Strong Girl Namsoon (2023)

Super women vs. useless men

I was really hoping to love this show and get the same emotions that I got when watching Strong Woman Do Bong Soon since this is a spin off of that show. Unfortunately I do not get any of the same emotions and it does not arouse much of my interest. Comparing the two is inevitable since this is marketed as a spin off and even has a brief appearance of the original couple. What drew people in was the amazing chemistry that the parent show had. The three main characters in it had unbelievable chemistry that left you often laughing or swooning effortless. The episodes never felt long and the story was well managed and paced.

This show, however, does not meet any of that same criteria. It also does not focus on Nam Soon either. The focus of this show is centered around the 3 generations of women in this family that are strong. But some of the principles you learned about the gift in the parent show is ignored in this show. Even overlooking that aspect Nam Soon is essentially a super hero while all of the men around them are reduced to ridiculous and useless characters that carry no significance at all. It is practically an extreme feminist reversal of gender roles. Then you have the love triangle with the main antagonist, who carries most of the interest in this entire show, and the 'good guy' cop who both fall in love with Nam Soon. Personally I don't see the chemistry in either pair. You are just told by the writer that these men like her but as a viewer you have no idea why since she behaves like a middle school girl and shows no interest toward either man either. There is nothing about their interactions that convince you that any of these characters really like each other which could primarily be because the story follows so many different characters that there is not enough screen time for them to get you invested as a viewer. The mother has more screen time than Nam Soon whom the show is named for.

The story line and pacing for this show is also poorly done and not well flushed out leaving you often bored. You will find yourself wanting to skip significant portions fairly often. Personally I think that all the scenes with her grandmother could be completely removed and instead could have been used to better acquaint you with the main triangle. I have continued to watch up until episode 12 and have found myself utterly bored with this. I will most likely finish this by skimming the last few episodes just to get the gist of how it ends.

I do not recommend this if you have seen Strong Woman Do Bong Soon but if you are going into this never having seen the prior then you may find it more interesting. Just go in with low expectations.

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SO FAR A GREAT REBOOT

I was a bit sceptic but mostly excited about this show. I was scared they were gonna stray away from the original vibe, but so far, it brings back so many references and memories from the original show. I laughed so hard, just as I did with Bong-soon. So far, I'm loving every second, and can't wait for the rest of the episodes. Casting is great, newer actors are included which is expected since that was the case with Bong-soon aswell. Excited for Byeon Woo-seok as the villain, we were used to seeing him as this sweet, loving guy, so this is a great change. I know Lee Yoo-mi from 'All of us are dead' and it'll be great to see her as this complete opposite. I'm loving the overall feminist vibe, it has gotten even more noticable in this show. Also, I'm so, so, so excited for cameo of our favourite Bong Bong & Min Min couple.

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Please don’t Disneyfy this beloved franchise, Mr Netflix

Edit: After watching 10 eps, I've revised this review (probably) for the final time. Enjoy!

I was looking forward to this show with anticipation. The original series was one of my favourites.

I knew it won’t be the same as the original, so I am willing to cut it some slack. The start of the show is certainly different, but the young actress was so cute and earnest I'm willing to jump onboard even though it is questionable if the way she uses her powers is canon, but I’ll give it a hall pass for now.

I wished this is the only issue. There are many more. In fact, the only thing consistent with this show is how inconsistent it is. In the original series, the rule around the use and abuse of their special power is well established. However, not only is the FL using her power without a care. Her mother and grandmother also abuse it without a second thought. How can this be?

On top of that, they should be internet sensations considering how blatant they are, but they ain't. It is as if everything can be hushed up with the click of their manicured fingers. However, the narrative contradicts itself repeatedly.

While the new FL is refreshing in her straightforwardness at the start of the show, after a few episodes, her portrayal is borderline grating. She doesn’t so much deliver her lines but fire them out like a gatling gun. She also moves with an exaggerated gangliness. Why? Her one-note performance is wearing. It is one thing to call her naïve but time and again, the excuse is that she is from Mongolia. Geez, I hope they are not streaming this in Ulaanbaatar.

The other female leads are not much better. The mum swings between playing Batwoman and Crazy Rich Woman. She throws money around like confetti. Come to think of it, the whole plotline involving the grandma is superfluous. It just highlights how pathetic most of the male characters are but she brought nothing new to the table. She is too cringey to be an effective comedic relief.

There are too many plot holes to list but it pretty much comes down to whatever needs to happen, happens. It feels like narrative logic and good sense have both packed up and ran screaming from da hood. The writer-nim doubles down on this from ep.7 onwards. It is now in the "see no evil, hear no evil" territory.

It also feels hollow when the show tries to tackle serious topics. The drug abuse problem is marginalised because most of the victims are faceless canon fodders. Until it hits too close to home then everything pales into insignificance. Ditto, the fat shaming of the brother is gratuitous while ignoring the root cause of his condition.

By the half way mark, it feels like plots are products of brainstorming sessions after one too many soju bombs. There is so much going on. Subplots darts off in every direction, most are inconsequential but distract us from the A-plot. There is actually a very insightful scene when the assistant to Hwang Geum Joo asks if one of the antagonist will see through her deception. Her reply was, "They are stupider than you think." Is she talking about me?

It is telling that the only person I'm interested in after watching 10 eps is the main antagonist. It is never a good look when the viewer starts paying more attention to the bad guy(s). From my point of view, the 3 FL's are unrelatable, and to a varying degree, unlikeable. The young FL leaps out of tall buildings, runs faster than a speeding car and drinks poison for LOL's. Yet she skins her knees by tripping over her own feet. Why? Because the ML is there to fuss over her. This is not dumbing down, this is frontal lobotomy.

This brings me to the most poignant moment of this show. In ep.3, we have the original OTP appearing in a cameo. OMG, I could cry. Every interaction, gestures, banter reminded me how good was the original. It also dismisses any claims that this show is a reboot with a clean slate.

I watch with dismay what Disney is doing to Star Wars and the MCU. I know Netflix has jumped on the k-drama bandwagon in a big way. I can see this show being turned into a gaudy super hero franchise. Everything is loud and cartoon-y yet there is little substance behind the garish facade. We don't need more of this.

I'm not saying the show is totally unwatchable. There are the odd cute or funny moments. The plots will test your credulity though. If you are hoping that this spin-off will recreate the charm and engagement of the original then you will be sorely disappointed.

I hung on with grim determination for as long as I can, but it is getting too tough. Maybe I'll speed watch the last few eps for the sake of completeness later. Peace Out.

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FORGET ALL THE HATE COMMENTS!

Don't expect a copy of Strong Woman Bong-soon.
(English isn't my first language, so there might be some mistakes)

Strong Girl Nam-soon is not only a sequel to Strong Woman Bong-soon, but also works as an independent story. There are many references to the original kdrama, but Nam-soon is unique. Lee Yoo Mi finally got her first leading role and showed why she is competent. It's extremely unfair to say that her performance is childish when her cousin Bong-soon was childish as well... People claim that the story is exaggerated, but believe it or not, the original was too! This saga of strong women has a great influence on comic book stories, so it's supposed to be exaggerated. If you don't like it, why watch it to the end?

Another crucial point: the relationship between the main couple. I agree that they had limited screen time, but the protagonists were Nam-soon, her mother, and her grandmother. Just look at the cast here on MDL and you'll see three main characters. I've seen comments that the couple is too innocent, but so were Min-Min and Bong-Bong... So what's the problem?

Strong Girl Nam-soon addressed important issues, just like its prequel, but with more contemporary issues like phishing. Ageism, fatphobia, homelessness, and drug abuse were also dealt with brilliantly. I'm curious to see how Geum Joo's investigation will continue next season! (Will we get a strong boy by accident? I was surprised and excited by this idea).

Finally, it became clear that if the villain's appearance attracts more attention than the male lead's, it won't matter to most people how cruel he is as long as he's handsome. It's absurd how many people shipped Shi Oh with Nam-soon! He literally wanted to kill her and her family! He was a sadistic psychopath! It's disheartening to read so many negative comments about Hee Shik when he was always sweet...

If you haven't watched Nam-soon yet, I recommend not to be influenced by malicious comments. Some people aren't open to new things outside of the cliché.

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The plot got lost along the way

Comparing this spin-off to the original series is kind of inevitable, given how different they are.

It feels like they were aiming for that natural cuteness we got from Do Bongsoon in "Strong Woman," but they've taken Gang Namsoon in a really caricatured direction. Her use of informal Korean doesn't make sense, considering she spent part of her childhood in Korea. It just seems like they're going for an overly cute vibe, and we haven't really seen her shine in any intense scenes yet - and we know that she can.

Gang Heesik feels more like a supporting character than a convincing romantic interest. Plus the female lead's childish personality, it's really hard to root for them.

This is a stark contrast to "Strong Woman," which hooked fans with the amazing chemistry between the leads.

However, the drama doesn't seem to be heading in that direction either. There are so many plotlines going on at once that romance seems to be taking a back seat. In the last episode, we saw more of Namsoon's grandmother than Namsoon herself.

We're already at episode 10, and there are so many ongoing plots and loose ends still hanging. I seriously doubt they can wrap everything up neatly in just 6 more episodes.

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I Refuse to Believe Beak Mi Kyung Wrote This

I can not stress this enough, quit while you're ahead. The story at first seems promising, but the added side quests, stupid character choices, and lack of having the ML & FL in the same room for more than 5 minutes doomed this to be the worst show I completed in 2023.
There is entire side quest with a homeless couple that goes nowhere. They dont stay close with any other member of the cast & break up after both receiving money from FL's mother for helping her.
The fake daughter had so much potential for storyline, but they fridged her in the end.
The FL had more screen time with the villain of the show as he was her boss and in closer proximity to the FL. Having her stay in the ML's apartment could have been a way to have them interact more, but he's almost never there when she is. They never take the time to flesh out the FL's feeling when it comes to her relationship to ANYONE. She has a long lost TWIN brother...has dinner with him 2 or 3 times.
I figured out who the "big bad" was during the first episode they appear.
If they wanted a story for 16 episodes instead of 20 like the previous series, they should have cut the fat. The uncle storyline wasnt necessary in the least. Why are we having multiple scenes with a doctor we never see again, and why do we need him to learn more about the secretary/anchor woman? Answer...we dont.
As a final note to end on...what senior detective, not just a cop but SENIOR DRUG DETECTIVE, touches an unknown substance that is known to KILL people with their bare hands and then proceed to stick the drug covered finger IN THEIR MOUTH! When the supposed smartest person in the room is too stupid to live I should have known to cut bait.

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A good show with faulty plot

I didnt have the same problem as the other viewers had. I didnt think Ryu Shio was my favorite character like everyone else. And also, i liked all the character and the side stories. I liked the mom & bread song the best, and even namsoon's youthfulness (which turned off a lot of viewers early on). But the main plot which was the drug angle could have worked better if it made sense. Like why did the drug make Shio strong but not make Namsoon even stronger in the beginning of episode 16. Why are so many people taking a drug that doesnt even taste good. It weakened the overall story and i basically skippes the second half of the last episode where everybody is happy and one big family. Would have rated an 8 if it all came together. My rating 6.5 stars.

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Strong in the Wrong Way

Sequels can be suspect especially after a very successful original. However, this series had a nice start with all the unique connections and developments and then it started to become a cheesy, bad, awkward, silly mess. The romance between the leads felt not only forced but unrealistic at times due to the quirkiness of the FL. After a while, I found myself more interested in the villain plot than any other part of the series. It started to drag even when there was action. The choppiness of trying to link everything together missed the mark. OST was forgettable. This fell flat. NOT WORTH THE WATCH!

Suggestion: Watch the original IT IS WAY BETTER!

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Major drop from OG

THIS time cop is male lead
i did not feel anything for second male lead in Strong woman do bong soon because he was IDIOT
Now I still don't feel anything for our COP because in this he is plain , there is no chemistry between leads at all, from OG where Park hyung shik admit to even fall in love with FL for real, this drama was so flat


Female lead is good with her acting skills and she is doing her best but story isn't doing anything to help her at all...
first time watching her and i am impressed by her acting
I was hoping for improving from wonderful DO BONG SOON but the degreaded wonderfully
Still 5/10 for cute FL

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I just wish it was better

as soon as this was announced I was so hyped and excited because SWDBS is one of my absolute favorite kdramas of all time . I can’t believe this is written by the same person who made SWDBS .
the writing here is so so bad , first 3 episodes were promising , well start - also with park bo young and park hyung sik appearance that literally made my entire year better . but then the storyline became so weak and messy .
too many side stories with so many screen time???? tell me tf why the grandma and her bf had more romance and screen time then our main couple??????
and the mother made me so mad sometimes I couldn’t stand her behavior , the way she treated her son was too much . she only talked and cared about namsoon , she definitely has favorite child and thats so messed up .
the only thing I liked since the beginning was main leads romance that we didn’t even get much of .
I wish main lead - hee shik had more back story and storyline other than just been there as the hot cop bf of namsoon .
in SWDBS the romance also wasn’t the main focus but it’s was done so beautifully in the drama , and the powers of bong soon , and her personality and her actions and just bong soon in general was a good character . the mystery in SWDBS was so much more interesting than the drugs shit in here .
i couldn’t care less about the drugs 😭😭😭

now for rye shi oh - woo seok did amazing here .
rye shi oh he had an interesting backstory and mostly because of that people liked him more . I really think is the most interesting character here and that’s sad that he had to get that ending but that’s also what he deserved as the villain .
for the people who shipped nam soon and him - that’s a big no . namsoon might felt a little bit sad sometimes for him but for most part she hated him , he tried to kill her mother 😭and also her at the end . so definitely not romantic relationship there for me . but the actors do look good together on screen.
but that’s just my personal opinion

it could have been so much better .. the romance between hee shik and namsoon - I wished we had more . our main lead hee shik - more screen time and story for himmm because he’s literally the main lead .
namsoon - firstly why cut her hair ??😭 , I wished she didn’t act most of the time like a child .
THE GRANDMA DIDNT NEED THAT MUCH SCREENTIME WITH HER BF I JUST HATED THIS IM SORRY . IT WASNT INTERESTING OR CUTE .
the mother was just annoying but the actress is fire
nam in was the cutest brother loved him and the father was a good one .
and the drugs storyline was not done properly , it was boring , not interesting or moving at all .

there’s people who might enjoy it more than I did , maybe if it was one of the first kdramas you watch or something it might be fun but just very very disappointing for me as someone who waited a lot for this and had high expectations . might be the biggest disappointment for me in 2023

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Jack of all trades, master of none.

While it occasionally deals a lot of fun with a large and stellar cast, Strong Girl Nam Soon suffers from trying a bit too hard to be many things: romantic-comedy, thriller/action, social commentary, and superhero fiction. It’s all of these things but also not really.

The thing is, one can see the story the show wants to tell: Strong Girl Nam Soon is about three generations of powerful women, each with an arc of their own. The grandmother, Gil Joong-gan (played by legend Kim Hae-sook) finds love, K-Drama-esque style, subverting the idea that cutesy rom-coms are only for the young. The mother, Hwang Geum-ju (played by the beautiful Kim Jung-eun) is a self-made woman who climbed to the top without getting her hands dirty, and now uses her wealth and power to save the country from drugs. The daughter, the titular Gang Nam-soon (played by the effervescent Lee Yoo-mi) is a combination of both: the hero and the lover, who wants to be the light in the dark for the people, and also to marry a Korean man. The premise is interesting! And it could have been powerful had it been executed well: a message that women, of all types and ages, can do anything.

The main storyline seems to drive towards Geum-ju and Nam-soon reuniting, and then taking down a mafia-backed company responsible for selling deadly drugs across South Korea. Helping them in this quest is the handsome cop Kang Hee-sik (played by the versatile Ong Seong-woo), who develops a bond with Nam-soon.

And it’s fine at first. But then the show kept adding subplots and elements: the homecoming of Joon-gil’s estranged husband to break her engagement bliss, the conflict between Nam-soon’s formerly homeless friends, and everything about the chronically fatigued uncle, to name some. And the way these subplots are placed in the episodes, it feels like they hinder the main story more than help it, so there are times when there’s a lot happening but nothing seems to be moving forward. You just have to deal with the shifts from action to fluffy romance to comedy. To use a line from an episode, Strong Girl Nam Soon, much like Nam-soon’s family’s conversations, ‘tend[s] to bounce around topics without warning’. This abrupt bouncing around actually lessens the impact of moments that are supposedly emotional or romantic, because before the audience can sit with the feelings and immerse in the mood projected by a particular scene, it cuts to a completely different scene with a different mood.

One redeeming quality of this drama is its villain, Doogo CEO and mobster Ryu Si-o. But when the villain is stealing the show, you know there’s something being done wrong. And it’s not just because Ryu Si-o is played by the ridiculously handsome Byeon Woo-seok, who has the acting chops AND carries himself so well any scene where he walks looks like a fashion runway. It’s because the writers made Ryu Si-o a complex character, instead of a straightforward villain who is evil for evil's sake. He was given a backstory: an orphan who grew up literally fighting for his life. His motives are revealed: he wants to be his own man, to be Ryu Si-o and not Pavel’s Anton. And he’s not just a cold, dangerous guy either. He’s open to love, and easily trusts people he likes. Some of the best, most emotional beats in the show actually come from him: a personal favorite is his confrontation with his childhood friend Binbin, telling him “I was abandoned three times. Once by my birth parents. Once by the woman I had trusted. And once more by the only friend I’ve missed. I wish to go out only having been betrayed twice.” This particular moment shows Si-o at his most vulnerable, the human behind the villain, and there is so much potential for his character that the writers are apparently aware of (judging from Nam-soon and Hee-sik’s commentary in the final episode) and chose to ignore because well, the story needs its villain.

And it’s true for this drama. Ryu Si-o is also a compelling character because he’s quite literally the only one dangerous enough for Hwang Geum-ju to see him as a real threat and challenge. Geum-ju, who can basically accomplish anything with her insane wealth and power. But even with Si-o’s best attempts, the whole investigation seems to fall almost perfectly into place for Geum-ju’s team, because they’re the epitome of good, and good always wins. Which is nice, except it seemed too easy and predictable. After Si-o’s death (which was 20 minutes into the final episode), everything was wrapped up pretty quickly, which left me wondering what other interesting things does the story have left to offer?

The romance between Nam-soon and Hee-sik is cute, but it’s really not anything to talk about because it wasn’t the center of the story (I’m not even going to talk about the chemistry between Nam-soon and Si-o, because I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop. But yes, I saw the vision but it was also a delusion).

As for the Strong Woman/Strong Girl lore, I think they shouldn’t have tried to expand on it only to force a romance at Nam-soon’s age or for a character to be overpowered. There are things that are much more interesting when they remain mysterious.

The women get their happy endings, which they deserve, but it doesn’t feel as satisfactory as I would have liked because again, it was expected and not really that hard-won.

Since Strong Girl Nam-soon is a spin-off, one cannot help but make a quick comparison to the show's predecessor, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. Strong Woman Do Bong Soon is a quirky rom-com. It has its subplots and twists, but essentially, it's clear that it's a love story. In the series, Do Bong-soon and Ahn Min-hyuk develop a strong connection to each other, and along the way, they also grow individually as characters. It's memorable because of them.

For Strong Girl Nam Soon, it’s just a lot at once, and there’s no balance to the plotlines and emotions it offers. It does send home its message that women are awesome and can accomplish anything, but it loses impact because of messy writing choices and poor execution.

Also, they’re already losing me in the teaser for Season 3, because what do you mean a man now has the super-strength ability that should have been passed down the matrilineal line? Strong Woman/Strong Girl worked because they shattered the stereotype that women are weaker than men, so what will Season 3 try to prove?

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I've seen worse dramas, but not many.

I suppose the best thing I can say about this drama is that I enjoyed the first 4? episodes, up until FL met her mom. Even before that point it was super super silly, but -to me- entertaining. It is thanks to that and my handy fastforward button that I managed to finish this. From then on it becomes a complete mess, where the writer has not even attempted to respect her audience and the things I wanted to watch were dialed down to the absolute minimum as well. (comedy, romance) Naturally as a comic book style thriller of some kind it's still garbage.
So yeah it's trash, just do yourself a favor & skip it.
I guess I should try to be more descriptive, but believe me it's not easy in this case. Okay here goes nothing! Imagine a 50 hour long family drama about a Chaebol family that has supernatural elements and a lot of vigilante justice involving 3-4 couples and a lost daughter. Now take away the BEST 35 hours & what's left would probably still be better than Strong Woman Kang Nam Soon.

Comparing it to the so called prequel, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon is pointless, because fun cameo notwithstanding they have nothing in common at all. (It makes one speculate about some things about the writing process and interns. I apologize for the dumb tinfoil hat moment..)

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