Reviews

Dumb in the best possible way!

This drama has been a very fulfilling experience from beginning to end. Show of the year so far! A list of amazing elements:
- The pilot episode: Hear me out, every kdrama so far for me has been a struggle to get into. No pilot episode by itself has ever held my attention the way this one did. KHY’s acting alone in the first episode was enough to pull me in. They did an Excellent job on writing the best pilot episode in the entire dramaland!
- Excellent FL! One of the best FL’s I’ve ever seen in a kdrama. She’s brave, determined abd puts him first almost everytime. Also, the actress is incredibly entertaining and has the most cheerful temperament. She’s a delight to watch!
- A ML who is worth all of the struggles! Sun Jae(a)… is sweet, shy, caring (the whole list of positive adjectives lol), but also kind of an idiot/loser in front of Im Sol. He truly brings life to the show with his smile and infectious energy. (And his ‘aggressive’ kissing scenes 😂)
- Usually I’m not the most interested in romantic shows, but this is certainly Romance done right! They’re overly cute, but when you consider the timelines and everything they went through, the cuteness/aegyo makes sense!
- The supporting cast (In Hyuk, grandma, Kim Tae Sung, mom, dad, manager) were all perfect in their respective roles. All of the supporting cast had their own mini story, and a purpose in the plot, which is refreshing since they weren’t simply adding pointless characters.
- The music/orgininal soundtrack from “Eclipse” charted for real in Korea, since that’s how amazing it is!
- Exceptional acting from all of the actors, but especially from BWS as this is his first large scale male lead role!
A few cons (unfortunately!) :
- I liked the best friend, but in the early episodes Im Geum and her story was the only parts I forwarded in the show. It didn’t hold my attention, seemed a little pointless, and it kind of made me cringe. (Like them happily married with kids in the future though!)
- Plot holes: regardless of how interesting or amazing the show is, it has quite a few plot holes. In one of the early episodes Sun Jae says “I would have still done swimming at 19 even if I knew how it would turn out.” That made me so sure he knew what was going on, or time travelled as well. Since the original webtoon has that story, perhaps they planned for it but changed it after? It was just a little strange that the ML ended up being more of Mary Sue character (very iconic lol) despite multiple parts that make you believe he knows what’s going on.
The time travel has some issues as well with timelines not matching up and some stuff they missed. Sun Jae’s unexplored depression and Sol’s disability were kind of pointless at the end and should’ve been explored more.
I’m not usually the person to say this, but there’s enough sadness and social commentary in real life. I like the idea of the leads having a miserable fate and a fun adventure which leads to a way happier ending. Ultimately, it’s good, direction, acting, singing, so I can overlook the writing here because of the joy these dumb characters bring. And the show is worth more than 1 watch, which isn’t something I’ve felt about any show before!

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My New Favorite Romance Drama

This drama has to be one of the best kdramas ever. Originally, didn’t have any expectations for this, as I only started watching after seeing Byeon Wooseok was starring in it because I really enjoyed him in the movie 20th Century Girl. I also saw teaser videos online so I was intrigued. Right off the bat, I was hooked within the first episode and immediately fell in love with Kim Hyeyoon. Each episode kept getting better and better and I was always extremely excited whenever an episode aired. This drama has literally everything including romance, comedy, angst, melodramatic, and a bit of thriller. The story between Sunjae and Sol was also so precious and I loved each of their character dynamics. Kim Hyeyoons acting was phenomenal and was the perfect fit for Sol. This drama really made my Mondays and Tuesdays less gloomy and was so worth the watch. I hope to see more of the leading actors works soon!

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The Yellow Umbrella At Its BEST

Do you believe in The Yellow Umbrella? This must be THE ultimate YELLOW UMBRELLA drama, putting ones faith in the power of the yellow umbrella in dramaland to the ultimate test

The drama has some of the best parts of Twinkling Watermelon meets Some Day or One Day . All covered in a yellow umbrella. And while it does have a lot of the good parts of these two excellent dramas it does not fully reach the greatness of both.

I love the different timelines, the friendships and the grandmother. The female lead has a lot of fun lines, at times a really cool attitude and is fun to watch about 70% of the time however the remaining 30%offer a few to many moments of annoying/ second hand embarrassment for me to fully understand what our fantasy to perfect to be perfect male lead sees in her. As for the other male lead male leads are a blast to watch, they are sweet, have great interactions both among themselves and with the female lead and aside from a few moments of jealousy really seem to be to good to be true. Also the girl tries to run away from the male lead so many times that I am sure that is why the drama is called Lovely Runner, but it should have been lovely umbrella...

There are a lot of twists (some better than others), sweet fun moments between all of the characters, eye-candy for as far as the aye can see and I do believe they have a thing for men (the male lead) getting out of the shower, pool, rain showing the viewers his very well chiselled abs in most of the episodes. So if you are sensitive to abs you may want to look away or make sure you are in a safe environment while watching.

Besides the abs, the cinematography is gorgeous, the use of umbrellas breath taking and the plot was wrapped up a lttle bit to fast towards the end, and it may have a hole or two but is overall pretty decent. Kisses are top, top all in all definitely one of those dramas that I will rewatch scenes from now and then.

An easy binge that will-indeed cater to all your romance, umbrella and watery needs

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SUN JAE RAISING OUR STANDARDS ONCE AGAIN!

A truly beautiful story where love is timeless. No matter how much both try to forget each other through time travel or to save one another, they will end up falling in love because that's what their fate or destiny is. Byeon woo seok, I dont know where he has been all this time, but he is such an outstanding actor. It was really a comfort drama which made me go through an literal emotional rollercoaster every monday and tuesday. Indeed it was a bit frustating and exhausting to see them time traveling several times and thereafter situations getting complicated, but that's what made the last episode more satisfying and thrilling. As much as it made me cry, it also made me laugh hilariously because of their comedy. A true love story indeed!

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Sweet but inconsistent story of 5 ‘Ploys’

This show actually started off quite strong in the first few episodes, and then went steadily downhill in the middle, only to have a fairly strong finish

The good:
1. The cast had really strong friendship chemistry for the most part. I believed it when the Ploys hung out and the boys hung out that these were people who knew and liked each other, had fun together and had a history together. I also liked Thapchana and Pretty Ploy’s friendship, Mek and Prof’s, etc.
2. The romantic chemistry was also good to great for 3/5 of the couples. Pretty Ploy and Mek were cute, Plain Ploy and Pimai were steady and mature, Prez Ploy and Thap were all adult yearning

Opportunities for improvement:
1. Prof Ploy and Khram’s story just did not warrant as many episodes as they got. Their story got increasingly silly (dead dad, dead mom, baby trapping, gangsters!) and the back to back of their story and Punk Ploy and Tawan’s really killed the show’s momentum. I also still don’t understand why Tawan likes Punk Ploy as her episodes showed there is very little that is likable about her character
2. The editing doesn’t work. Flashbacks work best when used sparingly and smartly. When every other scene is a flashback it pulls you out of the story. And even with all the flashbacks, there was still too much telling and not enough showing

Overall, there are definitely episodes I will be revisiting, but there was a lot of missed opportunity by production to properly use their talent

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Loved this one so much

I won't take up your time with a minute by minute breakdown of why I loved this drama so much. I loved the casting and the acting is spot-on - perfect. The characters all felt comfortable in their own skin and owned their characters - you could (and do) easily get attached to your favorites.

My only gripe is how too many dramas make the bad person good before the end credits role. What she did was selfish and horrible - to be playing on the beach again with everyone by the end was sad. She got away with everything and all she had to do was pout, shed a few tears and say she was sorry. She affected reputations of individuals - she took their private lives away. It was mean spirited and cruel. They should have promised to eventually make amends but, it should have been off camera.

Other than that - LOL - I will save this to watch again and again.

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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 Romantic Comedy with All the Right Elements

As someone already mentioned here, it's literally one of the rare gems of K-dramas. The series has everything that's necessary for romcoms and K-series in general:

✓ Great from start to finish
✓ Green flag main characters
✓ Interesting plotline
✓ Happy ending
✓ Suitable cast for the characters
✓ Focus on main characters with minimal focus on side characters
✓ Beautiful OSTs (Sonagi and Spring Snow!!!)
✓ Green flag second male lead
✓ Many more things I probably forgot to mention

It had many emotional scenes, but overall it wasn't depressing at all, so it's perfect if you want to watch something to feel entertained and feel like you're a teenager again, kicking your feet, lying in bed giggling, and blushing out of adoration for the characters.

literally 10 out of 10

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I'm actually about to cry.

We all have emotional boundaries when we're watching shows and this one crossed mine.

I was LOVING this. It was sitting at a solid 8.5 rating. I was sitting thinking I had found another favourite for my list. A FL I could support. Humour that landed on me. A plot I was invested in. Gone in a 30 second scene.

My no.1 rule for writers is when you use violence against animals and children, you do it tastefully.

This 12 rated show can't show us a proper kiss but is perfectly happy to show us a baby getting his eyes gouged out. A BABY, screaming and crying, while a man puts his fingers through his eyes. Telling us is one thing. Actually showing us it, is another.
But heaven forbid you show us an actual proper kiss between two lovers.

No. Just No.

You suck and don't deserve anymore attention.

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Aylins story is the best

„23.5" was my first GL series, which made me very excited while watching it. Honestly I started watching it because of Aylin and her unique style, but the main couple also charmed me, making me enjoy the whole series.

Ongsa is a very relatable character, she is also very funny and slightly oversensitive, which is understandable, although it might slightly irritate some viewers. Overall, Ongsa and Sun had an interesting and enjoyable story, just like the side couple which kept me from getting bored. I would also like to mention Ton, who charmed me a lot, and I have a feeling that without him, I wouldn't have laughed as much.

The acting was good and I would particularly like to highlight View, who did very well in the role of Aylin. I focus mainly on her story because her subplot was quite original and really moving. I am glad that GMMTV undertook such a story.

The soundtrack, as in many GMMTV series, was so-so. The same song kept repeating but if someone is familiar with GMMTV series, they won’t be surprised. I always wonder why some series (including "Not Me") have a varied OST, even with American songs, while others have very few OSTs or just one.

Overall, I rate the series highly - I really liked it. I also enjoyed the behavior of the fandom on X, as we achieved a very good result in the hashtag.

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Romcom, romcoming right: The Ultimate Kdrama Starter-pack

It has crime and fantasy elements, but just as plot driver, doesn't change the genre much. It so focus on the main couple without too much filler scenes. Some parts have angsty tone (for me, mainly episode 1), but somehow I see them as filler only, so like I said before, not a lot of that. This is the type of drama that 100% will have happy ending. So all the angst doesn't give me stress at all. It just give boost to the romance narrative, like, "I love you more than the life itself."-narrative. The antagonist story is lame, doesn't worth to occupy your mind, just see him as plot driver. His ending is so quick, but suitable to the story. The rest of the plot is just light and fresh romantic story.

So yeah, it just... romcom? It's sweet and romantic and funny, cringe sometimes but in good portion. The plot is not super heavy nor boring. Actually, I doesn't have much too say except it's a romcom, romcoming right. Basically, story of two simps that we all love😂🤭

The visual is great, the actors acting nicely, the story is well written, good cinematography, good OST, nicely edited. Will written in history as another great drama stared by Kim Hye Yoon and the drama that finally give Byeon Woo Seok good role. Also, another reminder that Kwon Jung Yeol only sing soundtrack for success drama, haha.

It's worth to be included on "The Ultimate Kdrama Starter-pack".

Ps. No hate to the drama, but just want to give a note. If anybody want to get rid your belonging, please throw that to trash bin or recycle bin or whatever proper place according to your country system. These movies and dramas keep throwing things to river or ocean to get rid their mementos. That things would not suddenly disappear, for goodness sake! Just end up as aquatic trash! I've seen some people doing that in real life because fiction making it seems 'romantic' or 'dramatic'. Not cool guys.

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a chaotic mess

a show about 5 girls named ploy with each ploy's story adapted from 5 different stories. its as messy as it sounds.
why does gmmtv take up projects like this if they are not going to put any money in it? u have so many incredible women in the cast, from main characters to side characters, yet u don't use any of them properly??????
i have multiple problems with the plot and pacing:
1. the yearbook mix-up only affected like 2 of the ploys, why did they make it such a focal point of the series, especially punk ploy being so mad abt it when it did not affect her
2. the girls weren't close as grown-ups other than prof and prez so a lot of the friendship moments felt forced
3. the guys, don't get me started, they were so hypocritical. like mek and thap were so mad at prez and pretty for 'cheating' but they could get along fine even though they thought the girls were dating the other?? even their hangouts were weird. u don't show them together as friends in their high school days, but in the last few episodes, they were suddenly friend group? they didn't even show pi as a part of the group until the plot moved on to plain ploy.
4. pretty and mek's story was the most interesting but they rushed to finish that in 3 episodes so it felt very bland.
5. kram was such a plain character, his name should be plain. all his decisions were dumb, im not even an actor and i could tell all his decisions were bad pr for both of them.
6. WHAT IS THIS SHOW'S OBSESSION WITH ALMOST SIBLINGS DATING EACH OTHER?!?!? kram being adopted by prof's mom, punk and tawan being adopted siblings?!?!?? i can pretend to ignore prof and kram cause they knew each before he was adopted and they were kind of grown when it happened but punk and tawan??!?!? he was brought into their family as her brother and they date?!?!?!?!
7. everything with tawan's ex-wife was a big mess im not even saying anything.
8. i will always be a punk ploy defender. i would be pissed too if my parents brought a random guy and said he is your brother, deal with him.....she was the funniest character here. her and pretty's silly fights were cute. they could have done tawan and punk differently. like punk's father is tawan's role model or something and punk being jealous and when the parents die they leave the gym to him, that would give proper reason for her anger.
9. the whole divorce thing with plain was also messy and didn't make sense, like which court operates like this??
10. thap and prez's story had potential but just like pretty and mek, they rushed everything into a few episodes so it was messy.
11. thap,punk and kram were shown as good friends in the flashbacks in the last episodes, but they don't seem to interact when they are grown up so???? feels like they were doing whatever with the script
12. im really disappointed that they didn't try to make the friend group thing genuine, it seemed fun in the last episodes.

they could have made this a bit better if all the things were happening around the same time instead of one by one. the highschool flashbacks could have been shown in order than putting random parts here and there, thap asking to date prez from the first reunion and finally getting together at the end etc etc

the costume/makeup department did well, you could feel the difference from when they were in high school to adulthood.
the prez vs punk moments were so funny to me, i remember namtan and film's insta stories showing bts where they are all lovey-dovey with each other
im glad i get to see them play adults, i was so tired seeing many of these actors play highschool students over and over.

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THE SHINING STAR OF 2024

So far TVN dramas in 2024 have been serving, but I can definitely say, with complete certainty, that nothing has fed me as well as Lovely Runner.

Story
The story is about a young woman, Sol, who was in an accident as a teenager. She suffered through a lot of depression following her paralysis, making her suicidal. In a radio phone conversation, the male lead, SunJae, helps her remember her will to live, and she is so grateful to him that she becomes his avid fan. Fifteen years go by and Sun Jae is also suffering heavy depression. After meeting briefly, news comes out that he committed suicide. Heartbroken, she goes back in time to when they were both 19 and decides to save SunJae. At the time, they both attended the same highschool, and SunJae was an athlete. She starts interacting with him more, unlike in the original timeline, and it is discovered that all this time, Sun Jae had a crush on her. The story progresses, Sol going back in forth to the past and the future, discovering what changes she was able to make to the timeline and dealing with her past self. We watch Sol and SunJae act as teenagers, and cringe with them in their many many embarrassing moments. When they're in college, we watch them have so many cute and heartfluttering moments together. As adults, we get to watch them have steamy scenes.

The story perfectly represents love, whether it is the young puppy love of children, to the mature, selfless love of adults. It gives us yearning and adoration. It distinguishes between the love of a fan and admirer from the love of a man/woman. It takes us through so many tropes - fan and idol, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, strangers meeting, one sided love, love at first sight, idiots in love, bromance, love triangle (very brief) high school romance, college romance, adult romance...

There is a good balance of humor and heaviness. While there are a lot of sad moments, I never really found myself crying because there is levity and it is countered well with heartwarming moments or humorous moments.

Acting
Kim Hye Yoon, Im Sol, and Byeon Woo Seok, Ryu Sun Jae, have amazing chemistry. I'd kept up with KHY since Sky Castle, having been one of the few who loved her character, and watch most of everything that she'd put out since then, or else seen clips of it. I'm always impressed by her acting and the range of characters she played. BWS is new for me, as he is for many others. I'd of course seen him in other shows, but I'd never paid him any real attention, and I guess that has to do with the fact that he played next to some really big celebrities at the time, like Park Bo Gum. He gained a lot of attention for his previous works now that his lead role is out, and having gone back to watch them, I can definitely say that he does a very good job. I do believe he completely carried Strong Woman Nam Soon.

In this show, the two acted exactly how I would expect them to act. They were cringey teens, they were foolish young adults, they were mature adults. They acted goofy, cute, serious, in love... I got all the emotions from them.

Most of my enjoyment from the show was watching them act so unserious all the time. And the behind the scenes footage was everything.

The supporting cast did amazing as well. I was invested in all the plot lines and I loved the bromance, friendship and family that the show gave us.

Music

Who knew BWS could sing? well now everyone does as his song for the show is topping. And N.Flying's Lee Seung Hyub is amazing as well! all the OSTs are so good and catchy.

Filmography

Beautiful. Great cinematography. Amazing parallels.

I don't really know what else I can say about this show. It's really on the top of the list as far as great shows go, and is the star of 2024. Highly highly recommended. I will definitely be watching it again.

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