REVIEW: Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon
REVIEW: Strong Woman Do Bong Soon
| Drama Title | Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon; Strong Girl Do Bong-Soon |
| Male Lead | Park Hyung-Sik as Ahn Min-Hyuk |
| Female Lead | Park Bo-Young as Do Bong-Soon |
| Writer | Baek Mi-Kyung |
| Episodes | 16 Episodes + 1 Special Episode | 60 to 70 minutes per Episode |
| Release | February 24 to April 15, 2017 |
| Genre | Romantic Comedy, Action, Fantasy |
| Language | Korean |
| Country of Origin | South Korea |
Plot Summary
Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon is a fantasy romantic comedy-drama about a girl with supernatural powers who has a strong desire to belong. She has a fraternal twin brother who was an intellectual and always got special favors from their mother. Her brother is the brains, she has the brawns. All her life she felt that she is different from everybody else because of her ability. She has virtually spent her life trying to hide her true self. The story aims to help her accept and love who she is with the help of a guy who values her worth.
The Girl With Supernatural Powers
Park Bo Young plays the character of Do Bong Soon. A simple but extraordinary girl who inherited a special power that allows her to have superhuman strength. Like her mother and grandmother before her, the hereditary strength was passed on to her genetically.
Bong-Soon’s strength is unparalleled. She can lift cars and buses, stop oncoming traffic, and throw huge men up in the air, all with very little effort on her part. She tries to live her life normally and tries as much as she can to control her powers. Her dream is to create a video game that has a heroine with her abilities.
The Young Gamer CEO
The CEO of Ainsoft, a gaming company, Ahn Min-Hyuk played by Park Hyung Sik. He is a genius gamer who has built his company from his own grit and hard work. Min-Hyuk came from a well-off family. His father is a successful businessman. He is the chairman of Ohsung Group but he has a questionable past.
His stepmother is jealous of his father’s trust while his stepbrothers are fighting for the right to control and inherit their father’s fortune. Two of his stepbrothers bullied him while the other one protected him when they were young children. Min-Hyuk did not want to involve himself in the mess. He distanced himself from them and decided to create his own fortune.
The Police Officer Friend
Bong Soon has a long-time crush on her friend In Guk-doo, played by Ji Soo. He is a police officer in their small town. Guk-doo is a reliable friend of Bong-Soon. He is always there for her when she needs help. Bong-Soon tries very hard to act dainty and demure because she believes his ideal woman is such.
Bong-Soon as the Bodyguard
Min-Hyuk meets Bong Soon in an altercation. She was trying to help a school bus driver who was getting bullied by gangsters. The school bus was supposed to pass through the road but there was a cargo truck blocking their way. The bus driver tried talking to the driver of the truck but got bullied instead. Seeing the incident, Bong-Soon stepped in to help the school bus driver.
Min-Hyuk was within the vicinity while everything was happening and he could not believe what he was seeing. He sees Bong-Soon’s display of extraordinary strength. Incidentally, Min-Hyuk has been receiving life threats due to unknown reasons. After they reported the incident to the police station, Min-Hyuk decided to hire Bong-Soon to become his bodyguard.
The Deal
Bong-Soon accepts Min-Hyuk’s offer but she has a condition. She wanted to realize her dream of becoming a game developer for Ainsoft. Aside from being the CEO’s bodyguard, she also becomes a game developer and starts building her dream character.
As Min-Hyuk and Bong-Soon begin to spend more time together, they develop feelings for each other and eventually fall in love.
Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon is a heartwarming story about finding love, friendship, being friend-zoned, family ties that bind us together, and finally accepting our peculiarities because they are what make us unique.
My Personal Comments and Observations About the Series
Great Actors and Their Notable Performances
- The drama is surprisingly enjoyable to watch with the lead actor’s chemistry simply sizzling in every episode. Their deliveries are perfect and their constant bickering adds to the show’s humor nicely.
- The grumpy but charming second lead doesn’t really realize that he also liked his friend before it is already too late. It is true that you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. The same thing goes with Guk-Doo. It’s not until Min-Hyuk is already in the picture that he begins to realize that he cares about Bong-Soon more than a friend.
- The strong father-daughter bond between Bong-Soon and her dad. Since Bong-Ki, Bong-Soon’s fraternal twin brother is the intellectual between the two, he gets special favors from their mother. Chil-Goo, the twin’s father, is always on the lookout for his daughter. He always secretly finds ways to take care of his daughter in his own simple ways so he can make her feel special and cared for.
- Kim Won-Hae’s notable performance as the gang leader Kim Kwang-Bok and the eccentric head of the Development and Planning team at Ainsoft, Oh Dol-ppyeo. The roles showcase the actor’s versatility at its finest.
The series will really give you a good hearty laugh with humorous situations depicting life circumstances that are otherwise not really funny in real life. Wonderful performances from the actors with perfect delivery and comedic timing. It also has heartwarming scenes that will tug at your emotions when the scenes call for it. It has a good balance of drama, comedy, action, and a whole lot of romance from the leads. It will surely keep you entertained all throughout watching the series.
Precious Life Lessons
Being a show that has great aspirations, Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon has some notable inspiring life lessons to live by. These are some of them:
- Each of us is special. We all have our own special abilities or special powers. It is up to us to choose between using those special powers for the greater good or propagating evil.
- Women are strong. If we don’t take care of our gifts and special abilities, they might be taken away from us.
- You don’t need to rely on your family to gain your own place in life. You can work hard and use your abilities to be successful.
- Sometimes you are looking love right in the eye but it is too late before you realize it.
- There is no need to pretend to be somebody else to be loved. You will eventually find somebody who will like and love you for exactly who you are and you don’t need to pretend.
- The worst betrayal is the ones that you didn’t see coming.
Final Thoughts About Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon
As the drama wraps up to an end, Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon firmly represents a utopian ideology that portrays the power each of us has with our God-given talents. Bong-Soon’s gift was something that made her unique. In the beginning, she thought she wanted to blend in. All she ever wanted was to be normal like everybody else. Until one day, she wakes up realizing that she must use her unique trait for the greater good.
That gift is very symbolic. The writer wanted to say that we all have our own unique talents. What we do with it is a choice that only each of us can make for ourselves. Whether we choose good or bad will be a testament to our character.
Binge Star Rating – 8.5 Stars
Re-watch Value
This is a great pick-me-up drama when you are feeling low and just want to feel good about what is to come. Disguised as a romantic comedy-drama with a little bit of fantasy in the plot, Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon is actually a feel-good series that will bring you feelings of hope for a brighter future. I would say this drama is re-watchable, especially with the sizzling chemistry of the leads. Great story, great chemistry, and life lessons to warm your heart. Definitely, a drama that is binge-worthy.
Where to Watch
Watch the full series on Netflix with full English translations. What do you think about the series? Did you like it too? Drop your comments in the comments section below. I’d love to know your views, please let me know what you think!
Don’t miss this rom-com drama with a hint of fantasy!!
Strong Woman Do Bong-soon is a story about finding beauty in each of our individuality and being able to accept ourselves despite not being like others. It is a fantasy romantic comedy-drama about a girl with supernatural powers who has a strong desire to belong and her love story with the CEO of a gaming company.
Looking for more K Dramas to watch? Check out KDB’s What to Watch Next for more binge-worthy series you can choose from.
DISCLAIMER: All the content of this blog including drama reviews, character charts, and what to watch next are all based on online research and the author’s personal views and opinions. Images taken from promotional materials from JTCB may be subject to copyright. Trailer video from iFlix Malaysia. [Last Update 04262024]
This is one of my favorite kdramas, I lost count on the number of times I watched it hahaha