Lovely Runner

The best chemistry in recent years!

See, drama like this with this level of chemistry won't be released every year and that's something we simply need to accept! we will have to wait another 6-8 years to get the kinda chemistry between co actors that will take the whole drama to another level altogether. That is, if we are fortunate!

The last time I witnessed actors with the kind of chemistry that had me in stitches years after the drama released was Minhyuk and Bong Soon from Strong Girl Dobongsoon, and Sunjae and Sol surpass that with distinction!

This drama is a must watch for people who missed out on the pure, tooth rotting sweet escape that Kdrama used to provide.
A true ROMCOM giant that came out of 2020s.

Read More

Amazing Youthful Entertainer - Clean Hit of 2024

I'm a big fan of time travel dramas; I watch time travel dramas most of the time." But after watching Some Day Or One Day," the time-travel rom-com caught me on the spot to explore these dramas. But I don't get enough dramas to freeze in those cute rom-coms, except for last year's "Twinkling Watermelon.". So I waited for this drama to breakout from the time-travel slump, as well as for the cast of Kim Hye Yoo, Byeon Woo Seok, and the trend of webtoon adaptations.


I watched all the episodes at once (I did not watch them when they were airing because I had exams), so I think I'm late to the party. The start is as good as I expected. The time travel aspect watch is another new element joined in the time travel mission. The synopsis tells the entire plot of the drama, so now it's up to the makers how they will keep the audience engaged with the plot, but it makes the drama watchable, like, Let's see how she will save him. Every episode is purely made as a youthful entertainer, especially the chemistry of the main leads, Kim Hye Yoon and Byeon Woo Seok, which makes the drama even more beautiful. The scene settings are impressive, and the use of the element "If the time traveler talks about the future or about the time travel, then the time will stop and no one in the past could hear anything from the time traveler '' made the plot engaging, but it will disappear suddenly from the drama. No love triangle; it has one but is not a complete one. The construction of a drama without a love triangle in a teenage love story is really something that we could appreciate from the from the director and writer because they focused on one story progression rather than love triangle points. With that unnecessary love triangle, sometimes the story progression is ruined. Emotional character development is pretty good. Kim Hye Yoon from funny lovable to emotional caring. Byeon Woo Seok a student with dreams to protective lovable. Song Geon Hee is a free-bird student and an understanding friend. The comedy plot is really a good entertainment aspect, and the execution of the comedy is also reasonable according to the story; there are no unnecessary side tracks, especially the comedy scenes of Kim Won Hae, Jung Young Joo, Seo Hye Won, and Song Ji, which will make the drama more enjoyable.

My only disappointment :-

This is not a thriller—time-travel—but they attempted a plot twist in the thriller zone by using a mysterious man (a killer), but the execution of that point is weak for me. If they try to give it some valuable scope and make it interesting, then the output is even better than this. Put the villain character only in boundary to show his face and drive a van or car. The director and writer got the friendship element to create a friendly environment around the male lead, but the protection point of the main lead was overshadowed. I agree; drama had the friendship moments between the main lead and his friends, but that's not enough for me. Even though it was a short time, it was good (male-led friendship).


ACTORS :-

One of the biggest elements of this drama's success is the chemistry between the main leads and the short girl tall guy troop. It was a classic troop in Kdrama Land, and we are missing it. So in the correct time this drama dropped their weapon, short girl tall guy love, it quickly gained the attention of every kdrama lover (also plot). Their acting is simply charismatic. Kim Hye Yoon I've been watching her dramas since "Extraordinary You," and she explored different genres, from dark to lovable, in every character she did an extraordinary performance. And in this drama, she really made me cry and laugh again, but this time more. She gave life to the Im Sol character; her superb emotional acting and ability to make you cry in funny scenes also contributed to her character development. The first half is totally funny, and the second totally emotional—multit character portrayal in a single-layer character—which is what made her one of the best actors in the upcoming generation.
Byeon Woo Seok, although this is my first main work of him, did great as Ryu Seon Jae. He caught me on the spot with his acting and I am now going to check out all his works (movies and dramas). And the supporting characters of Seo Hye Won, veteran actor Kim Won Hae, Jung Young Joo, Song Ji Ho, and Song Geon Hee gave complete decent acting performances in their respective character roles. They will make us laugh. Feel pain and emotion. What I found interesting is that, except for veteran actors Kim Won Hee, Jung Young Joo, and Seo Hye Won, no other supporting actors had a known face. Yet, this drama was a big success with them.

Writing - Direction - Screenplay - Sound Track Departments :-

Since it's an adaptation, the writer Lee Shi Eun's splendid script works very well. Attractive dialogues, lovely lines between the main leads, and hilarious conversations between supporting characters shine in every scene. Director Yoon Jung Ho, this is what made me excited because his previous masterpiece "Flower of Evil" is one of my favorite dramas, so I'm really excited to watch his other work, which is a Rom-com. He did pretty well his job as director. Every scene is stunningly beautiful, and no wonder I got thriller vibes with the killer plot in this drama. The scene settings are absolutely amazing, and his bold move for casting with limited big supporting actors and Byeon Woo Seok, Kim Hye Yoon is really appreciated. The screenplay in this typical drama is a really important aspect, to give the detailed drama structure from going in time backwards and forwards. There is not a lot of scope for the screenplay in this drama, but it is pretty good when it comes. One of the strongest pieces is the melodramatic sound track; it was amazing and fresh from the start to the end.

I would like to recommend this drama to every kdrama fan.

Note :- I’d like to notify that the following thoughts and words in my review are purely my own and not intended as criticism of any actor or drama.

Thank you - @Shinnosuke_Lee

Read More

Second chances don't come often.

A journey of life, love, and a little silliness.

Focusing on Im Sol, this drama follows her from the middle of her story and travels through time as she gets a new chance to save the person who saved her.

Lovely Runner was incredibly refreshing. Everything was balanced really well, the romance was sweet and angsty. If you're a sucker for leads who have complete loyalty to each other bordering on a (healthy) obsession like I am, then this has it in heaps, fits of laughter, and tears. All the side characters meshed well with the story, and there was neither too little nor too much of them. I loved watching the relationships grow and coincide with the story as it progressed, but this drama is about Im Sol and Sun Jae and they kept that focus for the most part throughout.

There was also enough plot to give everything in this meaning, and I really enjoyed how they paced it enough that with every change, it still kept us on the edge of our toes without being overbearing. Im Sol does get annoying at times with how sacrificial she is, but honestly both the leads share the burden of this mindset and it only helped to enhance how much they cared about each other. The humor in this was an absolute delight as well. If my heart wasn't hurting, I was laughing and it was a great pallet cleanser from more serious dramas.

All in all, I recommend this if you're looking for something refreshing, light but with plot, a great love story, and a little cringe in the best ways possible. This was a great watch and one I was unable to stop thinking about the entire time it aired.

Read More

One of the most well-rounded and enjoyable watches EVER

I considered writing a well thought out review for like a total of five minutes, but I can't. So, allow me to just yap.

This drama had very quickly made it obvious to me that it would become my all time favourite. There are so many core reasons as to why, I'm not sure how to list them all. First off, the casting was splendid. I wouldn't change a single thing. The acting was impeccable. The emotions were so real. I adored that this drama started out with a focus on high school life, giving me that cute high school romance that I love so much. The fantasy undertones were the root, yet they did not take away from the sweetness of their youth. There were so many times when I genuinely forgot that this was a story of Im Sol going back and forth. It feels like she lived so many lives and we got to witness so much of it. I am also so glad that it wasn't a situation in which Sun jae's feelings were hidden for an unnecessary amount of time. You know how sometimes it'll be that the female lead likes the male lead and then you find out later that he liked her all along, but they tell you rather than showing you? I loved that this drama showed us his perspective so early on. There may have been some back and forth with him and Im Sol about their feelings, but we knew. However, I believe the miscommunication was just the right amount. It wasn't like they were going crazy trying to hide their feelings... Even in the last few episodes as Im Sol tried to stay away, it was obvious that Sun jae was just ignoring her completely because he could see through her efforts.

I loved seeing their youth, it just gave me butterflies the whole time. I'm glad we spent time in the past, seeing them all build bonds and grow together. Everyone's story was touched on well, we got see how In Hyuk, Tae sung, Sun jae, and Im Sol had come together as well.

Tae Sung became a very beloved character and somehow one of the most sensible of them all. I appreciate how his intellect was something present even in his youth and he learned how to better channel it as he grew older.

Sun Jae was just a green flag all around. I have so much to say but my mind can't pinpoint a single thing. He was great.

All in all, this drama really touched my heart. It truly was about making sacrifices and learning to sometimes be selfish and give yourself a happy ending. I think the saddest part was knowing that even though Sun Jae and Im Sol have their memories, those experiences that all the characters shared in the past are no longer part of their timeline. It's unfortunate to know that in some ways, they missed out on a very pretty life filled with sweet moments. That's why episode 13 was definitely the saddest for me.

Anyways, this was a 10/10 kdrama with amazing romance, beautiful moments of the past, and really makes you appreciate the privilege of time.

Read More

Lovely Runner is my Roman Empire.

For nearly a decade, I felt like Kdramas are not as enjoyable as they once did. Maybe I've just watched too much Kdramas for my own good. However, Lovely Runner evoked those emotions again. Kim Hye Yoon did a splendid job as Sol. No other actress has made me cry and laugh like this. I don't usually like cringe stuff, but Lovely Runner has just the right amount of cuteness and serious moments. I particularly appreciate the parallelisms in every episode.

I don't understand why a lot of people are leaving bad reviews. They probably watched the drama with unrealistic expectations.

Read More

Ended my Kdrama slump , loved it !!

So basically it's a time travel story in which Our Fl goes back and forth to save ML and they save each other in the end. I just loved how BSW only had eye for Fl in every revind and every future story.
It has all the cliches that I like-
Male lead loves fL first
Rich ML
Possessive ML
Calm And caring ML
Warm FL
But you still feel like rewatching it is that wholesome.
Honestly, in first few minutes in drama I was really annoyed by Fl of how she was behaving like a 12 year old and with squeky voice but you will regret not continuing as it gets so much better from there onwards and when we see fl in emotional scenes then we are able to connect with her acting.
And the title is well suited for the drama as Fl is always running away from ML , only to be even closer to ML.
Must watch show, loved every scene and that one scene when fl pokes ML in nostril was so hilarious 😂.
Also appa and Umma of ML and fL had really funny conversations. Granny did a great job too.

Read More

Lovely Runner is the BEST RomCom Drama in 2024

Lovely Runner is the BEST RomCom Drama in 2024 ... It's like my Monday & Tuesday therapy Pill and I can't still get over it till now 2 weeks after it ends ... I have rewatched it for the 10th time now and still counting without even skipping an episode. I love Kim Hyeyoon here and she has shown us much depth in her acting and she has matured and developed. Her pretty & soulful crying and her awesome comedic timing and her great & natural chemistry with Byeon Woo Seok are on another level. I've become a True Fan of both Hyeyoon and Woo Seok.

Lovely Runner is like magic and it's a complete recipe for romantic comedy from the exploding and natural Chemistry of the OTP and their True love that prevails in all the timelines, Im Sol and Ryu Sunjae on and off Screen (please do watch their behind the scene it's like another drama altogether hehehehe), the most well-loved second lead Kim Taesung (become BFF with the Im Sol on the last timeline) and Sunjae's BFF the lovable Bae Im Hyuk and the rest of the cast in the drama and the Great writing and cool directing and it came together as Magic for me. Love the perfect flow of the drama and all the episodes for me is exciting and not predictable for me at all. In the first episode alone, I was crying when Im Sol was lying on the bed who had lost all reason to live due to her disability and contemplating ending her life but was saved by Ryu Sunjae words of comfort and hope to think of her love ones who will be hurt if she ever decided to end her life and just take life one day at a time. Hyeyoon's acting here gives me goosebumps and the next thing I just bawled my eyes out. It's like a healing moment for me.
Lovely Runner has become my source of comfort, fun, and excitement and this will go down in history. Hope they will receive lots of awards.

It's a MUST watched drama and I haven't moved on with this drama yet. SolJae forever

Read More

A KDRAMA WHICH DESERVED ALL THE HYPE! Best drama of 2024!

Its been while since I've watched a rom com kdrama which is so hyped and after finishing it, I HAVE TO SAY-- "This drama deserved all the hype." NO, in fact, it deserves way more recognition than it received. Half way through the drama after watching ep 8 i had rated this drama 10/10. I had decided that if the writer gave us an unambiguous, happy ending with lots of Soljae fluff, I wud rate this my top 1 fav kdrama of all times and thankfully the writers n directors didn't disappoint us.

Time travel has always been my favorite trope but a lot of them have ambiguous confusing endings where the entire thing turns out to be a dream or something most of the time. (I hate that.. Srsly!!) Lovely runner gave us time travel, romance, comedy, high school, crime, etc. -so many genres all in one and they executed all of these so beautifully capturing their audience's attention throughout the 2 months of its airing.

To be honest, i hadn't really watched any drama of either of the leads n i just started watching this bcz i didn't want to miss a time travel drama -being my fav genre n all... and I am so, so glad i didn't miss it.
They gave us LOSER SUNJAE n CRAZY SOL who were made for each other. One of the many things i liked about it was how they executed the part where Sunjae remembers everything. Especially thankful for the fact that they didn't just make it the last scene and BAM! end- but gave us ample Soljae scenes after that. The whole memory thing was carefully spanned over 2 eps n not just a sudden thing with no explanation. All these scenes were so beautifully filmed..

For the past 2 months, we all cried when Sol n Sunjae cried, we were happy with them when they finally defied their so called fate and got together.😍😍

Thank u Taesung for being such a supportive friend to Sol-ah , n rival to Sunjae ofc in any timeline. Thank u Baek Inhyuk, for helping your loser friend in his confessions (🤣).
As Sol's grandma says- Memories can be forgotten, but the soul always remembers." Even if they didn't remember each other, their friendship/rivalry remained.
AND THE BIGGEST THANKS TO THE WHITE TRUCK OF DOOM!!!!!! 🤣

SOLJAE's role was made for KHY n BWS. Now I can't imagine anyone else playing uri loser sunjae n being Solchinja.
The OSTs 😍made me feel as if i was falling in love myself while hearing them especially - Sudden shower, like a dream, spring snow.
I'll definitely miss my days where i waited for this.... no more waiting for preview, theories, pre releases or next week for new eps.
Anyone else debating whether to watch it or not-> PLZ,PLZ,PLZ,PLZ GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!
You won't regret watching this masterpiece!
Miss u LOVELY RUNNER💛💙!
Miss u uri pouty baby loser Sunjae-ya n crazy Sol-ah💛💙!!!
I sincerely hope this drama and the actors/actresses of the drama sweep all the awards for the year!!!!!!!!!!

Read More

Lovely Runner is the best Romantic Comedy, better yet, most satisfyingly epic show of all time!!!

It was a delightful ride watching our dear Ryu Sun Jae and Im Sol’s tumultuous love journey filled with sacrifices throughout their Teens, College and Adult eras. RomCom is my favorite genre and this drama was my cup of tea! I especially loved witnessing the ML’s POV as a loser-in-love-who’s-forced-to-be-cool, it was so refreshing to see as a RomCom lover! BWS & KHY’s chemistry are unparalleled, allowing for them to effortlessly convey their feelings across this reel. They're so convincing that my hunch is that they’re completely enamored with each other in real life! Stop feeding my Dimple Couple delulu! The writer and directors’ expertise and execution, intertwined superbly into a storytelling that was unblemished by PPLs, resulting into a beautifully organic masterpiece. It’s awesome how they injected the comedic timings to be consistent throughout the episodes without fail. The OSTs sounded amazing and were all so fitting with the moments of love, comedy, angst, and tears. My personal favorites were all the Eclipse songs sung by BWS! SGH, LSH and all the Supporting Casts did so well with their acting, making their characters so memorable. I look forward to their future projects. Last but not least, a round of applause for the production team and all your hard work in making this kdrama happen. They collaborated this nostalgic gem of a kdrama to me, reminding me of dearly of my original love of 20+ years kdrama. Overall, the re-watch value of LR is extremely high for me and I’ll be unwrapping this gift for many years to come!

Read More

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!

Read More