REVIEW: Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Re-watch value: 4 out of 5 stars
Synopsis
*partially taken from Dramafever*
An insanely strong girl swoons over her childhood crush. He, unfortunately, likes women that are a lot more elegant than the clumsy Bong Soon. While she tries to win him over, she lands a job as a bodyguard to a gorgeous CEO. However, even she doesn’t seem to have the strength to break through her boss’s impenetrable ego and thick skull...but it isn’t long, however, before the ice between them starts to melt and things start to heat up.
Do Bong Soon (Park Bo Young from Oh My Ghostess) is strong. Freakishly strong. So strong that she accidentally breaks everything she touches. Do Bong Soon, however, is the epitome of the gentle creature because she is naturally kind and wouldn’t hurt a fly. She’s cheery and optimistic and has one big issue. She has forever had a crush on In Gook Doo.
In Gook Doo (Ji Soo from Fantastic and Scarlet Heart: Ryeo), Bong Soon's beloved guy friend from childhood. Sadly, he likes elegant, overly feminine girls, which klutzy Do Bong Soon definitely is not. That doesn’t mean she stops trying to get him to like her.
Ahn Min Hyuk (Park Hyung Sik from Heirs and Hwarang). A snooty chaebol, he is odd, spoiled, domineering, and often shows an utter disregard for rules and common courtesy. His personality completely clashes with the stickler-for-rules Do Bong Soon.
Rambling
*Beware of spoilers*
Everything about this show was crisp. This show went from Bong-soo sending comical thugs to the hospital to a serial kidnapper torturing his women victims in a hot minute, and I was all here for it. It successfully straddled the line between being lighthearted and taking things too seriously. Kudos.
Hands down, the best thing about this drama was the ultra-sweet chemistry between our two leads. It was really my first time watching Park Hyung-sik (I honestly can't remember his role in Heirs), and his performance was captivating to me. Watching his character get text messages from Do Bong-soon was like opening gifts on Christmas Day—I was just grinning from ear to ear.
Our second male lead was a familiar face. I thought Ji Soo was just fine in Scarlet Heart: Ryeo, but he really brought some angst to his role as In Gook-doo. And it's been a while since I felt such pity for the second male lead. It was heartbreaking to see how In Gook-doo only just missed his chance at being with Bong-soo. You snooze, you lose. It was charming how Ahn Min-hyuk took Bong-soo under his wing so that she could fulfill her dream of becoming a video game creator. Obviously our main guy needed an excuse to get closer to our girl, but watching the progress on her game was surprisingly refreshing to see amidst all the criminal mayhem happening in the forefront.
It goes without saying that Bong-soo's character possessing all this physical power and dominance is revitalizing to the K-drama trope of submissive and helpless women. It was also fresh (and gratifying) to see a male lead completely comfortable with being secondary to a woman that doesn't need him. In fact, Ahn Min-hyuk was even attracted to Bong-soo's take-charge attitude and physical strength. He didn't feel inferior, jealous, or emasculated. I thought the drama really hit a high point when Bong-soo loses her powers, and as she's navigating a life without her strength, he's there, helping her adjust and remaining steadfast in his love for her.
Bong-soo's mom, on the other hand, was a bit of a downer in the show. I still can't understand why she acted so harshly to Bong-soo, when it was obvious that Bong-soo wanted and needed her mom's love and support. Even though we did get an explanation from Bong-soo's mom as to why she favored Bong-soo's younger brother, in my mind, her behavior still wasn't justified.
All in all, I highly recommend this drama, and I'll be on the lookout for more shows with Park Hyung-sik!
Did you see Strong Woman Do Bong Soon? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below!
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