Anisha Dutta
‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo’ is a South Korean coming-of-age drama, inspired by the life of Olympic gold-medalist Jang Mi-ran. The sports-themed series was released in 2016 and is created by Han Hee, written by Yang Hee-Seung, and directed by Oh Hyun-jong. It aired on MBC and was widely popular among the young demography in the country. Branded as a cult-hit title among young viewers, it garnered good viewership ratings and was also appreciated on the global platform.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo Cast: Who is in it?
Lee Sung-Kyung (‘Cheese in the Trap’, ‘The Doctors’) stars as the titular character Kim Bok-Joo, a talented and gifted weightlifter with high ambitions and a calm demeanor. She grew up with her father, a former weightlifter, and was inspired to follow his footsteps. Bok-Joo harbors an intense dislike for injustice and although she may be shy and awkward around boys, she does not think twice if she needs to throw in a few punches to teach them a lesson. She has multiple insecurities and a fragile heart, which she hides behind her strong exterior.
Nam Joo-hyuk (‘The Bride of Habaek’, ‘Dazzling’) plays Jung Joon-Hyung, Kim Bok-Joo’s friend from childhood. However, when they meet as adults, both don’t recognize each other from their school days. One day, a certain incident stirs up memories and they realize why they seemed familiar to each other. Joon-Hyung is a talented swimmer with a jovial nature. But he suffers from trauma when he realizes that the postcards sent to him by his mother were actually mailed by his aunt and uncle. The news hits him during an international tournament, because of which he gets disqualified. Eventually, he starts falling for Bok-Joo.
Lee Jae-Yoon stars as Jung Jae-Yi, Joon-Hyung’s cousin and elder brother. He was previously a promising athlete but now works as an obesity doctor because of an injury. Bok-Joo falls in love with Jae-Yi after getting attracted to his gentle nature. Kyung Soo-jin is Song Shi-ho, Bok-Joo’s roommate and Joon-Hyung’s ex. Shi-ho still harbors unresolved feelings for Joon-Hyung and considers Bok-Joo as her rival. She is a skilled rhythmic gymnast and was the winner of a silver medal during the Asian Games at the age of 18 years. An overachiever, her continuous obsession toward maintaining her figure leads to her split with Joon-Hyung.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo Plot: What is it about?
‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo’ introduces us to Kim Bok-Joo, a promising weightlifting athlete in her college. Her father owns a small chicken restaurant and her uncle wishes to become an actor. With a strong personality and an intense affinity for justice, she and her crew of women weightlifters don’t have a good rep with the boys on campus. As a result, they don’t have boyfriends. Additionally, the weightlifting and rhythmic gymnastic teams don’t get along well with one another.
Jung Joon-Hyung is a talented swimmer from the same college, who has multiple false start disqualification records. A free-spirited 21-year-old, he was raised by his uncle and aunt alongside his cousin Jung Jae-Yi. One day, Kim Bok-Joo comes face to face with Jung Joon-Hyung while he is on his bicycle. Although Jung Joon-Hyung finds her face familiar, he cannot recognize her. He departs and Kim Bok-Joo picks up his handkerchief, which he leaves behind by mistake. Joon-Hyung starts looking for the lost handkerchief because it means a great deal to him.
Kim Bok-Joo cleans and irons the handkerchief and then returns it to Joon-Hyung by the swimming pool. However, the latter bursts into anger when she reveals that she has washed it. Suddenly, Kim Bok-Joo falls into the pool and Joon-Hyung jumps in to save her. This is the moment when they both realize that they have met before and also know one another. It is eventually revealed that as children, Bok-Joo had saved Joon-Hyung, when he had a fatal fall. Thus, begins a new relationship between Bok-Joo and Joon-Hyung.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo Season 2 Release Date: When will it premiere?
‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo’ season 1 premiered on MBC on November 16, 2016. Spanning 16, 60-minute-long episodes, it aired every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:00 (KST).
Bringing in the perfect mix of humor and chemistry, this romantic comedy did manage to gather a globally loyal fanbase during its first run. However, it was not a commercial success. And you should know that this factor plays an important role when creators consider renewing any show. ‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo’ managed to gain only 3.3 percent rating in South Korea and after its finale, gathered an average of 4.6 percent nationwide ratings. Audiences primarily cited the incredible popularity of ‘The Legend Of The Blue Sea’ as one of the reasons for the series’ failure.
However, this does not entirely negate the possibility of a season 2. There are several petitions started by loyal fans demanding a new season. So, let’s wait and see if the K-drama is ultimately given a green signal. We shall again revisit this section if we receive any further update on ‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo’ season 2.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo Trailer:
Check out the official trailer for ‘Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo’ season 1 below.
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