Run On (2020)

Ran out of ideas by the end

This show was one to watch if you were invested in the characters and not the plot, which in itself was lacklustre and often created conflicts that were immediately resolved. There were important themes of learning about yourself and recognising your own importance, but there were also episodes that meandered on with convenient conflicts created by characters misunderstanding each other for no reason. There was no real sense of urgency or tension towards the end because ultimately, everything was wrapped up quite early. The focus of the story that would have captivated viewers was the relationship of the lead duo over any actual in-story developments. That becomes a problem when you run out of ways of tearing the couple apart just to bring them back together ten minutes later. The cute chemistry the lead duo had aside, this show really struggled for me at times.

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PLEASING AND BEAUTIFUL

A slow constant pace romantic story.
About the main lead they really are beautiful and they really grow much specially the male lead. The main lead story is quite constant ig. Not very fluctuate much the father is the only cause of trouble. The moments are good also.
But for me the stellar show is the supporting male and female lead. Their story is more greatly written than the mains. Their chemistry is more eye catching to see. The way they develop their feeling there scenes are really eye pleasing to see. Their unfortunate Breakup and their again reunion is loved to see. Somewhere This overshadowed the main story, Somewhere I looked forward their story then the main lead. They somewhere Show their emotions than the mains which makes their story more beautiful. Just only one thing that the ending can be somewhere more pleasing In the supporting characters point of view.
One thing I really disappointed with they story is that they make many plots or side story but they did not explore at all.
• Supporting FL illness, they make unnecessarily (I think) or goes untouched because that does not go to the later plot makes the thing a bug for the viewers because their story is more beautiful to see.
• From my thinking the Supporting female leads brother can be more engaged in the story like they can show more screen time with other characters and more interaction.
• The sister of the main lead is also can be more explored because she played an important part here.
Other than that, the overall story is very top notch and mature the music and production is also great.

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THE WRITERS MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY.

I loved how the chemistry grew between Mi-Joo and Seon-Gyeom throughout the show. However, I think the writers missed
the opportunity to add more backstory for all of the characters (Especially, Mi-Joo). It felt like they fit a fairly miniscule amount into 16 hour-long episodes. I've definitely seen other K-dramas where they fit a lot more into that amount of time without it being too much.

That being said, it was still a good K-drama. If those issues were fixed, it would be an 8.5 (possibly a 9.0 if they did it well) instead of an 8.0.

P.s. I might be a little biased toward the show, since I want to be a translator in the future.

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Hidden Diamond

omg the ending is AMAZING. ive never seen a drama that did this type of ending but im IN LOVE. it just adds to this dramas charm.

the way shin se kyung acted wasnt my favorite but ive changed my mind about her after this drama. maybe its bc i find her acting so diff but bc this drama is so diff as well, they just fit

ive nvr seen im si wan’s work before but now i can see why hes so well known. His acting is AMAZING. Their chemistry had sparks flying off the screen for me.

one thing that really made this drama stand out was their dialogue. it was so weird and different, blunt but confusing AND I WAS HOOKED. i was so confused as to why even the subtitles didnt make sense to me but i got used to it and it added to the charm.

the whole story itself was beautiful, the friendships, relationship, problems, solutions; everything was so relatable placed in a different situation from a normal life.

I would def recommend this drama, definitely rewatch to see their chemistry and understand their dialogue even better. Even till the end it was still so confusing to me.

DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE LGBT REPRESENTATION THAT WAS AMAZING. they didnt use a stereotypical gay character but what an actual gay character living in korea would be like and i LOVED IT

the girls relationship was absolutely endearing, love and hate, i dont think ive seen a drama w the type of relationship they had in this one

they tackled problems about career paths, relationships and not just the cliche type of issues, lgbt issues, teenage issues, parent issues

dont even get me started on the first couple of episodes, it was so addicting

the only reason why .5 is off is bc i still barely get the dialogue even tho that was my favorite part of the whole drama

SPOILER: i absolutely adore the first and second couples AND THEN A THIRD ONE COMES IN AND I CANNOT EVEN ANYMORE

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Slice of national athlete and translator life with two compelling romances

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2021/2022 Romantic Sports Drama with 16, 60 Minute Episodes.
Seon-gyeom (Im Si-wan) is a runner on the National Track and Field Team. He is the visual for the team but also a strong runner who has consistently scored second. Heading into retirement his goal is to finally take first place, but a bullying episode with a mentee leads him to put his career on the line for principle. Some would argue he is able to do this as he grew up with priviledge but he suffers intense criticism and malice for his action from his family and from the sports world.
Seon-gyeom grew up with a politician father and a famous actress mother and an older sister who is a pro golfer. He was a latch key kid who did not get much social interaction and whose family was all about expectations and less about caring and love. His older sister is his only ally against his father's unreasonable expectations. Oh Mi-joo (Shin Se-kyung) was an orphan who worked hard for every opportunity she ever had. She is an interpreter for films and takes great pride in high quality subtitles to the extent she will watch each movie multiple times. Her and Seon-gyeom cross paths when she is hired to interpret for him as he attends several key sporting functions that could benefit his father's political career. The father hired her thinking, since she had such modest means, she would be easy to manipulate but what he did not count on was Mi-joo's pride in her work and high ethical standards. As the two get to know each other they discover they are more alike than different and love may change both their lives for the better.

2nd Couple: Lee Yeong-hwa (Kang Tae-oh) is a young artist who displays his art works in a local coffee shop where Chaebol CEO, Seo Dan-ah (Choi Soo-young) grabs coffee. She grew up in a severe family environment as her mother died early and her father had multiple relationships resulting in half and illigitimate siblings. Competion for inheritance is fierce in the household so the siblings do not develop loving relationships among themselves or with their father. As a result Dan-ah is sarcastic, rude and has no social filter - she pushes most people away. She had a close relationship with Seon-gyeom when she managed his sports career and they even appeared on each other's blind date lists as they both come from wealthy and elite backgrounds. The lively and engaging artist Yeong-hwa is able to crack through the frozen exteriors of both elites and befriend one and romance the other. Yeong-hwa and his infallible good humor and persistence may be the only one able to break through Dan-ah's icy exterior.

Spoiler Alert** I mostly liked this series. I wish it had focused more on the running culture and was a bit disappointed that his career as a national athlete ended so early in the series. The statement he made about bullying among athletes really fizzled out. The coach who was allowing it continued to coach. He was never exposed for enabling and actually condoning the behavior. The bullies were sent off but it did not feel like they got the punishment they actually deserved. In terms of exposing the issue - it did that - but I personally like seeing the good guys win. The way it played out it was like don't bother blowing the whistle as it will only ruin your career and no one will want to have you on their team. The bullies belonged in jail for what they did. I know it may have been more reality based that way but I like the positive outcome when I am watching fiction - I want the good/positive outcome. Show the possibility and give people hope. I really liked the slice of life of a sub-title writer/editor. It was interesting to think about how much control they have over how things are said and how that can flavor the whole movie or whatever piece they are working on. I liked that her career took off and it was a result of her hard work and strong ethics. I loved the ML and FL characters and they were so similar in so many ways. He was extremely socially awkward but she was a bit too. She had no filter when it came to voicing what she was thinking. I could see how they fit together in personality so nicely but also why they might bicker. I felt a bit irritated in this part where she got angry with him for being out all night and not telling her where he was. She was insecure he may have been with another woman and that he did not care enough about her to keep her informed. I understood she was upset he didn't bother to text or call but when he apologized and was trying to make it up to her I thought she should have forgiven him. I was also disappointed in the way she reacted when his father threatened her. The man could be terrifying no doubt but I wouldn't hurt someone I loved because of it.
I would find a way. When the mix up was cleared up though she remained angry with him until she needed something. She even commented that she was being bad for only making up with him because she needed something. The second couple had a very interesting dynamic. I understood her damage yet still thought she could be somewhat abusive to him. The ending was less than satisfying for me. It showed everyone back together but there was no type of permanence in any of the relationships. Everyone was just dating. And given they had broken up so many times before it did not feel like a happy ending. My daughter who watched with me is in her late 20s and was perfectly happy with the end. But, in my early 50s, I am in the generation where marriage or at least engagement was the happy outcome. So I think whether or not the ending will feel happy and wrapped up is somewhat generational. It was really good - kept me interested the whole time but just a few things that kept it from being perfect. Definitely worth watching for the great acting, insight on national athleticism, and sub title writers and the character development and chemistry between the leads was on point.

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"Call me when you are in pain or struggling."

Not going to lie, I did not know much about this drama going into it, I had not even really seen much talk about it on social media like other dramas. I came across one TikTok where someone mentioned that the actors were "emotionless" and that it made the drama less enjoyable. That one video, it what made me want to watch it, I knew nothing about the storyline other than the small synopsis on Netflix.

Let's talk storyline, you'd think because it focuses on the fact that the main male lead is a national athlete, you would actually see him complete in competitions or that the story would be more about maintaining his career to continue to be one. Whereas this drama does something completely different, it was interesting that Ki Seon-Gyeom's (aka Siwan) story really just focused on the him not really benign a national athlete at all and more focuses on his life and career afterwards. As for Oh Mi-Joo (aka Shin Se-Kyung) her story really took over the drama as a whole, was was really both the main female lead as well as the main lead in the story.

This story itself really did bring an everyday aspect to dramas, typically dramas tend to sugarcoat a lot of daily life situations and problems within relationships, but not in Run On. Run On focused on fact that Ki Seon-Gyeom and Oh Mi-Joo are two individuals coming into a relationship together, rather than focusing on them just being an item. Bring forth issues that everyday couples can having, having problems individually and deciding whether or not to involve your significant other. This concept was very well depicted throughout the whole drama, both within the main couple and the second main couple.

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by the end of the last episode, I knew I had to make a review for this beautiful and soothing drama.

At first, I was hesitant to watch this drama. I just know that it won't fit my usual k-drama genre which is action, mystery, thriller. But boy, was I wrong!!!
Run On is not your usual romance drama. It gives off meaning and fulfillment. With sooo many different characters, different personality, and different story, you may find a little bit of yourself in each and every one of them. Run On portrays a realistic view of life. How sometimes it is not always family first, as it is known from the beginning that both of the leads do not have a good relationship with their blood-related family.

This drama also provides diversity in the sexuality of the characters, and if you are not a fan of that, please don't bother watching. For me, this is something fresh and new from a k-drama.
The character development of is also veryyy interesting and fun to watch. You can feel that there's a different person from the beginning of the drama to the end of the drama.

The visuals, backdrop, views, and color tone are AMAZING. its just.... so satisfying. The real "good vibes only". The plot and storyline is honestly, pretty typical, but you will find interesting and heartwarming messages in between every scene. I love how everyone got their own portion of their own story without exaggerating the ending, but more of the process.

By the end of the drama, everyone got their own happy ending depending to their story. Some got what they expected, but some didn't. Those who didn't then found happiness after they understand and make peace with their expected happy ending. This drama is worth the while, and I assure you, worth the happy tears.

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It's Okay.

Took me a long time to finish this ngl. Story could've been done a bit better. Characters' chemistry was okay at best, nothing special. Second leads saved this. Acting was good considering their character's personalities (Shin Se Kyung's acting has always irked me a bit before, but this was one of her better performances). Beware of those who don't like slow burn, since this is superrr slow. OST's were great as well, they really set the show nicely and I find myself humming to some of the songs at times. It's a great listen by itself, so I really recommend it. However, I don't really plan to rewatch this, and knowing what I know now, I don't think that I would have the motivation to really start this drama. But idk, I have this feeling that I'm actually really glad that I watched this. Overall, it's very comforting, has its sweet moments, and great witty banter between the actors (especially the second leads). It can be very confusing at times, and you often wonder where is this story going. But still, it's a good watch and isn't the worst I've seen (though there are tons of better dramas out there). I recommend it for the casual viewer, but don't go into it thinking it's a top tier drama.

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perfect light drama

if you want a light drama to watch, this is totally recommended for you!
it totally deserve 10/10 rating! the storyline, the plots and the ending doesn't seems too cliche, its also refreshing! atleast for me hhh since the ending is satisfying
but im a liiiiiiitle bit disappointed for second lead couple ending :( but since it doesn't affect much to the whole plot, its okay :] but i guess it better to end that way or else, yes, cliche hh
not to mention all of the casts chemistry with each other, there can't be any better than them ?!? and i just like how STRONG ALL the FEMALE CHARACTERS too, and sooyoung OMGGGG SHE PLAYED HER ROLE VERY WELL ;-; though im actually watching this solely because of the main leads ;D
OST: 10/10 (i just found out the boyz sang one of the ost too haha so thats why sunwoo ... iykyk xD)

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