Lovely Runner (2024)

In the track of my heart, you are the only runner.

Lovely Runner it's undoubtedly one of the best dramas of 2024.

It has all the elements that make a drama a mega hit: comedy, romance, time travel, well written characters (both leads and supporting ones) and an engaging plot line that never bores you. Starring Kim Hye Yoon and Byeon Woo Seok, adapted from the web novel The Best of Tomorrow by screenwriter Lee Shi Eun and directed by Yoon Jong Ho and Kim Tae Yub, the Lovely Runner team achieved a perfect execution in front and behind the scenes.

I think the true star of this drama it's the writing and on this I can't commend Lee Si Eun enough. I had already seen her potential in dramas like True Beauty but here she really manages to shine through a well crafted, smart and cohesive story with no loose ends. I'm incredibly impressed by her talent.

The writing was perfectly complemented by the directors's outstanding work in leading a film crew that was on every detail of each part of the story, in each timeline, never missing a beat. Always delivering their A+++ game. But there was also great work done from the directors part in helping the actors get the comedic timing exactly right, the more emotional scenes to deliver and the team work among cast and crew to be flawless.

This might be a big hit now, but it's actually a sleeper hit because the lack of promotion this drama had was embarrassing to watch and if it wasn't for the devoted fans, studio executives would have never realized they had a gem in their hands. So, Lovely Runner it's not only a great drama with a super fandom that really fought for this story, it's also becoming yet another prime example in the list of films and tv that achieved all of it by themselves because artists delivered nothing short of excellence.

On this point I can't ignore the incredible performances given by the entire cast. Kim Hye Yoon and Byeon Woo Seok are definitely the standouts, they stole the show, this is their story and the actors chemistry it's electrifying. But the way supportive actors would show up in a scene and push the story forward in a coherent way and even make it better, it's wild to me. The chemistry this cast had it's a rare feat for an ensamble cast and how they managed to transition seamlessly through different phases of their characters's lives and relationships when events, in each timeline, were changing because of the things our leads did they still remain truthful. So, not only the leads are well developed in this drama but also every single character that shows up, no matter how small the role is.

The best example of this it's actor Heo Hyeong-Gyu who has been working for sixteen years, playing very minor characters, finally having a breakthrough in the industry because of his role in this drama. And while his presence was prominent and important to the story, he barely had lines. So his entire performance is mainly based on micro-expressions or physical stunts.

I also fully expect the actors like Song Geon-Hee, Lee Seung-Hyub, Song Ji-Ho or Seo Hye-won to receive a lot of what korean entertainment industry calls "love calls" aka commercials, dramas and films, among other things.

Experiencing watching Lovely Runner alongside the fandom, waiting every week for a new episode, it's a big part of what made this drama so good. Healthy and good loving fun people, clowning, poking fun at our faves and crying at heartbreak. It's been a long time since I have been able to engage in this way with other fans and I am thankful for them, the cast and crew for all these amazing weeks of fun.

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MUST MUST watch !!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Firstly let me tell you something, this show was considered has non anticipated work (Which shocked me - since i waiting for this show, for close to an year, for it to be aired), had negativity surroundings it, had lack of promotion. But mind you the day the 1st and 2nd episode dropped, it was a game changer. It was like a mic drop it was epic. The acting of both BWS and KHY is top notch and story is so damn good, not even a single boring moment, the chemistry oh man i don't know how describe it, it is soo beautiful that you will just keep asking for more you heart will surely flutter once you see them on screen (Even if you are not into romcom - these 2 ll make you fall in love with them). The comic timing is so good you will definitely have a good hard laugh. Lastly the OST which is one of the main focal point of this show, since those songs speak story of their own about these 2 and add a different dimension to the story all together. Be it backdrops, OST, Acting or chemistry everything is so damn damn good about it. This show is the classic example of "Never judge a book by its cover" bcz sometime when you open those book you will find hidden treasure this show here called "Lovely Runner" is that HIDDEN GEM that world needs to see and feel. Also this show reached it high all thank to fans and word of mouth for giving this show it glory that it deserved ? .????????

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One of the loveliest drama ....

Writing review after ep 10
it has a strong staring ,but the first two episodes can seems like a typical time traveling plot or mixture of several time traveling school dramas. But this is not the case .....this is one of the best time traveling drama I've ever watched .....
1) the romance is top notch. It will give you butterflies. I don't actually have patience to watch lame romance dramas. But this is different. I giggled and smiled whenever ml and fl being together.
2) the male lead!!!! Ryu SeonJae is the best greenest, simp and softie male lead I've ever seen. Nope he's not your typical cold , stone faced male lead. He got crush on our girl , he smiles, giggles, through his feet in air and stuff his face in pillow thinking about his crush. Of course he tries to stay cool and not being obvious.....haha .... I loved the fact he didn't misunderstood Im Sol and believed in her even after her past self cut relations with him . He still loved her and waited for 15 years.
3) the female lead ---- yes the female lead is adorable. She's also a simp for him . She's balanced . She got a positive character .
4) the humour!!!!! LoL it got me fall out of chair . The comedy is soo good . Like her thinking the bridge as bridge of hell , the adult DVD, him being jealous, Im Sol passing through his dad by shouting future events, Sunjae pulling out chili plant instead of weed by overthinking...........there are countless moments that will crack you up.. LMFAO..
5) Anxiety:::::::: you're gonna have good anxiety attack..... There's not a single dull moment so far . The sad moments are soo heart breaking.like Sol can't change her past self and she has to come back to future and her regrets for misbehaving . And Sunjae got rejected (forgotten) by Sol, while she had feelings for him!!! Then their reunion in ep 10!!!
6) the plot: the plot is deep and intense... And the name makes sense as our fl has to run from past to future to save the ml . This is not very light hearted drama .... But a mysterious plot that unfolds in every single episode .the best part is there is youth school romance, mature/ modern day drama romance as well as collage romance and each part is soo sweet that can give you diabetes.....+ Each era 's kissing scenes hits differently.
7) the acting:::;;;; the acting is soo good . The comedy or embarassing moments could have ended up giving cringe if it wasn't done well . BWS ' s portrayal of Sunjae is out of the world...the emotions, smile , pain in smile , mentally being disturbed or comedy everything is too good( first time watching Byeon Woo Seok and I became a fan). ....the ost , cinematography everything is done so well !!!
8) disclaimer :you're gonna ride on a pile of emotions while watching this.

**Things I didn't like:**
1) Im Sol being unnecessarily childish . Yes mental retardation can happen after a accident but as a 34 years old behaving like this is not appropriate.
2) As the mc of this drama, I don't understand why her character got no life goal or bigger ambition after getting back her legs . This drama is too focused on saving the ml . Yes having idol of life is good thing but we should focus on our own life too ......
3) the total plot is based on the serial killer. I think if we got a backstory or proper explanation of his motive it would have been better. I know psychopaths can attack anyone. But to drag a plot based on bad luck or attracting a psychopath is not my cup of tea .
4) first 10 episodes are absolutely gold . but after that things started to become draggy and repetitive , I don't understand why Im Sol didn't make a proper plan and was just taking action passively..... And to say the truth I lost interest to continue this drama more after 12 episodes... Even romance and comedy seemed forced on last few episodes.
**Finally**
I absolutely recommend this drama( atleast the first 10-12 episodes, and my rating would be much lower if I give review on 16/16 episodes). I expected much more. This is good and is very sweet. Not a single drama is flawless. And lovely runner worth your time...

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An Emotional Yet Heartfelt Journey In Time That Will Leave You Mesmerized

This is my first time writing a review because I need to dump most (if not all) of my thoughts about this drama. I am not an expert nor a professional in writing reviews. What I usually do whenever I finish a movie or a drama is just rate them to my liking.

If I were to describe Lovely Runner, I would describe it in one word: PERFECT. From the casting to the storyline, everything about this drama is beautiful. I'm at a loss for words. I've never cried so much (in almost every episode) like this before. I admit that I'm not a fan of time traveling related dramas but Lovely Runner is an exception.

For Directors Yoon Jong Ho and Kim Tae Yub, as well as Writer Lee Shi Eun, I am truly and deeply grateful to all of you for creating Lovely Runner. What an awesome mind you all have! The parallels in each and every scene of this drama drives me crazy! My Mondays and Tuesdays every week were bearable all because of this drama. All of you deserve praise and recognition for all the hard work and effort you put into this drama so that it would turn out (well, for me) to be one of the best romantic comedy dramas in the history of South Korean dramas!

For Byeon Wooseok and Kim Hyeyoon, they were very good at what they do and their versatility was amazingly crazy! I'm kind of sad because I just discovered them now. This is the first drama that I watched since I barely knew them. Oh how I wish I had the chance to time travel so that I can support both of them when they were just starting in their acting career….. All I can say now is that I love them both sooo much! My words are not enough to describe how grateful I am to them for accepting this drama and bringing Ryu Sunjae and Im Sol to reality. It’s as if their roles really were meant to find them.

For Song Geonhee and Lee Seunghyub, both of them are one of the best boys ever! I cannot believe how healthy Geonhee’s role was as the second male lead, and how his role (even though he really does not exist in the webtoon) became one of the vital parts of the storyline to flow properly and harmoniously. Seunghyub’s role, on the other hand, was also one of the key roles in the people in Sunjae’s life. He was always there to support Sunjae from their high school era up to their adult (present) era. He never left Sunjae alone, and Sunjae didn’t leave him either. I must say that I love the dynamic of their friendships. It was one of the best!

For the rest of the cast and crew, I would like to say that I am grateful for all of you. Lovely Runner will never be complete without all of you. Thank you for being part of this wonderful and amazing drama. You all did a great job and I hope that all your hard work will be paid off.

As for me, I do not know when I will move from this drama. I might never get over this drama. I think my best friend and my sisters will get tired of me from never shutting up about how perfect this drama was. Watching it since last month feels like I’m in a deep slumber. It feels like I am dreaming and hoping that I will not wake up from this dream. But I need to get back to my senses since in reality, I am still a college student who has exams later and I need to study now. Hehe. That’s all for my yapping! Thank you, thank you!

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BEST SHOW IVE EVER WATCHED

ACHABAIWHAUAHA it’s about time I got a new favorite all time show. The sheer beauty in this show is astounding the amount it’s set up and the acting is TOP TEIR. LIKE TOP. I can’t get over these characters who have the most wonderful growth and emotion throughout them. The storyline is crazy good with so many well thought out plots that unravel perfectly. The relationships are intricate and make you cry laugh and get angry just the right amount. Not to mention hot damn I am OBSESSED with this main male and female lead. They are a match actually made in heaven and I want to see them so bad again in other shows. I can’t even describe how well made this show is. If you’re first getting into kdramas this should be the first show you watch ever cause I can’t even begin to describe the meaningful relationships it holds. Everything about it is a new level of beauty.

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one of my favorites this 2024!

What a trip we had with lovely runner, a kdrama that had difficult beginnings and despite all odds has become one of my favorites this year!
the main couple 10/10, the script was very good for the most part, the performances were very good... the beautiful ost with songs to remember ✨
lovely runner wholeheartedly deserves the success she has achieved and I hope this boosts everyone's career! I will be attentive ?
The ending was more perfect than I could have dreamed of, they gave me everything I wanted and more... thanks to all the team behind this project ✨

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A must watch- Kdrama returns to true romcom with Lovely Runner

I loved this drama so much. I hadn't been inspired by most dramas coming out with the exception of Queen of Tears, but I felt that Lovely Runner surpassed it in many ways.

The storyline of Lovely Runner felt complete, the plot points weren't based on miscommunications like most dramas have. The comedy and humor was on point, large in part to the acting of Kim Hyeyoon and Byeon Wooseok, as well as the efforts of the whole ensemble cast. The ending was a breath of fresh air compared to other action-adjacent dramas which tend to leave defeating the villain to the very last second, while Lovely Runner was able to complete its own love story with time and care.

I felt the time travel was well executed and the different times helped explore Sol and Sunjae's love story and made it all the more devastating when Sol tries to save Sunjae. The mix between comedy, romance, sadness, compelling story telling, thrill, and action was able to be executed only by this cast, with special consideration to Kim Hyeyoon, who was likely the only actress who could have pulled off such stunning character work. Byeon Wooseok also deserves significant praise for his masterful portrayal of the different timelines of Sunjae, and his ability to reflect the nature of unrequited love in its many forms.

Lovely Runner was an incredible watch that I was happy to have completed in real time. I strongly urge those considering it to give Lovely Runner a watch as it is my favorite drama of the year. There is a nostalgia in watching Lovely Runner, both because of the literal time travel and because of the sense of returning to the days of classic romcoms that are so fun to watch. This drama represents an incredibly moving, fun, and wonderful story that I suggest everyone should see.

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"Lovely Runner"** è una serie televisiva sudcoreana del **2024** che ha come protagonisti **Byeon Woo-seok** e **Kim Hye-yoon**¹. La trama ruota attorno a **Im Sol** (interpretata da **Kim Hye Yoon**), una ragazza di **19 anni**, nota per la sua bellezza e i suoi sogni ad occhi aperti. La sua vita prende una brutta piega quando subisce un grave incidente, lasciandola paralizzata. Miracolosamente, Im Sol viaggia indietro nel tempo di **15 anni**, ritrovandosi nel **2008**, quando Ryu Sun Jae (interpretato da **Byun Woo Seok**) è ancora uno studente delle superiori di **19 anni**. La sua missione diventa quella di cambiare il futuro di Sun Jae e, forse, trovare l'amore lungo il percorso. La serie esplora il tema del destino e dell'amore che sfida il tempo³. Solleverà i tuoi sentimenti e ti terrà incollato allo schermo! ??

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was it the memory i lost? or was it you?

i would rate this show an infinity out of 10. this show was a show that took kdrama land by storm. it came out of nowhere and took everyone by surprise.

i watched this show because of hyeyoon as her acting in extraordinary you as eun danoh is one of my favourite. hyeyoon and wooseok brought sol and sunjae to live. im so glad that both of them were casted. but huge kudos to hyeyoon because sol is such a complex character and the fact that sol cries in every episode. i don't know how taxing it is for hyeyoon but she does really well. there is no sunjae if not for wooseok, but there is no lovely runner if not for hyeyoon. i just felt that she is neglected compared to wooseok.

this show is a masterpiece. the script, the story, the cinematographic and even to the ost are perfect. this show also highlighted that we only know each other's existence because we paid attention. if not, we would miss each other. which aligns perfectly with my thinking that all of us are linked one way or another, its just a matter of time for us to know each other.

right from the bat, the first episode tugged my heart because it reflects why one becomes a fan of an idol. the idol, saved us in someway without them knowing.

one thing i love about this show is how they have cliche scenes with their own twist. they took the rom-COM really seriously. you never expect what will happen, it can be scary, romantic and suddenly 360 changes with comedy. i think its one of the highlights for this show as well.

what make viewers love this show so much?
- i believe its the characters. we have ryu sunjae, a green flag and a loser in every timeline. we have im sol, someone that is positive and carries a lot of things behind her. we have kim taesung, our second male lead that is not irritating and helped our main lead. each character have good relationship with others as well. (and truck-nim finishing kys was classic as well)

and also, as the show goes on, you would realise details that you didn't in the first watch. on the later part, you would go like "oh? OH!" this is a factor i enjoyed as well. everything is so detailed that its beautiful.

what made the viewers stayed?
- well, well, let's welcome our iconic episode 2 ending. it was a well plot twist that is going into the books for years. something simple yet fulfilling. it was a wow factor because for the past 2 episodes are in sol's point of view and we get to see her drifting from sunjae as she thinks that sunjae founds her annoying. but in reality, sunjae fell long ago.

another scene that took me by storm was the ending of episode 4 where sunjae saved sol and she looked at him with teary eyes, wondering "was it the memory i lost? or was it you?" this got me bawling and was the it scene for me.

another thing about lovely runner is that the writer, is good at her ending. the episode always ends on a spot, craving the viewers to want more. therefore, many people looked forward to monday because lovely runner day they say, and im no different.

my favourite ost are:
- run run by eclipse
- like a dream by minnie
- spring snow by 10cm
- may i love you? by umji

despite the problems they faced such as changing of director, actors rejecting the script and more, it was a hit huge. if you are looking for a show to out of nowhere, this is it. it cured my drama slump and made me into them so so much.

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Epic Time Travel Romcom

Guys, how to say goodbye to Sun Jae and Im Sol, who I fell so hard for these past weeks. It's like the writer and PD said, how do we make the most fun hopelessly romantic kdrama and drive our viewers crazy with giddiness and agony each episode?

Name another drama where the OTP's faces are always a few inches, staring longingly at each other. This might be too much on another show, but in Lovely Runner, we craaave for it lol. Where umbrella holding for the other, is not some trite cheap kdrama move, but signifies how Sun Jae/Sol will just do anything to shield the other from pain and harm.

Let's admit, the biggest pull of this show is how dreamy (and a doofus) Ryu Sun Jae is as a whole (equipped with Byeon Woo Seok's outrageously good looks). That cast and their chemistry are gold! It's so easy to make this another typical high school drama where the girl chases the arrogant popular guy who will slowly fall for the girl. But he is such a dork, charming our socks off with his awkward confession mishaps, and all that selfless pining! And his devotion to Sol, omg, like can we clone him for the better of mankind?

Sol, is no slouch too, traversing time and space to save him. As he has always saved her, she sacrificed so much for him too. Some are getting annoyed by all the noble idiocy, but the weighty circumstances in the show warrant it, and makes such good angst!

Spoilers:
Others are maybe bothered about the latest time reset, erasing all what has happened before. But him getting intrigued by her again as strangers, tearing up from unknowingly reading his OWN tragic love story, reading the lost love song he wrote for her, falling for her again and again despite the odds. Choosing her again and again in spite of the morbid consequences. OMG, simply swoony romance at its finest.

The conclusion did feel like there was a lot of drama magic for them to get together again, but I can't complain when it gives these two the happy ending they earned, darn it. The time capsule watch does feels like a deus ex machina, but at the same time it's kind of fitting too.

Undoubtedly one of the best epic romances, kdrama has to offer. THIS is why regardless of the language barrier, we love kdramas, they know how to do romance right. How I wish I can borrow Sun Jae's time travel watch and experience this for the first time all over again. Falling for these two yet again and again.

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