Pump Up the Healthy Love tells the story of Do Hyun Joong (Lee Jun Young) - a passionate fitness room owner and Lee Mi Ran (Jung Eunji) - who decided to go to the gym as a way to start his life after experiencing failures in love and life.
Despite the participation of 2 young and famous actors, the film still did not resonate with the audience. After 2 episodes, the viewership rating of Healthy First and Love After only reached a modest 1.8%, according to Nielsen Korea.
Wikitree said that initially, the work was expected to "save" KBS2's midweek rating when combining the romance in the gym with the maturity of youth.
However, the film's achievements after airing show that the station is continuing to struggle to retain audiences after the failure of its two predecessors - "Kick Kick Kick" and "Villains Everywhere" with ratings also stopping at only 0-1%.
The reason for the failure of "Healthy First and Love After" comes from the plot that does not have many highlights, old humorous details. For example, in episode 2, when Hyun Joong tried to help Mi Ran practice to shine at his ex-lover's wedding.
But when trying to wear a dress that was too big, Mi Ran encountered a "half-crying, half-laughing" situation when the dress was torn right in front of her ex, immediately after that Hyun Joong appeared and acted quickly to take the jacket to cover her.
Or in another scene, when Mi Ran was walking, she accidentally slipped and Hyun Joong also stood up to help her in time. These situations are not uncommon to Korean filmed actors.
In addition, the fact that the main couple Lee Jun Young and Jung Eunji do not have many "chemistry" is also the reason why the film is less attractive. The majority are still familiar with the image of Lee Jun Young playing a villain, instead of a humorous role; Meanwhile, Jung Eunji is often remembered for his individual image.
However, a drama set in a gym is a new point. When hard work is not simply the effort of everyone inside the gym but also symbolizes their efforts and hopes to change their lives outside.
From the story about figure, the film also emphasizes that each person should learn to love their body, even if it is not perfect.
