Started so good, but they got lost in the story
Overall the acting is good from most characters but the story got progressively worse. I like the time travel aspect, but after the first episodes they tried to much and the time travel and the actions of both leads didn't make sense anymore. The music was great. Just to list two points I found unfortunate:- A majority of the story played with the characters in highschool and for me the actors are just to old to play highschoolers. At least college student or more of the story in the present instead of the past would've been more fitting.
- Another point I thought was unfortunate that the female lead had a disability in the beginning which I found so good and made here character more complex but that part just got erased in the time travel and never got picked up again, besides the fl remembering everything else just that part she and the writers completely ignored.
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A total fan service!
Before starting the review, I'll share my experience while watching "Lovely Runner." For the first time, I followed a show from Day 1 to the last episode. I used to wait eagerly for each new episode to be released and would watch it immediately—not just to avoid spoilers, but because the show had me giggling, kicking my feet, blushing, and feeling stressed all at the same time ><Let's start the review now?!
The story of the show “Lovely Runner” is centered on Im Sol, a hardcore fan who is heartbroken by the sudden death of her favorite idol, Sun Jae, as he tragically dies. As she is in the process of accepting his fate of death, Im Sol travels back in time to 2008 when Sun Jae is still a teenager. Not wanting to see her beloved one in his tragic ending, she attempts to alter his destiny.
Ryu Sun Jae?! WHERE do I start from, gosh?! HE is the need of the hour, for saving humanity and preserving human sanity HAHA. Byeon Woo Seok breathed life into Sun Jae like no other actor could. He was made for this role, setting a standard for male leads in the drama world. Sun Jae is such a refreshing character, brimming with expressions, energy, and excitement. From his giggles and blushes to his veins and vulnerability in love, I was in love with him ?And HE graduated from the University of Loserism with flying marks(◠‿◕)
Im Sol, the most adorable munchkin FL. Hye Yoon has captured my heart with her talent for portraying angst. Honestly, I did enjoyed her character. It made sense for her to hesitate, worry, and push away the ML to *some extent*. However, her decision-making lacked rationality. It's understandable that she often acted impulsively due to her circumstances, but when you are stuck in a never-ending cycle, it's important to take a step back and think logically, that's how I felt about it.
The chemistry between our leads was adorable, full of giggles and blushes, which might make you cringe (no, it is not! I'm just jealous because I haven't experienced this kind of love yet TT). They were a swoon-worthy couple that makes you want to experience a Wattpad romance irl, filled with countless little gestures, that gets you screaming externally/internally( ꈍᴗꈍ)
Tae Seong is now added to list of my favorite second male leads. He's non-problematic and full of fun. There was never a dull scene with him. I enjoyed his dynamic with Sol a lot. I wished they had given us more of his bromance with Sun Jae. I appreciate that the writer's made Tae Seong likable yet he never over powered the ML, and thus no SLS in this one.
Im Sol's Brother and her friend's story was veryyy random and off for most of the time, like it was too RANDOM to have a opinion about it. I felt like I'm watching a different show altogether, I skipped their scenes at times ngl. NO BRAINER in simple words.
Supporting characters were very nice as well, like no unreasonably bitch behaviour by either parents of the leads. I love how loving and supportive they were towards their kids and bickering is fine with me♡
OST's that you definitely need to check out!
• Sudden Shower by ECLIPSE
• Like a dream by MINNIE
• Spring Snow by 10 cm
All these OST's were so soothing to hear, I listen to them ON LOOP, no joke!
So where it went wrong for me:
•The time travel elements were frustrating to watch at times, with decisions feeling impromptu and unplanned.
•Use of misunderstanding as plot developments
•The female lead constantly pushing the male lead away, repeatedly, was tiring to watch after a point.
•The murder mystery plot was initially engaging but became frustrating due to its lack of motivation and random developments.
•The repetitive flashbacks, showing the same scenes over and over, were also annoying.
•Tae Seong not getting enough screen timeರ_ರ
This was a plot-driven drama that started off fast-paced with many rapid development happening in the initial episodes. However, by episodes 10-11, it slowed down. Comedic elements took over, and some scenes felt like fillers to many of the viewers. I didn't mind personally because the comedic timing in this drama was extremely on point but there were many flashbacks and repetitive scenes, so I ended up skipping scenes here and there.
Overall, Lovely Runner is a fluffy watch (can't say that, mystery plot can be frustrating and too stressful at times). But it offers plenty of giggles and a refreshing take on the romance genre. With great comedic timing and some interesting plot developments, bits of dumb writing but remains an entertaining watch rather than a flawless one.
If you're looking for a solid, no-loopholes story, intellectual time travel drama, this isn't it. The time travel aspect is far from perfect. But if you watch it as a romantic comedy, you'll be entertained.
Thank you for reading my review ^^
END
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breaking my silence ( i put whatever in the star rating because i want to finish it first)
The drama started out fun and great but it started going down hill after the "highschool arc" , she avoided him in the most absured ways giving me second hand embaressment instead of talking and making it clear she wants nothing to do with him tf . But i still had hope, a part of me did'nt want this show to go even further down the drain , i had hope that they will salvage it somehow and pick up the pace when they made up . I really waited and suffered through out the whole collage missunderstanding thing , the light at the end of the tunnel started shinning and i was as hopeful as i can get when they he finally figured out the future thing , i ran till the end of this tunnel following the bright hopeful light and when i finally reached it it turned dark and all i could feel was the despair of the fucking disaster of episode 13. it was so bad i just finished watching it right now and started to write this . Episode 13 was so bad it made me write a goddamn essay , and the thing that makes my blood boil is the fact that people LIKED the episode , am i the problem ??? i don't wanns say too much about the episode because i already reviewd it in the episode 13 review , but the ending actually made me almost cry ........out of anger lmaooo beacuse please tell me why did she do that , now all the other 12 episode mean nothing quite literally .Was this review helpful to you?
Amazing Youthful Entertainer - Clean Hit of 2024
I'm a big fan of time travel dramas; I watch time travel dramas most of the time." But after watching Some Day Or One Day," the time-travel rom-com caught me on the spot to explore these dramas. But I don't get enough dramas to freeze in those cute rom-coms, except for last year's "Twinkling Watermelon.". So I waited for this drama to breakout from the time-travel slump, as well as for the cast of Kim Hye Yoo, Byeon Woo Seok, and the trend of webtoon adaptations.I watched all the episodes at once (I did not watch them when they were airing because I had exams), so I think I'm late to the party. The start is as good as I expected. The time travel aspect watch is another new element joined in the time travel mission. The synopsis tells the entire plot of the drama, so now it's up to the makers how they will keep the audience engaged with the plot, but it makes the drama watchable, like, Let's see how she will save him. Every episode is purely made as a youthful entertainer, especially the chemistry of the main leads, Kim Hye Yoon and Byeon Woo Seok, which makes the drama even more beautiful. The scene settings are impressive, and the use of the element "If the time traveler talks about the future or about the time travel, then the time will stop and no one in the past could hear anything from the time traveler '' made the plot engaging, but it will disappear suddenly from the drama. No love triangle; it has one but is not a complete one. The construction of a drama without a love triangle in a teenage love story is really something that we could appreciate from the from the director and writer because they focused on one story progression rather than love triangle points. With that unnecessary love triangle, sometimes the story progression is ruined. Emotional character development is pretty good. Kim Hye Yoon from funny lovable to emotional caring. Byeon Woo Seok a student with dreams to protective lovable. Song Geon Hee is a free-bird student and an understanding friend. The comedy plot is really a good entertainment aspect, and the execution of the comedy is also reasonable according to the story; there are no unnecessary side tracks, especially the comedy scenes of Kim Won Hae, Jung Young Joo, Seo Hye Won, and Song Ji, which will make the drama more enjoyable.
My only disappointment :-
This is not a thriller—time-travel—but they attempted a plot twist in the thriller zone by using a mysterious man (a killer), but the execution of that point is weak for me. If they try to give it some valuable scope and make it interesting, then the output is even better than this. Put the villain character only in boundary to show his face and drive a van or car. The director and writer got the friendship element to create a friendly environment around the male lead, but the protection point of the main lead was overshadowed. I agree; drama had the friendship moments between the main lead and his friends, but that's not enough for me. Even though it was a short time, it was good (male-led friendship).
ACTORS :-
One of the biggest elements of this drama's success is the chemistry between the main leads and the short girl tall guy troop. It was a classic troop in Kdrama Land, and we are missing it. So in the correct time this drama dropped their weapon, short girl tall guy love, it quickly gained the attention of every kdrama lover (also plot). Their acting is simply charismatic. Kim Hye Yoon I've been watching her dramas since "Extraordinary You," and she explored different genres, from dark to lovable, in every character she did an extraordinary performance. And in this drama, she really made me cry and laugh again, but this time more. She gave life to the Im Sol character; her superb emotional acting and ability to make you cry in funny scenes also contributed to her character development. The first half is totally funny, and the second totally emotional—multit character portrayal in a single-layer character—which is what made her one of the best actors in the upcoming generation.
Byeon Woo Seok, although this is my first main work of him, did great as Ryu Seon Jae. He caught me on the spot with his acting and I am now going to check out all his works (movies and dramas). And the supporting characters of Seo Hye Won, veteran actor Kim Won Hae, Jung Young Joo, Song Ji Ho, and Song Geon Hee gave complete decent acting performances in their respective character roles. They will make us laugh. Feel pain and emotion. What I found interesting is that, except for veteran actors Kim Won Hee, Jung Young Joo, and Seo Hye Won, no other supporting actors had a known face. Yet, this drama was a big success with them.
Writing - Direction - Screenplay - Sound Track Departments :-
Since it's an adaptation, the writer Lee Shi Eun's splendid script works very well. Attractive dialogues, lovely lines between the main leads, and hilarious conversations between supporting characters shine in every scene. Director Yoon Jung Ho, this is what made me excited because his previous masterpiece "Flower of Evil" is one of my favorite dramas, so I'm really excited to watch his other work, which is a Rom-com. He did pretty well his job as director. Every scene is stunningly beautiful, and no wonder I got thriller vibes with the killer plot in this drama. The scene settings are absolutely amazing, and his bold move for casting with limited big supporting actors and Byeon Woo Seok, Kim Hye Yoon is really appreciated. The screenplay in this typical drama is a really important aspect, to give the detailed drama structure from going in time backwards and forwards. There is not a lot of scope for the screenplay in this drama, but it is pretty good when it comes. One of the strongest pieces is the melodramatic sound track; it was amazing and fresh from the start to the end.
I would like to recommend this drama to every kdrama fan.
Note :- I’d like to notify that the following thoughts and words in my review are purely my own and not intended as criticism of any actor or drama.
Thank you - @Shinnosuke_Lee
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BEAUTIFUL, FLUFFY AND TRULY LOVELY DRAMA!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! I just love how it was a simple drama that wasn't too complicated, and I love that they didn't waste time and focus on creating some backstory for the villain; he is just a bad guy who happens to be present. This is the first time in a while where a drama didn't lose me because I felt the storyline was getting weaker. The drama stayed true to what it was meant to be, a cheesy rom-com with all the cliches and I love when a rom-com is unapologetically exactly that. It was simply full of fluff and I don't remember any product placements being shoved in my face, which was nice. I'm glad everyone had a beautiful and fulfilling ending, and this is definitely a drama I would rewatch.Everyone worked so hard on this drama after having so many setbacks. I'm glad it got popular, and I really hope more dramas like this will be produced. It truly is nice to simply watch a lighthearted drama. I was giggling and grinning from episode one all the the way to the last episode, even when the last timeline began and Sunjae didn't remember Sol, his personality didn't change and the couple still managed to make me laugh. The music in the drama was also so beautifully done, spring snow in particular might just be one of my favourite OSTs of all time. Thank you to everyone who worked on this and thank you for letting me experience such a wonderful drama. <3
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Renewed my absolute love for Kdramas
this is hands down one of the few kdramas I would rewatch from beginning to end without skipping a single second, sobbing and feeling all the emotions like I’m watching it for the first time. now don’t get me wrong, there are definitely others I have watched that I would rewatch simply for the good moments and the moments that really made me feel something, but this is different. this show is magnificent as a whole; from the acting to the story to the perfectly chosen OST by 10cm.would highly recommend - anyone could find something about this to fall in love with
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If you could forget any show just to rewatch it again, what show would it be? This one.
Let me just say this, I did not expect to enjoy this drama as much as I actually did when I read the mdl description. Before starting Lovely Runner, I was in a drama slump. Unable to finish ones I had began because they became too stale midway through or the ones airing just did not sound interesting to me. I have had Lovely Runner on my to watch list because I like both Byeon Wooseok and Kim Hyeyoon's acting and thought that the description seemed interesting so I gave it a try.I am so happy that I watched this series. I do not think there were many dull moments throughout this show as for my episode rankings every single episode got either a 9 or a 10, no episode ever went below a 9 for me. I cried many times throughout this show, not full blown sobs but teary eyed, and my throat clenched up quite a bit as well. The way this show was able to grab at your heart strings and keep you wanting to come back for the next episode was fantastic.
For my typical reviews I do a "favorite character of the series", but it is such a difficult one to choose for this review as I genuinely loved everyone. The way Baek Inhyuk was used as a major comedic relief, seeing him on the screen was always such a treat. I loved the growth we saw of Kim Taesung throughout the series. I will genuinely miss this series and it is definitely one of those "If you could have a show you could ever forget just to rewatch one more time what would it be" show.
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PERFECT PLOT, PERFECT ACTORS, PERFECT OST, PERFECT COUPLE AND PERFECT EVERYTHING
I don't know how to explain everything I think about this kdrama because all i think are positive things, I can't find any holes, gaps or something bad in this drama. I feel that from the acting to the plot is phenomenal. How Wooseok and Hyeyoon express their characters is something wonderful, you can feel every emotion they act and it touches your heart and the chemistry they have with each other is chef's kiss. And the plot leaves you hanging on to it and you want to know more and more, the best thing i could do is to watch this kdrama on air as every week there were theories, edits, memes and comments that i liked to check. thank you staff, cast, writer, director, Wooseok and Hyeyoon for this wonderful work of art. Definitely my top 1 kdrama.Was this review helpful to you?
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Loving each other in all timelines.
Just... so many emotions right now (finished the last ep literally a minute ago). First and foremost, it's a happy ending if you're like me and want to know first if it's a happy or sad one.Honestly I went into this not expecting much. I just really liked KHY from Extraordinary You and so I decided to give this a try. I really did not expect to love it this much. This show had me crying within the first 10 minutes of episode 1, and by the end of the 2nd episode I knew I couldn't turn away.
My mind is such a (happy) mess right now I can't put into words everything that I want to say but just watch this drama. You won't regret it.
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copied dráma true beauty with second lead syndróme
it's quite ok, but I'm giving a lower rating because it's a copycat with (true beauty) second ml. I don't care about this drama at all, I don't care about him anymore, I would like it better if there were no secon lead syndróme because this one can't be compared to True Brauty lol it's the only one. , he is the best king. of lead syndrome of all times.. everything is copied here... I don't even like the main woman, she is so annoying, she was the same in the (extraodrynarny you) drama. , which I immediately turned off because of her, she was less annoying here, but I'm already used to bad badass female main characters in Korean dramas .. I only like strong women, not spoiled ones that don't fit in Korean dramas, it's more . in chinese dramas e movie, they like spoiled women, but Koreans are always strong.. that's why I give this rating..... the main actor is very handsome, green flags, I loved him, but everything else seemed very useless to me, all the characters , as for the story, i love time travel.. i love the drama (time called you) it's still the best time travel i've ever seen, it felt a bit similar, i was expecting a lot from this drama when i saw it everywhere. .but I'm probably the only one who has a different opinion because I'm different, I don't like things that everyone likesWas this review helpful to you?
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Not even fully out and easily took the spot of my fav drama
as of right now there is only 12 episodes out of this drama, and it’s already become my favorite drama. from the first episode it drew me in. Every episode is entertaining, there has not been one second where I was bored. The script is so unbelievably well written, it’s got me laughing, crying, angry, every emotion, which is what I NEED in a drama. the casting is perfect in my opinion… just hoping that Byron woo seok finally gets a Role where he STAYS alive LOL. It’s not even fully out and I’m already planning to rewatch with my friends, I just NEED to share this show with people. It’s so twisted and confusing and shocking and then it isn’t… this is the What makes a show so good to me because it’s constantly making me shocked because i genuinely do not know what’s going to happen next. it’s been forever since a drama has genuinely been this entertaining. The perfect show.Was this review helpful to you?
DRAMA OF THE YEAR ??? REDEFINING ROM COM - LOVELY RUNNER
Ahhhh !!! I couldn't control myself...?? Blushing throughout..... ??... What a series .... What an ending.... Sun jae Im Sol Tae Sung In Hyuk ... You have my heart guysss....It's been ages since I've blushed for a series ... Throughout the whole series I was blushing.... As far as I remember It was Strong woman do bong soon ....
Special mention is Tae sung ... Mu boyyyyy❤️❤️❤️
Ofc Uri loser Sunjae ??
Sunjae just gave me min min vibesss ??
OMG !!! The OST'S ..... They were " The perfect " ... Especially Star , Sudden Shower and Spring snow are my favourite... Ofc other osts were also too
I'm not ready to leave them ... Literally my 2 months were only them ... WhatsApp, Instagram, pinterest, mdl everywhere only LR ?? I donno how will I live without them
I'd strongly recommend this series to everyone... Please don't miss out this beautiful gem ??
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