Lovely Runner (2024)

Tale of love wrapped in time travel

"Let's Kidnap Sun Jae and run".

Wearing this on her headgear, Im Sol arrives to attend a concert of her favorite star Ryu Sun Jae. Bound on a wheelchair the thirty-something lost her ticket and was forced to enjoy the show from outside of the auditorium. Her agony vanishes as she meets the star on her way home. But was it their first time meeting?Ever since its inception, the love of Im Sol and Sun Jae has undergone more changes than the weather itself. Im Sol who has been fangirling over Sun Jae finds him as her next-door neighbor as she travels back to 2009. Seeing her dead K-pop star alive makes her feel alive again and the chaotic love story begins.

Attempting to time travel love is not a big thing for Korean dramas. The list is endless, from Scarlett Heart Ryeo to Go Back Couple, to recently ended Marry My husband.

Then, why Lovely Runner is creating so much hype:

1. The timeline

Sol is not living in a fixed time zone. She has travelled through various time of her life, while looking for ways to save Sun Jae. Some time, she is living for few months and sometime she is living for few days. It is like a staycation and not a total shift to that time zone.

2. Differences in characters

Characters are different. Modern Sol is polar opposite of her eighteen year old self. In fact, as she is going back to modern time, her cackling eighteen year old self is coming back. Sun Jae is not aware, so his character is not facing any transition in the process.

3. Constant changes

It is very important to keep audience hooked. Monotonous storyline make audience wander whether to watch the next episode or not. However, in this story, the suspense is getting bigger with the magic of time travelling. Whether Sol will have her feet or Sun Jae will live...the answer is still uncertain.

The story deserves an extra credit for giving space to additional characters of the story.

The new arc of character of Seo Hye Won and Song Ji Ho not only add humor to the tale but also add perfect love dose in the story of Sol and Sun Jae. As the story grows, not only love blooms but the threat intensifies. Now a days, Korean dramas loses track after the twelfth episode, but lovely runner ahs successfully kept the charm and suspicion alive. The future of the endearing couple is still behind clouds. Song Geon Hee in the role of sweet and savory Tae Sung has got little to do. The second lead got back seated by the shine of Byeon Woo seok. The director should have drew his role in a better light. His bromance with Sun Jae looked warm but is not creating goosebumps. We still miss our Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo. The supporting cast including well known ajumma and ajusshis are brilliant in their shoes but it is Im Sol and Sun Jae who are eating the cream in chunks.

Lire davantage

LOVE LOVE LOVE ITTT

“Cause I'm falling slowly love with you”
every time that line played, my heart MELTED
I don’t like yapping a lot, for someone who wants to read a short review before watching:
Watch it if you’re looking for a cute light hearted drama. It’s not too complex, yet very intriguing to follow. lots of lovey scenes that gets you kicking your feet, (the second lead in this one is less miserable so you won’t get a heart wrenching feeling lol) also if you’ve never experienced teenage love watch it, because it healed something in me.
the cast did such an amazing job that I laughed with them and cried with them.
THE OST are very emotional and beautiful, they have been playing in my head ever since I finished it

Lire davantage

Lovely RomCom

TLDR version:
I'll preface this review with this drama is not perfect. If you're looking for some in depth analysis on how time traveling works, a complex villain with a fully fleshed out back story, or strong social commentary on disability or mental health, this drama is not for you. If you're looking for a kdrama that has heart and the nostalgic feels of kdramas back in the day, then check it out. It reminds me of Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, where there were a lot of plot elements that didn't make sense, but the drama and leads are so charming. The OST is one of the best I've heard in a long time. The drama picture shows the lead in their high school uniform, but their love story spans high school, college, and adult era. There are many comedic moments that made me laugh out loud as well.

What I enjoyed:
(1) The leads chemistry is fire. They really make you believe they're in love and you have to reel yourself back from shipping them in real life.
Sol seems weak on the outside (I think she cries in pretty much every episode), but she's strong on the inside. I don't think I could go through even half the stuff she did without shutting down, but she powers through to save people important to her. Sunjae is a loser through and through. I like how they didn't make him a male lead where everyone swoons over him. He doesn't get popular until after his idol days. Girls in high school barely notice him and second male lead was more popular with the ladies. I tend to like dorky green flags, and did not understand why everyone was swooning over him in Strong Girl Nam Soon where he plays a villain.
(2) The second male lead doesn't create a significant love triangle and is super supportive. I like their friendship a lot. One of the best second male leads out there in kdrama world.
(3) There are some poignant messages mixed in with the silliness here and there. My dad has Alzheimer's and something grandma said near the end gave me a lot of comfort.
(4) The OST is my jam. I have it on repeat on spotify. I am super impressed that BWS sang all the Eclipse songs himself and actually hired a vocal coach to prepare for the role. I think a good OST is a very important ingredient to a great drama because the music they choose to play when an important scene happens will really elevate the moment.
(5) There are many great comedic scenes that I found to be very creative. The writer takes a lot of kdrama tropes and puts a funny spin on it. I literally laughed out loud a lot, and I don't do that often in dramas. I will also add that there was some low standard toilet humor used here and there that I did not love, but I could count them with less than one hand.
(6) I like that we weren't spoon fed information all the time. Sometimes, small details are given to us and we have to fill in the rest of the blanks. As a time travel drama with 3 chances, it's bound to get repetitive, so it's better to not overdo it. Some people may have issue with this as some things aren't directly explained. It just depends on your preference.
(6) Cinematography is very beautiful. I love their use of blue and yellow to represent the leads.
(7) There's no PPL. I get so irritated when I have to watch them drink instant coffee, vacuum with a dyson, or eat at subway.

What I didn't love:
(1) There's definitely noble idiocy in the drama. While the FL did a lot of smart things, she also made a series of rash decisions that I felt weren't the best. Similarly, the male lead, while dorky and loveable, also tends to rush head first into things. I give the FL a lot of grace though because she has limited time in the past and is making decisions under high stress situations.
(2) I found some of the characters that are in there for laughs were just too annoying, in particular her brother is a complete idiot.
(3) The villain. I understand he was added to raise the stakes, but I could've used without him. He didn't have a lot of screen time but his existence basically lasted through the entire drama. The inability of the cops to do their jobs was frustrating. Fortunately, the real life actor is hilarious and always posts funny things on his IG. While I didn't like his side arc , I found him less annoying than some other villains in recent dramas. Having a murderous subplot isn't anything new though. We've seen it before in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, What's Wrong with Secretary Kim, When the Camelia Blooms, Crash Course in Romance etc. Some definitely do it better than others.

Lire davantage

Highly enjoyable romantic comedy!!

Wooseok and Hyeyoon really did amazing work in LR as their chemistry is what made LR so much more enjoyable.

The drama had me gushing, blushing and all of the above while also stepping on my heart at the end of every episodes

The progression is very satisfying as theres always something happening in every episode whether its romance progression or storyline and it makes it fun to watch.

Only gripe I had is I wished the scenes of the killer were more smooth but I guess not all serial killers require a motive.

Super glad LR gave BWS a really amazing rise in popularity as Ive loved him ever since Record of Youth, and Hyeyoon did phenomenal as per her usual!

Lire davantage

Not Perfect But Super Cute and Super Fun

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I really like Kim Hye Yoon (김혜윤). She stars in the drama Extraordinary You (which is in my top 10) so I was excited to watch another drama with her as the female lead. I was also interested in seeing Byeon Woo Seok (변우석) as a male lead. I had only seen him a bit in Strong Girl Nam Soon before I ended up dropping it. I heard he was the only good thing about that drama.

Acting/Cast: I really love the three leads. They’re perfect and they have great chemistry together. This was such a funny drama. I was smiling and laughing throughout each episode. Byeon Woo Seok (변우석) in particular -- his comedy was on point. The biggest issue I had with this drama, however, lies in this category: I hated the female lead’s brother and best friend with a passion. They were so irritating that I literally wanted to deck them both in the face…repeatedly (which was a wish that was partially granted). Their acting was so incredibly obnoxious (and their characters in general) to a point that I didn’t even think was humanly possible. The annoying side characters in My Demon paled in comparison to these two. Even the handicap brother in The Third Charm is likeable when compared with these two and even the obnoxious political figures in Snowdrop can’t hold a candle to these two. It was so bad, in my experience, that they are the sole reason as to why this drama didn’t make it into my top 10. A drama hasn’t earned a place in my top 10 since Extraordinary You. I thought this drama would be the one to break the curse. I’m so disappointed… I don’t know who in their right mind told those two actors to act like that (I did notice that Seo Hye Won [서혜원] is actually just playing her annoying character from Nevertheless,…ugh). 7/10

Writing: I really enjoyed the plot. It kept me guessing, kept me on the edge of my seat, and gave me a lot of good laughs. It’s actually a pretty emotional story, too. I think they did a good job balancing the darker aspects of the plot with the lighter, comedic aspects. Although I worried for the main characters, at no point did I feel like the situation was hopeless, which was nice. However, there is a pretty big plot hole that I think could have been easily prevented. It has to do with the time-freezing ability she gains but never uses. She doesn’t use it to escape the villain. She doesn’t even use it to prove that she’s from the future. My solution for this would be for her to not even have that ability in the first place. Whenever she tells someone something about the future, instead of having time freeze, the person should hear it and react to it, but then after their reaction, time should reverse back to the moment right before she told them. I think this method could have resulted in some funny interactions, as well. I think the two obnoxious side characters’ stories weren’t entertaining at all or important to the drama and should have just been cut out completely. I will say that the resolution to the main conflict at the end was a bit underwhelming. However, the ending in general is pretty good. I love how the grandma character was utilized throughout the drama, too; It was really sweet. 8/10

Direction/SFX/Music: The pacing, the production value, and the OST are well done. The music fits the vibe of the drama. No complaints here. 10/10

Entertainment Value: This drama was so fun and cute and funny the whole way through. It’s not easy for a drama to genuinely make me laugh, but this one succeeded. I loved watching the three leads interact with each other and I liked their sweet, innocent vibes. This one had crack drama vibes for me. I watched this as it was airing and I was excited for Mondays because of it. 10/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 9/10. It would have been a 9.5 if it weren’t for those two side characters. There is so much nostalgia with this drama, similar to how I felt watching Extraordinary You. These dramas feel like a callback to the classics (without the toxicity). I would definitely recommend this drama if you're in the mood to watch a fun comedy with green flag male leads.

Lire davantage

This drama has the best premise in a Kdrama!

I just completed ep 16 few minutes ago and this is my honest rating.

First, the drama is exceptional. The story is refreshing, the leads' acting was spectacular. The premise of the drama was everything! The first episode was just so perfect, it instantly drew me in and got me addicted to the drama. In fact, this drama got me out of kdrama slump. It replaced the void Queen of Tears left in my heart. I had thought that after QOT, I would be stuck in a kdrama slump for a long time but Lovely Runner proved me wrong.

For the first four weeks that this drama aired, I was literally obsessed with it. Unfortunately, I stopped feeling it so much after the eighth or ninth episode when Im Sol travelled to the past for the third time. The first and second time travel were all interesting and captivating, the storytelling was wonderful honestly, but the third time-travel, their college days were boring for me. Too boring. I literally had to fast-forward some scenes because I kept dozing off.

Also, the whole plot thingy with the serial killer was overdone. It was annoying, like what's his deal? Why won't he leave Im Sol alone? Why is he after her? Can't believe we had to wait until the very last episode to see his end.


Finally, the last episode was nice. It was just there for me. Because I saw their beautiful ending coming. It was cute, funny but still cliché. I don't know what rating to give to this drama overall, so I'll have to break up my ratings between the first and second half. The first half, I'll rate 9/10. Trust me, it was PERFECT! I was literally obsessed.However, the second half will be getting a 6/10 from me. I just wished they did better in delivering the resolution and end. I loved the drama so much, at first I thought I'll love it more than I do Queen of Tears, but due to how disappointing the second half was to me, I'll have to still rate Queen of Tears higher.

Now unto my next drama, The Atypical Family. I haven't started yet but I hope I'll love it.

Lire davantage

not a typical time-travel drama

lovely runner has a lot to give. romance, comedy, slice of life, mystery, drama, action you name it. i haven't been this entertained for a very long time. this drama became my cure for Monday blues. made me realised that Mondays isn't bad after all. i dropped a lot of kdramas previously but never this one. every minute of each episodes is worth it you wouldn't want to miss a single thing. the OST is damn good i added most it to my playlist so i can listen to them all day. lovely runner is not perfect at all it has its own flaws and loopholes but overall for me its the masterpiece that i've been craving for a long time. it awakened my love for kdrama. this was even delayed for three years almost got cancelled so i am grateful for everyone who made this drama possible.

Lire davantage

Missing Sun Jae, Im Sol and Tae Sung!

I dunno, I wasn't expecting that high upon watching this drama, as I lost interest watching SoKor dramas. But, Lo and behold! It was interesting, funny, a lot of second hand embarrassing moments, frustrating at times, sweet and giggly moments, and a whole lot more.

I love their friendship, the filial love, and the frustrating obsession with saving and preventing things to happen.

I was surprise with Beon Woo-seok! I enjoyed watching his scenes with everybody.

I love the cast, their chemistry, their dialogues, the scenes, OST, and all the crying moments and frustrating events and scenes.

I will definitely miss watching them, and I love Sun Jae but I also love Tae Sung as well. Hoping for more dramas from them.

Lire davantage