First Impressions: "Strong Woman Do Bong Soon"

JTBC’s newest drama “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” stars Park Bo Young, Park Hyung Sik, and Ji Soo. I was already on board when I first heard about this drama, mainly because I wanted to find a new story to gush over after falling in love with “Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo.” And while Do Bong Soon is just as sweet and strong (if not more…) as Kim Bok Joo, her story is substantially different, in a good way.

If you’re looking for something hilarious and adorkable mixed in with some freaky thriller, this drama is for you!

Warning: Contains spoilers

The plot

“Strong Woman Do Bong Soon” features Park Bo Young as the titular heroine who is born with incredible strength and is hired to be the bodyguard of Ahn Min Hyuk (Park Hyung Sik), the CEO of a game company. Things get tricky when an unexpected murder happens in her small neighborhood of Dobong-dong, bringing her long-time crush In Gook Doo (Ji Soo) to her aid as they try to keep up with the recent events.

Quirky characters

First of all, the characters in this drama are wacky. But in the best way possible.

Do Bong Soon

Do Bong Soon is a young woman whose cute demeanor is immediately offset by her up-front attitude and Herculean strength. I love that she’s not your typical “Candy” character. She’s strong, confrontational, and adorable at the same time. It’s pretty awesome to see Park Bo Young display some super human strength in such a cute way.

Ahn Min Hyuk

Park Hyung Sik is amazing as Ahn Min Hyuk because he effortlessly goes from hilarious to serious to everything else in a split second. Almost every word that comes out of his mouth makes me burst out laughing. He’s like an unpredictable beagle.

In Gook Doo

Then there’s Ji Soo, who really shines as In Gook Doo. He’s a total tsundere, aka rough on the outside, sweet on the inside. And while tsundere characters have a tendency to seem moody and angsty, this drama portrays In Gook Doo as a character who is unintentionally funny because he’s so serious compared to everyone else. It also helps that Ji Soo looks really good as a police officer.

Surprising thriller

Watching this drama the night it premiered freaked me out because I was so NOT ready for the thriller elements. Do Bong Soon’s neighborhood goes into a shock when a young woman is murdered in the area. The first episode was already tense with the threats to Park Hyung Sik and an attack on a woman, but when we actually see the killer later on, that’s when things gets downright freaky. And as scary as it is to watch this at night, the fast-paced thriller elements are making me anxious to see what happens next.

Final thoughts

This drama sort of feels like a superhero’s coming-of-age story (or so I hope). With great use of music, visual effects, and intense flashbacks, the cast and crew are doing a great job so far in making me curious to know more about Do Bong Soon and her amazing strength.

I want her to be a superhero so bad…

I’m also really loving the attention to detail when it comes to character quirks and hilarious dialogue. And while the drama feels a little confusing with its sudden change in tone (it goes from cute to scary real fast), it keeps me on my toes, which is exciting. It’s like a hybrid drama where romantic-comedy meets action meets dark thriller, and I am loving it so far.

What do you think of Strong Woman Do Bong Soon? Let us know in the comments!

Watch the first episode here: [viki]https://www.viki.com/videos/1116518v-strong-woman-do-bong-soon-episode-1?utm_source=soompi&utm_medium=drama&utm_campaign=first-impressions-strong-woman-bong-soon&utm_content_id=954411wpp[/viki]