Strong Girl Namsoon (2023)

I've seen worse dramas, but not many.

I suppose the best thing I can say about this drama is that I enjoyed the first 4? episodes, up until FL met her mom. Even before that point it was super super silly, but -to me- entertaining. It is thanks to that and my handy fastforward button that I managed to finish this. From then on it becomes a complete mess, where the writer has not even attempted to respect her audience and the things I wanted to watch were dialed down to the absolute minimum as well. (comedy, romance) Naturally as a comic book style thriller of some kind it's still garbage.
So yeah it's trash, just do yourself a favor & skip it.
I guess I should try to be more descriptive, but believe me it's not easy in this case. Okay here goes nothing! Imagine a 50 hour long family drama about a Chaebol family that has supernatural elements and a lot of vigilante justice involving 3-4 couples and a lost daughter. Now take away the BEST 35 hours & what's left would probably still be better than Strong Woman Kang Nam Soon.

Comparing it to the so called prequel, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon is pointless, because fun cameo notwithstanding they have nothing in common at all. (It makes one speculate about some things about the writing process and interns. I apologize for the dumb tinfoil hat moment..)

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It's really not THAT bad, y'all...

I have seen dramas that were waaay worse.

I'm not going to say this is without flaws - they could have removed some of the storylines (like the uncle and secretary, etc.) and could have given the lead couple more scenes together, but I still think the good outweighs the bad here. I really cannot understand all the negative reviews. It's not the best drama, but certainly doesn't deserve a 1 rating.

From what I can see, the biggest downfall of this drama is making the antagonist too alluring - he's like that hot bad boy next door that all the popular girls want to tame. Add a sad backstory, and we're hooked. As viewers, we are completely invested in his arc (because he's really the only character that gave us a glimpse into his past) and despite him doing all the wrong things, we can't help but feel sorry and root for him. I can see his arc becoming a completely different drama entirely where he changes for the better and gets the girl in the end.

Alas, this isn't his story, and Ryo Shi-O has to play out his role until the very end - as a drug lord who dreamt of a life free from his past, but was destined to fall the moment Nam Soon showed up.

I'll be honest and say that I never once rooted for him (though I did feel really sorry for him) because his character never felt any remorse for his actions. He literally plotted and killed SO many people and smiled about it. Yes, he was great to look at, but when you truly see his character (NOT the actor), he was still an evil guy. Remember, he even tried to kill Nam Soon, the girl he supposedly loved - yes, she betrayed him, but besides revenge, would killing her really have solved anything? It sounds to me that many people are rating this drama poorly because they wanted some kind of switcheroo and have him be the ML. I blame it on the fact that Byeon Woo Seok was just too charismatic for this role.

Like many others, I too was excited to start this drama because of him (especially after watching 20th Century Girl) but I stayed for the laughs and the silliness that you need sometimes in a drama. Yeah, there are parts of the story that were over-the-top, but isn't that what makes it fun? There are people saying this show is too "childish" but if that's the case, they can just go watch a melodrama - why watch a comedy and especially one where the predecessor has the same vibes and then complain about it? It's like watching Wonder Woman and complaining that she has super powers.

Overall, I still really enjoyed this drama despite its flaws. It's really fun, unique, light-hearted, and will give you a good laugh. Just don't expect completely fleshed-out characters and enjoy the ride - you definitely won't be bored.

Don't let the rating and negative comments deter you! I would say to try watching at least the first 3 episodes and judge for yourself.

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Missed opportunity

When I first watched this drama, it looked really promising. Totally different from predecessor. I loved the funny and chemistry between all the main characters. I was enjoying the show for the first half of it and Ryu Si-Oh stole the scenes. I knew he was the villain and I was resigned with the fact that he won’t end up with Namsoon. Up until episode 10 I was hoping for at least a redemption story for him but the writers did his character dirty. After making us sympathize Ryu Si-Oh’s upbringing they just gave him the saddest death scene. I’m really disappointed in this series, I do hope the next one will be better and they have learned from their mistakes.

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Byeon Woo Seok's exceptional performance breathes life into a lackluster storyline

Strong Girl Namsoon falls short of its predecessor, "Strong Woman Do Bong Soon," leaving viewers with a sense of disappointment. The dubious comedy, lackluster romance, and weak storyline contribute to an overall underwhelming viewing experience. The characters, once vibrant and relatable, now come across as ridiculous caricatures.

However, amidst the mediocrity, Byeon Woo Seok shines as Ryu Shi Oh. His portrayal adds a redeeming quality to the drama, making it somewhat bearable. The character's poignant last words, "I was abandoned by the women I trusted," unveil a heartbreaking narrative of constant betrayal. Shi Oh's struggle with love and trust, where every connection turns into betrayal, captivates the audience.

Byeon Woo Seok's exceptional performance breathes life into a lackluster storyline. The character's development, dialogues, and backstory stand out, making him the saving grace of an otherwise forgettable series. While the overall drama fails to impress, Woo Seok's captivating portrayal of Ryu Shi Oh serves as a compelling reason to endure till the end.

In conclusion, it definitely not live up to its predecessor, but Byeon Woo Seok's remarkable performance as Ryu Shi Oh manages to salvage some enjoyment from an otherwise disappointing narrative. Despite the flaws, his character's emotional journey adds depth to the drama, making it somewhat worthwhile for those seeking a silver lining in the midst of a lackluster plot.

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Worst of Worst

I mean how can a writer be that dumb that he/she show the MC as side character .The most of the time and story revolve around the mom only.Hear are the some poins that i realy hate in this drama.
1) The Story is so basci that i can predict what will happen in next scean not only that i can predict others episodes also
2) The MC is good but because of writer worst writing i hate her.
3) Means in drama the mom is so rich that the batman is nothing compare to her and she also behave like batman she has a bike a blackdress just like batman means, the writer was writhing the show while watching the movie The Batman and he/she thins that i should aslo develop a charater that is aslo like batman but i will change the gender and will make worst of it .
4) The mc uses the power without hiding it,using every time and not using her brain for a second.
5)The mom loves the most her girl chid but okay okay with son child

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FORGET ALL THE HATE COMMENTS!

Don't expect a copy of Strong Woman Bong-soon.
(English isn't my first language, so there might be some mistakes)

Strong Girl Nam-soon is not only a sequel to Strong Woman Bong-soon, but also works as an independent story. There are many references to the original kdrama, but Nam-soon is unique. Lee Yoo Mi finally got her first leading role and showed why she is competent. It's extremely unfair to say that her performance is childish when her cousin Bong-soon was childish as well... People claim that the story is exaggerated, but believe it or not, the original was too! This saga of strong women has a great influence on comic book stories, so it's supposed to be exaggerated. If you don't like it, why watch it to the end?

Another crucial point: the relationship between the main couple. I agree that they had limited screen time, but the protagonists were Nam-soon, her mother, and her grandmother. Just look at the cast here on MDL and you'll see three main characters. I've seen comments that the couple is too innocent, but so were Min-Min and Bong-Bong... So what's the problem?

Strong Girl Nam-soon addressed important issues, just like its prequel, but with more contemporary issues like phishing. Ageism, fatphobia, homelessness, and drug abuse were also dealt with brilliantly. I'm curious to see how Geum Joo's investigation will continue next season! (Will we get a strong boy by accident? I was surprised and excited by this idea).

Finally, it became clear that if the villain's appearance attracts more attention than the male lead's, it won't matter to most people how cruel he is as long as he's handsome. It's absurd how many people shipped Shi Oh with Nam-soon! He literally wanted to kill her and her family! He was a sadistic psychopath! It's disheartening to read so many negative comments about Hee Shik when he was always sweet...

If you haven't watched Nam-soon yet, I recommend not to be influenced by malicious comments. Some people aren't open to new things outside of the cliché.

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I'll make it short...

Strong Girl Namsoon had a cool premise with the mix of the different approaches of feminism, but the story went off the rails.
Kang Nam Soon's search for her parents in Gangnam turns into this weird drug case involving her family, and it just feels forced.
The detective subplot is okay, but they threw in a villain, Ryu Si Oh, who's the only thing worth watching.
The writing is a mess, though.
No clear direction, and it feels like the writers lost their way.
The family dynamics are interesting, but the lackluster plot overshadows it.
Despite some cool action scenes and good performances, the show doesn't live up to its potential—just a letdown.
The series could have done better in delivering a more coherent and empowering feminist storyline.

( I'm being generous here so I gave 8 because I'll be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it a bit )

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I WAS DISAPPOINTED!

I wanna start off by saying that i really wanted to love this drama! I feel like there's something missing. I personally felt like it was rushed and could of been better. the only character we got to kind of know was Ryu Shi-Oh. i would have Ike to have a back story on how Gang Nam-soon was lost. Also I think Nam-Soon mom got more screen time than anyone. it started off kinda slow. i liked it after episode 2. in my opinion it was kinda hard to keep up with all the characters just because they were thrown in randomly for a short period of time. personally i felt namsoon had more chemistry with Ryu shi-oh than Hee-shik. also it felt like they rushed their love story and it felt cringy and bland. The only reason i watched until the end was because Wooshik! WHY DID HE HAVE TO BE KILLED OFFF!!???? Also whats up with putting half the characters in the hospital almost every episode? no ending has ever upset me more than this, I'm super disappointed.

One thing that i really liked was how they brought awareness to homelessness, drug abuse, sexism, and ageism

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Could not match the Original

Strong Girl Namsoon started off on a great note and it was a breath of fresh air. However, it slowly started to lose sight of plot by focusing on an absurd number of characters that are not even secondary to the plot. They just don't contribute in any way.

Although I'm not writing this series off completely (at least not until the final 2 episodes have aired), I feel bad at how it went from being a wonderfully original and stand alone show to an inferior second season.

The highlight of the show was the Gang family's women and their super strength, their connection and how they handle their power. But the limelight should have stayed on Gang Namsoon since the show is named after her. The two MLs - HeeSik and Ryo Si Oh (which sounds a lot like Russia) were actually great for the plot and Namsoon's interactions with them was the only thing that made this show entertaining. Seeing some of the more lighter sides to Ryo Si Oh was enjoyable as was seeing Hee Sik falling in love and getting jealous. You could actually find yourself rooting for both guys are certain points.

Problem is all the distraction of the main plot with useless things like Namsoon's uncle being unrealistically weak despite having no real illness, Namsoon's grandmother's love story and annoyance with her husband, the Bread Song character and his assistant being almost unwatchable among few other moments that I only got through by speeding through the episodes.

There are some nice comic moments involving the 3 women showcasing their strengths along with cute moments involving Namsoon and the two men because of which I can still rate this series an 8. But it is a far cry from the original Strong Woman Do Bong Soon which is definitely one of my favourites. That's because they knew how to focus on the star of the show. It would have been okay to have all these extra characters if they had ensured that the focus doesn't shift too much to all these extra characters. Like the homeless couple who were interesting at the beginning but later became a chore to watch. These are the things that truly weakened the story and destroyed it's core value.

I hope there will be some redeeming qualities in the final two episodes. I'll be updating and possibly revising the review then.

The OST is nice. Sounds even better sped up. heh.

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I just wish it was better

as soon as this was announced I was so hyped and excited because SWDBS is one of my absolute favorite kdramas of all time . I can’t believe this is written by the same person who made SWDBS .
the writing here is so so bad , first 3 episodes were promising , well start - also with park bo young and park hyung sik appearance that literally made my entire year better . but then the storyline became so weak and messy .
too many side stories with so many screen time???? tell me tf why the grandma and her bf had more romance and screen time then our main couple??????
and the mother made me so mad sometimes I couldn’t stand her behavior , the way she treated her son was too much . she only talked and cared about namsoon , she definitely has favorite child and thats so messed up .
the only thing I liked since the beginning was main leads romance that we didn’t even get much of .
I wish main lead - hee shik had more back story and storyline other than just been there as the hot cop bf of namsoon .
in SWDBS the romance also wasn’t the main focus but it’s was done so beautifully in the drama , and the powers of bong soon , and her personality and her actions and just bong soon in general was a good character . the mystery in SWDBS was so much more interesting than the drugs shit in here .
i couldn’t care less about the drugs ???

now for rye shi oh - woo seok did amazing here .
rye shi oh he had an interesting backstory and mostly because of that people liked him more . I really think is the most interesting character here and that’s sad that he had to get that ending but that’s also what he deserved as the villain .
for the people who shipped nam soon and him - that’s a big no . namsoon might felt a little bit sad sometimes for him but for most part she hated him , he tried to kill her mother ?and also her at the end . so definitely not romantic relationship there for me . but the actors do look good together on screen.
but that’s just my personal opinion

it could have been so much better .. the romance between hee shik and namsoon - I wished we had more . our main lead hee shik - more screen time and story for himmm because he’s literally the main lead .
namsoon - firstly why cut her hair ??? , I wished she didn’t act most of the time like a child .
THE GRANDMA DIDNT NEED THAT MUCH SCREENTIME WITH HER BF I JUST HATED THIS IM SORRY . IT WASNT INTERESTING OR CUTE .
the mother was just annoying but the actress is fire
nam in was the cutest brother loved him and the father was a good one .
and the drugs storyline was not done properly , it was boring , not interesting or moving at all .

there’s people who might enjoy it more than I did , maybe if it was one of the first kdramas you watch or something it might be fun but just very very disappointing for me as someone who waited a lot for this and had high expectations . might be the biggest disappointment for me in 2023

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It's a Drama

Okay At the beginning, we all tought this will get us hooked HOOKED ..............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At the end, we appreciate the effort and the patience of the actors themselfs for being part of this Drama,
We thank them for at least appearing. we dont want to criticize them actors, nor the writers or firectors, as we know this is just for entertainment, It might not be our generation age to watch this.... But im sure children will find it funny and well kinda refreshing, Ot has some LESSONS , avoid the DRUGS, do not take advantage of ELDERLY, which is important we all got the message. We all hope the story stops right there in THERE. No false hope. no cringy spinies sequel nothing,. I feel so empty after watching last ep.

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Thank God it has ended

I was looking forward to this show cuz the original series was one of my favorites. Unfortunately, the plot and script were poorly developed and executed.

The only watchable thing here is the villain. Si Oh was the only reason I kept on watching till the end. I didn’t mean to fall for him, and I tried not to feel bad for him, but I couldn’t help it and tbh I don't care because Si Oh is the only character worth watching in this drama. I liked his chemistry with Namsoon. And no, I wasn't hoping for them to end up together. I didn't expect her to be his friend either. I just liked the way he smiled only when he was with her :') I felt almost no chemistry between Namsoon and the cop. But whenever the villain and Namsoon came close, I blushed. Ik many people liked the cop and Namsoon chemistry, but not for me.

So, to summarize:

1. The mother seemed more like a FL than the actual FL herself. She had much more screen time than Namsoon and so many unnecessary scenes. (her outfits were nice tho :)

2. The grandma and his boyfriend. Instead of wasting time showing us their relationship, the writers would have focused more on the main couple.?

3. The main couple is so underdeveloped that it seems odd that they like each other, and with so many things going on, they didn't have enough screen time for good development.

4. The homeless couple. From the start till the end, I just didn't understand their purpose in the drama.

5. The police taking all the credit as if they could've done anything without Nam soon. ?

6. Ryu Si Oh is a perfectly written villain with so much depth in his backstory. He had so much more to give. Not at all excusing his actions as a character, but the writers could've done so much better. And considering his heartbreaking past, I think he deserved a second chance and wish he had a better ending. . ("I was betrayed by the only woman I trusted" that line broke me. ?)

This drama could've had great potential, but anyway. I just hope there's no 3rd season. This season has destroyed the drama enough for it to just end right here.

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