Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo is not just a mere romantic drama that focuses on the love story of two lovers. Furthermore, it includes some other aspects that make this drama one of the most loved dramas of all time, which are self-discovery, sports, the life of sportsmen, the inner struggle of the youth and many more. So, I will give you, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo full review, to have a better view experience on this drama. In this drama, we experience love, friendship, and family bond with the essence of comedy. This drama was released in 2016 and attracted the audience with its simple and refreshing themes. Here in this article, we are going to have a thorough discussion on the drama Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo.
Plot Summary: A Quick Look at the Storyline
Kim Bok Joo is a female weightlifter who is very talented and soon she is going to make it to the nationals. She lives with her father and uncle who runs a fried chicken shop. Along with her family, she is closest to two of her friends Lee Sun Ok and Jung Nan Hee. As the female weightlifters are not so attractive they never had a boyfriend. One day Bok Joo meets a kind man named Jung Jae Yi, whom she starts liking and hides her identity as a weightlifter.
On the other hand, Jung Joon Hyung who is the most attractive boy on Bok Joo’s campus, is a promising swimmer but he keeps being disqualified for his trauma. He lives with her aunt and uncle after his mother left him at a young age.
One day they meet on their campus and Joon Hyung remembers her face as a kindergarten friend, who once saved him from danger. Time passes and both of them find comfort with each other and fall in love with each other. Together they become each other’s strength. Meanwhile, the man whom Bok Joo had a crush on once comes out as the brother of Joon Hyung.
Character Analysis and Key Relationships
Let’s talk about the main and supporting characters of the drama who together make this drama a comfortable and refreshing one.
Kim Bok Joo: The Strong Yet Vulnerable Heroine
Kim Bok Joo is the protagonist of our drama, played by Lee Sung Kyung. She is talented, innocent and a kind girl but she is not confident about her looks. But she is stronger than any other girl around her. Throughout the whole drama, Bok Joo overcomes her insecurities with the help of her, she accepts herself for how she is. Kim Bok Joo is a character that is relatable to the audience as a girl who is strong yet vulnerable. She has a good sense of humor and she is so kind that makes her character loved by the fans.
Jung Joon-Hyung: The Playful and Supportive Lover
The role of Jung Joon Hyung is portrayed by Nam Joo Hyuk. Joon Hyung is our male lead in this drama. He is a talented swimmer but has a trauma for which he is hesitating to achieve his dream. He is a mischievous person who always pulls Bok Joo’s leg yet supports Bok Joo in all situations. He is the first one who confesses his love for Bok Joo and when he becomes her lover he gives his best to their relationship. Though he also has his personal issues he overcomes them with his willpower and the help of Bok Joo.
Supporting Characters: The Backbone of Bok-Joo’s World
The supporting characters like Bok Joo’s father, her uncle and her best friends are the backbone of Kim Bok Joo. Her father tries his best to support Bok Joo and her sports. Her uncle is like a friend to Bok Joo. Joon Hyung’s brother whom Bok Joo once liked, plays an important role in Bok Joo’s character development and he was also caring to her. There are other characters who push Bok Joo to bring out the best versions of her, especially her best friends Lee Sun Ok and Jung Nan Hee.
Themes of Resilience, Self-Love, and Pursuing Dreams
In this drama, we can find the theme of resilience as we see Bok Joo get over her insecurities about herself. Bok Joo is an athlete, moreover, she is a weightlifter so she is not so girly which is her biggest insecurity. She always runs for training and has no time to look after her. She also struggles between her career and her life. On the other hand, Joon Hyung also struggles emotionally, when his mother abandoned him he started living with her aunt but the fear of getting abandoned never leaves him. As a result, he can not focus on his career but at the end of the drama we see Joon Hyung also become able to overcome his issues.
Another theme we can see in this drama is self-love. As Bok Joo was struggling with her appearance and her work, she hid her identity from her crush. But later with the help of her boyfriend, her father, her friends and her well-wishers she accepts herself and starts loving herself.
Pursuing one’s dreams is one of the most important themes of the drama. Both the leads are athletes, one of them is a weightlifter and the other one is a swimmer. Both are talented and promising in their sports. But in the middle, both struggled with their sports forgetting their dream but ultimately they did not give up. Lastly, both of them make it to the nationals.
The OST and How It Complements the Story
The soundtracks hold a significant role in making a drama easily connected with the audience. In this drama the importance of OSTs is the same. In Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo has a total of 9 official OSTs. All these tracks capture the emotions of the drama perfectly. Each of them reflects different phases of Bok Joo’s journey whether it’s Bok Joo’s innocence or her love for Joon Hyung or her struggle. All in all these OSTs showcase the growth of Bok Joo.
Now let’s make a list of the OSTs of the drama Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo and then I will make it easy for you by giving one best of the bests, one most popular, one fan favorite and one masterpiece OST from this list.
OST shortlist:
- You and I by Kim Min Seung
- From Now On by Kim Min Seung
- Permeate by Lee Hae In
- I’ll Pick You Up by Standing Egg
- Dreaming by Han Hee Jung
- Somehow by Jamie of the Rush
- Again and Again by Lee Jin Ah’
- Is It Love by Ahn Hyeon Jeong
- Weightlifting Fairy by Various Artists (Instrumental)
Here are the official tracks of the drama Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo.
Best One:
The beat of the best from the list is for sure You And I by Kim Min Seung as this one reflects the pure and supportive relationship of Bok Joo and Joon Hyung. This song shows the warmth of love when you are with the right person who gives you comfort and who understands you. The voice of Kim Min Seung suited perfectly with the song and its lyrics.
Most Popular:
Dreaming by Han Hee Jung is the most popular OST of the drama Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo. This song is widely adored by the fans because of its dreamy tone which perfectly matches the theme of the youth’s aspiration and also suits the journey of Bok Joo. As Bok Joo faces the struggles of both life and career and later how she finds her own self is shown by this song.
Fan Favorite:
I’ll Pick You Up by Standing Egg is the most favorite song among the fans because of its sweet, acoustic melody. This song has a catchy and feel-good vibe just like the relationship of Bok Joo and Joon Hyung. Joon Hyung is the most supportive friend of Bok Joo who understands her even if she doesn’t speak about her problems. And when he became her lover from a friend he became even more supportive towards Bok Joo, that melts the hearts of the fans, and the melody perfectly goes with their love.
The Masterpiece:
Permeate by Lee Hae In is the absolute masterpiece among the beautiful OSTs of the drama. It stands out because it has a melancholic tone with deep emotional lyrics. As we previously got to know about Bok Joo’s life struggles and insecurities as a girl, we can feel it strongly through this song. Lee Hae In’s voice brought this melody to another level that makes it a soulful and a haunting melody itself that resonates with the emotional depth of the storyline.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joon is one of those dramas that placed itself as one of the best rom-coms of all time. This love story focuses more on self-love and admiration than just a typical love. This drama is more loved because of the relatable characters and their situation. The themes were well chosen and all the casts did a very good job of portraying the themes and the storylines.
This drama is an absolute worth to watch, no matter if you are just a beginner or you just love to watch romantic dramas, this drama is for you. Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo is also an inspiring one and it will surely help those people who need a push in forming their career. Overall, just don’t wait and think about your reasons to watch this loving drama, you can watch this drama even if you are just finding a drama for refreshment or entertainment. So watch now.