A Fada do Levantamento de Peso, Kim Bok Joo (2016)

Updated Review 2022:

Over the last few years, I've begun to re-watch some of my favorite dramas, the ones I've loved and cherished since I first watched them, and each time, I'm anxiously hoping they'll still live up to those feelings. So far, I've been very lucky. I've remembered why I loved a drama so much and my love for it has been renewed. I've even re-watched a couple dramas that I didn't like/didn't get the first time and discovered that the problem had actually been me all along. I finished my most recent re-watch, Weightlifting Fairy, this past week, a drama I utterly adored the first time I watched it, and I'm happy to say that the streak of good drama re-watches has not been broken.

First off, I have a newfound appreciation for everything that goes on outside of the romance. I was once one of those drama lovers who (mostly) only cared about romance, and while I didn't have anything I disliked about Weightlifting Fairy the first time I watched it, I definitely didn't give the other plotlines the attention they deserved. But now that I'm more seasoned and have developed an appreciation for stories that aren't solely about love, I found each separate plotline equally engaging to watch. There are no lulls or plot holes or draggy story points. From getting a glimpse into the weightlifting world to the heartbreaking struggles of the second female lead, there isn't a single plotline that ever feels wasteful or like a detour from the purpose of the drama. They all tie together and complement each other to provide meaningful contributions to the overarching messages of the drama. And I can't forget to talk about the characters, all of whom I love. Each and every one of them is charming and fun, Bok Joo and Joon Hyeong and their group of friend's chief among them.

But I think the thing I love most about this drama is the way it makes me feel. It's uplifting and hopeful and deeply earnest. There are heartbreaks and struggles to go around but threaded throughout is a sense of optimism and possibility, a belief in tomorrow. The story tells us this is hard, but the characters can overcome it. You can overcome it too. And I like stories that make me feel that way.

In closing, I'll leave you with this. There's a certain feeling I want to get from a drama once the story is over and there are no more episodes left to watch, a feeling that kind of takes over your body, your being, and for a moment, you and that feeling are the same. I don't know what you would call this feeling or how to describe it. Maybe peacefulness or satisfaction or a sense of completion but tinged with sadness that it's over. All I know is this drama left me feeling this feeling both times I watched it.

Weightlifting Fairy is a story filled with sweet moments and lovely characters and a genuine sense of earnestness, and I love it for it.

Original Review:
There's a certain feeling I want to get from a drama once the story is over and there are no more episodes left to watch, a feeling that kind of takes over your body, your being, and for a moment, you and that feeling are the same. I don't know what you would call this feeling or how to describe it. Maybe peacefulness or satisfaction or a sense of completion but tinged with sadness that it's all over. All I know is this drama left me feeling this feeling, and I don't get to say that often.

There are no lulls or plot holes or draggy story points. Only sweet moments and lovely characters and a sense of earnestness. And honestly, that's really all you need.

I'm sad that this drama is over, and I'll probably need a few days to recover.

Leia Mais

Gyahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!! Gyahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
I don't know what to say! But i am gonna miss this drama! So much!! When i watched this, i feel happy, it seems that life is full of hope and dreams, i feel that the world is such a happy place. I cannot stop smiling and feeling so much love from this drama.

Kim Bok Joo and Joon Hyung is the first couple that i ship so much and i mean it. Their r/s is the strongest one. They don't have bullshit going on and can resolve their problems together. They are the cutest, sweetest couple i have ever seen. Period.

Weightlifting kim bok joo, not only that it has different plot than other k-dramas, but all the characters here are well written and well liked. They have growth in this dramas, i don't hate anyone here and i don't feel annoyed at all watching this coz i understand each different characters in this drama well.

The story is simple yet very engaging, it revolves around their teachers, their friends, their family's problems, their dreams, their passion, their studies, their struggles, believe me, you won't be bored watching this. It is a proof that a well written drama does not need an A-List and super famous actors to make people love it. A well written drama will outshine in the long run when people start to realize and watch it from ep 1.

Yang Hee-Seung writer nim, i adore you, i will definitely watch your next drama.


Highly recommended.

Leia Mais

Watchable, but has some serious flaws.

The drama is good and I think I will complete it, rn on ep 10. But there are a no. of things that are annoying about Bok-Joo's character, I mean her behaviour doesn't reflect that of a student who's gonna be senior next year which would have been understandable if she was a moody high schooler but she isn't. First of which is the paying the expensive hospital fees just to visit a crush, like wth. She or her character is supposed to be responsible person who has a sick dad and haven't bought a new delivery bike in a decade. But no, one smile is enough for her to invest 600k won just for seeing him. Next is the constant lying, it's understandable to hide certain things till you've become closer with the other person but the lying? If the doctor had really fallen for her, he would have been felt so freaking betrayed, it's things like these that make it seem like only girls have feelings and guys have a emotional/pain tolerance of that of a monk, which is not true. Third and final, upto ep 10, she didn't even visit the sponsors, I mean I understand she's heartbroken but it's not like the coach is dying or will never visit her again. She already knows how much of a dire situation her club is in but still. What makes me angry is that everyone has to be understanding of others but she doesn't need to. At this point, even being a bitch, Si Ho is way worse off than Bok Joo, with her parents divorce, her sister going astray, her health, her lack of improvement in performance and of course her financial condition to the point of being homeless.

Then of course, one more thing was her punishment when she was beaten with a stick on being found out about the clinic and also almost by her dad, I mean I know asian parents "discipline" children, myself being asian. But teachers don't and mustn't especially with a stick that might just break some bones, no matter the fault. And also Dads don't beat daughters, only moms can. At that point honestly I was really angry.

Leia Mais

for a always-bored-girl like me whom wanted non complexed Kdrama for the the current time. i was like searching for the less serious drama ever and after few days of watching random first kdramas episodes I saw WEIGHTLIFTING KIM BOK JOO and as you see in the poster there're alot of smiley faces and clear sky and i said "hmmm yup i need some break from realistic and tragedy types.." and then I read the genres i was like good good good and WHAT!! "SPORTS" no thank you !! but i suddenly clicked to watch some scenes in the first episodes and i kept in mind that I WOULDN'T WATCH IT ....*but I was desperately captured by it*

STORY :if you looking for a cute,optimistic yet heartwarming drama then CONGRATULATION BABE you've just found your one. this drama is about the life of the talented weightlifter kim bok joo,the drama shows real life families , friendships and love. the plot is not new in kdrama world ,it shows that even a weightlifter can fall in love. the first episodes i was really kinda uninterested because it was pretty normal but sense of humor was like forcing me to watch every min. of it, later on when all the characters showed their real problems and dreams ,i wasn't really able to stop watching it, so you won't regret watching it. the drama will never make you bored and will not make you sad and chocked with tears it will only fill you up with a cozy feeling because you know that everything will be okay in the end and there are many scenes that will actually shock you by the acting skills of the acting cast ,it may have a simple plot but masterpiece scenes even when the actors are not speaking in it , you'll feel everything, BUT don't get me wrong the drama is really well written and in every ep. there's a new development. I really didn't waste a min. watching it.

ACTING :okay i know, i know, every freaking one will say a model body can't be like a weightlifting one but trust me Lee Sung Kyung will make you believe everything just LIKE MAGIC !! and her chemistry with Nam Joo Hyuk is just WOW !! this drama shows all the single ladies here the real meaning in the word GOALS ! you will wish that you have JOON HYEONG (Nam Joo Hyuk) in your life in every scene he appears in *be prepared (*^*)* even when he act like a total dork , he'll be just a kind cutie in your eyes *trust me* the rest of the cast is pretty good too , i think even the character you would want to hate , you will soon understand him/her and can't actually hate him/her

REWATCH :HELL YEAH !! I will definitely watch it to give me a good mood and piece of mind

THIS DRAMA REALLY DESERVE MORE ATTENTION *^* !!

Leia Mais

As an aspiring sports psychologist, this is definitely a very interesting one for me to watch! I love how there are elements of sports psychology within each episode, which is good as it gives this new field some spotlight. Also, it is the perfect time to come up as I can claim this as 'revision' as my exams are coming up!

Academics aside, this drama is upbeat, cheerful, hilarious with the necessary tear-jerking bits that is essential in a good k-drama. Another reason why this drama is so good is because it looks at the different dimensions of love: self-love, young love, family love and unrequited love.

As you go through each episode, it sends out a sometimes subtle, sometimes clear message of being able to accept oneself before being able to accept others. Also, that there are certain times when the things that have been said/done cannot be taken back. Despite its quite cheery surface, it tackles a lot of life lessons, which is a good thing as you'd want to watch a drama learning something about life.

I'd recommend this to anyone, especially those who are interested in sports and the psychology of it (and the athletes) and also those who are just a sucker for love, whatever kind that is. It also has really funny moments and I'd bet it'll make all the tears worth it.

This drama, swag.

Leia Mais

Cute Like Strong Woman

I watched this right after Strong Woman Do Bong Soon because I saw they were similarly related and I'm really glad I did. I was hesitant at first because I felt like nothing so similar could be as good but I really enjoyed this. This was my first time watching a drama with both Nam Joo Hyuk and Lee Sung Kyung but I loved the story and thought their chemistry was amazing.

I also really adored her friends and their whole dynamic. Same for him and his friend. I like how the friend slowly started to really like her friends as well.

Also, who doesn't love a good Lee Jong Suk cameo!?

Leia Mais

Where do I even start? This drama captured my heart from the first episode. Everything about is so amazing. The story, although decently simple, managed to take you through the ups and downs that so many young adults face. With one sided crushes to and young love, this drama did it all. I love the fact that Kim Bok Joo was not the average pretty girl. Her character development went much further. How she dealt with weight issues and feeling insecure really gave off a relatable vibe and I loved it. Joonhyung was also a very interesting character. I loved seeing how we learned more and more about his insecurities as the show went on at a slow pace. The struggle from him was very hidden and bottled up and seeing it exposed was an interesting insight to how he truly felt inside. The sports concept also played a role in this drama and it caused a lot of stress for many characters. I loved seeing how weightlifting affected Bok Joo and the struggles she had to juggle in order to get where she was.

As for the acting, it was absolutely phenomenal. Some of the best I've seen. I think I read somewhere that it was the first time for both of the main roles involved to be the main characters of a show, which makes me sad given its low ratings, but with that said, they did great jobs at capturing the raw emotions needed fore the roles. Not only were they amazing, but I also positively adored the the side characters as well. And as excepted, they also acted very nicely.

As for the music, I never really noticed anything worth remembering, but it certainly wasn't unenjoyable by any means. It just didn't stand out which is why I scored it a bit lower on my rating.

The rewatch value of this drama is out of the rooftops. Right after I finished it I debated for a good ten minutes on whether I should rematch it or not. Of course I decided against back then, given the time, but with that said, I'd love to watch it sometime in the near future. Even though there aren't as many jumps and curves, it still manages to keep me interested.

Overall, I give this drama a 10/10. I did this mainly because of the reasons above. Anyway, please give this drama a chance and don't give up on it. I promise it won't go to waste

Leia Mais

Surface Thoughts:
This drama blew me away with its quirky and light hearted feel. This is an overall feel good drama that anyone can enjoy watching.

Cast:
The chemistry between Joo Hyuk and Sung Kyung really worked, with a great story along side the acting. Cast was flawless to say the least.

Story:
Critically speaking the story wasn't too complex that it would confuse fans (complaints I've seen on other dramas), yet it's not too simple. You gradually get to figure out more about these characters as the drama progresses, giving the plot more backbone to rebound itself on. I also love how they implemented such an idea that strays away from the norm. Sung Kyung as beautiful as she is, played a difficult role that strays away from "Korean beauty", something that most Korean dramas are not willing to do (not saying theirs anything wrong with that, just that it was a very ambitious idea that payed off ). It all worked out and came together for a great ending in my opinion.

Overall:
Overall Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo is a banger of a show! Something to consider watching if you haven't already, or something to re-watch in the future if you have.

Note: This is my first drama review hope you enjoy. : )

Leia Mais