Run On (2020)

Oddly, this drama made me pick up my life.

I picked up this drama when I was in a slump. When this drama was first released, it didn’t really caught my attention. But then, months later, I saw a clip of the drama on YouTube and it really touched me, so I decided to give it try. And I LOVED IT! I’m really picky when I’m watching dramas, and this one just happens to be just my taste.

- The first episode hooked me because it was so funny (I tend to stay away from angsty, dramatic storylines). The unique way of how the characters were characterized and how they were expressed and woven together made me stay. Lastly, it’s perfect pacing and storytelling made me finished it. Every scene was for a reason and there were no unnecessary fillers or storylines. I DIDN’T SKIP FORWARD (which is one of my indicator in judging if a drama is worth watching).

- I fell in love with the characters and the way they were expressed. Their interactions felt so awkward and candid, and it made the drama so real and close to the heart. There were dialogues that made me feel the weirdness across the screen, but I loved how it felt so genuine and close to how conversations can happen in real life.

- I also loved how healthy the relationship of the main couple and how there were no brainless misunderstandings, no senseless selflessness, and no extremely evil or extremely good characters. Every character felt close to me because I could almost see a shadow of them in some of the people I know.

Mi Joo-"We will probably never fully understand each other, right?"
Seon Gyeom- "Yes. We're different after all."
Mi Joo- "You have your world and I have mine, but we could align our worlds next to each other, couldn't we? So let's not be disappointed in each other. That's impossible to do. Instead, we'll stick to whatever is possible."

- I loved these lines. It perfectly captured the relationship of Mijoo and Seokgyeum, loving each other but at the same time each having their own lives.


You can slow down if you're struggling. Just don't give up. You can do that as an adult, right?

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This Series Ran, But Jogged By The End

So imma start by saying this series was overall so lovely and enjoyable! It had a lot in it that was so important and new to be seen in a K-Drama, and a lot to satisfy average K-Drama viewers who are looking for some more tropey stuff. I think it kinda faltered by the end but I would say definitely watch it because we need more of this within K-Dramas!


Now onto a more detailed review. The running part/theme of this made me think of "Mr Heart" lol. I immediately loved our lead girl Mi Joo. She's fierce, outspoken, gamer girl who wants to be a translator for films/interpreter for clients . My queen, also super pretty. Crushing for sure! She had a "Psycho" poster on her bathroom door. Twas love. She's also a badass shot and packs a mean punch. Basically I'm so happy that a main female lead in a K-Drama was packed with personality and wasn't dependent on a relationship at all! She was established and interesting, while also just being in a relationship by the end.

Next is Seon Gyeom, our lead male. He was at first kinda boring for me, but that's kinda the point. He's so closed off that you can't see any of his personality until a little later on. But once you do he's great, very layered and I loved seeing his development. I started to see glimmers when he punched that d-bag for beating up the kid Woo Sik. That was such a good plotline and needed to be seen! Seeing Woo Sik speak his truth over time and being backed up by Seon Gyeom, ugh my heart! Sweet baby boy. So together, our leads are quite strong. Very natural feeling and I was not expecting a first kiss in episode 2! We didn't have to wait super long guys for once lol! And like I mentioned before, these 2 don't rely on each other to be good characters. Which is so important! Also that bed kiss was LEGIT, one of the best in a K-Drama I've seen.

Moving on to my favorite character by the end, Yeong Hwa. He was incredible. A vulenerable painter with a lot of heart and a smile that could light up any room. This actor, whom I've never seen is great. He also has very pretty eyes and great fashion. I also have to mention real quick...the contact lens moment. Stop playing with my emotions show! This is not a gay romance, though we lowkey kinda hoped it would be lol but its okay that its not because I do like our lead couple. What a tease though, tf. So I have to say too, I still think after finishing this that Yeong Hwa deserved better than Dan Ah. She's not likable during much of this series, and even by the end I didn't feel enough redemption from her. Their ending was also very open. Idk was kinda disappointing and Yeong Hwa would've been better off as a gay side character. Because the fact that the cafe guy with the homophobic mom loved Yeong Hwa the entire time still haunts me! Or have Dan Ah actually be a lesbian lol. Piggy backing off of that. This series felt a lot more progressive than other kdramas. Talking about sexuality (terms like asexual, lesbian, gay couple James and Bruno) and gender roles. Love it.

The movie set stuff was so much fun to watch. So was the translating stuff, it was cool to see Mi Joo speak both Korean and English. Though that director was not a good actor in this series lol dude was pretty bad. Overall the movie stuff got me and the character archs. By the end I can say I loved the mom getting a divorce was evil dad and our main couples ending was pretty satisfying. The other stuff though was meh.

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Realistic love

There's a lot of long reviews so I'll keep it short. Should you watch this? Yes. Why? This has amazing chemistry between leads and secondary leads, it's the story that makes sense, all the characters are flawed in their own ways, but with so many important events happening in their lives and lessons they learned from other people, they change as people not just dismiss things that they learned. In a review I left for Boys Over Flowers I explain how the male lead changed for the girl not because of her and how they are different. In this drama the characters changed because of their love interests, they learned things about themselves, others and their surroundings because of their partner; which makes them better people because they wanted to change with their own free will and will continue to work on themselves. Not change for a person and only be different to that person and not for yourself and others. It's a sweet drama that makes you want more and doesn't give you a headache, I love the female lead because of this dram I went to watch her other dramas and she is an amazing actress.

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MUST WATCH.

After a long time a aesthetic drama!!!? If you are thinking whether to see this or not JUST WATCH THIS DRAMA RIGHT NOW!!! It attacked my fav lists. If you are looking a heartwarming, peaceful without any problematic plot type drama this is number one. It's funny, healing, I loved everything about it the storyline, the actors omg? (their chemistry is just overflowing and Im Siwan expressions are just soo uwwuu~??), ALL characters their thoughts and portrayal of true healthy relations, how it covers every aspect from family to profession to personal lives, I love how the FL takes stand and protect ML & encourages him to love himself and how they are so honest with each other and and and most importantly THE DIALOGUES AND THEIR DELIVERY whoever wrote the dialogues they have my heart!? I also love the second leads especially second FL. This drama is like a breathe of fresh air, a feeling you can enjoy without being bother. Time flies when I watch this the ost is also nice, it's calming.. so much soft feels that I can't say in words?. It's sad that it's underated but again things like this are always underated that's the beauty of it. I guarantee you had never seen something like this before Highly highly recommended!!❤

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A beautiful story about people, compassion, and vulnerability

I first noticed this drama on Netflix because I love Sooyoung and had wanted to watch one of her dramas for years at this point, but despite my initial interest, I had to admit when I watched the trailer and it clicked for me that it was literally about running, I expected a funny but shallow, fast-paced drama about dynamic, successful young people doing their thing, and I really wasn't in the mood for it so I pretty much gave up on it. However, one of my friend who had started it encouraged me to watch it and I am so glad she did! It was nothing like I thought it would be.
Run On is a beautiful, moving story about people growing and learning together, getting to know themselves and each other through empathy and vulnerability. It's about learning to love yourself and others, about learning to be together with other flawed people, and it is beautifully done. It's also very mundane, but I mean that in the best way possible. I mainly watched really intense, epic dramas lately (which I love too) and this was a breath of fresh air. And that is not to say that there aren't big emotions here, there certainly are, but they’re not over-the-top or clichéd. Every misunderstanding is used to further our understanding of the characters as well as the characters’ understanding of one another and their journey together. Every interaction feels natural and organic, and the drama avoids all of the stereotypical beats you might expect. It's very genuine and simply beautiful. I’ve rarely, if ever, seen a drama like this, it’s something I expect more from a small, indie movie, except here we have 16 episodes to witness the lives of these characters instead of an hour and a half..
I really hope to see other dramas go that route in the future.

(The rewatch value is relatively low because I don't judge whether I would watch it again, which I absolutely will, but whether there is a lot added to it during a rewatch, and it's just not really that kind of story and that's perfectly okay.)

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An atypical love story

If you're tired of the usual sweeping love stories or cliche cutesy dramas, this kdrama is a wonderful change of pace and a breath of fresh air. The two main characters played by Im Shi Wan (Ki Seon Gyeom) and Shin Se Kyung (Oh Mi Joo) are very different people who try to make their love work.

Seon Gyeom is a strong willed, and courageous person who lives by a high set of idealistic principles. However, when it comes to women and love, he's as lost as they come. He's naive, timid and unexperienced. You can see this his interactions with his love interest Mi Joo. Even though, he clearly likes and cares for her, he has a hard time expressing it and admitting to her that he likes her. Instead he tries to show her in subtle ways with small gestures.

Mi Joo on the other hand is a strong independent woman who knows where she's going professionally, but much like Seon-Gyeom, she's very timid when it comes to matters of the heart. She wants Seon Gyeom to take the lead in their relationship by confessing to her first and reading between the lines when it comes to her feelings for him (like most women). Here's the problem. Seon Gyeom doesn't show his affections in the ways that Mi Joo wants. Which is a common thing. People don't always love you in the way you want. Not to mention, both characters are leary of the potential that the other person doesn't return their feelings. So for most of the show, you're going to see two very insecure people who clearly like each other. However, because there are so many miscommications and different interpretations of situations between the two characters, their love story progresses very slowly.

What makes this script brilliant is that it the relationship between the two leads is very realistic. Most long lasting relationships are built around communication, and being open/honest with each other. This drama shows us how to be patient and understanding with our partners. Love isn't easy and relationships take work. In my opinion, that's the main message of this drama.

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A simple, but delightful drama which was akin to spring transitioning to summer...

I hesitated at first to watch this drama. I've seen Shin Se Kyung's past dramas and I was not convinced with her acting then. In addition, there are three distinct genres that do not easily catch my attention: sports, musical, makjang, and war or period shows. Run On happened to be about sports. Still, I followed my instincts and tried to watch the first episode and to my delight, I was not disappointed at all. I think assertive characters fit Shin Se Kyung more as her acting was convincing this time.

Run On seemed more of an ambient film. It was not particularly plotless, but it was not really centered on its plot. It rather more focused on its characters—their behaviours, growth, and how they perfectly contrasted each other.


Run On still relied in some known clichés, though, it was brilliant enough to craft its own refreshing twists as it was rather progressive than just blindly confining to the conventions of such known clichés. It was great that it also gave way in empowering women.


I also appreciated how they portrayed each character with realistic flaws without overdramatically romanticizing them: the rational and independent, but condescending and insensitive Dan-ah; the creative and adorable, but childish Yeong-hwa; the ethical and hardworking, but socially awkward Seon-gyeom; Mi-joo, who was also independent and hardworking, but sometimes tactless. Even the supporting characters did not disappoint with the interesting character study. I also appreciated how the drama tackled the fondness for cinema; Mi-joo worked as an English subtitle translator and the name Yeong-hwa also means "film".


This was overall a simple, but delightful drama. This was akin to spring transitioning to summer. It was just a relaxing show to sit on as you relish in the four season tropical punches brought by each character's quirks and flaws.

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It is a story about "a nut job, a loser, a psychopath, a piece of trash or someone's first love"

I've always wanted to watch this one but was scared off when my roommate told me she was bored, disliked the characters, and dropped it around episode 10. Then I remembered that she and I enjoy different things when it comes to entertainment with music, shows, and movies - and ultimately decided to pick this up. I have been recently learning that things she isn't into, are usually things I really enjoy. And this drama was one of those examples. I completely loved everything about this. It played out very casually that not only was it easy to watch, but it felt like it was written like an independent movie, which is ironic as Mi Joo was a translator for mostly independent movies.

I loved how no one was "perfect" and it wasn't a traditional story about these "crap" people who needed to learn from one another to change and be better people. Nope. This was a story about imperfect people who went on a journey to find self-love with who they were already and who they wanted to be and finding a group of friends that love them for who they were.

Mi Joo was so full of wisdom and great at giving advice and sticking up for everyone, as everyone was her people. She lived a life as an orphan and decided to be her own superhero and be the person that she needed when she was growing up. She was an inspiring person to be around even though she wasn't there for herself sometimes and had a hard time forming deep relationships as she had a history of people leaving her. But she wasn't perfect, and it made me love her more as she always owned up to her mistakes and faults... eventually. There were so many different quotes about life that I took from this drama, including,

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

&

Mi Joo-"We will probably never fully understand each other, right?"
Seon Gyeom- "Yes... We're different after all."
Mi Joo- "You have your world and I have mine, but we could align our worlds next to each other, couldn't we? So let's not be disappointed in each other. That's impossible to do. Instead, we'll stick to whatever is possible."

I also enjoyed the "bromance" and the "womance" between the 4 mains. It got to a point where I was like, protect Seon Gyeom & Young Hwa at all costs - you make my boys cry, I will fight you.

I loved Seon Gyeom because even though he lacked certain social cues and how to act in certain situations, he did what he thought was right, even if it meant throwing himself off a bridge to save someone else. I loved watching his growth and feeling more comfortable in his own skin. He was empathetic from the beginning, but it was nice seeing him feel comfortable and still helping his people while learning to take care of himself and standing up for what he believes is right.

Dan Ah & Young Hwa are a little tricky. I believe both of them taught one another how to be mature as well as how to let loose. But, the relationship was super back and forth that I started resenting Dan Ah, when it was also Young Hwa'sfault. But like I said, their relationship was tricky as Dan Ah was his "boss bitch" and was also inspirational, and I enjoyed Dan Ah & Mi Joo bicker back and forth, but I personally have a hard time with people who lack empathy. I wanted to like her, but I didn't see how someone can treat others like "vending machines" and what they have to go through to turn off that emotion. But Young Hwa also wasn't innocent and I still loved him. I wanted to understand the morale of this drama and accept and love people's "flaws" as it is not what defines them.

I was also pleasantly surprised that after all the "sexual" jokes that this drama kept throwing out there, there was actually a story with one of the minor characters about self-acceptance about their sexuality. It was the ONLY time I cried during this drama, was when this character confessed their one-sided feelings, so they could move on from them, and then that person comforting them knowing how hard it was for the other person to have to hide who they were.

Overall, my favorite part of the drama would still have to be the beginning when Mi Joo worked as a translator for Seon Gyeom. I loved her stepping into this world that she wasn't familiar with and even though she and Seon Gyeom weren't close, she did what she thought was right and became a guardian for him and standing up for him when he felt that he couldn't. I like how Seon Gyeom was inspired by Mi Joo to be his authentic self. I also LOVED whenever Mi Joo was "in action," either with Seon Gyeom's first interview or when they were at the filming site, Seon Gyeom, sat back and watched her in awe and was like, "she is so cool" and gave her a look like, "that's my girl." The dialog itself was super sassy and very enjoyable to watch. I found myself laughing more than I have in a while, watching a drama.

I can see why my roommate didn't enjoy this drama, but I can completely say, that I fully enjoyed this. The only thing that I didn't enjoy was that the plot itself fell off a little in the middle and ending, but I enjoyed it as well because I loved the conversations and the overall dialog. I definitely feel like I came out on the other side a better person.

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This drama is a “slice of life” that intends to muse the viewer into the life of 4 individuals that finds themselves entangled and falling for each other in spite of their different socioeconomic and emotional circumstances. These characters will have to face difficulties from dysfunctional familial relations and interference to personal insecurities and other dilemmas that, although somehow seem to find a good level of resolution, there is a sense of emotional disjointedness by the end of the drama. The cast did well delivering their characters but the dialogues, although they were well written, sometimes felt muddle and erratic due to the complexity of the characters’ thoughts, feelings, actions, and reactions. The last episode seems rushed but the very end is creative and fun to watch. Although the most emphasized part of the drama seems to be the relationship between the lead and secondary couple, there is no romantic chemistry; but they developed a nice friendship by the end. The drama’s synopsis end with the question: Could romance be in the cards for these two couples? The answer is yes, but the romance lacks character and definition, to say the least.

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Run on but know when to stop!

We have all been, since our childhood, told that it's important to run after our dreams and passions or even success. But we are never told that it's okay to pause, if not stop. Most of us feel lost if we take a break and find ourselves frustrated. This drama has touch those parts of our lives but lightly enough for us to be able to relate to it but not feel to emotional.

The drama starts in the most dramatic way but it's a good way to keep the viewers in place. When you first read it, it doesn't have a very extraordinary storyline. The story is loosely tied together but does not fall apart in the set 16 episodes.

There are not many dramas that I've seen with the such distinct characters or even character traits. Seon Gyeom always looks calm, doesn't show many emotions, gets stepped over and is the complete opposite yet similar to Mi Joo who speaks up she should. Not only the lead cast but even the support characters are very well matched and are sometimes similar yet opposites. The cast has done a very well job in portraying what was needed of them.

Since it's a Netflix drama, the soundtrack and OSTs are exactly what I was expecting. The music is slow but not boring and fits the drama like a custom-made shoe.

If not again, you should watch it at least once. Since it's slow and not exactly looking for an absolute or concrete end some people may not like it in the beginning but once the story is set it gets interesting. This drama has the vibe of spring and winter combined. It's a perfect drama for the ones who like to watch a drama which is easy flowing and not very complicated.

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Just one word to describe it all, beautiful!

I really really really like this show. Words are not enough for me to explain how much I love this show. Some aspects I love are listed below, just because I can’t mention all

1. I like the character arcs for all the people involved. All of them show incredible growth, and great backstories that are well-explored, explained and enacted. There is a sense of depth to the characters, even if it is someone like Myung Min whom you just don’t like.
2. I also quite like how they end up covering all their bases. All of the characters see an ending, whether good bad happy or sad, but an ending of sorts. Nothing is up in the air that you’re left wondering at the end as to what happened to them. So, it’s a well-scripted show that both starts and ends strong.
3. I quite liked the story. It was something refreshing and new for me and I’m glad I gave this a chance. I absolutely love mellow and slice-of-life shows with a little romance and this one gave me both of the first along with lots of romance (slow burn or not) and I’m all for it. I also enjoyed all the couples quite a lot and did not skip any parts.
4. My SONE heart was so full watching Soo Young excel at that role. All the actors have done really well, especially Choi Jae Hyun - absolutely loved his character.

The only place where I struggled was with the movie references. As someone who’s not into movies, I was not able to relate to many of the movie-talk. But it was not a bummer or anything. This part might be even more fun for people who like to watch movies.

A must-watch show that I hope brings you as much happiness, joy and feels as it did to me. A very easy, emotional and engaging watch! ?

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