Letter #17: Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo

Good afternoon, Erin.
 
Y’know, it’s kinda funny that, on my nightstand, I’ve got...well, I've got about 20 books, but one of them is Volume 3 of Suzuka, the first manga series I ever read—because I was in love with the anime adaptation and wanted to jam it into my brain even when I couldn't watch the show (i.e. at work or during my commute). It was, as I have mentioned before, my go-to comfort series, which I watched on a loop for months and months, because I...well, suffice it to say I needed something like that, at the time. Which is a little sad, but not as sad as how, before this, I had purchased and was reading every morning before going to work a children's novelization of episodes of Phil of the Future to settle my nerves.
 
Anyway, the point is Suzuka was garbage, I loved it to death, and I’ve recently started re-reading it just to give it another look. And found it to be so much worse than I remembeed—but also just as special to me. Which I’m glad about. Or saddened by. I can’t really tell. 
 
BUT...it’s about sports kids falling in love and all that kind of stuff, so I was double-reminded of it, while watching your comfort series, Weightlifting Fairy. 
 
Shall we discuss? Yes, let’s!
 
0. A lot of people are going to get nicknames, here, as is so often the case when I give my thoughts on these shows (I just can’t remember anyone's names in anything, anymore), but I won’t be able to make any points about anyone unless I start by telling you who my pick for best girl is—because, in my notes, that’s literally the only thing I call her: #BestGirl. And, for my money, that’s the rhythmic gymnastics ex-girlfriend roommate villain-but-then-friend girl. I will mention exactly why in bits throughout, but I just need you to know up front that that is how I’ll be referring to her. (Again, that one thing you must remember, or nothing that follows will seem wondrous.)
 
1. It’s relatively subtle, in that none of it is pointedly explicit, but this show is actually really good at paralleling or mirroring themes and motifs for its characters and storytelling. Even ignoring how everything is happening to a group of people who apparently are all in the same sphere of influence but don’t know it, yet, we've got the immediate issue of the weightlifter girls being big and bulky and their “rivals” being the petite and skinny gymnasts, but also the deeper issue of Bok-joo needing to eat more but also trying to lose weight vs. #BestGirl needing to maintain a low weight but stress-binging (and, though really only touched upon, being bulimic (though I thought she was getting sick from stuffing herself, rather than forcing herself to throw up, but maybe I'm thinking about it too narrowly; it’s been a while since I studied eating disorders))—then the boy she’s after being interested in a bulky girl rather than her, while Bok-joo is falling for a weight-loss doctor, which is the last arena a weight-gainer athlete like her should be involved with. We’ve got issues with moms with Nam Do-san and #BestGirl (and, to a lesser degree by virtue of the mom being dead, Bok-joo)—and, heck, even Short-Haired Friend is dealing with mom issues. There’s the “we're just friends!” but “except I secretly love you!” stuff, where Nam Do-san is the one with a crush, but Dr. Handsome (his brother) is the one with the friend crushing on him. Then we’ve got Nam Do-san’s false-start problems and #BestGirl’s case of the yips that’s plaguing her the whole time. And...look, maybe I’m reading a little too much into this, but we’ve even got the more masculine Short-Haired Friend for Bok-joo and the perhaps a bit femme Swim Friend (and roommate!) for Nam Do-san. And there’s other stuff, too, but...well, let’s just leave it at there’s a lot of it, it’s very good, and the show should give itself a pat on the back for it. 
 
1A. Also, #BestGirl is probably the one who is the mirror for the most of the other characters. Until she gets all better and the story stops caring to bring her up. But up to then—we likes complexity, we do.
 
2. So, I know that the issue is that the rhythmic gymnastics girls are petite and pretty and feminine and that’s why they're referred to as the “popular girls,” but I still think it’s funny that they’re doing rhythmic gymnastics, which—certainly from over here—is often derided for how silly and unpopular it is.
 
2A. THAT SAID...I actually kinda love rhythmic gymnastics. Not enough to follow it or seek it out, but when I happen to see it, I get into it. (…except the ball, maybe.) I really, really like the ribbon. My family went to see a...well, it was mostly a dance show, and my mom and sisters were very taken with the dynamic male-led dances and their athletic-intensive portions of the show, but I was rapt every time the women with the big flowy sleeves would come out and make their sleeves go all woosh! in the air. I don’t know what it is. But it’s my jam. Which I mention because we see #BestGirl for the first time in the show as she comes out to do her ribbon routine. And I immediately—immediately—noted down that she was going to be my favorite. (And, this time, I was right.)
 
3. ...though, actually, I think Dr. Handsome was probably my favorite, overall. I just wish he’d had more involvement with the actual story, after the first half. I'm a little miffed that he wasn’t an actual romance option. I know Bok-joo’s whole thing with him was built on lies, but I thought it was adorable. Not the lying, just their chemistry. I thought they coulda worked that out. I mean, weight-loss doctor and weight-gain athlete? It’s like Romeo and Juliet! But without all the high-stakes drama! Or, barring that, I thought he might end up with #BestGirl, given her eating issues and his expertise in weight-related things (and also they both love classical music—which I totally thought was foreshadowing). Alas, no. He ends up with #2ndBestGirl (Dr. Friend)—which is fine, but not as fine as it could be, in terms of storytelling momentum. They just sort of exist in a bubble for the rest of the show, once Bok-joo’s crush is revealed, which bummed me out, a bit. 
 
4. Speaking of Bok-joo, though, I like how much effort they put into trying to make her seem like she wasn’t, y’know, thin and pretty. They basically dressed her like they’d dress an actress whose pregnancy they were trying to hide: all bulky sweatshirts and heavy coats over the sweatshirts, everything loose-fitted, and always always always carrying a bag riiiiiight over her midsection. I’m sure she had some kind of pad on over her tummy, too, in some scenes, and they definitely stuffed her competition shorts with superhero “muscle” padding. Then there was how the actress walked with her hips thrust out, trying to give off the image of having a bit of a gut. Oh, and that haircut. And her facial expressions. Add in the sort of waddle and arm-flapping movements she’d make while moving around to simulate being awkward, I guess, or maybe just ungraceful. It was a full-court press attempt to hide the reality behind the character. Which often came off as a little goofy (as opposed to Hee-do's very natural “masculine” movements) but, y’know, worked enough to not be distracting. 
 
5. Relatedly, I think Bok-joo was consistently at her cutest when she wasn’t being, well, herself. Which is not to say she didn’t have cute moments while being her normal self—because she definitely does, later in the show—but I think what would be classified as the normal Bok-joo persona involves A LOT of layering things on top of the actress’s base personality. Because it’s not just getting into the mind of the character or even just how she’d move, but all the other little things I mentioned above (the exaggerated posture and expressions and the rest) pull energy away from anything that isn’t the false physicality. So, in the instances where she’s not really acting like herself, I felt the actress’s natural charisma got a chance to shine through into the acting, which made her seem cuter. At least, that’s how I saw it.
 
6. And, for the record, I thought her outfit for the concert with Dr. Handsome was adorable. Like, again, I get that it’s not really a her outfit, that it’s this put-on for what she thinks Dr. Handsome will like, but still: shut your big stupid face, Nam Do-san, she looks great. 
 
7. Which, um…okay, yeah, I did not like him, in this. I know that he’s supposed to be “immature,” in that he’s fallen back to being like a little kid with a crush, when he’s around her, because he doesn’t quite know what to do with his feelings—which I think is great, by the way, as a choice for the character—but, gosh, he spends A LOT of time acting more like a bully or a total d***head towards her than a pigtail-pulling jerk with a heart of gold. I’m glad he sort of tones it down in the last couple of episodes, but there’s playful teasing and then there’s whatever the heck nonsense he felt the need to be. I don’t know if the actor got over-enthused with it or if that’s how the character was written to be, but, given that his frequent shirtlessness didn’t do anything for me (and, thus, was not a factor of balance), I didn’t find it endearing. 
 
7A. “But Daryl, you charming stew of contradictions,” I hear you say, “I note that you’re not making any kind of judgment of this sort about Si-ho, who, for at least half the series, is something of a monster to totally undeserving Bok-joo. Isn’t that a bit hypocritical?” Well, dear Erin...shh. 
 
7B. “Is it because of how she’s always writhing around in tights?”  Erin I said shh.
 
7C. No, honestly, I say all of this knowing full well that she’s very unlikeable, in a lot of ways—though I’d also argue that she has a lot more story justification for being that way. But we’ve also discussed my love of bully Chae-ran in True Beauty, so clearly I have a problem, and who cares what I think. 
 
8. Holy crap—I just went to look something up for my next point, and I found an article about k-drama tropes that sounds like I wrote it. How so? THEY TALK ABOUT THE SMOOCHING ISSUE. And a bunch of other stuff, but seeing this one point made me laugh. Oh, and the gif they include is perfect. Okay, just imagine there’s a gif right here that is of a terrible kiss and laugh:
 
[smooshing faces gif]
 
So terrible, right? Ugh. Wow.
 
9. Oh right—the smooching is fine, here. Passing grade for the series. 
 
10. I think my favorite moment in the show is Bok-joo explaining to Nam Do-san that she doesn’t need Dr. Handsome to like her back, and that she just wants to be able to see him and have her crush on him. And…yeah. I see you, Bok-joo. We vibin’.
 
11. Oh, and then she follows it up by saying that being with Dr. Handsome just makes her feel beautiful. Ugh—it's so good. 
 
12. And then she gets depressed from the whole thing imploding, and the show takes a wonderful turn as a (brief) treatise on heartbreak that, I’d say, rivals Our Beloved Summer’s walkthrough of unrequited love. It’s great stuff.
 
13. Actually, while we’re on the subject: Coach Choi’s “There’s no answer to love” was also right on the money.
 
14. Fun detail: while the two of them are at the dance club, Nam Do-san drags Bok-joo out onto the dance floor so they can bust a move…or get jiggy wit’ it…or whatever it’s called these days (dancing? maybe it’s just called dancing), and I found it funny that neither of them seemed to be moving to any specific music—which makes sense, in-story, because they’re both kind of goofing off—but the extras were ALL moving (in a similar style to each other, no less) to a very specific beat. I don’t know if there was actual music playing while they filmed or not (‘cus there often isn’t, in these kinds of scenes, with the music being added in post-production), so the incongruity made me laugh.
 
15. Y’know, they spend a not insignificant amount of time on that rooftop with the lockers and bunkbed. But, within the first handful of episodes, we see it rain at least 900 different times—so how in the heck is anyone comfortable sitting on that mattress?! I know, I know, suspension of disbelief, I’m being a stick-in-the-mud, but…ick.
 
16. With the exception of some minor (or arguably minor) details, I thought Bok-joo and Nam Do-san falling for each other was pretty well done. That it was a game of inches, mostly with neither really knowing that’s what was happening. Because sometimes that’s just how it goes. I mean, sure, there were some wild coincidences, but no gigantic, fated-by-TV-gods events. Just a lot of normal—well, believable if somewhat heightened life stuff.
 
17. I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this before, but I love the silliness of throwing a little square of black tape over logos or designs on their shirts and hats and stuff as a workaround for trademark issues. I don’t know how that’s enough, but…sure. Makes me giggle.
 
17A. Except when it’s with Hyundais.
 
18. Nam Do-san lectures Dr. Handsome about how his kindness hurt Bok-joo, after the whole debacle is revealed, and it occurred to me, later on, that the “kindness can hurt” thing is also reinforced by the bit where the aunt and uncle’s pretending that the mom has been sending him cards and things finally comes to a head. See? This show is really good at this stuff—and they don’t make a big deal out of it. (The parallels, I mean. Obviously there’s a big fight over the whole thing.)
 
19. I was a little disappointed to see the chair-carrying gag didn’t last the whole season.
 
20. Oh, gosh, I forgot to mention: third appearance by Homeroom Teacher from True Beauty—making this, now that I’m saying it, three shows in a row! How ‘bout that?
 
21. I like how #BestGirl is clearly a 30-year-old actress pretending to be 20 who is surrounded by what have to be 16-year-olds pretending to be 20.
 
22. This has been brought up in a lot of these shows, so I finally looked into what double-eyelid surgery is. And I now regret looking up what double-eyelid surgery is.
 
23. As a kind of fence-mending exercise, Dr. Handsome asks Nam Do-san to play catch…leading to one of the worst fan-subtitle moments I’ve ever seen: “How about a round of catch ball?” Amazing. I mean, that is “all your base are belong to us”-levels of bad.
 
24. I liked how, near the end of the series, Twin-Tails Friend declares that Short-Haired Friend and Swim Friend are not allowed to “betray her” by dating anyone, which was the show loudly flashing signs that the two of them were absolutely going to end up together. (Which…I guess they do? That’s dropped pretty quickly.)
 
25. Speaking of: I was surprised to find I ended up liking Short-Haired Friend more than Twin-Tails Friend. A lot of that was probably down to her having a lot more going on (which they both crammed into a very small space—successfully—and also weirdly dropped almost immediately after). Which, again, was surprising. I thought for sure she was going to be the sidelined one. Shame on me.
 
25A. Also Swim Friend—liked him, too.
 
26. There’s sooooo much food consumption, on this show. I’m really curious about how they did that. Like, was there a lot of eating, or was there a lot of very clever editing to get around how much they stuffed in their mouths to then immediately spit out (because eating that much is both ludicrous—to say nothing of doing so in multiple takes—and probably not in the best interest of the actresses)?
 
27. Speaking of food: is…cutting someone’s food for him or her a romantic gesture? Like, is it an extension of the “here, eat this!” move everyone’s always making?
 
28. And, y’know, while we’re on it: there’s a lot of chatter, in the show, about weight and beauty and stuff, and, to the show’s credit, there’s not anything to take a side or make a case for one side over the other (or the other or other or other, if we’re honest), beyond characters dealing with very specific issues that are connected to the topic. But, in response to Twin-Tails Friend’s initial speech, early in the show (about plump girls being “hidden beauties”), I want to say this: I think chubby Selena Gomez is hotter than thin Selena Gomez—and I don’t care who knows it.
 
29. Y’know, Dr. Friend’s plan to upend her connection Dr. Handsome by telling him that she’d been lying about a lot of details about herself to impress him for 10 years was…um, a strategy, certainly. I’d probably have been more hurt by that, if I were him.
 
30. Look, I’m just saying: they literally invent a girl for Bok-joo’s uncle to end up with. Why doesn’t #BestGirl end up with someone? I demand answers!
 
31. I can’t tell if…, like, am I mad about the time skip? I feel like I am. But it’s also so much a coda to the series that I don’t really mind that it’s…y’know, for consistency’s sake—darn that time skip!
 
32. Fun detail: after the time skip, when she’s grown her #BestGirl-ish ponytail, Bok-joo has her hair held in a giant bow clip, which is a nod to the one she wears to see Dr. Handsome. But it’s pink, not red, so it’s allowed.
 
33. Wait—they were saying swag the whole time?! I thought they were saying…um…well, like, where’s the “G” sound?! Literally the final signoff in the credits is what clued me in to this. My whole world is shattered, now.
 
And that’s all I got. (Well, there’s this one note about how I kept wishing that one girl on the weightlifting team with the ponytail who never had any lines was Chae-ran, but I didn’t want to seem like a weirdo, so I left it out. Phew! Dodged that bullet!)
 
This was a nice time, despite a couple of things leaving me less than enthralled. I think the whole thing was very well put together, well-paced, funny, had good characters—just a solid show that got better and better as it went on.
 
As ever, I am wondering—with great anticipation—where I might be sent next. I’m sure it’ll be fun.
 
…unless it’s Thirty-Nine, which I’m going to have things to say about, let me tell you.
 
--Daryl