Reviews

No joy in life

You know, nothing is perfect, and there is a lot to love about this series. The acting was out of this world, many dialogues were brilliant, the characters were all very well crafted.
I'm sure, enough people praised this series to the moon and back. It made me very, very emotional and I cried a lot.
But I can't give 10 stars, because the series made me also angry. Some stories and characters were beautiful, others were rather annoying. At the end, I wasn't annoyed anymore, because everything came together, but throughout watching the drama, I had a lot of rather negative emotions towards this series. Not gonna lie, the teenage pregnancy plot made me almost drop it. I enjoyed the girl with the disabled sister, and I seriously think her story was one of the best, only matched by the dying mother story at the end of the series.
Well, I don't want to spoil, and I know this review is a mess.
I was raised by a very poor family myself. My mother could be one of those old women, working her whole life. She also came from a very poor family. Her mother, my grandmother, had five children, one died. Life was hard back then, but not as hard as portrayed in this series, where we have a woman at a similar age as my mother, who lost her parents when she was only six, her older brother died some years later. Then she married a good guy, had two children. The husband died in the sea, her daughter drowned. Come on! This is against all odds! I would start believing in a revengeful god if this is reality. Maybe I'm ignorant about South Korea's history, but this is too cruel and unbelievable. This is the most extreme example, but almost none of those characters was raised in a healthy and happy family with father and mother. Dead parents, gambling, suicide etc. seems to be normal on the Jeju island. Really? I enjoy realistic series, but when they overdo it with the drama just to have a story to tell - I don't know.
Back to the title I gave this review: No joy in life. There were moments, where I felt exactly that: those characters were all miserable. They said it themselves twice: no joy in life.
The after credits said something like: We are on this world not to suffer, but to be happy.
This series didn't make me happy at all.

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An Intriguing Plot Line and Acting

At first the drama started really smoothly and each episode unfolds everything so well. First of all the story line and the plot twists is so good that you never get bored. I'm watching it from the very first episode of its airing and I'm currently watching while its still being aired. It pains me to wait every week to see the next episodes of the drama but I love this drama like no other so I can wait. The 'Lovely Runner' has become my most favourite drama so far replacing 'Goblin'.

Next let's talk about the theme of love in this drama. It's a modern drama with a 'Classic Love'. We have seen in the classic love stories by Shakespeare 'Romeo and Juliet' where they love each other so much so that one's life is empty or incomplete without the other just like how Im Sol's life is without Ryu Sun Jae and Sun Jae without Sol. I will include this drama 'Lovely Runner' among the classic love stories. Also how they are able to sacrifice themselves for the person they love. Sun Jae saves Sol and Sol travels back in time to save Sun Jae. Sun Jae doesn't care if he loses his life to save Sol and Sol doesn't want a life without Sun Jae so she doesn't care if she loses his affection for her. This kind of love is the most Selfless and Pure love like that of classic love stories. This is what attracts the viewers most.

Then the most talked about thing in this drama is the acting of the main leads. The role Im Sol played by Kim Hye Yoon and Ryu Sun Jae acted by Byeon Woo Soek portrays all the emotions of the characters so well that it is praiseworthy. I have seen the drama ' Extraordinary You' it is also a really good drama worth watching. In 'Lovely Runner' I like the chemistry of the main leads (Kim Hye Yoon and Byeon Woo Soek) on and off screen. Their height difference is soooo cute and good together. I would really love to watch more of their drama together. One more thing I would like to mention is the pain of the female lead character, each and every painful side of the story of her is very well acted by Kim Hye Yoon's crying scenes which hits the sad side of the story perfectly.

After that let's discuss about the supernaturality in the drama. The 'willing suspension of disbelief' is well maintained. The theme of time travel and where ever Sol tries to talk about future the time stops. The medium through which she time travels is also make good reasoning in the frame of the supernaturality. The time Sol travel back to past and in the present is interesting , sometimes its funny and sometimes its sad. The supernaturality is well represented.

Next is the symbolism. The childish and full of bright personality Sol's colour is yellow which carries the meaning of happiness and enthusiasm with it , also yellow colour depicts the cheerful and energetic nature of Im Sol. Holding the yellow umbrella Im Sol comes running towards Ryu Sun Jae and at that time he falls for her. He says that he used to hate rain but he doesn't anymore because with rain the image of Sol holding a yellow umbrella will come to his mind whenever he sees rain again. His clouded life which is full of problems will still be full of happiness if Sol is in his life. And Ryu Sun Jae is represented by blue. Blue is a colour which symbolises stability, serenity, intelligence and loyalty. We can understand how much clam is Ryu Sun Jae but his life becomes chaotic and full of fun aspects with Sol in it. Then again it is admiring how much loyal Sun Jae is to Sol that he can not even watch Sol's mother scolding her and he is willing to to go any length for her just as Sol is willing to do anything for him. Moreover yellow gives a warm feeling and blue gives a cold vibe which is like Summer and Winter, contradictory but inseparable and irreplaceable to each other. When Sol was in wheel chair Sun Jae's umbrella is of black colour which tells us that his blue has turned to black with grieving and regretting that he could not protect Sol from that accident. And in later episode we see Sol's scarf is more of a white or cream colour now than the first episode where it was yellow conveying that her life has turned to something colourless white with her loss of hope and happiness of a life where there is no Sun Jae with her.


The concept of life and fate and its chances to change. There are things that you can not change even when you travel back in time and things that you can change it depends on the choices one makes. And if you change you have to pay a price just like Sol pays the price which is her and Sun Jae's love and affection to save Sun Jae. Whether it's a happy ending or a sad ending it's yet to reveal. But now it's a happy ending for Sol as she was able to save Sun Jae and it's a sad ending for Sun Jae as he lost the love of his life.


The villain is also a classic one because he seems scary and gives a strong impression. The actor portrays the character very well which that of a bad psycho personality.

This drama is a slice of life with School Drama, Campus Drama and obviously More than that. Beautiful cinematography and the ost Sudden Shower, Spring Snow, Run Run and Like A Dream and many others suits the drama very much. I like all of the drama but some of the scenes that I would like to specially mention is the scene where Sol comes running towards Sun Jae and the accident scene and the college trip and where they both enjoy cherry blossoms and make wish further more the sea beach scenes and amusement park all of them.

The cast and the crew did a very good job making 'Lovely Runner'. The directors and other crew members did a commendable job.
I would recommend this drama. It's totally worth the watch. 'Lovely Runner' "hwaiting".

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Romantic drama, full of great actors but very old-fashion

Khun Chai series, here the 4th brother, Ratchanon.

Romantic drama, full of great actors (the brothers) but very old-fashion, to watch in Speed ​​X 1.25 or 1.5.

PLOT: to escape a marriage arranged by her grandparents, Racha Laek flees to the border, agitated by the incursions of soldiers from the neighboring country. He raids the forest and is attacked and saved by the FL (daughter of the leader of the neighboring resistance army). Various twists (fake marriage, love triangle, search for the crown prince, etc.).

=> remains to be seen for the actors' performances, but the series has aged poorly.

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Série des Khun Chai, ici le 4e frère, Ratchanon.

Drama romantique, plein de grands acteurs (les frères) mais très old-fashion, à regarder en Speed X 1,25 ou 1,5.
PLOT: pour échapper à 1 mariage arrangé par les gds-mères, Racha Laek fuit à la frontière, agitée par les incursions des soldats du pays voisin. Il fait un raid en forêt, et attaqué, est sauvé par la FL (fille du chef de l'armée voisine résistante). Twists divers (fake mariage, love triangle, recherche du prince héritier, etc.).

=> reste à voir pour les performances d'acteurs, mais la série a mal vieilli.

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Healing, Nostalgic With Excellent Cinematography and OST

Our Beloved Summer" follows the story of two ex-lovers, Choi Woong and Kook Yeon Soo, who are brought back together years after filming a viral documentary in high school. Choi Woong, seemingly naive and free-spirited, harbors deep aspirations that he begins to pursue for the first time in his life. Meanwhile, Kook Yeon Soo, who once aimed to be the top student, is now an adult grappling with the harsh realities of life. As they find themselves back in front of the camera, their past and present collide, rekindling old emotions and unresolved conflicts.

The show excels in its realistic portrayal of character development and relationships. The chemistry between Choi Woo-shik and Kim Da-mi is palpable, making their on-screen relationship believable and engaging. The narrative beautifully oscillates between the past and the present, offering a rich, layered storytelling experience. The cinematography is visually stunning, (Watch out for a shot of them in the rain) capturing both the beauty of mundane moments and the intensity of emotional scenes. The soundtrack complements the mood perfectly, enhancing the overall viewing experience.

While there is second lead syndromes with supporting characters, i like the way things turned out for them towards the ending of the show each finding their own closure. The scenes where the main leads realizing their lost love and rekindling their romance, ML confronting his past trauma , Their clear bickering with each other all were really cute to watch.

Overall, If you are looking for a drama enemies to lovers trope with a great OST and a warm watch, this drama would be perfect for you. I would recommend this 10/10 and this would clearly be in most of the k-drama viewers top watched shows.

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a drama filled with grief to the brim

each and every episode was filled with sadness, there was no escaping it.
to begin with the positives, the acting was great. each cast member did their part perfectly. ohm and tu were great in their characters. even the children were amazing. the set and production were good, every home was unique and felt like someone was actually living there. the costumes were also specific for each character like kongkwan's bows, zo's tomboy-ish dressing, plu with his beanie etc
the plot was interesting on paper but it was not executed very well. i did not get what they were trying to do.
from the past scenes itself it seemed like no one noticed mai or luk that much. after the death, everyone was quick to fight and move away. if they were this good family as they said they would have solved it as soon as it happened. luk's reasoning for going to jail was also weak and selfish, u are willing to go to jail so that his 'reputation' will not be tarnished but u are willing for your whole family to be harassed.
all the adults in this show needed therapy, especially santi, mai and phukao's dad. the dad was horrible. how are u going to ignore your child and abuse him while he is alive and then when he is dead u drink yourself to oblivion and ruin your family. phukao was an absolute asshole. his family falling apart wasn't kongkwan nor her family's fault. his home was already broken. him playing the victim, acting as if people hate him meanwhile he was full-on harassing kongkwan physically and emotionally. the sudden 180 in his behavior after that one jail conversation was so off too.
also how did no one bat an eye at mai and luk's relationship except mai's step-mom???? luk was a teacher and he was a student. even if he failed many years in school, luk would still be much older than him. this is literally pedophilia. also why is she, the adult, making the teenager find a place to live and money????????????
the romance between the 4 felt very forced. the family/brother-sister dynamics were too strong. there was also a lack of chemistry between ohm and tu
the show would have been better if they focused on the 4 of them and their healing and grieving together. there were barely any scenes with them together, especially zo and kongkwan. they said they are sisters but we saw them hang out about 3 times only. it would have been more fruitful to see them learn to forgive and unlearn the hate they learned from their parents.
zo and her dad were the best family in the whole show, they are the happy family which everyone overlooked

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Save Yourself

So this show has been on my watchlist for quite sometime. I kept seeing reels of Billy and Seng from this and it looked cute so I added it. I can’t remember if I had watched the trailer or not, if I did then I don’t know why I continued to watch it so I clearly didn’t lol.

First of all, this show was absolutely terrible and I should’ve known because it was Idol Factory and they made GAP (I know this came before GAP) and that was also terrible. I also should’ve known it was gonna be creepy af based off of the novel title and the description, but silly delusional me thought it was going to be fine. No. It wasn’t.

I think all of the actors did a pretty decent job, if I had to play this kind of role idk what I would’ve done. It was some of the most cringey and creepy storytelling and plots I’ve watched, and I’ve seen Tonhon Chonlatee…so you know. Anyways, Toh has got to be the most insufferable character or a TV show. He’s so pick me shy guy, and literally has no fucking chill. We know you like Nuea, stop smiling and giggling at anything that anyone says to you. And I’m sorry can we talk about the temper tantrum at the movies because what the actual FUCK was that??? ARE YOU 5!? And tbh, if I were Nuea when I found the SHRINE of myself in my boyfriend’s bedroom and the VACUUM SEALED TRASH and whatever else was in those boxes…jail. IMMEDIATELY. In my opinion, he didn’t freak out about it as much as he should have. I know you knew he was already kind of weird, we all are, BUT…bestie…you’re just as delusional as me when I thought this was going to be a good show. All you could think about was Toh leaving you, which I guess is understandable but at the same time like…? Idk man everything was terrible about their relationship. It was kind of cute sometimes, but Toh is just so unlikeable I can’t. He’s genuinely so embarrassing and idk how he has friends.

So uhhh ANYWAYS…the stuff I liked about this show. Sky and Jao. That’s it. They were the ONLY saving grace to this show. Sure the flirting for a week with Jao was just a game but it turned into Sky actually liking and wanting to pursue him, meanwhile you find out that Jao has also had a secret crush on him, but was lowkey playing hard to get lol jk he was just scared obviously because Sky is a known player, so how could they be together? How could Sky be with someone like him? It took a lot of convincing from Sky and his friends, that it was okay for them to be together. Jao is very insecure but I love that throughout the series, the more Sky talks to him about why he likes him and that he’s serious, the more comfortable Jao feels with him, the more they fit together and I’m just crying. Sky is what Prapai wishes he could be (Even though I love Sky and Prapai from LITA), but idk Sky was just so amazing for Jao and I liked the fact that Jao didn’t feel like he needed Sky to fix him. Sky was just able to help Jao let go of some of his insecurities which I loved AND he never did anything to Jao (kissing, etc) without either asking him first (we love consent!) or not continuing to do something when he realized Jao was uncomfortable. I would have stopped watching this show if it weren’t for them honestly. They were the best part about it and I would have liked if they were the main leads instead. It’s very rare that I don’t care about the main couple so this is really saying something.

Anyways, if you read all of this thank you for coming to my TedTalk. I don’t know why people rated this show a 10. The acting was over the top, the plot was creepy and cringey and I just don’t know how you can genuinely say you liked it. But whatever floats your boat I guess. Unfortunately it sank mine so yeah. Bye!

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A ten but a nine

This show was so great, from all of the actors to the unique storyline! Every single second was an absolute ten out of ten... I just could not let my heart give it a full ten bc of a couple of things... The following is not a full-on spoiler, but those sensitive to small clues just don't read the following lollll

Sooo without giving any real spoilers, there were a couple of characters whose endings bothered me and an overall somewhat open ending, albeit a seemingly happy one. I feel like a couple of 'sad parts' were rushed & could have been avoided; we were robbed of time to either grieve or hope at certain times...also confusing were a few characters that did not really get a solidified ending. Sooo overall the open ending gave hope, but after such an amazing storyline and detailed scenes in every single episode, I felt disheartened by this kind of rushed/open-ended scenario!

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Physical 100 season 2 was a series I had high expectations for after viewing season 1 and I was not disappointed in the slightest. This show held on to a lot of the aspects from season 1 that made it so great and it did not defeat the purpose of the show by having an undeserving cast. The amount of Olympic athletes and other high level sporting personnel made this season that much more intriguing and fun to watch.

This season also had a lot more faces that I remember after watching in comparison to season 1. This is due to the fleshing out a bit more of some cast as well as more attractive cast members than that of season 1. The nicknames given to the cast as well made it easier to recall who is who in the beginning stages of the season.

I enjoyed the competitions and the winner was deserved however not the best athlete in my personal opinion. This show is addicting to watch over and over again due to it's nature in being motivating and adrenaline boosting. The only flaws I can really afford this series is that I wish it was longer so the viewer could fully see each characters matches and choose their favorite right from the start however due to the attention span of the youth nowadays, it is easy to assume why the series had to be as short as it is.

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Its a psychological torture

This drama is so intense, if you decide to watch it make sure you are mentally prepared by it This drama is like Squid Game and its also like Big Brother House wit a horrible twist. 8 different people were chosen to play this game . 8 different people with different personalities combined in one place, but all have one aim, to be a winner of the said gane and take away the prize money. If I will play in the said game it will surely drive me crazy, because I dont know who is my enemy, its hard to trust someone in this kind of game.
How far you will go or haw far you will do for the sake of money? All of the have different struggles including money, so they are willing to do anything for the sake of it. Doesn't matter if they hurt someone as long as they win. Some players have a heart wherein they mind others feelins but some players have no heart they dont mind if they hurt others. I can say that its a psychological torture because they experience torture which affects them mentally.
All the cast did their best in portraying their roles, they are effective on it because all your emotions you will feel in this drama. Its a good drama because its very unique but its a bit dark.

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Magnificent Obsession

"Ms. Perfect" is a scintillating melodrama with a classic flavour, able to offer an intricately multifaceted story that, starting from a fairly conventional family drama structure, with the end of a married couple's love affair at its centre and the relative painful disintegration of the domestic unit, gradually evolves into a fascinating and enthralling mystery thriller with an incredible story of mad love at its centre, absolutely indebted to the Hollywood classics of the golden age...

Thanks to the chance offered by a singular and apparently perfect woman, a strange rental contract (extremely favourable! ) and a forced and curious cohabitation, accompanied by a heterogeneous group of family members, friends, and real or presumed servants, the focus of the story will develop in the new home of our heroine who, faced with ambiguously hostile characters and situations, gripped by doubts, feelings of guilt (not only her husband's betrayal, but also the uncomfortable presence/figure of her ex-first love) and even erroneous evaluations, will end up feeling threatened in the actual space of her new living location...

Trying to play with cinematic genres, in order to tempt the curious, “Ms. Perfect” seems to be the evolution of the so-called 'gothic movie', in its female variant, starring a woman, in spite of herself, grappling with a marriage affair with disturbing contours. Only in this case, the danger does not come directly from the male counterpart, but from the ambiguous and perturbing co-star, a true modern adaptation of the figure of the 'dark lady', a typical characterisation of the noir genre.

Everything is prodigiously served by a writing script that is never ordinary, capable of re-launching the plot each time with courageous choices, absolutely unsettling in many cases, at the service of a cast of an extraordinary level, able to alternate between comedy and tragedy, charade and drama, in a constant involvement that accompanies us throughout the wonderful twenty episodes, which show no sign of weakness or tiredness...

Intrigues and mysteries, real or presumed ghosts that re-emerge from a past with many interrogative aspects. As in the best tradition of Korean dramas, an underlying ambiguity appears that is able to characterise all the actors of "Ms. Perfect"... No one seems to be immune from guilt, albeit on different levels, and this ambiguity allows us to escape from easy "good/bad" classifications, thanks to a great performance by the whole cast...

The main attraction of this drama rotates around the astonishing performance of the charismatic Cho Yeo Jung, an actress of incredible beauty, capable, thanks to her immense and ambiguous charm, of portraying the role of a foolish woman in love, disposed to do anything to obtain the object of her desire... Absolutely ambiguous and sinister right from the moment she appears on the scene, Eun Hee becomes the true focal point of the narrative, catalysing the attention on her character who will progressively reveal her hidden object, concretely managing to raise the attention also on the omnipresent and obsessive relationship that connects stars and their fans (stalker! ?)

Sacrificial victims of his love madness are the "rival" Jae Bok, played by the also very beautiful Ko So Young (almost a twin sister of Kim Ha Neul!) and her husband, Jung Hee, brilliantly rendered by the excellent Yoon Sang Hyun, in one of the best roles of his remarkable career... In my opinion, it is precisely through the character of Jung Hee, in his progressive personality transformation, in the clash/confrontation with his wife Jae Bok, that some of the most interesting narrative cues emerge, capable of instilling doubts above all of a moral nature, on ambition, guilt and careerism at any cost...

It was said of the overall excellent cast where also the very good Sung Joon/Bong Goo makes his character evolve in a decidedly mature manner, thanks also to the exemplary part played by Im Se Mi/Na Mi who, mainly in the first half of the drama, shows a prominent role in the unravelling of the intrigued plot... I also really appreciated Jae Bok's two funny female friends, Na Hye Ran (played by Kim Jung Nan) and, above all, Kim Won Jae (Jung Soo Young) who could even have been used in more depth, given the psychoanalytic aspect emerging in the development of the storyline.... But, again, bravo to all, adults and children alike

There are many truly fascinating passages, often concentrated inside the vast mansion; the mysterious doors forbidden to all, also a typical noir cliché, almost an update of Hitchcock's "Rebecca" or so many of its epigones; Jae Bok's continuous wandering in the house, often intimidated by the presence of "hostile" figures; the effective use of flash-backs, which, thanks also to the classic repetitions of past traumas, reveal the many dark points of the principal characters... The confrontation between Na Mi and Eun Hee, Eun Hee finding herself alone in the huge house...And then one of my favourite movie tropes: The forced closure in the asylum, as well as the literally " flaming" finale that seems taken from a Roger Corman movie of the Edgar Allan Poe series....

Managing to satisfy so many of my cinematic obsessions, with an intriguing, engaging, well-written, perfectly acted tale, without moments of boredom or the usual lapses into more or less acceptable nonsense, 'Ms. Perfect' is a 'perfectly' successful example of excellent narrative script that meets absolutely exemplary mise-en-scene, creating a very entertaining story
9/10

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