Lovely Runner (2024)

One of the most well-rounded and enjoyable watches EVER

I considered writing a well thought out review for like a total of five minutes, but I can't. So, allow me to just yap.

This drama had very quickly made it obvious to me that it would become my all time favourite. There are so many core reasons as to why, I'm not sure how to list them all. First off, the casting was splendid. I wouldn't change a single thing. The acting was impeccable. The emotions were so real. I adored that this drama started out with a focus on high school life, giving me that cute high school romance that I love so much. The fantasy undertones were the root, yet they did not take away from the sweetness of their youth. There were so many times when I genuinely forgot that this was a story of Im Sol going back and forth. It feels like she lived so many lives and we got to witness so much of it. I am also so glad that it wasn't a situation in which Sun jae's feelings were hidden for an unnecessary amount of time. You know how sometimes it'll be that the female lead likes the male lead and then you find out later that he liked her all along, but they tell you rather than showing you? I loved that this drama showed us his perspective so early on. There may have been some back and forth with him and Im Sol about their feelings, but we knew. However, I believe the miscommunication was just the right amount. It wasn't like they were going crazy trying to hide their feelings... Even in the last few episodes as Im Sol tried to stay away, it was obvious that Sun jae was just ignoring her completely because he could see through her efforts.

I loved seeing their youth, it just gave me butterflies the whole time. I'm glad we spent time in the past, seeing them all build bonds and grow together. Everyone's story was touched on well, we got see how In Hyuk, Tae sung, Sun jae, and Im Sol had come together as well.

Tae Sung became a very beloved character and somehow one of the most sensible of them all. I appreciate how his intellect was something present even in his youth and he learned how to better channel it as he grew older.

Sun Jae was just a green flag all around. I have so much to say but my mind can't pinpoint a single thing. He was great.

All in all, this drama really touched my heart. It truly was about making sacrifices and learning to sometimes be selfish and give yourself a happy ending. I think the saddest part was knowing that even though Sun Jae and Im Sol have their memories, those experiences that all the characters shared in the past are no longer part of their timeline. It's unfortunate to know that in some ways, they missed out on a very pretty life filled with sweet moments. That's why episode 13 was definitely the saddest for me.

Anyways, this was a 10/10 kdrama with amazing romance, beautiful moments of the past, and really makes you appreciate the privilege of time.

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The Hilarious, Angsty, Romantic and yet Non-Toxic Drama of this Decade

This drama is no short of getting 10s in every aspect!
Firstly, a huge round of applause and immense appreciation for Kim Bbang, author of the book Tomorrow’s Best. Thank you writer-nim for bringing this beautiful novel into existence because who knows if there would be a loose adaption of this book if you hadn’t written this.
Secondly, the director, scriptwriter, actors, and team, take a bow for stringing together an amazing and enchanting yet detailed narrative that blended romcom, angst, and thriller so beautifully that it managed to always keep the audience on the edge in every episode.
Things that I loved the most in this show [because I don’t have any dislikes for LR!]:
- RSJ was just a boy next door who IS ignored in her original timeline, which made this show instantly different from others. For once I was glad here the guy wasn’t the school/college hunk whom every girl fawned over. It was a coincidence how many of us subeoms never noticed BWS playing insignificant characters[I didn’t notice him until 20th Century Girl!]
- The show proves that audience are craving for non-toxic, positive male leads who don’t just shout and act like they don’t care but then suddenly there’s a change in their character midway. I love the Green Forest RSJ and wish to see more MLs like him. BWS is effortlessly funny and pulls every version of SJ from a school going kid, to a college-goer, to an idol and an actor flawlessly
- KHY did a wonderful job of portraying a fan girl and a lover. I was skeptical about how they would portray IS once she fell in love with SJ, but the transition was beautiful. I loved how KHY brought out the side a fangirl has, the madness, the need to keep up with their idol’s life, and then the devastation of seeing their idol pass away prematurely. Her powerful acting made the transition easy, and when IS lost SJ as her lover, the emotions were completely different.
- The lewserism that SJ oozed is such a treat. It’s not cringey or overdone but done in the right amount. Oh, he is MinMin’s descendant I tell you lol.
- The supporting actors were equally good, especially Baek Inhyuk. I am glad they managed to squeeze in his backstory. Actually, despite less screen time, almost all characters have a good backstory [IDC about taxi driver]
- Special thanks to Gonghee, he is one of the BEST SMLs there is. He wasn’t clingy or even someone who wanted to create misunderstanding. He was there as a supportive friend to the FL even when she was time traveling.
- This show has little to zero misunderstandings and I loved it. I am so glad that there were no severe arguments or fallouts. This show managed to squeeze as many tropes in romcom as can be and still managed to balance them out to not overwhelm the audience.
- The parallels that were shown were so beautifully and seamlessly blended, different yet the same but never boring.
I am so so glad to be a part of this drama while it was on-air. While I am sad, I am also happy that it just pulled off so well. I will miss the madness and obsession I had with this show. Never have I ever been this unhinged over a drama. The theories, the comments, and everything, I will miss this! This show is even more special because of its organic success! The way fate aligned the stars to make this happen is sometimes astonishing. From it being shelved for 3 years because actors rejected the script, BWS taking it up, to no PPL because no one had hope for this drama, not even TvN, and YET this drama emerges victorious, delivering top-notch content from excellent acting to direction to cinematography. Everyone associated with the drama deserves the praise and fame they are getting. Thank you, LR for giving me a wonderful 2 months. Thank you for keeping me hopeful when my life had suddenly gone haywire. I am going to rewatch this show again.

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A Love Story for the Ages

He is willing to die as many times as it takes just to keep her safe, and she is willing to sacrifice even her own happiness if it meant he could live even just one more day.

This drama is the definition of a romance for me. Sure there's fantasy, and comedy, and some family stuff, some thriller and action. But more than any of that, this is the story of 2 people falling in love and loving each other, no matter what timeline they may find themselves in. A love so good you just find yourself kicking and squealing and rooting for our leads so hard.

It starts off like what the synopsis says - a fan travelling back in time to prevent her ult from dying. But by the end, you're not even rooting for the fan to get together with their idol. You're rooting for the boy next door to finally get the girl.

It's been a few weeks and I still can't get enough of this drama. My suggestion for anyone who's debating watching this is to just try it. Watch until at least episode 2 because if you're not hooked within the first 10 minutes of episode 1, maybe that's where it'll get you. I know I was.

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Best drama of the Year 2024

I started watching dramas in 2020,but this is the first time I'm writing review for the drama and this is my first time watching drama while airing.

Where should I start with? Lovely Runner is the best romantic, interesting drama ever made according to me.May be it looks I'm hyping it,but no if you already watched it, you'll resonate with me more.From Start to end of the drama there is no boring scenes and each scene make sense in the end. From their cute and realistic acting of the lead actors and the story will make you laugh,smile,cry all at the same time.

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Best drama to exist

Lovely runner holds a special place in my heart. As someone who likes to binge watch dramas, I started watching this drama as it was airing and I was thinking oh I should've waited till it was fully aired. I usually drop dramas if I watch them as they're airing as I get bored of waiting and I watch spoilers on Twitter but with Lovely Runner, not once did I watch a spoiler. The excitement for each ep, watching the pre-releases were all part of the experience that I am so happy I went through. Not one episode was bad or laggy or whatever. Every moment was worth it. Both the leads are wonderful and I am teary as I'm writing this review because I am going to miss them so much. As someone who hated Mondays, I waited for Mondays every week and now I feel empty without them on my Mondays and Tuesdays from now on. All OSTs were beautiful but Spring Snow warms my heart. Please everyone do no hesitate and watch Lovely Runner, trust me, you won't regret it. I will never forget the impact this drama had on me. Thank you Wooseok and Hyeyoon and the rest of the cast for this amazing drama, it really healed me. Truly the best drama to exist.

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A Romance with a Watch that has a Leading Role

If living your life and falling in love resulted in the loss of life for the one you love but you could go back in time, would you do this to change the life of the lost loved one? Most would say yes. The series is about this scenario. Kim Hye Yoon's Im Sol tries over and over to save her love from death, but always fails. A nondescript watch is the time machine. The series details and narrates her attempts to save his life time and time again but always fails until she changes the narrative to where they never meet. All this in order to save his life. It's the tale of a GREAT love between two people.

I read some reviews before I started the series, and they were not flattering. While I can understand the weaknesses these reviews highlighted, my take is different. This series is a modern day Romeo and Juliet without the family anguish. Two people with such a great love for each other it withstood the test of time, space, death, and time travel.

The weaknesses that I saw were in the editing and somewhat in the writing. There is a lot of detail built into the time travel that can easily confuse the viewer. Im Sol goes back in time 3 times. Sometimes I wasn't sure if I was in the future or past. It didn't help that random scenes were thrown in periodically. In one regard I can understand as it helped to establish the strong connection between the two main characters and it also relieved the sadness and anguish (through comic relief and supporting character subplots) this storyline would inflict on the viewer. After all how much sadness can a viewer take before switching off? Some of the chaotic-ness of the storyline helps to bring the viewer along in the story. At least it did this for me as I never wanted to stop viewing.

If you're going to watch this, see it for what it is. A great love story of two people trying desperately to be together but fate just keeps interfering, yet they keep trying. I have to say kudos to the two main actors, Byeon Woo Seok and Kim Hye Yoon for their tremendous leading roles....nice!! This series had an amazing supporting cast as well. Song Geon Hee (smooth-like- butter, this actor is amazing!! I'm looking forward to future dramas with him), Jung Young Joo, Seo Hey Won, Kim Won Hye (three of my favorites from previous dramas, they did not disappoint), Baek In Hyun and Song Ji Ho added so much to the story and their loyalty to the main leads, and Heo Hyung Kyo was so so very evil. Well done to this amazing cast!!

I hope you give this series a chance. It does wander around a bit, and that is frustrating for the viewer. However, what it boils down to is the story of a great, GREAT love between two people. And who doesn't love a story like this?

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A Whole Masterpiece in Creation

As expected, the writing in the show didn't disappoint. Each episode flows smoothly, balancing romance, comedy, and more. I love how the show embodies its creative vision. The writing and acting are excellent and definitely deserve awards. The hype is well-deserved. The creators and actors have done a remarkable job, bringing each character and story arc to life with great skill. Every scene transitions seamlessly, making it enjoyable to watch. This show truly stands out for its high quality and engaging content, and it’s clear that a lot of effort and talent went into its production.

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