Thanks @daebakgrits for final My Lovely Boxer weecap. I got teary-eyed in this final episode and I got bean.

My own postscript to Kwon-sook: she will resume her boxing career soon as this time, she will be now entering the international boxing scene where she will win against the fellow female boxers without losing at all.

I have already extensively written of my gushing love for this drama on the other thread.
My only real complaint about this ending is that the two leads had just too few scenes together in this ep. I know it wouldn't have been easy to fit some more considering the situation, but the last couple of minutes were not enough for me and my heart XD

I didn't know these two actors before this drama (I had totally forgotten about Lee Sang Yeob in While you were sleeping) but I'm now totally in love with them... they were both simply awesome. And I will keep a close eye on them.

Other things I absolutely loved:
- Kwoon Suk studying botany! YAY
- The hug betwee Kwoon Suk and Ah Reum... it made my cry a bit <3 Yay for great female frenships!!

@daebakgrits you are totally right about the perfect way they built this story and how it worked because it was based on characters development. Other dramas really need to learn something from My Lovely Boxer! Finally an ending that was really emotionally satisfying <3

It was a nice drama.

For this episode, the match and the gangster thing were too long...

The best part was KS's journey as a sportswoman and her relationship with boxing. This last one was very connected to her father and it was nice to see them evolving in parallel. She created her own cercle and doesn't need to hide anymore. Her relationship with TY was nice to watch but the love story was very rushed. The last scene didn't really make sense for me when he never confirmed his feelings for her and they didn't see each other during a long time. They should make them reconnected before and then ending with a kiss.

The whole gamble ring was not the most interesting part and felt out of place in this story.

I like both main actors. As always Lee Sang-yub was great! For Kim So-Hye she was pretty cute. But she never convinced me she was athletic and could be a boxer. It was the biggest issue with this drama, nothing looked realistic in this field.

Honestly, I have no complaints, this was a 10/10 drama and 10/10 finale. The only thing I could wish for was maybe 4 more episodes, but the story is fine as it was, it's just wish fufillment on my part... I personally wanted more scenes with this couple *as* a couple lol.

The gangsters were despicable as always, so I was kinda sad they kinda got the profit they wanted... tho ig they weren't able to enjoy it for long as Taeyong put them in jail a year after?? that was damn cathartic, but u know what would be even better? seeing that bastard behind bars, but I'll take what I can get.

it's a measure of how good the writing is that I rooted for both of the women? they both gave it their all and they fleshed out A-reum enough that I was genuinely happy that she won. A-reum put so much blood and sweat and tears into the sport, as did her coach and boxer eonni, that she just deserved that win.

I *was* cheering for Gwon-sook in the match.... but even if she lost, she's finally free of the sport she hates, she can be proud of her effort and move on with her life. I think she's a coach now, but I kinda want her to be a schoolteacher as before. either way, she likes working with kids so I think she's happy. I hope she's still in touch with her teacher besties, they and the other eonni continue to be so damn wholesome & supportive.

A-ra and orange hair couch boy had zero buildup, but I'm happy for them lol. him wanting to be in the ring also came out of nowhere, but I wish him the best.

tbh, I don't have much to say about Taeyong? I feel like he barely got screen time imo and his character development was already wrapped up well before. I wish he had some more attention in the finale just bc I like his character & actor. (I was kinda checked out from the match itself, it went on a bit too long imo and I wasn't that invested at some point)

As a shipper, I liked the last fav scene but... the sequence with the pretty trees and all was gorgeous in itself. mostly tho, I'm just happy that my ship sailed. I would have been happy with a hug but they gave us a kiss too??? I won't lie tho, I sorta cringed when the kiss happened bc of the age difference, I didn't think they'd be brave enough to show us that onscreen.

P.S. I wonder if she'll still call him ajusshi at the altar 💀💀

P.P.S. After years of turning down the cream of the crop, don't tell me they're hinting at A-reum ending up with Mr. Cardboard Personality???

Totqlly agree on the kiss front, a hug would have served better. But, let's not complain and enjoy the drama since it is really a hidden gem amidst the chaotic ones that didn't deserve the hype up they got.

As someone who's often lukewarm about finale episodes, I loved every moment of this one. Well, with the exception of the several fake-outs suggesting that Tae-young was killed in that warehouse (even though I knew at the point that I watched that he didn't die, that scene where he visits the venue to see Kwon-sook for what he thinks is the last time felt like a dream sequence with her shouting out wanting to say one more thing to him). I got teary in several spots--Kwon-sook with her father in that scene I just mentioned, Kwon-sook and Ah-reum hugging in the ring, Ahreum's manager weeping into the towel in joy over her victory--and thought the whole thing went down in a very satisfying way. All the actors put in great performances, as well, and I also appreciate the obvious work that went into choreography the final championship match.

The romance for me worked from the start, even though it was unconventional. The writers took care to develop it slowly, and although if this was a longer drama I'm sure there would have been more overtly romantic scenes (including with the coach and Ah-ra), because it was only 12 episodes, the story overall remained tight so I don't really wish it had been extended to 16.

I also didn't feel that Kwon-sook was especially forward in that final scene with Tae-young. She clearly understood that he reciprocated her feelings, and I see exactly why. He never denied how he felt to her; the only person he denied his feeling to was her father, but that clearly played like a lie. Moreover, Tae-young was repeatedly shown to be a man who expressed his feelings through actions and not words, and in case we missed that, Soo-yeon said it in their final scene together. And Tae-young's multiple actions throughout the series showed that he had deeper feelings for Kwon-sook than friendship. I think she knew that, too, so when he showed up in front of her after a year, she felt confident enough to stop him from wasting any more time and just confirm what she already knew to be true. A kiss did that expediently.

It is truly a shame that the first episode of this show wasn't as good as everything else that followed, and that it never attracted the larger audience it deserved. It told a moving, sweet, and often unexpectedly funny story of finding one's self through sports, struggles, and relationships that felt fresh in many parts, even if it resolved in a familiar k-drama fashion. I'm so glad I watched it through to the end!

@daebakgrits Thank you again for your excellent recaps, which played a major role in pulling me into this drama to begin with. Also, thanks to the commentors here, especially as usual @laurensophie who is always so eloquent in describing the drama's themes.
As for this last episode, I would say the match action was implausible and only worked as a metaphor for the two woman's struggle. But that's fine--when is boxing not a metaphor in films and shows?

Although the lesson drawn was a cliche-that one of the essences of sport is the testing of oneself through hard effort--it is one that I truly believe. I really liked how Tae-young contrasted this appeal of sports with the gambler's ethos that only the results matter. The only thing I wish is that there had been more in this show's lesson about how the experience in sports has particular significance for women given the way they've been denied equal access to sports for so long. It was there a few times with Ah-reum's story, but I would have really loved the show if that had been a major point of emphasis.
As far as the romance--well, I was always skeptical of it, and not sure it was going to be culminated even entering this last episode. But overall, I didn't mind it at all, almost exactly the way I didn't mind the artificiality of the boxing scenes, because it was a part of Kwon-sook's maturing. The kiss was totally appropriate: at first playful, pretty brief and chaste in execution--but most important it was initiated by Kwon-sook, and so completed her maturing, and showed her development through her sports experience--avoiding the taint of the way male coaches and mentors have sexually exploited female athletes in real life.

In that way, it falls into the bulk of sports movies, presenting too rosy a view of sports and their role in building character. But it did it a way much more complex than most pro-sports shows and movies, and the acting of the two leads was, as everyone says, excellent. As I said, I had seen Lee Sang-yub before, and I knew he was good, but Kim So-hye totally won me over. And she's only 24! Her perfomance and that of fellow 24 year Won Ji-an (in Heartbeat) were one of the highlights of the year for me so far.

I agree with you, @daebakgrits, that this final episode wrapped things up waaay much better than some of the dramas I've finished lately. How I love Kwon-suk's maturity and Tae-young's bravery. Each and every one of the other characters had their own happy endings and I loved it.

The last episode closed the whole drama very beautifully. I haven't been so happy with the plot of a drama in a long time. I think as many as several years. "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" was one such drama. But that was 2018. Previously, "It's Okay, That's Love" (2014) was perfect for me in terms of narration and events of the drama. In recent years, I have watched dramas that were almost perfect, and yet they lacked something to make me fully satisfied with watching them. I think I felt this way primarily because of the plot, which clashed with the characters' logic at certain points. Here I didn't feel any dissonance between the characters and the way they acted. These characters, whatever they did, did things that were consistent with their character.

Awww MLB wrapped up everything beautifully! I loved the final boxing scenes and how they had me rooting for both girls, till the last second i couldnt decide which one i wanted to win. But Ah Reum truly deserved the win, and Kwon Sook’s finale was fitting and lovely. Lee Sang Yeob is a fantastic actor, and i really hope his future projects hold more interest for me compared to the past. I’m so glad i decided to give this one a try when i usually dislike boxing.

Thank you @daebakgrits for keeping us company with this severely underrated drama! Your final thoughts really mirror mine so i dont have to say much 😄

What luck that I gave the drama a chance despite the first episode. The athleticism of the boxers was not portrayed more realistically later, but the interesting characters quickly made me forget this.

The makers managed to make me wish for both boxers to win in the final fight. Until the last round, I was not sure who would actually be the winner. In between, I was afraid that it would come down to a draw, which I would have considered a cowardly solution. Overall, though, I thought the fight was too long. It would have been better to cut the scene and not have the spEnding so quickly.

I can live with Lee Kwon-sook and Kim Tae-young getting together after a year (and there's actually hope that she won't call him Ahjussi anymore), but the way the reunion is dealt with so quickly feels like ticking off a checklist (happy ending? Check!).

Does the annoying weasel Han Jae-min really have to get a happy ending too? I would have had no problem never seeing him again.

One line review- It was "Our" lovely boxer!

Thanks for the recaps DaebakGrits.
I'm really glad I watched this show after the recommendation from other beanies.
Like others have mentioned, I felt too much time was spent on the fight (no they didn't realistically look like boxers but kudos to the actors for the choreography of the fighting) and baddies scenes and not enough time spent with our couple meeting up after a year and having a few conversations.
But overall the good far out ways these few nitpicks, it was a really fantastic show with a great script and fabulous acting.
I look forward to seeing the actors in other shows.

I watched this after reading Dramabeanies’ comments of year end favorites. I am soooo glad I did. To get this out of the way, I never wanted a romance here, and wish the drama didn’t tack that on - the actors age difference was too big for me, and I would have preferred a platonic love between the two.

That is my only complaint - oh and the wishy washy Assistant Principal 😖.

I have a total crush on Lee Sang-Yub. He was fantastic in this role - I could feel the tension coming off him, and I was so invested in him surviving without sacrificing Kwon-Sook. I am glad the drama found a way to make that happen. I loved his box lunches. The portrayal of his grief and the way he ended up using the grief to try to genuinely fix the corrupt people behind game/match fixing was great.

I loved that Ah Reum won, but that it wasn’t a blow out. I really wanted her to win as he struggling life and struggling gym just made her my type of sports hero. She did want it more. I loved how Kwon Sook behaved at the end, and that the drama was really about building up undervalued women’s sports, and building up each other. I loved that.

I loved Kwon Sook - that we ended up seeing her happy and living a life she wanted was perfect. She was such a great character and, except for my desire to see Ah Reum win the match, I wanted Kwon Sook to win everything else she desired in life.

I think this — along with Worst of Evil and Dr Romantic 1-3 — are my favorite shows this year. It prob didn’t get a large audience because it might seem to be only about “women’s boxing” and didn’t have any major stars. What a shame as it deserves a lot of accolades.

I will watch it again. Just great! Thanks for the recommendation everyone!