Revisiting Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo with additional years of knowledge about genres, actors and tropes, it’s intriguing to note exactly how this series has attracted such a cult following , and why certain issues can still be correlated with it as a failure in mainstream South-Korean popular culture as well.

It first must be said that Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo doesn’t necessarily have an original idea within its concepts of love triangles and trauma in college , but its characters and comedy are surprisingly well- rounded and relevant for its “ youth” sub genre.

Our main female lead is the eponymous Kim Bok Joo ( Lee Sung-Kyung); a self-conscious and kind-hearted female weightlifter who ends up falling for obesity doctor Jung Jae-yi ( Lee Jae Yoon). Her affections become complicated , however, when she meets Jae-yi’s mischievous younger brother and swimmer Jung Joon-hyung ( Nam Joo Hyuk) who in-turn shares a deeply traumatic past and a complicated history with Bok Joo’s new roommate, gymnast Song Shi-ho ( Kyung Soo-Jin).

Perhaps the most appraised element of the show is its sensitivity and portrayal of mental health issues as well as sexism; Joon-Hyung suffers from trauma , Bok Joo lacks self-esteem and is often cited as “ less feminine” (by both genders) for sport choice and despite her nastier flaws, Song Shi Ho is heavily implied to struggle with an eating disorder .

Yet against the more angst-ridden moments of the show, one of the most surprisingly well-portrayed relationships in the drama is shown through Bok Joo and Joon-Hyung. From teasing to an eccentric friendship to something more, it is still fairly refreshing watching this drama again that Bok Joo’s feelings weren’t something which magically ensured she was “ head over heels in love “ with Joon-Hyung ( even by the ending of the show), but something she learnt gradually and naturally . This is for once a touch of freshness and realism to a relationship in a drama; feelings are complicated and whilst it is romanticised to find one’s true love at first glance, it isn’t always a reality .

Yet getting to the more pressing issue , it’s important to note that often there are several “inconsistencies” which are glossed over by drama fans when it comes to this show. The biggest being pacing- whilst viewers get to know the majority of our main characters in the first few episodes, the show sometimes did hit a slag in terms of story development often either being dragged out or just incredibly slow.

Additionally, the other issue is whilst the issues around the characters are fairly well-tackled, some of our characters were lacking depth including our female heroine. Bok Joo did defy a lot of stereotypes compared to many Korean dramas as a female athlete who stands her ground , but is still conscious about makeup and boys, however, this didn’t initially define her as a character. When it boils down to it, Bok Joo always felt a little too roughly drawn-out for her own good. She had all the right elements of being an intriguing heroine but besides being used for angst and comedy during the show, Bok Joo lacked a lot of actual character depth.

Admittedly this isn’t just Bok Joo. Whilst Joon Hyung’s trauma and past were surprisingly well-delivered, Joon Hyung was often played too much as the farce character with Bok Joo- sweet, but lacking an inner core of depth as an individual.

Overall it’s fair to say that Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo will always have its lovers and haters - whilst undeniably brilliant due to its portrayal of relationships , mental health and youth issues, it’s easy to see why the show is overrated to a certain extent with certain glossed-over issues, poor character writing and slow plot. A fun show and certainly worth a watch, but not flawless.