Pump Up the Wholesome Love: Episode 1 (First Impressions)

Pump Up the Wholesome Love: Episode 1 (First Impressions)

by Dramaddictally

The brand new KBS sports activities rom-com Pump Up the Wholesome Love made its means onto our screens this week with an out-of-touch tackle the boy-meets-girl story. Cartoonish, over-animated, gimmicky, and considerably grotesque, I might hardly sit by way of Episode 1, not to mention stick it out for the lengthy haul.

Editor’s be aware: That is a gap evaluation solely. For a spot to speak about the whole drama, go to the Drama Hangout.
 
EPISODE 1

Once I begin a drama, I attempt to perceive what it’s meaning to do after which select the elements that matter most for the recap, even when it means trying previous a bit nonsense. On this case, I stared blank-faced at my laptop computer for an hour, attempting to determine how this factor even acquired made.

Our male lead, DO HYUN-JOONG (Lee Jun-young), is a former bodybuilding champ who now runs an in-debt gymnasium and insults each passerby that comes alongside, within the title of desirous to “enhance their well being.” One such passerby is our love-starved main girl, LEE MI-RAN (Jung Eun-ji), who needs nothing greater than the sexual consideration of a person.

We meet Mi-ran when she’s crying on the street, begging her so-called boyfriend to sleep along with her, falling at his toes, and questioning why nobody needs her. Hmmm. I’ve acquired nothin’ towards a proactive feminine lead: my drawback right here is that she’s not asserting her needs a lot as dying for validation — and we’re supposed to search out this comical and cute. In reality, that is the second Hyun-joong steps up and gives her a flyer for his gymnasium as a result of, evidently, that’s precisely what she wants proper now.

We study that this insecurity is a life-long drawback for Mi-ran as we take a tour by way of her previous, the place not one of the boys ever favored her “in that means.” However the kicker is that the primary purpose for her being rebuffed is that she’s obese. (Full cease.) After all, there is no such thing as a seen proof of this supposed weight drawback on the actress, so as an alternative, she’s proven consuming in each scene to make it clear simply how a lot of a problem that is. (My eyes can not roll any more durable than this.)

In the future, within the warmth of desperation for any form of male consideration, Mi-ran drunkenly enters what she thinks is an evening membership, dancing across the pole and placing herself on the market. When the lights flick up, it’s truly a well being membership — and he or she’s by accident entered the lair of our militant male lead.

In a Okay-drama-esque encounter, Mi-ran begins to fall, Hyun-joong catches her, and the digicam captures the nonetheless of her in his arms. The disruption of the trope occurs when he accurately guesses her top and weight — which is “decrease than you may assume, since fats weighs lower than muscle.” (Are we laughing but? As a result of these are the jokes.)

He tries to promote her an overpriced package deal of total-life coaching that’ll change her entire existence in three months. In case you change your physique, you modify your life, he says. He may have dough to save lots of his cash-strapped gymnasium, however actually, he’s anxious about her well being, he tells his workers after Mi-ran leaves crying and asking how he can disgrace her like that.

The drama is doing what it could actually to make Hyun-joong palatable. So, we see him at his gymnasium after shut, pumping iron, desirous about the tough coaching he himself went by way of to get the overly ripped physique he has, and (I assume?) worrying about his funds. Nevertheless, he’s additionally portrayed like a stereotypical meathead who looks like he’s missing greater than emotional intelligence.

We see Mi-ran at her workplace job the place we study that the man she calls her boyfriend (who’s additionally her co-worker) is leaving the nation at present and he didn’t inform her beforehand. She’s unhappy and needs to know in the event that they’re breaking apart, and he takes her hand, tells her he loves her, after which says she’s so wonderful that she’ll positively discover another person. Actually, she’s too good for him, so it solely is smart for him to ditch her.

Earlier than they half, she asks why he wouldn’t sleep along with her. After an obtuse and annoying reduce within the dialogue when a bus blows by, we later study the rationale: he simply can’t get it up along with her. (Notice: He doesn’t say it’s due to how she appears to be like, however that is how she interprets it.)

The subsequent factor we all know, Mi-ran is speeding into Hyun-joong’s gymnasium, able to pay no matter it takes with the intention to entry that life-changing plan he was speaking about. She falls for a second time, he catches her but once more, and it’s the identical joke as earlier than: “You’re obese.”

Simply in case we would hate Hyun-joong an excessive amount of up entrance, we get an epilogue scene that reveals us he was there when the now-ex-boyfriend broke up with Mi-ran. Hyun-joong knocks the man down (out of her view) and tells him to be trustworthy and to not blame her for his issues. I assume we’re alleged to surmise that Hyun-joong already likes Mi-ran and that him being imply is basically for her personal good?

I’ve nothing optimistic to say about this. I feel it’s aiming to shock with the intention to be humorous however I’m not shocked, I’m bored. This seems like previous materials, rehashed from a minimum of a decade in the past, however not even achieved proper. That is no Oh My Venus. And, granted, that present is from 2015 and I don’t know the way it holds up, however my reminiscence tells me it had some coronary heart. Pump Up the Wholesome Love, however, is all crude humor, harsh tone, and out-of-touch themes.

Whereas I received’t be sticking round for this one, the arrange tells me that someplace alongside the road the story will plant the concept that it’s Mi-ran’s confidence that comes from her gymnasium time (probably not the adjustments in her physique that matter a lot). With that epilogue, I collect that Hyun-joong already sees the great in her and simply needs her to see it too. However for me, it’s all in regards to the strategy of getting there. And I’ve no need to see him belittle her till the second she has an epiphany about her self-confidence. Yeah. No. Not even Lee Jun-young in bikini bottoms can save this factor.

 
 
RELATED POSTS