Run On (2020)

The magic of this show is in it’s storytelling rather than the story.

I do have a feeling watching this slowly will make you like it more, I remember waiting each week to watch its episode and feeling relaxed and warmed after doing so.

Okay so where do I begin? As I watched, I kept thinking how natural everything felt. No big explosions, no dramatic interactions- raw and understated emotion done right.

Each character is likeable, well-written, flawed and realistic. All the four leads have a unique charm which I can’t quite express. Interactions between all characters at whichever point they occur, are very enjoyable to watch. (That does include a quirky Bromance and Sismance too).

The main couple‘s storyline progresses naturally and their chemistry is too real. Each interaction between the two gave me butterflies and made me unknowingly smile all the time. Even the second lead couple is built gradually even though their obvious connection is noted early on. They show realistic conversations that flow as the moment passes and there’s something really genuine in the way it’s done.

The side cast consists of characters interlinked to the 4 leads- no scene of theirs feels unnecessary too and they add a new charm to the show.

Another interesting point to note is the humour- it is well placed and comes at unexpected points leaving you smiling as you’re pleasantly surprised. Even the OST is really fitting and the pace is perfect in my books. It might seem slow to some as the show is very character driven. But the characters are interesting enough for that to be its biggest pro.

I urge whoever is reading to give it a go for an interesting and fresh storyline with the most endearing characters.

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Running on towards quirky dialogues and characters!

2 episodes into the drama, you realize the story isn't that special. Heck, it is reminiscent of older Rich Man/Poor Woman dramas. ML, a silver spoon, can't stand injustice, expects equality (duh!) and has a life dictated by his father. FL, orphan, unhesitant to take white envelopes, trying to survive against all odds. Sounds nothing special right. But something in it makes you keep watching. To decode its charms, I kept watching.

Charm #1 Dialogues.
There is something very different about the dialogues. Kudos, to the dialogue writer and to the translator. (Was that intentional given the context of FL's profession?!) Normally, any drama would offer dialogues which help the plot in some way or create the mood. Here, the dialogues are so in the moment. If you don't see the context, you might lose its meaning. Sometimes, I had to replay to understand what they were actually conveying. Sometimes, I had to look at what was happening in the background to understand the meaning. This would have more enjoyable if you are a native speaker not having to concentrate on subtitles and screen at the same time. Even the confession was a bit unconventional. I definitely want to rewatch just for the dialogues. But sometimes, this can feel very tiring too; having to think and observe a lot for this genre was unexpected.

Charm #2 Characters.
Initially, the four main characters almost seem familiar. But their actions are a bit unpredictable. When was the last time second FL wink teasingly at FL?! And the reaction of FL?! I don't remember.
Both ML and Second ML are probably the most gentlemanly, softest and cutest characters kdrama has ever given to us. I'm referring to their personality and not appearance but I agree that they look cute as well. Heck, these men are setting goals for ideal type BF!
Understanding ML is another piece of work. If you ever had a friend who pretty much lived under the rock, you could find it relatable. Or if you ever lived under the rock, then you might know the communication gap.
About Seo Dan Ah, I don't know where to begin. The moment I saw her I fell in love with her. She looks pretty and empowering at the same time. She can flirt and she means business too. She can pull off both business suit and tracksuit. This review is escalating into Seo Dan Ah stanning.
There are other cute characters as well like Seo Tae Woong, and Kim Woo Shik.
The casting was apt. SSK had good English. And ISW looked convincing like an athlete.

Okay, Charm #3 Healing Effect.
This drama is so light and heartwarming that even being an insomniac, I could fall asleep. Not in a negative sense, but there are some dramas for some moods and this is one to see after a tiresome day and feel relaxed. There are motivating moments and dialogues. I'm surprised with the healing theme it does not have that cinematography of snow feel or spring feel. It has a very summery feel to it. There are good comedy scenes and interactions especially SDA and OMJ's sismance. There are these imaginative scenes where OMJ imagines herself in the movie she is subbing which was interesting.

Bonus #1, agreed that the main couple is adorable. This was the first time I was more curious about the second couple. They had more butterfly moments than the main couple.

Bonus #2, As for music, Run to you and Sorry sounded interesting.

Bonus #3, Given the professions of ML and FL, I learnt one or two things about sports and film industry.

Run on, an unconventionally written, nice and warm feel-good drama to fall asleep to. It can sometimes be like an art piece at a gallery. If you understand its meaning, you'd keep staring at it (like Seo Dan Ah staring at Young Hwa's works). If you don't, then this might not be for you.

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Before I start writing my review I just want to ask those people who gave 10/10 as an overall rating, did they give honest review? The drama started out really great and from episode 1 it was eye catching. The main lead actor is a professional sprinter for Korea National team and the female lead is a movie translator and a part time interpretor. The story starts out really well but it's only till episode 6, then it becomes really boring. The way destiny always allows both of them to meet somewhere and she becomes his personal interpretor was really awesome. However, when the lead actor beats up two of his team mates and quits the national team, it becomes really boring. The writer didn't even include a single scene of him sprinting for national team in all the later episode rather he stays at the second leads house as an unemployed person. Furthermore, it didn't feel like it was a romance drama genre, there was really few romantic plus kissing scenes and seemed as if they were forced to become together. To be honest the second leads romance was better. The whole episodes focused on the main leads, the second leads were shown properly from episode 10. Those viewers who gave 10/10 rating should watch chinese romantic dramas like love is sweet, mr honesty, well intended love 2, intense love, well dominated love, my little happiness and etc. This dramas also have first and second leads but their romance is way more cute plus lots of romantic scenes. Second leads are shown lots of time through out the episodes and story is way more eye catching and fascinating than this drama.

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This isn't a bad drama, but I don't really have the motivation to keep watching

Dropping the show after watching until almost the end of episode 10.

One of the main reasons why I started watching Run On was because of all the positive comments I saw on here from people who were really loving the show, but I think it just isn't my cup of tea. It's not that it's particularly bad, but there isn't really anything to keep me watching. I think overall the show is just kind of confusing and boring, and I couldn't feel the chemistry between the two leads. The only moment that I thought was really cute was the parking lot kiss, and I feel like that was just because Siwan is really cute when he smiles. The misunderstandings that they have are confusing too - she always blames him but I feel like she isn't good at communicating either.

The ML is hard to read, it seems like he just lived not caring about anything and now he is starting to make his own decisions and live his life. The FL keeps talking about how he is super considerate of others and not himself, but I feel like rather than being considerate he just didn't care and did what he was told. He does grow throughout the show and you can see that he is trying to discover his own path and figure out what he wants to do, which I'm all for but I think I'm just not personally very invested in him.

That being said, I really liked how he defended the runner who was getting bullied. The only reason I might keep watching is to just skip ahead to the scenes where they play out how that goes, because thats the only part of the show I'm actually invested in seeing how it turns out. I watched Lee Jung Ha compete in the Unit, and although he's still a rookie actor I enjoyed seeing him in the show.

I also felt like there were some discrepancies with Seo Tae Woong - how is he supposedly famous but he only has 1000+ followers on Instagram? And his fans have a name but their group hasn't debuted? Maybe it's because he's a minor character so they didn't really pay as much attention but details like that take me out of the story / make it confused.

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Run Away

Save yourself!
Run Away would be a better name since this drama seems to run away from every point it makes as soon as it touches it.
I really wanted to like this drama. I wanted to like the characters but I couldn't care less what happened to them after the first few episodes.

This drama seems to be written on the spot without an overall look. Every episode seems to run in an unexpected direction that doesn’t tie in with the previous or the next one in a meaningful way. After a certain point, it seems more like a never-ending advert than a drama.

What puzzled me the most was that the characters' personalities didn’t seem to match their actions a lot of the time. FL was extremely straightforward, brave and insightful, yet she couldn’t be honest with ML and would speak in riddles and makeup problems and misunderstandings. I honestly don't know how their relationship worked or why they fell in love. No, pity doesn't lead to love. Not healthy love, at least. Empathy and pity are very different.

A lot of the plot points seemed so useless. She invited him to stay over so he wouldn't be alone, yet didn’t make him company. They lived in completely different time zones. How can you fall in love with someone you hardly have contact with? They're also very different and don't have anything in common. "Opposites attract" only tends to work for batteries.
They seemed like friends most of the time. There was no spark, there was no relationship. They seemed like colleagues at times who were sharing the same space out of obligation.

The second leads' relationship also doesn't make any sense at all. The CEO isn't likeable. There's no reason for the constant breakups. It makes no sense how someone with a congenital heart disease drinks a whole bottle of whisky at least once a week.
At first I thought she would drive him away because of her disease, but in the end, she drove him away for no reason at all. If she had to be destroyed in her line of business, she would have already by being (falsely) outed as a lesbian.

Also, the art always pertains to the artist even after it's sold. A Renoir doesn’t stop being a Renoir just because he's dead or because it was sold.

What I hate the most is that the man who used his whole family for personal gain was forgiven in the end. Didn't they learn anything?

There's too much that doesn't make any sense at all. It's not even worth mentioning. With such a good cast I was expecting something better, something different. Maybe this drama just isn't for me.

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its a slow poison, so it will take its own sweet time to grow on you but then it gets addictive...

i watched this one simply because it was on netflix and had no expectations or anything... the first 2 episodes were very normal and the story also looked very ordinary... but what stood out was the characters... all of them are weird and crazy but the emotions they portray are as real as it gets... as the episodes passed the drama and its characters started to grown on me...

the makers show that they can deliver a beautiful drama with 16 episodes without toxic or unhealthy relationships and with no overdramatic scenes or twist and turns... i guess the only other drama i have seen that is similar in this aspect is the hospital playlist...

this drama deserves a special shoutout for the dialogue writers... its pure gold... it has really good sarcastic and comedy dialogues as well as deep and meaningful ones...

the acting and chemistry b/w all the actors fit really well with the ambiance of the drama... im siwan is perfect as Ki Seon Gyeom... the way he speaks, his body language and even his hand gestures contribute to the character... he literally creates an adoration and protectiveness inside the viewers for his character... i felt the same way mijoo felt protective over him as if he is a child that needs to be taken care of... shin se kyung's character mijoo is how a FL should be... having self respect is something most of the kdrama female leads lack and mijoo has the right amount... her self respect dont come off as being self-centered even for a minute... this is my first drama with both choi soo young and kang taeoh and i loved both of them... choi soo young's physical appearance is apt for danah who has a strong aura and is rich and powerful... she is the one that shows the least amount of emotions out of the 4 main characters and when she does at the end she made sure the audience cried with her... kang taeoh as yeong hwa is as cute as innocent as seon gyeom but is a little bit childish as well since he is the youngest among the 4... his reactions to some of the situations are hilarious... the rest of the supporting cast were also amazing... i wasnt even annoyed by the fathers who tried really had to be the ultimate kdrama villainous mothers but failed miserably because no one took them seriously... every single character had their own moments and they all shined in it...

it is the first work of the writer and i must say she did a better job than some of the famous and well-known writers in kdramaland... i will be looking forward to her next work... the director also did an amazing job... in short literally everyone did an amazing job...


its mostly a character-driven drama rather than story-driven.. if someone asks me whats the story of runon i don't know how to explain it even though i watched all the 16 episodes... all i can say is it's about some really interesting characters and their growth as individuals, as lovers, as friends etc...

overall its such a heart warming and heart touching drama with lots of positivity... it has high rewatch value...

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Wholesome but confusing

I had heard about this drama being really wholesome and healthy beforehand and that was indeed what I got. I really liked the eccentricity of the main leads — their dynamic was awkward but comfortable and it was really different from all the other dramas I'd seen. I especially really liked the main male lead and the way he handled family situations and conflict was just really unique.

If you're looking for a plot-driven drama though, this isn't it. It was very character-driven. I don't have a problem with that, but there were also a lot of side characters I just didn't really care about, including the second ship.

Overall, I just felt like aside I started clicking less and less with the characters; I do chalk this up to the writing style, as something about the way every character talked just was very confusing and obscure. They discussed things in metaphors and it all just kind of went way over my head. I wasn't sure what they were talking about and it made the drama kind of meh to me.

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Cute, but boring

There is no drama in this kdrama. Whatsoever. It’s very slice of life and more realistic than other kdramas and I see the appeal in that but it’s not for me. I wasn’t looking forward to the next episodes and I kind of kept it on as background noise.

The actors seem to be really good, my problem was with the characters. I find they’re very 2D, boring, expressionless characters. Shin Se Kyung has like no expression whatsoever when portraying her character (and I know she’s a good actress so that’s not a testament to her acting skills). She just talks with a straight face most of the time and smiles like occasionally. Same goes for Seon Gyeom, although I guess that’s the appeal in his character. The only character I really loved is Young Hwa. We also see a lot of character development for Dan Ah, which none of the other characters show.

I just find there’s not much to it, it’s very lighthearted, low key boring, realistic, and occasionally funny. I guess it’s a nice change from other dramas, but I wasn’t really into it

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Why do you run? For yourself.

I'm writing this as I come off the 16th episode, because I don't want to forget anything, but also might not do this drama justice having not digested everything.

The first episode of this drama was slow and hard to get through for me. I actually stopped halfway and came to the conclusion that this wasn't for me, and there was no way I'd like it. Well, I was wrong. Like many have said, this is a "slice-of-life" drama. It is meant to be slow, because it is meant to showcase the everyday lifestyle of characters, without "drama". It's most definitely not for everyone due to the nature of the pace, but if you're looking for something with more depth, less tropes, and something that makes you feel good, this is a wonderful drama.

Some thoughts:
1. I'm going to start with Ki Seon Gyeom (aka Shi Wan), and how perfectly he fit this role for me. My guy was so, for a lack of better word, strange, from the get-go, that I had no idea what the heck his character was supposed to be. From him though, I understood that you need to love yourself, and that just because someone comes from a different world than you, doesn't mean that they are that much different than you. You can never assume what a person is really like without getting to know them.
2. I love how healthy the relationship is between the ML/FL. Just two people coming together trying to understand each other, and help each other grow into being a better version of themselves. That's the best way I can put it.
3. The humour! I truly laughed out loud at a number of different scenes. The wit and fast paced talking really gets me.
4. The focus on the second lead, without it being a love triangle. I think this was the first time I've ever seen a drama's ending scene (multiple times) on a second lead couple. I was shocked. But thoroughly enjoyed how the spent the second half of the drama flushing out the SL's relationship.
5. I will admit, I continue to have a hard time understanding the relationship between the SL's, and what exactly happened there, but I don't think I'll put too much thought into it, and just let myself decide what the ending was supposed to be.
6. The details. There were so many, but two that I can remember, was at the end when Mi Joo mentioned that her and Seon Gyeom will never 100% understand everything about each other, but they'll do their best to align with each other, and then they cut to the scene of them running at the same pace. I thought that was nice. Also, episode 11 (end), after they watch the short movie (Sleepwalk), they have a really great conversation that touches on a lot. One of which was about things disappearing, wether due to AI, or people just forgetting about it slowly (they mention it was similar to the movie they just watched but I didn't see the correlation, someone enlighten me if I'm wrong). And then you cut to Seon Gyeom walking home, passing by an old video store with faded posters of My Sassy Girl and No. 3, old movies that were once popular, now likely slowly being forgotten as we move forward into the future.

What I ultimately took away, was that everyone going through life, is doing their best to keep going (ie: run on). They're taking things day by day the best way they can. Running, similar to life, sometimes gets real tough, and you'll feel like you'll want to stop, or that you can't make it. But there are always reasons to keep running, the most important one being for yourself. Maybe you'll need to adjust, perhaps take little steps at a time, but ultimately, you gotta keep moving forward. And don't forget that people are cheering for your success. There are people watching over you, and cheering you on even if you can't immediately see them. And, though it may seem sometimes that you're alone in the world, we forget to just look around us and see that we're already surrounded with love. Love comes in many forms, not just familial, but relationships, friendships, un-wanted acquaintance, that dude at the coffee shop. The people that we think who are so far from our reach/world who would never understand us, could very well be the one person who can. There's a lot more detail in these words from the drama, so I don't think I'll ever be able to do it justice. But, I do urge you to watch it if you're interested! I don't think you'll regret it.

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Relaxing drama about finding oneself

This is my first review, and despite having watched many way more thrilling dramas, this one hit very close to the heart. For me it was a very relaxing drama about an ordinary life and how to deal with relationships, hardships and most importantly how to love yourself. It does not have many annoying tropes (despite the drinking - seriously, why is everyone drinking in every other romance drama I watch), main leads are relatable and it was refreshing for me to see two independent leads who both are their own person and can stand on their own.

Is the story groundbreaking? No. Is the acting perfect? No. But the atmosphere it had makes it an ideal drama when you really can't deal with heavy topics, just want to watch some heartwarming moments without too many miscommunications and unwind after long day at work. For that it's absolutely perfect and for that it will probably always be one of my favorites.

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Ki Sun Gyeom is a professional sprinter who was forced to quit due to legal issues. He crosses paths with a film translator Mi Joo briefly works as his translator. Through time and communications, their mutual interest pushes them passed their boundaries

Run On is a drama that is not baiting for my attention as it has a very subdued vibe, but I enjoyed it very much. Not many external conflicts going on, it’s a character-driven show where the main and supporting characters’ plot are very much intertwined. I like Sun Gyeom's quirky and very kind-hearted personality, and I’m enjoying how he interacts with people around him. I appreciate how he’s very blunt to anyone. The romance is also toned-down but wholesome. Sun Gyeom and Mi Joo’s chemistry is a lot softer than most Kdramas, it feels very realistic and heartfelt. The secondary romance of Dan Ah and Young Hwa I wasn’t really paying attention for their plot but they have great emotional moments.

Another highlights for me is the playful, quiet, subdued humor in the show, it was pretty clever and sharp, those moments were few and precious. For example, when Seon Gyeom wakes up in the morning and he's getting ready for his morning run as it has been his routine for years. One morning, when he's getting ready, he stops halfway and realizes that he doesn't have a reason to run anymore, so he turns around, throws off his jacket, kicks off his shoes, and rolls back into bed. I found that’s absolutely hilarious! This is just a small no-dialogue moment but so memorable. Also, I am happy to see a positive representations of LGBTQ characters here, as they are seen as part of society. The only nitpick I want to mention is that there’s something missing throughout my watching experience… Although the character development of the main lead was great, it felt slightly boring. Overall, I am happy to have known these characters.

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