This review may contain spoilers
enchanted
Well, I confess that I became interested in this drama by reading the synopsis which, in short, talks about a fan who obtains the power to go back in time to try to save her favorite idol right after he supposedly committed suicide in 2023. To try to save him , Sol goes back to 2008 where she was still a student and Sunjae, the idol she admired so much, was also still a student. There are MANY plots (breaking expectations) that make you fall in love with each episode and the protagonists. I would never have imagined that both would have such a deep and interconnected story. The feelings they both feel are transmitted in such a pure and human way that it is impossible not to be moved. I cried in almost every scene (I consider myself very sensitive). So far, for me, Lovely Runner has become the best drama of 2024 in my opinion, Byeon Woo-seok (Sunjae) and Kim Hye-yoon (Im Sol) gave a show of chemistry, comfort and emotion in each scene they starred in together . I recommend it a thousand times and a thousand more if possible, it was wonderful to watch every second of this masterpiece episode ☔💛Was this review helpful to you?
Lovely Runner Delivers from Start to Finish
The Korean series Lovely Runner stands out among countless others for its exceptional storytelling. Every scene is crafted with purpose, and each character, no matter how minor, contributes meaningfully to the plot. There are no wasted moments; every storyline is resolved, and the execution is so seamless that it avoids any cringe-worthy moments. This series is a testament to masterful direction and thoughtful writing.The series is packed with humor that will keep you laughing from the very first episode to the last. It never loses its charm and is crafted so well that it truly engages your emotions and takes you on an unforgettable journey.
The screenwriters and director of Lovely Runner were clearly in perfect harmony, as evidenced by the seamless execution of the series. The actors were perfectly cast and did full justice to the characters they portrayed, bringing the well-written script to life in a compelling and engaging way.
This is a show that I'd travel across time just to see.
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Good but not great
First off, I really love all the actors. Byeon Woo Soek has solidified his place as an A list actor in Korea. I first saw him in Record of Youth but this role is where he really shined. He has come a long way.I have to say, I did not like the script. I hated the back and forth so many times and just couldn’t keep up.
The music was fantastic. “Rain Shower” is so beautiful. And!!!!! “A Day” by my favorite group (Ateez) member Jongo!! So great!
Also, it was funny how the “bromance” reminded me of True Beauty. I really liked the other guy and also her brother and family!
It took me forever to get through this series but I’m glad I did. As for time travel though, I prefer Twinkling Watermelon.
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This review may contain spoilers
I really don't know what exact feeling am I giving to this drama...
The story is nice and understandable, though I was kinda annoyed by how it goes because she kept coming back and forth through all the episodes. Like I was very confused and was about to drop this drama on episode 4 or something because I was so confused and I felt kinda sorry to Sol too. Like if I was her I'd end my life right away due to confusion that leds to depression....... anyway!Actually if someone I liked told me that they are annoyed by my existence I'd never show up infront of them ever like EVER.. but this Sunjae mf still insist to follow her anywhere which is very annoying like...
I somehow don't really like the OSTs except 4 songs. ..
But the feeling when they reunited with the memories they had is so heart warming, I didn't cry the whole season but that scene made me very emotional.
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this will be a classic!
I never wrote a review before but I have to talk about this masterpiece! This drama ended my small k-drama slump and reached my heart.The ML and FL have so much chemistry and I literally giggled and smiled the whole 16 episodes (minus the sad scenes obviously). The soundtracks are amazing and 10CM held the whole fandom in a chokehold before the offical release of Spring Snow.
The only plot that annoyed me after a while was the killer. It became a bit boring after a few episodes, but the sweet scenes of the lovebirds made me ignore that.
I will definitely rewatch this drama, Sol and Sonjae have a place in my heart now :')
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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.
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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
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Just a drama filled with all the cliched romantic scenes we have been watching for years
I am a Wooseok enjoyer so I decided on giving the series a try. As a fan of Wooseok, I am really happy he got his limelight through this show. But other than that there is nothing new or unique about this drama. Maybe the romance works well for new kdrama watcher. I am just so tired watching the show. The writers really didn't care to explore any other characters in this show. Except ml and fl, every other character are just there as a decorative purpose. The writers were hyper focused on fl saving the ml that they didn't even care about any character development in any of the characters in the story. Just bad writing and cringey fl doing random things leading her in trouble always. Don't know what's the hype abt this drama. Anyway Wooseok lets grab those awards for this year because he really was born to do this role and he played his part really well as always. Could have given better story for the sml, but unfortunately he is also just there to make the ml jealous and for decorative purpose.Also, The fl's disability got forgotten and after few episodes it felt like she/the writers just ignored it. The writers should have made fl taking time and relive her past like Twinkling Watermelon show. The story and the characters were so shallow which is the main drawback imo. The show had two great lead actors (BWS and KHY) with good side actors but never fully used their potential.
Positive things
1. The comic timing and lil expression variations of BWS and KHY were so good.
2. The chemistry of the leads.
3. The first 5 episodes were really good.
4. Music/OST
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It's like you are are watching 2016-2017 era of kdrama. The ML actors & FL actress had a perfect chemistry in off cam/on cam. The cinematography and the OST is perfect.
They deserve the recognition and blessings because they worked hard for this drama. Also the directors, writers and staffs big applause for them.
P.s anyway we have different opinions, so should respect each other☺️
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I love this drama like Seonjae loves Sol
Sorry for my English. Lovely Runner is the best drama I have seen so far this year, each episode made me feel like I was on a roller coaster, sometimes I laughed, other times I cried. The best thing is that each chapter left me wanting to see more, it didn't become tedious or boring as it usually happens in other dramas that I already finished in the last chapters out of obligation. But it didn't happen to me with this drama. What's more, I feel empty now that it's over. The chemistry, the acting, the script, the ost everything was perfectly executed. That's why this drama deserves all the love it's receiving, I don't think it's overrated when it didn't have adequate promotion from the beginning. This drama will have a place in my heart forever.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Run away from this drama
The story is promising until it becomes unbearable, beginning with some interesting facets, highlighting issues of the wheelchair bound people, parasocial fan culture, mental health struggles, time travel and the rules of this particular version. Once Sol and Seon Jae meet, there is no chemistry though the engaging mystery of the lead figuring out her situation and how it works kept the pace going, but soon there is clearly not enough plot to to sustain 9 episodes, let alone 16 episodes of hour+ runtime because it just relies on tropes to pad out the runtime with all of the interesting set up just abruptly ending, unexplored and unaddressed. What the drama became was like the writer is actually desperate to write a comedy and is also really bad at it. There are so many shouty scenes of endless misunderstood moments, withholding information and intentions, stupid testosterone contests, side characters bickering that go on forever.The acting of the leads aren't good enough to elevate anything either. The second lead Tae Sung is comparatively better than the rest and the character is the only one that has growth and change throughout the story which helps to make his quirky scenes that don't involve the inane one upmanship with Seon Jae, actually funny. Sol has always acted immature even as a 34 year old adult and her entire focus just revolves around Seon Jae when she goes back in time. She doesn't get to have an substantial moments to develop her bond with other people like her family who were also facing some serious problems like her mom's health, her grandma's eventual mental decline, or even her friend and future sister in law. Everyone is just a comedy bit. Even Tae Sung with his father when he rushes to the hospital after his dad was nearly killed by the escaped serial killer, the show just leaves it at a comedy bit. Seon Jae is actually even more immature as a 34 year old in all iterations of his life and also doesn't have a single serious moment with his father. The leads have no dimension in addition to no chemistry, so their relationship has no weight. Truck sama wiping out the serial killer is the ultimate lazy conclusion. They should have had Sol behind the wheel at least. The show hates depth and characterization. The sky high mdl rating as of this writing confounds me, there are dramas that are way better that don't have anywhere as near high ratings.
I do not recommend this drama. If you want a well done time travel back to high school plot to save a guy, watch Love for Love's Sake.
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soo good
i have no absolute idea how am i gonna live my Mondays and Tuesdays without lovely runner.it's probably one of the best dramas that i watched in general.
i loved the acting,the cast,the whole plot,music and the whole drama in general.every time that i think about lovely runner i just wanna smile.
the relationship they had is just unreal ,he fell in love with in every timeline its just so sweet. i am sooo glad that ml was this actor he fited the image so good and just like that ge definitely became one of my favourite actors I have zero idea how did i never really noticed.Anyways i just loved the chemistry between them and everything else truly good drama worth every second loved it
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