Lovely Runner

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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More over-the-top comedy than I expected, especially from a supposedly 30-year old woman.

Subjective Gut Rating: 8.25

My expectations of the drama might have ruined “Lovely Runner” a little bit for me. I was expecting a back-to-the-past sweet and innocent romance with some longing, angst and uncertainty due to the fantasy element of the show. But in reality, this drama is full of over-the-top comedic moments and loud characters that I was not prepared for. I am not adverse to comedy. There are actually a few very funny laugh-out-loud moments that I enjoy tremendously through the creative writing of the team. I just had some troubles adjusting and re-calibrating to the tone difference (expectations vs reality) and I believe this dampened my enjoyment a little. Of course, this is all on me.

My main criticism of the show (maybe a little more objective than my preference of the tone) is the decisions made by our female lead, Im Sol. I have a hard time believing a 30-year old woman would act quite immaturely and without a plan. I understand the initial shock of going back to the past. But once that wears off, and you have a mission to change the past, all you could come up with is to bulldoze your way into Rye Seong Jae’s life? There’s no plan of action. Instead of behaving like a mature adult (who has gone through some really tough times in life), Im Sol behaves like a teenager. The only way the drama shows her ‘maturity’ is when she yells at the kids for misbehaving.

I also feel that the drama could be shorter. After a while, it feels rather repetitive going back and forth. There aren’t enough intimate moments between the leads during their high school days. The only I could think of is in ep 12 when the leads were lying in each other’s arms and professing their love. These are the moments I want more. I would have loved to see more of the present-day timelines stories and how the leads fall in love with each other all over again. Therefore, I was especially happy in the last few episodes. That’s what I was looking for. That’s the tone of the drama that I was expecting. The last few episodes probably bump the rating back up to an 8.25-8.5.

Having said all that, there’s a lot to like about this drama. First of all, I think the acting is pretty good. I was a little unsure of Byeon Woo Seok’s acting at first, but he did a good job, especially with the more emotional scenes. He’s so tall and lanky, and really does have the body for a swimmer. The drama doesn’t shy away in showing us his perfectly toned torso and abs. He also doesn’t mind showing his sillier and pettier side. Kim Hey Yoon is such an experienced actress at a young age. I realize she’s not the young high school girl in “Sky Castle" anymore. She has matured and her acting as well. Does she look different to you? Her role as Im Sol has a lot of comedic moments. I think I like her emotional scenes more enjoyable though. Song Geon Hee plays the role of the second male lead, Kim Tae Sung. Tae Sung is a lovely bad boy character, but a typical second male lead in a K-drama. I think I would have developed second lead syndrome if I found the actor, Song Geon Hee, attractive. Well, no second lead syndrome from me. It’s Seong Jae all the way.

The supporting cast has some amazing veteran actors such as, grandma Sung Byung Sook, FL’s mom Jung Young Joo, and ML’s dad Kim Won Hae. FL’s best friend is played by Seo Hye Won. Her pairing with FL’s brother as a couple is just a little too much for me. They provide a lot comic relief, but they are too loud and annoying for my taste.

I don’t mind the mystery/crime element of the drama. At least I felt that is justified to start this whole going-back-to-the-past process. However, as mentioned earlier, it felt repetitive. I was never sure why he’s so dialed into our leads. Is it mainly because of the cell phone or a mentally ill, psychotic state of mind? The drama never really fully explains how and why the fantasy element. One can only guess from the last episode who started it all. It’s OK, I won’t judge the drama too hard for that. I am more bothered by the illogical decisions and loopholes of the drama.

“Lovely Writer” was really hyped up in the Feeds during its airing. Everyone is in love with the drama and especially how cute Byeon Woo Seok is. Because of that, I might have expected a lot more. At the time of this review, “Lovely Writer” is rated 9.1 on MDL. That’s really high for a drama from any country. I have an enjoyable time watching, especially the first ⅓ and the last ⅓ of the drama. But I could only give it an 8.25 (rounding up to 8.5) rating.


Completed: 7/7/2024 - Review #458

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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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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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The Yellow Umbrella At Its BEST

Do you believe in The Yellow Umbrella? This must be THE ultimate YELLOW UMBRELLA drama, putting ones faith in the power of the yellow umbrella in dramaland to the ultimate test

The drama has some of the best parts of Twinkling Watermelon meets Some Day or One Day . All covered in a yellow umbrella. And while it does have a lot of the good parts of these two excellent dramas it does not fully reach the greatness of both.

I love the different timelines, the friendships and the grandmother. The female lead has a lot of fun lines, at times a really cool attitude and is fun to watch about 70% of the time however the remaining 30%offer a few to many moments of annoying/ second hand embarrassment for me to fully understand what our fantasy to perfect to be perfect male lead sees in her. As for the other male lead male leads are a blast to watch, they are sweet, have great interactions both among themselves and with the female lead and aside from a few moments of jealousy really seem to be to good to be true. Also the girl tries to run away from the male lead so many times that I am sure that is why the drama is called Lovely Runner, but it should have been lovely umbrella...

There are a lot of twists (some better than others), sweet fun moments between all of the characters, eye-candy for as far as the aye can see and I do believe they have a thing for men (the male lead) getting out of the shower, pool, rain showing the viewers his very well chiselled abs in most of the episodes. So if you are sensitive to abs you may want to look away or make sure you are in a safe environment while watching.

Besides the abs, the cinematography is gorgeous, the use of umbrellas breath taking and the plot was wrapped up a lttle bit to fast towards the end, and it may have a hole or two but is overall pretty decent. Kisses are top, top all in all definitely one of those dramas that I will rewatch scenes from now and then.

An easy binge that will-indeed cater to all your romance, umbrella and watery needs

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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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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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The Hype is Real, at least to me!

This is my first ever review on MDL. I am writing 3 days after LR ended because I needed to make sure that the hype is real, at least to myself lol

I love this series but I don't believe that 100% of everyone will agree with me. It is true to any series. As such, for anyone looking for a recommendation, mine is to just give this 2 episodes. At the end of episode 2, if it doesn't excite you, please drop it and count is as your gain, not even loss because you just saved 14 hours of your life to do stuff that you want.

For myself, I started following this series from the very beginning, before all the hype started. I was sucked in after the very first 10 minutes, before BWS was even properly introduced. KHY was the reason I stayed on and BWS made the ride that much more exciting, together with her. I cannot remember the last time I ever cared so much about 2 fictional characters, to the point where my heart aches just imagining the amount of grief that Sol had to go through each time she loses SJ. Even now, 3 days after the end, my heart still aches despite it being a HE because that was just how vested I was in them.

I am so grateful to be alive to have witness such a beautiful love story. It is also a gentle reminder to myself that even though I am in my 50s, it doesn't mean I can't continue to give my very best in everything I do, even if it's simple things like preparing a meal for my family or seeing my husband off to work, just like what SJ did so joyfully for IS.

Thank you to the team that made LR possible. I truly do not think it will be easy to find another series that will be able to capture my entire attention right from the start. I am just grateful that I was able to experience one this lifetime.

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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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They are so adorable but what the fuck is going on with that killer!

Lets talk about the positive cause the ROMANCE is ROMANCING! I love the couple so much and everything about them! I was blushing and kicking my feet every scene the ml and fl showed up!!! The back in time thing was so interesting as well, filled with comedy and romance was so fun to watch!

HOWEVER what the fuck was going on with the mystery side cause it would have been interesting if we actually found out the motive behind the killer/kidnapper! Cause we know nothing about him apart from the fact that he is a killer on the lose... It really ruined the show cause the whole purpose of the show was to catch the killer and live happily ever after but we got nothing out of him apart from plot. It felt really dry and annoying and the ending irritated me and lowkey ruined the whole show for me...

BUT the ml and fl are so adorable and definitely raised my standards!

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