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Lovely Runner

선재 업고 튀어 ‧ Drama ‧ 2024
Ongoing 15/16
analoveskdrama
88 people found this review helpful
May 28, 2024
15 of 16 episodes seen
Ongoing 6
Overall 5.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 6.0
Rewatch Value 3.5
This review may contain spoilers

Very disappointing

I had really high hopes for this show because of all the hype that was going on around it. I have one more episode left but so far I'm very disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it has some really sweet moments and their chemistry is really good. There are also lots of funny moments and the humor is very good too. The story really had a great potential but I just feel like they had no idea what to do with it.

First episode really had me hooked and the plot was portrayed as very unique and deep with FL being disabled and also talking about ML who is a famous celebrity with depression problems. After that the show became very shallow and predictable. I don't even understand why they portrayed them like that, because that was never mentioned again for the rest of the show.
For me it got good again around 8th episode, when they meet as adults, but that lasted only for that one episode and after that it became progressively worse. I was expecting the story to develop around their adult life but she went back in time once again. I don't understand why tho because they showed him being hurt but they never said anything about him dying. At that point I was very tired of all the time travel because it made no sense.

Talking about time travel, I don't understand how was she able to change the fate and prevent her home from burning but wasn't able to save ML, not even once and it happened three times.

The more I watched the more I realised that her only goal was to save ML and nothing else was important. All other characters weren't important at all and they never got the chance to develop. At some point, during her time travel, she found out her mom was in a hospital because she was sick but they never explained what was going on and they never mentioned that again.

Also, in the first half of the series they never really explained how she became disabled and it was obvious we would find out during the show. Then they decided to make the second half all about that and her kidnapper and also her saving ML form the kidnapper. It gave a feeling as if they didn't know what to do with the story so they just decided to put that there.

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Completed
JayRamilo
40 people found this review helpful
Jul 4, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 4.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 5.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This should have been just a movie. Finishing it felt like a task. Woo Seok is not yet a great actor, and I kinda rooted for the second lead more since Song Geon Hee was the more charming character. Kim Hye Yon acted well. I can't blame her for her less than stellar character. I know time travel is the trend nowadays, and that's fine with me, but the I had to turn my brain off so as to not get offended by the time travelling logic. I watched this with my wife because it's one of the top rated dramas "of all time" on this site. Never again will I trust a less than year old drama in the top 10. There needs to be more reviews to knock this down the list.

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Ongoing 16/16
moe
52 people found this review helpful
Jul 1, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Ongoing 0
Overall 6.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 6.5
This review may contain spoilers

im sorry for the person im gonna be

there's a lot of things that i wanna say about this drama because the more i watched it the more i started to force me to finished it and i couldn't. i watched half of the 14th ep and i decided to watch another thing 💀

i'm not gonna talk abt the acting cuz idk abt those things but instead i'm gonna talk abt sol's character. she pissed me off so bad, she just did things that i didn't like and she was just doing it for stupid reasons. that time where she made the guy from her career eat the mouthwash just because she didn't want sunjae to see her??? and the fact that she wanted sunjae not to fall in love with her and okay, i kinda get it but why would you say that if you're gonna cry and start to date him suddenly?? doesn't make sense. sol needed to make up her mind SO BAD i bet she also didn't know what she was doing

i also didn't know when was the time that sol felt something for sunjae because in 2023, she told him she did but did she really? when was that actually? /gen like, i never noticed that (i think it was when sunjae asked her if she didn't feel anything towards him at any of those times she was in when they were at her house)

also, can we talk abt the crime subplot?? if there's something i hate on romcoms dramas is that mf crime subplot like, why?? if i wanted to watch a crime drama i would. and please don't try to excuse them with the "it's because she couldn't walk" okay i get it, but there's so many options for that, she could've just get in a car accident-

speaking of which, there were a lot of drama at some point because of the guy that abducted her, sunjae confessing and sol's mom at the hospital?? 🧍🏼‍♂️

even tho i gave it a 6.5 i won't say this was a bad drama. like, i actually enjoyed it and it gave me a good chuckle and, if it wasn't for sol's personality i would say sunjae and her had a good relationship, it was cute and all.

btw omg i loved sunjae's personality. he was so cute, he really liked sol and he was so down bad for her. i love when the male leads are a losers <3

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Dropped 13/16
azizak
46 people found this review helpful
Sep 15, 2024
13 of 16 episodes seen
Dropped 0
Overall 5.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 4.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 2.0

BORING - how can this show be this overrated ?

Everything is in the title : boring.
I struggle to watch 13 episodes, it was good at the beginning, a lot of potential but EXTREMELY repetitive. Every episode is the same, they could have shorten it to 10 episodes, maybe it would have been better.
Romance was so childish and unreal... I couldn't relate.
Also, the disability part and depression would have been a great plot of this show, but barely developed, this drama wasn't deep enough...
Nevermind, I will have trust issues now with the rating of a Kdrama show ... gave me hope, but waste of time for me.

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Completed
Eliza Treaty
30 people found this review helpful
Jul 20, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Stunning first half. Second half falls victim to lazy scriptwriting.

I have to separate the first and second half.

The first half is a solid 8/10 for me. It's everything I'd ever want from a youth drama, and I absolutely loved every second of it. The characters' love story feels so unique to them. The script also sprinkles in just the right amount of tropes and pulls them off in just the right way to leave any romcom lover feeling satisfied without feeling overdone. The male lead is both cool and handsome while relatable and dorky over his first love. The female lead pulls off the sunshine personality and has great determination as a fan. I especially liked how consistent the story was about her steadfast, optimistic personality which she learned from the hardships she overcame as an adult. The drama never felt heavy, but I could still feel that there was love for the characters and their story. Also, small spoiler (but it happens within the first two episodes), but this is the only time that I have been completely sold on a love at first sight premise. It makes total sense to be a teenager, meeting such a kind, bright personality. It's like that friend crush, that person you wanted to get to know all four years of high school but never worked up the nerve to. Sun Jae's perspective is always so beautiful, and part of why the love at first sight works is because we can see how his feelings for Sol grow into something more meaningful as he gets to know her.

The second half is a 3/10 and falls victim to atrociously lazy scriptwriting. There are entire episodes dedicated to comedic relief and one-off scenarios. At that point, the relationship between the leads fails to develop which was such a waste, considering how beautifully their story was developed during the first half. I couldn't help but feel the shallowness in the story after episode 9. The story fails to have any goals or real development after that point. The writing sloppily tries to close the story with cheap plot twists, and none of the scenes really feel like they fit together or have a particular purpose. In essence, the second half of the show is entirely filler and completely fails the beauty of the first half.

I am still so happy to have experienced the first half but am utterly disappointed in the second half.

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Completed
oree
31 people found this review helpful
Oct 8, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

Your mileage may vary...

This show is very polarizing in the sense that either you really love it or you really hate it. I think I fall squarely in the middle, especially now that some time has passed (it's been a couple of months since I finished it).

I'd suggest to anyone thinking about watching this show not to get sucked into the hype. Watch it with an open mind and no expectations. That's what I did, as I pretty much ignored this while it was airing and even for a while afterwards; I personally don't enjoy stories that feature time travel, I'm not a huge fan of the concept (and honestly watching this drama further cemented why).

It was during a lull between dramas that I finally decided to pick this up, and I pretty much inhaled it over the course of two days. It was just the right amount of fluff I needed at the time, with comedic moments and great chemistry from the cast. The leads really make you believe in the romance, that there really could be a love so strong and so powerful that not even time (and a very persistent serial killer) can do anything to stop it.

But as enough time has passed that I can say that while I enjoyed the bingeing experience of this drama, it will not necessarily hold up for me as time goes on. For me, the greatest draw of Lovely Runner is the charisma of its leads. They embody their roles so well and also play off one other quite well. However, not even they can save a weak script and characterization.

To be honest, I'm getting less and less enamored with crushes/attraction being propped up as "abiding love at first sight." What really does Sunjae see in Sol, and vice versa? How much do they really know about each other? BWS pulls off the pining quite well with his "melo eyes", but what really was there to wait 15 whole years for? KHY is effervescent and bubbly as Sol, but how much does she know about Sunjae to fall for him beyond his being the idol she wanted so desperately to save? Why are they so willing to go so far for each other?

I learned that the webtoon that Lovely Runner is based on didn't have Sol's disability or the killer plotline, and I think that perhaps the show should have stuck to the premise of the original. Especially because the disability erasure left a bad taste in my mouth, and maintaining Sunjae's death as a suicide would have given the show more opportunity to delve into some heavier, more poignant themes and develop the characters a little more.

I didn't like that Sunjae's passion for swimming and the subsequent loss of his career were just waved aside because of this supposed great love for Sol, and I didn't fully understand his relentlessness in trying to save her, especially when she'd rejected him so many times.

And where does Sol's love for directing/filming come from? We don't see any hints of that when she goes back to the past (apart from the video she did for Taesung I guess?). I also would have loved her to spend more time with her family and BFF, especially her grandmother. There just wasn't much else to their characters apart from being squee and in love with each other.

The rest of the cast was sadly underutilized (and in some cases, overutilized *ahem ahem* Imgeum and Hyunjoo, just had to skip over some of their scenes). I understand that it's a romcom and not a family drama and so the main leads are the focus, but that doesn't mean that side characters need to be caricatures either.

And poor Taesung; the actor is so good and so charismatic; I wished we could have seen more of his journey to becoming a police officer. I don't usually get SLS but I wanted more for him than just being the 2ML.

I don't even want to go into the inconsistencies with the fantasy/sci-fi/time-travel elements or how unnecessary the serial killer plotline was. I can only pray that the trend of inserting murder mysteries into romcoms dies in 2024 and we can maybe go back to focusing on character development. That's the strength of romcoms; they don't need to be plot-heavy, it's about watching how the leads grow and how said growth is reflected in their relationship with each other.

Maybe this review isn't very coherent but these are just the thoughts I've been wrestling with since I finished this drama. I suppose I can understand why people like this a lot. I'd even recommend this for anyone looking for something light that doesn't require too much emotional investment.

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Completed
Rumo
8 people found this review helpful
Jun 17, 2026
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 5.5
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 5.5
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 1.0

Suffers from hours of useless filler scenes

When I read the plot I wasn't really interested at first, but the very high ratings made me curious.
The first few episodes were nice, but nothing new. FL and ML were OK, but I definitely preferred them in other dramas.
The supporting roles only serve for comic relieve, but in the most annoying way. I found myself skipped most of their scenes.
I think the middle episodes were the only time I was really hooked and then it spiraled in completely filler boredom. Like episode 13 was so out of pace, that for a moment I thought Netflix made a mistake and started a different drama. It picks a bit up after that, but I found myself using the skipping button every few minutes.
Especially the last episode was totally redundant and unnecessary. I only kept watching because I was sick and had nothing else to do. Otherwise this drama would have joined the growing pile of dramas that started strong-ish and after 2/3 just consists of of product placements or filler scenes.

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Completed
just k
76 people found this review helpful
May 30, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 9
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 5.5

Very interesting plot only for it to breakdown halfway towards the end

Just for disclaimer i was both of the leads fans, but being a fan doesn't mean i can't critic their work ok.

I already watched this drama before it became the hot topic over the neighborhood lol, it was because i like the fl and the ml previous work (sky castle and 20th century girl). I was so crazy about it when episode 2 was dropped, i was gagged and it got more exciting.

But the disappointment hits me at 10ish episode, because there was no character or even plot development at all. The plot losed it focus when they started to date i think. I know the main point in this drama is to save sunjae, and this drama is a romcom, but i really really hope that the fl and ml could have more bond with other characters too. I think it got to the point that other characters are pointless(?) and written just to fill the void. The ml's world is only imsol, he will do anything just to be with imsol, it's like he has no character at all because his decisions are easily influenced by his loved ones (imsol) (i know it's a romcom but come on... you can be lovey dovey while doing other things too). Same goes for the fl... It's like their character couldn't care less about other people if it's not about their gf/bf.

And the fl character is bad written imo, thank god hyeyoon saves it with her acting. She's supposed to be 30s yo woman trapped in higschooler body, but she even acts more childish than the highschooler could be. I know sol's character main purpose is to save sunjae, but she's too careless, has no plan, and just couldn't think straight (and i can't relate to it maybe that's why i can't empathize with her character).

Overall the acting was good enough, and the chemistry was fire. But there were probably some parts that's not really enjoyable to watch. Idk if it's because sol character is bad written or whatever it's, but sometimes the "i'm shocked" in sol's face kinda unnatural and i could tell that she's trying to act there, but other than that it was just great.

It's just my opinion, yall could try to watch it if you're interested, because i swear the few early episodes was dope tho ngl.

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Completed
Tempest
162 people found this review helpful
Apr 8, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

When the Idol is a fan of his fan (So many adorable scenes): This is Peak Rom-Com!

It is finally here! I love both the leads so it is damn good to watch this.

That phone call made me cry. Wow, what a powerful 1st episode. I especially like the meet cute part of the relationship, how the people first connected. With these two, the first connection was over phone call and it was anything but cute. It was a wake up call for our FL and uplifting one at that. The ML came across as such a caring person, saying something so beautiful to a stranger, and he didn't say it because he was on the radio but those were heartfelt words. The rom-com gods must love me right now, coz we did get a very lovely meet cute of them meeting in person. Aww.

During his live concert, he looked so damn good in the white shirt, black pants and the almost red lips, in the middle of the podium, playing his piano reminded me of Taylor swift.

Loved the first episode, I was always checking how much of it was left and wishing that there was more of it. If only they made 2 hours long episodes. It was so damn lovely! I loved it so much, that I'm gonna go watch it again

2nd Ep: I was bit worried that the 2nd episode might not follow through on the promise delivered by the 1st one, but it was in vain. These two are so adorable. I love the kind of comedy that Kim Hye Sun brings to this, love her in the "Extraordinary You" and I'm kinda sad that she doesn't do such roles more often. The last few minutes of the episodes were eye-opening. Here we thought that this was one sided fan crush, but he knew & liked her before she even knew that he existed. I also like our SML, he has personality. I do wonder what their photo appearing at the end means. The scene is still the same except for that photo, does it mean that he still dies or that more changes need to happen in the past for the result to change.

3rd Ep: It started with a round of flying kisses. Oh god, that was so damn hilarious and something a teenage boy would definitely do. Can we name this episode, "When the idol is also a fan of his fan." Such adorable moments. Like his friend said, it was all about the timing and every time he tried to tell her about his feelings, something happened. I love how the episode ended, I thought the majority of it would be in the past, this back to the present is great. Now, the picture on the table makes sense, but is that picture going to get our Im Sol in trouble? Will she be a suspect? That's kinda farfetched but you never know. Gotta wait another day to figure out what happens.

4th Ep: What kind of weird memory loss does Im Sol have? Even if she had forgotten the things she did when her older self took over her body what about Sun Jae's presence during the times she was just herself? How did she completely erase everything about him from her life? Maybe, its the accident that led to it. This episode felt so damn short. Now, it is looking like he somehow contributed to the accident that led to her becoming a paraplegic. They are giving us the hints. It could be that he like many leads just carries guilt even though he isn't directly responsible for it. With the lack of information we have on Tae Sung, we have to wonder what role he played in all of it.

5th Ep: It was another episode with cute moments with our lovely leads. I felt like they aren't trying to create a SML syndrome here. Since, the SML doesn't have much of screentime with the FL, not like True Beauty. Sun Jae-ya is so damn adorable, more so than Im Sol. The ending was perfect, but from the preview of the next episode, it seems like a sad one. With Im Sol probably rejecting Sun Jae.

6th Ep: While the episode was good, and Sol's misunderstanding about Sun Jae's feelings was a bit frustrating but the preview for next weeks episode is wow! It looks so good, thankfully its going in the direction, I didn't expect. I tried reading the translated webnovel but its just so poorly translated and missing pieces, it was hard to read it. But from what I have read so far, the drama is better written.

7th Ep: I want to thank the creators for giving us such exciting rom-com after a while. It just make me look forward to every episode and enjoy each & every moment of it. Im Sol is just amazing. And it is glad to the the future Sun Jae retain his corny ways in the changed future. Can't wait for the next episode!

8th Ep: We thought they were gonna give us another lovey dovey episode. We got that, but along with that we also saw that Im Sol couldn't prevent what happened to Sun Jae. The ending was so heartbreaking. Ever since the last episode, it was understandable that the guy who kidnapped her might have had a hand in harming Sun Jae. There's still more than half of the series left, what more do they have in store for us? Im Sol going back in time again? I'm for it. Or Sun Jae having amnesia after he wakes up? Not really a fan of that arc. Hopefully he doesn't die this time. I'm a bit worried about the ending now. I assumed that this one will have an happy ending, but with the ways things are going, it might have an ending where Im Sol will be learning a lesson that she can't really change some things no matter how many times she goes back in time. (Here's to hoping that Sun Jae stops dying)

9th Ep: Why was this one so short? Finally got to see Tae Sung again. I like him as a character, from the preview it seems like we'll be seeing more of him at least in the next episode. The preview has me so anxious. Love the soft curls Im Sol was rocking. They really pulled the Spiderman kiss for the Geum & Hyun Joo and it looked good. I'm always glad to see In Hyuk, who tries to pull Sun Jae back from his insanity. Although Sun Jae's a bit delulu, his delusion is fed by Im Sol's mixed signals. Poor guy, gets his head messed up with.

10th Ep: Love that everything is out in the open now, a big thanks to Tae Sung who helped Sun Jae realize what Im Sol wasn't willing to tell him. But the current story makes me think they are going to pull an amnesia arc in the future, where Im Sol forgets about Sun Jae and her time travel, with Sun Jae having to woo her again. Hope that isn't the case, cause poor Sun Jae needs to get his happy ending. I wonder what's with the ending, does that mean Sun Jae won't be an Idol in the future? Im sol might end up traveling back again.

11th Ep: Now we know why Sun Jae is such a goner about Im Sol. He poured all his passion into it, like he once did with swimming. He is such a silly goose in love that Im Sol silliness feels toned down. Loved the scene where their families find out. Poor guy has no idea where those packets came from. Oh God, that was so fun to watch. His phone conversation with his friend: "Con? What Con? Unicorn?" Overall, a beautiful episode. If it keeps up with the performance, this drama has such a high rewatch value. Every moment is precious.

12th Ep: After a good run, this was just an okay episode. With only 4 episode left, things are coming to head now. Sol needs to start making better decision. Trying to do it all on her own is going to get her or Sun Jae killed. I'm also worried that Tae Sung might die.

13th Ep: So Tae Sung is finally a police office, we finally got a confirmation that he is one. Missed Sun Jae in this episode. We got to see less of him compared to Im Sol. You gotta love Im Sol, always going out of her way for Sun Jae. At first, it was because she was grateful and now because she has genuinely come to care for him. So Sun jae never met her, he never wrote the song about her, and never became a singer. But the kidnapper just won't quit, he's here again. We only have 3 episodes left.

14th Ep: That was such a nice episode. What I like about this drama is that they have so many new beginnings. It is good to see them meet time and again, experience a new story. It's nice to see that Sun Jae hasn't lost his charm. I wanted to hear more about his dating history. I'm a bit worried about Tae Sung this time around. Can't wait for the last two episodes even though I don't want it to end.

15th Ep: The only distressing part about this drama is the leads not putting their heads together to come up with a serious plan to get rid of the taxi driver. I mean the leads also had supportive parents, friends, siblings, all of whom could have helped them anytime they asked. But not, they didn't learn. Especially, Im Sol, she didn't think strategically at all. Her emotions were running so wild all the time she made one bad decision after another. Don't blame her though, in her place my mind would panicking as well. Sun Jae is truly a terrific character brought to life by Byeon Woo Seok, who has done justice to the role. No a single actor could have done a better job or even come close to what he brought to this character. I laughed so much during this episode as well. This is the 2nd last episode. I'm gonna miss Im Sol & Sun Jae. They better not give us a sad or open ending!

16th Ep: This episode gave us and Byeon Ooo Seok the happy ending that he deserved. This is going to be my all time favorite drama. Everything was just about perfect. I can't believe that it has ended. I still feel like there's going to be another episode next week. Wow, I think half of the world was addicted to Lovely Runner, because the entire drama was roses and sunshine with one recurrent issue that we felt would be resolved by the end. I just felt happy throughout the drama, not a single episode failed to make me laugh. I'm gonna miss seeing these two together, here's to hoping they collaborate on another drama together & do a wonderful job at it.

Now that it is over, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to find a drama with the same vibes. There isn't a drama with the same vibe. The story might not be all that unique but the absolute charm these leads brought to it turned it into a powerful rom-com that might inspire everyone.

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Completed
Loving The Drama
25 people found this review helpful
Jul 31, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.0
Story 5.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 3.0

(Sadly) I agree, this is overhyped

I really really really wanted to love this. It started off incredibly great, I was on the edge of my seat hugging my pillow for the first couple of episodes and then at some point it just turned so incredibly random.

It felt like someone had a pitch for the series and maybe the first couple of episodes thought out and then at some point they just winged it without any plan at all whatsoever. There were a bunch of fillers with a bit too much comic relief and a bit too little plot. They could have cut this show short by 5 episodes and it would have probably been a decently good show.

Although, even so the main plot had a bunch of holes (which is to be expected for this kind of story but still this one overdid it a little on the lack of logic front…).

The female lead is a bit… particular, her choices seem awfully random and not very thought out at all.. considering the whole thing kind of just revolves around her that was a bit annoying.

Now some positives which still made me sort of like this overall:

- it did have some exciting parts (although a lot of it was predictable too)
- I sincerely laughed quite a bit
- I absolutely adored the male lead (although his character does have some issues but I don’t mind particularly)
- male lead actor… just… <3
- soundtrack was pretty great and catchy

That’s it, overall I don’t think this was bad but it definitely does not live up to the hype, and it definitely did not live up to its own potential ..

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Completed
autumn carrot
120 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
Shiffaa
88 people found this review helpful
May 28, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 3.0
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 2.0
This review may contain spoilers

Disappointment

I’ll start with the story. I liked the time travel concept as Sol gets to change the past and save herself and her idol. It seemed good at first but become boring and dragging by the end as same things were happening in a never ending loop. It felt like the writer didn’t put effort towards the end. The 3rd time travel was boring af and not progressing the story. At this point even their romance felt hollow. Also watching sun jae dying again and again made it kind of unserious. Like she will still go back and fix it. It makes even the emotional scenes unemotional since it happened soo many times.
About the characters, i have soo many questions as to why the female lead made such dumb choices that led her in more trouble? She was given soo many opportunities yet she complicates the things even more.
I really like sun jae but his character hardly showed any development.Why did he not take the opportunity to go to rehab? That was dumb. I know writer wanted to keep him around sol but still that was dumb on his part . Also why did he allow sol to treat him soo badly! He could’ve shown some dignity at this point.
Anyhow all the other characters didn’t play any part in the plot and their presence seemed pointless. It felt like there was just 2 characters in the show, sol and sun jae.
I expected more but got even less by the end. It’s not the endings for me but the story that makes me want to watch a show and rate it well. Considering the hype I was just let down.

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