I never thought I'd write a review about this drama because of how much I hated it. The only reason it does not have a lower score is because I have watched things that are worse, which is both amazing and unfortunate. I went into this drama with high hopes. It was my first Lee Sung Kyung drama so even my current dislike for her did not mar my experience. And yet at every turn it disappointed me. What makes this all the more frustrating is how much everyone else liked it. People are out singing its praises. Its ranked super highly on this website. I'm baffled! Did I miss something? But the more I think about it, the longer I sit on my opinion of this drama the more I'm convinced that I am correct. This was not a good drama. It simply pandered to people's insecurities and desires while offering no real substance. I know here come the down votes but I stand by this opinion.

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo is the single most annoying drama I have ever watched. My biggest problem with the drama was with Bok Joo and her story arch. First I will address my earlier claim of pandering. Bok Joo, in my opinion, is nothing more than a compilation of most girls' deepest insecurities. Portraying insecurity is not in itself a bad thing, in fact it is usually fantastic, but by giving Bok Joo so many, and so many overly common, insecurities it becomes less an uplifting message of self love and more a marketing gimmick to play to your intended audience. Bok Joo is self conscious about her appearance, weight, family, aspirations, career, personality, body type, height, strength, skill, shortcomings, etc. The list inevitably goes on. And it is the fact that the list goes on that I take issue with. Everyone, including myself, is insecure about something, maybe even a few things. But to be insecure about nearly everything about yourself...really??? No one with that much self loathing can be as happy go lucky and set on their goals as Bok Joo is. That much insecurity amounts to depression in most real people, and while Bok Joo does display sadness over her various insecurities she always overcomes them with relative ease. Her indecision, a major character trait that I find infuriating, stems from these insecurities. She has no idea who she is or what she wants but is fine with dragging others down with her regardless. Her relationship with Joon Hyeong is, in my opinion, nothing short of toxic on her end. How can she enter into a relationship built on mutual love and respect when she doesn't even like herself or believe he likes her for the first half of the show? To me that is not healthy romance. It is an insecure girl's fantasy of a white knight who will ignore all the things she hates about herself, ask for nothing in return for his love, and require no effort to grow on her part all while loving her unconditionally. This is simply too much like a children's story for me. I understand that part of what makes successful TV is knowing your audience but the romance in this show makes me seriously question whether or not it was lifted from the diary of a lonely teenager. Joon Hyeong himself was one dimensional and lacked any real depth outside of his love for Bok Joo. Though it was refreshing to see the female lead be the more developed character for once I think they sacrificed too much of Joon Hyeong to compensate. The side characters too were boring and forgettable. I honestly could not even tell you their names and it has not been that long since I finished this drama.

Overall I hated Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo. The plot, characters, music, costumes, sets. All of it was awful and mundane. The obvious pandering to teenage girls' insecurities was off putting and Lee Sung Kyung fails as an actress. To this day I do not understand the hype surrounding this drama and I wish I could erase it from my mind.