also, kind of getting Pride & Prejudice vibes in a way, at least from what I've heard.
@@rinrinsparkles1986 Oh okay.. That was more than just decades though lol, that was like the 17th century.. now it's deeply looked down upon in America.
What's really interesting is that nowadays the top companies aren't necessarily handed down to the children of the CEOs or the co-founders of those top companies nowadays. They are mostly handed down to deserving individuals who worked there like Google, Microsoft and Apple being passed down to former executives.
I really loved Itaewon Class, the storyline was amazing and the diversity made the K-Drama so much better. You could tell by watching it that it was telling a story to not give up on your dreams, that even if you completely fail in life you can still make use of it. You can be different and successful, you can be a ex convict, you can be a transgender, you can be a sociopath and nothing is wrong with these things. Life is more then just being successful in the very beginning. Definitely one of most favorite dramas!
As far as Korea being VERY homogenous, it’s to the point when I go to Korea, I’m not considered Korean although both my parents are Korean and I was born there. I’m definitely considered Korean American, despite speaking fluently and knowing the culture and mannerisms.
I was an international student who went to high school and college in US and now back in Korea to live. If I tell people I used to lived in the US, people immediately tell me my Korean is good and are very surprised even though I lived in the US for only 9 years. So unless I'm asked, I never tell people I lived in the US.
Damn the age gap between my parents is actually 10 years! Lmao 😂 (ps. Itaewon class is HANDS DOWN! my favorite drama! because it’s not the “typical” drama thats just about love.. it talks about real life things and is really inspiring! For y’all that have not watched it yet. I really recommend u to watch it! I promise u! That u won’t regret it!
If they kick you out bucase of being white is or black you well feel better wen is on you. It so sad that they like hip-hop end dont like poeple of race. But think now they being racism to Asian i hope they feel how it feels to be racism to other.
"you're not Korean" OMG I HEARD THAT SO MUCH from my husband. I tried to cook Korean food and to him it doesn't taste the same because "you're not Korean". I cook Korean food for myself lol about race, I could relate but knowing what my husband went through. he is half white and Korean, adopted by a Korean woman who faced social norms of not having a kid yet at her age and then having a baby by herself (single mom). it's a mouth full. I looked through his year books, he sticks out because of his pale skin. he's told me that he didn't have much friends growing up. he would entertain himself by going to PC bang. I hope we get to see a expansion on more dramas like this and also IRL
Sorry I've got a question. But aren't koreans already pale enough? I've seen a bunch of exchange students from Korea and China in my Uni and I wouldn't say they are any darker than us (I live in eastern Europe). Also isn't being pale in Korea like a good thing?? Edit: I assumed that he didn't have many friends 'cuz he's pale, maybe I got it a bit wrong. Still my question stands.
@@arnaeri9290 sorry for the late reply, he was raised in the rural country side. I wouldn't know how to explain it since I've never experienced living there and also 30 years ago, people's ideals were different compared to now (?)
@@arnaeri9290 not having alot of friends, could be his pale skin or the fact that his mom was a single parent, maybe the other moms didn't want their kids playing with a kid who only has one parent (people can be cruel)
I'm from Brazil and I have watched some Kdramas, but never I got to the end (I'm not used to it, I guess). When watching Itaewon Class i felt hooked and I binge watched, really great show. Excellent video by the way!
i started watching itaewon class because my dad watched the first two episodes and told me to watch with him. we're watching the last episode tonight and honestly, one of the best dramas I've ever watched, im so sad it has to end ;; hoping for a sequel but i doubt it haha
IC is one of my favorite k dramas. I would really like to see a season 2. There's so much that can be developed. Thanks for all the information that you've shared. It really brought even more understanding to this drama. I'll rewatch it again thanks to you. 👍🤗
Ahh thank you. The Chaebol system is a theme of many dramas. I always asked myself if this is based on reality. So it is. 🥴 They should be ashamed of themselves to treat people like they’re less. Does power and money give you the right to be an god damn asshole? The ones who treat people like that should all be canceled! It reminds me of absolutism and the monarchs in europe who all had to marry because of power. The Samsung owner is the king of SK and the parliament&president do what he says. Like Ludwig XIV 😅
Samsung is actually very patriotic and does a lot of good things for the nation's sake, so Korean people are always just worried about the firm as it might be abused by useless parliament :)....
I really enjoyed this drama, and I honestly at first wasn't going to watch it because I don't like watching super hyped up dramas. But when I saw a black man was in it, I had to watch it, being of color myself. I didn't expect myself to like it as much as I did. When the whole racist thing got brought up, it honestly brought me to tears. I personally have grown to love and appreciate Korea so much so, I have started to learn the language and the culture. So to see a man of color get rejected and mocked simply because of his skin really took a toll on me. But living in America I see so much racism anyways I wasn't too surprised when it finally showed itself in the show. The drama also inspired me to really think about what I want to accomplish in m life. I am an 18-year-old college student who has no set career path or any kind of goal or dream. Park Saeyori's determination to follow his dreams and goals really made me think about what my dreams and goals are in life, and once I find them, he gave me inspiration and the power to believe that I could reach my goals. So yes, an outstanding drama indeed.
Young Noh But they assumed because he was black he was supposed to act a certain way. They unintentionally degraded him by saying he wasn’t Korean because he didn’t “Look” Korean. Even after telling them many times that he was. He spoke fluently and was even half Korean (in the show). The bouncer refusing him access to the club was a very common example Of acts of racism that still happen in Korea today. After seeing the racism occur in front of them to a fellow friend and worker they realized that they themselves had been degrading him and changed their viewpoint on Tony and then that’s when they protected him and fought by his side. The grandmother practically disowned her child because he went off and got married to a Black woman. Even if there weren’t intense scenes of racism, you cannot deny that Korea is such an old fashioned country that sticks to old ways and beliefs. They included a Black person in the drama to show and bring to light the racism that does go on in Korea. A group of misfits to the Korean society rising to the top and making a name for themselves. That was one of the main points of the show besides the main characters desire to get revenge for his father. While the younger generation of Korea is more accepting of foreigners, the older generation still disapproves of it. I’m sorry to hear about your experiences in the USA. I wasn’t trying to say that Korea was malicious and racist. If I thought that I wouldn’t be learning the language and culture.
@Young Young My friend (He's black) told me he was jumped by a group of Korean men when he visited. So Koreans are insanely racist and violent towards black people.
I know its late but can you please do deep dive into Mr.Sunshine. I am really curious about the history of Korean culture before the Japanese invasion.
This was such a great video! Many people watch K dramas around the world, and I think providing cultural background knowledge for very popular dramas is interesting and valuable. I hope you enjoyed it and it performs well because I think it would make a great series for your channel.
The clubbing part with Tony hurt the most because my friends and I have experienced it before. We weren't even trying to go into this club in Hongdae but they told us that they don't accept foreigners. Even though we saw white foreigners in line and we are all black. I am glad that Itaewon Class highlighted this discrimination that happens and happy to see someone similar to my friends and I get such a big role in a Korean drama
@shaz s Yup I experienced this with my cousin in Busan. Our buddy was Viet-American from Australia but he looked Korean to them so they were gonna let him in- he didn’t. Oh yeah and this was whole music that black Americans created was blasting in the club. I also experienced this at a 노래방 with a GROUP of Korean-Korean friends. The next day the owner apologized for the employees racism though.
I stopped watching few episodes in because I couldn’t deal with the bratty behaviour of the manager girl and the very odd / forced pairing of them together... I Guess I’ll continue to watch on after watching your rave review! thanks for your deep dive review, very insightful! I never knew the 3rd meaning of eating tofu after prison release - did not know that they ate rice with beans in prison. Learn something new today!
I agree that her behavior was pretty annoying but I personally enjoyed watching her grow as a person (she doesn’t become a whole new person but she progresses a realistic amount)
@@sassywaffles5720 me too, but i accepted it because at least they were both happy. But it did seem kinda forced and like even though Saeroyi already said he had no feelings for her, the fact that she still very openly and often shared her feelings for him and flirted with him, and with the other characters kinda telling him to accept it and blah blah, it felt like he only ended up liking her because of those things, because it seemed to be the easiest(?) option since people were kinda pitting them together anyways. But whatever, the important thing is that they are both happy and are good to each other... i still felt bad for Soo-ah though because I feel like she kinda deserved Saeroyi more, but she also got a happy ending so I'm glad.
The only thing I didn’t get about this was the love triangle-rectangle-or-pentagon thing going on btw the characters. It was really messed up and frustrating. I literally went like ‘WTF’ in every episode.
I agree! The females were making mad. Like they were childish which is how some act. It was annoying though because it felt like they were playing games with each other hearts. They annoyed me lol
Such a good drama and I love that it dealt with so many taboo topics! Also so glad you reviewed this, was super interesting for those of us who have never been to Korea
Honestly I only learned about this show because of V’s song. It is taking me a while to watch because I like to multitask while watching TV and here I need to read captions to keep up. I definitely enjoy the show. Thank you for the info.
Indeed one of the best shows Kdrama industry has given us. I've never seen a drama that tackles so many societal issues. It's safe to say that this drama is the voice of the youth! The dialogues are "mic-drop" worthy and the osts are out of the world. My fav ost is definitely "Hit Me Harder Make Me Strong/Stone Block" ❤️ I'm so happy that the Kdrama industry is experimenting with various scripts and genres now. Also, love your reviews. Keep 'em coming.
14:15 makes lot of sense. i’ve watched a korean drama called innocent defendant and this man had left prison and was gifted a bag of tofu. i didn’t think about it back then but since you mentioned it i understand whu
Just finished watching Itaewon Class and I highly recommend this to my colleagues. Love the concept and the values conveyed in the drama. Can you recommend other Kdramas aside from CLOY and DOTS? Thanks for the informative discussion... Till next time.
Thanks David, this has been a really educational and eye opening glimpse into Korean society/culture that i've known little tidbits about (mostly about Samsung/corporate family structure) but never had full context for and you have provided that here in spades. It also makes me, as an American black guy, a little nervous to try to go to a club if i ever get to visit Korea lol. I'm definitely going to watch Itaewon Class now though, it will be my first K-Drama. "We'd really like to become the bridge between you and K-content". You guys are definitely succeeding at that though. I came for/through BTS but i'm learning so much more through you guys. Keep doing your thing!
I agree too but society has made this a thing where white colour is pure, symbolises angles and innocence etc. On the other hard black is bold , full of darkness and even evil ......but I hope we can change their perspective on this.
Okay, but why do you bring this up regarding to skin color while this was about the color of the food? And how do 60 people give that a thumbs up. smh. Also please stop only blaming Korea. This way of thinking is deeply rooted in asian culture so its gonna take more than just a comment to change that.
@@reflectlight1368 my point was not about skin color it's just about the color white alone, white is not pure every color can be pure but you went and made my point about skin color...
Actually even in the Bible white is a symbol of purification (example: when Jesus is transfigured his clothes become white as snow)so it's really a universal concept that white=purity
Loved how you touched on the issues that I picked up on as well, and thanks for making this video. As a gay black man who used to hang out in Itaewon, it was great watching this show. I was surprised how well it was done and how it got me hooked, and of course it was awesome going down memory lane.
I ❤️ this video . Very informative. I have being wondering about tofu eating once exit from jail a long long time . Finally I found it in your video . 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 and lastly also explains many many other things that foreigners do not know or understand. 🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️❤️😘😘👏🏻👏🏻
Although I generally knew about most of the cultural contexts you presented I still found the video really interesting bc of how detailed and rich in examples it is. I just finished the last episode and after watching your video I think I appreciate the drama even more now :) Thank you for this commentary! (also, damn, I didn't know Samsung basically owns Korea)
Oh, I think one thing I didn't really like is that they made Toni learn English. Like, they thought he should know how to speak English since he's black, but bc he didn't speak English they made him learn it? Why couldn't any other Danbam employee learn English? As in, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the fact that he learned the language, it's just that I find the reasons for making him learn quite weird (since it wasn't "we have many foreign customers so learn English" bc that could apply to other employees as well).
David, thank you for this high quality content! It truly helps shed light on the most intrinsic nuances of Korean society. Keep up the good work, looking forward to the next video! :)
I just finished watching Itaewon Class and it had my emotions going up and down. From horror, sadness, anger, hate to finally love. One of the best Kdramas I have seen. Park Seo-joon did an amazing job. Such a range of emotions for him to portray. Hoping there is a season#2.
I love how you documented this drama so much, personally I picked up a couple of stuff from the drama itself but I learnt much more from your video :) keep going David!
Just enjoyed IC knowing Korea's homogeneous society, I always wondered how the minority lived. Your clear disection and personal view of the drama brings in more clarity. After Parasite, I think directors and story writers are trying to break protocol and bring in fresh views to the same old stories. Just like serving a traditional dish in a new style so that the dish isn't forgotten and the new gen learn to enjoy it
Haven’t watched it yet but now I feel prepared to understand the cultural background and references when I do! Thanks David! Edit* Came back to watch this video again after finishing the series and again, was able to use more of David’s commentary to truly understand this drama. I really loved it! Please keep making more videos to help us westerners (and everyone else not in Korea) to understand and appreciate your culture.
I'm Canadian and I've just finished it today....it was so so good, i didn't want it to end. Fantastic cast. I've noticed that there is SO MUCH emotional holding back in K Dramas as if it's wrong to express feelings in a clear manner, also they ask " what?" a lot even if they heard perfectly. I wonder why! I long to see a very passionate kiss in a K Drama and maybe a bit of sexual tension. But it's always nice, clean and contained. It's special for a Canadian like to me to see characters making such a big deal about holding hands, or saying " i love you". :D It's as if I'm going back to my teenage years when it was making me nuts just to image my boyfriend getting close to me. It was a very interesting review, informative and Korea remains a fascinating country to me. Thank you!
Age gap means nothing to me as along both parties are in a understanding with each other then it's perfectly fine it's a different story if the age gap is used as a advantage but if both parties love each other then it should be accepted or at least understood
Bitch Please " as along both parties are in a understanding with each other " so ur telling me a 4 yr will have a mindset of a 40 yr ?? even a 4 year old will try to have a better understanding than you
Great show... still sometimes frustrating on “controversial” topics, so if this is mirroring actual present Korean society I can’t help but feel very disappointed 🙁
Sorry to break it to you but that’s how it is in South K. There’s TH-camrs who are foreigners and they always explain what it’s like to live in South K and their stories are sometimes good but majority are bad. A lot of them have returned back home because of it
Whoa, I sincerely appreciate this breakdown! IC was the first of this class that I've seen so far. I love how they push the boundaries. Good work, this research on IC adds even more substance for us foreigners, whom have enjoyed this series!
I love the way you provided context for the drama by interviewing people in the field (i.e. the business owner in Itaewon) and some sociopolitical/historical information about South Korea. Thank you! This was great.
The value of educational status and its effect on a person's life ..yeah I've seen a lot of it in the Kdramas I had watched. It somewhat puts you on a pedestal.
I loved this drama. Most of the things as David said are close to facts. This was bit different genre than my regular watch list. Hope I could visit this place someday 🥰 It's all about experience good or bad doesn't matter. This is 💯 one of my favourite.
Definitely one of my fav Kdramas due to all the social issues discussed plus the rise of the underdog. Representation matters🙌🏿. I always enjoy your vids. I appreciate the transperancy.
DKDKTV Awesome video! Love it. It took me years of watching K-drama, and a 3 weeks stay in Korea to learn a lot of of what you share in this video. As for ageism it's really worse when the woman is older, and some companies won't hire for jobs if you're aren't a "younger" person. Weight is also an issue for discrimination. I feel so bad for some of the idols too, always dieting, they have worked very hard to make it. Every place has its problems, I still want to come back to Korea for another visit (and another concert).
I love this channel. You guys do an awesome job. You address issues with fairness and educate about Korean culture. It is very appealing and simply shows the good heart you have for all human beings as well as your Korean roots. YOu guys are pioneers and will make it pretty big because of this. Thank you!
This drama definitely left a lasting impact on me. And the fact that I watched this with my family and they really enjoyed it. I couldn't believe I was a watching a kdrama with my family. I really liked the characters and their development and I was shocked at the different things involved. It was really unpredictable and when I finished the drama, for some reason, I felt myself missing the characters. It was really good. One of the best I have watched. I feel like a lot of people didn't like the romance in it but I just feel like it was way more realistic than other kdramas in that aspect. Really amazing.
I just wanted to let you know that "transgender" is actually adjective and not a noun, so it should be used like "she is a transgender woman" rather than "she is a transgender" like you said at 17:56 :] Regardless, I really enjoyed this video! It is really informative and well put together!!
@Bitch Please It's your opinion, and it seems like no one can change your mind on that. I can start explaining about how brain scans and a mental disorder share in part with justifying transition and transgenderism. But you would probably fire back saying, "but that's not natural." But in the end, I would leave the people who want to be the way they are alone. They aren't hurting you. It's just that simple.
@Bitch Please Just wanted to clarify your first point. The phrase "I'm transgender" is actually using 'transgender' as an adjective here, similar to saying "the cat is cold". 'Cold' is an adjective describing "the cat" similar to 'transgender' describing 'I' or 'me'. So it is never really used as a noun.
This became my favorite drama too! I was blown away by how courageous the whole production was. Knowing how rare it is for dramas to openly even say the word "gay," I was shocked when Hyunyi was revealed to be transgender, rather than simply implied to be. The drama continued to impress me every time they directly addressed social issues head on, rather than skirting around them. I really have a lot of respect for all of the script writers, producers, directors, and broadcasters who must have felt like they were taking a risk in making this drama. I was so thankful to be able to see a more honest representation of Korean culture in a drama, even though it was still very much a drama. I think besides being a chance to understand the culture more, I think it also gave international audiences a chance to engage with characters that are fundamentally flawed are still lovable. I kept thinking that Yiseo was such a wonderful character for Twitterverse keyboard warriors to be exposed to: here is a character who is sometimes socially liberal while other times politicall incorrect, yet still hollistic and charming. Yiseo is such a character that represents humanity very honestly. Sometimes inspiring, driven, and strong; sometimes despicable, disgusting, and repulsive. But still a person who can love and be loved. :)
I cant believe I watched this same video 3 times. Just the things David talks about and how he does it (and bc I love Itaewon Class) made me watch this over and over and still be interested. 1,000/10
![[Sub Thai] APT. - ROSÉ & Bruno Mars](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bYjhzP8x_uc/mqdefault.jpg)
Interview with Kim Toni (Chris Lyon) from Itaewon Class : th-cam.com/video/IPxHFzK4zqk/w-d-xo.html
Another video you might enjoy as a Kdrama fan : 'Crash Landing on You & North Korea / REAL TRUTH (feat. N.Korean Supervisor)' th-cam.com/video/Mtv66mDYq40/w-d-xo.html
If you enjoyed Kdrama Deep Dive please consider supporting us for future videos! Give us recommendations and feedback on our content : www.patreon.com/dkdktv
Our merch is out! The one I'm wearing in the video :) dkdktv.myshopify.com
I'm going to watch this drama now 😄
can u also share why is sae roy a unique name as mentioned in the drama?
Thank you so much, this was one of your best content so far. Keep up the good work
are you saying that being a Christian equals hate?
@Free Speech This is such an interesting comment. I didn't know that about the Tamil words in Korean but now it explains why the Korean language sounds a bit Indian (well to my untrained ear anyway) fascinating. Thank you for that I'm off to find out more!
Dude, I freaking love Itaewon Class. And I love that the writer is so unapologetic because, in one of the conference, a reporter asked if there will be change to the characters from the webtoon (transgender, sociopath, black, ex-convict, ex-convict/gangster) for the drama and he said no. In my opinion, I think that they expected him to change the characters because it is quite controversial for tv. But he said go pissed yourselves lol
This commenter is a mind-reader ^^ same thoughts!
ikr so annoying when they fucking carter to non-targeted audience and even bother with non-customer.
fr!!
Alistaire Bella
Reminds me of someone that has a buzz cut
Can you link the video about it? I'm so curious
Putting black and trans characters in a drama is a huge deal, and getting it to both air and be successful in a country where these stigmas are still very prevalent is staggering. I really hope this opens the way for more diverse writing/casting in dramas to come.
I really hope not! Am comfortable with the message, but I do not want to see no trans porn in Kdramas. I came to Kdramas to get away from the smut you are seeing in American movies.
Stop watching pron, buddy. It's not healthy TV is dead... People are watching streaming services way more than actual cable television... So yes it’s a big deal
Agreed. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Stush01 WTF?
@@Hqmptynpw The topic at hand is about Korea and korean dramas. Is it not? it is true that Asian Americans (and Asians in western countries in general) are severely under represented and I understand as I am Hispanic and feel our representation is extremely limited to stereotypical roles etc. as well. this is true of all poc entertainers in the U.S. regardless of their field/industry. You say it’s monetary and not racial, but there are so many personal anecdotes of people of different ethnicities/races experiencing discrimination in clubs etc, so why can’t it be both? Also while I do agree that there are definitely self righteous westerners who focus entirely too much on other countries or cultures nitpicking at them instead of their own, you can’t say that and go ahead and generalize hip hop culture and accuse it for glorifying violence etc. If that is your sole impression of hip hop, then you know nothing about hip hop, so like you said, learn the culture before attacking it.
Well, most of JTBC’s dramas are like an eye opener of whats really “happening” in korea. Like sky castle.
Age of youth too and (to a much lesser extent lol) strong woman bong soon
I'm watching it rn lol
Sky Castle was Great!!
I have watched both, and both are my top kdramas!
@@spicybiryani2617 same
I don't understand why people are defending racism because "it's their culture". If racism is part of your culture/race/religion, maybe it's time for you to reflect. It's 2020, ignorance and lack of exposure should no longer be an excuse. Korea and many other Asian countries need more dramas like Itaewon Class because it forces them to reflect on the values they hold dear. Asian countries often shrugged off racism as a joke/banter, they need to start addressing it.
No one should be discriminated based on their race, religion, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, social status, education etc.
Rule of thumb: treat others the same way you want them to treat you.
Much as you want to get mad, most people in Korea and other east Asian countries probably only very rarely encounter chances to consider their stance on these things in real life. While they may encounter tourists in large cities, interaction with foreigners is unlikely, and it wouldn't cross the minds of most to consider that a non Asian might be a native citizen of their country. In the west you're likely to see people of various races any time you go to a populated place, so discrimination quickly becomes evident, and if it occurs, the minority is often substantial enough to make its voice heard - but in Korea it just isn't like that.
No one is defending racism, it's just that it's obviously going to take longer to solve a problem that occurs so infrequently in the lives of these peoples, and that on a national scale simply pales in comparison to other social issues on account of its victims being so few. Even in cases where there are significant numbers in the minority, like in the gay community, there's simply little to no local precedent for speaking out, and virtually no representation in the media until very recently.
These things take time, and are difficult to set in motion, because the ones who lead the push for change will undoubtedly take the brunt of things. Prejudice is no joke, people still die in countries we consider 'progressive' today. But regardless, Korea is undoubtedly taking its first steps down this path, and much of the youth have a more open and accepting mindset due to the internet's cross pollination and global culture, and media currently being produced is starting to reflect that; hence Itaewon Class.
Also there is a foreign population in South Korea and people of different backgrounds have raised mixed race children in their country but like most Asian countries with a mostly homogenous culture they want to push their foreign population aside and pretend like it doesn't exist, that and immigration is more controversial in most Asian countries so it's extremely difficult to immigrate so most of the foreign population are expat workers even though they could've been in the country for decades. Japan does the same thing.
Treat other better then you would want them to treat you. I say that because what if
Your not as sensitive to a topic or a word then the other person,
Apple so you’re telling me we don’t belong there cause we’re black 🤨
@Apple on which part of Asia are you talking about? I'm an Asian who's living in Europe since I'm 7 yrs old but still Asian is my home. And who are you to say that black people are not welcome to Asia? People like you are just so pathetic!!!
When I first went to Japan, many people said Koreans were a different race. I asked how they were different. Japanese said Koreans had more slanted eyes that angled upward. Then I went to Korea. I asked if they thought Japanese were a different race and they said yes. I asked how they are different and the Koreans said Japanese had more slanted eyes that angled upward. I thought that was funny.
And who do you think was right?
When i see japanese interviews they seems to have bigger eyes than koreans more like southeast asians
@@Dina-up2nc I didn't think either was correct. Those comments plus other things I've seen over the years indicate that in both cultures having more slanted eyes angled upward was considered a negative thing. So basically, they both probably were just thinking something negative about each other. Personally, I think Koreans and Japanese look about the same. Japanese tend to be a little thinner and I see some facial types in each place I don't see much in the other, but for the most part, the same. Diet, culture, and fashions of course are different so they sometimes can make it easy to tell them apart. Oh, first time I went to Korea, I took a picture that included a Japanese man and a Korean girl together. When I returned to Japan, I asked many people to ID which person was Japanese. 80% guessed wrong. :)
Today, I can differentiate them with their make up style. But without it they look the same. Lol
erad67 Koreans have upward slant, Japanese have downward. Downward is seen as generally ok and upward depends on taste but has potential to be more attractive.
@@erad67 i believe the differences is in the mouths and cheekbones. japanese people tend to have rounder and smaller faces while koreans tend to have nice high cheekbones and slimmer faces. their noses are pretty distinctive, too, i notice japanese people tend to have smaller, but wider noses. edit: please keep in mind that the average korean doesn't look like a kpop idol lol.
While watching Itaewon Class I saw the BLACK guy and I was like am I watching the wrong drama???
I was like shocked and was taken away by the diversity I was like finally KDRAMA-industry are not being RACIST oh my god the SKY IS COMING DOWN
am saying like if you watch AMERICAN movies their are KOREAN , ASIANS who has decent roles. while in all well most BLACK people are not even in kdrama nor kmovies. and if they are in it kdrama their role are usually Cashiers, Drug dealers,and many more violent kind of thing
BEYONCEFAN JAYZ they don’t really have a huge population of foreigners that aren’t white or non Asian tho. I’ve never seen a Hispanic or Polynesian in korean film/dramas because they don’t really play a big part in korean society compared to a diverse country like England or the US
taiyona tiare that makes sense but still they need to know not only WHITE SKIN PEOPLE EXIST AND NEED TO STOP DOWNGRADING PEOPLE WITH DARKER SKIN THAN THEM. literally it now influencing the young kids in korea even in kpop those idols make fun of their members for having tan skin yeah it a joke but still kids are watching an they are going to think it ok to do that.
I will be interviewing Kim Toni next week!
@@DKDKTV woahhhhh
Damn, I feel like watching it. Everyone's been talking abt it
Yes you should. It's really nice and unique
you should! it's really good!
You should really watch it, it’s really good
You wont regret it
It's pretty good and very unique
Age is just a number and jail is just a room so.. We good!
nah age isnt just a number if they are minors and that room is important depending on what they did but nice message
Age IS just a number when both parties are adults
"Age is just a number" only works after you're over the consenting age of your country
@@rayvenfleming2848 yes and if both the parties are fine with it.
Jail is not just a room when you include the rest of the population ,dangerous .
Itaewon Class was definitely a groundbreaker, as you explained. I was shocked as they discussed some real-life issues. I've been watching K-dramas for almost 10yrs, and I must say, this one was by far beyond my expectations,
@Young Young it was Saeroyi for me, its not often the MC is your favourite because they are usually typecasted as this good looking one dimensional character.. but Saeroyi was different. He was just a strong character who was not flawless but you could fully see him fix them as the show goes on and you entirely understand what his goals are to make you root for him. That's the reason of why I stuck with the show, it was solely to see him suceed and get his revenge. The side characters were also full fledged and added alot to the table, they brought flavours to it. I like Yi Seo too.. very interestingly written.
At this point I respect you because I don't know how you are able to retain all that information and just talk about it without messing up. I can't imagine how many hours it took you to make this video and edit it. Coming from a small youtuber as myself, this video was really helpful.
Multiple takes bro.
That "I'm 10 yolder than you so don't love me" is such a Min Yoongi move lmao
aahah ah
I HAD EXACTLY THE SAME THOUGHT 😂😂
Damn right
So much better if Tae did a cameo
Awwww... now I miss our resident lil meow meow even more... Yoongi is really a bipolar pisces... He needs a drama based on his characteristics...
In all my years of being a K-drama fan, Itaewon Class is by far the only one that left such a deep and lasting impact on me. I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone, it's a story about life, loss, love, and labor with many many important lessons to teach. I got so attached to the characters, they were all relatable, unique, and vulnerable in their own ways. Thank you for your impressive analysis and background info on Itaewon Class! This one's going down as a titan in K-drama history 🙌🏼
exactly how i feel! i got so attached to all of the characters, and i felt like something was missing (ie. no new episodes) after finishing the show haha.
@@rarrbear It hits in a different way when you have a long experience with kdramas because you know exactly how revolutionary it is in its representation within the context of the Korean entertainment industry. I just finished watching it today and it was mmm mmm good.
I enjoyed Itaewon Class as a drama for similar reasons as David. It is idealistic yet it is the kind of idealistic which is inspiring and it is not really impossible to find people who are in part like Park Saeroyi. The drama has a lot of positive messages.
If you do another deep dive for a kdrama, I'd nominate Kingdom (Joseon era period dramas) cause the styling and all those things are attractive and some things in the drama are obviously not easily understood by non Koreans. Thank you for going in such detail about this one 💜✨
If you like this genre, I also recommend the movie, "Rampant" staring Hyun Bin. Beautiful visuals.
@@ceebeedub177 Thanks for the suggestion 💜
Is Kingdom actually good? Also, is it about zombies?
Yes definitely we need explanations on joseon dynasty related dramas !🥺🥰
@@prabhleenkaur1673 Yeah I was excited about season 2 and it didn't disappoint. It is about Zombies but also has some other elements which allude to politics and the monarchy
I'm Korean-American and I was almost banned from a theater because they thought I couldn't speak Korean. I was just shy as a kid, and I didn't want to talk to strangers. My mom was clearly fluent in Korean though, so this whole situation was outrageous to me.
this is insane. Hugs
No theater banned foreigner in SK, and u r NOT korean, ur playlist are full with Japanese. Wth
Please dont lie to everyone. I’ve never banned from theater in Seoul as foreigner.
@@alpineboy3288 Are you saying that I'm not Korean just because I enjoy Japanese songs? There are many Koreans that enjoy Japanese media (and vice versa), so I don't know how you think that I am lying when I say that I am Korean.
Also, this was many years ago, so it might have gotten better. That said, there are still clubs that don't allow foreigners.
You can't use your own experience to judge every foreigner's experience in Korea. You are one out of many. People have different experiences in life. Just because you have never been banned doesn't mean that everyone else has never been banned.
I suggest you use some critical thinking skills.
most koreans have "natural bias" on south east asians. it's like low key racist lol
Can confirm this is true, even though they did nothing wrong to us. I have nothing against them and they are usually nice people.
Chinese and Japanese, we hate them for our history and politics though.
@@johnpark7972 i don't understand tf????
My sister is learning Korean and she has a friend that is Korean who helps her out with her grammar and accent. He asked her if there was a lot of racism in America since he's heard it before and wanted to clarify. My sister told him, "Yes. There is. Not because we arent used to seeing different cultures but it's because we don't try to understand each other." I realized that that is exactly what's going on in Korea and their type of racism. They are conservative and not used to many things so when someone, who doesnt fit the visual standard, appears in Korea, they can't help but think it weird and discriminate. Which is rude. Point blank. I'm not defending, just seeing it through their eyes. And in America, we see a lot of cultures but since we tend to believe stereotypes more than facts, we become racist and aggressive. It amazes me how racism can show up in different scenarios and in different ways.
This is completely false. Racism exists because people are assholes, not because they "don't understand each other"
@@GranolaBars11 Both things are true. Some people are just a**holes, some are just ignorant, and some people are both simultaneously.
@@GranolaBars11 And the most prominent characteristic of assholes is that they don't *want* to understand others. Being an asshole and not wanting to understand is like a tag team in wrestling, pulling each other along.
Tbh I don't get why people say there's a LOT of racism in America, most likely b/c there're so many races. There're many countries who barely even accept immigrants so they can't even go live there in the first place. Also things are relative. B/c racism in so much more obvious and stronger in Korea and Hong Kong (you could get beat up for speaking Mandarin), racism in America is barely noticeable to me. It is still an issue in America, but it bugs me when people scream 'racism' for every little thing.
@@bulletproofdiamondwinstar9470 in regards to ur hong kong point. thats not how it usually is and was only recently the case due to a very unique situation. again, ur not wrong and it did happen but u also need to clarify things
One of my favorite things about the drama is that every character had their side story, when I saw Toni I got really exited but I didn't think his role would have any importance, yet I was wrong. Some dramas tend to add diversity but will completely ignore the characters after they are introduced, this is the first time I saw a drama like this and I'm so glad I watched it till the very end.
I know I'm late but
Yeah.!.me too
I thought they were just going to add him there for the sake of it
I was glad that they didn't ignore him and actually gave him a story and all
Regarding Toni's character i don't really like the fact that they made him learn English anyway and none of them didn't know English still, even though they're supposed to work in a transnational company 🤷🏻♂️
T But Yi Seo speaks english and others are not really from that privileged background to know it and were busy enough with what they were
doing. For Toni, english was the main reason why they hired him in the first place ( except that they literally just assumed that, I know) And it’s not like they forced him anyway, PSRY told him to learn it if you like working here, he did it because he wanted to.
Yeah but i feel like he had to learn it (because as Yi Seo said, for koreans he "looks like" as he can speak fluent English) otherwise he would get fired, how unfair is that.
@@Namukags he didnt do it bc he wanted to he did it bc he would have been fired idiot.
Suga Kookie You don’t have to call me idiot for having an opinion. Again, I THINK he wanted to give his best because he care about Danbam not just because he’d be fired ( lol he has a rich grandmother why’d he even worry he can even study at university or do whatever the heck he’d like if he wanted) The others didn’t even think he’d learned english, and was worried when foreigners came in. That means they didn’t care if he learned english or not. It’s not like SRY was chasing him asking if he learned english and telling him to bring his TOEFL results so that he can work longer lol. Therefore, they didn’t FORCE him to learn english.
@@Roughscrubbles But that's my point though 🙄
It’s just mind blowing that a society so driven on education can still be this racist. That makes me think that racism is and will be something people decide to be and not because they “don’t know better”
Education in this case focuses more on maths, English, chem, business etc, world studies and race studies nope which is what they need to understand racism, homophobia etc.
@Young Noh even black people from africa view African americans in that way the media potrays them. So yeah, the media is powerful.
Racism is choice. The idea that someone is intelligent yet stills seeks to elevate through racism is a weakness that screams a lack of self confidence. If you confident of yourself, emotional maturity you stand on that not by putting someone else down to pull yourself up.
Education is not wisdom
Classes about racism in society and it’s effects on world events are necessary. There is critical race theory proposed in the U.S. to teach about such things but mostly because our history books are omitting so many ugly truths like racial massacres of Native American and even Asian Americans. However, the right wing party is freaking out about it because they think it will make Americans turn against white Americans lol it’s just exposing historical events that were hidden by white Americans working in the educational system. Still, these types of classes are obviously important and is evident what happens when no one teaches this at all. In Germany they did a good job in reforming education into including all the horrid things of Nazi Germany even if it’s embarrassing as nation to teach children that their great great grandparents could’ve been one of the Nazi sympathizers. Most Germans are aware of their history and make it a mission to never revert back to that. It’s ok to expose our ugly histories, it’s to make us all better. Even if you’re country is mostly homogenous, there are roles every country has played in history and race.
As an Indian person, yes, handful of Indians from the older generations are racist, they think that dark is bad, black is bad. And therefore this false theory is incorporated into the younger generations. But there is a reason behind this. Because of history and being colonised, individuals themselves who were darker or black were ashamed of how they looked. And yes, I am a fair Indian girl, on the lighter side from the diversity of skin tones that we have in my country. I have been fighting for this for quite sometime now. Why do we think white is good? Because as coloured people we give into the concept of white is better. All colours are equal, and this is the only shameful part of my culture that I despise when it has so much more to offer. The amount of beautiful brown people I have seen is crazy. The amount of beautiful black people I have seen is crazy. Only we can make this change by rewiring out thought process. Whether it be the asian culture or not. I don’t think its a western concept only, its just easier to point fingers outside than to reflect on ourselves. Simple as that.
I know. I think it's the same thing with Korea. But we need to educate others and ourselves and not hate on people.
This ain't about india tho
You had to mention you were fair. You just exhibited the internalized racism in you
It's really interesting to know that every single detail about Itaewon that existed in the drama was based on actual facts.
I like the drama so far. As a woman of color racism is never right and there is NEVER an acceptable use reason for being racist. Humans are humans regardless of their skin tone. If someone is racially different than me I am going to celebrate their uniqueness instead of boorishly allowing my own willful ignorance to distance them simply because I am not accustomed to seeing someone like them in my county, community, etc. Let's all take ownership for our ugly tendencies and behaviors (no more excuses of "THEY DON'T KNOW BETTER") and allow GRACE, TRUTH and LOVE to dictate our hearts and actions. God is watching and we are ALL his creation
missugarplum Well said👍🏽
I totally agree there
Periodt
preach! I hate people who say things like "well Korea is not diverse so that's why they are racist." No you are racist because you are a racist period. Let's not excuse it I really hope Koreans become more accepting and start treating people as people.
love this
I really loved the drama, especially the part where Soraeyi sprayed at the club that didn't allow Toni. It shows that they are ashamed of those who show racism toward foreigners and the youth of Korea is more open minded.
I didn't know there's a black dude in the show. I'm gonna watch it just because of him!
Also check out Moorim school that has Sam Okyere if you haven't already 😁
that's a ridiculous and racist statement
me to im watching just coz of him n no 1 else
@@DefineMorena that famous black guy is Ghanaian i mean Sam Okyere
Crusader How is that a ridiculous and racist statement?
This totally hits hard... I remember my friends and I went to Busan for a weekend while studying abroad at CAU in 2015. We were denied access to a club because the entrance dude said I needed to wear a skirt to get in. My international friend who was from Europe was wearing jeans, and let her in with ease, but when I walked up to the entrance behind her wearing pants as well, they refused access. As a Hawaiian, I am on the darker side, so that could have been an additional factor. "Ibban" is legit. Thank you for elaborating and bringing light to these terms and issues!
Best Kdrama, I'm amazed how diverse the storyline is.
*believe me I'm just, JUST RIGHT NOW back from watching the last episode, with all those lingering feelings, immediately came to youtube and then I saw this on top of recommendation. And I'm here to say one thing. I never expected that I'd say something like this in my kdrama life. But this drama made me tell that. That is "this Itaewon Class will be the best ever and my only classic of all the dramas I've ever watched and will watch". I didn't think I'd say this ever. Cuz to me all the dramas were fun and exciting but none of the creative work I've seen in Korea, had been this "meaningful" this much "philosophical" this much giving "life changing" lessons. All the romantic dramas family emotional dramas thriller dramas yes they were all good and they all made me cry and laugh too. But none hit my life so hard like this drama. Like I said it's not even ten minutes since I watched the last moment of the last episode and my heart is still hovering over them. Those ppl those dialogues those directors those brain behind making such an epic those goosebumps giving ost's Hats off to all. I will not stop hereafter from recommending this to all my kdrama friends and this will never leave my memory throughout my life. This would be something I'd watch everytime I feel down. Those words of comfort warmth and inspiration in the dialogues will push you towards life like anything*
Wow im glad that this was your best kdrama! It was one of my favs indeed too! Plz recommend it to your friends and this video as well :)
The songs too.. They are so positive and makes you feel energetic at all times Ps- the drama all together was a great success🥺 💯
this comment is the cherry on top, Ill go watch now
@@pratyakshashah3483 sorry I forgot to mention the ost. Yess... The songs. Right from the first episode when I heard them they gave me goosebumps... Almost all of them my most favourite. Everytime they get together, do team work and face the ordeals, tholthongi - the stone block song will come... As episodes passed by I started to sing along.. when it begins "nareul bwaa eeyayeeyaa" 😅 and then the song for Saeroyi is Geuttae Geu Aain- by Kim Feel. It always came during his emotional times and it made me teary eyed. The song for Yiseo was so swag everytime she did something crazy it comes. There's one more emotional song, that usually comes between Sooah and Saeroyi. But it also comes on many other emotional occasions too. Finally SWEET NIGHT by VVVVVVVVVV... my Godd... That's just another level . When I was watching that episode and the song started playing I was so indulged in the scene. It was the scene where Saeroyi finally realised whom he loves. So I was so indulged. But two seconds later I came back to my senses, paused the video and Literally screamed "OMGGGG was that VVVV???" and then immediately rewinded to two seconds back and listened it properly from the beginning. 😅💜
@@rianipesik yes go go go
This dude wearing like Park Saeroyi. Hoodie and bomber jacket 🔥
oh wow you're the only one who noticed
DKDKTV I noticed it in the middle of the video and thought you look pretty good in it. 😅😅
DKDKTV cute David 😍
@@DKDKTV nooo you always wear related to your videos 🥰
@@DKDKTV No no no, i HAVE noticed too:D You're eye candy!
I feel that they rushed the story of Hyun-Yi's physical and emotional transition. It would've been cool to have an actual transwoman playing the role. Plus it's obvious that she and Seung-kwon are attracted to each other with all those subtle long gazes and them going to the movies at the end. I wish they explored that more. Also I wanted to learn more about Kim Toni's mother maybe a flashback scene.
I must admit the weird love pentagon portion of the show was exacerbating and way to drawn out. I started fast-fowarding the Soo-ah vs. Yi-Seo scenes in the last few episodes. They could've used that time to flesh out the minor characters' storylines.
What the acc hec---
Her ending up with Seung-kwon would have been nice because I feel like it’d really hit that “transwomen aren’t gay men, men who date transwomen aren’t gay” note. It’s a genuinely dangerous idea and one that’s sadly common. In many assaults or murders of transwomen that are admitted to, when asked why they were done the assailant basically says “well, that... that thing, see they tricked me, they made me have sex with them to turn me gay and I just.. Like, I just lost it and killed ‘em. They tried to trick me into being gay, no way in hell.” I’ve gotten it myself in a way, in thankfully non-violent circumstance; I once told someone that I was trans and they started actively avoid me because, as a shared friend told me, they thought I liked them and they “weren’t gay” and didn’t want me to come onto them despite knowing I was exclusively interested in women. Having those two date in the show unabashedly could have shown people that not only are trans people normal lovely people but also that relationships with trans people are also completely normal and that there’s nothing wrong with any of it.
Of course love the show and Hyun-yi’s character portrayal a lot but I agree with you, they could have done more I just recon they didn’t because of the source material.
Same. tad disappointing yet understandable of an Asian series. no love life for Hyun-Yi. Why? Because she's trans.
I think that's because there are no trans actress in Korea. It is not like you have a choice when there is none.
Exo's proud mama bear I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you’re right, I think there have been a few trans idols in the past in experimental groups from small companies but they didn’t do well and quickly disbanded
The korean black guy, i can relate with him so much. Im Vietnamese born in Germany and I always was the only asian guy in school and never got accepted as a german fully. But i would say minordiversity in western country is much more accepted than in Asia.
@Young Young oh ok sorry for misunderstanding
I think this drama did a really good job of showing different kinda of discrimination but realistically. They didn’t make it fake like everyone accept them and loved them automatically. It’s a really great drama!
You are so pretty!!!!🌸💖
yeah, it hurt a bit at times, but that's just how it is, and the development was more than worth while
it's a beautiful drama with solid writing
just as with business, the core importance of a story is its people, its characters, and they really nailed it with the adaptation, not changing anything major to conform to korean TV's erasure culture
Wow so not only me that sees Itaewon Class like One Piece. Park Saeroyi really represents Luffy. His recklessness attracts people around in him and how everyone in DanBam gamble their life on Saeroyi because they believes in him and he is worthy. Maybe this is why I like this drama just how I love One Piece.
same
but Luffy didn't see Nami as a romantic interest. and if Luffy makes a promise, he will fulfill it.
Yeah, i thought the same man
That corporate culture thing is so much like America and Britain during the industrial revolution. With daughters from families in America that were 'new money', they were often married off to a man with any title in the British aristocratic/ruling class. A common case with business owners in America up until (roughly) the sixties too, with their kids marrying into other big family businesses that are similar to their own family's business, i.e., an arranged marriage with a Ford marrying a Firestone. Also, kind of getting Pride & Prejudice vibes in a way, at least from what I've heard.
Wait what? We dont have arranged marriages in America wtf.. were a free country.
@@najaeriggs She is talking about decade's ago.
@@rinrinsparkles1986 Oh okay.. That was more than just decades though lol, that was like the 17th century.. now it's deeply looked down upon in America.
What's really interesting is that nowadays the top companies aren't necessarily handed down to the children of the CEOs or the co-founders of those top companies nowadays. They are mostly handed down to deserving individuals who worked there like Google, Microsoft and Apple being passed down to former executives.
@@najaeriggs A few religious group do, though. Just look up Arranged Marriages in the US here on TH-cam.
I really loved Itaewon Class, the storyline was amazing and the diversity made the K-Drama so much better. You could tell by watching it that it was telling a story to not give up on your dreams, that even if you completely fail in life you can still make use of it. You can be different and successful, you can be a ex convict, you can be a transgender, you can be a sociopath and nothing is wrong with these things. Life is more then just being successful in the very beginning. Definitely one of most favorite dramas!
As far as Korea being VERY homogenous, it’s to the point when I go to Korea, I’m not considered Korean although both my parents are Korean and I was born there. I’m definitely considered Korean American, despite speaking fluently and knowing the culture and mannerisms.
I was an international student who went to high school and college in US and now back in Korea to live. If I tell people I used to lived in the US, people immediately tell me my Korean is good and are very surprised even though I lived in the US for only 9 years. So unless I'm asked, I never tell people I lived in the US.
Damn the age gap between my parents is actually 10 years! Lmao 😂 (ps. Itaewon class is HANDS DOWN! my favorite drama! because it’s not the “typical” drama thats just about love.. it talks about real life things and is really inspiring! For y’all that have not watched it yet. I really recommend u to watch it! I promise u! That u won’t regret it!
Astro tiddie gang lol my parents have a 13 year difference
My parents had an age gap of 21 years lol
And the age gap between my parents is 25 years 💀
My parents are 10 years apart as well
My mom and dad have 10 years age gap too
Racism and discrimination will never not be offensive Dave
Holographic Unicorn yes it offensive
Holographic Unicorn agree
Its Lebza huH?
If they kick you out bucase of being white is or black you well feel better wen is on you. It so sad that they like hip-hop end dont like poeple of race. But think now they being racism to Asian i hope they feel how it feels to be racism to other.
It's their culture. You don't get to judge. Isn't that what you people always say?
"you're not Korean" OMG I HEARD THAT SO MUCH from my husband. I tried to cook Korean food and to him it doesn't taste the same because "you're not Korean". I cook Korean food for myself lol about race, I could relate but knowing what my husband went through. he is half white and Korean, adopted by a Korean woman who faced social norms of not having a kid yet at her age and then having a baby by herself (single mom). it's a mouth full. I looked through his year books, he sticks out because of his pale skin. he's told me that he didn't have much friends growing up. he would entertain himself by going to PC bang. I hope we get to see a expansion on more dramas like this and also IRL
So, he uses the same slights on you that were used on him? But, he apologizes and that makes it ok, right? Sounds like a real winner...
Sorry I've got a question. But aren't koreans already pale enough? I've seen a bunch of exchange students from Korea and China in my Uni and I wouldn't say they are any darker than us (I live in eastern Europe). Also isn't being pale in Korea like a good thing??
Edit: I assumed that he didn't have many friends 'cuz he's pale, maybe I got it a bit wrong. Still my question stands.
@@arnaeri9290 Yeah most koreans i know are fucking pale and its not bc of make up
@@arnaeri9290 sorry for the late reply, he was raised in the rural country side. I wouldn't know how to explain it since I've never experienced living there and also 30 years ago, people's ideals were different compared to now (?)
@@arnaeri9290 not having alot of friends, could be his pale skin or the fact that his mom was a single parent, maybe the other moms didn't want their kids playing with a kid who only has one parent (people can be cruel)
Park Seori is too unrealistic to exist but the best character to ever exist in a kdrama.
I'm from Brazil and I have watched some Kdramas, but never I got to the end (I'm not used to it, I guess). When watching Itaewon Class i felt hooked and I binge watched, really great show.
Excellent video by the way!
That's how it starts... few weeks from now you'll get that itch, start looking for another 'fix' and it's all down hill from there.
i started watching itaewon class because my dad watched the first two episodes and told me to watch with him. we're watching the last episode tonight and honestly, one of the best dramas I've ever watched, im so sad it has to end ;; hoping for a sequel but i doubt it haha
Your dad is also a man of culture
Your dad is amazing 😍
IC is one of my favorite k dramas. I would really like to see a season 2. There's so much that can be developed. Thanks for all the information that you've shared. It really brought even more understanding to this drama. I'll rewatch it again thanks to you. 👍🤗
Ahh thank you. The Chaebol system is a theme of many dramas. I always asked myself if this is based on reality. So it is. 🥴 They should be ashamed of themselves to treat people like they’re less. Does power and money give you the right to be an god damn asshole? The ones who treat people like that should all be canceled!
It reminds me of absolutism and the monarchs in europe who all had to marry because of power. The Samsung owner is the king of SK and the parliament&president do what he says. Like Ludwig XIV 😅
We have that here just ask trump!!!
It is kind of a exaggeration it used to be far worse in the past3
Samsung is actually very patriotic and does a lot of good things for the nation's sake, so Korean people are always just worried about the firm as it might be abused by useless parliament :)....
I really enjoyed this drama, and I honestly at first wasn't going to watch it because I don't like watching super hyped up dramas. But when I saw a black man was in it, I had to watch it, being of color myself. I didn't expect myself to like it as much as I did. When the whole racist thing got brought up, it honestly brought me to tears. I personally have grown to love and appreciate Korea so much so, I have started to learn the language and the culture. So to see a man of color get rejected and mocked simply because of his skin really took a toll on me. But living in America I see so much racism anyways I wasn't too surprised when it finally showed itself in the show. The drama also inspired me to really think about what I want to accomplish in m life. I am an 18-year-old college student who has no set career path or any kind of goal or dream. Park Saeyori's determination to follow his dreams and goals really made me think about what my dreams and goals are in life, and once I find them, he gave me inspiration and the power to believe that I could reach my goals. So yes, an outstanding drama indeed.
Young Noh But they assumed because he was black he was supposed to act a certain way. They unintentionally degraded him by saying he wasn’t Korean because he didn’t “Look” Korean. Even after telling them many times that he was. He spoke fluently and was even half Korean (in the show). The bouncer refusing him access to the club was a very common example Of acts of racism that still happen in Korea today. After seeing the racism occur in front of them to a fellow friend and worker they realized that they themselves had been degrading him and changed their viewpoint on Tony and then that’s when they protected him and fought by his side. The grandmother practically disowned her child because he went off and got married to a Black woman. Even if there weren’t intense scenes of racism, you cannot deny that Korea is such an old fashioned country that sticks to old ways and beliefs. They included a Black person in the drama to show and bring to light the racism that does go on in Korea. A group of misfits to the Korean society rising to the top and making a name for themselves. That was one of the main points of the show besides the main characters desire to get revenge for his father. While the younger generation of Korea is more accepting of foreigners, the older generation still disapproves of it. I’m sorry to hear about your experiences in the USA. I wasn’t trying to say that Korea was malicious and racist. If I thought that I wouldn’t be learning the language and culture.
@Young Young
My friend (He's black) told me he was jumped by a group of Korean men when he visited. So Koreans are insanely racist and violent towards black people.
"All characters, places, organizations, and incidents portrayed in this drama are fictitious". Next scene: Itaewon in Seoul.
I know its late but can you please do deep dive into Mr.Sunshine. I am really curious about the history of Korean culture before the Japanese invasion.
I watch Mr. Sunshine that show was great 🤩😘😊😄
This was such a great video! Many people watch K dramas around the world, and I think providing cultural background knowledge for very popular dramas is interesting and valuable. I hope you enjoyed it and it performs well because I think it would make a great series for your channel.
Thank you! I will try to expand it to more series! Drop by and leave recommendations plz :)
I agree.
The clubbing part with Tony hurt the most because my friends and I have experienced it before. We weren't even trying to go into this club in Hongdae but they told us that they don't accept foreigners. Even though we saw white foreigners in line and we are all black. I am glad that Itaewon Class highlighted this discrimination that happens and happy to see someone similar to my friends and I get such a big role in a Korean drama
@shaz s Yup I experienced this with my cousin in Busan. Our buddy was Viet-American from Australia but he looked Korean to them so they were gonna let him in- he didn’t. Oh yeah and this was whole music that black Americans created was blasting in the club.
I also experienced this at a 노래방 with a GROUP of Korean-Korean friends. The next day the owner apologized for the employees racism though.
I stopped watching few episodes in because I couldn’t deal with the bratty behaviour of the manager girl and the very odd / forced pairing of them together... I Guess I’ll continue to watch on after watching your rave review! thanks for your deep dive review, very insightful! I never knew the 3rd meaning of eating tofu after prison release - did not know that they ate rice with beans in prison. Learn something new today!
I agree that her behavior was pretty annoying but I personally enjoyed watching her grow as a person (she doesn’t become a whole new person but she progresses a realistic amount)
I took her brattiness as immaturity. It does get better.
Then u miss half of ur life since u didnt watch it 🤣
I also didn’t like that they ended up together
@@sassywaffles5720 me too, but i accepted it because at least they were both happy. But it did seem kinda forced and like even though Saeroyi already said he had no feelings for her, the fact that she still very openly and often shared her feelings for him and flirted with him, and with the other characters kinda telling him to accept it and blah blah, it felt like he only ended up liking her because of those things, because it seemed to be the easiest(?) option since people were kinda pitting them together anyways. But whatever, the important thing is that they are both happy and are good to each other... i still felt bad for Soo-ah though because I feel like she kinda deserved Saeroyi more, but she also got a happy ending so I'm glad.
The only thing I didn’t get about this was the love triangle-rectangle-or-pentagon thing going on btw the characters. It was really messed up and frustrating. I literally went like ‘WTF’ in every episode.
I agree! The females were making mad. Like they were childish which is how some act. It was annoying though because it felt like they were playing games with each other hearts. They annoyed me lol
Such a good drama and I love that it dealt with so many taboo topics! Also so glad you reviewed this, was super interesting for those of us who have never been to Korea
Honestly I only learned about this show because of V’s song. It is taking me a while to watch because I like to multitask while watching TV and here I need to read captions to keep up. I definitely enjoy the show. Thank you for the info.
Wish my ex gf watched this before she ran off to Korean her knowledge is based off of kpop and kdramas
Oof💀
I recommend Itaewon Class to everyone the story was so deep and it talked about things dramas don't usually talk about also the OSTs hit me hard
Indeed one of the best shows Kdrama industry has given us. I've never seen a drama that tackles so many societal issues. It's safe to say that this drama is the voice of the youth!
The dialogues are "mic-drop" worthy and the osts are out of the world. My fav ost is definitely "Hit Me Harder Make Me Strong/Stone Block" ❤️
I'm so happy that the Kdrama industry is experimenting with various scripts and genres now.
Also, love your reviews. Keep 'em coming.
Sanjana Kalyanpur that’s y i logged or typed it on my phone notes on what they’re sayin’ 😂😂
14:15 makes lot of sense. i’ve watched a korean drama called innocent defendant and this man had left prison and was gifted a bag of tofu. i didn’t think about it back then but since you mentioned it i understand whu
This is one hell of a great video. Your talent for this pours out of the screen and into our minds. Thank you so much for this one! 💝
Thank you! Look forward to further Deep Dives :)
saeroyi to yiseo: i'm 10 years older than you
me with a crush 13 years older than me:
👁👄👁🔫
How old are you
@@baabaq9126 most likely still young with a celebrity crush, it happens
@@yea-he5co kpop the profile pic lol bts
@@yea-he5co LMFAO YES
@@baabaq9126 that's a secret 🖐👁👄👁
Just finished watching Itaewon Class and I highly recommend this to my colleagues. Love the concept and the values conveyed in the drama. Can you recommend other Kdramas aside from CLOY and DOTS? Thanks for the informative discussion... Till next time.
Thanks David, this has been a really educational and eye opening glimpse into Korean society/culture that i've known little tidbits about (mostly about Samsung/corporate family structure) but never had full context for and you have provided that here in spades. It also makes me, as an American black guy, a little nervous to try to go to a club if i ever get to visit Korea lol. I'm definitely going to watch Itaewon Class now though, it will be my first K-Drama.
"We'd really like to become the bridge between you and K-content". You guys are definitely succeeding at that though. I came for/through BTS but i'm learning so much more through you guys. Keep doing your thing!
somebody tell Koreans that white is not pure any color can be pure !!!
I agree too but society has made this a thing where white colour is pure, symbolises angles and innocence etc. On the other hard black is bold , full of darkness and even evil ......but I hope we can change their perspective on this.
Okay, but why do you bring this up regarding to skin color while this was about the color of the food? And how do 60 people give that a thumbs up. smh. Also please stop only blaming Korea. This way of thinking is deeply rooted in asian culture so its gonna take more than just a comment to change that.
@@reflectlight1368 my point was not about skin color it's just about the color white alone, white is not pure every color can be pure but you went and made my point about skin color...
Actually even in the Bible white is a symbol of purification (example: when Jesus is transfigured his clothes become white as snow)so it's really a universal concept that white=purity
@@viedinternaute8132 not everyone is christian just FYI , so any color can be pure .....
Loved how you touched on the issues that I picked up on as well, and thanks for making this video. As a gay black man who used to hang out in Itaewon, it was great watching this show. I was surprised how well it was done and how it got me hooked, and of course it was awesome going down memory lane.
I ❤️ this video . Very informative. I have being wondering about tofu eating once exit from jail a long long time . Finally I found it in your video . 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 and lastly also explains many many other things that foreigners do not know or understand. 🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️❤️😘😘👏🏻👏🏻
Thank You! You speak so Well!!! And all the info is very Appreciated!!!
God Bless You.
Aloha from Honolulu!!!
Although I generally knew about most of the cultural contexts you presented I still found the video really interesting bc of how detailed and rich in examples it is. I just finished the last episode and after watching your video I think I appreciate the drama even more now :) Thank you for this commentary! (also, damn, I didn't know Samsung basically owns Korea)
Oh, I think one thing I didn't really like is that they made Toni learn English. Like, they thought he should know how to speak English since he's black, but bc he didn't speak English they made him learn it? Why couldn't any other Danbam employee learn English? As in, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the fact that he learned the language, it's just that I find the reasons for making him learn quite weird (since it wasn't "we have many foreign customers so learn English" bc that could apply to other employees as well).
David, thank you for this high quality content! It truly helps shed light on the most intrinsic nuances of Korean society. Keep up the good work, looking forward to the next video! :)
It's gonna be on Netflix (Germany) in a few days, I can't wait to watch it!!
I just finished watching Itaewon Class and it had my emotions going up and down. From horror, sadness, anger, hate to finally love. One of the best Kdramas I have seen. Park Seo-joon did an amazing job. Such a range of emotions for him to portray. Hoping there is a season#2.
I love how you documented this drama so much, personally I picked up a couple of stuff from the drama itself but I learnt much more from your video :) keep going David!
Just enjoyed IC knowing Korea's homogeneous society, I always wondered how the minority lived. Your clear disection and personal view of the drama brings in more clarity. After Parasite, I think directors and story writers are trying to break protocol and bring in fresh views to the same old stories. Just like serving a traditional dish in a new style so that the dish isn't forgotten and the new gen learn to enjoy it
Your Deep Dives, Explained, and Seoul City Vibes are always so good. Really great content that not a lot of other TH-camrs are doing. So interesting!
Haven’t watched it yet but now I feel prepared to understand the cultural background and references when I do! Thanks David!
Edit*
Came back to watch this video again after finishing the series and again, was able to use more of David’s commentary to truly understand this drama. I really loved it! Please keep making more videos to help us westerners (and everyone else not in Korea) to understand and appreciate your culture.
I'm Canadian and I've just finished it today....it was so so good, i didn't want it to end. Fantastic cast. I've noticed that there is SO MUCH emotional holding back in K Dramas as if it's wrong to express feelings in a clear manner, also they ask " what?" a lot even if they heard perfectly. I wonder why! I long to see a very passionate kiss in a K Drama and maybe a bit of sexual tension. But it's always nice, clean and contained. It's special for a Canadian like to me to see characters making such a big deal about holding hands, or saying " i love you". :D It's as if I'm going back to my teenage years when it was making me nuts just to image my boyfriend getting close to me. It was a very interesting review, informative and Korea remains a fascinating country to me. Thank you!
Enjoyed your commentary on Itaewon Class, it was very helpful.
Okay, spoilers duh
1)open Netflix
2)type itaewon class
3)watch it
4)go now study on the drama’s story
😂😆 I watched it on Netflix too
Age gap means nothing to me as along both parties are in a understanding with each other then it's perfectly fine it's a different story if the age gap is used as a advantage but if both parties love each other then it should be accepted or at least understood
@Bitch Please Dude... read the room. When the commenter said "age gap," they are most likely talking about two consenting adults.
Bitch Please " as along both parties are in a understanding with each other "
so ur telling me a 4 yr will have a mindset of a 40 yr ?? even a 4 year old will try to have a better understanding than you
Bitch Please obviously not what they meant lmao
@Bitch Please that's a pretty fucking stupid example
@Bitch Please wtf💀
Great show... still sometimes frustrating on “controversial” topics, so if this is mirroring actual present Korean society I can’t help but feel very disappointed 🙁
Sorry to break it to you but that’s how it is in South K. There’s TH-camrs who are foreigners and they always explain what it’s like to live in South K and their stories are sometimes good but majority are bad. A lot of them have returned back home because of it
Whoa, I sincerely appreciate this breakdown! IC was the first of this class that I've seen so far. I love how they push the boundaries. Good work, this research on IC adds even more substance for us foreigners, whom have enjoyed this series!
I love the way you provided context for the drama by interviewing people in the field (i.e. the business owner in Itaewon) and some sociopolitical/historical information about South Korea. Thank you! This was great.
The value of educational status and its effect on a person's life ..yeah I've seen a lot of it in the Kdramas I had watched. It somewhat puts you on a pedestal.
I guess thats why im in grad school too maybe? Lolol
I just finished it!! I’m so happy for Saeroyi 💗💗💗💗
I loved this drama. Most of the things as David said are close to facts. This was bit different genre than my regular watch list. Hope I could visit this place someday 🥰 It's all about experience good or bad doesn't matter.
This is 💯 one of my favourite.
Definitely one of my fav Kdramas due to all the social issues discussed plus the rise of the underdog. Representation matters🙌🏿. I always enjoy your vids. I appreciate the transperancy.
DKDKTV Awesome video! Love it. It took me years of watching K-drama, and a 3 weeks stay in Korea to learn a lot of of what you share in this video. As for ageism it's really worse when the woman is older, and some companies won't hire for jobs if you're aren't a "younger" person. Weight is also an issue for discrimination. I feel so bad for some of the idols too, always dieting, they have worked very hard to make it. Every place has its problems, I still want to come back to Korea for another visit (and another concert).
For deep dive please do sky castle I loved the drama but feel that there is some specifically korean references that I missed.
I just finsh this drama today it's really good☺
I'm learning more from you guys than I do from my own teachers.
I love this video. Very detailed.
I love this channel. You guys do an awesome job. You address issues with fairness and educate about Korean culture. It is very appealing and simply shows the good heart you have for all human beings as well as your Korean roots. YOu guys are pioneers and will make it pretty big because of this. Thank you!
This drama definitely left a lasting impact on me. And the fact that I watched this with my family and they really enjoyed it. I couldn't believe I was a watching a kdrama with my family.
I really liked the characters and their development and I was shocked at the different things involved. It was really unpredictable and when I finished the drama, for some reason, I felt myself missing the characters. It was really good. One of the best I have watched.
I feel like a lot of people didn't like the romance in it but I just feel like it was way more realistic than other kdramas in that aspect. Really amazing.
I just wanted to let you know that "transgender" is actually adjective and not a noun, so it should be used like "she is a transgender woman" rather than "she is a transgender" like you said at 17:56 :] Regardless, I really enjoyed this video! It is really informative and well put together!!
@Bitch Please It's your opinion, and it seems like no one can change your mind on that. I can start explaining about how brain scans and a mental disorder share in part with justifying transition and transgenderism. But you would probably fire back saying, "but that's not natural." But in the end, I would leave the people who want to be the way they are alone. They aren't hurting you. It's just that simple.
@Bitch Please Just wanted to clarify your first point. The phrase "I'm transgender" is actually using 'transgender' as an adjective here, similar to saying "the cat is cold". 'Cold' is an adjective describing "the cat" similar to 'transgender' describing 'I' or 'me'. So it is never really used as a noun.
This became my favorite drama too! I was blown away by how courageous the whole production was. Knowing how rare it is for dramas to openly even say the word "gay," I was shocked when Hyunyi was revealed to be transgender, rather than simply implied to be. The drama continued to impress me every time they directly addressed social issues head on, rather than skirting around them. I really have a lot of respect for all of the script writers, producers, directors, and broadcasters who must have felt like they were taking a risk in making this drama. I was so thankful to be able to see a more honest representation of Korean culture in a drama, even though it was still very much a drama. I think besides being a chance to understand the culture more, I think it also gave international audiences a chance to engage with characters that are fundamentally flawed are still lovable. I kept thinking that Yiseo was such a wonderful character for Twitterverse keyboard warriors to be exposed to: here is a character who is sometimes socially liberal while other times politicall incorrect, yet still hollistic and charming. Yiseo is such a character that represents humanity very honestly. Sometimes inspiring, driven, and strong; sometimes despicable, disgusting, and repulsive. But still a person who can love and be loved. :)
I cant believe I watched this same video 3 times. Just the things David talks about and how he does it (and bc I love Itaewon Class) made me watch this over and over and still be interested. 1,000/10
well done, agree that Itaewon is one of the favorites of this time
This is so goodddddd
Ugh you're here too?!🤦🏻
Hey we met again
I haven't watched it but now I'm really interested.
I just finished watching it 2 days ago and I’m on episode 4 again 😂
This was quite informative and helpful! Thank you! My sister and I have become Korean Drama regulars since quarantine here in Virginia!
Wow, you can really talk nonstop, thanks for the analysis of the drama. It is the best k-drama on my list.