Time Walking on Memory (2024)

Perfect Romantic Comedy with All the Right Elements

As someone already mentioned here, it's literally one of the rare gems of K-dramas. The series has everything that's necessary for romcoms and K-series in general:

✓ Great from start to finish
✓ Green flag main characters
✓ Interesting plotline
✓ Happy ending
✓ Suitable cast for the characters
✓ Focus on main characters with minimal focus on side characters
✓ Beautiful OSTs (Sonagi and Spring Snow!!!)
✓ Green flag second male lead
✓ Many more things I probably forgot to mention

It had many emotional scenes, but overall it wasn't depressing at all, so it's perfect if you want to watch something to feel entertained and feel like you're a teenager again, kicking your feet, lying in bed giggling, and blushing out of adoration for the characters.

literally 10 out of 10

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A Drama that Heals Our Sorrows

It gave me such an indescribable feeling when the more I rewatch this drama, the more I think Lovely Runner is a perfectly written and directed drama from start to end.

Then it hit me that I’m not gonna heal from this withdrawal syndrome any soon. It will be hard to find a drama that’s as amazing as this.

For 13 years as a Kdrama fan, I used to feel like this with some dramas I watched before, but I’ll admit that this one is quite different. I can’t describe it. I feel like there’s a hole in my chest after it ended.

What makes Lovely Runner loveable:

1. The simplicity (brings us back to older Kdramas that we genuinely enjoy without much heavy stuff).
3. Fast-paced storylines that keep us engaged.
4. Unpredictable (most viewers’ theories were proved wrong by the next episode).
5. Easy-to-understand storylines (IDK why some have problems regarding this aspect).
6. Almost flawless (most so-called “plot holes” are debunked when we focus from the start or rewatch).
7. The beauty of every details, plot twists, parallels in every timeline (KUDOS TO THE DIRECTOR).
8. The satisfying romance (the BEST, so far)
9. No wasting time with the villain & second male lead’s backstory;
10. Hence, not draggy (like most dramas after early half).
11. The balance and right timing when it comes to comedy & dark aspects.
12. The perfect OST & Eclipse songs (top ranked on music charts).
13. Iconic scenes (umbrella, nostril, lamppost, Sunny).
14. The chemistry between all characters.
15. The BEST we could ask for.

I’d love to describe more but I don’t think using words is enough to talk Lovely Runner. But one thing that I could use to describe this drama from my perspective is that Lovely Runner is “the kind of drama that heal our sorrows”. :) <3

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favourite kdrama!

This drama hurted my head stomach and heart in a good way, sunjae loved her in all timelines and he knew her from the FIRST EPISODE but she forgot but anyway i wont spoil anymore.
Sunjae really raised my standards extremely high in men and i wont settle for less.
I feel really bad for tae sung though he is so cute why do all second leads are so good.
Anyways this is amazing and i play sonagi on repeat so, what are you waiting for? Go watch it!

also ignore the negative reviews it's a famous kdrama what do you expect? just go watch it yourself.

(also i watch kdramas and everything on a free website called cinego go check it out)

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I loved this. Unique twist on time travel with a heart warming love story

10/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 romantic comedy drama that centers on time travel. There are 16, 70 minute episodes. It is based on a webtoon titled “Tomorrow”s Nest.”

First I provide a unique synopsis then review.

Synopsis

An accident leaves Im Sol (Kim Hye Yoon) paralyzed and wheel chair bound amd ready to end it. Ryun Sun-Jae (Byeon Woo Seok) calls her “randomly” from a radio show where his band “Eclipse” is being interviewed. His call reaches Im Sol on one of her lowest days but his words inspire her to go on. She becomes his top fan and it is one of the brightest days in her life when she meets him through a “chance” encounter. On that same day she is devastated to learn he ends his own life. Perhaps the universe gets her devastation and responds to her desperation as a magical watch takes her back in time 15 years when they both went to adjacent high schools. During her many attempts to garner Sun Jae’s attention in order to change their future, she is indifferent to most people around her which catches the widely popular Song Geon Hee’s attention (Kim Tae Sung). Tae sung is used to girls vying for his attention. Im Sol’s utter indifference sparks his competitive nature and he finds himself falling for this unique girl. As Im sol travels back and forth through time, her teenage self vascilates between a girl that is in love with Geom hee to an embarassing extent, to the 30s year old version in a teenager body that finds him ridiculously bad boy narcissistic. And as she changes from one persona to another depending on which stage of life brain is driving the teenage body, she changes between idolation and indifference of Sun Jae as well. Which makes for some very comedic moments. Can Im sol fulfill her heart’s desire and change both of their grim destinies?

Review:

This is a unique twist on time travel with a very heartwarming love story.  After this series ran Byeon Woo Seok became known as the nation’s boyfriend and it is clear why.  The main lead character was so sweet, steadfast, and loyal to the main female lead character, that most would want to have a boyfriend or girlfriend that had all the qualities he had.  You will also experience second lead syndrome as second guy is awesome as well.  While there are some sad moments, I would not consider it sad at all on balance.  Though if you have been impacted by anyone having ended their life, be aware it could be tough emotionally in the first episodes. It dragged me down a bit because anytime that topic comes up it brings things back. For me the emotional drain around him seemingly ending his life was not severe enough to avoid a really good story like this, but it is good to be aware and prepared.  I always check before and most indicated it ended happy. I can confirm that it does have a very happy ending.  I would highly recommend this to anyone that loves really good romance, likes time travel, or is a fan of any of the actors.  All the actors did an incredible job of portraying the characters. I would watch this again and would recommend it to anyone without hesitation. 

 

Spoilers

My daughter said it would be slightly rated down in her opinion to maybe a 9/10 because she felt like it was super confusing how often it flipped around in time.  I completely agree.  It did get very confusing as she traveled back and forth to know if certain events happened in that particular timeline.  Not only did she travel 15 years back and forth but, at times, they would flashback within the same timeline.  Lead guy even, at one point, thought Geom Hee had dated Im Sol and she had not dated him in that timeline.  So, the writers were acknowledging that even the characters would have been confused.  But, I differ from her in that I do not think you could have portrayed the complexity without it being a little confusing at times. 

There were some things I wish had been better explained.  Like, how exactly the watch was working.  How did she know how many times she could travel?  How did she know when she was going back?   What about grandma?  Was she controlling some of the events?  It also did not explain whether Sun jae actually ended his own life or if it was the killer got to him, drugged him, and he wound up falling off the balcony and it looked like he had ended his life.  At times it seemed the killer had some awareness, like he knew things he should not have known, and it wasn’t clear why that was the case.  I think it had to do with something the grandma said that memories do not go away that they become embedded in your soul.  And then there was Sun jae’s puffer jacket stalker.  That was really developed as a key event in one timeline but then it was like they just dropped it.  I thought it might play out on all the timelines in a very essential way but it seems the only point of it was for him to have these frustrating passing moments, where he misunderstood Im sol and they almost but not quite got together. 

 
I got really frustrated with her for pushing him away.  I understood she was doing it because she became convinced he would die or get seriously injured from being around her.  But, her original purpose for traveling back was to keep him from ending his life.  So, if you are worried about someone being sad enough to make that horrible decision, why would you do things that would make them depressed?  Even understanding her concern about the killer targeting him, I wanted her to realize she should not make him sad. But I did finally agree with her when he was stabbed and fell off the cliff.  I know I would make the same decision in that case.  I might talk to others around him to get them to check in on him more and make sure he was doing emotionally well, but I would likely conclude that he need not be around me if I couldn’t get the killer to stop no matter how things changed. 

#LovelyRunner #KimHyeYoon #ByeonWooSeok #SomhGeonHee #LeeSeungHyub

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Great if you don't have high expectations

The premise of this drama is pretty good. It really draws you in, but toward the end the time traveling story starts to get convoluted and straight up nonsensical. How come can Sol still be friends with Taesung in the future she doesn't meet Sunjae, when her following Sunjae around is what starts her friendship with him? There are other plotholes like this scattared through the story, I think the overuse of the time travel really harmed the story a bit. If the show ended earlier, it would've been better, in my opinion.

Also, I have to say, Sol was a bit annoying with her obssession with Sunjae at the start. I undertand the importance he has on her life, but she just barkes any sort of boundary of a normal fan. She's not even close to him, but she keeps acting extremely suspicious and like a total creep and just hopes for the best. She has no actual plan to help him and the only reason it goes right is because they are leads is a romance story, cause otherwise this is very problematic as she's literally a stalker and she'd probably get herself killed or arrasted in a few days. Besides, Sunjae doesn't have much depth. Despite having to give up on his dream and struggling with depression, we don't really dive into how he feels about these things or how they truelly affect him. Also, Sol and Sunjae's obssession with sacrificing themselves for the other doesn't fell warranted. Like, you barely know each other, please let's calm down a bit. I guess these types of over the top, melodramatic plots only really work in a more high fantasy or historical setting, not in this type of slice of life drama (despite having sci-fi elements).

Despite all of this, I have to say it gets better with time. If you can suspend your disbelief, Sol and Sunjae really become a cute couple and they really grow on you as the plot progresses. They have a lot of chemistry and Sunjae is peak loser behaviour (in a good way). They carry this drama on their back. Furthermore, the plot with the granny is touching, but a bit weird? Her Alzheimer is portrayed almost like a magical thing, but it's more comical than anything else. Taesung has a nice evolution throughout the drama, too.

If you're looking for a strong plot with deep characters, this is not for you. But if you can get past the more problematic aspects of this drama, you can find a very sweet and endearing story, with a lot of tension and drama, so if that's your thing, definitely go for it. It isn't anything new but it's very entertaining in this regard.

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Lovely Runner Review

Do you know a series about a girl that loves a boy so much, she goes to the past multiple times just to save the boy she loves? Well that series is called lovely runner! Its my favorite K-drama right now! This series was directed by Yoon Jong-Ho and this series came out at April 8 2024. The actors that played in this movie are Byeon woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon, these are the actors that played as Sunjae and Im sol, they are also amazing actors! And the genre of this series is romance and fantasy.

In my opinion lovely runner is the best and most popular K-drama this year. I also have 2 reasons and evidence for this, first, all the actors are really good and actually can act well, if you watch the series yourself you can see how they can act well as the character they are playing and all their expressions fit the scene. Second, The movie is actually very popular and the actors are popular too, one of the reasons are lovely runner was top 1 in viki for 6 weeks! That’s a long time isn’t it? In addition to this, the actors are also popular, one of the evidence for this is Byeon woo-seok became the top Korean celebrity in brand rankings and also won the Outstanding Asian Star Korea Popularity Award (Male) at the 19th Seoul Drama Award in 2024. Lovely runner also had another version, the webtoon version, however I didn’t read that version of lovely runner so I personally feel that lovely runner series is better.

Lovely runner seems like just a normal romance K-drama, but it also has something we can learn from it. Firstly from this series we can learn how God already planned our life, like how Im sol erased her and sunjaes memories together but they still ended up together, that’s how God already planned them to be together, a bible verse for this is Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future". It means how God already planned everyones life before they were born, like how Im sol and sunjae are still together after everything that happened, its fate. Second, we should trust in God for everything since he already planned our life, our future, we have to trust in God because everything he plans for us is good and is whats best for us.

To sum up, If you want to watch a romance movie with great actors you should watch lovely runner!! I would give this a 5 out of 5 stars because I really think this movie is interesting and fun to watch, I just love everything about this series and I really recommend this series, try to watch it!!

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Perfect Timing is of great essence.....

Portia : How many things by season season’d are;
To their right praise and true perfection!
( The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare)

Many things are better because they are perfectly timed, a similar theme is underlined in the drama as well as the reason for me to like this drama. Perhaps my fondness for this drama stems from the fact that I watched it when I was in a drama slump and nothing seemed to engage me as a viewer till this came along, riding on a white horse piercing through the fog of funk. I watched it after the full series had aired so was fortunate enough to binge watch all episodes and maybe that has coloured my judgement. For me, the drama is interesting when I immediately want to see the next episode as soon as I finish watching an episode and an invigorating drama is one that makes me stay awake sacrificing my precious sleep to watch just one more episode and then another and then another of the series...This drama ticked all of those boxes for me.

A modern-day fairytale with time travel thrown in along with certain elements of mystery. It is commonplace for many fans to be spellbound and adore an idol but when a good looking, talented star reciprocates the feeling of the fan passionately it becomes a story worthy to be narrated, very reminiscent of Prince Charming falling in love with a plain looking Cinderella. Such a situation is highly improbable and unrealistic hence it makes it alluring, a situation that most of us fantasize about.

So many time jumps and changing of people's fate in a single series, makes a person wonder whether the Time is really linear? The events that we see in the beginning of the series have a deeper connection to the past and as the story keeps unraveling past events and the changes in the past that affects the future, makes a person think about the age old question... whether the egg came first or the chicken? Everything becomes circular and all emotional connections are based on the new changes, but were those changes already in motion, even in the past? The time travel aspect has been attempted in many other fictional motion works too, so the concept is not innovative but the emotional entanglement of the characters makes it a gripping watch.


What makes this drama a good watch is the phenomenal chemistry between the lead actors, Byeon Woo Seok(Ryu Sun Jae) and Kim Hye Yoon (Im Sol). Both actors are able to make the audience believe in the characters' enduring, everlasting, never changing love that will withstand any hardship in life but will always remain steadfast; that is a remarkable feat. Making it an epic story of all consuming love that binds two people as soulmates who defy destiny to stay together.

Other than the main cast, all the support casts have also done a marvelous job. The relationship between Ryu Sun Jae and his father, the nurturing bond between all members of Im Sol's family and the friends of the lead actors including the second ML, Kim Tae Sung.... Together they make the story relatable and believable.

Many thought provoking scenarios are shown but in a humourous and light hearted manner so as not to become too preachy or melodramatic. Some of the references are:
1. A sudden life changing accident that impacts a person's health often leads to a period of depression and a person needs just a ray of encouragement to come out of the darkness and see the light, but often times it is difficult for health care workers or family to make that person see the ray of hope. The person needs to be reached on a level that will enable them to see the hope for themselves.

2. The struggle of a disabled person to find a regular job, Im Sol's job interview in the first episode highlights the issue, even though everywhere in the world emphasis on equal opportunity for everyone, without any prejudice but the ground reality is often a little different. Im Sol looking at the staircase of the place where she was rejected, assuring herself that she would have been selected for the job if not for the stairs.

3. Expectations that parents have from their children to perform well often pressurise them constantly to keep going on if they don't want to see the disappointment in their parents' eyes and keep their parents' dreams alive. This often leads to frustration when the children are unable to achieve the desired result and may turn them delinquent. Both Ryu Sun Jae and Kim Tae Sung to some degree faced this but due to the understanding and overwhelming support from people around them they were able to transform their lives in spite of the limitations.

4. Select a different career path if you fail in your first choice, you may be more successful in that path compared to the first one.

5. Alzheimer; Im Sol's grandmother is shown to suffer from age related dementia. It is jarring to see a caring, loving family member changing to a person who barely recognises dear people and loses connection with reality.

6. Juvenile star struck fans; The series briefly touches on the fact that many young people are influenced and become star struck, they are unable to differentiate the real person from the star persona created on social media and often become stalkers and a great nuisance to celebrity. Many times the behaviour of such fans led them and others into a dangerous situation.

7. Restrictive life of a star due to constant coverage on social media; Constant speculation and rumours amongst the fans related to personal and professional life of an idol/ actor.

8. Life choices; upon reaching a certain age, one often wonders if they should have made a different choice. A person who has dedicated their life solely on building a career, sacrificing their personal life and a person who has dedicated their life in raising their family sacrificing their career choices, often speculate if their life choices were worthy.(Im Sol's brother and sister-in-law/ friend)



The drama is replete with symbolisms but two symbolisms that I would like to discuss here are of bridge and water:

1.Bridge; The bridge is inherently symbolic of communication and union, represents our aspirations to connect and choices between two possibilities in our lives. When a person is standing at one end of the bridge the choice is between crossing the bridge or staying in the same place because the choices we make change our life for better or worse. The series also shows the protagonists meeting on a bridge multiple times during different timelines. The constant struggle that they face is to select an option that is life altering, is real and painful to watch.

2.Water; There are many themes and ideas attached to water in literature. Water may be explored as a symbol of rebirth, cleansing, washing, drinking, playing in and it may have religious meanings or background. The protagonists are often shown to fall in water when they experience a life changing event. I feel it is used in the series as a means of cleansing ritual and rebirth, a new beginning, a second chance.

Conclusion: A perfect watch for a rainy day, hoping to have SOMEONE in our life who will always have an umbrella ready to provide shelter and warmth when things go South.

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"Lovely Runner: A Drama That Surpassed All Expectations"

Almost every drama I've watched has disappointed me at some point. I start watching, thinking, "Oh, it's good," but then it lets me down. However, "Lovely Runner" is the type of drama that has never disappointed me! Most of its OSTs are my favorite so far. The cinematography, the cast, the story—I've never felt bored for a single second! I've never skipped any scene. I took at least 100 minutes to watch a one-hour episode. I've never felt like this while finishing a drama. I never thought I'd like it this much! I started watching it without any expectations, and it's my favorite drama now.Before this drama, I saw Byeon Woo-seok in "Strong Girl Nam-soon," but to be honest, I didn’t like him. I also didn’t like Kim Hye-yoon that much! So, I wasn’t interested in this drama at all. I started it out of monotony! But after watching this drama, I like them more than anyone else. They are my obsession now.I don't know how to express my thoughts. I have so many words to say, but it feels like I've lost all my words. Beat me, but "Lovely Runner" is the best drama this year.

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