Lovely Runner

Interesting Story ruined by Annoying FL

I know is hard to explain and picture but I loved and "hated" watching this at the same time..
There were too many moments where I really just had to push through because of how exasperated I was at what was happening on screen. (and the only reason I enjoyed it was honestly because, in between all of the cringy worthy dialogue and incredibly unbearably annoying actions, there truly are some really funny moments in this and I liked all of the supporting characters (for the most part, the brother is annoying af and so is her best friend but I'll give her a pass))

The story starts out with a very interesting and promising plot. from the get go we get introduced to this once-bitter female lead that has now changed into someone brighter and more positive because she was inspired by the male lead. However the situation is very cringy since she does start out as an obviously obsessed Kpop fan. doesn't matter why she started liking them, she ended obsessed. and that obsession/love for her idol ruins like 75% of the dialogue between the leads in the first like 7 episodes. she can't say something that doesn't sound stupid or crazy for the life of her.

The way they wrote the female lead really made this unbearable to watch sometimes.
She was super annoying and lacked any common sense. She was supposed to be acting like a 30 year old that goes back in time but instead she acts like she is 13 the entire time. Like, miss girl, did you NEVER watch ANY time travel media?? like, there are so many movies and tv shows about time travel that it can be considered general knowledge at this point. it should be obvious that if you travel back in time you should try and at least act normal about it. SHE NEVER ACTS NORMAL!! she is so incredibly dense.

I honestly wouldn't rewatch this drama ever, not even for the "good parts". Seriously. A drama not worth a rewatch is not a good drama.

Casting 20/10 tho.. Loved the actors. ❤️


edit: okay, some of yall are not understanding. I personally, did in fact watch the whole thing and found it alright. Simple as that.
There were annoying moments and things that I could, and have, nick-picked about the female lead because I can. It's my opinion and my take on my watching experience. that's it.

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THE MOST PERFECT DRAMA OF THE CENTURY

Sunjae. Sol. Two perfect characters and what a beautiful journey they took us on. Hooked right from the moment we realised Sunjae fell for her. Not a moment in this drama felt like a drag. They never wasted time on useless narratives (IM Geum is an exception). My heart is so full. Thank you for creating this beautiful masterpiece. We enjoyed this drama together, as a whole. Perfect acting, soundtrack, storylines, even the villain was perfect. The parallels were so beautifully crafted. The story never felt confusing even with 4 time slips. How will I deal with my Mon, Tue now? 😭😭😭

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This drama has been smeared into my soul and will be ingrained in my memory forever.

Favorite line: "Memories don't disappear...They're smeared to my soul."

[LONG Review ahead]

PERSONAL: I've been a Kdrama fan for so long. We didn't have Netflix back then so we bought DVDs and downloaded free videos online - more or less 15 years already. Being a Kdrama and even Jdrama for so long, everything becomes predictable, you often see troupes being used here and there, and predicting it is also fun but at some point you get tired - I have become JADED. Not that I don't watch dramas anymore, it's more of a pastime rather than devoting myself to it - like in the early years of my Kdrama watching.

This drama RENEWED my love for Kdramas. I became more engaged and immersed in the fandom in and out of the drama. There are so many things I haven't done before that I did for this drama, like creating my X account. I'm not fond of social media websites so it was a whole new experience for me. Waiting weekly was TORTURE but CELEBRATING new episodes, previews, and unaired scenes with fellow SUBEOMS* (official fandom name for LR created by Knetz ) was SO MUCH FUN. It created a fan community I never thought I would find. You won't be able to create a community like that if the production, writing, story, and acting are not good.

*Quoting it from our un/official president Byeon Woo Seok in his You Quiz interview: ("Subeom! it's from our name, 'Sol' & 'Seon' from seonjae so it's solseonsubeom (*korean idiom means lead by example /to set an example*). It feels SO nice when the actors themselves are BIG FANS of their work, like Byeon Woo Seok for Lovely Runner and his character."

ACTING: Im Sol and Ryu Seon Jae were MEANT TO BE FOR Kim Hye Yoon and Byeon Woo Seok AND FOR THEM ONLY only. After all the trouble this production faced in the beginning - casting problems, lack of promotion, and the K-entertainment industry sleeping on them, I'm so glad it went to the right hands. I can't imagine other actors other than them in these roles. Reading/watching their interviews, this role was LIFE-CHANGING for them. It was for ME TOO.

Our dear SOL was the best character for me. While viewers often questioned her actions, in the end, she changed everyone around her INTO THEIR BETTER/ BEST SELVES. The character Sol having to experience the death of a loved one several times can be mentally and emotionally exhausting for KIM HYE YOON, but she portrayed these emotions so beautifully and also heart-wrenchingly well. You can cry, but not every performance REACHES THE AUDIENCE the way hers did.

There were a lot of Subeom shippers because of their INSANE chemistry on and off screen, but whether or not they'll be together, I'll be supporting them in future projects. My only wish now is for them to reunite in another great drama/project. I look forward to seeing them GROW AS ACTORS and AS A PERSON/INDIVIDUALS. (❁´◡`❁)

Special mention to Kim Tae Sung (Song Geon Hee) for being the best second lead /friend to Sol and Baek In Hyuk (Lee Seung Hyup) for being the best middleman for Seon Jae - in all of Kdramaland.

STORY: You NEED TO REWATCH episodes whenever new episodes come in because new information/context would change your perspective. There may be times when you feel that nothing is happening or that it's too sad but EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON, so you'll later see in the next few episodes why it happened. Of course, some side character stories were not as necessary but it adds to the fun of a romcom. I've never felt SO INVESTED in a story that I so badly needed them to be happy in the end.

I also want to thank the DIRECTORS for being so detailed. You can feel how they took special care in the behind-the-scenes. Dir. Yoon was in charge of the crying scenes of Sol and Dir. Kim Tae Yub (dubbed as Mommy figure for cast) for the happy scenes. So glad they made reshoots as well because they made it more visually appealing.

And to our QUEEN LEE SHI EUN (writer). You dropped this 👑 (Crown). You elevated the webtoon Tomorrow's Best and made it your own. You even thought of the music (Younha's Umbrella) and best actress for the role (Kim Hye Yoon) while writing this masterpiece. The parallels in the show are god-tier! I'm glad to somehow hear you speaking through Sol in Ep 13.

Talk about going up and beyond.

OST: You FEEL EMOTIONS even better because BWS himself sang the main OST of this drama and even charted in the top 5 in Korea while it was airing. "Sonaki (Sudden Shower)" is now the first love/ rain theme. I love every other Eclipse release with a special liking for "You and I". The drama also started with NOSTALGIC songs I knew before the drama - "Umbrella" by Younha and "Loveholic" by Loveholic. "I Think I Did" by Kim Hyung Jung (the original singer) was especially nostalgic and like a PUNCH IN THE FEELS in Ep 2. "Like a Dream" by Minnie was the KISSING ANTHEM. >3<

They also PERFECTLY-TIMED RELEASES the OSTs. People have been waiting for the release of "Spring Snow" by 10 cm ever since it was heard and they released it in Ep 11 where the memorable petal-catching scene was aired. "Monologue" was an underrated OST for me. I believe it's a theme for Sol and her life realizations. Being the only one who's capable of time skips - unable to share her thoughts with others freely, there are a lot of times she reflects on herself/journey thus I thought the title Monologue fits perfectly (hope there was a female version though). "Gift" was like a promise of a happy ending despite what had happened in Ep 13. "Please Don't Leave Anywhere" was released last which I thought was for Subeoms who are afraid to part with the joy of Lovely Runner / Carry Seon Jae and Run has brought to their Mondays/Tuesdays and lives including mine [already miss you (┬┬﹏┬┬) ].

I already ordered the OST Album. ^_^ (Update 060524: “Lovely Runner OST” breaks the record for highest pre-ordered Korean OST album in history.)

PRODUCTION/ VISUAL FX: Living in the 2008s as a high school student, I love that they also BROUGHT BACK fashion, hair trends, and technology during those times. It's nostalgic to see 2G phones being used and how people were not as reliant on phones compared to now. Everything was simpler back then but I'm not complaining about the present tech now. There were a lot of memorable items in this drama that they made a Pop-up Store to exhibit and/or sell them. Starting from the umbrella and watch, there are so many more that I would want for myself, I just don't have the money. One thing's for sure is that I'm going to get the Director's cut BLU-RAY whether it has English Subtitles or not. I want to learn more from the production and behind-the-scenes. The best motivation to learn the Korean language haha. I'm not usually the type to buy merch, but I want to SUPPORT and CHEER FOR THEM until the end!

I'm so happy to be alive and be a witness to all the miracles this drama has brought me and my fellow Subeoms over the past 8 weeks!╰(*°▽°*)╯

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Handsdown one of the best drama in 2024

I am proud to say I am one of the few people that started the drama way before the craze and hype, all because I was excited since last year when Wooseok and Hyeyoon were announced as the cast. Frankly, I don't particularly care about drama theme when my fav actors or actresses star in it and in this case, it was Hyeyoon.

I started it out not expecting any great or perfect drama, I simply expect a usual romcom. Man was I wrong, episode 2 was absolutely magical and I knew right away I had to promote tf out of this drama to every single of my mutuals.

I just finished watching finale and my thoughts are jumbled up lol I'll comeback when I have sorted out my thoughts and feelings and will write a proper review.

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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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“Run into your Unknown”

Yes, this is the best kdrama you will ever watch.

I don’t even know where to begin because this show has literally EVERYTHING! You want romance? They got it. Comedy? They got it. Drama? You best believe they got it. Fantasy, Mystery, and Thriller? Of course!


I’m writing this week before the show ends, hoping I can take my time to review everything I love about this show and why I think the show is a must-watch! The first thing that I should mention is that there is a familiarity when it comes to Lovely Runner from your favorite kdramas, such as Twinkling Watermelon, Strong Woman Do Bong Song, 20th Century Girl, Twenty-Five Twenty-One, and My Lovely Stranger. Yet, besides all of that, this show is very different. It’s nothing like the shows I mentioned. I don’t want to give much away since this is a spoiler-free review, but it’s safe to say there’s a lot of familiarity with the show, BUT there is also a lot of originality. The Twist and Turns… When I say this show is unpredictable, I genuinely mean it. When I tell you I did not expect a reveal so soon at the end of the 2nd episode, I knew that this show would continue blowing my expectations; I was not wrong. Every week, this show continued to surprise us in the best way possible. For a Romantic Comedy with Fantasy and thriller, the show thrives in everything! I have watched many dramas, and what feels like forever, it truly feels like you’re watching true love. What Imsol and Sunjae have feels and looks natural. When I watch each episode, I feel like I’m watching these two people fall in love repeatedly. It makes me all giddy inside as the two try desperately to hold on to each other. 

Speaking of Imsol and Sunjae, let's speak about the beautiful actors who portray them. Kim Hye-Yoon, THE WOMAN YOU ARE! I've actually been following this show since it was announced because of Hye-Yoon. I'm a big fan of her and happy to see her get the recognition she deserves since I believe she is one of the best actors I have ever seen (watch her in Sky Castle; there's no better example). Hye-Yoon always gives it her all and works endlessly to provide us with the best results. I mean, the fact I could tell which Imsol she was playing, I think, says it all. This girl has RANGE. Hye-Yoon plays Imsol with so much love, as someone once commented, "The person who loved Seonjae more than anyone else and understood Imsol more than anyone else was Kim Hye-yoon." Not to mention, this show would not have existed without her. She is the reason why we have this fantastic show to watch. For apparent reasons, I think a lot of the spotlight is more on Byeon Woo-Seok. Still, I hope Hye-Yoon doesn't get forgotten when this is all done and shines as much as him because she deserves it. 

Now Woo-Seok, I've been a fan of him since 20th Century Girl. I'd seen his work before the movie, and he always stood out to me with his acting; maybe his height helped a little, too. I genuinely appreciate Wook-Seok for bringing to life a character that feels fresh and exciting to watch. When I say, his portrayal of Sunjae being the GREENEST FLAG THERE IS, I'm not kidding. He indeed wears his heart on his sleeves, and with his facile expression, he is easy to read. Something to mention is that these two actors have to play teenagers, young adults, and adults, which is already impressive. The two perfectly play the awkward years and the maturing times. The two both play their character with love and innocence with a little of a rough side. 

As I currently listen to the music on repeat, yes, on repeat, because the soundtrack is that good. It evokes emotions that remind me of everything I love about this show. The young love that lasts through the years, the heartbreak, the joy, and the anticipation. It's hard to put everything I feel through words as I try to write, but I want to mention that I love every song dearly, and they share a core memory. A memory I hope to not forget.

So, in conclusion… yes, I highly recommend this show!!! Now go watch!!!

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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.

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It has everything. My favorite romcom of all time, not just 2024

This has fluffy romance, comedy aplenty and a lot of heart. I can't believe that within 10 minutes into the drama, I was already crying with Im Sol. Kim HyeYoon delivered such a great performance in the first episode that before it ended I was hooked.

The story is about Im Sol (HyeYoon) who was about to give up on life after an accident. Because of the encouragement she got from an idol Ryu SunJae (WooSeok), she decided to live. For more than 10 years, she supported SunJae as a fan and was very shocked when news came out that SunJae died from apparent suicide. A mystic occurrence brought her back in time when both she and SunJae were still in high school. Can she stop SunJae's death? Was it really a suicide?

As of writing this only 2 episodes are out but I am already enjoying this drama. In fact, the last few minutes of Episode 2 gave me overexcited butterflies. Scenes that may seem cringey on paper turned out lovely and sweet because of the music used and the chemistry between HyeYoon and WooSeok. And then there's also GeonHee who's playing the second lead. He also looks good with HyeYoon. But I'm still team SunJae. The scriptwriters so far made somewhat believable scenarios (yeah, I will also run/get scared when a person seems crazy). I am looking forward for the next episodes.

Edit:
I am now at episode 8, my favorite thus far, and this just keeps getting better so I'm changing my review score from 9.5 to 10. This deserves it for making me look forward to Mondays even though it's the start of my work week. Now I'm not just on the Sunjae-Sol ship but also on the WooSeok-HyeYoon ship too. These two are really lovely together.

Edit 2:
After completion, this has become my standard for a romcom and has become my favorite drama of all time. I would rate it more than 10 if I could. This has everything like a mashup of all possible drama tropes (running after a leaving car, time capsules, etc) and settings (jungle scenes, island scenes, school scenes, the ever present airport scene, etc) but still done right. I kept thinking that the writer has a checklist to see which ones she haven't used yet. I love all the OSTs, they are used at the right timing throughout the drama even the BGMs. My favorites are "Gift", "Sudden Shower" and "Run, run". This also has the best pacing among all the dramas I've seen with the focus mostly on the leads. Its romance is satisfying and was not stingy at all with the kiss scenes unlike usual kdramas. Its comedy despite a few misses are ones that remain funny even in a rewatch. Its logic as a time travel drama made sense. There are detail consistencies in the interconnected scenes like scars, head bump, etc which shows that this had been meticulously made (yeah, I had a minor issue with 34 yrs old Sunjae's haircuts but it's negligible cause he looked almost the same anyway). There was a time in Ep13 that this drama broke my heart but immediately fixed it again in the next episode. It is a self-aware romcom and often references itself with parallelism and easter eggs that are spread throughout the entire drama. As such, it makes you want to rewatch previous scenes and episodes. It shows again and again that the leads have an interconnection that time and distance cannot truly sever and how selfless is their love for each other. I'm so glad that I chased this because I was able to discuss theories and ship the lead couple with fellow capellas (eclipse fandom) and subeoms (solseon fandom). I know I'll rewatch this again just for the comfort it brings.

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Overrated for sure

I didn’t know earlier that true beauty’s writer wrote this drama as well. I understand now why there were soo many similarities and even the order of certain events was same. The love triangle plot and the bad boy 2nd lead, Male lead being her saviour and all.
I want to mention some comedy scenes that were cheap and not funny e.g when ML doesn’t hold the bathroom door for a guy and he is exposed among all and FL’s friend pooped in her pants etc . I don’t understand why they degrade the supporting characters like that. These scenes were not funny they were just disgusting.

Female lead was super annoying, she was confused as hell. Made dumb choices and at times i didn’t feel like rooting for her at all. I wanted to tell the ML to just run away from her as she creates unnecessary trouble. She acts from the beginning as she is his girlfriend and not a fan bcz what fans act this way !!!
ML was attractive up to the point he had ambition other than being in love with the FL but it felt like his life revolved around her only. It made him uninteresting.
Episodes towards the end were boring, I lost interest after episode 9. Time travel become boring after she traveled back again and again. Not to mention watching ML die soo many times. And the show didn’t pick up from that point and goes further down.
Music was amazing. The couples cute moments made me keep watching the show but at some point they also become cringe.
Nothing surprised me about the story and it was predictable. So I would say Lovely runner is just overrated.

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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.

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i think people should appreciate Lovely Runner for a nostalgic romcom about fated lovers.

they keep everything as it should and balanced them all together. the romance is romancing, the comedic timing is excelent and the angst is there just for the right amount, definitiely the highlight of 2024 kdrama line I must say. this is truly one of the best drama i’ve watched in a LONG time.
anyway i feel BAD for the people WHO WATCHED THE DRAMA CUZ OF THE HYPE ALONE, because having that mindset would certainly reduced the experience itself. also to the hater down below saying this drama is overhyped you truly DON'T UNDERSTAND how long it has been for kdrama lovers to feel this kind of tingling feeling all over again the dopamine rush in my boring life?! just please skip this drama if it’s not ur cup of tea, don’t comment unnecessary things.

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