ZOMBIE’S DRAMA REVIEW: Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo Episodes 5-6

It’s very nearly killed me, having  to put my blogging life aside to make room for all of the insanity of my real life, this past month or so. Lucky for me, the majority of the crazy has subsided which means I finally have time to sit down and talk about all of the happening in these next two episodes of Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo. (And there was much rejoicing… At least from me…)

Can I just start out by saying that I really, REALLY hate myself for loving Jung Joon Hyung as much as I do. He’s such an awful punk and yet, anytime he smiles, or has one of those serious moments where his awfulness melts into a rare moment of sincerity , I completely melt. I know, I know. I’m a horrible person, falling for such an awful brat but I just can’t help myself. Those rare moments of sincerity I was talking about have me convinced that there’s more to this boy than just horribly obnoxious teasing and I know that, given time, he’s going to do a complete 180 and become the most adorable punk of the face of the planet. (Well, even more so than he already is.) I’m pretty sure I’m going to be squealing my fangirl self silly when that moment comes. Sadly, until then, I’m going to be squealing myself silly over how obnoxiously cute he is as he torments poor Bok Joo.

At least I can say, with absolute certainty, that if there was ever a girl who could handle the likes of Jung Joon Hyung, it would be Kim Bok Joo. Even when it seems as if she’s been cornered by the likes of Joon Hyung, she manages to find a way to come out on top. I absolutely love that she was not only able to win against Joon Hyung’s tormenting, but was also able to confront him on the matter head-on. Dragging him to that abandoned lot to have it out was absolutely brilliant on her part and completely hilarious to watch. I love the way Bok Joo can say anything to Joon Hyung, without fear. Even if he is a terrible tease, when it comes down to it, these two really are starting to form a rather adorable bond and I have a feeling this is only going to strengthen as the story moves on.

While it may seem silly for me to be shipping Bok Joo and Joon Hyung just yet, we all know this ship isn’t that far out of reach. Yes, Bok Joo is still very much in love with Doctor Jung Jae Yi and Joon Hyung is actually trying to get these two together, but really, how long is this one-sided love going to last? Doctor Jung is nice enough in his own right but he’s just doesn’t strike me as the type who would fall for one of his patients. Heck, hasn’t he even said that he would never cause a scandal with one of his patients? No, I’m convinced this charming doctor will have the honor of being Bok Joo’s first love without ever even knowing that honor was his.

Though  now that I think about it, Joon Hyung is in on Bok Joo’s secret which means he could very easily pass that information along to his unsuspecting brother. Of course Bok Joo has made him swear to keep his mouth shut but how likely is it that Joon Hyung is going to stick to his word? He likes to tease way too much and if the opportunity arises, he could very easily make a mistake. At the same time, there’s a very definite part of him who would rather die than cause Bok Joo any serious harm. I know he doesn’t show it much at the moment but there have certainly been some instances where his own enlightenment has taken him by surprise. Take the scene where he was helping Bok Joo dry her hair, for instance. You know he had a moment there when he was completely shocked by his own sudden rush of feelings. Even if Bok Joo stays ignorant of these feelings for a long time, I don’t think Joon Hyung will be able to ignore them for much longer. Oh! I get giddy just thinking about all the delicious goodies these feelings will bring us in the future! *squeee*

As anxious as I am for Joon Hyung to stop being a brat and start becoming a serious love interest for Bok Joo, I’m even more anxious for Song Shi Ho to stop clinging onto both Joon Hyung and the past. I swear, I’m so completely annoyed by Shi Ho’s obstinate refusal to accept the fact that Joon Hyung has moved on. Call me crazy, but I think Joon Hyung has made it very clear that he’s not interested in Shi Ho in any way, shape or form. There’s no way Shi Ho couldn’t have picked up on that which means everything she’s doing in her attempt to win him back, is being done completely out of selfishness. She selfishly wants to hold onto what she once had with Joon Hyung but that’s never going to happen. Her stubborn refusal to accept that fact is only making life miserable for everyone. While I can understand an athlete’s competitive spirit and their determination to never give up, that sort of thinking doesn’t translate well into other areas of life. It certainly isn’t working for Shi Ho’s personal life and she needs to accept this fact and move on. Sometimes in life you just have to become Elsa and “let it go” and this is definitely one of those times! If Shi Ho can’t accept this fact, I’m afraid life is going to become miserable for not only her and Joon Hyung but also Bok Joo and pretty much everyone else even remotely connected to this girl. This obsession of hers could quickly turn into a poison that destroys all it comes in contact with. Here’s hoping it doesn’t go that far!

As worried as I may be about Shi Ho’s poison, I’m even more worried about Bok Joo and how long this little diet clinic stunt of hers is going to last. As oblivious as Doctor Jung may be to the truth about Bok Joo, there’s a steadily increasing number of people who know the truth and you know that the more people who know, the harder it’s going to be to keep this secret hidden. Even if by some miracle Joon Hyung manages to keep his mouth shut, Bok Joo’s friend, Nan Hee, isn’t exactly the most tight-lipped person on the planet. I could just as easily see her saying something she shouldn’t as I can see Joon Hyung. To further complicate the matter, Bok Joo’s own conscious isn’t going to let her keep going with this lie for much longer. It’s obviously killing her, having to continually lie to Jae Yi and I really don’t think she’s going to be able to keep this charade up for much longer. Even if she somehow manages to ignore her own conscious for a while, the fact that she’s not working towards increasing her weight class isn’t going to help things any. Jae Yi is going to start to notice things are changing in a way he doesn’t suspect and the coach and professor aren’t going to let Bok Joo’s weight drop at such a critical time in her training. It’s only a matter of time before the truth comes out, one way or another and I have to say, I have a very bad feeling that when it does come out, it’s not going to be pretty.

But what do you think? Do you think Bok Joo will be able to keep this charade of hers going for long? Do you think Joon Hyung will ever overcome his trauma? (I totally forgot to talk about that earlier but he’s clearly dealing with a lot of stuff and eventually it’s going to have to be addressed. Hopefully it all comes out in a positive way. *fingers crossed*) What do you think of Shi Ho? Is her own obsession going to be her undoing or will she eventually wise up and let the past go so she can focus on a more promising future? You know I always love hearing from you so be sure to let me know what you’re thinking by leaving a comment below!

You can catch up on all of my Weightlifting Fairy Bok Joo reviews here:

Episodes 1-2

Episodes 3-4

ZOMBIE’S DRAMA REVIEW: Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo – Episodes 3-4

I’m happy to say that after watching these next two episodes, I’m just as much in love with this drama as I was after watching the first two. There’s just something about this drama, the way it’s written and the way the characters are portrayed, that makes it all so very relate-able. It’s makes the whole viewing experience so much fun, which is probably why I’m so ridiculously hooked.

Watching Bok Joo sit down in front of Dr. Jung Jae Yi and immediately ask him if he liked Messi made me laugh and cry as my heart went out to this poor, innocent girl who’s experiencing her first real, grown-up crush. Bok Joo is such an adorably innocent soul, it’s obvious she has absolutely no idea what to do with herself or her developing feelings for Dr. Jung. Watching her swoon and sigh her way through these two episodes was so much fun but at the same time, it was also pretty painful.

My heart was torn in several different way, over the course of these next two episodes. Mostly because Bok Joo is beginning to believe that she has to pretend to be someone she’s not, if she’s ever going to get a guy to notice her. While it may not seem like wearing a hair clip is such a big deal, the fact that Bok Joo feels like she needs to alter her appearance, even if only a little bit, to get Jae Yi to notice her is actually quite sad. No girl should ever have to feel like she’s unworthy of someone’s attention, just because she isn’t pretty enough, or feminine enough, or whatever. I know that a part of Bok Joo believes she’s perfect, just the way she is, and there’s a part of her who wants to wear that bow in her hair simply because she likes it and it makes her feel pretty. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But there’s an even bigger part of her that feels she’s inadequate as a woman, which is very sad, because it means she’s bought into the lies of those around her. Everywhere Bok Joo goes, someone is always reminding her that she doesn’t measure up to cultural beauty standards; the girls from the RG club are constantly teasing her, Jung Joon Hyung calls her “Fatty” (and yes, I want to slap him every time that word comes out of his mouth), society in general puts such stock in beauty and looks that there’s no way a girl of Bok Joo’s build could ever feel normal and “pretty.” All of this is so sad because Bok Joo is really an incredibly beautiful person, both inside and out.

Despite the entire world doing its best to make Bok Joo feel bad about herself, I do have to give props to the girl for standing up for herself. She’s confident enough in who she is to know she doesn’t have to take crap from anyone. Though there may be times when she lets her temper get the better of her, for the most part, Bok Joo does a pretty good job of putting people in their place whenever they step out of line. Of course there are times when Bok Joo’s temper wins out over reason and she ends up in ugly pub fights but honestly, those jerks had it coming so I’m not going to hold this moment of weakness against her. There really is only so much abuse a person can take and after all Bok Joo had been through, she’d reached her limit. While I can’t say getting into a public brawl is the best way to release all that pent-up frustration, it did help to open Joon Hyung’s eyes a little and help him see into Bok Joo’s world.

Of course ignoring Bok Joo and her friends as they fought the idiots at the bar doesn’t win Joon Hyung any points and neither does stepping in afterwards to beat the crap out of those guys. I’m sorry but playing the hero won’t cut it. Not after all the torture he’s put Bok Joo through. No, if Joon Hyung wants to get on both my and Bok Joo’s good side, he’s going to have to seriously mend his ways and stop being such an *ahem* jerk. I’m sure the writers of this drama are trying to portray Joon Hyung as the cocky brat with a hidden heart of gold, and to some extent I can buy that, but the way he treats Bok Joo is totally unacceptable. Being the old classmates that they are, Joon Hyung knows what life was like for Bok Joo as a child. He knows she was picked on all of the time, he knows that she hates being called “fatty” and he also knows first-hand what it’s like to be constantly picked on because he too was bullied as a child. With all of that knowledge to build on, Joon Hyung should know better than to torment a soul as sweet and innocent as Bok Joo.

In all honesty, I think that deep down, Joon Hyung knows that Bok Joo is actually the last person in the world who should ever be picked on. He knows that she’s a good person with a good heart. He knows that she suffers at the hands of those around her. He knows that she deserves better and he knows that when he really stops to reflect on his own actions, he’s been a rather terrible person. There have been moments already when Joon Hyung has been forced to recall his past actions with more than a little regret. There have been moments when he’s wished he could take back actions or words and there have been times when he’s wanted to apologize but as of yet, he’s been unable to bring himself to ask for forgiveness. While I’ve been highly disappointed in Joon Hyung up to this point, there have been brief moments when he’s shown he actually has a heart and those rare moments are enough to give me hope. I have no doubt that the more he hangs around Bok Joo, the more he’ll begin to change for the better. He just may have to suffer a few more head-butts along the way.

While I can see hope for Joon Hyung’s character as the story progresses, I’m afraid the exact opposite can be said for Song Shi Ho. I’m afraid that as the story progresses, her already awful character will degrade even further, making her the most deplorable person in this story. (Can you tell I don’t like her?) My problem with Shi Ho stems from the fact that the writers are trying to justify her awful character by giving her a difficult life. As if living through hardship was an automatic excuse for nastiness. I’m sorry but that’s just not how life goes. If you live long enough you’ll find that we all have struggles, we all have to endure hardships, we all have to deal with crap because that’s just how life is. But enduring that hardship doesn’t give anyone the right to become a selfish, evil witch who lives to make everyone else’s life as crappy as their own. I get that Shi Ho’s life hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbow ponies but neither has anyone else’s. Every character in this story has had to deal with some pretty awful stuff but that hasn’t turned them into selfish brats. Well, okay, Joon Hyung really is a cocky brat but even he has a heart tender enough to occasionally feel other people’s pain. Shi Ho can’t bother to see past the end of her own nose and you know she’s going to make everyone else’s life miserable as a result. Just that one awkward lunch room scene is enough to prove that. I’m afraid that both Joon Hyung and Bok Joo are going to suffer a lot because of Shi Ho’s selfishness and it’s not going to be fun to watch. Of course she’s sure to see the error of her ways before this drama ends but you know things are going to be pretty awful between now and then. *sigh*

As awful as Shi Ho might make things, there will always be a ray of sunshine around to make things better and his name is Jung Jae Yi. I can’t tell you how much I love the fact that Joon Hyung’s older brother is the one who makes Bok Joo’s heart flutter. I know that this is going to cause a lot of uncomfortable sibling rivalry in the future, but for now I’m just having fun watching Jae Yi smile every time he thinks of Bok Joo. He’s so cute, talking to his brother about his cello playing patient whom he could never fall for because of the scandal it would cause. *insert eye roll here* I’ll never understand why so many things are considered scandalous in Korea but whatever. It’s not like Jae Yi has any exceptionally strong feelings for Bok Joo at this point, she simply makes him smile. That seems pretty innocent to me. Of course that doesn’t mean that things will stay as innocent as the story progresses. I’m sure there’s a possibility that Bok Joo will start to creep her way into Jae Yi’s heart but honestly, I don’t think their relationship will ever progress beyond friendship. There’s too much in this story to tie Joon Hyung and Bok Joo together for Jae Yi to come between them. Besides, Jae Yi seems to be the type of brother who’s willing to back down once he realizes his little brother is interested in the same girl. That being said, that doesn’t mean there can’t be some healthy competition between the two, just to keep the story interesting… But honestly, I don’t see this brotherly love rival becoming a major thing. (Watch me be completely wrong about this! lol)

I do have to admit that it makes me very sad, watching Bok Joo scrape together enough money to enroll in Jae Yi’s weight loss clinic. I’m sad in part because Bok Joo knows she’s a perfectly healthy weight and in very good physical condition and therefore has absolutely no need to be at Jae Yi’s clinic and because Jae Yi, being the doctor that he is, knows that Bok Joo is in prime physical condition and yet he’s still encouraging her to lose weight. It’s actually very frustrating, watching this doctor encourage a young and impressionable girl to lose weight when every test available tells him that she’s perfectly healthy, just as she is. Again, it’s this whole idea that being stick-thin is what’s normal and beautiful when in reality, the girls who fit that ideal are causing themselves irreparable harm to be so. Just look at the girls in the RG club. They’re being forced to starve and over-work themselves on a daily basis and for what? To live up to unrealistic beauty standards placed on them by a society obsessed with being thin!?! I’m sorry but telling people they have to become anorexic to be beautiful is wrong. Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes and colors and to make someone feel ugly and/or less than human because they don’t measure up is completely unacceptable. But enough of my soap-box preaching.

Despite its flaws, I’m still very much enjoying this drama. Bok Joo is exactly the type of heroine I can get behind. She’s strong and smart and kind and so very human, I can’t help but love her and wish her all the best. I have to admit, I’m a little worried about how she’s going to handle her coach’s proposal. Entering into a different weight class is going to be hard on her, both emotionally and physically. She already struggles so much with her weight, it’s going to be hard for her to accept this proposal and yet it could work to her advantage, as far as competitions go. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what she decides to do and how her decision will affect her relationship with both Jae Yi and Joon Hyung. You know eventually she’s going to have to tell Jae Yi the truth and you also know that Joon Hyung is going to eventually have to acknowledge her skill as an athlete. Both of these moments could have a direct correlation to Bok Joo’s decision here which means there’s a lot to look forward to in the coming episodes. But enough of my rambling. I’ve said far more than I thought I would so I’m going to shut up now and give you a chance to say what you will about these next two episodes. You know I always love hearing from you so be sure to leave your thoughts, ideas, opinions, etc. in the comments below!

You can catch up on all of my Weightlifting Fairy Bok Joo reviews here:

Episodes 1-2

ZOMBIE’S DRAMA REVIEW: Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo Episodes 1-2

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It feels like ages since I last sat down to write an actual week-by-week drama review, and for good reason. After writing my way through so many painful dramas in a row, I just couldn’t bring myself to endure anymore. So I didn’t. After Please Come Back Mister ended back in April, I completely quite writing reviews. I figured with the insanity of the summer about to hit, I would take some time to relax, recoup and reevaluate pretty much my entire life. (Existential crisis anyone?) While I didn’t actually intend to take an eight month break from writing, that’s kind of what happened and honestly, I think it was for the best. After experiencing a couple of overly dramatic Jackie Chan, “WHO AM I!?!” moments, I finally came to realize that despite everything, sitting here, writing about the things I love most, is really what makes me the happiest. Once I had that figured out, I decided it was time to get back to writing on a regular basis but even then, I couldn’t talk myself into taking on a new drama review. The commitment scared me and honestly, there just weren’t any dramas that really spoke to me. Sure, I enjoyed watching them and I very much loved talking about them with friends, but I just couldn’t find one that really grabbed me. Until now.

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Sitting down to watch Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo the other night, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I knew it was a story inspired by the life of Olympic gold medalist Jang Mi Ran, but that’s about it. I actually avoided this drama when it first started airing a couple of weeks ago because a sports-themed drama just didn’t sound all that appealing to me. But then I stumbled across one of the drama’s trailers and well… I suddenly found myself much more interested in this sporty coming-of-age story. Anxious to see if this drama would be well-worth my time, I decided to skip catching up on the other dramas I’m watching, to give this one a go and all I can say is, I’m so glad I did!

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It’s not often that a drama earns my undivided attention by the end of the first episode but Weightlifting Fairy did. The combination of characters and their unfolding stories was so much fun to watch, I found myself starting in on the next episode almost before I’d even realized the first had ended. I just couldn’t get enough! It killed me to stop watching at the end of episode 2 (darn you, you pesky need for sleep!) and I’m actually dying as I sit here, writing this instead of watching the next two episodes. Okay, so maybe not dying dying, but it is really painful, having to write my way through old episodes before I can get to the new.

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Sitting here trying to figure out why I’ve become so completely addicted to this drama so soon is actually a little bit difficult. From a seasoned drama-watcher’s standpoint, the story itself seems pretty typical for a sports/school drama. Each of the main characters has their own issues they’re dealing with. They each have their own personal obstacles they’re going to have to overcomes as well as family issues that are eventually going to have to be resolved. It’s really pretty standard stuff for a school centered drama, at in terms of plot and character development. I suppose having the student in their later university years does add a teensey bit more maturity to these characters but just watching the first two episodes is enough to know that these characters are far from mature adults. However, I think that may be part of their charm. Starting out as immature children gives each of these characters a chance to grow as the story progresses and I like that. I like the feeling of hope and potential this drama has, as each of these athletes sets out on a journey that will ultimately define who they are, not only as athletes but also as individuals.

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As far as the characters themselves go, they too seem pretty typical. At least on the outside. Jung Joon Hyung (Nam Joo Hyuk) is the very definition of a conceited jock. He whole-heartedly believes he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to the sport of swimming and his obnoxious cockiness is only outshone by the brilliance of his stupid smile. Oh my gosh! That darn smile! I swear, it’s gonna be the death of me! And yes, I totally hate myself for being so weak. I should not fall for jerks just because seeing their smile makes life worth living, but I just can’t help myself. At least not with this guy! I think my real weakness stems more in the fact that underneath all of his awful jerkiness and childish teasing, lies a very tender heart in desperate need of some good, old-fashioned TLC. It’s the classic tale of the jerk hiding a heart of gold and I, in all of my romantic weakness, am completely unable to keep myself from falling for such a man. Ugh! I’m hopeless!

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While I suffer from a terrible love-hate relationship with Joon Hyung, I’ve fallen completely in love with Kim Bok Joo (Lee Sung Kyung). She is without a doubt, the cutest girl on the face of the planet and I absolutely adore her! I love her tender heart and her determined spirit. I love her innocence, her sense of justice and her fiery temper. I love that she doesn’t take crap from anyone and that she stands up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. I love that she’s athletic and a tomboy and I really love that she’s a good head taller than all the other girls in this story. After writing all of this, I can easily see why I love Bok Joo so much. It’s because she’s me! Well, a lot of her is anyway and as such, I can relate to so much of what she’s going through in just these first two episodes. Not fitting into the norm of beauty standards, not conforming to the idea that all women have to be dainty and prim and proper, not really caring how the world sees you because you’re perfectly happy just being yourself… I can relate to all of that and I think that’s really why I love Bok Joo. She may not be me exactly but I can see enough of myself in her to want to see her succeed in every area of her life.

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On the flip side, I really not a fan of Joon Hyung’s ex-girlfriend, the rhythmic gymnast, Song Si Ho (Kyung Soo Jin). I know she’s going to become a source of trouble for both Joon Hyung and Bok Joo and I’m just not okay with that. It’s perfectly clear that she broke Joon Hyung’s heart when she left and the fact that she’s back, acting as if nothing ever happened, is enough to make me dislike her very much. You know she’s going to try to get back together with Joon Hyung and you know she’s going to see Bok Joo as a love-rival, which means she’s going to be nothing but trouble. Of course Joon Hyung is going to make things worse with his constant teasing of Bok Joo and Oh! I just really don’t want to even think about what sorts of awful we and these characters are going to have to endure in the future! Still, you can’t have a drama without a villain around to make life difficult and Si Ho fills the role nicely. At least in a story such as this, there’s a chance she’ll eventually see the error of her ways and transform into a much more tolerable human being by the end. Here’s hoping anyway!

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With a pretty solid foundation laid for this story, I’m very much looking forward to seeing how these characters develop as the story progresses. You know they’re all going to grow in one way or another and I’m very much looking forward to seeing how that progression ties into the overall story. I really do love watching the lives of characters intertwine, especially when they have a back story that links them together. While I hate that Joon Hyung has taken it upon himself to continue the torment that Bok Joo had to endure as a child, I have a feeling that teasing will lessen as time moves on and in the process, Joon Hyung will learn how to be a decent human being. In the meantime, I’m very much going to enjoy watching Bok Joo swoon over Joon Hyung’s older brother, Jung Jae Yi (Lee Jae Yoon). Seeing as how this is probably the first time her heart has every been flustered by a man, it’s going to be a lot of fun watching her figure out her feelings. Oooh! I’m giddy just thinking about all the cuteness we may have in store!

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Needless to say, I’m very much enjoying this drama and I can only hope that my excitement continues as the story progresses. This drama certainly has a lot of potential for greatness, which is really all I can ask for at this point. I guess I’ll just keep watching, with my fingers crossed, and hope for the best. That being said, I’d really like to know what you think of this drama. Are you enjoying it as much as I am? It’s really too early to ask for any plot and/or character development theories you may have but I can ask what your impressions of the characters are. I can also ask if I’m the only one melting every time Joon Hyung smiles… (Please tell me I’m not!) You know I always love hearing from you so be sure to leave me a comment below!