Lovely Runner (2024)

My Favorite Love Story in 2024

Have you watched a time travel romance that is exceedingly amusing but also exhausting!

Adapted from the web novel “The Best of Tomorrow” (내일의 으뜸) by Kim Bbang (김빵), “Lovely Runner” was supposedly a fantasy comedy portraying the repeated attempts of a fan who travels back in time to save her favorite idol. Starring the fresh pairing of Byeon Woo Seok & Kim Hye Yoon, the show has become a global success, skyrocketing the actor’s popularity to new levels. Although it was tiring watching Im Sol (Kim Hye Yoon) frolicking back & forth to protect Ryu Seon Jae (Byeon Woo Seok), her strong sense of belief that she could save her loved one was truly inspirational. I have never seen a more committed character, even though her journey starts as a fan, it’s not long before they fall in love. The best part of this show was watching their teenage romance; the fact that Seon Jae fell first for Im Sol was shocking & surprising. And he remained true to his heart in every timeline; waiting or searching for her; shows how much they cherished & loved each other. “Lovely Runner” is an ardent love story, unlike any you have seen in recent times.

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2024/05/29/lovely-runner-series-review/

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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 .

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Jekyll & Hyde show that is doing my head in

To say that I'm torn about this show is an understatement. I have seldom seen a series that managed to succeed in one key area and yet screw up another. Please allow me to explain.

This series is built on two drama staples. Swoon worthy romance and the time traveling do-overs.

It nails the first with aplomb. Our leads' chemistry is undeniable and when it works, it is meltingly good. Time and again, when I start to suffer, the writer-nim would bring on the amore and we are floating in a pink cloud. . . until we crash back to earth due to the ham-fisted way the show handles the timey-wimey bits.

The problem is not that the show tripped up on some high temporal concept but rather simple plot management. To wit, the show used weaponised time travel like a blunt instrument. Internal logic and intersecting plots be damned.

It worked ok the first go around but after each do-over, the narrative got more convoluted. It basically tied itself in knots. Did events change? Did time correct itself? Does someone know or cares?! I'm sure the writer doesn't. Forget about time traveling taboos, it was a road kill right from the start.

Another contributor to this mess is the serial killer/kidnapper subplot. How I wish k-dramas would stop using this trope, but I digress. As before, his first couple of appearances was impactful and fits within the context of the central premise. However, one of the fundamental purposes of a do-over is to change the timeline so that history does not repeat itself. In this case, the plot around the killer is more like a rubber band. It becomes a millstone.

It doesn't help when the antagonist is a "faceless" bogeyman who won't go away. I get that he is obsessed with the FL, but the rationale is lost in the mist of plot disarray. He has a name but no backstory, no motivation for any of his actions. They shouldn't have met, or he should be in jail as each timeline changes. Then what happened to him in the 15 years since he may or may not have kidnapped the FL? Did he killed more girls or just looked for the FL all those years. What are the police doing? Watching reruns of Dr. Who?!

The antagonist finally got his just deserts in the last EP but how I wish it happened 6 eps earlier. The last EP is total fan service on steroids! It speed-run through a stack of dating tropes and it is total guilty pleasure. It compensates for some of the mid show confusions.

There is a decent amount of skinship throughout the run and they felt right. Not the most passionate I have seen but swoon-y nevertheless.

In terms of acting, it is the same split personality. I love the leads to bits, but the support cast is all over the place. The grandma is sweet. The mum is bearable. The ML's dad is a buffoon who goes for the cheap laughs. The FL's bestie and her brother are so cringy. Their roles get more and more exaggerated as the show progresses. Are they 13 or 30? I groan during some of their scenes.

The kidnapper deserves his own paragraph. He is so one dimensional. Basically, a cardboard cutout. He shows up, does the Death Stare with bonus grimace and retires to a dark corner to await his next money shot. So little effort yet so pivotal a role.

In the end, if they do a director's cut of our leads’ romantic journey, it would be 10/10. I would be a happy couch potato watching it on repeat. The rest gets a 6/10. In view of balance, the show gets an 8/10.

I can totally understand the hype and attention surrounding the show but I also get why some would defer as well. I need therapy.

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loving this drama but SML

older FL version goes into past and destroyed Younger FL's first Love
Your FL doesn't love ML or even notice him, Her first Love was always SML which was forced to breakup by older FL
which i find disturbing
adding SML even after they grown up, is dragging a love triangle which doesn't even have any hope for SML
Younger FL feelings were dismissed and neglected by her older self and forced her love on younger version

I have no problem with ML and Fl being together , i got this is light hearted but Love triangle make no sense
there is no need after she broke up with him peacefully
why dragging SML ? because there is no other story then love and a kidnapper is promoted to killer

reduced my ratings from 9.5 to 6.5 after watching ep 12 and 13
this was a good drama and it should have ended withing 10 to max 12 episodes, but for more money they will drama four Hour they don't even have any story for that, they don't even have 2nd lead couple neither they want to give screen time to her brother and besties love story,
ML and FL are good to look at but they are being forced together that is showing on there face
all chemistry vanishes after they finally had a proper kiss, that all there love was One kiss and after that there chemistry just leave the planet..
and drama try to become some confusing time traveling epic but its just a mess, when writers don't have any story they are just filling 4 hour to get some commercials
it stared very well then like every other Kdrama it went downhill from mid of the show....
common thing between most of Kdramas

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"First Love Again."

First and foremost, Lovely Runner is a rom-com. Meaning that if you came to watch some science fiction fantasy drama which is a stickler for rules of time travel, this drama isn't for you. [The title of my review is from a 2021 CDrama, which has a very similar plot, but with the laws of nature governing the whole thing.]

But, if you are looking out for a real wholesome one, Lovely Runner is just perfect for you. It's a well written, well-paced, romantic, comedic and heartwarmingly satisfying.

Im Sol, a wheelchair bound 34 year old woman, is an avid fan of Ryu Sun Jae, the lead singer of a boy band Eclipse.
It's not a simple relationship either – His words had inspired her to keep living on, and to add to that, he also had happened to go to the high school close to hers. In spite of her disadvantages that hinder her from applying for her dream job, she still maintains a cheerful demeanor.
However, her life takes a drastic turn when she finds out that the person who had encouraged her to live on had committed suicide. When she is stricken by grief, fate gives her another chance – Ryu Seon Jae’s watch, which she had bought for a hefty sum at an auction becomes a time machine and she hurtles to the year 2008.
Now, stuck in her high school self, Im Sol snatches the chance to befriend the teenage Ryu Seon Jae (whom she had ignored in her youth) and change his fate. This also meant that she has the chance to avoid the accident that crippled her and distort the future.
But, as she begins to change the past, she realizes that there are some things just can not be altered.


☆ The Plot + Romance:

Lovely Runner is nothing new in terms of plot. What I loved were the characters and the relationships between them. I think this is what most people loved about it and hence the drama's sky high ratings. I have mixed feelings about the “plot”, but as it's a rom-com, I'll try to overlook it.

Romance is a strong building block; yet at the beginning it's evident that Im Sol treated Sun Jae as her “idol” rather than a real person.

But, the transition to love and the absolute possibility of their relationship was genuine.
An Idol meeting a fan and falling in love?
In the case of LR, Im Sol and Sunjae were already neighbors and had met before, it was just that he was a person who passed by her life without ever influencing it ‘directly’.

It was both sad and comedic to see Im Sol attempt to rescue Sun Jae from his fate, particularly when she couldn't tell him anything about the future.
[This plot point got lost somewhere after EP10… or did it?]

Both Sun Jae and Im Sol were innocent people to begin with. Heck, even their friends and relatives are funny and nice people in general - hence, there is absolutely ‘NO’ additional drama.
Also, it was an added bonus to see a ML who was for once, not an all knowing God. Dude was legit dumb.

In Hyuk and Sun Jae’s bromance, Sun Jae and his father’s antics, Im Geum’s dreams, Sol and the relationship with her grandmother, mother, Tae Seong (the 2nd ML and my favorite character) and her best friend together were just heartwarming to watch.

I did feel that there was a distinct difference between the original timeline and the altered version where Sun Jae dies.
In the original timeline, it looked like the scriptwriter went with the way of the webtoon and had Sun Jae actually commit suicide. (It might be because of the way it was shot.) The other timeliness however, showed a stark difference from EP1 and followed the ‘thriller’ aspect.

I still feel a bit irked about a quote that never became a reality. But, hey, the drama was fulfilling.

☆ Also, this is one emotionally draining drama. Hats off to Kim Hye Yoon for managing to bring about both comedy and tears in a seamless manner. She had that Song Yi Ren kind of energy and was very flexible as a 34 year old grown woman stuck in the body of a teenager, which might've
become awkward had it been any other actress.

I had never heard about Bye Woon Seok, except in passing after the ‘Strong Girl’ drama but, oh dear. Both his comedic scenes as well as the emotional ones were spot on.
[One of my friends was contemplating whether to watch this or not after it aired, and another one advised her that it's ‘either death or villain’ when it comes to him.]

I'll definitely be checking out their future works. Even In Hyuk and Tae Seong had their moments.

☆ Soundtrack: KDramas rarely disappoint in this department. Every song went well with the scenes, but if I could listen to a song all by itself, then it would be ‘Monologue' by Jae Eon and ‘You & I’ by Eclipse.

It's been a long time since I watched a KDrama while on air. It reminded me of those times when they actually managed to grab my attention and continue watching them. I've been serial dropping KDramas a lot since the one hour runtime and emotional investment is much more than CDramas. This one is a surprise from 2024.
It reminded me strongly of ‘Legally Romance’ and ‘First Love Again’ both of which were memorable dramas I liked and had similarities to.

A solid 7.5 from me. I cut off points as I felt that something went ‘missing’ with the story after a couple of episodes. The characters were the only thing that kept me going. [Updated the score from 8.5 to 7.5 because I don't think I'll be revisiting this drama anytime soon. Perhaps I might change the rating if I rewatch it.]

Anyways, one thing I learnt from time travel dramas is that I'll be single for a very, very, very long time unless someone from some other parallel universe risks everything to travel through space and time to meet me.

All in all, it was a wonderful journey. I hope that both Im Sol and Sun Jae manage to meet each other in every universe, however slim the chance is. (And that Kim Tae Seong never changes.)

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A Drama that Heals Our Sorrows

It gave me such an indescribable feeling when the more I rewatch this drama, the more I think Lovely Runner is a perfectly written and directed drama from start to end.

Then it hit me that I’m not gonna heal from this withdrawal syndrome any soon. It will be hard to find a drama that’s as amazing as this.

For 13 years as a Kdrama fan, I used to feel like this with some dramas I watched before, but I’ll admit that this one is quite different. I can’t describe it. I feel like there’s a hole in my chest after it ended.

What makes Lovely Runner loveable:

1. The simplicity (brings us back to older Kdramas that we genuinely enjoy without much heavy stuff).
3. Fast-paced storylines that keep us engaged.
4. Unpredictable (most viewers’ theories were proved wrong by the next episode).
5. Easy-to-understand storylines (IDK why some have problems regarding this aspect).
6. Almost flawless (most so-called “plot holes” are debunked when we focus from the start or rewatch).
7. The beauty of every details, plot twists, parallels in every timeline (KUDOS TO THE DIRECTOR).
8. The satisfying romance (the BEST, so far)
9. No wasting time with the villain & second male lead’s backstory;
10. Hence, not draggy (like most dramas after early half).
11. The balance and right timing when it comes to comedy & dark aspects.
12. The perfect OST & Eclipse songs (top ranked on music charts).
13. Iconic scenes (umbrella, nostril, lamppost, Sunny).
14. The chemistry between all characters.
15. The BEST we could ask for.

I’d love to describe more but I don’t think using words is enough to talk Lovely Runner. But one thing that I could use to describe this drama from my perspective is that Lovely Runner is “the kind of drama that heal our sorrows”. :) <3

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Cheesy, thoughtless, incomplete details

I'm sorry my dear friends - I truly tried to be fair and complete the episodes. But from ep.10 itself it started dragging so badly that I barely managed to torture myself till ep.12.
It had so much promise so I waited for all episodes to be released then decided to binge watch. But alas!

Maybe the story/ screen play writer went back in time and forgot to come back??
Or they flew into the future and left the balance script for amateurs to fill in the gaps??
Whatever.....it's an irresponsible story with vague events, one sided chemistry from the ML, worthless romance etc etc.

Is someone beating you guys up that you have to produce such high quantity at the risk of poor low quality dramas?

I have not seen one decent romance k drama to date in 2024.

Your country, culture and wonderful entertainment has taken the world by storm - hope you can go back to making high quality dramas with some time, effort and love ?

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romcom drama that appears once a decade

Deciding to watch this drama on-going was the right decision. I started this drama because of THE Kim Hyeyoon and time travel is one of my favorite genres. The first ten minutes of the pilot episode managed to take me into a deep emotion when Im Sol lost her willing for life and then she got a glimmer of hope from Ryu Sunjae and it became the turn point of her life. Im Sol's life as a fangirl also makes me feel very familiar and relatable. The development of the story then made me feel like I was riding a roller coaster of emotions and the experience of watching this was like taking a trip to somewhere for the first time and I couldn't guess what they would give me next.

Time travel back to school plot and first love stories are nothing new in East Asian dramas and I have watched quite a lot of similar stories before. However, this drama is able to give me all new feelings that I have never felt before from the same genre. This drama succeeds in presenting elements of comedy and also romance very well. The romance was conveyed so beautifully and it succeeded in making my heart flutters so many times, while the comedy succeeded in making me laugh out loud. Other elements, such as angst and the mixture of various existing tropes, are also mixed well which makes this drama so rich with flavors.

The two main leads have very strong chemistry and each complements the other. Kim Hyeyoon is an actress with wide-range acting skill. She previously proved her ability in several roles. Here, she plays a quite complex role. From just one drama, she is able to convey various emotions in an extraordinary way. Kim Hyeyoon's strength in my opinion is that she can make her co-stars follow the same rhythm as her. Even though Byeon Wooseok is an actor who has previously shown his abilities in several roles, but perhaps this is his best role so far, especially in the romance genre. I also need to praise the director, because of his excellent works he's able to present Byeon Wooseok's microexpression so well. To play the main role in the romance genre, good synergy between the two main leads is very necessary. Kim Hyeyoon and Byeon Wooseok are a very matched couple that this drama successfully presents to the audience, so that we can feel what a romantic comedy should convey through the screen.

Cannot be avoided, in the time travel genre it is difficult to avoid plot holes, especially if the episode length is limited. Actually, I hope there are several things that are explained more in this drama, but I don't think this is crucial because this genre is fantasy romcom, not a sci-fi. For me, that is not a weakness of this drama, because the main message this drama wants to convey is already delivered.

When watching this drama on-going, I was very excited and also worried about the development of the plot, but thankfully until the latest episodes I was still able to really enjoy it, as I enjoyed it at the beginning. I am currently so grateful because I have found a good romcom drama again after a long time, but this also has a negative effect on me because after this it will be difficult to enjoy a similar genre for quite some time. Up until now, I have rewatched it for so many times, because rewatching this after the story develops further gives a stronger feeling.

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Dear Future Audience, Doubting the Plot? Trust Me: Writing, Direction and Acting Shine

The plot isn't new, and there's no debate about it, but OMG, the writing is excellent. Each character is written well, evoking a strong sense of the mid-2000s era. No amount of praise is sufficient; every character, regardless of size, is meticulously crafted.

Now, let's discuss the director. What a vision, my friend; the director exhibits remarkable intelligence, understanding precisely what the audience will enjoy. The direction is captivating; there's never a dull moment, showcasing the director's exceptional vision.

The actors, OMG, words fail to express their brilliance in their respective roles, especially our main leads.
The male lead is portrayed exceptionally well, with the character finely etched, this role is a gift for him, and he owns it. He's not just a green flag; he's the brand ambassador of Green Flag.

As for the female lead, there's no doubt she's the perfect choice for the role; her character is tailor-made for her. Kudos to her for embracing this role.

"And she's truly courageous for trusting the lovely runner team, despite many actors rejecting the male lead role in this drama. Yet, she persisted and literally waited 2-3 years to meet Ryu Sun-jae in real life ."

Hats off to the entire production team for their patience amidst the delays and their unwavering confidence in the project. Despite other actors being hesitant to take on the male lead role, they serve as a true inspiration.

Future audience , who want to have doubts because you might think the plot is so average, but my dear, I agree, the plot isn’t fresh, but trust me, the writing is amazing, the direction is super amazing, and the acting is the cherry on top.

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Started off well , ended up a cliched mess

I guess i am also one of the very few who cannot rave about this show and this review will not be liked by most of the current (young) audiences but well since i watched i will provide my thoughts

I was attracted by clips of first few episodes and story line thinking it will be "we. will cross all hurdles including time and space" type of love story which i am up for watching anytime but i was disappointed big time.
First two episodes was gripping. First wave of disappointment came in when there was fire in Im Sol's house . What was it ! why that sequence which did not make sense and its utterly annoying to see such stupidity. Its not comedy if it does not fit into the flow of the sequence. Randomly these sequences are integrated. There are some comic scenes which is really good but most just falls flat and importantly it does not contribute to the story in any way.

But what really doused my interest is ML already liking her and with just one look and no interaction in original timeline .Liking her to the point where he cares nothing but her. That just destroyed the premise for me .
ML cares about swimming for first few episodes then he doesnt give a damn. After that its like a list of cute scenes or crying scenes but really what is their relationship if we dont see them sit and talk and discuss other than saying they are happy !. He was a student who worked hard for it and now he is just a romantic goof .
If only their relationship was built with more substance where she comes back to save him , bcs she saw him as a person who gave back her spirit of life but then slowly turns into something more and the same with him but no.. it all stays in a very superficial level.
Even FL does not show any maturity when she is supposed to be 34 year old in the body of 20 year old and that too for a person who has gone through so much and when she remembers all of that! Being full of life is not same as acting all teenage like!

Psycho story line is a mess as well. A criminal attacked police officers and how come he is still roaming around and police officers are listening to a teenage girl what to do!! No wonder they could not keep a criminal in hand cuffs in place lol.
And then later he also manages to come to a 5 star hotel to attack the ML. wow! thats hell of a security and policy system this world has!

Same with SML and ML's friend . ML did not even know where his friend lived. And SML one day became buddies with them and enjoying in the beach ( another beach scene cliche thats a must i suppose) when he had his own gang which disappeared ?
Point is none of this characters or the relationship is built up on a solid base that you care about them (Cant help but think of SOOD here)

Only good thing is the leads and the actors who do have a good comic timing ( but sadly all are over the top or out of place)

This plot had the potential to be as good as Someday or one day. Sigh ..

PS : i am still giving ratings more than what i think it deserves

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