Marshmallow-Chocoholic

Agreed. The only reason I’m sticking around is just to see the friendship and decisions of Bi Soo and Oh Joo’s mothers because it’s actually more interesting than any of the romantic pairings. Otherwise, I would have certainly dropped this drama already.

The issue with comes with lazy-storywriting through cliches and Plot Macguffins ( such as the whole angel ideology which was just thrown in) often becoming tiresome as well as questioning the portrayal of characters from their initial introductions. Don’t get me wrong. There are some good elements with both male leads’ mothers and some more profound elements thrown in, but the reason that someone watches a romance drama tends to be for the romance itself. Instead, the fact that we are interested more in side stories than the actual main characters just goes to show that the main storyline isn’t that interesting.

If they’re done right, love triangles can be really fun but this one is just ridiculous as it seems completely degrade the characters to even having emotions.

Yeah, you aren’t missing out on much not watching this one. It wouldn’t be too bad, if the show wasn’t using cliches which are just outdated and ridiculous in the circumstances for LMK, KMH and Nana’s characters.

Agreed. The premise sounds interesting but must admit that I’ve always been cautious with Eun Sook’s writing-style since TKEM. ( Especially as she seems to fall short of writing in-depth characters, something which is fairly necessary for this type of genre.) Nevertheless, will give it the benefit of the doubt and hopefully the writer will surprise us ( in a good way ! :))

That’s fair enough. I’m a harsh critic. For me, it isn’t particularly because I don’t enjoy a show that I give it a lower rating ( in fact half the time I can absolutely love like “ Hello, Me!” personally which I have given a 5 or 6), but I tend to be pretty objective and look at prominent qualities( characterisation, pacing, storyline, cliches acting etc) before determining a rating. Ironically for me, 6 is a pretty fair rating and anything above that has to really be worthy of blowing someone’s socks off.

Hi, thanks for your reply! I’m amazed that you’ve looked through some of my reviews. Having done the same for your profile, I noted that your reviews are quite to the point about your thoughts and feelings on a series and you’re pretty versatile in ratings. Honestly, I have nothing against reviewers like you who generally like a show and are willing to see all sides . What annoys me slightly is coming across people who may like something subjectively ( again, nothing against that) but will turn a blind eye to anything critically. Yeah, I will admit that I can be pretty harsh with things. ( You must have had some tough English-teachers though.) On a side note, I generally wouldn’t have known that English wasn’t your first language until you mentioned it! Where I come from, we had the choice to study two optional languages in addition to our mother tongue in high school . Having chosen two languages, I can honestly say I still get really nervous trying to speak to native speakers ( especially as my teachers were native speakers). I know it’s not the same as English, but trust me when I say that I understand where you’re coming from. Thank you again for reading through :)!

I am not entirely sure if this is directed at the “ cynical/ hollywoodphile reviewers” like me ( someone who gave this rating a 6), but it wasn’t particularly that nobody didn’t enjoy the fact it was “ feel good”. In fact personally, it was really refreshing to see a drama which isn’t dominated by romance so much as family and positive messages about self-love. However, it was undeniably not flawless either. Admittedly and objectively being a harsh critic, there were a couple of characters who felt a little underdeveloped and relationships in addition to the basic formulaic application of the show feeling slightly outdated. Honestly there’s nothing wrong with the approach as it did feel pretty retro and it was clear from the character’s age that the drama was aimed at a slightly older audience, but opinions differ I suppose.

I can see where you’re coming from. As someone who did give this show a lower rating (6), it wasn’t particularly the “ fluff” which bothered me. In fact, the direction of interactions between family and messages did feel pretty heartwarming. What was a bit of let down (for me personally) was the character writing a little. There was development ( don’t get me wrong), but, a lot if should have been more imminent .

Thank you for reading! :)

Although I get where you’re coming from, this does depend also upon the genre and themes tackled in a series. Addressing or adding darker themes or twists in a drama can help to convey a more emotional reaction in the end. It is not necessarily that a ‘ happy ending’ always marks a ‘ good ending’, nor does a ‘ sad ending’ always mark a ‘ good’ or ‘ bad’ ending either. This is why over the years, I tend to prefer ‘ bittersweet’ endings in melodramas, or ‘ endings with an indicated twist’ in psychological thrillers or horror shows because they can touch upon intriguing elements of this less sugarcoated reality often presented in K-dramas.

Agreed. There’s nothing worse than watching a drama where the ending is rushed and forced by big plot holes or ‘ preferable endings’ or ‘ twist’ endings without previous indications or conclusions.

Thank you for reading . I’ll admit that I’m a harsh critic when it comes to dramas, and it does require a lot for me to give a really praiseworthy review ( I.e. “7+”). This doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy “ Run-On” by giving it a harsher review, but objectively there were a couple of notable inconsistencies which had to be taken into account (I.e pacing, storyline and themes) in order to give a fair opinion. Perhaps if the show did have a little bit of a didactic plot, I would have given this show a 7.

Same name ( “Humans”).

It is an interesting idea, however, the webtoon has already given an ending for So Hyun. Nevertheless, it would be really fun to see though! :)

Agreed. The drama had a lot of really good actors and concepts , it’s just a shame how the storyline played out.

Thank you for reading, and I do know where you’re coming from. Typically, I don’t often comment upon the actor chosen in roles as I think that it’s important to try and acknowledge different performances, but, it did feel too mismatched in this one with Kim Rae Won. Like you said, he’s a good actor, but just a shame that his role didn’t suit him.

Definitely agree. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens with this remake :) !

Although it was not my first Asian drama, it was certainly my first Korean drama and it undeniably still holds a special place in my heart. However, I do agree that its flaws are often glossed over by drama fans such as its dialogue and sometimes the pacing in parts as well. I suppose that it really depends upon your tastes. Goblin is sort of like marmite for some drama fans. You either love it or hate it.

Higher or lower?