Monday, April 17, 2017

Final Review on Strong Woman Do Bong Soon

The final episode of JTBC’s “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” aired on April 15, marking the end of the popular drama (T______T) though I don't want it to end this soon, but they finished the drama with strong and impressive rating, making it as one of the most memorable drama in 2017. 

On April 16, Nielsen Korea reported that the last episode of the cable drama had a 8.96 percent overall rating, which is consistent with their previous ratings. Although they were not able to surpass the 10 percent mark, the drama was able to maintain strong ratings throughout the entire show, and broke the record as JTBC’s most watched drama.

With the final of this drama, the drama’s director, Lee Hyung Min, sat down to talk about working on the drama. Confessing that he had a feeling that the drama would do well, but never thought it would do as well as it did, Lee Hyung Min expressed his gratitude towards the main couple, Park Bo Young and Park Hyung Sik.
While talking about the praise the duo received for their chemistry and acting, he said, “I’m so grateful to both of them. I’m not trying to play favorites, but I’m especially grateful to Park Bo Young. I hope that ‘Strong Woman Do Bong Soon’ becomes a memorable production in her filmography. For Park Hyung Sik, I hope the drama was a valuable experience that helps him on his path to showing who he truly is as an actor.”

Lee Hyung Min also spoke of how the actors kept the atmosphere on set lively. He stated, “Park Hyung Sik had so much fun and told me it was a new experience for him. Though it’s hard to always discuss a scene before filming it, he made sure to go over everything he wanted to. I told him to try everything he wanted to do for any given scene. I told him to say and do anything that he felt his character would do, and he told me that was a new experience for him.”

*SPOILER ALERT*

In my honest opinion, I would say this drama is such a refreshing drama which everyone would probably like it. I love how it focused on the story of strong and super woman Do Bong Soon which sounds like Power Puff Girl. I would say this drama reminds me of my childhood superhero character, Sailormoon who will always comes and save the Earth. Every girl at that time would always think they would be able to transform into a super woman and save the world, but as we grow up, that kind of imagination is just a kind of bullshit. Do Bong Soon is a girl who possesses the unique gift of having super strength.  Although she doesn’t actively go out to fight crime or bad guys, she does do her best to stick up for those who are taken advantage of, either it is from sexual harassment in public transportation or stand up for justice. I was glad that this show injects some of the good deeds that we should try to do always in the society. If you like superhero and action type genres, then this drama has pretty much got every aspect of that covered. There’s a crime to be solved, a creepy villain, and a superhero-type figure as the main character. And the fact that the superhero is played by a female is pretty badass.

After a long or stressful week, everybody needs a little light-hearted humor. I know that when I turn on this drama, I don’t have to be worried about having to use my brain or focus too much on it. I found myself chuckling many times throughout the series so far, especially at the poor men Do Bong Soon “accidentally” hurts. I would say this show successfully captured my heart with its comedic scene, but there were times I don't like the idea where they put an excessive kind of supernatural power (though I enjoy it). That's true, it's fun and entertaining but that itself lead to inconsistency with how the story progressed. 
Park Bo Young appeared with a strong and impressive character in the first episode, as if there is nothing can hurt her. I know perfectly that if she used her strength for something bad, she would lose her power. But why does it works when she used her power to throw the lift with an innocent man being there just to save her friend, Gyeong Shim? It's just a mistake because she doesn't know that the man on the lift was someone else whereas there were times she used her power to hit gangster and some poor innocent men who she mistakenly recognize as a bad guy. If they are going to set some rules like this, I don't think just because she mistakenly put danger on someone else to save her friend would allow her to lose her super power. If so, then she would lose it many times before. Well, let's just call it happened and for the sake of the drama, Do Bong Soon should lose her power once before truly rises to her maximum potential. I'll just close one of my eyes then. 
I now understand as to why this show is so popular, that's undeniably because of the chemistry between Park Hyung Sik and Park Bo Young. They both are called puppy couple as they are both so lovely, cute and sweet. They were able to pull off the sweet and kind of childish youth romance (though I believe everyone who starts dating would probably do so) and that's the most pleasant moment in dating life (as how Mr. Oh Dung Byeong said - you know who - the most entertaining character in this show). I have totally no complaint at all for the chemistry between both of them and would say that Park Hyung Sik is definitely charming as an actor. He is able to pull off his character, Ahn Min Hyuk to such level where every woman would go crazy for him. Who doesn't love Ahn Min Hyuk?! He shows how much he love Bong Soon, even would stay beside her knowing that his life was also in danger. In the last episode, he said he loves Do Bong Soon crazily, though he may not know what makes him like her so much, but he would say that he feels he exists when she exists (cheesy but worked - YEAY! YOU FINALLY GET Do Bong Soon). 
Ahn Min Hyuk’s voice transitions in and he can be heard saying,

“I feel like I need [Do Bong Soon] in order to be me and like I would cease to exist if she wasn’t with me.”
One of my most favorite scene is when Park Hyung Sik ask Bong Soon to love him back and finally hugs her. It's such a simple scene but that feels heavier that I thought. I would say that moment is the most thoughtful and emotional in this drama ever, one line, but depicts a lot of stories and I am glad that Park Hyung Sik can pull it off! Ultimately this show is a romance, and, sure, the relationship between the two leads was super swoon-worthy and all kinds of adorable, but it was also built on how much they respected each other as individuals, and how willingly they were to express how much the other meant to them. Her love for Min Hyuk made her more relatable and more heroic than she’d ever been before. 
Another scene that caught up my attention the most is when finally Ahn Min Hyuk proposed to Bong Soon. Not that kind of mainstream purposes, but a promise to stay together for another 10 years and more. To walk together for the next next years cherry blossom and that's when all the love converts to something deeper than just a mere lingering feelings. They both transformed to a more mature level and that's when I finally understand and connected more in Bong Soon's growing love story, from one-sided crushes for a long time, to finally able to find her soulmate. 

“You know what’s different about a soulmate? I can see myself in that person’s eyes and I look so, so happy.” 
I feel connected also to Bong Soon through her conflict over her strength and how she truly feels when she possessed such power but things do not go with how the way she wants it to be. The moment when she confronted her mom for always thinking that she is strong and cry her heart out, that's when I feel her so much.

Regarding Ji Soo's character, In Gook Doo, I know it's a sad ending for him, but he works best in spreading the second lead syndrome. Poor him, he likes Bong Soon from a long time, but didn't realize his true feelings. Regret always comes later. When he finally realized his feeling, Bong Soon is not the same anymore like the last time she had crush for Gook Doo. That's when I would say, when you really like someone, just go and tell him/her before it's too late. 
It's sad that we finally have to say goodbye to our lovely couple. But this show ends with possibly no 2nd season and the production team wrapped up nicely. Ahn Min Hyuk and Do Bong Soon get married, have twin daughter (poor you, daddy Ahn) and they live happily ever after. 

It's such a great production and I strongly recommends this drama for you guys to see!

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