Lovely Runner

A masterpiece.

WHAT. A. DRAMA.

This is gonna stay in my memories for so long, I have grown emotionally attached to the characters, the playfulness of some scenes, there was never a dull moment... It will be difficult to move on from this drama.

Watching it was like a rollercoaster ride.
Some scenes were simply hilarious, I genuinely laughed so much, while some scenes were heartbreaking, I couldn't stop myself from crying and resonate with Sol and Sun Jae. 🩵💛

The plot was written by one of the best scriptwriters of South Korea, Lee Si Eun.
She depicted the whole time slip story so well, logically and without loopholes.

Do we wanna talk about the cast?
Byun Woo Seok, you are a gem, now the whole world will understand how amazing you are.
Kim Hye Yoon, you are so talented, I could feel your emotions through my screen every time.
Seon Geon Hee, another little gem, can't wait to see you rise more and more.
And the supporting cast? Everybody did so well, uri halmoni, Sol's eomma and Sun Jae's appa, Baek In Hyuk... I need a friend like you in my life.

I need some time to process the fact that I won't have any more Sol and Sun Jae in my Mondays and Tuesdays.
How to move on?!

Anyway, guys start this drama if you still haven't, you won't regret it. 🥰

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A total fan service!

Before starting the review, I'll share my experience while watching "Lovely Runner." For the first time, I followed a show from Day 1 to the last episode. I used to wait eagerly for each new episode to be released and would watch it immediately—not just to avoid spoilers, but because the show had me giggling, kicking my feet, blushing, and feeling stressed all at the same time ><

Let's start the review now?!

The story of the show “Lovely Runner” is centered on Im Sol, a hardcore fan who is heartbroken by the sudden death of her favorite idol, Sun Jae, as he tragically dies. As she is in the process of accepting his fate of death, Im Sol travels back in time to 2008 when Sun Jae is still a teenager. Not wanting to see her beloved one in his tragic ending, she attempts to alter his destiny.

Ryu Sun Jae?! WHERE do I start from, gosh?! HE is the need of the hour, for saving humanity and preserving human sanity HAHA. Byeon Woo Seok breathed life into Sun Jae like no other actor could. He was made for this role, setting a standard for male leads in the drama world. Sun Jae is such a refreshing character, brimming with expressions, energy, and excitement. From his giggles and blushes to his veins and vulnerability in love, I was in love with him 🤣And HE graduated from the University of Loserism with flying marks(⁠◠⁠‿⁠◕⁠)

Im Sol, the most adorable munchkin FL. Hye Yoon has captured my heart with her talent for portraying angst. Honestly, I did enjoyed her character. It made sense for her to hesitate, worry, and push away the ML to *some extent*. However, her decision-making lacked rationality. It's understandable that she often acted impulsively due to her circumstances, but when you are stuck in a never-ending cycle, it's important to take a step back and think logically, that's how I felt about it.

The chemistry between our leads was adorable, full of giggles and blushes, which might make you cringe (no, it is not! I'm just jealous because I haven't experienced this kind of love yet TT). They were a swoon-worthy couple that makes you want to experience a Wattpad romance irl, filled with countless little gestures, that gets you screaming externally/internally(⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

Tae Seong is now added to list of my favorite second male leads. He's non-problematic and full of fun. There was never a dull scene with him. I enjoyed his dynamic with Sol a lot. I wished they had given us more of his bromance with Sun Jae. I appreciate that the writer's made Tae Seong likable yet he never over powered the ML, and thus no SLS in this one.

Im Sol's Brother and her friend's story was veryyy random and off for most of the time, like it was too RANDOM to have a opinion about it. I felt like I'm watching a different show altogether, I skipped their scenes at times ngl. NO BRAINER in simple words.

Supporting characters were very nice as well, like no unreasonably bitch behaviour by either parents of the leads. I love how loving and supportive they were towards their kids and bickering is fine with me♡

OST's that you definitely need to check out!
• Sudden Shower by ECLIPSE
• Like a dream by MINNIE
• Spring Snow by 10 cm
All these OST's were so soothing to hear, I listen to them ON LOOP, no joke!

So where it went wrong for me:
•The time travel elements were frustrating to watch at times, with decisions feeling impromptu and unplanned.
•Use of misunderstanding as plot developments
•The female lead constantly pushing the male lead away, repeatedly, was tiring to watch after a point.
•The murder mystery plot was initially engaging but became frustrating due to its lack of motivation and random developments.
•The repetitive flashbacks, showing the same scenes over and over, were also annoying.
•Tae Seong not getting enough screen timeರ⁠_⁠ರ

This was a plot-driven drama that started off fast-paced with many rapid development happening in the initial episodes. However, by episodes 10-11, it slowed down. Comedic elements took over, and some scenes felt like fillers to many of the viewers. I didn't mind personally because the comedic timing in this drama was extremely on point but there were many flashbacks and repetitive scenes, so I ended up skipping scenes here and there.

Overall, Lovely Runner is a fluffy watch (can't say that, mystery plot can be frustrating and too stressful at times). But it offers plenty of giggles and a refreshing take on the romance genre. With great comedic timing and some interesting plot developments, bits of dumb writing but remains an entertaining watch rather than a flawless one.

If you're looking for a solid, no-loopholes story, intellectual time travel drama, this isn't it. The time travel aspect is far from perfect. But if you watch it as a romantic comedy, you'll be entertained.

Thank you for reading my review ^^
END

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if you don't want some draggy confusing drama plot with cliché leads, don't watch

the ost and acting for this drama is actually a banger. all of these actors really doing great with their characters. but im so sad the plot didn't doing great

i think there's just too much unnecessary plot. there's a lot of plot hole where watchers didn't get much proper explanation of the story. like when im sol jumping from one to another timeline, there must be some explanation where im sol got every memories from each timeline. when im sol time traveling for the last time, why suddenly im sol traveling using sunjae's watch instead of the one in her hand, and why she can traveling in traveling time mode(?) when she's not even ended her time travel era first before traveling again??? and it seems like there's no end to her last traveling era? is she living in the past?? and by calculation im sol's soul's age must be around 47 years old by the time she met sunjae again?? isn't it weird?? idk there's just too much weird things and didn't make sense even if you called this fantasy genre.

and there's scenes where it repeated heavily, draggy, and the female lead character getting more annoying as the time goes by (no hate to kim hyeyoon. ik she's just doing amazing acting, im criticizing the writer).

maybe if the writer cut some unnecessary plot and make this drama into 10 or 12 episodes only, the drama would be less draggy and less depressing.

overall i just want to take back all the time I've spent watching this drama... im here just for byeon wooseok 😒😒

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The Perfect couple do EXIST.

This drama was an incredible PERFECT surprise for me.
I already knew the actors were good but the plot seemed so basic and I really though the main lead would be another cold guy who slowly falls in love but not before pissing me off HHAHAHAH, turns out, I couldn't be more wrong.

Sun Ja really entered to my Top Green Flags ML in dramaland besides Jang Uk, Yong shik, Taek and a few guys.

Kim Hye Yoon did an amazing job portraying someone without any will to live and at the same time a determinate fangirl, definitely will keep up with her work more often.

The chemistry between the two is so strong that is impossible to not believe they fell in love in real life.

The story is absolutely incredible and well executed, nowadays I get scared when I see a drama with 16, the story just goes downhill after a while and AGAIN the prove me wrong.
Watching this drama brought me so many feelings... the feelings I used to get when I first started to watch dramas in 2011.

Lovely Runner I miss you guys already 😭😭 my Mondays will be sad for a long time. Glad they gave us an incredible OST to keep up 😃

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Breath of fresh air that (also) took me out of the Kdrama slump

Was a bit of a shocker not finding any positive reviews until the very recent reviewers.

Although yes while the plot is very overused and includes typical Korean drama cliches for time travelling, crazy stalkers, however isn't this what dramas are all about? A massive thing that differentiates this one is the fact that both leads are true to their feelings from the very beginning, very green flags all around which is difficult to find in mainstream shows. Did I find myself shouting at the female lead asking her to communicate better? Maybe. But without much flaws like these, the show was very enjoyable and quite literally made me watch Kdramas again after 4 year hiatus. Safe to say this is going into my favourites list, and better yet, I'm rewatching this again with friends and my partner!

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Worth binge-watching

What I loved the most: AMAZING OSTs!

I'm kind of glad I watched this after it ended and not while it was airing. It would have honestly bored me out and would have frustrated me.

This drama was hyped too much that I had to see it for myself. Consider that it had been years since the last time I watched kdramas, and this was my second kdrama during summer — with a late rating. It gotten me out of my kdrama slump to be honest. But I remember while watching, around episode 9, I thought to myself, “okay, they could've ended this here? Why make it 16 episodes long?” and during the time I was watching, it made sense to me. But looking back, the plot was actually unecessarily dragged for too long.

Did I enjoy it still? A lot. It's the type worth binge-watching (I finished this in 2 days) because some parts still keep you at the edge of your seat and make you crave for more (me personally, because I saw some say that they almost dropped this because of those twists.)

But honestly? It looks like the hype was only because of Wooseok and his loserism, which watchers these days love. I doubt this would get the same hype if it wasn't for the twist in Episode 2 too.

It also had plot holes, lots of them. Why did the taxi driver badly want Sol and Sunjae killed? I also don't get how the watch worked.

To conclude, I have a love-hate relationship with this drama. It's a good watch, especially for those who love romcom and the “he fell first trope”! I also loved how they got to meet as highschool students, college students, and as adults who have jobs. The time travelling concept was tiring, but Sol and Sunjae's relationship was cute and heart-fluttering.

The OST for this drama is my favorite! The songs used here are so beautiful, especially Sonagi / Sudden Shower. Ugh, favorite! Also, the N.Flying song, Star!

Also, Hyeyoon deserves more recognition!

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One of the best drama's out there.

This drama is everything one can dream about. Let me tell you all something: it's been a while since I've been in a slump. Watching K-dramas was never the same for me after 2022. Even though I start watching dramas, I often leave them unfinished. Recently, when I saw a video about upcoming dramas, this one caught my attention. I started watching it once the second episode was out, and let me tell you all something: this drama has a special place in my heart. It just gives me the feeling of the time when I used to enjoy watching dramas and was obsessed with them. The storyline is so good that, whether it has a happy ending or a sad one, I will appreciate it because this one made me feel things I've never felt before. The main leads' acting is actually top-notch; they are portraying their characters so well. And we have a villain who doesn't have more than two words of dialogue but still manages to make us all worried. I mean, this drama is the definition of perfect. I would recommend this drama to anyone who needs to get out of their slump and watch something great.

And to talk about the OST, man, it’s one of the best ones out there. I love how the characters have to endure the parallels. At first, it was Sunjae who loved Im Sol for 15 years and she didn't know. Now it's quite the opposite: she remembers everything, and he forgets about her. Overall, this drama is a must-watch.

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Started off great, ended up disappointed

Initially, I thought this kdrama would be a refreshing story about depression, disability, and fate. But of course, it ended up being just another kdrama with a meaningless serial killer driving the plot. Honestly, the serial killer is my biggest gripe about this series. He's a nobody antagonist who came out of nowhere with a grudge against the leads for no reason. They spent zero time fleshing him out, with no mention of his motivations, backstory, challenges, nothing. He's simply a plot device driving the couple apart and back together. Not to mention how they quickly killed him off at the end and then boom happy ending everyone's happy. However, Im Sol and Seon Jae were delightful to watch, and their chemistry was amazing. The comedic moments were well executed, and their story was touching. But I can't help but feel the story could have been so much more. If they had followed through with their setup: a story about a disabled woman and a depressed idol, where she goes back in time to save him from himself, the story would have been so much more impactful. I really don't like how they just discarded those plots. All of Im Sol's struggles with her disability and Seon jae's struggles with burnout and fame are just thrown out the window in favor of a generic serial killing taxi driver. If I rewatch this, it will be for the couple and the comedy aspect, because the plot really disappointed me.

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The show that will remain close to my heart ❤️ ❤️

I can’t explain in words my how happy I am writing this review. You won’t believe me if I say that this is one of the best shows that’s ever made until you watch it for yourself. I didn’t get my hopes up when I stared watching the show but the second I finished watching episode 2 I knew that this show is going to be a great one. I WOULD SUGGEST EVERYONE TO WATCH THIS SHOW AT LEAST ONCE because I am pretty sure if you watch it once you would want to watch it again like me. The thing I loved most about this show is that it got Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon the appreciation, love, fame that they truly deserved.

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LOVE IN TIME

My SolJae.. What will I do now every Monday and Tuesday? As much as I have loved other dramas, I think this might just be in my top five all time. With the love story that I have been following between these two, and have been watching since basically the beginning, I don't know how quickly I can let them go. These two either brought a smile to my face or tears with each episode.

The acting within this project is phenomenal. I felt as if I was genuinely a character in the show with how much emotion and attachment I've grown upon these characters. The chemistry made me feel as if they were actually together. I love both of these actors so much, and I will continue to love them, but Lovely Runner will forever hold a place in my heart.

The story follows Im Sol, a girl who's a fangirl of a K-Pop group called Eclipse. She had bought a watch at an auction that once belonged to her favorite member, Ryu Sunjae. Once 2023 begins, that Sunjae passes away, but there's nothing she could do from stopping his death, right? Things began to go into a spiral when she clicks the watch and she goes back 15 years into the past. While there, she meets her favorite member when he was a high schooler. Now she's in her 2008 body and finds that she lived across from him. What will she do now that she is trying to correct time and keep him from his "unfixable" fate?

I just want to say that this romance is one of a kind. My favorite part about this story is the fact that Sunjae is a loser in love. No matter if he is a singer, an actor, or just a regular highschool boy, he still acts out in front of his crush. He may have lost his memories throughout each lifetime, but he will always find his way back to Sol. It didn't matter what universe or weird time jumps occurred, he always found his way back to the one he loved. His destiny was to be with her, even if he were to have died.

This drama deserves all of the hype!! I'm so sad to see them go but I'm also so happy that I got to experience such a wonderful story. This marks an end of a chapter, but there will always be more to come.

ALSO!! I loved the fact that even when the future changed, Sunjae was always meant to be some sort of famous person in South Korea. He was a singer whose group sold out tickets, but he was also an actor who had successful dramas. But his occupation didn't matter, he was still Sol's.

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Personal Feedback

I'll start with the actors — The actors did a really great job portraying their characters. It's like it was made especially for them to act. From the female lead crying and acting tough and the male lead acting like an idol, swimmer, etc.., to the antagonists annoying the hell out of me. Bonus point to that is the chemistry of everyone.

For the plot — I have seen other K-Drama with the same "time-traveling" plot, but this one added some twist & turns on it. It kept me on edge until the end. Usually, when I watch K-Drama, I skip 1/4 of its scenes as there are of course awkward and cringey scenes but this one, if you're into sweet, kind-of childish couple, you would find yourself watching almost every part of it without skipping.

Finally, for the storyline — Of course, this isn't a perfect one. You would still find holes in the story such as "why is the grandma like this" or "why is the watch the "portal"" but I guess that might get answered by the Season 2.

Overall, it's not a new concept of K-Drama, but it does deserve the hype.

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