Strong Girl Namsoon

I just wish it was better

as soon as this was announced I was so hyped and excited because SWDBS is one of my absolute favorite kdramas of all time . I can’t believe this is written by the same person who made SWDBS .
the writing here is so so bad , first 3 episodes were promising , well start - also with park bo young and park hyung sik appearance that literally made my entire year better . but then the storyline became so weak and messy .
too many side stories with so many screen time???? tell me tf why the grandma and her bf had more romance and screen time then our main couple??????
and the mother made me so mad sometimes I couldn’t stand her behavior , the way she treated her son was too much . she only talked and cared about namsoon , she definitely has favorite child and thats so messed up .
the only thing I liked since the beginning was main leads romance that we didn’t even get much of .
I wish main lead - hee shik had more back story and storyline other than just been there as the hot cop bf of namsoon .
in SWDBS the romance also wasn’t the main focus but it’s was done so beautifully in the drama , and the powers of bong soon , and her personality and her actions and just bong soon in general was a good character . the mystery in SWDBS was so much more interesting than the drugs shit in here .
i couldn’t care less about the drugs 😭😭😭

now for rye shi oh - woo seok did amazing here .
rye shi oh he had an interesting backstory and mostly because of that people liked him more . I really think is the most interesting character here and that’s sad that he had to get that ending but that’s also what he deserved as the villain .
for the people who shipped nam soon and him - that’s a big no . namsoon might felt a little bit sad sometimes for him but for most part she hated him , he tried to kill her mother 😭and also her at the end . so definitely not romantic relationship there for me . but the actors do look good together on screen.
but that’s just my personal opinion

it could have been so much better .. the romance between hee shik and namsoon - I wished we had more . our main lead hee shik - more screen time and story for himmm because he’s literally the main lead .
namsoon - firstly why cut her hair ??😭 , I wished she didn’t act most of the time like a child .
THE GRANDMA DIDNT NEED THAT MUCH SCREENTIME WITH HER BF I JUST HATED THIS IM SORRY . IT WASNT INTERESTING OR CUTE .
the mother was just annoying but the actress is fire
nam in was the cutest brother loved him and the father was a good one .
and the drugs storyline was not done properly , it was boring , not interesting or moving at all .

there’s people who might enjoy it more than I did , maybe if it was one of the first kdramas you watch or something it might be fun but just very very disappointing for me as someone who waited a lot for this and had high expectations . might be the biggest disappointment for me in 2023

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Jack of all trades, master of none.

While it occasionally deals a lot of fun with a large and stellar cast, Strong Girl Nam Soon suffers from trying a bit too hard to be many things: romantic-comedy, thriller/action, social commentary, and superhero fiction. It’s all of these things but also not really.

The thing is, one can see the story the show wants to tell: Strong Girl Nam Soon is about three generations of powerful women, each with an arc of their own. The grandmother, Gil Joong-gan (played by legend Kim Hae-sook) finds love, K-Drama-esque style, subverting the idea that cutesy rom-coms are only for the young. The mother, Hwang Geum-ju (played by the beautiful Kim Jung-eun) is a self-made woman who climbed to the top without getting her hands dirty, and now uses her wealth and power to save the country from drugs. The daughter, the titular Gang Nam-soon (played by the effervescent Lee Yoo-mi) is a combination of both: the hero and the lover, who wants to be the light in the dark for the people, and also to marry a Korean man. The premise is interesting! And it could have been powerful had it been executed well: a message that women, of all types and ages, can do anything.

The main storyline seems to drive towards Geum-ju and Nam-soon reuniting, and then taking down a mafia-backed company responsible for selling deadly drugs across South Korea. Helping them in this quest is the handsome cop Kang Hee-sik (played by the versatile Ong Seong-woo), who develops a bond with Nam-soon.

And it’s fine at first. But then the show kept adding subplots and elements: the homecoming of Joon-gil’s estranged husband to break her engagement bliss, the conflict between Nam-soon’s formerly homeless friends, and everything about the chronically fatigued uncle, to name some. And the way these subplots are placed in the episodes, it feels like they hinder the main story more than help it, so there are times when there’s a lot happening but nothing seems to be moving forward. You just have to deal with the shifts from action to fluffy romance to comedy. To use a line from an episode, Strong Girl Nam Soon, much like Nam-soon’s family’s conversations, ‘tend[s] to bounce around topics without warning’. This abrupt bouncing around actually lessens the impact of moments that are supposedly emotional or romantic, because before the audience can sit with the feelings and immerse in the mood projected by a particular scene, it cuts to a completely different scene with a different mood.

One redeeming quality of this drama is its villain, Doogo CEO and mobster Ryu Si-o. But when the villain is stealing the show, you know there’s something being done wrong. And it’s not just because Ryu Si-o is played by the ridiculously handsome Byeon Woo-seok, who has the acting chops AND carries himself so well any scene where he walks looks like a fashion runway. It’s because the writers made Ryu Si-o a complex character, instead of a straightforward villain who is evil for evil's sake. He was given a backstory: an orphan who grew up literally fighting for his life. His motives are revealed: he wants to be his own man, to be Ryu Si-o and not Pavel’s Anton. And he’s not just a cold, dangerous guy either. He’s open to love, and easily trusts people he likes. Some of the best, most emotional beats in the show actually come from him: a personal favorite is his confrontation with his childhood friend Binbin, telling him “I was abandoned three times. Once by my birth parents. Once by the woman I had trusted. And once more by the only friend I’ve missed. I wish to go out only having been betrayed twice.” This particular moment shows Si-o at his most vulnerable, the human behind the villain, and there is so much potential for his character that the writers are apparently aware of (judging from Nam-soon and Hee-sik’s commentary in the final episode) and chose to ignore because well, the story needs its villain.

And it’s true for this drama. Ryu Si-o is also a compelling character because he’s quite literally the only one dangerous enough for Hwang Geum-ju to see him as a real threat and challenge. Geum-ju, who can basically accomplish anything with her insane wealth and power. But even with Si-o’s best attempts, the whole investigation seems to fall almost perfectly into place for Geum-ju’s team, because they’re the epitome of good, and good always wins. Which is nice, except it seemed too easy and predictable. After Si-o’s death (which was 20 minutes into the final episode), everything was wrapped up pretty quickly, which left me wondering what other interesting things does the story have left to offer?

The romance between Nam-soon and Hee-sik is cute, but it’s really not anything to talk about because it wasn’t the center of the story (I’m not even going to talk about the chemistry between Nam-soon and Si-o, because I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop. But yes, I saw the vision but it was also a delusion).

As for the Strong Woman/Strong Girl lore, I think they shouldn’t have tried to expand on it only to force a romance at Nam-soon’s age or for a character to be overpowered. There are things that are much more interesting when they remain mysterious.

The women get their happy endings, which they deserve, but it doesn’t feel as satisfactory as I would have liked because again, it was expected and not really that hard-won.

Since Strong Girl Nam-soon is a spin-off, one cannot help but make a quick comparison to the show's predecessor, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon is a quirky rom-com. It has its subplots and twists, but essentially, it's clear that it's a love story. In the series, Do Bong-soon and Ahn Min-hyuk develop a strong connection to each other, and along the way, they also grow individually as characters. It's memorable because of them.

For Strong Girl Nam Soon, it’s just a lot at once, and there’s no balance to the plotlines and emotions it offers. It does send home its message that women are awesome and can accomplish anything, but it loses impact because of messy writing choices and poor execution.

Also, they’re already losing me in the teaser for Season 3, because what do you mean a man now has the super-strength ability that should have been passed down the matrilineal line? Strong Woman/Strong Girl worked because they shattered the stereotype that women are weaker than men, so what will Season 3 try to prove?

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I've seen worse dramas, but not many.

I suppose the best thing I can say about this drama is that I enjoyed the first 4? episodes, up until FL met her mom. Even before that point it was super super silly, but -to me- entertaining. It is thanks to that and my handy fastforward button that I managed to finish this. From then on it becomes a complete mess, where the writer has not even attempted to respect her audience and the things I wanted to watch were dialed down to the absolute minimum as well. (comedy, romance) Naturally as a comic book style thriller of some kind it's still garbage.
So yeah it's trash, just do yourself a favor & skip it.
I guess I should try to be more descriptive, but believe me it's not easy in this case. Okay here goes nothing! Imagine a 50 hour long family drama about a Chaebol family that has supernatural elements and a lot of vigilante justice involving 3-4 couples and a lost daughter. Now take away the BEST 35 hours & what's left would probably still be better than Strong Woman Kang Nam Soon.

Comparing it to the so called prequel, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon is pointless, because fun cameo notwithstanding they have nothing in common at all. (It makes one speculate about some things about the writing process and interns. I apologize for the dumb tinfoil hat moment..)

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It could've been done better, but they chose not to.

Started this drama because of SWDBS, which is one of my favourites of all time. However, this drama fell terribly short compared to SWDBS. At first, I thought it was unique because we started good with the story— how the villain was smarter and the whole premise of hunting down the root of this whole drug chain. I have to admit, the story here was more interesting than SWDBS because it has more depth. However, why did they chose to give us crap the whole duration of the drama?

First, the female lead. I get how she was clueless when she arrived for the first time in South Korea. But she didn't change at all. She was immature and child like all along, her character didn't develop one bit.

Second, the romance. It gets me frustrated how we got to see A LOT MORE cute fluffy scenes between the FL and the villain but almost none was given between her and the ML. Why are we shipping the villain with the FL more than the ML? Besides, there is no chemistry at all between the FL and ML. It's like we were forced to think the two love each other even though we were not given much scenes to feed that fantasy. And it's annoying how the FL just went around flirting with the villain then going back to the ML like she loves him all her life.

Third, the villain being the most pitiful yet given the worst treatment and ending ever. I believe his past was enough to give justice for his actions, but how come they had to use the FL to make another heartbreak for him? Are we supposed to hate or empathize? There's so much going on with him, almost making him the main character rather than the other main leads.

Fourth, Namsoon's neglectful mother. She'd rather save the world than give a f*k about her children. She's been thought as a mother who cares about her children, but in reality, she was really neglectful of them— she doesn't even know what's going on with her son and to think she's so willing to give Namsoon a difficult job that could endanger her life, like she could easily die even with that immense strength. I liked the father more. He was more parent material to his children.

Fifth, the unnecessary love line between Namsoon's grandmother and a barista. I swear, they got more lovey-dovey screen time than the main couple. I know it was for comedic purposes, but who the hell cares we don't need them and they were so cringey all the way.

I'm really mad I have to force finish this drama in hopes of watching a better ending or development, but to my dismay. I should've dropped this earlier. Giving this a 5 for the supposed to be good storyline plus good start. But everything fell off so this also fells off as the worst kdrama I watched this 2023.

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Thank God it has ended

I was looking forward to this show cuz the original series was one of my favorites. Unfortunately, the plot and script were poorly developed and executed.

The only watchable thing here is the villain. Si Oh was the only reason I kept on watching till the end. I didn’t mean to fall for him, and I tried not to feel bad for him, but I couldn’t help it and tbh I don't care because Si Oh is the only character worth watching in this drama. I liked his chemistry with Namsoon. And no, I wasn't hoping for them to end up together. I didn't expect her to be his friend either. I just liked the way he smiled only when he was with her :') I felt almost no chemistry between Namsoon and the cop. But whenever the villain and Namsoon came close, I blushed. Ik many people liked the cop and Namsoon chemistry, but not for me.

So, to summarize:

1. The mother seemed more like a FL than the actual FL herself. She had much more screen time than Namsoon and so many unnecessary scenes. (her outfits were nice tho :)

2. The grandma and his boyfriend. Instead of wasting time showing us their relationship, the writers would have focused more on the main couple.🙄

3. The main couple is so underdeveloped that it seems odd that they like each other, and with so many things going on, they didn't have enough screen time for good development.

4. The homeless couple. From the start till the end, I just didn't understand their purpose in the drama.

5. The police taking all the credit as if they could've done anything without Nam soon. 🤨

6. Ryu Si Oh is a perfectly written villain with so much depth in his backstory. He had so much more to give. Not at all excusing his actions as a character, but the writers could've done so much better. And considering his heartbreaking past, I think he deserved a second chance and wish he had a better ending. . ("I was betrayed by the only woman I trusted" that line broke me. 💔)

This drama could've had great potential, but anyway. I just hope there's no 3rd season. This season has destroyed the drama enough for it to just end right here.

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Hmmm.....nevermind, just read the following!

I want to start off with positive points, yeah it does have few positive things that I wanna mention, lol.
1) first season couple's cameo, loved that scene.
2) I really liked how FL's mom was super rich, strong, pretty and smart all in one..cuz in most of the dramas it's other way round. She was the highlight of this show and all her scenes were super entertaining, I never skipped her scenes. Her acting was pretty good.
3) ML - he is cute, considerate, kind and everything. Acting was good.
4) actors acting was good, those 3 stars are for their acting.

Now negative points. There are many but I will mention only few that made be give only 3 stars.
1) FL- I guess her character was supposed to be cute and innocent cuz of the way she was brought up in mangolia but I found her very annoying. It wasn't cute in anyway her constant smiling for no reason and making faces trying to be cute was very irritating. (Am talking about character not actress)

2) villain is handsome and looked dangerous in the beginning but he was actually very stupid, mentally and emotionally weak not to mention how it ended with him committing suicide. I feel pity for him but for God sake hez a villain and took many innocent lives, distributed drugs etc. here I don't really understand what writer was trying to do cuz his pitiful story and everything made many people actually hate FL for betraying him, leaving them in confusion on whether he really deserved to die or not, and suicide? Really? Left everyone with bitter taste by the end, maybe that's what writers were trying to do but it made villain's character steal the focus from main leads and I didn't really bother about leads cuz villain's character had more depth than leads only cuz of his past lol cuz he isn't that smart there are many points where you feel hez soo dumb, he was played with for more than half of the story. anyways it's really silly how writers tried to make us LOVE AND HATE him at the same time but what really happened was that it made us get annoyed with FL even more for God sake show's title is on FL but her character itself is very annoying. and she did betray him no matter what the 'reason' was everything eventually led him to commit suicide. At least they should have shown him getting arrested or something. There's no going back as his life is anyways ruined cuz of all the wrong decisions he made but committing suicide brought even more sympathy to his character. Like why?

3) story - Gosh!! Didn't like the whole drug shit at all. There was no solid story. Even though its on a sensitive topic (drugs) but story wasn't good at all. I didn't enjoy it.

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Not a very good sequel,/spin off nope not very good at all...

This is pretty much what you get if you take the Adams family, give them superpowers add a bunch of odd stereotypes, put them in mission impossible goes honest and becomes a cop show honestly any cop show will do put them all in a blend/word mix app and ta da you got this show.

The most interesting character in the whole show is the villain who is not only fine but is the only one with a story... Dude is as evil as evil gets but he has his reansons and if only he were the male lead, maybe just maybe Nam Soon could have turend the bad boy good... or we could make a copleatly different story just for him maybe have him date the mom in reverse K2 type deal or maybe just give him a different lead to fall in love with all together... Anything would probably have done and uped the score from this otherwise pretty boring mess...

That said there are some moment of interest and intense stuff some of the friendships here are nice and the mom and grandma have their moments. The. grandmas guy and the cop male lead have thier moments of sweet but to be honest t he cameos 3 seconds of Bong Soon probably stand for one of the stars in this rating.

So if you loved the first season for it's chemistry and fluff, You are bound to get disappointed as it is just not there...

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It's really not THAT bad, y'all...

I have seen dramas that were waaay worse.

I'm not going to say this is without flaws - they could have removed some of the storylines (like the uncle and secretary, etc.) and could have given the lead couple more scenes together, but I still think the good outweighs the bad here. I really cannot understand all the negative reviews. It's not the best drama, but certainly doesn't deserve a 1 rating.

From what I can see, the biggest downfall of this drama is making the antagonist, Ryo Shi-O, too alluring - he's like that hot bad boy next door that all the girls want to tame. Add a sad backstory, and we're hooked. As viewers, we are completely invested in his arc (because he's really the only character that gave us a glimpse into his past) and despite him doing all the wrong things, we can't help but feel sorry and root for him.

I'll be honest and say that I never once rooted for him (though I did feel really sorry for him) because his character never felt any remorse for his actions. He literally plotted and killed SO many people and smiled about it. Yes, he was great to look at, but when you truly see his character (NOT the actor), he was still an evil guy. Remember, he even tried to kill Nam Soon, the girl he supposedly loved - yes, she betrayed him, but besides revenge, would killing her really have solved anything? It sounds to me that many people are rating this drama poorly because they wanted some kind of switcheroo and have him be the ML. I blame it on the fact that Byeon Woo Seok was just too charismatic for this role.

Like many others, I too was excited to start this drama because of Byun Woo Seok (especially after watching 20th Century Girl) but I stayed for the laughs and the silliness that you need sometimes in a drama. Yeah, there are parts of the story that were over-the-top, but isn't that what makes it fun? There are people saying this show is too "childish" but if that's the case, they can just go watch a melodrama - why watch a comedy and especially one where the predecessor has the same vibes and then complain about it? It's like watching Wonder Woman and complaining that she has super powers.

Overall, I still really enjoyed this drama despite its flaws. It's really fun, unique, light-hearted, and will give you a good laugh. Just don't expect completely fleshed-out characters and enjoy the ride - you definitely won't be bored.

Don't let the ratings and negative comments deter you! I would say to try watching at least the first 3 episodes and judge for yourself.

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Missed opportunity

When I first watched this drama, it looked really promising. Totally different from predecessor. I loved the funny and chemistry between all the main characters. I was enjoying the show for the first half of it and Ryu Si-Oh stole the scenes. I knew he was the villain and I was resigned with the fact that he won’t end up with Namsoon. Up until episode 10 I was hoping for at least a redemption story for him but the writers did his character dirty. After making us sympathize Ryu Si-Oh’s upbringing they just gave him the saddest death scene. I’m really disappointed in this series, I do hope the next one will be better and they have learned from their mistakes.

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Byeon Woo Seok's exceptional performance breathes life into a lackluster storyline

Strong Girl Namsoon falls short of its predecessor, "Strong Woman Do Bong Soon," leaving viewers with a sense of disappointment. The dubious comedy, lackluster romance, and weak storyline contribute to an overall underwhelming viewing experience. The characters, once vibrant and relatable, now come across as ridiculous caricatures.

However, amidst the mediocrity, Byeon Woo Seok shines as Ryu Shi Oh. His portrayal adds a redeeming quality to the drama, making it somewhat bearable. The character's poignant last words, "I was abandoned by the women I trusted," unveil a heartbreaking narrative of constant betrayal. Shi Oh's struggle with love and trust, where every connection turns into betrayal, captivates the audience.

Byeon Woo Seok's exceptional performance breathes life into a lackluster storyline. The character's development, dialogues, and backstory stand out, making him the saving grace of an otherwise forgettable series. While the overall drama fails to impress, Woo Seok's captivating portrayal of Ryu Shi Oh serves as a compelling reason to endure till the end.

In conclusion, it definitely not live up to its predecessor, but Byeon Woo Seok's remarkable performance as Ryu Shi Oh manages to salvage some enjoyment from an otherwise disappointing narrative. Despite the flaws, his character's emotional journey adds depth to the drama, making it somewhat worthwhile for those seeking a silver lining in the midst of a lackluster plot.

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Worst of Worst

I mean how can a writer be that dumb that he/she show the MC as side character .The most of the time and story revolve around the mom only.Hear are the some poins that i realy hate in this drama.
1) The Story is so basci that i can predict what will happen in next scean not only that i can predict others episodes also
2) The MC is good but because of writer worst writing i hate her.
3) Means in drama the mom is so rich that the batman is nothing compare to her and she also behave like batman she has a bike a blackdress just like batman means, the writer was writhing the show while watching the movie The Batman and he/she thins that i should aslo develop a charater that is aslo like batman but i will change the gender and will make worst of it .
4) The mc uses the power without hiding it,using every time and not using her brain for a second.
5)The mom loves the most her girl chid but okay okay with son child

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Major drop from OG

THIS time cop is male lead
i did not feel anything for second male lead in Strong woman do bong soon because he was IDIOT
Now I still don't feel anything for our COP because in this he is plain , there is no chemistry between leads at all, from OG where Park hyung shik admit to even fall in love with FL for real, this drama was so flat


Female lead is good with her acting skills and she is doing her best but story isn't doing anything to help her at all...
first time watching her and i am impressed by her acting
I was hoping for improving from wonderful DO BONG SOON but the degreaded wonderfully
Still 5/10 for cute FL

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