Lovely Runner

선재 업고 튀어 ‧ Drama ‧ 2024
Completed
muskatnuss
28 people found this review helpful
Jun 1, 2025
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

Time travel gone wrong

The world setting was done fine where it was explained that the time will stop if the FL talks about an event that happens in future. Half way through the story, this is not the case - she is able to sing a song that is not yet out in the public , she is able to explain that she is from future and many other issues with the overall screenplay. During the third time, she is even able to see the future .
It is a mix of many other time travel series like 'Some Day or One Day', 'Blue Birthday' and many other series, but I felt it doesn't have a proper story which is convincing enough. It is the same villain who is coming back again and again even though there is no issue between the protagonist and the villain. Screenplay could have been better to include the different possibilities of butterfly effect , but the whole series turned out to be a mediocre.
In case of 'Some Day or One Day', the time travel is happening via the doppelganger and not to the past of the same person so it is understandable the difference in the character and memory loss etc, but here it is the same person ; I agree that a person may have a different point of view once they mature but here it is shown as if she is a completely different person.

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Completed
JSainte
28 people found this review helpful
Jul 30, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 6.5
Story 6.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 6.5
This review may contain spoilers

You Guys Gave This A 9.1?

This review is for those who've already seen it. You may enjoy it as it's just a compilation of notes I made watching this drama.

Let me start off by saying this drama is like Twinkling Watermelon meets W. W is one of my favorite dramas and Twinkling Watermelon was amazing. This, however, is really hard to watch. Like really hard. I'm sticking with it, but fast-forwarding quite a bit. I've only quit one drama before because I couldn't stand the FL and I'm trying not to have a repeat of Kill Me, Heal Me.

FL, Im Sol (Kim Hye-Yoon) was really cute and sweet in the first episode. Then when she travelled back in time she became really annoying and kind of ditzy/stupid. ML, Ryu Sun-Jae (Byeon Woo-Seok) was weirdly nice in episode one, despite his clear depression, but past him was a bit odd. In his defense, Im Sol was being a creep and a half.

Someone in the comments (on Viki) said that Kim Tae-Sun (Song Geon-Hee) was the 2nd ML, but when searching the names, I see a different male billed above him. Never seen this guy in any drama before but he looks too old for high school.

Okay, now it's just annoying. He keeps trying to confess, and she's either the world's biggest moron, or she's deaf. Maybe both.

This whole her rushing home to stop the fire, whilst dumb and dumber, her best friend, Lee Hyun-Joo (Seo Hye-Won), and brother, Im Geum (Song Ji-Ho), is not only stupid, it's infuriating.

Her teenage self took over? Ugh. This is going to be exhausting and drawn out for no reason, I can tell.

I feel really bad for 2nd ML. She needs to end it with that poor guy. Also, harsh take but maybe she didn't deserve working legs because the amount of times this girl falls, trips, gets knocked over, etc is annoying.

Omg. He keeps saying "I like you" and she keeps running away. What even is this plot and how on earth was it rated so highly on this site?

Oh good. And now we're at the "I can't accept your feelings." dumb *#&@^$(#& crap.

Baek In Hyuk (Lee Seung Hyub) is completely right. It's been like 15 years and suddenly he just falls for her all over again? Especially after how ungrateful and shitty she was the last time they met in the past.

Her losing her mind about the watch and screaming, "I should have died instead!" like he's not even dead. Go be with him in hospital instead of doing all this nonsense.

"I can't die before I save him!" proceeds to close her eyes and make no attempt to save herself. God she's infuriating.

2ML is definitely my favorite character. He's keeping me hanging on. Much like the bromance in Goblin was the only thing keeping going through that because that girl was obnoxious and acted like a child.

"Hey my dad said the killer is stalking you, shouldn't you tell your family and move everyone somewhere safer?" No. That would be intelligent, why would I do that?

So they both learn the killer has escaped, she breaks down to Tae Sung's dad about catching him and then her boyfriend is cautious about everything and she's like "What's up with you?". Good god she's insufferable.

I struggled to get through this drama and the only reason I did was because I skipped a lot. I'm glad we got the happy ending for everyone. The last episode was pretty sweet. And I will say, unlike other dramas, it wasn't a super rushed happy ending so I will give them that.

Justice for my man Tae Sung though. lol

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Completed
TheBeautyFever
22 people found this review helpful
Dec 23, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 3.5
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 2.0

ANOTHER HYPE DRAMA TURNS INTO A DISAPPOINTMENT

i thought it would be great but seems like i got conned, never trust tiktok & x trending, it didn't live up to the hype... shame, i like the cast tho
the plot is messy, the chemistry didn't work, the character development not quite there, the acting is okay and good, the ost is the best thing from this drama
overall it's not a drama that i will rewatch over time
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Completed
Life
47 people found this review helpful
Jun 4, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 6.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 4.0
This review may contain spoilers

Plot is quite weak and repetitive it's an alright drama I don't know what is all the hype about it

Alright let me tell you there is already a lot of dramas with second chances time travelling and going back to save there loved ones but this one just gets on my nerves the plot just keep repeating they keep time traveling it's quite annoying it's like they keep serving us the same dish in different plates and I don't know I found the female character quite cringe trying to act cute not only that her character is quite dumb and she does everything without thinking I felt second hand embarrassment for her even in the last tae sung saved sun jae she just time travelled for nothing plus what was that truck driver motive for killing sun jae like writer just wanted to end the drama so bad she left so many plot holes and cliches and the only thing I can say is that the drama hype is all because of byeon woo seok just check insta and half of the edits of this drama is about him

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Completed
DIY Madonna
16 people found this review helpful
Aug 31, 2025
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
This review may contain spoilers

SO MANY HOLES

Lovely Runner had me at “time-traveling fangirl saves her idol,” but by the end, I was laughing through my tears, not always for the reasons it intended. Starring Kim Hye-yoon as Im Sol, a paralyzed superfan, and Byeon Woo-seok as Ryu Sun-jae, the doomed frontman of the fictional boy band Eclipse, this drama promised a swoony mix of romance, thriller, and time-loop shenanigans. It starts with Sol, whose life was upended by a childhood accident, clinging to Sun-jae’s music for solace, only to learn he’s spiraling into depression, a career-killing shoulder injury, and a gut-wrenching suicide in 2023. Then, poof, a magical watch drops into her lap, letting her zip back to 2008 to rewrite his fate. She dives into her high school days, armed with future knowledge, dodging a creepy serial killer, and trying to save Sun-jae from shady managers, overwork, and his own dark path. The setup is a nostalgic love letter to the early 2000s with flip phones, skinny jeans, and all, blending romance, comedy, and a dash of menace. The first half is pure magic: Sol’s fangirl fervor is adorable, Sun-jae’s brooding charm is catnip, and their chemistry crackles like a K-pop banger. Kim Hye-yoon plays Sol with a mix of pluck and pathos, while Byeon Woo-seok makes Sun-jae’s quiet pain achingly real. The supporting cast like Sol’s quirky family, Sun-jae’s bandmates, and Taesung, a sweet cop’s son, adds warmth, and the glossy visuals, paired with Eclipse’s catchy tunes, hit all the right emotional notes. But oh, how the mighty fall. By the end, *Lovely Runner* is a mess, tripping over its own time loops, drowning in plot holes, and leaving me chuckling at its absurdity while mourning what could’ve been. With weak worldbuilding, characters who forget who they are, and a narrative that feels like it was written by a committee of confused time travelers, I’m giving it a 6 out of 10: a bittersweet watch that’s equal parts charming and infuriating, like falling in love with someone who keeps forgetting your name.

The tragedy starts with the worldbuilding, or lack thereof, which is less a foundation and more a crumbling sandcastle. The magical watch that powers Sol’s time-hopping is a mystery wrapped in a shrug. Who owned it before her auction win? Why does her grandma act like she’s in on the timeline secrets, only to vanish into narrative limbo? The watch’s rules are a cosmic joke: it triggers at midnight one day, at Sun-jae’s death the next, or maybe when Sol’s feeling extra regretful, with a supposed three-attempt limit that’s more suggestion than law. It’s like the writers tossed a coin to decide how it works each episode, leaving me giggling at the sheer audacity. Sol’s time-freezing trick is even more maddening. She uses it to sneak into Sun-jae’s house or dodge his dad, but when she’s stuck in a kidnapper’s car, does she freeze time? Nope, she runs in front of it like a sitcom character. Or when Sun-jae’s stabbed and tumbling off a cliff, she’s got 10 seconds to act but just stands there, as if her superpower took a coffee break. These moments are so contrived I couldn’t help but laugh, but it’s a hollow laugh when you realize the stakes are supposed to matter.

The characters, bless their hearts, are a parade of missed potential. Sol’s arc is a tearjerker that never quite lands. Her growth, especially around her disability, happens mostly off-screen, leaning on sappy manipulation instead of depth. Kim Hye-yoon tries, but the script gives her little to work with, leaving Sol feeling like a plot pawn rather than a person. Sun-jae’s bandmates and family are reduced to background noise, their arcs so incomplete I half-expected them to wave at the camera and say, “We tried!” Taesung, the second lead, is a walking plot hole: suddenly Sol’s bestie in altered timelines, despite no prior connection in the original, and the show doesn’t even try to explain it, which had me snorting at its laziness. The serial killer, a taxi driver with a vendetta, is the biggest joke of all. His obsession with Sol, his random possession of her phone at a reservoir (maybe tied to a dead homeless guy, who knows?), and his motives are so vague that when he leaps off a bridge to end his arc, I cackled at the anticlimax. It’s like the writers said, “Eh, close enough.” Younger Sol’s behavior in resets, going from wallflower to cigarette-snatching brawler, feels like a comedy sketch gone wrong, with no bridge to her original shy self, making me laugh and wince at once.

The pacing and tone are where the show’s soul truly shines, or rather, stumbles. The first half zips along, balancing romance, humor, and mystery like a well-choreographed dance. But the second half? It’s like the show got stuck in a time loop of its own, repeating the same beats until I was begging for mercy. The endless cycles feel like a writer’s room prank, dragging the story into a slog that’s both exhausting and absurdly funny in its refusal to move forward. The tone is a disaster: slapstick comedy crashes into gut-punch drama, like a clown stumbling into a funeral. One minute, Sol’s chasing a goat in a goofy gag; the next, she’s sobbing over Sun-jae’s fate, and I’m left with tonal whiplash, laughing at the absurdity while craving coherence. The thriller subplot is a forced mess, like someone tossed a serial killer into a rom-com and hoped for the best. And don’t get me started on Sol’s baffling choices: she sees future visions (like tripping during that goat chase) but lies about them to Sun-jae, who already knows she’s from 2023, stretching misunderstandings into a sitcom-level farce that’s equal parts infuriating and unintentionally hilarious. The romance, initially so tender, gets buried under these repetitive loops, with too few intimate moments to keep the heart fluttering, leaving me chuckling at the irony of a love story forgetting its own spark.

The plot holes are the cherry on top, a laundry list of absurdities that make you laugh, cry, and question your life choices. Sol’s ability to walk in 2023 after erasing her connection to Sun-jae is pure nonsense. In the original timeline, he saved her from drowning post-accident, so without him, she should be paralyzed or worse, but the show just shrugs, tossing in vague butterfly effects like a bad punchline. The lottery ticket Sol gives her brother with 2024 numbers somehow wins across resets, even when those events are erased, which is so illogical I snorted. Her family’s move to dodge dangers like a fire or redevelopment is a head-scratcher. Some timelines show no burn marks on her mom, suggesting the threats aren’t consistent, and how Sol pulls it off repeatedly is anyone’s guess. Sol’s consciousness during time slips is a comedic riddle, is her past self on auto-pilot? She keeps skills like driving but needs triggers for memories, blurring whether it’s parallel universes or a single timeline, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the confusion. The timeline count, maybe five, from handicapped Sol to erasing links, is a chaotic mess, with returns flipping between morning and midnight like a drunk time traveler. The police arresting the killer is a farce: handcuffing him in front, not securing him in the car, and letting him escape for no reason other than drama, which had me giggling at the sheer incompetence. Sol writing a script about their romance after swearing to avoid Sun-jae is a contradiction: it jogs his memories, undoing her plan, and she’s somehow surprised, which is both sad and absurd. The watch’s random reappearance in timelines where they don’t meet, with no explanation of how Sun-jae gets it, is another laughable gap. These holes pile up, turning the story into a circus, equal parts exasperating and unintentionally funny.

In the end, *Lovely Runner* is a K-drama that woos you with its big heart and bigger dreams, only to trip face-first into a pile of its own plot holes, leaving you laughing through the pain. Kim Hye-yoon and Byeon Woo-seok are the saving grace, their chemistry a beacon in the storm, making those high school scenes and early romantic beats feel like a warm hug. The visuals, dripping with 2000s nostalgia, and the Eclipse soundtrack are pure joy, tugging at your heart even when the story doesn’t. Themes of regret, fate, and idol pressures could’ve been profound, but they’re lost in the shuffle, like a poignant line in a bad comedy sketch. It promises a masterpiece but delivers a messy love story that’s as frustrating as it is charming. I wanted to adore it, but I ended up laughing at its stumbles while sighing for what might’ve been.

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Completed
Sifi12345
48 people found this review helpful
Jul 19, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 6.5
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

Dissapointing and Overrated

So I'll be honest, I did not really enjoy watching Lovely Runner. I had really high expectations but it was just boring...

I thought the beginning was interesting as she had suffered a terrible accident and had to learn how to live her life in a wheel chair. She was unhappy and suicidal, but then suddenly, one call from some idol and some simple message like "live to enjoy tomorrow", would completely change her outlook on life. This does not seem realistic. One does not change from suicidal to suddenly a bubbly and positive girl from one moment to the next. After the concert in episode 1, he meets her at the bridge, which is a huge coincidence to be honest. Then it turns out he had been her neigbour, another big coincidence, he was actually the one who saved her at the bridge, another big coincidence... I know fiction always has coincidences and unrealistic occurances, but this was really too much! Also, I thought we would learn of his struggle with depression and suicide, and the plot twist was so dissapointing.

Additionally, I thought it was strange that the whole plot of his "suicide" would suddenly change to a murder case, which was connected to Im Sol's car accident. It is just so typical and predictable at this point. Furthermore, the serial killer does not have any personality and is just a chess piece for the plot.

The second couple in the drama were just so unnecessary. What did that add to the story?

All the problems in this drama are external, and the most important being that the murderer will kill Sun Jae. This is also boring, as there is no character development in the whole story. What did Sun Jae and Im Sol learn in the process? Nothing. Only that they loved each other.

The whole plot was based on saving Sun Jae, and there is literally nothing else the plot is about. He was in love with her from the beginning also making the whole "falling in love" process really gone. I usually love romance, but this drama did not make my heart flutter at all!

Well, throughout the drama until like episode 15 I was somewhat okay with the drama. Nothing exceptional but some light entertainment, but at episode 15, when the killer got hit by a truck, I was really shocked! This is it? That's it? The main characters were not even responsible for the catching of the murderer! I mean what did I watch this drama for? I watched it so that Im Sol manages would put the criminal in prison. So when episode 16 came, I expected something dramatic to happen cause episode 15 was so underwhelming and dissapointing. Turns out episode 16 is just one super long episode about Im Sol and Sun Jae being together. I really felt nothing when I finished the drama.

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Completed
wi hajoon
11 people found this review helpful
Jul 14, 2025
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 1.0
Story 1.0
Acting/Cast 1.0
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers

A painful watch

I want to start off by saying I'm not trying to bash the actors, I'm only criticizing the writing and characters.

My biggest issue was that the character Im Sol was just straight up annoying. It's like they tried to make her as cringe as possible. The dialogue was unbearable and I hate that she cries almost every episode, they made her just so....helpless. All she does is cries out for Sun Jae?? That's pretty much the reason I had to force myself in order to finish the series.
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Completed
David33
25 people found this review helpful
Jan 3, 2025
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 11
Overall 5.0
Story 3.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
This review may contain spoilers

I wish I could travel back in time to stop myself to watch Lovely Runner!

ABSOLUTE MESS! DON'T SHOW THIS TO ANYONE WHO NEVER WATCHED A KDRAMA!!!

Other than the two main lead being cute (and cringe) together, and the OST, what else is good in this show? Honestly, I can't mention anything else.

I don't understand how this drama can have a 9.0 rating. Like everyone is blinded by the eye candy?

I watched a lot of movies and shows about time traveling, but oh my God, this has one of the most inconsistent writing EVER! If you want to write a story about time traveling, and create your own rules, at least don't change it in every episode!

1st: We NEVER get any explanation how can she travel back in time. I'm not talking about the method, I'm talking about the whole reason why she can do it. Who made it possible?

2nd: If she can't tell anything about the future, because the time will freeze, how did she manage to tell multiple people still? The writing was so sloppy! The fact that her past-self don't remember anything, just made the whole plot meaningless. The fact is, she never loved the guy, she was a fangirl, and she falls in love with him in the past, but her past-self didn't even know the guy.

3rd: Sol is THE DUMBEST female character I've seen in a Kdrama! Like, she never tells anything to anyone. Not even her kidnapping. How is that even possible, I don't know. I mean, the police just thought: "Let's not say anything to her family, even tho she's a minor, and a guy wanted to kill her, it's not important!" No wonder he was outsmarting the police for 15 YEARS! Absolute JOKE!

What's more irritating is that, Sol isn't even trying to change the future. She knows exactly how it's gonna happen and where, yet she goes to the same place rather than just travel to another city or a country. If I know how my loved one will die, I'm not gonna act like Supergirl and fight with the killer. To be fair, it's not like the police can handle anything. Even a toy version is more reliable.

This isn't all, the worst part in the story is probably the last couple of episodes when she removes herself from the memory of everyone, except her family, but of course, somehow her grandmother with dementia still remembers, and the guy will slowly remember as well, because why not, right? They can remember the past that never happened!

So, yeah, this show doesn't deserve the hype or the high score, at all!

I mean, I could say, if you can ignore everything, it's a fun show, but what's the point of ignoring everything? You could just watch the paint dry on your wall. Same experience, without the cute female and hot male lead!

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Completed
autumn carrot
113 people found this review helpful
May 28, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 7
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

The curse of the 16 episode Kdrama strikes again

For me, this show was a solid 8.5 when I first started it. I have to say, I had no interest in this show. Then I heard about the plot and how it's about a girl going back in time to save her favorite idol...I thought the plot was so pitiful and sad! I started this out of pity! I just feel like it's sad when you have regrets about people you can't save. And the show didn't disappoint. The start of this show was exhilarating. It was relatable and emotional and so sincere. Then after the sad start, there was the humor, and the love interest developed into one of the more endearing male leads of Dramaland as he wore his heart on his sleeve and was just dorky and handsome at the same time. Not many can pull that off so kudos to Byeon Woo Seok for that. In addition, our leading lady is a tried and guaranteed good actress. The chemistry was sizzling, the plot was engaging, the humor was delightful, and the second male lead was not too annoying...it was all too good to be true. And it was, in fact, too good to be true.
It is a truth, universally understood but everyone is too chicken to acknowledge it, that all kdramas have the potential to end on episode 12 but get dragged on for four more episodes until the show loses all its unique charm and rots away in the cesspool of cliched stereotypes. My only wish while watching a kdrama is either for it to end with 12 episodes or if it has to go on, at least go with grace. Very few shows do that.
I was really rooting for this show. I really was. But sadly, the show started to stutter around episode 10/11 and by episode 12, the plot was lost, dead, and buried.
Here's the thing, you need to let your MacGuffin macguffin! You need to let your plot device be a device to drive the plot ahead. Not for the plot to run after the plot device on a bicycle! What I'm trying to say is that a lot of Korean rom-coms add murder mysteries or thriller subplots to their shows both to make them longer and to spice up the plot. And I'm gonna assume at some point this worked but lately, these subplots are becoming so intense, convoluted, and clunky that they totally derail the show and ruin its final arc. Here it was no exception as the plot began to fall into a repetitive cycle, the female lead lost all her brain cells, misunderstandings and miscommunications ensued, and characters actively made choices to sabotage the progress of the story.
Girl, you're traveling back in time. Putting aside the ludicrous shock of such an event, after figuring out the rules (which the show took as guidelines, instead of rules as they frequently and shamelessly broke them for plot convenience) why do you keep repeating the same pattern of behavior, hoping to get different results?!
The plot really fell in a loop. It became exhausting. Then the murderer plot became too big and it was like the villain had extra superpowers because why was he absolutely undefeatable for 16 bloody episodes?!
It was just too much and then episode 15 rushed to close the plotlines while most of episode 16 was fan service. The pace of the show was a mess. They should've established better rules for their universe and stuck to them at least in important plot moments. Unfortunately, logic and narrative were sacrificed for melodramatic effect, ultimately ruining the second half of the show beyond repair.
Now the actors were okay. I would especially say just the mains stood out as good. The side actors were so-so. The subplot of the brother and best friend was really bad. It was boring and wasted time more than anything else. Every other character was written only as background decoration or comic relief, making them too caricaturish to be taken seriously.
Production was minimal but it worked. Music was tolerable I guess. But I was still tired of the ballad by the end.
I won't rewatch this. The second half ruined it for me but the first half will always remain an exceptional "One that got away" for me.
I wish they had done better by the show. It deserved better. It could've been so much better. I still think if you really wanna watch it, it's a good rom-com and the leads' dynamic is worth enjoying. Just maybe prepare to clench your teeth in the second half.

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Completed
shinhwafan
70 people found this review helpful
May 31, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 1.5

The romance and music are great. PLot Holes. And characterizations greatly diminish the enjoyment.

The effervescence around this drama is excessive. If one can watch without a critical eye it is absolutely wonderful And I agree. If you are The type of k drama watcher, who likes cohesive plots and well developed characters.Then you may have issues with this drama. It may still be well worth watching for the emotional beats and the music. The acting is very good and the couple is amazingly cute. I do not regret watching this show but it was stressful at times.

This is my first review. I wanted to present overall a more balanced view. I rely in part on these ratings to decide whether to watch a show or not. If I relied on the ratings and reviews here I would have thought this is The absolutely Best drama ever and this is definitely not the case.

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Completed
Kate Flower Award1
137 people found this review helpful
May 28, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 26
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

So many timelines, so little development.

I want to start with - I really did enjoy the show a lot, I hyped it at the beginning like crazy and got quite a few people to watch it too. That said, I cannot act as if it had no flaws. In fact, it had many.

Started as a fun and entertaining rom-com delivering some well established cliches in a refreshing way, with just enough angst to keep you invested. And next? It turned into its worst nightmare - poorly written development making the last few episodes lose the initial charm. The fate of many dramas in the past. The fate of many dramas to come.

Truth to be told, I have no idea how to write the review in a way that will point out all the issues I had, while also delivering the clear idea of the fun and joy I felt while watching. The drama is honestly mediocre, but it’s such an excellent presentation, you just forget and ignore how mediocre it is.

The plot was messy, with little explanation of how anything works. Time travel had close to zero rules truly established, the villain had literally nothing going on for himself and I feel like the yellow umbrella had more personality than him. He had no business being so important to the plot with this little fucks put into actually writing it in engaging and coherent manner.

Kim Tae Sung and Baek In Hyuk were pure sunshines, but it’s a joke to call them main characters (and they are named as such even on namu.wiki). The supporting couple was painfully unnecessary and the whole drama had overall too many filler scenes and flashbacks of things that happened even in the same episode.

And yet it was fun and adorable. The chemistry between Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon was amazing from literally the first scene - they aced the romance, comedy, drama. Lovely Runner is filled with scenes that will make you smile and laugh and lighten your mood. The down to earth comedy driven by the characters’ personalities and daily accidents was probably one of my favorite aspects of the show. Even though I felt like the characters were not truly complex and well developed, at the same time I fell in love with their quirky personalities. Seon Jae and Tae Sung? Surprisingly great and fun chemistry. Now I wish to see the two of them in a drama together as close friends.

What’s more to love? Amazing soundtrack with many uplifting and moving songs. Sudden Shower (소나기) just melts your heart when you listen to it. With a great soundtrack goes beautiful visuals - loved the set design, lighting, camera angles. The drama also had amazing timing - turning some romantic and dramatic scenes into comedy bits with a fun presentation. So many things worked, so what didn't?

Ryu Seon Jae is technically the main character, but the writing matches the supporting ones more. Where is the development? Where is the rich characterization? Where are the flaws and personal goals? Why is he Haru 2.0? On paper he is perfect, but would I want a man like that in real life? A person with little to no individuality, whose whole existence revolves around me? That’s how Seon Jae is presented. He is a 1+1 deal with Im Sol and that’s it. Yes, he is good looking, yes he is adorable with his loser charm, he is dedicated, killing viewers with his puppy love towards Sol. But I need more from my lead characters… I need some spice with that sugar.

Sol is not much different, so at least we have equality here. Everything she does is done for Seon Jae’s benefit. I get it, it’s a plot driven show about preventing the bad thing from happening - it does not mean they cannot use some screen time to develop the characters a bit more beyond what the plot needs them to do. Why are they giving so much screen time to a side romance when your main characters are 2-dimensional plot puppets even half way through the show?

And it’s not like the plot was well developed. As I already said, time travel has no rules established except how to get back in time. The crime/mystery part is laughably bad with ridiculous conclusions. 80% of the show is just cute and fun moments, and there would be nothing wrong with that if the drama did not try to pretend as if the reminding 20% were interesting and important. Make it 12 episodes and switching a crime to depression and we would get top quality heart warming healing rom-com. You could feel how they did not have enough material for 16 episodes when they started to show flashbacks of events that happened maybe 20 minutes ago in the same episode.

Acting wise I overall loved it. There were a few moments when I found Kim Hye Yoon’s performance not quite convincing, especially during a few lighter romantic scenes - the smile was just too much, it did not seem real. Something about her being so excessively happy did not vibe with me, as if she tried to convince me she is happy with her smile instead of showing it with her eyes. But these were truly just a few moments and overall I truly loved her as Sol. When you think about it, at least in some aspects it was in fact noona romance. Byeon Woo Seok did an amazing job too. Loved how he could be both cool and charismatic and a dorky loser and it made perfect sense.

Overall, often after I finished watching the episode I had this thought: wow, that was really a filler episode, but I had so much fun. It’s happy and bright, overdramatic with its mystery when the mystery is shallow and barely working for this plot. I had a great time watching, but I would hesitate to recommend it.

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Completed
Nicholas louie
63 people found this review helpful
May 29, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 4
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 6.0

Good start, but lazy writing happened.

I watched this show expecting a lot because of the hype surrounding it but was let down. People were even comparing it to Twinkling Watermelon which was a top tier drama for me. I could tolerate it for a bit hoping that it would get better, but ultimately the female leads character is extremely annoying and I didn’t see any chemistry between the two leads. The plot is confusing at times but also very cliche and corny. I was waiting for a different result with the many chances the main character was given to change things. However, with the exception of the first back in time, it was a repeat of almost the same thing every time after. It’s not that I didn’t like it, but it was hard watching the female lead keep making the same mistakes trying to push the male lead away just to get the same result.

First few episodes are good, but there were so many plot holes in the storyline plus the lazy writing towards the end that just ruined this drama for me. Not a MUST WATCH! like what everyone is saying, but good for a one time watch.

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