Review Of K-Drama "Run On"

 

Disclaimer: This is not an actual review. I am neither a film/TV critic nor a journalist. The content of this review is mainly based on my view and opinion of this series. The word "review" is only used to categorize and grab the reader's attention.

Warning: May contain spoilers!

Overview:

“Run On” is a 2020 South Korean drama starring Im Si-wan as Ki Seon-gyeom, Shin Se-Kyung as Oh Mi-joo, Kang Tae-oh as Lee Yeong-hwa, and Choi Soo-young as Seo Dan-ah. The drama is directed by Lee Jae-hoon and written by Park Shi-hyun. The drama aired on JTBC and is available for streaming worldwide on Netflix.

The story revolves around Ki Seon-gyeom a former track runner who took retirement after an incident in his track team and Oh Mi-joo a film translator.

It’s a pretty much an underrated drama given that the story, acting, and direction are fairly decent. Maybe this is because the characters acted mostly their age and there were not a lot of “cutesy” moments that could go viral. The drama has wholesome romance and lots of great banter between characters which create a very subtle comedic arc.

K-Drama "Run On" Poster Starring Im Si-wan & Shin Se-kyung

Story and Characters:

So far everyone’s been getting second male lead syndrome or second couple syndrome but after watching this drama I caught second female lead syndrome. Although we have Kang Tae-oh in the second lead who we all adored in Extraordinary Attorney Woo, my focus still remained on  Soo-young. At first, I started this drama because of Tae-oh and Si-wan- whose acting I really like. (Will discuss this in the next section with more detail), but didn’t know I’d end up liking Soo-young more. I just absolutely loved her character and somehow it felt really natural on her. The constant banter and the straightforwardness her character showed throughout the drama were just something I really enjoyed. Kudos to the writer for adding these constant banter and funny jabs between the characters because it kept the story fun, entertaining, alive and fresh.

Choi Soo-young As Seo Dan-ah In K-Drama "Run On"

Honorary mention of Mi-joo’s character. A strong female lead I’d call her. She knew what she wanted. She knew she had adversities, she had flaws and drawbacks but she was very accepting and mature about them. Even Seon-gyeom’s character is also written with the same depth. He knew what he was doing, he knew what consequences his actions would lead to and he was very calculated in his moves.

K-Drama "Run On" Poster Starring Im Si-wan & Shin Se-kyung

Also, the main lead’s love story was very well staged. I mean I sometimes find it very cringe when full-grown adult characters fall in love and start acting cringe in the name of cute like in Doctor Slump (Okay don’t come for me I said what I said). Maybe, it wasn’t how both character’s nature was but I am glad that the writer didn’t make them act like that because their romance felt very natural and realistic.

As for the story, it’s pretty much straightforward and not a lot is happening. It’s very subtle. I don’t know why there was an unnecessary focus on Yeoung-hwa’s friend, sister and family drama. At times it felt that there were gaps in the story and to fill those the focus was being shifted to supporting characters. Some things or situations were raised in the story but were left unresolved or got ignored because of something different. For example, the rumors' about Dan-ah’s idol brother.

Acting:

Im Si-wan As Ki Seon-gyeom In K-Drama "Run On"

Everyone in this drama’s cast did justice to their characters. I already mentioned that loved Soo-young’s character and acting a lot but let’s talk about the actor who is the main reason why I started this drama- Im Si-wan. I have only seen three projects of Si-wan’s: Strangers from Hell aka Hell is other people, Summer Strike, and Unlocked. In all three of these projects, he has played very complicated roles and nailed all of them. Even though I do not rate Unlocked highly I still believe the only thing that was good in it was Si-wan’s acting.  The thing about him is that he plays all these complicated characters but still manages to convey the emotions, feelings, intentions and moods of his characters just by his expressions. Some of these things are very subtle but you can still get the idea because he portrays them so well. In this drama as well, he plays the role of a type of person who prioritizes the needs and happiness of others before his own and pretty much struggles with self-love and acceptance. You could feel when he was struggling, when he was happy, bored etc. I’ve been a fan of his ever since I watched Strangers from Hell so maybe that’s why I never felt but while watching this drama my sister mentioned that he is very underrated. I didn’t agree right away but now after giving it a thought, I do realize that this is the case. Just judging by how many edits I come across of actors on Instagram I have never actually seen one of his. He is underrated. He is one of those actors who can pick every little thing about their character and make it look natural. I don’t think there was any other choice or person who could have played Seon-gyeom better than Si-wan. (This sounds like Si-wan’s fangirl page but maybe it is, who knows!? XD).

Im Si-wan As Ki Seon-gyeom In K-Drama "Run On"

Direction:

Se-Kyung’s character Mi-joo is a film translator. The way they have used her work to tell her POVs, and her feelings is exceptional. I liked how when she was working on some movie, she started watching the characters being played by the people around her and herself. It felt like she was putting herself in those character’s places to feel the depth and emotions that were being delivered in the movie to capture the essence in her translation as well. But the last few episodes were almost and totally based on this POV and that felt forced. Maybe if they had just kept that element alive a little bit it would have been fine.

Something that bothered me pretty much most of the time was what the hell was wrong with Si-wan’s outfits. Some of the clothes that he was wearing were too big for him and I think they could have taken care of it better.

Loved the ending scene though. It felt like they had captured their lives and all of the characters were present for the premiere. Very subtle, very cute. 😉

Ending Scene Of K-Drama "Run On" Starring Im Si-wan, Shin Se-kyung, Kang Tae-oh & Choi Soo-young

Conclusion:

Poster Of K-Drama "Run On" Starring Im Si-wan, Shin Se-kyung, Kang Tae-oh & Choi Soo-young

Well, in the end, I want to say that it’s not one of your usual K-dramas. There’s not much to unfold but it still has everything that you want from a good drama. There might be things here and there that people might feel unnecessary, some may find clichés, some might find it boring but as for me I really enjoyed it. It has that perfect chemistry between characters and slow-burn romance so if you are a fan of it, this one’s for you. I’d rate this drama 3/5 stars because I did enjoy it and loved the characters, and acting but I probably still won’t watch it the second time also there are a number of things that could have been done better. Still, I’d recommend you to watch this drama at least once cuz’ it’s worth it.