Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo (2016)

It was going great, until episode 7!

The first 6 episodes are fantastic, but it becomes really toxic on episode 7. In episode 7, the female lead, father is verbally and physically abusive. No matter how angry we are with someone, physical abuse is not the solution unless we are defending ourselves from an attacker. Additionally, the female coach, punish the female lead (who btw, is a college sophomore) with a broom stick because she arrived late to exercise. Instead of disciplining a grown woman with abuse, why not just suspend her from the team? I dislike the fact that episode 7 normalize physical abuse.

I really really really enjoyed the first 6 episodes of this drama, up until episode 7, which is toxic (it sends the message that physical abuse is discipline and thus, it's okay). I will update my review once I finish watching the rest of the episode.

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I was honestly not anticipating this drama much but what an amazing surprise it has been! Even though there were some flaws in the earlier episodes, this drama has constantly gotten better and better and now at the 13th episode, I can't seem to stop smiling at the gorgeousness that is our main couple. It captures the essence of first love so beautifully and without using the numerous usual cliche tropes we see in k-dramas. Watching Bok Joo start to like Joon Hyung and both of them falling for each other more and more as their relationship advances is so reminiscent of similar experiences everyone has sometime or the other in their lives. To people who've fallen in love before, it is the best kind of nostalgic ride, letting us live those small, defining moments once more and marvel and grin at how once, we were exactly like our 2 leads. Moreover, to all those who are yet to experience love, it's a wishful dream for an experience like Bok Joo's and Joon Hyung's. And for everyone who once had love and now yearns for it, this drama is sure to make you ache even more for the giddy, passionate and unforgettable feeling of 'first love'.

I absolutely love Lee Sung Kyung and Nam Joo Hyuk in this drama! They've breathed life into their characters and made them their own, so much so that I can't imagine anyone else ever doing these 2 roles more justice than them.

Looking forward to the coming episodes! Hope the drama keeps on riding this momentum!

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I saw this title on so many lists I thought it had to be good. What a surprise, what a let down. I suggest you watch something else. If this was about weightlifting then why not hire an actress who looks like she has actual muscles! or even muscle tone!! This show was the epitome of why I quit watching kdramas a couple years ago, guess I should have paid more attention to the year it was released. The characters are all stock, interchangeable, boring characters. I thought the story was dumb, e.g: see MC winning a medal on tv then next scene; her struggling to carrying chairs to gymnastics hall & having a childish fight with a gymnast. Male handsome, lofty MC teases (bullies) female MC & flashes back to childhood falling out of a window & landing on female MC who is a fat ~eating~ young girl. The shame......... that anyone that doesnt look frail is portrayed poorly.

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Okay so this is one of my favorite shows of all time, to put it simply; I fricking loved it. It was and still is something that makes me feel a bit happier in my day to day life. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo felt like a breath of fresh air between all this very serious and dramatic dramas that seems to dominate the K-dramaland nowadays.

Story; The 'Slice of Life' style of drama was a good choice for the characters that they made. It was an lighthearted and funny show that made me fall in love within a few minutes. It wasn't about true love or people who were destined for each other, it was about friendship and a cute and innocent kind of love and that is what distinguished it from other dramas.

Acting/Cast; Brilliant, simply brilliant. The actors and actresses were made for these roles and I don't think that I wish that they would have done anything differently. Even though the characters could be like stereotypical K-drama characters in some aspects, I felt that they were different and very loveable. The quirks of Bok Joo and her friends made my cheeks hurt from smiling, I usually don't think that K-Dramas are all that funny but this one really fitted my sense of humor.

The relationship between the main character felt so real and I loved that they didn't rush the characters into falling in love with each other right away.

Music; I don't really remember the OST of the series but I don't feel that it was something that I missed either, so it probably was fine.

Rewatch Value; I think that most people who watched it will rewatch it at some point, I have and probably will again. I miss the characters all too much for not seeing them again.

Overall; Loved it a lot as you can tell.

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I personally like this drama because it's heartwarming and light yet it shows the struggles of the youth in their 20s. It was able to depict the uncertainties and troubles that young people go through. It lightly touched heavy issues and addressed them properly. Maybe because it's a college drama that it shows the brighter side of things even through difficulties. I also like how the characters resolve the issues immediately instead of the usual kdrama complications which just drag the drama. Sung Kyung and Joo Hyuk have always had a strong chemistry since they were models and their closeness can be seen. The supporting characters were played out by the cast well. I like how all the characters rely on one another. I didn't expect Joo Hyuk to do good in terms of acting but he surprised me especially in the scene wherein he cried. Even his gestures and eyes were acting. I'll definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a lighthearted drama.

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funny and well acted

I had a lot of fun watching this show. The story was nice, the script interesting as weightlifting is not sucha a popular sport dyscypline. Background knowledge on sports is sth I am curious about and it Goes for many other like soccer or baseball. the main plus is for the FL and ML very well chemistry and good acting. The comedy scenes were so good and they are the hardest to act well. I am jot suprised that both actors were to be set in new main cast roles in new dramas. Both deserved the investment in their talent to grow in new projects. Wish the can meeting on another show together.

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I don't even know how to start this review. I just finished watching the last episode (which took me 26 days because I didn't want it to end) and my heart hurts and is happy at the same time.
I actually watched two or three episodes of this drama right after it came out because a friend of mine really liked it. I was enjoying it but because I had to travel that Summer I stopped watching and never finished. Almost two years later I decided to watch it. And that was probably one of the smartest decisions of my life. I'm not hard to please when it comes to dramas because I haven't watched a hundred of them to be THAT critical but I can say, from the bottom of my heart, that Weightlifting Fairy Kim Boy Joo will forever stay at the top as one of my favorites, no matter how many I watch. It's so perfect that it's hard to write a fair review so I'll talk about each aspect individually. From now on there will be spoilers so please don't read the rest!! If you're wondering if you should watch it: YES! yes yes yes yes, please do.

Plot/Story- Even though it's not the most complex of the plots, I think this story is absolutely fascinating just as it is. Its simpleness shines throughout the whole series and the scenes make your heart skip multiple beats. Even though it's a very lighthearted story, there are some more deep and emotional moments, like Joonhyung's relationship with his mother (which made me cry so hard I couldn't fall asleep after that episode). Unlike many other dramas I've watched, none of the relationships feel forced here because they're perfectly constructed. The friendships warmed my heart and I almost died of laughter in every single episode. I also discovered new things about sport teams and teamwork and how everything happens inside the competition world which is pretty cool, in my opinion, especially because swimming is my favorite sport and I would love to join a swimming team. It was never boring and each episode made us want more. I don't know if I've ever given 10 whole stars to a plot before but WFKBJ totally deserves them (and more).

Characters/Cast/Acting- The characters are PHENOMENAL. So so so so good. Even the "villains" were likeable because you could truly feel for them. Everyone grew throughout the show which surprised me because there are only 16 episodes. The cast was perfect, they fit their roles so well that I wonder if it's not their real personality after all. Their chemistry... GOOSEBUMPS. The kissing scenes? Jesus Christ, I literally cried in every kissing scene, I just can't deal. This drama made me fall in love with Joohyuk (like everyone else on this planet) and my goal for 2019 is to watch all of his shows. Watch me follow the whole cast on Instagram and love them for the rest of my life.

Music- I loved loved loved the soundtrack, I think it fit perfectly.

Rewatch Value- I'll rewatch this show at least two times a year until I die. Yep, that is it. Life mission right there. But seriously, I'm 1000% sure I'll never get tired of it. I could watch ten other seasons like this one that it wouldn't get boring. I guess I just love watching sports dramas and animes. Does anyone have any recommendation??

Conclusion- As of January 2019 this is my favorite drama of all time and I think it will stay this way for a long long long time. This was also my first review of the year and I'm really proud of it haha I'm so happy with this drama, I have no words. Well, I do have ONE word.



...



SWAG

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THIS DRAMA HAS CHANGED MY LIFE

I know a lot of you may think that I'm being dramatic but I'm really telling you the truth. I first watched this drama in 2017 and I ADORED IT. It was everything and made me fall for all the characters, it even made me wish that I had a boyfriend like Joon Hyung. But in 2019, I went through an extremely difficult phase of my life and I found it really hard to be happy. You see, I only wanted to be happy even if it was only temporary. I was sick and tired of everything. I love reading novels by the way and I found myself in a huge slump and couldn't even bring myself to read a single page of my favourite novel. Then I got recommended a funny scene from this show and it made me want to watch the show all over again. And this show made me happy. Ever since then, I've watched this drama so many times. I have the entire drama downloaded on my phone so that I can rewatch it whenever I want It's so lighthearted, funny, adorable and realistic. Ever since then, I started to watch a lot of new kdramas and not all of them match with Kim Bok Joo's charm but I always find myself coming back to this show ?

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Honestly, the title is a bit odd and rather than creating interest, it might stop you from watching this drama. Which would be a mistake. Sure, the story is very simple and maybe I'm giving it 8 out of 10 because:
1 I love Nam Joon Hyun, he is a really good actor and played in many hit dramas of 2016, like Scarlet heart and Cheese in the trap
2 My favourite theme is school life But, part from those two, this drama has one thing that many others lack; a strong couple. The chemistry between them was amazingly powerful, even though their romance didn't start till probably the tenth episode. But even so, the dynamics were great! Cute and romantic, they were the it couple!! The story is nice too. The performances were nice and the soundtrack was great. One thing that maybe wasn't that good, was that the leading lady supposed to be overweight, or at least not skinny to be able to do weightlifting, but the drama only had her wearing buggy clothes and she not even looked strong enough. But other than that it was a quite enjoyable drama.

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