Run On (2020)

"why do you run? so i can spread the run on agenda!" - a drama that I will never shut up about.

I wrote a review 3 page long but there's a limit lol.
The dialogues are super super important and well done, the references are OUT of this world, seriously, and the movie inside the drama? that was so good! ALSO the OST!!!!! It was amazing and it fit so well, I truly loved it. Not a big part of it but the way they portrayed the lgbtq+ community!! kudos for them tbh. We can learn a lot of messages through the entire drama such as: family - we have a biological family but that doesn’t mean they are good to us, sometimes our home is the ones we “found” through life. self love - taking care of yourself (mentally&physically) is the most important part, knowing yourself, knowing your feelings and true FEELING them. opening up to others/communication is the key: as the drama goes we are able to see all characters slowly becoming close and leaning on each other's shoulders.
To the production team, the writers, the cast, you all worked so hard (and excelled) to give us this masterpiece which has such a realistic and heart-warming vibe. It totally could get past 16 episodes, maybe 20? but it was amazing regardless, I'll miss it a lot. Thank you for giving us such a good drama, I'll - for sure - be rewatching it over and over and I never do that! <3

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Not everyone's cup of tea.

Warning: Essay ahead

Stepping into the world of Run-On I had no idea what the plot was. And it is a good thing.

Don't get me wrong I don't mean that the drama has no plot, but it's more like following journey of four adults rather then watching drama filled with unnecessary drama.

The story revolves around four unique people and how their paths cross each other. The drama has no unnecessary plot twists, time gap, overly dramatic characters.

Oh Mi Jo is one of the most cutest female lead ever. He character is wonderfully played by Shin Se kyung. She is not a damsel in distress neither does she take sh*t from anyone. She is headstrong and knows how to hold one's attention. Her job as a translator made me realize how little we appreciate these hard working people who make it easy for us to watch dramas or foreign project.She has flaws but she is very well aware of it. There isn't a moment I felt her as weak or have too much emotional dependence on anyone.

I'm Siwan needs an daesang for his performance of Ki Seon Gyeom. At first KSG may come of as bit unstable? But once you learn his life long struggle and how he had to deal with pressure of his father you start to love him.
He is respectful and knows his boundaries. His deadpan humor is the most hilarious thing ever. He isn't trying to be unique or quirky, he is like that. A little confuse yet completely aware of his surrounding.

Their relationship is purely based of conversation. They TALK. They show us how relationships should be done and how just by TALKING you can solve a lot of issues. In fact, their relation is one of the most healthiest relationship I have ever seen.

Seo Dan ah played by the gorgeous Soo young is challenging all the stereotypes ever. She is fiesty, strong, extremely confident. She isn't easy to step on and isn't dependent on anyone. Her issues with her family and struggles are real and you want to root for her till the end. Her relation with Lee Young Hwa (played by Kang Tae Oh) is refreshing in terms of how much the roles are reversed. At first LYH may come of as bit to obsessed with her but slowly you realize he respects her so much. He wants to show her the lighter side of life and love her regardless of her position or status.

The drama is written with depth. The characters are shown taking medicine, they are having issues with their parents, they are having a hard time having an equal balance between work and life. You see them in pajamas or fall sick like it's daily life not some dramatic sitcom.The writer put effort into it and it translated beautifully on our screens.

Even the side characters have amazing plot arc, and are equally important to the story. The writer isn't afraid to show out of the box characters. I'm not educated enough on this topic but it was pleasant to see a female lead openly confess on screen she is lesbian even if it was for her benefit. Or LYH's friend being gay, or OMJ's roomate being an asexual. It's so refreshing to see.

The music was top notch, the aesthetic was amazing, has no love triangle, casting and acting by everyone was great. Overall Run On is am amazingly done drama and I would suggest you to watch this for the characters and feel good factor of it.

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The Very Grumpy, Immature, and Unlikeable Oh Mi Joo Sinks This Promising Series!

I actually watched the first three episodes all in one day. At that point, I was hooked with the story of a well-known athlete who defends a fellow runner who's being terrorized and brutally beaten by two low-life, fellow athletes. He doesn't care that this action will cost him his reputation and even his career, much to the consternation of his selfish, power-hungry father who uses the members of the family like tissue.

Ki Seon Gyeom is a lonely young man who may not save himself from trouble, but he will always help others without a second thought. In many ways, he's a very noble man with a lot of integrity. Having finally defied his father and vowing to live his own life, he isolates himself even more with the assault scandal. There's nothing much nobler than a person helping someone who can't help themselves. This character is wonderfully played by actor Yim Si Wan, whom I absolutely liked in Misaeng. However, due to his somewhat introverted personality, he's not very good at being by himself or expressing his feelings. It would be a mistake to say that he's shy, rather he's cautious. And why? When you're abused even by your father, it's can be challenging to trust enough to share your thoughts and feelings with anyone else.

We also have Oh Mi Joo who is fairly opposite of Ki Seon Gyeom. She's relatively poor. In the first few episodes, she's somewhat sympathetic until it becomes very apparent that she's just a very bitter, petulant, and immature young woman.. She's quick to make assumptions and jumps to conclusions easily. She often pouts and rarely smiles with a set, tight scowl seemingly always on her face. Despite her obvious feelings for Ki Seon Gyeom, she becomes easily irritated with his communication style. But rather than even attempting to talk things out and understand him, she barks at him and is always upset with him. She blames him for pitying him. Cowards are those who always blame others for their own problems. She turns out to be as pleasant to be around as a rattlesnake--and just about as appealing too! Frankly, by the sixth episode, I was already loathing her character. and it made me cringe about how much she mistreats Ki Seon Gyeom. She's an extremely unhappy person, and most unhappy people will always find a way to pull someone else down into their own misery.

As the focus diverted from the scandal and became more about the romance, the series lost its appeal for me. Had they kept both intact and not suddenly made Ki Seon Gyeom such a doormat to the bossy and overbearing Oh Mi Joo, I would have stuck around to see how things play out.

The only truly likeable characters were Ki Seon Gyeom, his new friend Lee Young Hwa and Seo Dan-Ah (a woman who can hold her own with the male bully counterparts in her field! And, frankly, a far more appealing woman than Oh Mi Joo)

I had high hopes for this series with its relatively high ratings, and after just finishing Touch Your Heart, I was hoping for something comparable. Moving on to find characters who are more mature and far more likable than what we got here!

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a GEM of a drama so atypical and endearing

This drama is very different from the kdramas of the day. Unlike what the title seems to suggest, this isn't a sports drama. Run On -- It hints to keep going forward in life and to not give up. Even if you're tired, pause, slow down, but don't stop .

ABOUT THE STORY
It deals with ordinary life, the difficulties one faces and fact that no matter what, life goes on and so should you.
While the characters have uncommon occupations, their lives are very relatable to all. The ML is an athlete from a dysfunctional family who has always lived for others so much so that he has lost himself. The FL is a translator who is an orphan and has lived a very tough life, has worked hard to reach where she is and therefore is fierce, independent, kind and the is best example for showing how self-love works. This story is about how they find each other, heal each other and live healthy, meaningful lives. It also portrays how healthy relationships work-- that one needs to love oneself to be able to truly love another. And this is applicable not just to romantic relationships, but all relationships. One should not sacrifice so much that one loses oneself-- it is not love then but just a parasitic toxic reliance.
The secondary characters have good storylines too. The CEO of the sports agency is a woman who has always been denied acknowledgement for her achievements and skill because of her gender. Her half-brother vying for her affections is truly heartbreaking. Their family seems to be troubled by some kind of genetic disorder. Their mogul father hence is concerned about securing his company while completely ignoring his capable and worthy daughter. He goes to the extent of registering his younger son as his first-born instead of his daughter by falsifying her birth date. Her romance with the college kid is sort of cute. I do not like noona romances so I do not find it too endearing. However the premise of how they meet and how he helps her grow emotionally is endearing. I like them individually but not as a couple.

I got the feeling of a rushed ending. I'm not sure if the relationship status of the secondary couple was left ambiguous on purpose. I liked that they had a sad break-up -- they were each other's first love and couldn't be together because of her wish to take over the family company. However, sad as it was, that ending was perfect. But they ruined it for me when the two meet again in her gallery and later hang out with others at the theatre. It is still a light-hearted good drama.

THE OST
They have A LOT of songs. And they're all BRILLIANT!! The OSTs match the mood perfectly.

THE CAST
LOVE Them!!
Siwan has done an amazing job portraying the defeated athlete and his unusual mannerisms.
Se kyung gives a cool performance as a self-made woman who is loyal, fierce and loving. Her no-nonsense vibe is awesome.
Soo young's performance as the cold, emotionally closed chaebol is excellent. She really shows the character's essence well.
The actor who plays Soo young's bodyguard/manager is awesome.

DIALOGUES
I have just 2 words for you: SWOONWORTHY and NON-CHEESY.

WHAT I LOVE THE MOST
There are no villians. There is no one who earns your eternal hatred. There are no truly despicable characters. Even the 'negative' characters redeem themselves. It felt strange and surprising that this drama left me with just good feelings, no one to hate or dislike and nothing that would leave me with sleepless nights.

OVERALL
The drama has a moderate pace. It is a feel-good, uplifting drama. There is angst but in real-life doses so you don't feel depressed while watching it. There is no nonsense so you wont feel like pulling your hair out. The pace of the drama matches the OSTs, the theme and the story really well. It will make a good feel-good comfy binge-- sort of like chicken-soup for the soul. The lovestory is very unique and fresh. There is GREAT HUMOUR-- genuine natural comedy that isn't forced, doesn't seem scripted and isn't for the sake of humour. The drama quietly energizes you to run on-- to go on with your life everyday and move forward.

If you're on the fence, just plunge! Give this drama a chance and you won't regret it!

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It's romance, not a romcom.

This has been a pretty interesting drama. It's quite unusual in many ways. When I reached the half way point I've been thinking that it's the perfect blend of fantasy and reality. We've seen characters & situations that cannot possibly be real, but at the same time I did not find either the realness or the absurdity of the plot immersion breaking. Unfortunately this delicate balance is broken somewhat in the later episodes. There were some unnecessary skits that felt out of place. It's not that the later episodes weren't good, but at times I felt like I'm watching a different drama compared to when I started. I guess to some extent the writing can be blamed too. I've been thinking that perhaps the writer realized around ep9-10 that she has ran out of ideas and a lot of padding's been added instead of content that I wanted to watch. Then again the writing is on a very high level throughout the drama, it's just that there were some recurring themes that I don't really like, such as parents "owning" their children etc. There is a lot of intelligent and wholesome dialog in the drama & also the complete lack of love triangles is extremely praiseworthy. Perhaps the problem is 100% me, because I'm just never satisfied with anything. I could also nitpick about the ending, it reminded me a lot of Be Melodramatic. Objectively it's decent, but I just don't like the idea of open ended kdramas and the characters really shouldn't discuss what a happy ending is in their last scene, that is just too immersion breaking for me, but that seems almost fotm these days. I was prepared to bash the writer for ruining the second couple's story, but considering their last 2-3 scenes their conclusion is up to our imagination..

Everything else is fantastic.

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"Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up." - Oh Mi Joo

আমি সচরাচর যে ধরনের ড্রামা দেখি বা পছন্দ করি, Run On মোটেও সে ধরনের ড্রামা নয়। নরমালি এই ড্রামা আমার দেখার কথা না। যদি ভুল ক্রমে শুরুও করে ফেলি, তবে কয়েক এপি পরেই ড্রপ দেয়ার কথা, কিন্তু Run On আমি ড্রপ দেই নি। দেখতে বসে বিরক্তও হই নি। টানা দেখে গেছি। এবং শেষ হবার পরেও মনে হয়নি শেষ হয়েছে। মনে হচ্ছে সামনে আরো এপি আসবে। আসলে ভালো হবে, দেখতে তো মন্দ লাগছিলো না। কিন্তু তাই বলে এন্ডিংটা অসমাপ্ত এমনটা ভাবার দরকার নেই। এন্ডিং অসমাপ্ত না, কিন্তু অতৃপ্তি থেকে যায় এমন।
Run On এর কাহিনী আসলে অল্প কথায় বলা সম্ভব না। এটা কেমন ড্রামা, জনরা কি, এসবও নির্দিষ্ট করে বলা সম্ভব না। কারণ, আমার কাছে যা মনে হয়েছে, বেসিক্যালি Run On এ কোন নির্দিষ্ট কাহিনী নেই। Run On টা আমার কাছে ৪ জন মেই লিড আর তাদের আশেপাশে ছড়িয়ে থাকা কিছু মানুষের প্রাত্যাহিক দিনের গল্প বলে মনে হয়েছে। মানে কোন নির্দিষ্ট কাহিনী না, শুধু একটা নির্দিষ্ট সময়ে অল্প কিছু মানুষের গল্প।
এখানে আহামরি কোন গল্প নেই, আবার আছেও। এখানে তেমন একটা রোমান্স নেই, আবার আছেও। এখানে স্ট্রং ফ্যামিলি বন্ডিং নেই, আবার আছেও। একতরফা ভালোবাসা, ভাইয়ের বোনের ঝগড়া-খুনসুটি-ভালোবাসা, কর্পোরেট কাদা ছুড়োছুড়ি, বিরহ-বিচ্ছেদ... অল্প অল্প করে সবই আছে। এত অল্প যে দেখার সময় চোখেও লাগবে না, কিন্তু শেষ হয়ে যাবার পর ঠিকই অনুভব করা যাবে।
Run On খুব বেশি ভালো ড্রামা না। আবার একেবারে ফেলে দেয়ার মতও না। এটা সবার ভালো লাগবে না এই বিষয়টা খুব নিশ্চিত ভাবেই বলা যায়। এই জনরাটা সবাইকে টানবে না। ডেসক্রিপশনে এটাকে Romance, Life, Sports জনরা বলা হলেও আমি এটাকে বলবো 'যাপিত জীবন' যেটা আপনি চান নি, কিন্তু এডিয়ে যাওয়ারও উপায় নেই কোনো। Run On টা আসলে এমনই। এটা অন্য কোন ড্রামার মত না, এটা শুধু এটার মতই!!!
রেফারেন্স মুভি গুলো ভাল লেগেছে। এটা ইউনিক একটা ব্যাপার ছিলো। শেষ এপিতে স্টার্ট আপের গুডবয় Kim Seon Ho এর ক্যামিও ছিলো। ভেবেছিলাম এখানে হয়ত অন্য কোন কাহিনী দেখাবে। কিন্তু বললাম না, Run On একদম ব্যতিক্রম!!? কোন কাহিনী নেই, সিম্পল একটা ক্যামিও শুধু!!
সবশেষে, Run On আমি কাউকে সাজেস্ট করবো না। আমি শুধু আমার ব্যাপারটা বলতে পারি। Run On এর সাথে আমার খুব কমর্ফোটিং ১৬ ঘন্টা কেটেছে। টুইস্ট বিহীন, সাসপেন্স বিহীন, কোনো ধরনের এক্সাইটমেন্ট বিহীন, স্ট্যাটিক, স্ট্যাবল, কমর্ফোটিং ১৬ ঘন্টা।

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Running towards self-love

I don't know what do this type of dramas have that they always touch that soft spot in my heart. It's this kind of drama that gives you hope and makes you want to pursue your dreams no matter what.

I must say, this drama got me hooked the first five minutes in, and I couldn't let go until I finsh it. Really the cozy, heart-warming and emotional drama I needed right now.

SeonGyeom it's one of a kind, I have to say. It's been a long time since I last watched a serie with such a blant, straight-forward character. I really like that he stood by his thoughts, ideology and principles in every situation. He's naive and innocent but smart and honest at the same time, he knows when someone is doing something unfair and does everything in order to expose them. One of the things I liked the most about him is his dry, innocent humor that makes you laugh of how stupid the situation is. Also, he always puts everyone before him so I really like his whole journey of self-discovery and self-love. The self-love topic was really well portrayed, I think. The whole emphasis about it, the whole "you need to love yourself first in order to love others", really loved how it was explained and how it evolved as the episodes went by.
He's a character that has a lot to learn and I loved how MiJoo taught him those little things about life. I think, for the most part of the episodes, their relationship is very healthy and they can talk it out when they have problems. Also the chemistry between the actors is pretty cute. Siwan's eyes are so expressive, he conveys so many feelings with them, and I think that's one of the charms about his character, that he doesn't need to speak every single word because his eyes say so much.

I don't know what was is but this drama made me feel really warm and understood, all the feelings, the emotions, the situations, I couldn't help but relate to the characters. I felt sad, angry, happy as the charcters felt the same.
A really good drama to just chill and have a good time, and an opportunity to hear some pretty good songs in the meantime.

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I got tired of nothing actually happening

I liked the leads together, I think they really fit for each other. But it was a little disappointing that when they finally become a couple it lacked emotion and... idk... catarsis is the word maybe. They just talk and that's it. Maybe that's a lot like them and how it should've been anyways, but I missed smth more wow yk. And now that they're a couple I don't see any change in them. They just look like friends that hold hands sometimes. I think as a romance story this drama has failed a little. It lacked, at least in my opinion, those swoony-butterflies-in-the-stomach-romantic moments. Maybe it was just me, maybe it was a chemistry thing, maybe not, I really saw potential in the couple, but they just didn't happen for me. I think they focused too much on the running and translating thing that they forgot that this should be a romance drama above all. Both leads are boring. I think it was a narrative thing, but it had to do with their personalities as well. I didn't hate them, they were just meh.

Yeong-hwa was the highlight of this drama. The best character. He carried the whole thing by himself. He was funny and he might've seemed silly and easy to be laid over by Dan-ah, but when it was too much for him he just walked away. He didn't let her do whatever she wanted with him, which I thought would kinda be their dynamic, but it wasn't and that was good. Way to go man. I actually think they were a better couple than the leads. Both of them are more interesting characters than the leads. Maybe because their relationship has those aspects we are used to see in dramas, which the leads don't. In summary, the second couple was more engaging to watch than the main couple.

Seriously, what was that sort of break up in the 12th ep?! I mean, why would his father getting in the way of their relationship be a problem if he never really gave a damn for what his father thinks?! He broke up with his father way before dating her, right when he decided not to run in that competition. I couldn't bring myself to watch the drama after that. I got tired of nothing actually happening.

The osts are actually good, not so memorable, but the drama isn't as well. The photography is good too. The vibes overall were good It is a beautiful drama apart from its story. Liked the film references. The production work was really good.

Overall, this was purely a median, neutral, wishy-washy drama. It wasn't a bad watch but not good either. I didn't get irritated by anything but it didn't give me the feels yk. It was boring and dull.

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Light and Fresh Story

I started watching this out of the blue. I'm not familiar with the actors but gave it a shot and guess what? I'm in love.
What I like about this series is that the story is fresh and is light to watch. Im writing this review halfway the series and so far there are no annoying scenes or characters except the ML's father which is quite manageable since the lead characters are freaking strong minded. The first 2 episodes were astounding while episode 3 got a little boring and draggy but picked up the arc at episode 4 onwards.
The acting was superb! I'm not sure if the actors have been in the industry for a long time but I think they were fantastic.
All I can assure y'all is that this is worth watching!

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Be a little selfish sometimes

To be honest, in the beginning, this show made me want to run, away. Though I didn’t give up on it, it’s actually pretty good and I grew a soft spot for it. It’s a slow-paced drama though, so if you’re going into it wanting fights and etc, this isn't really your drama. I would actually recommend this drama even if you don’t like slow-paced ones. The relationships between the two couples are adorable and it doesn’t look forced. Yk how sometimes actors just can’t fit the role, that is not the case. Shiwan’s part in this show is everything, in the beginning, I really thought this man had no emotions, that’s what turned me off from the show completely. But then watching it more I grew to him and now I want to give him a kiss. Though the OST isn’t that memorable they still fit the vibes of the drama. Also, I loved the addition of the LGBTQ characters in the show, though nothing went far with him he had a special place. We’ve seen Se-Kyung in many other shows, her acting in this one is chef kisses, all the actors/actresses in this show are just great. I think this show had enough of everything and in the end, even from the beginning, we knew the two main characters the two main couples were completely different from each other. In the show we particularly grew with these characters, we saw all of them grow,. And in the show, this was repeatedly said to love yourself before you can love anyone else, and sometimes put yourself in front of everyone. It gave a great message, I 100% recommend this whether you like slow-paced dramas or not, it is so worth it. Every episode just keeps leaving you wanting more.

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Refreshing healing drama

"Maintaining your pace is very important when running. You can slow down if you're struggling, just don't give up. You can do that as an adult, right?"

While reading the comment section, I realized, many people didn't want to start the drama because the plot didn't catch their attention or they didn't like it at all. But! they were nicely surprised after they started watching. I was thinking why that could be and came to a conclusion, that maybe the plot isn't the strongest point of Run On, but overall supports the whole drama really well. And it doesn't mean it's bad, it's just that plot itself is not super dramatic and isn't what will keep you watching. (And that might be a good point too. I think a long time k-drama watchers are all sick of unnecessary drama and evil characters.^^)

"Don't do it if you don't want to. You don't always have to overcome everything. So if you don't want to do something, just don't."

For me, what I think that sells this drama are the dialogues. Run On is very dialogue-heavy. To the point where you might be a little taken aback at the beginning. What is this? Isn't it a little weird? And why am I enjoying it so much? I have to say, the warmness of the dialogues made me keep waiting for Wednesdays and Thursdays. I was going through some hard times while the drama was airing and somehow, I found my safe space in every episode. Sometimes, I felt like the dialogues are talking directly to me. Sometimes it made me look at things from a different perspective. I mean, that couldn't be a coincidence. This drama is really personal and will probably speak in some way to everyone.

"Who do you think will end up living with me forever? It's me. Myself. And in your case, it's you. So you need to take good care of yourself and fix yourself whenever something breaks."

When it comes to actors, I can't imagine anyone else playing their roles. Especially the 4 leads. That's what good casting means. After I've seen some behind the scenes, it felt like they all matched in real life too, which made it really comfortable to watch. Above that, what if I told you there is no love triangle? In k-drama land, this deserves applause. I mean, the writer showed us that you really don't need a love triangle and unreasonably evil characters to make a good drama. That doesn't mean they are all perfect, but they have their reasons and I think all the leads and even supporting characters showed us some growth and development. And what I really loved about the show was that everyone had a backstory and a lot of screentime (and despite that, it wasn't boring, which happens a lot).

OSTs were good. Not the best, I've ever heard but I have my favorites in them. The main OST by Lucy is especially catchy and I think it will forever bring memories of the drama to me.

Because this drama started so well, I was a little worried if it can keep its pace until the end. But now, after watching the last episode, I can say that wasn't the case at all. I enjoyed it until the last minute, the drama didn't fail to surprise me even in the last episodes. Sometimes it gave me a good and honest laugh and sometimes it made me teary-eyed. The messages it brings are rarely seen but timeless at the same time. In conclusion, I highly recommend it to anyone. I know people have different tastes and it might not speak to you as much as it spoke to me, but please, give it at least 4 episodes before you decide whether to continue with the drama or not. I am sure it won't be a waste of time.

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