Had high expectation but felt short!
Lovely Runner has been on my plan to watch list forever and I finally completed it. Unfortunately, I am disappointed after watching it, especially given the high rating and awards the show has won. I struggled with the first 10 episodes, from episodes 11 to 15 it got better and then there was the last episode ( not sure if we even needed it…)What’s good:
1) ML’s acting. I thought he did a decent job as a ML. Only saw 1 movie of him prior to this show so no real expectation.
2) Chemistry between the three actors, BWS, SGH and LSH. Whenever there was a scene between them it brought a smile to my face or a LOL.
3) Decent OST
What’s not great:
1) The plot - too repetitive, boring and confusing. I did want to drop the show because of it but I preserved until the end because I don’t like dropping dramas lol.
2) Chemistry between ML and FL. I know this is possibly an unpopular opinion but for me it was just average. I really don’t feel the electrifying chemistry between them, which made it difficult to watch because the show is about great first love who timed travel many times over to save each other. I felt there was better chemistry between the FL and SML (SGH).
Overall, I would not rewatch this show. If you like the actors/actress then give it a go. It is an ok show to watch but definitely no more than that, in my opinion.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Such potential....wasted
This drama could have been wrapped in 12 eps. Alright with that out of the way I will confess that I had dropped this drama at Ep 12. I was so hyped about this drama back in the day and even visited the locations in Seoul of this drama. Super cute ML and bubbly chirpy FL was super fun to watch first few episodes. The chemistry was amazing. All of that lasted for the first 5 episodes. Then the repetition of the plot started to get boring. I felt sorry for the ML who kept chasing the FL and she kept wasting our and his time. :bAround ep 10 the ML also figured out the time travel plot and even confronted the FL so they could have worked together as a team but she chose to once again do it her way and fail...again !!
So after a couple of years I picked it again and remembered all the reasons I had dropped it.....this time screaming, shouting at the screen, mostly at the FL. So much potential with the cast and story....!! ><
Was this review helpful to you?
The story is pretty lackluster and not something overly new or exciting. Im Sol wakes up to find her entire life changed as an accident had caused her to lose the use of her legs. In her most desperate moment Ryu Sun Jae gave her the spark she needed to keep living. This spark carried her through her days and years as she fan girled for the one that saved her. But when Sun Jae unexpectedly dies her despair and a magic watch take her back in time where she can rewrite his history and save him. In the process of trying to save him she realizes things she did not know before and it takes her several attempts to try and change the fate they seem to be entangled in.
What this drama did best was the chemistry of the cast. I will never not fall in love with Ryu Sun Jae and Kim Tea Sung. Im Sol's interactions with both male leads are so much fun to watch and this cuteness is what attracted me each week wanting to watch them again and again. While the plot had its holes; such as no explanation for the stalkers obsession and no established rules for the time travel; this drama was a solid 9.5 rating for me until the last 4 episodes. In the final stretch this drama does lose its charm but still provides the happy ending fans were wanting.
Was this review helpful to you?
FRUSTRATING FOR THE MOST PART BUT WAS OKAY
My Honest Thoughts on Lovely RunnerLovely Runner had so much potential, a nostalgic time-slip romance with a heartbreaking premise and two leads who shared undeniable chemistry. Byeon Woo seok and Kim Hye yoon carried the drama with their emotional performances, especially in the past timeline, where their youthful connection felt pure and touching. The early 2000s nostalgia was a nice touch, and the first few episodes hooked me with their mix of suspense, romance, and fate-driven tragedy. But as the story unfolded, the flaws became harder to ignore.
The biggest letdown was the villain, a random, one-dimensional killer with zero depth or backstory. He was just... there, a generic evil figure with no real motive, making the "mystery" aspect feel lazy. What frustrated me even more was the female lead’s baffling decisions when dealing with him. Instead of being smart or strategic, she kept making reckless choices that put herself (and others) in danger, which made some scenes unnecessarily frustrating to watch. The drama also fell into typical K-drama traps, dragging out the middle section with repetitive conflicts, relying on amnesia tropes, and forcing last-minute rescues that stretched believability.
Still, I can’t deny that the emotional core of the story worked. The leads’ performances and their heartbreaking love story kept me invested, even when the plot stumbled. If you’re a fan of melodramatic, fate-driven romances, you might enjoy Lovely Runner, just don’t expect a tightly written thriller or a well-developed antagonist. For me, it was a mixed bag: beautiful in moments, frustrating in others, and ultimately carried by its chemistry rather than its writing. 6.5/10, good, but could’ve been so much better.
Was this review helpful to you?
Average writing but watchable because of leads chemistry
I enjoyed watching this, but it wasn't what I expect. I first realized this when they revealed Sunjae actually liked Sol after all that time. It was a bit unrealistic, and it felt too orchestrated. The part I most enjoyed was watching the time they were in high school since that's when we see the most development. But most of all, I really enjoyed the chemistry of the leads. Even though the writing was lacking, this made it entertaining. Onto the things I disliked, the back and forth between the present and the past started to drag, and I feel like it impacted the story a lot. I also didn't like the murder storyline and like in most romance kdramas, it just didn't fit. The change of tones was too drastic. One minute we have comedy and romance and then we have thriller and suspense. Doing this successfully is a task but this drama is another one that failed at it. After episode 12, I just started to skip scenes and I was just too impatient to see something with substance and finally know if destiny was going to favor Sunjae and Sol.Was this review helpful to you?
1A Green Forest Kdrama
This is undoubtedly my favorite kdrama of all time!I had started this unexpectedly because the plot was something which is not everyone's cup of tea and I really liked KHY and BWS as actors so gave it a go. And ngl I was seated from 1st ep to the 16th one with rewatching each ep after it aired. It was also surprising to see a drama do well with next to zero promotional activities.
This drama had all tropes like time travel, love at first sight, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, comedy, bromance and what not. It was hard to bring all these together, but the director and the writer did a fabulous job portray it wonderfully. Even the 3 timelines shown were also beautifully put together. The acting was top notch from everyone and this drama had one of the green flag SML. The OST's are also so good that I listen to it almost everyday.
The chemistry here is one of the best I've ever seen. The way KHY and BWS portrayed sol and sunjae I don't think any other actor could have done it like them. They made me laugh, cry, gave me so many butterflies and made me stuck with them in this joyful ride together. For me they've become the best on screen couples of all time.
This drama had everything in it that captivated the viewers hearts from the beginning. It made my 2 months so wholesome that it'll forever remain in my heart. It'll be hard to get over this masterpiece but till then I'm gonna just rewatch the eps or else I'll miss each monday and tuesday from now on.
Was this review helpful to you?
Way overrated is actually being kind
I'll start off by saying I actually love fantasy and time travel is not something I'm against watching. But this drama just did not cut it for me, and the hype it gets made me more disappointed that I did not end up watching some great romance - indeed it turned into a thriller more than half way through.It's anti-climatic, illogical, and thoroughly full of clichés throughout. I do like the odd cliché but this went beyond that, and I think would only appeal to literal teenagers just like Sol and Sunjae in the past. It's very *2013 Wattpad romance* and probably not for adults today.
Time travel doesn't include logic anyway but this felt like a whole other level of illogical with unnecessary twists and turns. It was also unnerving how badly the FL screwed it up and doesn't learn from her previous mistakes. She took time travel for granted and as if it was to be played with, she never had a firm plan in her mind of what she had to do. It grew tiring the third and final time she returned and still made stupid mistakes, including being reckless and going out alone at night when she was fully aware a serial killer was after her. The serial killer is another thing in an endless list of overused tropes here - this drama was SOLD as a romance, yet it seems the writers must have been bored as it turned into the serial killer taking centre stage and his only purpose to be the main barrier between the leads. It could have been a full on thriller by that point.
i do think they tried hard with what they were given for romance and chemistry - Immediately on Ep 2 I felt their romance *could* have great potential, and I can see at points where the actors tried their absolute best with it. Later on I actually liked 2-3 scenes such as when she meets him on the bridge with the yellow umbrella 15 years later, and also when he says to her he is willing to go through every aspect with her to change their fates. But overall their romance came off immature and not well thought out; you end up feeling sorry for poor Sunjae-ah as she repeatedly makes bad decisions that also affect him and doesn't communicate her plans with him. I don't think she deserved him at all, other than the fact she was a 34 year old in a 19 year old's body (🚩🚩🚩), she doesn't learn from her mistakes and comes off even more childish than him, who was actually the 19 year old. You might understand why he likes her as a hormonal teenager, but that's just giving the benefit of doubt a little.
Neither was the acting anything special, it seems Kim Hye-yoon was either very loud and bubbly or fully in tears, with no inbetween. Byeon Woo-seok was definitely the better one of the pair, and you can feel his range given how hard he tries to make the chemistry between them work. But even then he was a pretty plain character who's prime role was to be a lovesick puppy for Sol. I think I came out of this drama liking the secondary characters more, especially her Mother, his Dad, and the 2ML.
To be honest it's like the 2nd half really affected the drama overall and how it was perceived. This is where the plot and writing went completely off the rails - Sol the FL was outright making bad decisions by this time, to the point Ep 11 till about Ep 14 were painful to watch. She deliberately creates misunderstandings between them, and leaves Sunjae-ah adrift with trying to save her which ends up harming him instead. The entire purpose of her character was to save him, but ironically it was her OWN bad decisions which end up harming him!
You have to go into this drama with a large amount of scepticism and low expectations, and know that it's largely not going to make sense as there's many little plotholes they don't answer. It was medicore for a one-time watch, and I can definitely say I won't be watching this drama again.
The only 10/10 I have given is for the OST which was truly deserving of praise 👏. But I've given this drama a rating of 4/10 as the plot holes and 2nd half reduces it's quality by a lot. Even then this drama wouldn't be so overly popular for many if it wasn't for Byeon Woo-Seok. It felt like many were in it for his face card and the few moments where he secretly crushed on her. Again, an example of being straight out of wattpad 🌟
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
sadly they messed up the second part
The first ten episodes were fine, the story had a clear purpose and there weren't many cliches. They flew, I was so captured by the plot and the time-travel thing. I was curious about what happened between the lead characters. Nothing was done or decided, everything could have been changed even by a small gesture. Sadly the female lead seems not really on track, especially with the mad taxi driver. Also, there were some unbelievable communication issues because the fl was herself, then not anymore, and again another time: a little bit messy I'd say. It should have been planned a little better. On the other side, the ml is slow, insecure, and determined to act "cool" with the fl. The beautiful thing is that everything is connected but at the end, the fl decides to reset everything. What was the sense of the first part of the drama then?Then it became a classical rom-com like any other, although I appreciated the time they spent in the countryside, at the sea: all four of them were carefree, thoughtless, awesome scenes. I skipped episode thirteen, it was a mistake but it was predictable, I knew what I missed: firstly it wasn't crucial, also it was kinda obvious and ordinary. They meet again in the future. I found fine all the coincidences, the "destiny" that was calling. Then they rush things another time for example with the marriage thing.
From the first two episodes, I got the idea that the drama would have been about depression problems, stress caused by success and disabilitiles. It was disappointing. Also, the whole thing was maybe too much focused only on the main couple.
Other things are good: the acting, the music. Personally "grandma" best character ever, I loved her, she was the one who remembered everything. Kim Tae Seong my baby, I started rooting for him at some point, I was happy he followed his dad in life as a policeman. I was hoping he'd had a gf or that he wasn't in love with the fl anymore ...
P.S. I don't consider RW in my final rating.
Thank you for reading <3
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
Very disappointing
I was misled with such a high rating. Unfortunately this drama wasn’t good at all. It started good but after 3 episodes it completely fell apart. I had to force myself to finish it! Story doesn’t make any sense later on and the relationship between them seems forced. I wouldn’t recommend it :(Was this review helpful to you?
Okey , let's be honest
This how had a very strong start , the first 5 to 6 episodes were actually great , but then the plot started having problems and giving some unnecessary scenes and stories , letting the main one falling apart .The hype about this shows was about the main characters and the chemistry nothing further, which makes the show so disappointing. They had great cast , amazing actors , but they failed to make 16 good episodes. The drama actually would have been great if they ended it in like 10 episodes max , but when they decide it to continue it just made it worst .
Honestly , I started watching the show because of the main leads , and I was happy how they did show them during the first episodes , and we saw how much success Byeon woo-seok gained after the show , he actually made people fall for him in this show by delivering a romantic , charming main lead who can make easily people’s heart melt .
So to keep it short , if you wanna see a romantic prince and beautiful chemistry, this is it but if you’re looking for more , this is not for you .
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
