This review may contain spoilers
For a show that I had no intention of watching because it didn't sound like anything I'd remotely enjoy, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo turned out to be a really sweet romance and I enjoyed it so much. It was warm and full of heart. The awkwardness of youth and first loves felt real. The characters were on point. There is nothing to complain about in this drama. For a fluffy youthful rom-com, this is up there as one of the cutest and sweetest ones I've watched.I loved both Kim Bok Joo and Jung Joon Hyeong. They were spectacularly adorable together. Joon Hyeong is like a puppy that just wants Bok Joo's attention at first. Or a little boy that likes a girl so he pulls her pony tail. But, as their friendship grows, he realizes that he is falling for her. And he moves from being the pesky puppy to an adoring boyfriend. He respects Kim Bok Joo and her dreams. He admires her strength. The problems they and the side characters face all feel very real. I enjoyed each character in this show, not just the main leads. There were no missteps in this story and they cleared up misunderstandings quickly and do not drag anything out needlessly. It also perfectly showed the nostalgic days of ones youth and how we grow and mature.
I'm not a big re-watcher, but I could totally see me watching this again one day. It is just a completely feel good romance that isn't just pure fluff. If the whole weightlifting thing is putting you off, don't let it. Just give it a chance and I believe that you will be pleasantly surprised at how this show and the characters touch your heart. Everything flowed along so nicely and each episode made me feel good and happy to watch it. I'm not saying that it's some masterpiece that broke the mold on dramas, just that it mixed all the right elements to make a fairly flawless romance and friendship story.
***ETA - slight spoilers ahead***
Rewatched end of 2022. This one didn't hold the same appeal on rewatch. It was still a sweet romance, but there was so much crying in the first 2/3 - I didn't remember it that way. I also thought the ex-gf was completely unnecessary and a bit boring.
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But, I kept on through the first two episodes or so where the romance was very slow and at first did not seem to be what the story was going to be about. But, I was so dead wrong. Yes, there are parts of the plot just about the sport they are in, but, that just gradually became like the background to the romance.
The romance is best friends finally becoming more than friends, which comes off as really sweet and I just love the relationship they have. When they struggle they lean on each other and it is a really good example of a real relationship in real life. I felt like they were truly in love with each other and definitely I would love to see them in a drama again with each other.
The music was sweet and awesome and I love listening to the music all the time. For sure this is a romance to rewatch.
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music:
nothing special or memorable really
acting:
so freaking good, the two mains were so natural and believable
everything is perfect here
story:
not THAT original, but the whole weightlifting aspect was really fresh and new
also I like how they focused on eating the whole time lol
also loved how Nam Joo Hyuk's character loved the fact that she was a strong woman w/ some meat on her bones
overall:
SO GOOD! this is probably in my top 5 best dramas list. the love story is also so natural and believable and wonderful and warm and fuzzy and just too cute for words
if you haven't watched it yet, you should. definitely worth your time
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It is a calm, funny slice of life drama, nothing really extraordinary happens. There are very few cliffhangers, but they were nasty ones so I had to watch the next episode immediately. The first half consists of subliminal messages and hints, while in the second half things start to get real.
What distinguishes this show from other dramas is that, despite some exaggerations and the utter silliness, the realism is strong with “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo”. I think a lot of you guys could relate to some situations and Bok Joo’s behavior, at least I could. Furthermore, the plots are surprisingly well-balanced, and even though most of them have been used several times already, they still are nicely presented and built up. Another thing that I considered positive is the fact that the makers did not focus totally on the romance part towards the end, but still had other stories to tell. Don’t expect explosive feelings and hot kiss scenes, because this main couple’s relationship is purity, innocence, and awkwardness combined. It is perfectly fine the way it is in my opinion.
The acting was good. The main couple has really good chemistry together. Jung Joon Hyeong is a kind and caring character, yet he is not as one dimensional as a lot of the good guys out there. Often this type of character tends to become shallow and uninteresting, but Jung Joon Hyeong does not, because he is well thought through and charming. For me, Song Shi Ho underwent the greatest character development in this series and I was very happy for her. I did not like Jae Yi, and I was not interested in his story that much, he was too much of a device. Kim Bok Joo is hilarious. I really, really liked the actress’s facial expressions and movements. Bok Joo’s friends and Joon Hyeong’s pal were enjoyable and generated lots of comical situations.
I do not have any complaints about the music, it suited the situations well, and I enjoyed the funny sound effects und the meme-like reactions.
If I were someone who is not bothered by rewatching stuff, I would not rewatch this. I do not regret watching this series and 8.0 is a solid rating, but I did not feel like it was somethings precious and special to me.
Let's talk about the things that bothered me. It might be a highly subjective matter, I will say it out loud nonetheless: I felt like the entire drama is loaded with filters. The colors are artificially bright, their faces extremely beautified, especially the face of the female lead. It was irritating. That brings up another point that irked me. But first off: I think Lee Sung Kyung is gorgeous and a good actress.
However, as far as I understood Bok Joo is a girl that actually doesn’t use makeup... Honestly, you can almost touch it through the screen. And I’m sorry to say this, but she is too pretty for this role. You simply cannot recruit an objectively pretty woman for your show, put makeup on her and depict her as “not that pretty” in the series just because she lifts weights and wears baggy pants. The makers should have dropped the makeup completely leastwise. I wished I got answers to some questions that were brought up, but in the end, I was not bugged that much.
All in all “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo” is an enjoyable drama, but I cannot say I went totally crazy about it.
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This is how all rom-coms should be! Rom-coms should be just a chill, feel-good drama. The driving force of the plot (conflict) should be just natural drama in their everyday lives. This is why I rate WFKBJ higher than Strong Woman. Strong Woman had to hide the obvious rom-com genre in a plot wherein the main goal of the story was to know who the killer is. In weightlifting fairy, they just focused on the everyday struggles of Kim Bok Joo, who was adorably awkard and cute in every scene. The only thing I didn't like about the story was how long it took for KBJ to get over crush on the doctor. Would've been good if it lasted for 2-3 episodes, but stretching it out 'til episode 9 seems like a reach.
Acting
I honestly wouldn't be shy to claim that I hate Nam Joo Hyuk. Good face, Good abs, terrible, horrible acting. In this drama however, he did okay. He only needed to portray a charming swimmer who longs for his mom and wants to move on from his ex. I think he did an excellent job in this drama. All kidding aside, I still think he kinda sucks (he sucked big time in the next drama he starred in). He needs more practice by having more supporting roles or lead roles like this (non-fantasy, non-melodrama) 9.5/10 for him.
I have no words to describe my admiration for Lee Sung Kyung. I liked her in cheese in the trap. I loved her in doctors. But in this drama, I fell in love with her all over again. She did so well in making us feel who Kim Bok Joo is; strong (literally) but weak when it comes to her heart. She as also adorably cute and funny in almost every scene (I love the scene where she caught NJH on a double date hahahaha) 10/10 for her
The supporting cast was really good as well. Another thing i loved about the show is how they managed to insert Lee Jong Suk as a guest. The scene was so cute and funny.
Music
The OST was good. I searched a lot of songs on spotify and even learned a couple on piano.
Rewatch value
No plot twists. Just pure beauty of the rawness of every life. I'd rewatch this every day, but I will also always skip episodes 4-8 (explained above)
Overall
Definitely a rom-com for the books. My second favorite rom-com of all time (just below I am not a robot and ahead of Strong Woman and Oh my Venus)
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As for the romance line, we have the main girl, who is a weightlifter and falls for a weight loss doctor, handsome and extremely gentlemanly, though absolutely oblivious to her admiration while she attends his pricey weight loss sessions that she doesn't need. Then we have the main boy, who doesn't look at the main girl in romantic way, either. Instead, we watch his obligatory past story with his ex-girlfriend, which - unless he's getting back with her and this drama is THEIR love story - I don't want to. Of course the ex-girlfriend is main girl's new roommate.
All the things I just mentioned are typical for k-drama. Still, I've watched WAY worse shows. This has mostly cute atmosphere & quite likeable cast. Though their age is not very compatible (main boy is younger than the girl, the ex is older, etc.) Main girl keeps wearing loose clothes stuffed with something all the time, obviously to make her look bigger (she's totally skin & bone under it all). She seems to have dyed hair and eye brows. Her coach is practically bullying her to over-eat and get into higher weight category, not only because she's supposed to have bigger chances to win there, also other girls would have bigger chances to win after she left the lower category. Nice. I felt sorry for the main girl and sorry for myself as I had to watch stuff like that instead of proper romance. By episode 7, I started skipping all the stuff about gymnasts. Seriously, enough. We watch the weightlifters with the main girl, and the swimmers with the main boy, already.
Episode 8/16, the psycho ex attacks the main girl. Seriously, do we have to watch her living with rommate going psycho at half the series already? There are even scenes of the psycho ex and her colleagues, her family... It's like they have decided to make her main character? Aside the actress being too old for the role, she is a character I decided to skip already. Why so many scenes? On the other hand, I started to like how supportive and attentive the main boy has become, even though as just a friend. Main girl is brokenhearted over someone else, which I usually don't like but here it served well as a catalyst, because we could watch how the main guy (though not interested for HIMSELF) started to care for the main girl, he was both moved by her tears and gave her comfort, also he was cute cheering her up. While early episodes he was almost annoying with the constant teasing, now his friendship definitely had warmth. Also, he was handsome;)
So, this line continues to be cute, main boy has also cute relationship with his brother. Even the coach has some cute relationship:) So, at 10/16, I was enjoying the show (by then I was skipping completely all the gymnasts:) Episode 11, main boy decides that he likes main girl so much he actually likes her as a girl. He asks her to be his gf, still I had the doubt had he only confused compassion for passion. He WAS immensely kind person, just like his older brother... There was Kim Ji Soo in that episode too, and though he was not as handsome as in 'Sassy Go Go', he had a bit weird haircut, still I would not mind it if the main girl got another boyfriend, and the thing with the main boy stayed friendship. I for one don't consider friendship less worthy than dating. But, soon she gets kissed by him (in a warehouse, lol), so it gets sealed with the main boy. Nam Joo Hyuk is very handsome in this drama:) His character often said about himself that he was handsome. But it was really true:) And so main girl forgot the first guy completely, which I could understand. I had to laugh when main boy went through main girl's wallet. So cute, even doing a bad thing:)
Epi 12 is very sweet, both romance & family love:) And almost no screentime for the gymnasts, lol. I loved main boy's personality. It was clear in episode 13 he was just kind to his ex, there wasn't anything more to it, but main girl got so jealous:) I as an audience, just loved watching the two. Not for the "Bantering Relationship". But because he was (and she, as well) utterly and totally nice. I'm such a sucker for "Nice Male Lead":) Also, they were funny at the same time. Episode 15, main boy's estranged mother appears, to add more family drama flavour to the show. Through the episodes, we actually could see main boy attending sessions with a psychologist, from time to time. As expected, the parents were behind his problems. Nam Joo Hyuk did a good job. Also main girl gives her support and helps with main boy's family problem so well it cements their being boyfriend & girlfriend.
In the end, despite the unpromissing beginnings, this turned out to be very romantically satisfying:) Be it friendship, family love or romantic love, all was cute and lovely. AND it was funny the whole time. So, my Overall rating covers all this. I'm not saying this was a special show, but for what it was, it was most enjoyable.
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Chemistry of the biggest level.
This is a classic drama portrayal of a child-like, warm kind of love, that still accompanies depth.This drama made me fall in love with Nam Joo Hyuk and Lee Sung Kyung, because their chemistry in this is unmatched. Not a big surprise that they dated for some time after this. I never watched any of their upcoming dramas, because I simply could not see them with anyone else. This is how big of an effect their love story has.
I loved how this drama encompassed both comedy and trauma, alongside mental illness and loneliness.
I cried and laughed with them all throughout. The side characters were amazing to watch as well. So many of the OSTs are good and justify the beauty of the drama. This doesn't have a unique, intricate story, rather it is a good choice if you are longing for comfort and fluff, but not the superficial kind.
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This review may contain spoilers
Fun & Playful
I really liked this show! It was very wholesome and fun to watch!The chemistry between Bok-Joo and Jun-Hyung was so playful and cute. In the beginning I felt bad that he was calling her Chubs, but it became endearing.
I really liked both lead characters. The way they interacted with each other was cute and made it really easy to watch.
There were so many funny parts which is why I enjoyed it a lot. Those worth mentioning:
✷ How Jun-Hyung remembered who she was and decided to call her Chubs.
✷ When he wheeled her in a trolley because she was too heavy for him to carry.
✷ When she told him she was sick to avoid him from seeing her with a pimple on her nose - when he climbed over the balcony and saw her, his face was priceless.
Seeing Jun-Hyung develop feelings for Bok-Joo was the sweetest thing. I really liked how we got to see feelings develop from a guy's perspective, as usually it's the girl that a drama will focus on. The scene where he's on the couch in his dorm and messaging Bok-Joo is so pure; seeing Jun-Hyung roll around in excitement was just too much to handle. Cuteness overload. It reminded me of a similar scene in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon.
I loved all of the side characters - Jun-Hyung's friend and both of Bok-Joo's. I also liked Jae-i and Dr Go - they were cute.
I was glad that Jun-Hyung found some closure after seeing his Mum, but that whole story was sad. I felt so bad for him when he discovered the postcards, and it was awkward when his Aunt, Uncle and Jae-i would discuss the situation thinking that he wasn't around to hear.
There wasn't an episode I didn't enjoy, and when I wasn't watching it, I found myself wanting to. It was like a really good book you just can't put down.
-E
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Story: It had a bit of everything, a slice of life, family, comedy, sports, romance, which is what makes this drama so good. KBJ's relationship with her father, her motivation to succeed in her sports career, her relationship with her childhood friend JH, her friends that are always there for her.
Acting/Cast: The two main leads Kim Bok Joo and Joon Hyeong had great chemistry, would like to see these two again in another drama.
Music: nothing that stood out but ok overall.
Rewatch Value: Once you've watched this you'll definitely feel like rewatching it after a while.
Also if you're a fan of messi you should definitely watch this drama haha.
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Forgive me, it's been a while since I finished it, but it left such a strong impression that I think I can review it fairly.
First, I loooooved the two leads. Lee Sung Kyung as Kim Bok Joo is perfect! She's charming, easy to relate to, and root for, and seemed so authentic. She's matched with Nam Joo Hyuk who is nothing like I expected him to be. Instead of being the normal arrogant athlete, he is just extremely playful, and was super easy to sympathize with. It was awesome to watch their story together unfold as they become good friends, then much more.
There are lots of great supporting characters too. At the top of that list is Kim Bok Joo's crew of BFFs. They were hilarious, and fun, even at their silliest. I also love a crew that is so not cool that they are extremely cool... SWAG! Joon Hyeong's bestie was pretty funny too, and I liked that the bffs had a cute storyline of their own.
Of course the supporting character MVP in my book is the king of second leads Lee Jae Yoon! He is so good at being crush worthy, and making a viewer really reconsider what's so great about the male lead anyway. He never disappoints, and he's no different here. He also always manages to play an interesting character, and never just rests on being eye candy... delicious eye candy! *swoon*
I can go on and on about the supporting cast being great... her dad, her uncle, his parents, the coaches, the woman with the futile crush... but the only character which just didn't work for me was Kyung Soo Jin as the ex with issues. Not only did she seem out of place playing a student (looking much older than the others), her character was also uselessly emo, and clingy, which made her uninteresting. It seemed like she was only there to cause conflict and then she faded into the background. I honestly don't think her character was even necessary.
I spent a lot of time talking about characters and not the plot because there isn't much to the overall plot. This is one of those dramas where you like the characters so you are satisfied just watching what goes on in their lives without needing a strong plot. That also makes the rewatch value high for me, because I was watching for the performances, not really to see what would happen next. Joon Hyeong does have a pretty emotional story, but there is still no major plot that drives each episode, just the awesomeness of the world of Kim Bok Joo and friends.
Music... Hmm... I can't remember the soundtrack at all.
I really recommend this one for viewers who like strong (literally) and interesting female leads. It's a great coming of age story, with a romance that is solid, and kinda innocent, but not too juvenile to take seriously. If you're not a huge fan of school dramas, like me, this may be the one that changes your mind. I will file this under super cute dramas that exceeded my expectations. I'm glad I gave it a chance! Swwwwaaaaag!!!
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