Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016) 역도요정 김복주
Directed by Oh Hyun-jong, starring Lee Sung-kyoung, Nam Joo-hyuk, Lee Jae-yoon and Kyung Soo-jin.
Watched 14 - 22 November 2024 — 16 episodes (NETFLIX)
*Finished this popular coming-of-age drama yesterday and can totally understand the love for this. It's like a warm hug, with lots of heartfelt moments and completely endearing main characters. Lee Sung-kyoung's Kim Bok-joo is a very likeable heroine. I love how vulnerable she is despite her physical strength. I also love the male lead Nam Joo-hyuk as Jung Joon-hyung. The friends-to-lovers trope is often used in K-dramas but here it's depicted really well and I love the natural way in which we see the romance unfold. I love how they confess their feelings to each other (Joon-hyung first and Bok-joo later) and their earnest reaction to the confession.
*Our romantic lead characters are so sweet and cute together. This OTP is one of my favourites from all dramas I watched in 2024. Love their playfulness and the ease in their interactions. They're also so down-to-earth with each other (e.g. love Joon-hyung's reaction when seeing Bok-joo's pimple which she so desperately was trying to hide).
*Bok-joo and Joon-hyung do a lot of talking to themselves, especially Joon-hyung.
*It's mind-boggling how many coats Bok-joo and Joon-hyung have. It's a fashion show in winter wear all by itself. So many coats and jackets in different colours and styles. I noticed the wear-a-different-coat-every-day even more with Joon-hyung. How can they have so many winter coats?! They're students!
*I like dramas set in the sports world and loved to see the female lead being a weightlifter, her eating habits and how she had to gain weight.
*Nam Joo-hyuk plays a swimmer and shows a great lean upper body while in swim trunks.
*I like Bok-joo with her two best friends and how tall she stands between them.
*I didn't like Kyung Soo-jin as Song Shi-ho (Bok-joo's roommate and Joon-hyung's ex-girlfriend) at first. Understandably, because she started out as a horrible person. But she gets more likeable once she accepts that she and Joon-hyung are never getting back together again and her relationship with Bok-joo also improves. I know the actress from Train and like her better in the time-travel series. I also found Kyung Soo-jin a bit too old for the role of Song Shi-ho.
*In the final episode after the 2-year time lapse, I spotted Byeon Woo-seok (from Lovely Runner) in a scene with Joon-hyung!
*Great final episode where everyone gets their happy ending. Love the fact that Choi Moo-sung as Professor Yoon and Jang Young-nam as Coach Choi also end up together romantically. And Lee Jae-yoon as Jung Jae-yi (Joon-hyung's cousin and ersatz older brother) sharing a happy ending with Yoo Da-in as Go Ah-young (doctor at the Hanwool College of Physical Education) made me happy too, although it's not completely convincing that Jae-yi really fell for Ah-young.
*I thought the storyline with Joon-hyung's mother and his trauma could have been developed better, and introducing the mother so late in the show almost felt like an afterthought. Also, it felt a little rushed how quickly Joon-hyung suddenly came to terms with the mum issue after having spent the entire show being traumatised by it.
*Some things I didn't like: Joon-hyung exploring the contents of Bok-joo's wallet.
*"Do you love Messi?"
*#SWAG!!!!