Strong women do bong soon.
I never expected to like this drama as much as I did. I expected it to be a repeat of "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo", and although they both have general romcom similarities, and strong female leads, they are totally different. This is really a superhero story as much as a romcom. Bong Soon is one of those characters that's easy to like and will be hard to forget. The show feels more like a comic than a drama and takes multiple genres to the extreme... it's an action-romance-thriller-comedy... and viewers should be warned that everything about this show is waaaaay over the top. I suggest not taking anything too seriously and just enjoying all the craziness this show has to offer.
Do Bong Soon is played by Park Bo Young, who was in one of my favorite dramas,"Oh My Ghostess", yet I didn't recognize her at all. With her super cute bob haircut, her amped up adorable personality, and her petite stature, it was exciting to see her character with this unexpected superhuman strength. I loved her character's origin story, and I'm always a fan of the anti-damsel in distress, so I was already interested in this drama from episode one. She really plays the sweet girl you don't want to mess with role extremely well.
She is matched with Park Hyung Shik as Ahn Min Hyeok, and I don't think I can accurately describe with words how charming, and just beautiful to look at he is in this role - it's swoon overload. He is not even my type, at all, but it's like they put a special perfection filter on him, and he played every scene in a way that made it impossible for me not to fall for him. Together their adorable couple rating is off the charts! Their chemistry is perfect, so perfect that the cheesiest scenes and moments still worked for me, and soooo many scenes were extra cheesy. He is also so supportive of her, which makes the traditional role reversal refreshing to watch. To me they came right up to the border of being obnoxious in their cuteness, but never crossed it, because they were such a good match.
The rest of the cast was mostly awesome too, considering all the genres that they had to cover. Ji Soo as In Gook Doo completes the love triangle, and plays his part really well, although I honestly couldn't stand how the actual character behaved. Gook Doo may inspire 2nd lead syndrome in some, but he was too controlling and self-righteous for me to really root for. I loved Bong Soon's family, BFF, and especially grandma. I also really liked the villain, who I think was played by the actor better than the character was actually written. He was creepy and sinister, yet kinda seductive and attractive, which I think is a recipe for an excellent villain/nemesis. Then there is the supporting cast MVP Kim Won Hae. I didn't love him in his first role, It was just too corny and gross for me, but his second role was hilarious in its absurdity. I applaud his ability to take both roles to such extremes. The cast is definitely full of memorable characters.
Overall, I would recommend this as a cute twist on a superhero story that encourages female empowerment, not in a subtle way... in a walnut hammer over the head way! I also love the message of not underestimating someone based on appearance, and helping others selflessly. I think it's best to just embrace that the plot is chaos, the comedy is ludicrous, and enjoy the fact that it may not always be coherent but it all supports this character's journey to her destiny (well, maybe not the stupid monk). I also highly recommend it to anyone who is on the lookout for a talented and crush-worthy actor, because I think Park Hyung Shik definitely fits the bill.