Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (Korean: 역도요정 김복주; RR: Yeokdo-yojeong Gim Bok-ju) is a South Korean television series starring Lee Sung-kyung in the title role, with Nam Joo-hyuk. It is a coming-of-age sports drama, inspired by the life of Olympic gold-medalist Jang Mi-ran.[1][2] It aired on MBC every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:00 (KST) starting November 16, 2016 to January 11, 2017.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo | |
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Promotional poster | |
Genre | |
Created by | Han Hee |
Written by | Yang Hee-seung |
Directed by | Oh Hyun-jong |
Starring | |
Composer(s) |
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Country of origin | South Korea |
Original language(s) | Korean |
No. of episodes | 16 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
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Cinematography |
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Editor(s) | Oh Sere-na |
Camera setup | Single camera |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Production company(s) | Chorokbaem Media |
Distributor | MBC |
Release | |
Original network | MBC TV |
Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) |
Audio format | Dolby Digital |
Original release | November 14, 2016 – January 13, 2017 |
External links | |
Website | |
Production website |
The series resonated with the young demographic; although it averaged 4.6% in audience share, and received the lowest viewership ratings in its time-slot throughout its run.[3][4] It gained a cult following amongst young viewers, and received mostly favorable reviews.[5][6] The series also received popularity overseas, particularly in the Philippines.[7]
Synopsis
A coming-of-age story about a group of college athletes who are fighting for their dreams, experiencing and finding love in the process, and growing every step of the way.
Cast
Main
- Lee Sung-kyung as Kim Bok-joo 김복주 [8][9][10]
- A naturally gifted weightlifter with an ambitious and outgoing personality. While growing up with her father who was a former weightlifter, she got inspired to do the same thing. She stands up for injustice as well–although she still feels shyness and awkwardness around boys, she not hesitate to beat them up if they provoke her. She hides her insecurities and fragile heart under her strong exterior.
- Nam Joo-hyuk as Jung Joon-hyung 정준형 [11]
- He is Kim Bok-joo's childhood friend from when they were in elementary school. Both Kim Bok-joo and himself didn't recognize nor remember each other, until an incident occurred that dug up memories. A talented swimmer with a playful personality, he suffers from a trauma that began when he realized that the postcards being sent to him by his mother were actually from his aunt and uncle. This event coincided with his first big international tournament, and as a result, he made a false start due to a panic attack and got disqualified. He enjoys teasing Bok-Joo, and later falls in love with her.
- Lee Jae-yoon as Jung Jae-yi 정재이
- Joon-hyung's cousin and ersatz older brother. A former athlete who becomes an obesity doctor due to an injury. His gentle and kind personality makes him the first man that Bok-Joo falls in love with.
- Kyung Soo-jin as Song Shi-ho 송시호
- Bok-Joo's roommate and Joon-Hyung's ex-girlfriend. She still has feelings for him and becomes jealous of his and Bok-joo's strong relationship, leading her to commit negative acts towards Bok-joo. She is a top-class rhythmic gymnast, who won a silver medal at the Asian Games at the age of eighteen. Shi-ho is an overachiever, and is under constant stress about her weight and skills, which caused her to break up with Joon-hyung, and act rashly in various situations.
Supporting
Weightlifting team
- Cho Hye-jung as Jung Nan-hee 정난희, despite her strength is a very feminine girl who dreams of romance and always willing to spread happiness.
- Lee Joo-young as Lee Seon-ok 이선옥, is direct, loves to eat, and does not show much affection but is loyal to her friends. She eventually "demonstrates" some potential interest in Tae-Kwon.
- Choi Moo-sung as Yoon Deok-man 윤덕만, Professor/Coach
- Jang Young-nam as Choi Sung-eun 최성은, Coach
- Oh Eui-shik as Bang Woon-ki 방운기, Team Captain
- Lee Bit-na as Bitna 빛나, Bok-joo's junior
- Moon Ji-yoon as Sang Chul 상철
- Jo Mi-nyeo
- Yoo Joon-hong
- Noh Yeong-joo
- Lee Ye-bin
Swimming team
- Ji Il-joo as Jo Tae-Kwon, the very friendly and silly roommate of Joon-hyung who eventually shows some interest in Seon-Ok.
- Kim Jae-hyun as Kim Jae-hyun[12]
- Kim Woo-hyuk as Kim Woo-hyuk[13]
- Joon-hyung's junior. He has a habit of dating women, then ghosting them, and thus is hated by all his female peers.
- Choi Woong as Kim Gi-seok
- Joon-hyung's senior. He has a crush on Shi-ho, and treats Joon-Hyung with a more gruff demeanor.
- Lee Ji-hoon
- Kim Nam-woo
- Kwon Hyuk-beom
Rhythmic gymnastics team
- Cho Soo-hyang as Soo-bin
- A rising star collegiate rhythmic gymnast who competes with Shi-ho.
- Ray Yang as Sung Yoo-hwi, Coach
- Lee Seul
- Oh Ha-nui
- Kim Yoo-ji
- Jung Yoo-jin
People around Bok-joo
- Ahn Gil-kang as Kim Chang-gul
- Bok-joo's father, a former weightlifter who owns a fried chicken restaurant
- Kang Ki-young as Kim Dae-ho
- Bok-joo's uncle, a part-time aspiring actor who works at the restaurant
People around Joon-hyung
- Jung In-gi as Joon-hyung's paternal uncle and foster father
- Lee Jung-eun as Joon-hyung's paternal aunt and foster mother
Extended
- Yoo Da-in as Go Ah-young
- A doctor at the Hanwool College of Physical Education. She has a crush on Jae-yi.
- Park Won-sang as Psychotherapist
- Kim Yoon-ji
- Kim Chae-eun
- Kim Cha-kyung
- Seo Wang-seok
- Kim Hyun-jung as Dormitory's house mistress
- Jung Hyun-seok as Dormitory's house mistress
- Park Jung-min
- Park Gun-lak
- Lee Joon-hee
- Lee Suk-jin
- Lim Seo-jung
- Yoo Yeong-bin
- Lim Uk-jin
- Lim Geun-seo
- Jung Soo-in
- Seo Kwang-jae
- Choi Nam-wook
- Tae Won-seok
- Heo Min-kang
- Jeon Ji-ahn
Special appearances (Cameo)
- Yoon Jin-hee as Weightlifting contestant (Ep. 1)
- Kim Jaehyun as Joonhyung's minion (Ep.2)
- Jota as Choi Tae-hoon (Ep. 1, 15)
- Lee Soo-ji as Ku Seul (Ep. 1)
- Lee Jong-suk as Jong-suk, Chicken Restaurant Customer (Ep. 2)[14][15]
- Yoon Yoo-sun as Kim Jung-yeon, Joon-hyung's biological mother (Ep. 6, 14-15)
- Shin A-young as announcer
- Ahn Il-kwon
- Noh Woo-jin
- Z.Hera as Song Shi-eon, Shi-ho's sister (Ep. 8-9, 13)
- Ji Soo as Bok-joo's fellow worker (Ep. 11)
- Seohyun as Hwan-hee, Jae-yi's ex-girlfriend (Ep. 12)
- Min Sung-wook as Sang-goo (Ep. 12)
- Kim Seul-gi as Seul-gi, supermarket employee (Ep. 15)[16]
- Byeon Woo-seok as Joon-Hyung's senior (Ep. 16)
Production
The series is written by Yang Hee-seung of the 2015 romantic comedies Oh My Ghostess and High School King of Savvy; and directed by PD Oh Hyun-joong of 7th Grade Civil Servant. The first script reading took place on August, 2016 at MBC broadcasting station in Sangam, Seoul, South Korea.[17][18]
Original soundtrack
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo OST | |
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Soundtrack album by Various artists | |
Recorded | 2016 |
Genre | Soundtrack |
Language | |
Label | KT Music Star entery entertainment |
OST Part 1
No. | Title | Artist | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "You & I" | Kim Jong-wan (Nell) | 3:37 |
2. | "You & I" (Inst.) | 3:37 | |
Total length: | 7:14 |
OST Part 2
No. | Title | Artist | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "From Now On" (앞으로) | Vincent Blue | 3:33 |
2. | "From Now On" (Inst.) | 3:33 | |
Total length: | 7:06 |
OST Part 3
No. | Title | Artist | Length |
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1. | "Dreaming" (꿈꾼다) | Han Hee-jung | 4:02 |
2. | "Dreaming" (Inst.) | 4:02 | |
Total length: | 8:04 |
OST Part 4
No. | Title | Artist | Length |
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1. | "Somehow" (왠지 요즘) | J.Mi (Lush) | 3:25 |
2. | "Somehow" (Inst.) | 3:25 | |
Total length: | 6:50 |
OST Part 5
No. | Title | Artists | Length |
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1. | "I'll Pick You Up" (데리러 갈게) | Standing Egg | 3:45 |
2. | "I'll Pick You Up" (Inst.) | 3:45 | |
Total length: | 7:30 |
OST Part 6
No. | Title | Artist | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Permeate" (스르륵) | Lee Hae-in | 3:37 |
2. | "Permeate" (Inst.) | ||
Total length: | 7:14 |
OST Part 7
No. | Title | Artist | Length |
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1. | "Again Again Again" (또또또) | Lee Jin-ah | 2:24 |
2. | "Again Again Again" (Inst.) | 2:24 | |
Total length: | 4:48 |
OST Part 8
No. | Title | Artist | Length |
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1. | "Is It Love?" (사랑인걸까?) | Ahn Hyun-jung | 3:30 |
2. | "Is It Love?" (Inst.) | 3:30 | |
Total length: | 7:50 |
No. | Title | Artist | Length |
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1. | "Weightlifting fairy kim bok joo" (Opening Title) | Various Artists | 2:10 |
2. | "A New Beginning" | Various Artists | 2:06 |
3. | "A Mischievous Triangle" | Various Artists | 2:42 |
4. | "A Strange Pink Atmosphere" | Various Artists | 2:11 |
5. | "'Bok Joo' Is Love" | Various Artists | 2:34 |
6. | "Boyfriend vs Girlfriend" | Various Artists | 2:07 |
7. | "Bok Joo's Family Chicken Restaurant" | Various Artists | 1:57 |
8. | "Comfort" | Various Artists | 2:18 |
9. | "Clear" | Various Artists | 3:11 |
10. | "Can You Keep the Secret?" | Various Artists | 1:59 |
11. | "Do You Like... MESSI?" | Various Artists | 2:11 |
12. | "Forgotten Dream" | Various Artists | 2:13 |
13. | "From gurl to woman" | Various Artists | 3:22 |
14. | "Her Bucket List" | Various Artists | 2:16 |
15. | "Keep Missing You" | Various Artists | 1:40 |
16. | "Lost" | Various Artists | 3:01 |
17. | "Lovely Day" | Various Artists | 2:32 |
18. | "Mom's Postcard" | Various Artists | 2:51 |
19. | "Naughty One-Sided Love" | Various Artists | 1:47 |
20. | "On That Day, We...." | Various Artists | 3:10 |
21. | "Obesity Clinic?" | Various Artists | 1:56 |
22. | "See You Again, Kkung!" | Various Artists | 2:06 |
23. | "Smiley" | Various Artists | 2:08 |
24. | "Same Heart, Different Dream" | Various Artists | 4:04 |
25. | "Sorry, I Can't Protect You" | Various Artists | 1:50 |
26. | "Sly" | Various Artists | 2:07 |
27. | "Road of Mind" | Various Artists | 2:22 |
28. | "Toads and Coins" | Various Artists | 2:46 |
29. | "Trauma" | Various Artists | 2:08 |
30. | "Twenty Years Old" | Various Artists | 2:04 |
31. | "That's How You Became an Adult" | Various Artists | 2:39 |
32. | "The Beginning of Flutter" | Various Artists | 1:35 |
33. | "What??" | Various Artists | 1:55 |
34. | "Weightlifting Department of Haneol P. E College" | Various Artists | 2:30 |
Ratings
- In the table below, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
- NR denotes that the drama did not rank in the top 20 daily programs on that date.
Episode # | Date | Average audience share | |||
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TNmS Ratings[19] | AGB Nielsen[20] | ||||
Nationwide | Seoul National Capital Area | Nationwide | Seoul National Capital Area | ||
1 | November 16, 2016 | 4.1% (NR) | 4.1% (NR) | 3.3% (NR) | 3.6% (NR) |
2 | November 17, 2016 | 5.0% (NR) | 5.2% (NR) | 3.5% (NR) | |
3 | November 23, 2016 | 4.8% (NR) | 5.3% (NR) | 4.4% (NR) | 4.9% (NR) |
4 | November 24, 2016 | 4.9% (NR) | 5.2% (NR) | 4.6% (NR) | 4.9% (NR) |
5 | November 30, 2016 | 4.8% (NR) | 4.9% (NR) | 4.4% (NR) | 4.5% (NR) |
6 | December 1, 2016 | 4.5% (NR) | 5.3% (NR) | 4.6% (NR) | 5.4% (NR) |
7 | December 7, 2016 | 4.4% (NR) | 4.8% (NR) | 5.7% (NR) | |
8 | December 8, 2016 | 4.6% (NR) | 4.6% (NR) | 5.4% (NR) | 5.5% (NR) |
9 | December 14, 2016 | 4.2% (NR) | 4.4% (NR) | 4.1% (NR) | 4.4% (NR) |
10 | December 15, 2016 | 4.8% (NR) | 5.3% (NR) | 5.1% (NR) | 5.6% (NR) |
11 | December 21, 2016 | 4.7% (NR) | 5.2% (NR) | 4.4% (NR) | 4.6% (NR) |
12 | December 22, 2016 | 5.1% (NR) | 5.3% (NR) | 4.5% (NR) | 4.7% (NR) |
13 | December 28, 2016 | 5.5% (NR) | 6.3% (NR) | 5.0% (NR) | 5.8% (NR) |
14 | January 4, 2017 | 5.0% (NR) | 5.9% (NR) | 5.4% (NR) | 6.3% (NR) |
15 | January 5, 2017 | 5.5% (NR) | 6.4% (20th) | 5.8% (NR) | |
16 | January 11, 2017 | 5.4% (NR) | 5.5% (NR) | 5.2% (NR) | 5.3% (NR) |
Average | 4.8% | 5.3% | 4.6% | 5.0% |
- Episode 14 didn't air as scheduled (Thursday, December 29) due to MBC Entertainment Awards.
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | 35th MBC Drama Awards | Excellence Award, Actress in a Miniseries[21] | Lee Sung-kyung | Won |
Best New Actor[22] | Nam Joo-hyuk | Won | ||
Best Couple Award | Nam Joo-hyuk and Lee Sung-kyung | Nominated |
International broadcast
Country | Network(s)/Station(s) | Title |
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ABS-CBN | ( Weightlifting Fairy ) | |
Asianovela Channel | ( Weightlifting Fairy ) | |
References
- "Newcomer actors mature through 'Kim Bok-joo'". The Korea Times. 16 January 2017.
- "New sports drama to revolve around youth and love". Yonhap News Agency. 2016-11-14.
- [美친시청률] '푸른바다' 첫방부터 16.4%, 수목대전 압도적 1위. OSEN (in Korean). 2016-11-17.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo premieres in last place with 3.3%
- 이성경·남주혁 '역도 요정', 5.2% 종영. Newsis (in Korean).
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo ends in last place with 5.2%
- ‘역도요정 김복주’ 시청률이 다는 아니올시다 [역도요정 으랏차차①]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 4 January 2017.
- "[인터뷰①] Nam Joo Hyuk Talks Weight, Ratings, and Acting Skills For "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo"". Sports Chosun (in Korean).
- "5 things to know before watching 'Weightlifting Fairy'". ABS CBN News.
- "이성경·MBC 양 측 "'역도요정 김복주', 출연제안만…확정 無" (공식입장)" (in Korean). Naver. 30 June 2016. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- "MBC "이성경, '역도요정 김복주' 출연 미정..여러 후보 중 한명"(공식입장) - 스타뉴스". Star News (in Korean). 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
- [단독] 이성경, 장미란 된다…'역도요정' 파격 캐스팅 : 스포츠조선. Sports Chosun (in Korean). Retrieved 2016-10-16.
- [단독] 남주혁, '역도 요정 김복주' 주연 물망…'역시 대세남'. OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved 2016-10-16.
- 엔플라잉 김재현 측 "‘역도요정 김복주’ 출연 확정". Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved 2016-10-16.
- '역도요정 김복주' 신예 김우혁 캐스팅, 수영부 꽃미남 신입생役. TV Daily (in Korean). Retrieved 2016-10-16.
- "[단독] 이종석 '역도요정 김복주' 특별출연, YG팸 지원사격" (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved 2016-10-16.
- 이종석, 오늘(17일) '역도요정' 카메오 등판…분위기 바꾸나 (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
- '역도요정 김복주' 김슬기 카메오…"즐거웠다" (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved 2017-01-03.
- "'역도요정김복주' 이성경·남주혁, 첫 대본리딩 "11월에 만나요" :: THE STAR". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- 이성경·남주혁, ´역도요정…´으로 생애 첫 주인공 - 일간스포츠 (in Korean). JTBC. Retrieved 2017-02-23.
- "TNMS Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". TNMS Ratings (in Korean). Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- "AGB Daily Ratings: this links to current day-select the date from drop down menu". AGB Nielsen Media Research (in Korean). Archived from the original on March 17, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
- Lee Joo-hee (30 December 2016). "[2016 MBC 연기대상] '쇼핑왕' 서인국 & '역도' 이성경, 우수연기상 미니시리즈 부문 수상". Electronic Times (in Korean). Retrieved 2016-12-30.
- Jang Ji-hoon (30 December 2016). "[2016 MBC 연기대상] 남주혁·류준열·남지현·조보아 신인상 영예". Focus News (in Korean). Archived from the original on 31 December 2016. Retrieved 2016-12-30.
External links
- Official website (in Korean)
- Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo on IMDb
- Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo at HanCinema
- Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo at Daum (in Korean)