Lovely drama

I’ll start with saying that this drama is lovely. It’s not the drama of the year, but it’s one that leaves a quiet and lasting impression, at least for me.

First, it’s a low budget drama with actors with a short resume. That might repulse some people who would automatically catalogue this drama into the lame one. But there are very expensive dramas which aren’t good so money is not necessarely the winning factor.

Second, I think the actors played very well, all of them. A bit on the exaggerated side, like in sitcoms (but still, less than in american sitcoms !). I had seen the ML in a short drama where he was not nice at all and arrogant and here, he plays a sweet, old fashion man very naturally so I find him quite good for someone with so little acting experience. The FL was fine, I hadn’t seen her in anything else but she was doing well, here. Especially when she was playing scenes with her best friend, I have to say.

The summary on MDL is not quite exact when it comes to who and what the ML is but I’m not going to spoil it for you, just know that it’s more complicated and original than a simple « ghost story ».

This drama has this serene elegance, due to who the ML is, the music, the ambiance of the drama. There are some fun moments, some angst, some mystery and in episodes 11 and 12, real sadness. Be prepared for it if you are living through the same thing in RL, it can be a bit tough, at least for me, it rang true. The drama has more depth than the ratings would let you believe. Life, death, longevity, loss, going on with life despite being bereft of love and affection…

It’s a paranormal/love story drama so of course, you have to be willing to, what’s the english word ? Suspend disbelief ? But « fantasy » is in the tags for this drama.

I’ll end up by saying that yes, there is quite a height difference between the ML and the FL. I’m starting to wonder if writers and directors don’t have a fondness for this situation because it’s not the first time that I watch a drama with such a height difference (Hello « My little happiness » and « Put your head on my shoulder »). I can’t help thinking that it must be uncomfortable for both actors to shoot a drama for months with such a difference.

But apart from that, I really loved this drama. If you love old fashion MLs and old fashion eerie feeling hovering over a drama (while still remaining modern), then you can give this drama a chance.

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Fun, warm, enjoyable drama with lovely characters and scenery

This is my first time writing a review on MDL but this drama deserves that I make this effort (I say that because english is not my first language, so please excuse the mistakes I’ll make writing this review).

You might see the ratings and think : « Hmm, I’ll pass ». And you’ll miss an opportunity to watch a great drama.

Why ? It’s a charming, enjoyable and fun light rom-com. It was shot somewhere in a place located near the Laos and Thailand’s border, where the Dai people live (from what someone told me). So visually, the drama is stunning : the scenery is very green, luxuriant, the landscapes are beautiful, and so are the houses, streets, buildings. It’s really a beautiful architecture.

The characters, after a rough (and in my opinion, funny) beginning, shine. We have less than ordinary main leads for a rom-com : instead of having a cold CEO and an innocent young FL who freeze every time they touch each other’s hands, we have an ex-CEO who was a playboy who decides to go back to his mother’s village to plant tea and to live a more monk like life.

We have a FL who is a young entrepreneur struggling to get her company off the ground. She ends up being brave, adorable and kind. The kind of lovely FL who is joyful without ending up being a childish Pollyanna. She will end up living the village life to the fullest.

Both ML and FL are affectionate and tactile with each other, which I loved seeing. There are misunderstandings and problems standing in their way but they manage to do something rare : they talk about their problems and solve them quickly.

There are antagonists, down to earth twists (without being a slice of life, too realistic and dreary drama to watch) SML and SFL on the way (but they are more on the funny side, although sometimes annoying) a bit of mystery and most of all, the villagers who are definitely an important part of the drama.

So in the end, it might be on the cheap side, and with less dramatic twists than people are used to but the end result is a charming, warm, lovely drama that certainly doesn’t deserve the 7.8 ratings it has as I’m writing this review.

But then, I started watching this drama before the ratings came in and I’m sad thinking that had I waited a few weeks to watch it, the ratings would have definitely prevented me from watching it. And now I’m wondering how many great dramas I skipped because I trusted the below 8 ratings on MDL.

So if you’re in for a fun, charming, light rom-com with main leads who act their age and solve their problems by talking, then this is the drama for you.

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Mesmerizing, emotional time travel drama

I’m adding my review because that’s one of the dramas that I have loved this year. English not being my maternal language, please accept the mistakes in this review.

Describing "Lovely Runner" as a rom-com is simplistic : this is a romantic drama, using time travel to tell a love story spanning 5 timelines. Kind of a « variation on the same theme ».

So it allows the viewers to follow the same story, but at the same time, not the same story. Like a « what if » drama with the same characters. What if one turns left instead of right ? But at the same time, fate plays a part because no matter what the changes brought by the different decisions taken by the characters, they are always a victim of it.

Add a mix of mystery, thriller and boulevard comedy, and voila, you have "Lovely Runner".
So the mystery is how the time travel is possible. Not going to answer that one, viewers will discover the answer quite soon, but at the same time, the mystery remains as to why, even if it’s easy to guess if you follow the drama.

The thriller is the dangerous part of this drama, one that unfortunately, can strike everyone at anytime, anywhere, leaving broken characters. The two main characters are emotionally impacted by the consequences of the thriller part : depression, suicidal thoughts, loneliness, handicap (I admire how the FL overcame that one !)… That doesn’t make LR a depressing watch : the FL is one of those excentric characters, always on the move and always causing catastrophes and humiliating moments, mostly for her but sometimes also for the ML. It made the drama hilarious, at least for me.

That was the comedic boulevard part I mentioned, although it’s even more accentuated with the FL’s brother and sister-in-law : those characters are clearly portrayed as actors in a comedy on stage, or in sitcoms. Their facial expressions are exagerated. I suppose it’s a directing decision. So don’t expect them to be more serious characters. But they don’t have a too large part in the drama.

I found the actors to have chemistry and to fully embrace the story, with all the twists and turns it brought. Kim Hye Yoon portrays in a wonderful way the FL, radiating warmth and « joie de vivre », despite everything and her impulsiveness. That's part of her charm.

The ML is more reserved, and so easily… enthralled by the FL, because she is so different from him, embracing life, always running right and left (hence the title). I was surprised at how easily Byeon Woo Seok's played the role of a fool in love. But I guess that’s because I had seen him in more serious roles before. Here, he doesn't hesitate to appear weak or an idiot to his entourage, leading to some funny scenes.

I was sad to see this drama end, because I had grown attached to it. I had watched it twice so far and I will rewatch it in the future. I will recommand to watch it in a few days, to enjoy it and to brainstorm about what could happen in the next episodes : it’s always fun to think about theories when watching a drama.

Plus, the OST is magnificent.

"Lovely Runner" was a huge success in South Korea despite the fact that the drama wasn’t heavily promoted and the success a surprise one ; and also a success with international audience judging by the well deserved rating on MDL.

To end this review, I would say that "Lovely Runner" is a succesful mix of different genres and I wouldn’t put it in the rom-com section because that would be misleading to compare it to a rom-com like « Business Proposal » (I loved that one, and it had a little of boulevard comedy in it).

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