A K-drama that reminds me of "the good old days".
Reviews are obviously subjective, so please keep that in mind!To get it out of the way: If I could I would give this an 11/10!
Now on the the review - when I say this drama reminds me of "the good old days" I mean that it brings back the feeling I had when I first started watching K-dramas. Everything felt new and exciting, from storytelling, to directing, to acting - it was just pure happiness to explore this new genre. And while there are still shows that get me excited, I've been pretty disappointed with romance and comedy dramas in the last few years (with a few exceptions).
Enter "Lovely Runner", a comedy/romance drama with an element of fantasy/sci-fi that swept me off my feet and carried me all the way to K-drama heaven. I don't remember the last time a K-drama had me this hyped for the next episode and waiting a whole week for the next one is literal torture. But at the same time I'm kinda happy I can't binge it, because I get to enjoy it that much longer.
I initally started this drama because I loved Byeon Woo-seok in Strong Girl Nam-soon and when I read he would be the male lead, I just had to watch Lovely Runner, even though I didn't have any expectations. However, by the end of the first episode I had gone from sad to happy to devastated to giggling and kicking my feet in the air, and with the twist at the end of episode 2 I knew this was gonna be one of my all-time favourite dramas.
The chemistry between Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon is "chef's kiss" (I definitely recommend watching the behind the scenes and their promotional interviews) and the rest of the cast is great too, even the second male lead is really lovable. The story does include more serious topics that might be difficult for some people but overall it's a refreshing romantic comedy with some unexpected twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat!
So if you have thought about watching it but aren't sure, I would strongly recommend you do yourself a favor and give it a try ;)
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This drama have one of the best ost kdrama
Start ep 13 i lost interest but the ost is very good, and i still listen until now. I think the one reason success this drama from OST which bring back memory or kdrama vibe in early 2000 era. Sunjae is the male lead who will loved all kdrama viewers, but for sol character i cant get it why she always push sunjae and keep her love secretly, it wasting time and not meaning.PDnim have good taste, i always like the scene sunjae fall in love or smitten sol so much even ost matching with the scene.
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Bubbly drama for a kdrama beginner
If you are just starting on kdramas then you might like it, it might also be your top drama but if you are someone who has been watching dramas for years then this is just another romcom. Nothing else,nothing special about this. If you like watching dramas with good looking male lead then go ahead and watch it for sure. Byeon woo seok is such an eye candy to look at. He hit his mark so late, i find him so attractive and he is also a good actor. I really look forward to his upcoming dramas!I will complete this drama as i am watching this when it is airing, if you ask me if i will binge watch it…hmm I probably will not.
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Excellent show
Lovely Runner" is a very good and excellent drama; the best thing about it is the acting. It's full of emotions. From the beginning till now, every scene is beautiful. We're at the 11th episode, but there hasn't been a single scene that's boring or feels like a side character is dragging the story. The story is progressing smoothly, and the love story in it is quite engaging.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A truly well executed time travel kdrama, way way above Twinkling Watermelon.
This is the best kdrama I've seen since a very long time. (probably since It's Okay to Not Be Okay)The only serious problem I have with it is the villain's lack of personality/backstory and how they just dealt with him under 3 minutes in the finale. I could nitpick If I really wanted to, but I fail to see the point.
I always say that explaining the inner workings of time travel always ruins immersion in time travel shows, luckily in this one they have not even tried. (it's better to keep the unexplainable unexplained)
Everything else is pretty good, the cast is great, the chemistries are great. The romance is up there with the best, there are countless very fluffy and or very touching moments. Love triangle haters are safe to enjoy this as well, because the secondary love interest is weak like a straw. The ending is a banger too.
Anyway 9/10 seems fair to me. It's not perfect or anything, for example Someday or One Day is better in this genre, but I'm very happy that Korea can still deliver something of this caliber, since it's been so long..
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Surprisingly good
I was at first hesitant to watch this because there wasn't anything in the title that made it sound interesting. But surprisingly, this rom-com is such a breath of fresh air.From the visuals, backdrop, actors, dialogue....close to perfection :) It is not like your typical rom-com which gets boring after a while. This one continues to deliver a great and interesting storyline.
It is my first time to watch Byeon Woo Seok and he nailed being a high schooler. So did Kim Hye Yoon for that matter.
The camaraderie of the cast is apparent in their interaction and each carried out their roles impeccably.
This is now the only kdrama that I am looking forward to now that QOT has finished its run. Can't wait for the next episodes...
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Perfect Summer Binge!
I started watching this just yesterday and have successfully binged all 9 episodes that have come out (with the 10th one on its way today (who cares about studies)). Throughout this, I was kicking my feet, giggling like a schoolgirl, so invested that I forgot that sleep is a biological need. Nevertheless, I thoroughly thoroughly enjoyed it. Warning: it will make you feel very lonely if you are single (because it happened to me too). Even though Hye Yoon looks like she is getting typecast after her role in Extraordinary You (but I know she is a very versatile actor), I still enjoyed her character in this! Woo Seok on the other hand I've not seen enough of since 20th Century Girl (brb crying) so it's always a pleasure to see him and hear him. My only concern is if he is a good actor, which will not be established until I see him in a few more roles. Right now, he is decent and will make you fall in love with him (but I attribute that more to the character and how well Woo Seok has portrayed it - the role really suits him (I haven't watched Strong Girl Nam Soon so don't come at me)). The drama is also a pleasure to watch because all of the cast is so good-looking! But seriously how are you scolding someone for not sleeping/having dark circles under their eyes when I can see that their skin is shining brighter than my future???? Enough nagging. They do discuss heavier themes which I always like but it's more a swoon-worthy drama than a slice of life. You will not regret watching it. Fingers crossed for a happy ending!!Was this review helpful to you?
Chemistry makes up for [almost] every flaw
A lot of things were left unexplained by the end of this drama. By the last few episodes all the inconsistencies in the writing became pretty glaringly obvious and it felt… lazy. The ending was overall a bit of a let-down - I was hoping for some sort of extremely clever twist but it ended up feeling like a cheap cop out.THAT BEING SAID - this drama features hands down the best chemistry of any leading couple I’ve ever seen. Each episode had me pausing to take a break countless times throughout because the butterflies were just too much. The romantic moments were filmed and paced wonderfully which gave the leads’ chemistry the opportunity to truly shine. This absolutely incredible and undeniable chemistry is what makes up for nearly every flaw in this drama and it is what will have it go down in history as a cult favourite.
Byeon Woo-Seok’s acting was top notch for me. It was never too much or too little - it was always perfectly believable. I’m not one to crack up at dramas but comedic scenes had me laughing out loud in the middle of the night. Nobody else could do this character justice the way he did… the dorkiness, the emotion, and absolutely beautiful singing voice. I really look forward to him taking on bigger roles in the future.
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A perfect drama to rewatch every once in a while because it gives you the FEELS ?
One thing about me is that I will always give a time travel series a go and this didn't disappoint. Maybe it's the high school sweethearts, nostalgia, the going back and forth in time, the aesthetics.... Idk .. but this worked so well. Im sol and sun jae invented soulmateness.We're there plot holes and some things were brushed over or never explained, were there scenes that pissed me off and could have been done better to make the drama a 10/10...... YES but it's over now and I can't bring myself to get into it all and complain because I have a silly little smile on my face. I loved watching the story unfold and seeing how the main character would find their way back to each other.
One thing I LOVED and I don't think it gets enough appreciation is the relationship between sun jae and his dad. If I remember correctly sun jaes mother was only mentioned briefly once by sun jaes dad in passing and never again which shows how deeply sun jars father cares for sun jae. He never made sun jae feel the absence of his mother and filled the role of a parent so well and we hardly get a role of a single father like this. it made me teary up so much watching him cry over sun jae.
SPOILERS
(Okay I need to get it off my chest sue me ....
Things I probs missed or needed more explanation..
1) I swear there was more to the grandma ... The scene in the last ep ... The "missed him" comment, this could have been explored and would have bought more dept to the drama.
2) there was a scene idk between ep 12 to ep 14 where sol is in the country side and the killer found out she was there and went there ..., the scene of sol calling her mam and the killer being in the mam's shop, it was dark outside and when the killer left he was walking the way the scene transitioned made it seem like he was time traveling too. If this was also explored it would have made it even more entertaining.
3) the ending of the killer just dying and sun jae fainting on the road . ???? Whyyyyyyyy it was so anti climactic I was like..??? That's it???? Lmaoo come one the build up and that was all we got.
4) I needed more time with taesung. The way he was acting and him being friends with sol all these years I which how in the final timeline, how that worked out.
Anyways bye
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A truly lovely experience
*Very slight spoilers ahead*Ahhh, Lovely runner. You know those series you begin to watch and from the very first episode you KNOW you are going to love IF the writers don't f**k you up? Yep, this series was one of those for me.
While the story does lack in some regions here and there and there are just a bunch of repetitive and annoying things that happen quite a bit that made me audibly groan, overall its a very vary enjoyable watch. All the actors, the music and the good ending really did give this series an extra star from my original rating. Never have I ever swooned so much and genuinely loved a character as much as I love Ryu Sun Jae, the greenest of all green flags, this man is a freaking forest. Byeon Woo Seok did a fantastic job portraying him.
This has the same vibes of Twinkling Watermelon (though that one had a stronger storyline). So if you're looking for a heartwarming romance with just a sprinkle of fantasy that will make you giggle and kick your feet like a little girl, definitely go for it. The hype for this is truly worth it!
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This review may contain spoilers
Beautiful drama
Such a beautiful drama with unique plotline. There are time travelling dramas like marry my husband, perfect marriage revenge where both the leads travel back in time but here its only the Fl . The most sad thing about the leads is sunjae doesn't remember what happened once imsol changes things in past and imsol doesn't remember anything from her 15 years life once she goes to present... What a unique plot.. Loved every bit of this drama.
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