Run On

A runner takes down some bullies in the track team and gets disqualified so becomes a trainer instead. He falls for a subtitle writer / interpreter. Not a lot happens. There is a rather out of place opposition from his father which is strange since he isn't that big of a deal anyway. Her work on the film set is fairly interesting. This series is gentle and laid back. The characters are nice and level headed and hardly ever raise their voices and come across as being insipid at times. The story is the opposite of melodramatic to the point of being dull in parts. Sometimes they even show mundane things like doing laundry and grocery shopping. Shin Se Kyung is sweet and demure and speaks English well when she interprets. The funniest part is when she fought with a foreign director. Im Si Wan looks angelic and kind. The secondary couple an agent and an artist is a little unnecessary. And I don't get their problem. If you want a simpler laid back series then this is okay.

The initial setup was fine, not particularly exciting, but the second leads had amazing chemistry, and I found myself fascinated by the gormlessness of Im Siwan in his character. I really just wanted everybody to have a good ending and live well. They had to bring in some of the stereotypical K Drama development situations, and I keep wondering why the lead always wore such baggy clothes, but all in all a sweet and compelling view.

Korean Drama "Run On" is a healing slow-paced drama with a realistic view when it came to the romantic relationships. However, the drama's story other than the romance was weak. They didn't really expand on it, the family drama was rushly resolved, the sports theme that was pretty interesting at first with the scandal, was lukewarm and the side characters were added here and there to provide coverage of the gaps between the love stories.

The drama also lost its charm in the final episodes, with some boring scenes and a pretty slow pace. The product placement in this one was also ridiculous, with actual scenes being created for the sole purpose of the placement. Another minus of this drama was the fact that, except for the leading lady, the other characters felt pretentious at times, like they were trying hard to fit in the description of their personalities.

Other than that, the drama had a nice atmosphere, with a slow tempo and some nice aesthetics. The female lead was an interesting character and the performances from everyone in the cast were pretty good. The love stories had a realistic aspect to them, as well, which was refreshing and unique.

So, overall, 6.5 out of 10.

So it started off nicely and then honestly actress portraying Dan Oh caught my eye. Loved her chemistry with the second lead actor but I thought she was very young and there u go..Typical korean flawless beauty! How can someone look so effortlessly beautiful at 30? Then I found out she was actually a member of girls generation, one of the most popular girl band in Korea whose name u hv probably heard of if u r into k pop! Is there really something that korean ppl can't do? Way to go versatility.

I would rate this show 7.5 stars, but deducted 1/2 star for difficulty of immersion. It took me 4+ episodes to get into the groove of the story, but once I got a feel for it, it was pretty good (though there are plenty of other Netflix KDramas which I personally found more appealing /enjoyable).

As an English speaker, the biggest barrier for me was actually the script. The plot itself was simple enough to understand, but the dialogue was a different matter. I got the impression that the wording was probably quite complex and clever in Korean, with lots of subtlety and nuance. However, as often happens with foreign films, the subtext which gives deeper meaning to the actual words was largely lost in translation. On top that, there were (ironically) also many places where the subtitle wording, despite being technically accurate, felt stiff or awkward (IMO). I kept having to pause to make sure I had read them correctly.

Aside from language issues, this film also features some characters with atypical personalities/backstories. For viewers who are already struggling to keep up, this adds yet another layer of complexity to the viewing experience, since the attitudes /reactions of the main cast often fall outside the norm (at least initially), and are that much harder to understand. Taken together, these issues could make it difficult to engage with the characters and leave viewers feeling like they are missing something.

However, if you are willing to persist, things do gradually become clearer, and there is a fair bit that is fresh /unusual about this film. The story has a lot going on besides the central romance(s), and delves into many social issues, including bullying, family abuse, and misogyny, and is sprinkled with plentiful acknowledgment of the gay community. If these are meaningful subjects to you and you don't mind having to read between the lines a fair bit, then this film may be perfect for you.

ROMANCE RATING: * * * 6/10. While YSW & SSK did have a certain level of chemistry, it seemed more like a cozy blanket than a raging fire, and lacked any sort of sexual tension. Personally I also might have wished for a bit more passion in the 3+ kiss scenes, but if you go for sweet and innocent rather than deep and intense, this should be just your cup of tea.