Hello and welcome to the sound OF ME SCREAMING AS I EXPRESS MY LOVE AND FEELINGS OF ADORATION FOR THIS DARLING DRAMA.
It was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen, filled with smiles, giggles, laughter and happiness. And yet, it also had strong messages to give. Despite being goofy, it was also a mystery thriller that gave me chills sometimes. The drama had a strong cast, endearing, bubbly characters and a really fun premise. Oh, and the music was wonderful.
The drama revolves around Do Bong-soon, a 27 year old woman with genetic super-strength. Her dream job is to develop a video game based on herself where she can beat up the bad guys freely and not be worried about concealing her identity. She is confident, sassy and is soft-hearted. I loved how she literally waltzed in to things that would be nerve-racking or dangerous to a normal person.
There are many, many reasons this drama is an utter-fricking treat so I’ll just start:
One: the goofiness
I wish I was versed enough to explain it better than this. It has cartoonish humor with the sounds and visual effects and everything and because of that things were ten times more adorable than usual as per kdrama standards. There was a lot of silliness which was all the more delightful because it wasn’t pointless. There was a gravity to the show’s plot and each scene, no matter how hysterical or playful, was cleverly and thoughtfully put there.
Two: the unique plot
I didn’t expect it to have psychopaths, kidnappings, assassins and thugs, at least not in the way that would make it a thriller mystery side by side with a romantic comedy but that is what I got. It was a helluva interesting story to say the least. Between chasing blackmailers, beating up thugs, investigating crime and a sugary sweet love story with the heroine fulfilling her potential, kicking some major butt and giving off an important message, my plate was full with all I could ever want.
Three: it didn’t shy away from being dark
I got chills watching some scenes. The characters went through terrible ordeals, physical and emotional, which were tempered by the lightness but were no less impactful at the time.
Four: it had a strong message at its core
A 100 points to your Hogwarts house for guessing what that message was. It was brilliantly put across not only by a super-powered woman struggling with her life amid usual societal norms of discrimination against women and preying upon the weak but also cleverly by adding a misogynist, psychopathic asshole who preys upon women. Do Bong-soon puts him behind bars and teaches a lesson to thugs and common jerks who mistreat women and the weak alike.
Five: the insanely good music
There were a lot of tracks. They were well placed and made me want to jump up and down. Whether it was Do Bong-soon kicking butt or a romantic scene or people being extra, the tracks fit perfectly to each.
Six: Do Bong-soon’s ringtone
What was that? I truly want to know. I LOVED the craziness of the tone. It was dope and was perfect for someone as quirky and sassy as DBS.
Seven: Park Bo-young/Do Bong-soon
Our very own peanut-sized King Kong. No one and I mean NO ONE could have been Do Bong-soon but Park Bo-young. She’s cute AF, an actress with an incredible prowess, is petite which makes her even more adorable and her voice! She has the sweetest, softest and chirpiest voice. It’s the type you hear in anime and I loved listening to her talk.
This is a show full of badassery performed by a badass woman who also happens to be an adorable peanut.
Eight: Ahn Min-hyuk/Park Hyung-sik
I fell in love with him the very second he appeared on screen. Let’s see why:
- He’s handsome.
- He’s charming.
- He ‘s funny.
- HE IS ADORABLE I MEAN IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN HIM BEING CUTE IN THIS SHOW ALL THE TIME THEN I FEEL SORRY FOR YOU.
- He has a great voice. His normal speaking voice, just like Park Bo-young is pleasant to the ears.
- The character he plays has a cheerful, bubbly personality beneath which he hides loneliness and sorrow. He’s basically a puppy that needs hugs.
- He’s also incredibly supportive, protective and caring of Do Bong-soon, going as far as teaching her to hone her skills and aiding her in her vigilantiness.
- I didn’t know I could love him more than I already did but then came the Intern DOOOOOO scene and I died from a heart attack.
- The whole show is filled with his adorable antics. I know there is a specific word in Korean for when an actor behaves in a cute way but I have no idea what it is. He pretty much left Bo-young faaaaar behind in that department and I DRANK IT ALL UP.
- Did I mention he dresses up as a woman in a scene? He pretends to be gay for a while and that leads to the some of the most hysterical situations in the whole show, specifically the scene where both he and Gook-du (aka the third wheel) are drunk af and start dancing and flirting with each other.
Nine: the romance
I stand guilty of smiling like a fool at the enfolding cuteness. The kind, lonely and compassionate guy falling hard for the adorable but fierce pint-sized heroine and trying to win her love…OH MY HEART.
There seems to be a recurring theme in kdramas regarding love which is ‘love is all about timing’? I don’t know if it’s an official thing or not but it sure seems that way. What that means is both love interests in the triangle are hot, amazing and equal in every way but one gets to have the girl’s love because he moved forward first. It’s interesting.
Ten: the supporting cast
Do Bong-soon’s father (Reply 1988!!!!!!!), her mother, her brother, her best friend, Secretary Gong, Tae Baek and his goons, Gook-du, the psychopath kidnapper, specifically the dude who played dual roles, they were all outstanding actors who left a lasting impression no matter how dense or witless or evil their characters were.
At the end we see Bong-soon out there using her powers for good while at home her twin daughters are giving their nannies and their father a hard time because they keep punching the lights out of them with their tiny fists. I know it was all for the giggles but it didn’t sit well with me. Using her powers for the greater good is nice and all but not while your newborns need you to nurse them. The goons are not going anywhere while your kids need the attention. Literally the only thing I didn’t like.
Strong Woman Do Bong Soon was a GEM. 10 out of 10, Sir and if you know what’s good for you you will go right now and start watching it.
This KDrama Review is by Sara
