A little while ago I’ve decided to rewatch this drama just to see whether it was as good as I’ve remembered it from almost four years ago. Turns out it wasn’t, but I still very much love it.

The female lead, Bok Joo, just has it all. She is fierce yet caring and cute in her own specific way. She always tries her best, but her clumsiness (which might feel a little bit too much sometimes) gets in her way. Her story is well-developed and although one can argue with some of her actions, the reasoning is always there. Joon Hyung, the male lead, is as fun, caring and loyal as she is. He deals with a lot of stuff, but never laces into anyone. What I’ve refused to notice before is how officious he is at times, especially at the beginning. It is also a shame that his character wasn’t explored as well as Bok Joo. But at the end of a day, he’s still a loveable, supportive guy who can easily gain viewers’ sympathy despite a very few flaws.

Perhaps the most heart-warming feature of this drama is seeing those two grow not only as a couple but also as individuals. I must say, I’m still at awe of how smoothly a relationship between the main pair flowers. Throughout the show, both characters keep supporting each other in every possible field from sports career to mental health issues, which is a really nice alternative to all toxic kdrama relationships. Although a few of the occurring conflicts might feel childish to some, they all feel natural and get resolved in a fitting time and manner. As for personal development, I really loved the lack of stigmatisation of Jong Hyung’s therapy. Even while going through breakdowns, the couple still supported each other without being “too much” for one another, which felt absolutely refreshing.

As I could go for the whole day about how much I love the drama, here I’d like to concentrate on a few issues I find a bit annoying. First of all, what really bugs me is the lack of research on sports the characters were performing. I’m no professional, but it took only a few google searches to prove that some of the sports-related issues presented in this kdrama would never occur in real life. Secondly, I really dislike the irrational ex-girlfriend trope. As much as I like and feel for Shi Ho, her introduction as an obsessive ex well, unnecessary? Moreover, the relationship between Jae Yi and Ah Yeong felt a bit off – out of all fun characters Jae Yi felt like he had nothing but a doormat personality and thus no one can tell whether he really cares about Ah Yeong or just does what he is supposed to do. Additionally, I absolutely hated how Joon Hyung was encouraged to make up with his mother – again, I had literally no reason to have any sympathy for her and found it disturbing how everyone justified her behaviour as she had not traumatised her son before. Lastly, I was sad to see that Tae Kwon’s and Nan Hee’s personalities were based on a single trait, which made those characters a bit cartoonish.

As for casting, I think we should all address an elephant in the room. It is kind of ridiculous how the story spins around “ugly girls have it worse” scenario and yet the ugly girl in question is the top model Lee Sung Kyung herself. Baggy clothes and short haircut don’t really portray her any worse. On other hand, what might sound quite controversial, the one good thing that in my opinion comes from this tragically reused trope are Bok Joo’s facial expressions. Although they might look a bit awkward, I find them really matched to the character. Yet, even though I truly despise this “ugly girl transformation” trope, I truly cannot imagine any other actress playing Bok Joo as good as Sung Kyung did. Nam Joo Hyuk did the hell out of a good job as well. The chemistry between both the main characters as well as the rest of the cast members is quite unmatched.

Rewatching this piece made me realize how many small or a bit bigger problems are here in the drama. Some of them were a bit annoying, some of them almost unnoticeable. Nevertheless, it might be my personal bias, but I would still name Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo the best comfort drama for both teenagers and young adults.