Lovely Runner (2024)

Epic Romance and Hilarious Antics: Lovely Runner Took 2024 by Storm

"Carry Seonjae & Run!" is adapted from the web novel "The Best of Tomorrow" (내일의 으뜸) by Kim Bbang (김빵). Written by Lee Shi Eun and directed by Yoon Jong Ho and Kim Tae Yub, this drama is undoubtedly one of the best of 2024.

From its premiere, it quickly grabbed everyone's attention including mine. It has all the elements that make a drama a superhit, comedy, romance, time travel, well written characters (both leads and supporting ones) and an engaging plotline that never bores you. No wonder it became a superhit in no time.

The story revolves around Im Sol, a disabled fangirl who draws strength from her favorite idol during her toughest times. When he suddenly dies, she is given the chance to travel back in time to save him. This sets the stage for the main plot, filled with numerous twists and turns that keep the drama fresh and engaging. The combination of rib tickling comedy and sizzling romance between the lead pair makes every moment of the drama worth watching.

I have to commend the writer for crafting numerous comic moments that had me laughing until my stomach ached. Whether its past Im Sol embarrassing herself in front of her future self or Seonjae's peak loser moments that never fail to amuse, this show offers some of the best comedy i have seen in recent times, making it a delightful and relaxing watch after each episode. As for the romance, Seonjae and Im Sol's chemistry was electrifying. They transitioned seamlessly through various phases of their relationship, from sweet, innocent first love moments to melodramatic and angsty scenes later on. Both actors executed these shifts flawlessly.

The characters were one of the strongest points of this drama. Im Sol was a goofball, a sunshine character who never failed to bring a smile to your face with her antics. Hats off to Kim Hyeyoon, who portrayed this character with perfection. She truly showed her versatility as an actress, displaying impressive range across positive, negative and grey roles in the past. This character, however is giving her the recognition she truly deserves. She definitely deserves an award for this portrayal. While many of her characters, like those in Sky Castle or Extraordinary You were popular, this role will undoubtedly put her at the top of her game.

Ryu Seonjae was one of the most tragic characters for sure. Come on, who dies 3-4 times in just one drama?? But Ryu Seonjae did. Byeon Wooseok must have a knack for tragic characters. Despite the humor, Seonjae was the biggest loser in dramaland after long time. From old dramas, only Min Min from Strong Woman Do Bong Soon showed such peak loserism. Byeon Wooseok also carried this character with perfection, showing a stark contrast between his previous villainous role as Ryu Shi Oh in Strong Girl Nam Soon and this one, demonstrating his impressive range as an actor.

The second lead Taesung, was one of the most loved second male lead i have seen in a while. His character was finely written to avoid creating any conflict between male lead and second male lead fans. He was likable without causing second lead syndrome as he knew where to draw the line when he realized Im Sol was only in love with Seonjae. In Hyuk was another standout character, whose scenes with Seonjae, Sol and Taesang were hilarious. He was delightful to watch and never annoying, although i wish he had more screen time.
The supporting cast was also excellent, consistently providing humor with their antics. Whether it was Im Sol's mother, Seonjae's father, Im Geum or Hyunjoo, the ensemble cast made the drama even better than expected.

Regarding the time travel aspect, overall it was executed well though there were a few plot holes that i didnt fully understand. However, i overlooked them as long as the drama kept me entertained without going overboard. A few flaws are acceptable in an otherwise engaging show.

Special Note: The popularity this drama achieved while airing was unbelievable. No one expected its wild success but it became incredibly popular not only in South Korea but worldwide, breaking many records. This was one of the few dramas that crossed the 60+ mark in the Good Data buzz ranking. After The Glory 2, no other drama had crossed 60+ mark. The OSTs of this drama, featuring the fictional band Eclipse topped the Melon charts underscoring its immense popularity. No one expected the drama to achieve such wild success especially since it wasnt initially predicted to be this big. Due to actor Byeon Wooseok's rising popularity, his recent movie Soulmate is being re released in theaters which speaks volumes about its impact in South Korea.

In conclusion, Lovely Runner was undoubtedly one of the best dramas of 2024 for me. I will miss watching it after its conclusion but i am definitely going to rewatch its episodes whenever possible. Its a series that will stay close to my heart for a long time.

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I'm going to be that person.

Lemme give this drama the review it truly deserves...

I want to say that a good looking face is not what makes a drama good... If you think that the FL is annoying because she is badly written... then great! I agree. If you think she is "not good enough." for the so called perfect ML then please reply to me so we can fight... A metric ton of these reviews REEK of misogyny. I don't understand how people can continuously dunk on the FL while praising the ML to death. BOTH are shallow and underdeveloped and still continue to be as of the most recent episodes...

Anyways....

Going off of the summary I thought I'd be getting an intelligent melodrama that touches on the struggles of fame, parasocial relationships and the viciousness of depression... maybe a little commentary on living with disabilities (since Sol was not disabled in the original story) but since EP 3 It's turned into a generic rom com with ANOTHER serial killer subplot that comes out of nowhere and Sol's disability has become non-existent. Yay proper representation and social commentary!

I really dislike Sol's lack of regard for anyone aside from the ML... She doesn't care or pay attention to her grandma or mother. I could almost imagine a better drama having the female lead taking the time to slow down and enjoy the company of her grandmother before she gets dementia in the future. A subtle reminder to the audience to appreciate the people currently in their lives while they can. But because the female lead is only focused on the male lead we never see anything like this, Im Sol's family and friends are accessories or props that are never fleshed out enough to actually feel like any of them are real people. Im Sol's mom being sick is so dumb too because it doesn't really matter, it has no bearing on the story, and it's resolved in 10 mintues and Sol does not change her behavior at all after learning the news... Instead of humanizing the mother her sickness is used as a cheap accelerant, she gets sick so the writer has a reason to cause a misunderstanding between the leads and later justify how Sol gets kidnapped.

Also the writers have made Im Sol annoying, unserious and illogical when it comes to her "goal". On the other hand Ryu Sun Jae is a boring paper cutout who also never feels like a real person. His existence revolves around the FL, every action he takes is in response to her and her feelings and he never manages to develop a solid character of his own. Swimming was Ryu Sunjae's whole life but he got over not being able to do it anymore super quick? Why? because he likes Im Sol? Once again I could imagine a better show showing the ML struggling under the weight of possibly being a disappointment or just dealing with pressure at a very young age , which could have naturally led into exploring his depression.


I want to point out that Im Sol's love for the ML is understandable because we see hints of his personality in the 1st episode... He's a caring person who would say kind words to a stranger to give them hope.... he changes Im Sol's outlook on life and gives her the push she needs to live her life again despite her new disabilities. Her caring about and supporting him as a fan is not a toxic parasocial connection because we're shown how great of a guy he is, and THIS is what makes his suicide really hit hard.... But once you learn that he's liked her thats all that he becomes... all nuance is lost. Im Sol goes from relatable fan to goofy weirdo which is still So disappointing especially because we have no idea why the ML likes the FL?

Kim Taesung could have had an intresting side story about his family and his own form of depression that he uses acting out to deal with, but... it never happens... He's easliy the most compelling character but he too is overlooked and underutilized. Instead dumb jokes and gags are prioritized over what could have been a great story for the second male lead. Also theres this weird Exposition character that shows up pretty early on that hangs around him.... this man was only there so say the most obvious nonsense for the sake of the audience for like 2-3 episodes... The show presents him as if he is the 2nd ML'sbest friend but then he disappears Into thin air after just a couple episodes. That was so weird and unnecessary, how about you just show us what's going on instead of inventing a new character to tell us instead.... it's like the writer and director think we need our hands to be held to watch this stupid rom-com.

I can not stress enough that having Sunjae like Sol all of a sudden was a terrible idea. The extent of their past connection should have been him helping her in the accident that made her disabled. He should have fallen in love with her naturally while she took steps to save his life....
Her effort and care could have been rewarded with affection and loyalty in turn... Because you ALREADY know they like each other, theres no tension or excitement. I never laugh or cry...

I don't feel anything because nothing feels earned... I need more than pretty faces for a drama to be a 10/10. The amount of people who are saying this show is PERFECT makes me feel like I'm in the twilight zone. It's not as bad as More than Friends but this is not going to be a memorable masterpiece like last year's Twinkling Watermelon or My Dearest.

It's trying so hard to be Twinkling Watermelon without attempting to do any of the heavy lifting.

Fight me if you like, I know I'm right tho. 🎤⤵

Final thoughts: 3.5 ->4.0
Imma add half a point cuz I liked that Im Sol finally had a heart to heart with her Grandma, and Kim Tae Sung (who is in FACT the best character) had his own fufilling emotional moment with his Father. I also liked the actual proposal scene.

On the other hand I dont like that in ep 15 the ML lies to the FL so he can keep her in his house even though she wanted to leave... I hated that this show STILL couldn't put the gags away so the proposal could happen on time and the audience can get a proper wedding scene. The serial killer (who drives 95% of the conflict) was taken care of in such an unceremonious way in ep 15 and we STILL didn't get a wedding in the last episode. Hooray!

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