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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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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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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The series allowed the female lead to be amazing. She grew & developed through the series.
The series had a very respectful, kind & considerate male lead. Finally! He was cute & funny too.
The series was funny. The jokes were very over the top but that was the tone of the series. Yes there was a baddy in it who was psychopathic but the tone never veered too faraway from the silly.
I didn’t take any of too seriously & thoroughly enjoyed this series.
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Great Feel Good Show
I absolutely love this show! Its got action, romance, crime, justice, and a strong female lead! I'm kind of surprised that there have been some bad reviews but to each their own, I love this show! I love the dynamics of the main characters and the supporting characters! This is a really good show for when you're wanting to smile and just sit back and enjoy. I love the music as it really pairs well with what is happening in the shows! I hope that those who watch this come come to love it as much as I have!Was this review helpful to you?
1. Bong Soon continuesly beats people up in the show resulting in hospitalizing them for a very long time. I get that it's supposed to be a show and 'funny' but no. The show tries to ridicule violence and to justify it. Not okay.
2. Her mother has the upper hand in the family and beats up her dad all the time when he doesn't agree. Does that seem like a healthy relationship? No, but sorry. I couldn't even smile at these scenes. It's supposed to be funny because the 'weak' mother -- a woman -- beats up her husband, ohohoho... Not hilarious.
Apart from that it is a good show, I guess but nothing TOO special even if they were somehow trying to make it into something big I feel.
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Fabulous!
This drama is so awesome I finished rewatching it and that is something I hardly do.I think there not so many dramas that are great so I have to rewatch some jewels like this show.
PLOT - very nice and funny. I think the thriller part is not a necessity, not the minor nonsense scenes like a bomb turned into fireworks, the gangs, the way her mother is, etc. The romance is nice despite the ML turned too much into a silly in love guy.
I hate love triangles but I think that must be a women's thing since I can't recall immediately a love triangle with 2 women and a man... I think that a good drama doesn't need all the same clichés. But this love triangle is soft...
ACTING - awesome acting by most of the actors!
OST - I liked the music of the fighting scenes but I would not listen to none of them by choice
REWATCH - I did it! 100% YES
ROMANCE - I like it but it has many silly parts, specially the ML. I think that he is awesome, a successful business man, and that part is not shown, only in first episode...
ENDING - the bad guy is not bad but I didn't care for that story. I like it, lots of funny moments and a good way of wrapping most of the stories. Even the twins could be interesting in other série...
OVERALL - love it. Even with some flaws. The romance is nice, despite the annoyance of the love triangles... I know the formula seems to work to most of the viewers but never for me.
If you like romance, comedy, a female with strong and independence thoughts I think you should watch this!!!
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One of the best dramas out everr
I watched this drama almost 2 or 3 yrs ago and it all started w this drama! This was so amazing and very very addicting seeing as how i finished it in a day or so. I might be biased bc this was my first kdrama but it was LITERALLY SO GOOD i didn't expected it to be that fun to watch. Everything abt this was perfect down to the acting, osts (amazing osts btw i know all the lyrics to this day and they are one of bests in any kdrama ive watched) chemistry, plot EVERYTHING. Everytime i watch clips of this drama it bring back so many nostalgic memories and reminds me why its at my top 1 for a reason!! I highly highly recommend it to everyone looking for a slowburn cliche cute romcom w plot, amazing actors and great chemistry! (Great osts too) i recommended it to a friend who never watched kdramas and to this day after many dramas its still at her top. It's a very memorable one def. I can see why ppl dont like it as much but imo i loved it. Also bc of this i fell in love w park boyoung and park hyungsik.(Min min and bong bong forever lmao iykyk)
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Loved this one!
Loved the (literally) strong female lead and her character growth throughout the show and how the men had to adapt to fit into her life. In the end, she is doing what she wants to do, having achieved her goal with the launch of the video game.I loved the mom and grandmother characters as well. Also strong women, even though her mother lost her powers, she was still a strong personality and leader in her community. I enjoyed a series where the "strong men" - the bullies and gangsters, were put in their place by tiny Do Bong Soon. And the traditional male roles of police officer, also benefited from Do Bong Soon's strength.
I didn't like that she had to be the unsung hero in the end after she helped catch the kidnapping criminal. It wouldn't have been possible without her assistance. However, it was at her request in order to keep her anonymity so she could do her good deeds.
I did enjoy the romance between Bong Soon and her Min Min. Although I didn't like the way he had her work in his office at what was like a little girl's dollhouse desk. I know that her character thought it was cute and liked it. So I suppose that was what mattered.
The ending was sweet and adorable when Min-Hyuk was left to care for his twin daughters while Bong Soon was "working". I loved the reversal of traditional husband/wife roles.
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Do Bong Soon and Ahn Min-hyuk are the key. Coming from opposite backgrounds, they share a childlike exuberance towards life, a love of video games, and underneath it all a strong sense of vengeful justice. Both know what it's like to feel like 'an outsider looking in,' and they hate the strong bullying the weak.
Ahn Min-hyuk immediately, and endearingly thinks Do Bong Soon's super-strength is an amazing quality. Better still, his admiration for her strength doesn't lessen his concerns for her well-being. It is this rare quality in the male lead that really stuck with me.
The music and sound-effects all have a comic book/video game feel that suits the show, and some of the scenes are so iconic or so startlingly unique that they will live in my head forever.
Themes: 8.0
Inner strength and a life worth living comes from being sure of your strengths and values. Pick a romantic partner who respects and values your strengths and does not try to supress or diminish them.
Complex Characters/Character Growth: 7.5
Do Bong Soon is on a journey to becoming comfortable with who she is. She doesn't so much change but settle into her skin. Ahn Min-hyuk develops different facets (childishness, ruthlessness, admiration) but not sure if he has much growth per se
Relationships Between Women: 5.0
Strong Girl Bong Soon does have friends etc. but all the other main characters are men.
Cinematography/Production values: 8.0
Thought was put into the comic book/video game feel to the show with the pops of color, noises and special effects.
NOTE: There was one gender nonconforming/LGBTQ character that was played very campily for laughs. I couldn't tell whether it was cultural differences or a disrespectful portrayal. Overall, the jokes are based on dated patriarchal ideas, and I could see the 'flip' of gender dynamics jokes not aging particularly well.
In addition, the creepy male serial killer attacking women who fit the patriarchal ideal and then being brought down by a strong woman - is a nice theme but it belonged in a different show. Worse of all, all the emphasis and fascination with this storyline overwhelmingly and unnecessarily centered male violence and took away from the point of the show.
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