Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

Just So Much Fun!

I’m actually reviewing this show after my second time watching it with its sequel due out sometime next year, I believe. I never realized that I hadn’t written a review yet.

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon is a delightful series that combines romantic comedy with a thriller twist. Koreans are masters of utilizing more than one genre within a series, and they do it so effortlessly that you wonder why more TV shows around the world don’t try to do the same. It takes a special kind of writer to be able to integrate genres that seem so opposite.

Bong Soon is a young woman endowed with super-strength—strength that seems to rival Wonder Woman, at the very least. Bong Soon is a charming character, even if she’s a bit lazy and not very bright. However, none of these things prevents her from enacting justice where and when needed, although she’s much like a young Clark Kent from Smallville. She just wants to lead a normal life. However, like most heroes, she has a weakness: if she ever harms an innocent person, she will lose her powers. Her gifts are ancestral, handed down among the women of her family.

As the series begins, Bong Soon only has eyes for Lieutenant In Gook Do of the police force. Gook Do is a former classmate who doesn’t seem to see Bong Soon as anything other than a silly girl who often makes poor decisions. Gook Do is a hard-nosed officer who can be a bit brutish and chauvinistic. He has no qualms about telling Bong Soon what to do and how to live her life, even when such advice isn’t asked for.

Bong Soon finds herself entangled with Min Hyuk Ahn, the CEO of a gaming software company when he comes across her beating some thugs to pieces. As he is being stalked and blackmailed, he hires Bong Soon as his personal bodyguard, which works out well because he’s now one of the very few who knows her secret. Min Hyuk is almost a polar opposite to Gook Do. He’s boyishly charming but also tends to be a bit immature, self-absorbed, and a bit possessive and insecure. This completes our “love triangle” as Mr. Ahn and Gook Do are soon rivals for Bong Soon’s affections and interest.

What really rounds out the series is a quite disturbing psychopath who becomes obsessed with collecting women off the street and holding them in an underground dungeon below an auto junkyard. And frankly, this aspect is done just as well as the comedy.

Plenty of moments will have you on the floor with laughter. Kim Won Hae nearly steals the limelight from Bo Young Park in his dual role. First, as a thug who gets beaten up so many times, that his gift for comedy is priceless. Second, he also plays the role of the Strategy Team Manager at Ainsoft, a very effeminate man whom you can only compare to Nathan Lane’s role in “The Birdcage.” I’ve seen Kim Won Hae in a number of roles, and he can wear any hat and do any role that is asked of him.

Bo Young Park may well be one of the cutest actresses I’ve seen in 45+ years of watching shows. She is so tiny and has an almost childlike innocence, that you can’t help but be pulled in by her vulnerability. She is also so adept at wearing her emotions on her sleeve, especially when she’s crying, that you forget she’s acting! The scene when she’s sobbing while being chained to a bomb is especially heart-wrenching, as she begs Mr. Ahn to leave her so that he can save himself, but he refuses. I have seen Park in several series now, and if she has one flaw, it’s in her chemistry with her male love interests. She just never seems entirely comfortable with them. It’s in this area that her vulnerability is often transformed into walls, which makes are appear guarded. Still, she is a phenomenal actress.

While the series may be a bit predictable, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. People have loved superheroes for a long time, and Bong Soon may well be one of the most charming and delightful ones to come down the pike in a long time. And while we’re enamored with her powers, it’s always the human element—those aspects that people can relate to—that makes her character shine! Bong Soon is simply just another young woman trying to navigate her life and figure out what she wants to do with it. She does have a propensity to take the easy route when it comes to work rather than go through the necessary steps, which is why she’s perceived by family and friends alike as being a bit lazy and not very goal-oriented.

Some parts of the show actually don’t quite fit, such as the mob boss’s interactions with a Korean Hindu, which was a bit humorous but never really did anything for the story. Bong Soon’s little groupie kids were funny early on, but they more than wore out their welcome as the series progressed, leaving the viewer to wonder why they were still there.

Overall, this series is simply a ton of fun. Aside from the thriller aspect of the show, it never takes itself too seriously. Like Min Hyuk Ahn and Gook Do, you may well find yourself enamored with Bong Soon Do too!

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From the onset (episode 1), the drama was really interesting, it was really funny and I was always motivated to keep watching but I'm not gonna lie, I found Bong-soon kind of annoying in the beginning. I didn't understand how a twenty-something year old spoke like she was 5, don't even get me started on how she always said "guk-doo ya", oh my. But as the show progressed, I began to like her more and more and eventually loved her.

Even though I have given a very high rating, there were still some faults;
- Why did Guk-doo always seem to be in a bad mood? And come on, how can he say that he didn't realise Bong-soon was head over heels for him, now that's just ridiculous. Also, why were we never shown an interaction of he and his mother? Why did a mother and son who were recurring exist as completely separate entities? I always looked forward to their interaction (for some reason) but it never came. I know that Guk-doo was not written to be a character that we would obsess over anyway, so I would forgive his 24/7 straight/angry/confused face.
- Bong soon's superpower was over-exploited, she did some things that they weren't even able to explain e.g. we were never shown how she saved those women even though the place had been set on fire. Just a tad bit toooo unrealistic at times.
- I wasn't a hundred percent convinced with Ahn Woo-yeon's (Bong-ki) acting. A lot of the times he just had a confused expression, as did his to-be girlfriend Hee-ji, I guess they fit perfectly, two confused characters. I also have questions regarding how she so easily fell for him after one interaction but I don't want to be too fussy.
- Why was Bong-soon's mother's treatment toward the father tolerated? It was funny in the first few episodes but it got worse and worse and just became... abusive. I did not enjoy watching those scenes at all. Also her (Bong-soon's mum) and her posse were overdone, they became boring and were just a filler (I skipped a lot of their scenes)
- The comedy around the gang members (the ones she beat up in episode 1) was also overdid to the point that it became annoying and had me skipping scenes.
- The comedy around the police was also a bit overplayed, however, I liked how Guk-doo's personality contrasted his work colleagues, it helped him shine more as a main because a lot of the time, I forgot that he was a main; to me, he merely existed in Bong-soon and Min-hyuk's shadow.

Notwithstanding all the points aforementioned, I would still rate this drama a 9.5/10, I wish I could give it a 9.75/10 as that would be more true to my feelings but MyDramList does not provide/allow that option so what can we do. Again, the things I didn't like about it were merely small issues, they do not heavily influence my decision.

One thing that was portrayed EXCELLENTLY though was Bong-soon and Min-hyuk's relationship and both their individual character developments. Although I have one little complaint; how is it possible that he fell so deeply and easily for her? But you know, never try to see the logic in dramas or else you will have a million questions. Anyway, I found myself always anticipating their scenes together, they MADE the show and they also fit so well together.

Lastly, a lot of people did not like the mix of genres but I think that brought the show to life and was executed quite impressively.

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The only thing that kept me distant and disappointed from this drama is the story and the writing. I'm a sole believer that the writing is pretty much the most important aspect of a film (next to acting).

STORY:
It's just all over the place. Sometimes I felt like the writers tried to make the story unpredictable but it's super predictable. They try to build up suspense and made me anticipate some sort of extraordinary plot twist only to be let down, failing the turn of events. There are some parts that just don't mix together, and there are a lot of holes in the plot. It's like the writers forgot half of the story an began to drift somewhere else. I started this drama because I love strong, badass female leads. Not that I was disappointed by Bong Soon, but more like I wish I could get more out of her. There is just so much potential in her character, but if you take away the strength of her, she would've been any other female lead in a romantic comedy. But other than that, the romance and the comedy aspects can be quite enjoyable.

ACTING:
I LOVE JI SOO. He is what kept me going throughout this drama, and he is why I started the drama also. I'm also a fan of Park Bo Young. The acting is fairly decent. I think they all did a great job. Definitely lots of eye candy in the drama.

Music: I really liked it, I listen to them on my free time too XD.
Cinematography: Very pretty and high quality scenery.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:
I think this drama would be great if they pre-produced it. There is a lot of potential because of the female lead. She can bend all the Kdrama cliches due to her strength (like wrist grabbing), but even when she did, why did it still feel like it's a cliche?? A lot of ideas were introduced later in the story which is why it made the plot messy. The whole drama itself is quite enjoyable, if you overlook the plot and stay for the romantic comedy. (Though, you'd either find it cringy or cute)

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An interesting watch for sure

"Strong Woman Do Bong Soon" is one of my first `newer` Korean dramas I`ve seen since starting to watch them half a year ago. I have to say that, though my rating is not as high as the rating average for a reason I`ll elaborate on further, it is still the type of drama that will never keep you bored. And for that, writers and producers have to thank the set designers and actors, because had this drama had actors that were just a little bit less likeable, this rating would plunge into 6s. The main reason for that being, like others have mentioned, a strong dissonance between genres they were trying to include. Romance, comedy, thriller, action... The tone of this drama is all over the place, and it almost feels like they were writing the drama episode by episode, depending on the audience`s reception. Funnily enough, this is that type of drama which you`ll search up on Youtube, and end up watching strictly funny interactions between Bong Soon and Min-Hyuk. Park Hyung-sik did a phenomenal job with his character, even down to the level of charisma he exudes. He also feels the most natural in his role, while I`m not as sold on Park Bo-young yet. Her acting in this was serviceable, but I did feel a bit of a disconnect in her facial expressions.

Since I have a feeling that Bong Soon was supposed to be even more fiery than she ended up being in her potrayal, Bo-young sometimes felt a touch too cutesy and innocent, so when she was supposed to be badass, it still only conveyed a quarter of what she wanted to, I`m sure. But I`ll keep my eye out for her future projects, because I think she does have a talent. The comedy can at times be spot on or a total miss, but I`ll chalk that up to my love of dry and weird humor rather than the slapstick type this drama goes for.

My closing sentence would be that, though it`s not at all bad or bland, this is that drama that you`ll forget about after, say, a week of watching it. So, while I do think you`ll get some nice scenes and feelings out of watching it, the rewatch value for me on this one is quite low.

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This was the first kdrama I watched and really liked, so I may be a bit biased (also because Park Hyung Sik is really cute). Some may think that the lovey-dovey parts of the show did not mix well with the dark & gory parts, but I personally loved the contrast and felt like the 'darker' part of the drama made it more balanced. I particularly loved the casting, and I feel that Park Hyung Sik and Park Bo Young (Puppy Couple) had amazing chemistry. I often rewatch clips of them because I find their interactions adorable. (On a sidenote, this drama also holds value to me because it introduced me to kpop, since I found out that Park Hyung Sik is friends with V from BTS).

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While this drama definitely isn't for everyone, if you want a mystery, action, romance, comedy with an overly extra male lead and a badass female lead, then this is your drama!

The leads are hilarious sometimes and super badass at other times, Bong-Soon has a cheeky, warmhearted yet tough personality. Min-Hyuk is brilliantly cast and is a strange yet entertaining combination of child-like energy with lethal intelligence.
It's a long drama, with 16 hour-long episodes so there are plenty of sub-plots and relieving moments from the darker tones.
None of the leads throughout the drama do anything unreasonable or spontaneously out of character, the sweet Bong Soon is always a brilliant character to watch.

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I love this drama only because it was my second drama to watch when becoming familiar with kdrama's. When I first watched this drama it left me feeling content because I could say I really enjoyed it. I have gone back and watched it again after becoming more aware of how kdrama's work and what to expect and now that I have, I have to say this drama lost it's luster for me.
This drama has way too much going on and I could say that some kdrama's tend to do this a lot. It had a thriller story mixed with rom-com and you just can't mix these two without being jarred out of one or the other. You would go from watching this cutesy scene of Bong Soon's hilariously done "strength" scenes and her love life, which is entertaining to watch, only to be thrown into a horrific scene with a kidnapping psychopathic killer. While I love thriller's, this just wasn't done right. This drama should have just stuck to one idea and went with it. There are also so many side stories thrown into the drama that eventually loose their charm or I just don't care enough to want to stick with them and end up fast forwarding to the main plot. And the main plot is a mess because there are just too many elements going on at once.
While I will say this isn't a bad watch because of the romance and humor, it's not a good one. I do come back to watch it because of how silly it can be and I always do enjoy it since it holds a special place in my heart regarding the drama, but let's be honest: this drama was just a mess and a bad one at that. I would say watch at your own risk and be prepared for some gruesome moments if you are weak of heart.

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Just watch it- it’s a good watch

Not what i expected at all. I originally ignored this drama because of its cringe comedy style and editing, but i came back to it purely because of a youtube video of Hyung-shik kissing bong soon and then this drama became quite literally addictive. I watched all 16 episodes in maybe 3 days? It is really good, the acting is top notch, the soundtrack is kinda cringe but lovable and the characters are just works of art. My only complaint would be too many comedic side stories to handle, but the highschool gangsters subplot was too funny and lovable to reject (It also brung out a different side to bong soon in my opinion). But these side stories are easily skipped, so don’t worry and watch this drama.

This part kind of includes a character description but it’s not really a spoiler

I wanted to devote a paragraph to kim jang hyun and the actor who played him (Jang mi kwan). Jang hyuns character was beautiful. An obsessive kidnapper who idolises an abusive play? His character is crafted so well, and the acting!! Jang mi kwan plays this role so well (And he is very good looking i have to say but still keeps his role hateable and villainous which is really impressive to me) the acting is top notch. I was really disappointed to find he’s only been in 4 dramas, and had barely noticeable roles in the other 3, i hope he gets a main or supporting role soon!! Anyway his role was really good and i seriously think he is such a good actor. So that’s the end of my paragraph about him.

I also wanted to note the brother and his now love interest are so bloody annoying and seriously need to start ceasing to exist. That’s all.

Also- Mr gong? My man needs to get himself a partner- i feel bad for him third wheeling all the time.

The feces wine thing had me rolling on the floor for hours, i was actually dying.
And the grandma- she’s a baddie icl.

All in all- great drama- you should watch. Ik people on here can be quite critical, but ignore them and just watch it. It’s super good !

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A wonderful feel-good romp

I had no idea what to expect going into this one and I was delightfully surprised. This is feel-good romantic comedy—with a little mystery, suspense, and action thrown in--and I absolutely loved it. Petite, doe-eyed Park Bo Young was perfect for the role of Do Bong Soon. Her diminutive stature and schoolgirl innocence fit the part perfectly and she was a delight to watch. Her chemistry with Park Hyung Shik as Min Hyuk was terrific, and they looked wonderful together. Kim Ji Soo was also good as the brooding cop who discovers too late that he let the love of his life slip away.

The rest of the cast is also good. I can only imagine how wild it must have been filming some of this stuff. How anyone kept a straight face is beyond me. Kim Won Tae goes completely over the top in the dual roles of gangster Kim Kwang Bok and the swishy Oh Dol Pyu. It is hilarious in places and cringeworthy in others, but he held absolutely nothing back. Jang Mi Kwan was super creepy as the villain Kim Jang Hyuk. All in all, it was a wonderful ensemble they assembled for this production.

A couple of special shout outs: First, to the team that created the subtitles. I watched this show on Viki and the translation to English was wonderful, often explaining the double meanings, alliteration, word play, and cultural references in the Korean dialog. Outstanding! Second, I don’t normally pay much attention to the OST, but I immediately recognized the voice of Jeong Eun Ji singing the “Secret Garden” love theme. What an amazing talent.

So what kept me from rating this one a “10”? Some of the other reviews have complained a bit about the jarring contrast between the mostly happy, cartoonish theme, the bumbling gangsters, and the violence and gore related to the dark, sinister bad guy. I have to agree with that. If there were a machine to create the perfect drama, I would use it to tweak the settings on this one. I would dial back the violence and darkness a bit, dial back the cutesy on romantic lead Min Hyuk just a little and the shreeking campiness of the queen Dol Pyu a little more. I would also dial back the Keystone cops effect on the bumbling mobsters just a little bit, add a dash more of grandma, and a little less of Bong Soon’s mom beating up on her dad. However, these are all mostly quibbles. Don’t let any of it stop you from watching this wonderful show.

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