I feel so bad. I've reviewed some titles lately and many of them were terrible. The crazy thing is that I've seen some incredible shows lately, yet I've never had the time to review them. The Atypical Family, King the Land, Queen of Tears, and Perfect Marriage Revenge, These are some of the best K-dramas I've ever seen and my personal list for best shows of the past two years. And the reason why I've never written a review for them is cause I'm immediately rewatching my favorite scenes over and over. I go back to reddit and watch the episode recaps and usually I get to see people share the same love and excitement I had for the series.

But when shows don't respect your time and they can be a complete miss, that's when I feel the need to write. Lovely Runner is one of those examples. Despite all the love for the shows above, I could not get away from people recommending Runner or at least including it on a "must watch" list. So let me keep this sort. My verdict is this, it's a poorly written show. It tackles extremely sensitive subjects with juvenile intelligence that doesn't make any sense, given the plot.

The Fl is extremely dim-witted and childish. Which makes no sense given that she's supposed to be approaching her mid 30's. She gets the chance to save a friend but makes it a completely linear goal, void of intelligent thought. With how sensitive suicide has become for it to be a subject in a drama, the approach from this show baffles me. Our FL gets the chance to save her friend, but she can't openly state what the future will be. That's fine. She's actually 30, so she could comfort her friend. Become his friend. Openly talk to him, allow him to express his feelings and learn whatever darkness he has, right? Well, she doesn't do that. Instead, she becomes a 15 year old high school girl with a one way track of thought. She forces the ML to avoid anything to do with his future career. Becomes overprotective with no communication as to why. No character buildup to demonstrate how or why she cares. No chemistry. Do you understand how confusing irritating that can be? So I go online to reddit and I'm relieved to see so many others agreeing with how annoying she is, but also her intelligence. Why do they love each other? There's no clear answer, no writing to explain, no chemistry to show. It's just... bad. If you have ever watch Run On, you'll remember how strange and dimwitted the ML was. This show has the FL equivalent perfectly.

There really isn't much to say beyond that. I mean, the writer does throw in a serial killer and why not? Let's just throw in another trope when the others don't even make sense or help. As for the ML. Well, I'm a straight man, but even I can admit when another man has won the genetic lottery. He is handsome, there's no other way to put it. Has everything. But I've watched many of his past shows, there's a reason he's been playing support for the past decade. He's not a bad actor, I just strongly believe you need something more than a baby face to be a lead. And this guy just doesn't have it.

Suicide is nothing to balk at. It's a tough subject that demands slow caution and careful writing. I'm not suggest the show doesn't respect the subject itself, it just shows that the writer doesn't understand it. Never use it as a plot device when you don't know how to properly approach it, especially in 2024. Along with that, I just can't recommend this show. Dropped.