Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo Review – A Heartwarming Drama About Love and Growing Up

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo Review – A Heartwarming Drama About Love and Growing Up

Who doesn’t like a good coming-of-age story? There’s something so heartwarming and enchanting about getting a look into a character’s life as they begin to take their part in the world, discover themselves, and those around them. We get a chance to feel like we’re growing with them. We experience their firsts like it’s our firsts again – first job, first time to college, first serious relationship.

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo packages all of that up with wonderful doses of fun, humor and lovable characters that will keep you cheering to the last episode.

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The story focuses on the title heroine, Kim Bok-Joo, a young woman chasing after her dream of weightlifting on a college athlete campus. There, Bok-Joo hangs out with her besties, two weightlifter athletes her age, and off-campus she helps her dad out with his small restaurant. She meets Jung Joon-Hyung, a swimmer on campus, who was her friend way back from elementary school and who she finds annoying (he does tease her a lot, lol). When Bok-Joo falls hard for a handsome doctor (who’s Joon-Hyung’s brother), Bok-Joo begins to question her passion for weightlifting. Does she even want to do this anymore? Wouldn’t she rather just be a normal girl?

Reasons Why You’ll Love This Drama

#The Characters

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo is full of wonderful characters that make this show feel like a real world of friends and families.

Kim Bok-Joo, the heroine, struts around college and life carefree and 100 percent herself. She says things like she sees it and isn’t afraid to go after her dreams. Kim Bok-Joo and her besties also bring their own kind of adorable swag to the weightlifting team. She may act like someone not be messed with, but underneath all that tough talk she’s just a pile of adorableness with all the insecurities that every young person feels falling in love and discovering exactly what they want to do with their lives.

Jung Joon-Hyung, the hero, is a hyper, boyish, mischievous boy-next-door who still hasn’t quite grown up yet. He’s exuberant and honest with his feelings to Bok-Joo, though his own personal struggles of abandonment he keeps closely guarded to his heart.

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Kyung Soo-Jin¸ the second lead lady, is Joon-Hyung’s ex-girlfriend and a feminine, pretty rhythmic gymnast. Most second lead ladies in K-drama world are evil green-eyed monsters, but Soo-Jin is a layered character as she grows through her own emotional and physical issues from the extreme stress of an athlete’s life.

Bok-Joo’s besties, Joo-Young and Hye-Jung, are partners in swag and the girls’ favorite pastime: eating. They cheer one another on, fight like sisters, and love one another.

Lee Jae-Yoon, Joon-Hyung’s brother, and second lead man is as perfect as they get: a doctor, handsome and extremely kind and sympathetic. He still has room to grow himself as he learns that being nice isn’t always being kind.

Bok-Joo’s Dad, Coach, and Assistant Coach are the sweetest supporters of Bok-Joo. Dad grew up weightlifting himself. He both loves his daughter’s passion for the sport and regrets that influenced her to do exactly what he did. While Coach and his assistant care for the kiddos they’re teaching with all their hearts, often sacrificing their time, money and even reputations to help them.

#The fun!

One of the best things about Weightlifting Fairy is how it manages to be emotional and even dramatic at times but never loses its feel-good, fun vibe. It’s a joy to watch Bok-Joo interact with her friends and family members, whether it be hanging out with her girlfriends and loudly singing karaoke or getting very annoyed with Joon-Hyung or hilariously (and often embarrassingly) trying to talk to her crush. Bok-Joo’s growth is one that many of us can relate to – of making many mistakes and learning as we go.

Her crush for Jae-Yoon leads her to do some crazy stuff like lying about what she really does as college, which forces her to spin bigger lies, haha, and it becomes even funnier when another Joon-Hyung gets in on her secret.

#The romance

For any of you who’ve seen Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon, get ready for another absolutely delightful romantic OTP that will make your hearts BURST with happiness! Joon-Hyung and Bok-Joo have a slow burn romance that doesn’t show up until later in the show. But it’s absolutely worth it! It’s the kind of romance that’s built on friendship and kindness and all the little ways they’ve looked out for one another. Together, they are a hilariously awesome power couple.

Joon-Hyung seriously contends for World’s Best Boyfriend as he shows romance stories everywhere that a love interest can be utterly sweet and respectful as well as passionate. Joon-Hyung adores Bok-Joo as she is and doesn’t spend his time pulling her down, but instead building her up. He supports her completely, encourages her in her weightlifting athletic goals, and finds her strongness sexy. Well, if that doesn’t make him a winner!!!

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Bok-Joo might be a little rough with Joon-Hyung for a while but it doesn’t take long to see how much she cares about him. She’s very honest with Joon-Hyung, knowing that he doesn’t like to be treated with kid gloves but wants to hear things as they are.

Overall, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo captures the playful joy of youth as well as the insecurities and tears in a fabulous K-drama package that’s a rare pitch-perfect from beginning to end! You can check it out on Viki!

What do you think about Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo? Sound off below…

Photos: MBC

OVERALL RATING

“The stuff that dreams are made of.”

ROMANCE RATING

“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.

I have loved none but you.”

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