Opposites can attract
With each episode the series appealed more to me. In the beginning I thought it was just amusement done very well. Gradually the episodes and main characters get more interesting, complex and emotional. Though comic, the reactions of Bok Joo's professor, coach and dad to her visiting a diet clinic suggest abuse. Is this typical of Korean society? I found the development of the romance between Bok Joo and Joon Hyung touching and charming. Joon Hyung discovers that he has liked Bok Joo for a long time without realizing it. Bok Joo discovers that she has been communicatively intimate with Joon Hyung for a long time without considering him as a lover. The last episode was a disappointment for me: Bok Joo's insecurity, gossipping girls, poor communication and jumping to conclusions. All the female roles seemed not to have learned anything from their prior experience in the series.Was this review helpful to you?
Great, comforting watch!
This show is one of those shows that will stay with you after watching. It's nice to see a female lead that has her own life and ambitions apart from her love interest. It was great to watch how the characters grow. Not just the main characters but even the supporting characters.The cinematography and color grading reflected Bok Joo's character which was warm and inspiring and reflected how she saw life. It was like the world she lived in was very inviting and made you hopeful of the future. Like walking home at sunset.
The music was very cute and refreshing especially when Joon Hyung realized his feelings, the music also makes your heart feel light, warm and fuzzy at the same time.
The acting was very good and Lee Sung Kyung and Nam Joo Hyuk had great chemistry even when they were still friends. You can feel their care for each other and that they genuinely enjoy each other's company. The way they portrayed the characters, Nam Joo Hyuk's mischievousness, and Lee Sung Kyung's happy-go-lucky portrayal of Bok Joo really made you laugh and sympathize with them.
Even though the story doesn't really have anything big happening, you'll still get hooked because of the characters. Plus I think the story is still relatable and people who like watching slice of life or character-driven stories would really enjoy this.
I think this is one of those shows that you can rewatch a couple of times just because watching it is comforting. It's the equivalent of your favorite comfort food and I highly recommend it to everyone.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Give This Series All Of The Messi Love It Deserves!
So I stumbled upon this series from Tik Tok actually lol. That sentence sounds so cringy, but it's true. Somebody had posted a clip of the show which was the car splashing scene between Bok Joo and Joon Hyung, I was dying from laughter. So I looked into more clips and knew I had to watch this series! The series is set up as this quirky and funny romantic comedy with sports mixed in, but it's actually much more than that. It's heartfelt, overwhelmingly sweet, explores serious topics and is incredibly bingable.We've got 4 primary characters in this show. Bok Joo, Joon Hyung, Shi Ho and Jae Yi. There's other side characters as well, like the sadly sick dad and hot wise uncle who were tops as well. But these 4 are the main focus. All are really solid characters with interesting stories, but my favorites were Bok Joo, Joon Hyung and Shi Ho because of how layered they really are. Bok Joo is our MC and she's great. As a viewer you really root for her success, shes strong, sweet and hilarious. Very adorable. She can be shy but doesn't let it hold her back too much unlike a lot of other K-drama female leads that I've seen. Joon Hyung at first took some time to get used to. I didn't like how he called Bok Joo "fatty" at first and he was came off as quite arrogant. However, in episode 3 he completely redeemed himself punching those gross bar guys out. His plot points were mainly around swimming, mom problems and love interest for Bok Joo. I will say, these two had fantastic chemistry (Bok Joo & Joon Hyung) like seriously it hurt my face how much I loved these two and was grinning like an idiot whenever they interacted. I'm pretty sure these 2 actors are pretty close in real life (possibly dating) so makes sense!
Joon's mom arch though got me, his poor little heart dealing with his aunt and uncle replacing his mom. Ugh! This actor (Nam Joo Hyuk) was my favorite, he was really good at conveying various emotional ranges. Also he's freaking gorgeous, tall and his style was killer. There was a line later on in the series where he's like "try me out!" to Bok Joo and I took this very inappropriately. I meannnn I'm willing to take a ride lmao, totally not the context of the scene AT ALL but who can blame me? Moving onto my other top character, Shi Ho. I really liked that she wasn't just a crazy ex-girlfriend or a jerk. She's actually really cute and I felt for her deeply in this series. Sure she let jealousy and longing get the best of her in situations because she thinks everything can go back to before, but it can't. I actually became concerned for her character in this series! She was so unwell with the sleeping pills, eating disorder and clear depression going on. It was heartbreaking to see, but done really well. By the way, gotta show the love for the fact that the show discussed mental health and counseling in this. All of it was much appreciated, and shown from various male and female perspectives. Huge claps to that!
The whole older brother/actually cousin with Jae Yi could've been super stale, but it wasn't surprisingly. It was actually pretty funny and concluded well. Some of the more romantically fueled scenes that I enjoyed and stuck out to me were when Joon Hyung goes all out trying to date Bok Joo. Conquering his fear of heights, using his jacket to warm her hands, 2 straws in the cup, So freaking sweet. As well as the scene where Bok Joo is finally like "I like you too! I don't wanna return you!" and then there's just an onslaught of them kissing each other. So fu***** cute I can't. I have to say, the series is really well-shot too there's some really pretty shots of Korea in this. And I loved the soundtrack/music played throughout. There were times when Kpop was played in the background and I freaked out because I recognized it.
The only issues I had with this series were pretty minimal. The teachers specifically annoyed me in this occasionally. Mostly because I didn't really care about that plot point, but also you don't EVER hit students ever or treat them poorly. I don't care if they are going against "rules or regulations" or whatever. You can be frustrated with a student potentially throwing away their potential away, but come on! Also telling students from gymnastics to basically starve themselves. Wtf. Either way, when this series was coming to an end I legit got teary eyes. I didn't want it to end and I miss the characters already!
Was this review helpful to you?
Don't let those bad reviews fool you (like fr)...
There are some negative reviews on this drama but it is what it is. This drama was really worth it because after watching episode 7 to 16, I was so invested in watching this drama because the story got really interesting although there are some part of stories in this drama that many people don't like and that is the ML Jung Joon Hyung story. His story or "trauma" was really basic tbvh and it really didn't interest me because it was very predictable and basic again so that really didn't make want to watch WFKBJ and also with his ex thing from the past was annoying too. Overall I do like the character development to all characters in this drama and especially JJH and LSK and they really did a good job on this too, the acting was on point too! The OST is really good too and my favourite song is "Dreaming"! And yoo the comedy in this drama really spice things up LMAO and especially the "WHAT!" part lollll...Also one thing I love about this drama is that, the love story only evolves on episode 11 of 16. It means that the story also tackles about friendships, family problem and how to move on from your ex's...
Please give it a try and see how you go with this drama! I'm sure you'll love it!
Was this review helpful to you?
The title kind of threw me off a bit.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....……………………………………………
Was this review helpful to you?
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (2016)
A romantic-comedy done right. No overly dramatic, absurdly over the top, bang your head against the wall nonsense. Sure, it has its moments of "eh, really?" at times but overall, it delivered a classic vanilla romance built off the friends-to-lovers trope, executed beautifully.The character dynamics, not only from the main leads, but from the entire cast were very good. Supporting characters came alive when they appeared on screen and the leads... just tremendous chemistry and worked off each other wonderfully. Maybe it was the school setting placebo but it genuinely felt like the character groups were a really close-knit group of friends. Perhaps, that was the main charm of the show.
Even with basic presentation, the show's appeal is that of a fun, casual slice of life with a slow burning romance that offers you bits and pieces at a time. But once all the pieces starting falling into place it really gets all "warm and fuzzy" inside. It's lighthearted yet still flexible enough to get into its emotional pockets.
And seriously, the female lead sure is an absolute cute, weightlifting fairy--- that Kim Bok Joo.
Was this review helpful to you?
The entire aesthetic and cinematography of this drama was beautiful, from the sunsets in the background to the bird's eye views of the beach, to the city night lights. I wish SO BADLY that my college experience would be like this.
Was this review helpful to you?
This is a very sweet and fresh slice of life romance and I recommend it to anyone that’s looking for a light-hearted coming of age romance. About that, my opinion is a bit biased because Nam Joo-hyuk is the ultimate eye-candy for me and his chemistry with the equally stunning (and loud) Lee Sung-kyung is very cutesy. Yes, there’s a bunch of whining and screaming, but, all of that seem very insignificant compared to all their loving moments and constant support.
One of the best things about this drama is that Kim Bok Joo doesn’t exist solely for her romantic interests, a common problem in rom-com stories. However, I feel like the characterization of Jung Joon-hyung felt short and this burden was transferred for him. Don’t get me wrong, I really like his character, but I pity that his background was under-explored considering what was initially presented. I wish we had seen more about his family and his relationship with swimming, dealing with his trauma.
I do have to write a word about the weight issues in this drama though. I don’t know a thing about weightlifting so I might be talking silly, but I felt Kim Bok Joo should be, at least, more muscly. Specially considering the athlete she’s based on (Jang Mi-Ran). It was nice to see a bit of light in the weight requirements both in sports and society - how draining and dangerous that can be. On the other hand, the character representing the “fat” and “chubby” was not even 60kg. Maybe that’s very accurate for South Korea, but it seemed a bit scary to consider that standard. All the eating and suffering was a bit relatable, but also a bit triggering too. However, the drama did discuss the topic and there are hints of self-love here and there.
When it comes to rewatch value, I think it falls under the category “rewatch favorite scenes only” - which I’ll certainly do. I’ll miss the “WHAT” sound effect and the “SWAG” of the girlfriends. I will miss our quirky Kim Bok-Joo. And my, oh my, I will surely miss Nam Joo-hyuk.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Review.
i was planning on re-watching it, and i am right now but i’ve already seen the drama so i’m writing my review now lol. anyways, i loved it. it was so so cute, the two main leads chemistry was no joke, they were perfect for the roles (i love them both very much). although, i did love the drama there were some things that were sort of cringe (not too cringe though) but it was worth finishing it. it’s one of those dramas you just don’t get bored off. i think they dude WELL not the best at depicting how athlete life is. i don’t think i really hated any character either … well … nevermind, but seriously. if you’re putting this drama to the side DON’T, it’s worth watching and it’s so cute and funny. this brings me to my conclusion, i want what they have.Was this review helpful to you?
Awesome
Awesome❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Was this review helpful to you?
Absolutely delighted!!
I really wanted to write a review on this exact kdrama , because it is so healthy, fun and enjoyable to watch. Kim Bok Joo is so strong and willing to do anything for her friends, family and Carrier as a weightlifter. Joon Hyeong is the perfect Oppa boyfriend. The Main leads Nam Joo Hyuk and Lee Sung Kyung did a fantastic job! Their chemistry on screen is amazing and so believable. From the beginning to the end this drama gives you so much genuine kind moments and you can't help but to smile, when you are watching. For those who love Romantic/Comedy is a must!Was this review helpful to you?
