Marshmallow-Chocoholic

Although I get where you’re coming from, this does depend also upon the genre and themes tackled in a series. Addressing or adding darker themes or twists in a drama can help to convey a more emotional reaction in the end. It is not necessarily that a ‘ happy ending’ always marks a ‘ good ending’, nor does a ‘ sad ending’ always mark a ‘ good’ or ‘ bad’ ending either. This is why over the years, I tend to prefer ‘ bittersweet’ endings in melodramas, or ‘ endings with an indicated twist’ in psychological thrillers or horror shows because they can touch upon intriguing elements of this less sugarcoated reality often presented in K-dramas.

Agreed. There’s nothing worse than watching a drama where the ending is rushed and forced by big plot holes or ‘ preferable endings’ or ‘ twist’ endings without previous indications or conclusions.

Thank you for reading . I’ll admit that I’m a harsh critic when it comes to dramas, and it does require a lot for me to give a really praiseworthy review ( I.e. “7+”). This doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy “ Run-On” by giving it a harsher review, but objectively there were a couple of notable inconsistencies which had to be taken into account (I.e pacing, storyline and themes) in order to give a fair opinion. Perhaps if the show did have a little bit of a didactic plot, I would have given this show a 7.

Same name ( “Humans”).

It is an interesting idea, however, the webtoon has already given an ending for So Hyun. Nevertheless, it would be really fun to see though! :)

Agreed. The drama had a lot of really good actors and concepts , it’s just a shame how the storyline played out.

Thank you for reading, and I do know where you’re coming from. Typically, I don’t often comment upon the actor chosen in roles as I think that it’s important to try and acknowledge different performances, but, it did feel too mismatched in this one with Kim Rae Won. Like you said, he’s a good actor, but just a shame that his role didn’t suit him.

Definitely agree. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens with this remake :) !

Although it was not my first Asian drama, it was certainly my first Korean drama and it undeniably still holds a special place in my heart. However, I do agree that its flaws are often glossed over by drama fans such as its dialogue and sometimes the pacing in parts as well. I suppose that it really depends upon your tastes. Goblin is sort of like marmite for some drama fans. You either love it or hate it.

Higher or lower?

Agreed. A lot like the beginning of RUGAL, L.U.C.A had potential, but the storyline started going down hill quick after the first few episodes...

You have some really good points. One of the things which always irked me about the original Goong was that the characters were intrinsically written as plot devices, rather than actual individuals ( as the potential did exist) with their own thoughts and feelings. As you said beforehand, as viewers, we already know that the two main leads were always going to end up together because it is apparent from the get-go. I think this can sometimes be the downfall of romance dramas and screenwriters . They are so focused upon trying to force the characters together through various storylines or obstacles , that they never really think about who the characters are as individuals.One of the reasons why the Hana Yori Dango franchise is so popular amongst drama fans and has been adapted so many times over the past twenty years or so, can probably be sourced from a result of casting ( a little like Goong) by having young actors who youths can relate to. The cliches are undeniably catching up with its age, but, I still have to admittedly say that there is an undeniable reason why the storyline of Hana Yori Dango has had numerous adaptations over the years in so many countries , whilst Goong has only just been announced for a remake. This is because Hana Yori Dango is a fairly universal storyline and love story which generations and different countries have been attracted to, whilst Goong is fairly localised towards its setting in South-Korea. Evidently, this isn’t to say that Goong is “ bad” because it is pretty unique to the cultural setting , but it does undeniably limit it for wider adaptations and popularity to a certain extent (unlike Hana Yori Dango upon this ground). Though getting back to your original point, I do agree that the show should probably tackle a lot more about the characters , especially the psychology and more depth behind Chae-Kyung . Hopefully we can get a really good screenwriter behind the works, before anything else :).

Agreed and I do see where you’re coming from with Meteor Garden (2018) as an example. The storyline took away a lot of the fundamental strengths of past versions by getting rid of the fundamental storylines of bullying and class inequality. I’ll give the remake of Goong a slight benefit of the doubt at first ,but have to say I’m on the fence with this one ...

Most of the time, I take on objective opinions on a show because it gives me an opportunity to look at it from different angles. It was really fun looking at “ Run-On” from several different perspectives , in order to bring about a detailed analysis. I know that some people can find these types of reviews a little too wordy, so thank you so much for taking the time to look through it :)!

Kinda agree when I saw the title reboot . Goong was a classic, but its very much of its time with its setups - unless the drama plans on either rewriting characters to make it more “ modern” , I do have mixed feelings towards how they’ll make this work.

Tastes differ. Personally, it wasn’t one of my favourites with some of the jokes , but everyone has different tastes.

Out of curiosity, is the Chinese version any good? I remember seeing the original UK version a while back, but, remakes can always go one of two ways for me.

I think I can see where you’re coming from with this one to some extent. Having seen it to the end, I can probably honestly say it was not as “ dire” as a lot of people made it out to be with the controversies, but it certainly wasn’t as good as it shouldn’t have been. For me, this seemed like a show very much in the essence of the old 2000s and the early 2010s dramas- ultimately cliche and too outdated for a modern drama.

That’s a really interesting thought. I’ll be honest in saying that I took it literally to stand for the scientific term “ Last Universal Common Ancestor” , but there’s the possibility that this also is a double-entendre ( i.e. acronym and an actual name for the child in reference to the child meaning light).

I don’t think anyone is denying that he’s not a good actor or disrespecting his decision , however, a lot of drama watchers ( myself admittedly ) associate him more with his well-known and critically acclaimed roles in Healer or the K2. Backstreet Rookie wasn’t an entirely “ bad” drama from an objective outlook, but it’s ratings are still only “ mediocre” by Korean standings and netizens were pretty nasty on the acting and outdated jokes because it sold itself as a “ family show”, whilst a lot of the themes were inappropriate.