Summary
Lovely Runnermay have come to an end, but there are many K-dramas that are just as good. DuringLovely Runner’s release, it becameQueen of Tears’ perfect replacementas its sincere tale defied a seemingly shallow concept andhooked fans with its nostalgic atmosphere and the chemistry of leading actorsKim Hye-yoon and Byeon Woo-seok. ThoughLovely Runneralmost didn’t happen, its delayed production thankfully paid off with resounding success.
Time travel, romance, and comedy may have been heavily explored in the K-drama world, yet that does not makeLovely Runnerfeel stale. In fact,Lovely Runnerleans into these genres just enoughwhile also feeling like a fresh take. The result is a heartwarming tale that is full of reminiscence and music that is not hard to fall in love with. Now withLovely Runner’sfinalefinally having aired, here are a few of the best K-dramas that, in one way or another, capture something great aboutLovely Runner.
Lovely Runner
Cast
Lovely Runner is a TV series that follows the story of a young athlete who rises to fame in the world of track and field. As the protagonist navigates the highs and lows of competitive sports, the series explores themes of perseverance, sacrifice, and personal growth.
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10True Beauty (2020)
Available on Viki and Apple TV
True Beautyis a romantic comedy that deals with the impact of bullying on the leading character, Lim Ju-kyung (Moon Ga-young). Ju-kyung’s appearance made her a target for bullies who thought she was ugly, so when she moves to a new school,Ju-kyung learns the power of self-maintenance and make-upand sees her fortunes change for the better. However, she remains fearful that if people discover her natural charms she would get bullied again.
Lovely Runnerhas several connections toTrue Beauty, but the most significant is that they are written by the same writer, Lee Si-eun. As a result,True Beautyhas a very similar charm toLovely Runner. The leading characters are both bright and deeply lovable and their fears for the worst are completely understandable due to their past (or future in Im Sol’s case). The K-dramas are effortlessly funny and easily binge-able, makingTrue Beautya natural next watch afterLovely Runnerhas ended.
Kim Hye-yoon also makes a cameo appearance inTrue Beautyas herExtraordinary Youcharacter, Eun Dan-oh, in episode 4.
True Beauty
True Beauty is a South Korean television series based on the Line Webtoon of the same name. The show follows high school student Im Ju-kyung, portrayed by Moon Ga-young, who masters the art of makeup to overcome her insecurities about her appearance. Cha Eun-woo and Hwang In-yeop star as her romantic interests. The series delves into themes of self-esteem, beauty standards, and the impact of outward appearance on personal identity.
9While You Were Sleeping (2017)
Available on Kocowa
WhileLovely Runnerfocuses on changing the past to benefit the future,While You Were Sleepingdoes the opposite. Nam Hong-joo (Bae Suzy) can see the deaths of others in her dreams and actively works to prevent them, although she does not know when they will happen. What unfolds next is a story thatmeshes together romance, mystery, thriller, and comedy elementsto create a K-drama that is incredibly profound.
While You Were Sleepingis a very well-cast K-drama, with Bae Suzy and Lee Jong-suk showcasing their full acting talents as the two leads amid a well-written concept and beautiful cinematography. Written by the same writer as the K-dramaPinocchio,While You Were Sleepingis full of plot twists that keeps the audience guessing.Though the youthful nostalgia that popularizedLovely Runnerisn’t a key theme in this K-drama,While You Were Sleepingis aperfect pick for those wanting to delve into an opposite concept.
While You Were Sleeping
In this fantasy drama series, a young woman and two men are burdened with prophetic dreams that reveal future events. Together, they strive to prevent the impending misfortunes they foresee, encountering challenges as they navigate the boundaries between destiny and choice.
8Extraordinary You (2019)
Available on Viki
Before she starred as Im Sol inLovely Runner, Kim Hye-yoon’s first leading role was as Eun Dan-oh inExtraordinary You.Extraordinary Youis aK-drama based on the webtoonJuly Found By Chance and sees Eun Dan-oh quickly discovers thatshe is not the main character in the storybut rather a supporting character in a comic book about someone else. This leads her to take action into her own hands and change her story for the better, though there are consequences to her actions.
Though time travel does not play a part inExtraordinary You, it still delves into thefantasy romance K-dramagenre as Eun Dan-oh’s story soon navigates between multiple comic book universes. However, the biggest similarity between the two K-dramas is that they are both stories about the leading characters trying to change their fate by any means possible.Extraordinary Youis the perfectLovely Runnerfollow-upand is a must-watch for Kim Hye-yoon fans.
Extraordinary You
Eun Dan-oh, a high school student, makes the shocking discovery that she is a character in a comic book, with her life and destiny controlled by the unseen author. Determined to break free from her scripted existence, she teams up with Number 13, a mysterious classmate who shares her awareness of their situation. Together, they embark on a quest to rewrite their fates, challenging the boundaries of their fictional world and confronting the emotional complexities of seeking autonomy in a predetermined reality.
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7Our Beloved Summer (2021)
Available on Netflix
One thingLovely Runnerdoes best is invoke a sense of nostalgia while mirroring that with the future.Our Beloved Summeris another great K-drama that excels at this.Our Beloved Summerrevisits Kook Yeon-soo (Kim Da-mi) and Choi Ung (Choi Woo-shik) after the documentary they filmed together in high school gained popularity. However, they cannot stand one another. What follows is a greatenemies-to-lovers K-dramathatuses the past to help the main characters reconnect in the future.
The flashbacks to their school days and their cat-and-mouse relationship is effortlessly entertaining.
Our Beloved Summer’s non-chronological timeline is used to its full potential as hints of Yeon-soo and Ung’s past and future are peppered together to answer questions as they appear throughout the K-drama. The flashbacks to their school days and their cat-and-mouse relationship is effortlessly entertaining, whilethe breakdown of their relationship makes their present actions make sensein hindsight. This coming-of-age K-drama has a great soundtrack, cast, and concept and is a great next watch for those looking for a more emotional follow-up toLovely Runner.
618 Again (2017)
Available on Prime Video
18 Againis inspired by the 2009 Hollywood movie17 Again, starring Zac Efron and Matthew Perry, andkeeps the upbeat tone and message of the original. 37-year-old Hong Dae-young (Yoon Sang-hyun) turns into an 18-year-old after regretting his life choices but keeps his 37-year-old mentality. He changes his name to Ko Woo-young (Lee Do-hyun) and sees life from a new perspective as he enrolls at the same high school as his children.
What makes18 Againstand out ishow it builds on the original movie to make it more than just a remake. Characters from the original are given more depth and even redemption as the longer screentime allows18 Againto delve further into the themes17 Againbegan to explore. LikeLovely Runner,18 Againshows a deep appreciation for the smaller things in life by giving the leading characters a second chance to change their fate and value in their past to change their future.
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5Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo (2016)
Available on Disney+, Viki and Kocowa
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joois an endearing sports K-drama that depicts the hopes of several university students aiming to lift their sporting careers to new heights while navigating the highs and lows of young adult life. The titular character Kim Bok-joo (Lee Sung-kyung) is a weightlifting prodigy with Olympic hopes, but her newfound feelings of love get in the way of the career she as been working hard to create.Lee Sung-kyung’s performance as Bok-joo is magneticas she makes Bok-joo’s quirks loveable in one of her most iconic performances to date.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joomay play into cliché, but itdoes not make it any less profound. Just like Ryu Sun-jae’s sporting career inLovely Runner, Bok-joo reaches a point of no return which breaks the usually upbeat Bok-joo’s spirit in a way that she, nor those around her, have experienced before. Yet, her genuine relationships with her best friends Lee Seon-ok (Lee Joo-young) and Jung Nan-hee (Cho Hye-jung) and childhood classmate Jung Joon-hyung (Nam Joo-hyuk) makeWeightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-jooone of thebest K-dramas of all time.
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo
Inspired by the life of an Olympic weightlifting champion, this series follows the coming-of-age story of Kim Bok-joo, a young athlete discovering her path in weightlifting and love. As she pursues her dreams, she struggles with the everyday trials of sports training and young love.
4Marry My Husband (2024)
K-dramas in 2024have already made a strong impression with shows such asParasyte: The GreyandQueen of Tearsquickly cementing their names as some of the best K-dramas of the year so far. Another highlight on the 2024 K-drama calendar isMarry My Husband. The story focuses on Kang Ji-won (Park Min-young) as she travels back in time after being killed by her husband following his affair with her best friend.Marry My Husbandgripped audiences through its unique twiston the popularrevenge K-dramaconcept and incredible performances by its leading cast.
Each twist and turn in Ji-won’s revenge plot drivesMarry My Husbandin a completely new direction.
Marry My Husbandtakes a much darker tone thanLovely Runnerbut it still has moments of light-hearted comedy and romance that balance out the story. Each twist and turn in Ji-won’s revenge plot drivesMarry My Husbandin a completely new direction, making itperfect for binge-watching in one sitting. ThoughMarry My Husband’s story may delve into absurdity from time to time, the outstanding performance from the now disgraced actress Song Ha-yoon alongside the rest of the cast allowsMarry My Husbandto shine in an over-saturated genre.
3Twenty-Five Twenty-One (2022)
Twenty-Five Twenty-Oneis another coming-of-age K-drama that focuses on the dreams of sporting hopefuls, this time in the realm of fencing. Na Hee-do (Kim Tae-ri) is a fencing prodigy who idolizes fencing superstar Ko Yu-rim (Kim Ji-yeon) and eventually moves to the same high school as her idol due to her school’s fencing team disbanding. At the same time, Na Hee-do meets reporter Baek Yi-jin and they soon become very close.Twenty-Five Twenty-Onedelves deep into love and friendshipduring a pivotal time in the leading characters' lives in a story full of love, loss, and hope.
ThoughTwenty-Five Twenty-One’s ending is divisive, it is easily one of the best K-dramas of recent years. Kim Tae-ri’s limitless energy as Na Hee-do is always entertaining to watch and the growth of her character alongside Ko Yu-rim is as incredible to watch as it is devastating. Similarly, watching Hee-do and Yi-jin’s relationship build is beautiful yet full of intrigue asTwenty-Five Twenty-One’s non-chronical storyline poses many unanswered questions.Twenty-Five Twenty-Onemakes the present seem bittersweet in comparison to the past, yet its nostalgic view of Hee-do’s youth gives it the same appeal as the nostalgia-infusedLovely Runner.
Twenty-Five Twenty-One
Twenty-Five Twenty-One is a South Korean television series directed by Jung Ji-hyun. Set amidst the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the series follows the lives of a fencer and a reporter as they navigate love and ambition. Starring Kim Tae-ri and Nam Joo-hyuk, the show delves into themes of resilience and growth as the characters strive to achieve their dreams in a time of uncertainty.
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2A Time Called You (2023)
A Time Called Youis based on the Taiwanese dramaSomeday or One Dayandshares a lot of thematic similarities withLovely Runner. LikeLovely Runner,A Time Called Youis atime travel K-dramawith a grippingly unpredictable storyline that invokes a sweet sense of nostalgia. Here, Han Jun-hee (Jeon Yeo-been) travels back to 1998 as high school student Kwon Min-ju and soon comes across a classmate who looks strikingly like her dead boyfriend (Ahn Hyo-seop).
A Time Called You’s mix of fantasy, romance, and mystery makes for a compelling story that is bound to excite fans ofLovely Runner. Jeon Yeo-been and Ahn Hyo-seop have excellent chemistry anddrive the romance K-dramas twists and turns forward with ease. ThoughA Time Called You’s bittersweet nature differs greatly fromLovely Runneroverall optimistic approach, it’s a great alternative for those looking for something to satisfy their need for a time-travel love story.
A Time Called You
Based on the Taiwanese TV series Someday or One Day, A Time Called You is a South Korean romantic fantasy drama that centers around a young woman named Koo Yeon-jun, grieving her boyfriend’s passing. Koo Yeon-jun’s life is thrown for a loop when she wakes up in the 1990s - in an eighteen-year-old girl’s body named Min-ju. As she tries to solve the mystery and return home to her original body, her life is complicated further when she meets a young man who looks identical to her former lover.
1Twinkling Watermelon (2023)
Twinkling Watermelonmixes time travel and music in a compelling story about youth and overcoming obstacles that is on par with the rom-com feeling that manyLovely Runnerfans have come to love. High school student Ha Eun-gyeol (Ryeoun) is a talented musician and CODA who finds himself traveling back to 1995 and forming a band called Watermelon Sugar alongside the teenage version of his father. What transpires isa captivating tale of family, friendship, dreams, and musicthat dips between laughter and tears with ease.
The different relationship dynamics inTwinkling Watermelonalongside the various revelations that come to light make this time-travel K-drama absolutely exhilarating.
Much likeLovely Runner,it is hard not to get entirely engrossedin the world ofTwinkling Watermelon. The characters feel well-rounded and have great chemistry with one another. Plus, the different relationship dynamics inTwinkling Watermelonalongside the various revelations that come to light make this time-travel K-drama absolutely exhilarating. Though the ending of the K-drama may not have lived up to the rest of the series,Twinkling Watermelonis still one of the best K-dramas to watch afterLovely Runner.
