This review may contain spoilers
I'TS A ROMCOM DRAMA FOR GOD'S SAKE!
I've read top reviews of this drama and i wonder... am i the only one who would apply a different standard for different genres? While reading some of the reviews, i kept thinking... do these people really expected the same logical accuracy for lovely runner the same as they did drama like signal just because of the same time-travel plot? even great sci-fi movies like interstellar still has plot-holes, but y'all expected a romcom to be precisely right in it's time-travel logic? y'all need a logical explanation for how sunjae's watch turn into a time machine? you want to know what 19 y.o sol was doing while 30 y.o sol occupied her body? you want the villain backstory of the taxi driver? you wannna know what's up with sol's grandma? you want sol to take care of her family more than focusing on sunjae? you want sol to be such a perfect strong female lead who would make all the right decisions regarding sunjae's death?well, then the main genres would be mistery fantasy coming-of-age romance lol
and some of you could not even catch the subtext in her grandmas dialogues.
to each their own, yes. but i swear to god these people just so determined to be different that they automatically pick apart every little mistakes, but then overlook or downplay every positive sides. and i definitely would side-eyed every reviews who think that sol-sunjae chemistry is any less than beautiful, when that chemistry is the sole reason why many viewers (incl. me) could overlook some of the plot-holes and bad acting. when you went after their chemistry, then you're just being despicable at that point.
just want to remind people that lovely runner will give you what they have promised, which is a ROMANTIC COMEDY!
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Perfect Timing is of great essence.....
Portia : How many things by season season’d are;To their right praise and true perfection!
( The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare)
Many things are better because they are perfectly timed, a similar theme is underlined in the drama as well as the reason for me to like this drama. Perhaps my fondness for this drama stems from the fact that I watched it when I was in a drama slump and nothing seemed to engage me as a viewer till this came along, riding on a white horse piercing through the fog of funk. I watched it after the full series had aired so was fortunate enough to binge watch all episodes and maybe that has coloured my judgement. For me, the drama is interesting when I immediately want to see the next episode as soon as I finish watching an episode and an invigorating drama is one that makes me stay awake sacrificing my precious sleep to watch just one more episode and then another and then another of the series...This drama ticked all of those boxes for me.
A modern-day fairytale with time travel thrown in along with certain elements of mystery. It is commonplace for many fans to be spellbound and adore an idol but when a good looking, talented star reciprocates the feeling of the fan passionately it becomes a story worthy to be narrated, very reminiscent of Prince Charming falling in love with a plain looking Cinderella. Such a situation is highly improbable and unrealistic hence it makes it alluring, a situation that most of us fantasize about.
So many time jumps and changing of people's fate in a single series, makes a person wonder whether the Time is really linear? The events that we see in the beginning of the series have a deeper connection to the past and as the story keeps unraveling past events and the changes in the past that affects the future, makes a person think about the age old question... whether the egg came first or the chicken? Everything becomes circular and all emotional connections are based on the new changes, but were those changes already in motion, even in the past? The time travel aspect has been attempted in many other fictional motion works too, so the concept is not innovative but the emotional entanglement of the characters makes it a gripping watch.
What makes this drama a good watch is the phenomenal chemistry between the lead actors, Byeon Woo Seok(Ryu Sun Jae) and Kim Hye Yoon (Im Sol). Both actors are able to make the audience believe in the characters' enduring, everlasting, never changing love that will withstand any hardship in life but will always remain steadfast; that is a remarkable feat. Making it an epic story of all consuming love that binds two people as soulmates who defy destiny to stay together.
Other than the main cast, all the support casts have also done a marvelous job. The relationship between Ryu Sun Jae and his father, the nurturing bond between all members of Im Sol's family and the friends of the lead actors including the second ML, Kim Tae Sung.... Together they make the story relatable and believable.
Many thought provoking scenarios are shown but in a humourous and light hearted manner so as not to become too preachy or melodramatic. Some of the references are:
1. A sudden life changing accident that impacts a person's health often leads to a period of depression and a person needs just a ray of encouragement to come out of the darkness and see the light, but often times it is difficult for health care workers or family to make that person see the ray of hope. The person needs to be reached on a level that will enable them to see the hope for themselves.
2. The struggle of a disabled person to find a regular job, Im Sol's job interview in the first episode highlights the issue, even though everywhere in the world emphasis on equal opportunity for everyone, without any prejudice but the ground reality is often a little different. Im Sol looking at the staircase of the place where she was rejected, assuring herself that she would have been selected for the job if not for the stairs.
3. Expectations that parents have from their children to perform well often pressurise them constantly to keep going on if they don't want to see the disappointment in their parents' eyes and keep their parents' dreams alive. This often leads to frustration when the children are unable to achieve the desired result and may turn them delinquent. Both Ryu Sun Jae and Kim Tae Sung to some degree faced this but due to the understanding and overwhelming support from people around them they were able to transform their lives in spite of the limitations.
4. Select a different career path if you fail in your first choice, you may be more successful in that path compared to the first one.
5. Alzheimer; Im Sol's grandmother is shown to suffer from age related dementia. It is jarring to see a caring, loving family member changing to a person who barely recognises dear people and loses connection with reality.
6. Juvenile star struck fans; The series briefly touches on the fact that many young people are influenced and become star struck, they are unable to differentiate the real person from the star persona created on social media and often become stalkers and a great nuisance to celebrity. Many times the behaviour of such fans led them and others into a dangerous situation.
7. Restrictive life of a star due to constant coverage on social media; Constant speculation and rumours amongst the fans related to personal and professional life of an idol/ actor.
8. Life choices; upon reaching a certain age, one often wonders if they should have made a different choice. A person who has dedicated their life solely on building a career, sacrificing their personal life and a person who has dedicated their life in raising their family sacrificing their career choices, often speculate if their life choices were worthy.(Im Sol's brother and sister-in-law/ friend)
The drama is replete with symbolisms but two symbolisms that I would like to discuss here are of bridge and water:
1.Bridge; The bridge is inherently symbolic of communication and union, represents our aspirations to connect and choices between two possibilities in our lives. When a person is standing at one end of the bridge the choice is between crossing the bridge or staying in the same place because the choices we make change our life for better or worse. The series also shows the protagonists meeting on a bridge multiple times during different timelines. The constant struggle that they face is to select an option that is life altering, is real and painful to watch.
2.Water; There are many themes and ideas attached to water in literature. Water may be explored as a symbol of rebirth, cleansing, washing, drinking, playing in and it may have religious meanings or background. The protagonists are often shown to fall in water when they experience a life changing event. I feel it is used in the series as a means of cleansing ritual and rebirth, a new beginning, a second chance.
Conclusion: A perfect watch for a rainy day, hoping to have SOMEONE in our life who will always have an umbrella ready to provide shelter and warmth when things go South.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Charming Timeless Romance that will leave you wanting one of your own
After watching Strong Woman Namsoon, I needed to see more of Wooseok because I loved his portrayal of his villainous character, Ryu Shi Oh. His character was so charming and his acting was the saving grace that saved the whole show for me. Naturally, I went through his filmography to see what other dramas there were but realized he was never THE male lead, but he had Lovely Runner (I think it was titled Run Away with Sunjae then). I say all that to say that this was my most ANTICIPATED drama of 2024. Needless to say, the expectations I had for this were through the roof!Did it meet my standards? ABSOLUTELY!! It completely blew away all my expectations and surpassed them. It is the best time travel drama I have seen, top 3 K-Dramas & top 5 Asian dramas ever!! Let me break it down!
STORY:
Im Sol, an aspiring film director and a stan of her K-pop idol Ryu Sunjae, finds out he died and it was apparently via suicide. Through one of her personal memorabilia (Sunjae's watch she bought in an auction), she can travel back in time to attempt to change his fate and she has only a certain amount of times she can go back in time. As she is trying to save her favorite's life, she eventually learns she has to deal with an unlucky and tragic part of the original timeline that she did not know about before.
ACTING/CAST:
PHENOMENAL CASTING + ACTING!
First, I will talk about the leads. Wooseok as Sunjae is genius casting & I could not see anyone else playing him. I loved watching all the different sides of him: the comedic side, the emotional side & the serious side if he has to be. As for Kim Hye Yoon, we know what she brings to the table with her acting and she did not disappoint. I do feel as though her acting helps to elevate all of her co-stars & brings out the best in them & that is why these two are a match made in heaven. Wooseok is always looking to improve himself & she has the tools to do so. Their romance is one for the books & it took me through a rollercoaster ride emotionally, but it had its funny moments too that perfectly balance it out. I ADORE the way they looked at one another & the chemistry along with those kissing scenes were so top-tier. One of my favorite K-Drama couples!
Now for the supporting cast! A good supporting cast can take a drama to another level & make it feel like it is not dragging without seeing the main characters! For the most part, I appreciated them & they made for HILARIOUS moments!
First up are the MVPs of the drama: Song Geon Hee as Kim Tae Sung & our N.Flying leader Lee Seung Hyub as Baek In Hyuk. At first, I was not sure how to feel about Taesung because I am a ML type of gal & I have no room for 2MLs in my heart, but I am appreciative of how he stood by our FL side and is supportive of her relationship with our Sunjae! He is probably the best 2ML in K-Drama history because he helps the leads TREMENDOUSLY to achieve the lives they want! You have my thanks, Taesung! Now for Inhyuk, he was THE comedic relief outside of Sunjae and I love his friendship with SJ and the advice he has to continuously give him because SJ is so clueless.
Shoutout to Im Sol's grandma... you made everything possible & Sol's mom & Sunjae's dad added their charming humor. Although Im's best friend & brother had their funny moments. there were times I felt as though they were taking up screen time in almost every timeline, but thankfully they toned it down a bit in the last timeline.
MUSIC: Lovely Runner OST has been on repeat ever since all the part one songs came out. I get intense goosebumps when I start listening & remember all the scenes the song plays in. Since there are 15 songs, I will list my top 5: Sudden Shower, A Day, I Think I Did, Run Run & Star (HONORABLE MENTION: Spring Snow). But, ALL the songs are good!!!!!!!!! It puts you in such a good mood!
RE-WATCH VALUE: 10/10 I was re-watching every episode every week to prepare for the next episodes because the wait for the episodes was literal torture. I have not felt this obsessive about a K-Drama in a while. I love that I have another comfort K-drama to add to my list: DoTS, W: Two Worlds, WFKBJ, Shooting Stars & LoTBS
OVERALL: A wholesome drama that will fill you with overwhelming happiness & leave you feeling satisfied. This drama came to me in a time when I was not in the greatest of places so I do feel more emotionally attached to it than others. If you love romantic comedy with a dash of overcoming tragedy, this is for you. If you are not a romance fan, give it 2-4 episodes and if you do not like it by episode 4, then maybe it is not for & that is okay. Move on. You do not have to finish everything you start.
ANYWAYS, WATCH THIS DRAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has a special place in my heart because of the beautiful love story between Sunjae + Sol. It was an emotional yet fun ride. I will never forget Soljae & the supporting cast because everyone played their part so perfectly!!! I loved that Wooseokie got the popularity he deserved with this drama! I am so happy for the success of this drama, especially for the leads who worked so hard over the years. I am looking forward to their next drama & the many re-watches I will be giving this drama!
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Average writing but watchable because of leads chemistry
I enjoyed watching this, but it wasn't what I expect. I first realized this when they revealed Sunjae actually liked Sol after all that time. It was a bit unrealistic, and it felt too orchestrated. The part I most enjoyed was watching the time they were in high school since that's when we see the most development. But most of all, I really enjoyed the chemistry of the leads. Even though the writing was lacking, this made it entertaining. Onto the things I disliked, the back and forth between the present and the past started to drag, and I feel like it impacted the story a lot. I also didn't like the murder storyline and like in most romance kdramas, it just didn't fit. The change of tones was too drastic. One minute we have comedy and romance and then we have thriller and suspense. Doing this successfully is a task but this drama is another one that failed at it. After episode 12, I just started to skip scenes and I was just too impatient to see something with substance and finally know if destiny was going to favor Sunjae and Sol.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
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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Only review of people that hate
Everybody have there own taste for sure. it’s not the problem. I am just sad that only people that dislike or hate it review this one and the one that love it don’t say anything.cheesy, cliche, Deja vu for sure, but it’s done the perfect way !
I love how it can be unserious and also very moving at some point, I was searching this kind of kdrama for a very long time. finally I find what I wanted and I will watch it again !
It feels like an old kdrama with today production, it feel like a real kdrama with non US, Hollywood like coded kdrama that we found in most kdrama nowadays.
Kdramas used to be unperfected, with plot hole it’s true, but with an amazing vibe and emotions.
I love this one so much and I recommend it to people that love old kdramas.
I watched it twice now and actually there is no plot hole, everything is so much clear on second view, but even the first time I wasn’t lost.
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The FL was overly naive and emotional. She acted more like a teenager than a 30-something woman going back in time.
Hopefully, the chemistry and comedy made it bearable enough for me to continue watching.
Overall, I recommend it, but without high expectations. I do think it is somewhat overrated.
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This review may contain spoilers
Never ending loop of same events
This is my take on lovely runner so you don’t have to agree with it.I couldn’t help but notice alot of similarities in plot of the movie 20th century girl and lovely runner. I will be pointing out those similarities because there are just soo many. I almost thought lovely runner was a drama adaptation of the movie with a time travel twist.
Firstly, Sunjae death in lovely runner and woon ho’s death in 20th century girl.
Secondly sol’s character had resemblance with Bora who is effortlessly cute and cheerful in the movie. Unfortunately Sol didn’t make us feel that way. She was annoying to say the least.
Thirdly , we discover Sun Jae fell for Sol first and same happened in the 20th century girl. The aesthetics, the video rental shop and the neighbourhood are similar too.
Finally , the love triangle that builds confusion between Sun Jae and Sol and it continues up till the middle of the show. This also happens in the movie. i feel the writer was either inspired by the 20th century girl or it was just too much of a coincidence.(LOL)
I absolutely love sun jae and I was rooting for him but sol ughh. I don’t know why but she annoyed me throughout the show. I don’t understand what was she trying to do as her actions were abrupt and not thought through. Poor sunaje suffered much for her.
Anyhow i might not rewatch the show as story was lacking depth.. Sol’s time travel and sunjae’s death keep repeating in a never ending loop. It was bizarre towards the end.
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Heartwarming and Captivating Drama!
I had high expectations for this drama after seeing all the buzz online, and I'm happy to say it exceeded them! Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon's acting and chemistry are pivotal to its success. Their interactions had me giggling and crying throughout. The storyline is captivating, keeping me engaged and rooting for the main couple throughout its entire duration. While time travelling in korean dramas have been done many times before, this is one of the better iterations of it. I was surprised at how well they managed to pace the drama, and still keep it interesting across 16 episodes.Overall, I highly recommend this drama for fans of light-hearted and fantasy-themed Korean dramas. Give it a try if you are looking for something quite lighthearted and fluffy to watch!
Side note: I love the ost for this drama. 10/10 Have been listening to it on repeat for the past few days!
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If you could forget any show just to rewatch it again, what show would it be? This one.
Let me just say this, I did not expect to enjoy this drama as much as I actually did when I read the mdl description. Before starting Lovely Runner, I was in a drama slump. Unable to finish ones I had began because they became too stale midway through or the ones airing just did not sound interesting to me. I have had Lovely Runner on my to watch list because I like both Byeon Wooseok and Kim Hyeyoon's acting and thought that the description seemed interesting so I gave it a try.I am so happy that I watched this series. I do not think there were many dull moments throughout this show as for my episode rankings every single episode got either a 9 or a 10, no episode ever went below a 9 for me. I cried many times throughout this show, not full blown sobs but teary eyed, and my throat clenched up quite a bit as well. The way this show was able to grab at your heart strings and keep you wanting to come back for the next episode was fantastic.
For my typical reviews I do a "favorite character of the series", but it is such a difficult one to choose for this review as I genuinely loved everyone. The way Baek Inhyuk was used as a major comedic relief, seeing him on the screen was always such a treat. I loved the growth we saw of Kim Taesung throughout the series. I will genuinely miss this series and it is definitely one of those "If you could have a show you could ever forget just to rewatch one more time what would it be" show.
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This review may contain spoilers
The defniton of mood swings
I started watching this on Sunday and I was hesitant to watch it due to the drama around but hey yoon is my favourite actress so why not, i really enjoyed it and that's the suppressing considering i don't really like unexpected twists in dramas it was very emotional ( i didn't cry though ) i enjoyed this drama however there are a few things that could've been different.1. The chemistry I didn't think their chemistry was bad or awkward it just didn't feel natural, especially in the last few episodes
2. i felt like they could've gone in more depth like what does the grandma know? Why does she change time or world or whatever? which world or time is the real one? It feels like it needed more than 16 episodes and there were A LOT of things that were left unexplained
3. i understand why the fl was frustrated but why did she have to lie and pretend like she didn't like him or shout at him because he got her a gift... like girl be happy after changing time and dimensions about 100000 times you would think would realise there's no reason for her to lie or pretend to be okay.. or act like she hates him right? but no
but yeh watch it i haven't watched a drama without dropping it for months so it must've been good
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My All-time K-Drama
Seeing the bad comments that came out, I thought it would be good for me to write this review, based on the perspective of someone who likes this drama and loves rom-coms. Until now, I haven't been able to move on and continue to watch short-clips about LR on reels, as proof that I really like the drama and not just because the actor is handsome or the actress is beautiful. Hehenggg (〒﹏〒)(First of all, sorry if my English is bad. I'm still learning.)
First, Story.
From the start, the audience was taken to dive into Sol's life, who was initially depressed because his legs were paralyzed, where she finally received encouragement from an idol, namely Ryu Sun Jae. The storyline is just right. Not too fast or slow. Viewers can enjoy both the rom-com side and the sad side. When watching the drama, there will definitely be theories emerging about what will happen next. I think it's fun.
Second, Acting/casting.
I think everything is spot on. I could feel the various emotions expressed by each actor, not just the main actor, but all the actors really played their roles according to their portions. I think this is indeed the most important point in this drama. If the choice of actors was bad, this drama definitely wouldn't be as popular because they couldn't portray the characters appropriately.
Third, Music.
I loveeeeee all the soundtracks. Until now I often listen to it on shuffle on Spot1fy. I think this statement is representative enough without me having to explain it more ( ꈍᴗꈍ).
Fourth, Rewatch value.
I think this drama will be good enough to rewatch on holiday. Suitable to watch when someone needs entertainment after facing a tough life. Or whenever that is.
There are definitely pros and cons. But if there are people who hate this drama, it's not wrong if I love this drama, right?
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