Na Direção do Amor (2020)

Amazing story that says "no thanks" to cliches by being truly realistic and relatable.

I waited to watch this drama because I wanted it to be close to ending so I could binge it-- and a couple days ago when I started I just couldn't stop.

Apart from the fact that the characters are ACTUALLY relatable and do not lack common sense, there is a very explicit gender role reversal situation going on. Toxic masculinity? Not in our male leads and support characters! They are all incredibly sweet and when it's the case, they compliment the female characters they are with beautifully.

Have you ever caught yourself going "UGH WHY DID YOU DO THAT YOU COULD'VE JUST TOLD THEM HOW YOU FELT" to the screen when watching a kdrama? You will not have that problem with Run On. The characters communicate with each other very well, even when sometimes they have difficulties expressing their emotions properly or may need some time to think things through. And in that vein, the conflicts characters have feel real and you can always understand their decisions even if you wish things were different at the time.

And one very important thing: there are no love triangles, and the drama is infinitely better because of it. I have been watching so many dramas with annoying love triangles that feel utterly pointless, and watching this one cemented my feelings on the fact that love triangles are a nuisance that overstayed its welcome. You can have conflict and compelling relationships without them, and Run On is the perfect example of it.

I can't wait to see what the writer of this drama comes up with next-- because this was an incredible journey.

Leia Mais

A Cinematic Journey To Love...

When it comes to writing love stories, romance dramas often tend to blow out relationships heavily into cliche territory; the female or male lead is head over heels for their significant other, jealousy spins around their love interest approaching (respectfully) other men and women, and an onslaught of dramatic misunderstandings occur as a consequence.

When you decide to sit down and watch “ Run-On” for the first time, it may strike viewers as unusual to come across several prominent, atypical features within our leads and their relationships; the most evident being that our female heroine and translator Oh Mi Joo (Shin Se Kyung) and our male lead athlete Ki Seon Geom ( Im Shi Wan) are intrinsically written as individuals, rather than the typical “ unit” approach taken in most romantic dramas.

Shin Se Kyung is brilliant within her role as our fairly down-to-earth female lead Oh Mi-Joo; a talented and hardworking translator with a difficult childhood , Mi-Joo alongside her best friend Park Mae Yi ( Lee Bong Ryun) , is more focused on her career and struggling to pay the bills than anything else.Contrastingly, Ki Seon Geom ( again, brilliantly played by Im Shi Wan) comes from a wealthy family, has a successful career as an athlete, however, he is quite simply fed up from others using him, his money and status as a social climbing ladder as episodes progress. By a whim of fate, the two individuals from opposite walks of life end up meeting and gradually developing a relationship. However, this is also where the series hits its biggest snag as well.

The “ opposites attract” cliche is one of the most infamous storyline usages in romantic dramas, yet when it came to Run-On, one of the notable elements of a storyline intrinsically based on this cliche seemed to feel unexpectedly lacklustre. By default, it shouldn’t have done; Mi-Joo and Seon- Geom were well-rounded individuals with intriguing backstories , storylines and striking similarities as characters, yet, principally rather than playing out their similarities, the show seemed to ride too heavily upon their differences which often resulted in their relationship feelings fairly indifferent for viewers .

One reason behind this can be explained by Mi-Jo and Seo Geom’s relationship progression over the course of the series. Despite their differences, Mi-Joo had many similar impacts of her past like Seon-Geom, however, neither character really tried to reach out, to talk or bond over this matter either.This should have helped to bring our couple together more throughout the drama, however, this would have only been possible if the storyline had more of an arching development for our characters, (due to little sense of climatic building),strong pacing or intrinsic development over a course of sixteen episodes.

Alongside our main couple, the drama attempts also to introduce the romantic pairing between slightly naive art student Lee Young Hwa ( Kang Tae Oh) and the cynical young CEO of a talent agency company, Seo Dan Ah ( Choi Soo Young). Before commenting upon their relationship, it is fairly striking that Dan Ah has numerous deep and likeable qualities as a character ( despite her sometimes “ overly abrupt” personality); she isn’t written off as a figure of female animosity nor as the “ antagonist”, but rather an individual hiding deep secrets, a naturally hardworking businesswoman and who is the type that struggles to reach out to others both emotionally and socially ( often leading to both comical and sad misunderstandings).

Against all odds, the relationship between the pair was arguably more appealing to audiences than our main couple at times. This is intrinsically due to the fact that Young Hwa and Dan Ah are truly the epitome of different within their backgrounds, moralities and even personality types, yet are still able to develop and bond due to their similarities( particularly their admiration of art). On the other hand, their relationship will still notably lacking in depth; a consequence of several plot inconsistencies, tropes as well as the series possibly running out of time to not truly captivate “ life imitating art” to the fullest.

Overall whilst Run-On was an intrinsically sweet romance drama which had several surprisingly well-written characters, an appropriate ending , humour and touched upon several notable realistic issues including homosexuality, illness, mental health and family, notable relationship portrayals , development , plot holes and of course an overall didactic purpose for the show, felt both lacklustre and lacking in the grand scheme of things.

Leia Mais

Lot of potential but ultimately never lived up to its expectations.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the drama is terrible or anything. It has its moments when it shines bright but at the same time, it's too far and few between. One of the highlights is undoubtedly the female lead. She had a lot of charm and sass to her character that it was refreshing to see. It's her character that brings the most interesting and refreshing dialogues in the entire show. The story was reasonably well-paced and give enough screen time for each and every character instead of focussing only on the main leads. The relationship between the main leads was definitely another one of the highlights as well..
And that's where my positives end.

Even though I listed so many positives it was a frustrating experience.
I have seen many reviews raving the main lead for being such a gentleman and such a refreshing character, I mean I get it where the praise comes from but at the same time, the character never had any personality. He's one of the blankest slate a character can be, so ultimately the viewers can ultimately project themselves or anyone else. This is lazy writing more than anything else.
Without going into too many spoilers, let's just say they introduce a character who is gay and never fleshes his character out and just uses him to create a conflict that ultimately does not even affect the story in an impactful way.
The second couple's story is generic and something we have seen a million times. The characters have good chemistry but the story was just basic and by the books. This is something that I have seen a lot lately if the story of the main leads is somewhat different or modern, they introduce a secondary couple with the most cliche story to satisfy a certain section of fans. I can understand why they do it because ultimately the success of the drama depends on how many audiences watch it. I don't consider it as a huge negative but I'm just stating facts for what it is...
The acting was ok overall wasn't impressed with the mail leads performance but was not hugely disappointed either.

Ultimately my frustration arises from the fact that all the negatives I mentioned above were easily avoidable if the screenplay was written a little better.

Leia Mais

Its good to watch if you are tried.

I feel like it is similar to dramas like "Chocolate" and "when the weather is fine" except I enjoyed those more tbh. However, this drama is really cute and all the couples' stories where very beautiful. My favourite one was defs the couple with the FL's roommate and that other person. I also enjoyed how they portrayed the reality of unrequited love. But, the story is not ground breaking, and i feel like although the character development of the main lead was great , the story felt slightly empty. I might be brainless maybe that's why I kept getting confused by the conversations of the 2 leads. I just feel they tried to make them abnormal to the point it felt dull. But, I really did enjoy the story of the main leads and their motivations for their careers. In total I would never re-watch this, it was interesting enough for me.

Leia Mais

"Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up." - Oh Mi Joo

This type of drama is hard to find. Every episode leaves you wanting more. The interactions between the characters feel real, every conversation makes the characters more human. Something that caught my eye from the beginning was how all the characters were introduced. As Yook Ji Woo (Seon Gyeom mom) introduces her next work she says "Its one of those love stories were one can be a nutjob (Seon Gyeom), a loser( Mi Joo), a psychopath (Dan Ah), and a piece of trash( Young Hwa) or someone's first love"
Up until now, it has no big misunderstanding, no over the top evil or annoying characters. Ki Seon Gyeom and Oh Mi Joo talk things out they leave no room for a misunderstanding to happen. One of the scenes that really surprised me was in the scene at the end of episode 7 and the beginning of 8, following a typical kdrama that was a perfect scene to make the leads fight or have a misunderstanding but our female lead doesn't walk away angry or crying instead she tells the dad that she knows her place because she has been there many times and takes the male lead with her. The way our second couple interacts is also fascinating, I cant wait to see how their story progresses.

This week's episodes really blew my mind (11 & 12), Dan Ah really blew my mind during these two episodes and what can I say about Young Hwa what he did was totally unexpected.
The breakup scene of Mi Joo and Seon Gyeom was really well written, he didn't invade her space, although it seems they really didn't break up. This is one of the first breakups that didn't get me mad because I understood how Mi Joo was feeling and so did Seo Gyeom and he gave her space to communicate how she felt.

Now that we are so close to the end, ill share my honest opinion. Up until now, there has been no toxic relationships or characters. Every character has a "job", they are all there for a purpose. Something I loved and I'm sure I've mentioned before is that the writer didn't rely on the typical cliches, they took a story and made it interesting without the need for absurd drama. While watching other shows, and I'm sure a lot of you will agree, sometimes I get frustrated at the choices some of the characters make since they seem to make no sense but up until now haven't felt any frustration. All the decisions seem to be appropriate and they are all realistic. I also like that they didn't do a love triangle, nor add annoying people who are more obsessed than in love with the leads. Instead, they too 4 characters and made a unique story for them without creating any rivalries between them, which is also seen in a lot of dramas where there is 4 main lead, and in the beginning, they create a love triangle to later pair them off with the extra lead.

In the case of this drama, both father figures seem to suck, and at first, I thought the mother was going to be a problem too, but she ended up being laid back. I really liked what she said, "My life isn't yours, I worked really hard to get where I am...I am the star of my life"

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING:
Mi Joo-"We will probably never fully understand each other, right?"
Seon Gyeom- "Yes... We're different after all."
Mi Joo- "You have your world and I have mine, but we could align our worlds next to each other, couldn't we? So let's not be disappointed in each other. That's impossible to do. Instead, we'll stick to whatever is possible."

This last episode had bittersweet moments but it all got wrapped up nicely. Not everyone has the same definition of what a "Happy Ending" is supposed to look like, it's up to us to choose our happy ending. It's sad that after such a long time this phenomenal drama came to an end. Learn how to love yourself. and learn to love others.

This drama has everything, bromance, womance, a smooth storyline. You won't regret giving it a try.

Leia Mais

Aesthetically pleasing and simply heartwarming that it feels like you're reading a poem.

I started watching this drama with no expectation because I'm not familiar with the actors. Moreover the previous Shin Se Kyung's dramas I've watched weren't my cup of tea.

I don't know how I ended up clicking this drama but after I watched the first two episodes I was totally hooked. Honestly, the plot is not really new and the characters themselves are obviously fictional but surprisingly this drama is so well written and nicely executed, so it still successfully gives you realistic feeling that you can relate to its story.

One of the most interesting parts about this drama is its range. I really like how diversed and woke the story is by including many aspects in life from love, friendship, family, career, gender, sexuality, environment, art, sport and many more. Although they bring up alot of issues, they still manage to keep its pace consistent and it doesn't go all over the place.

Another thing that I like about this drama is the meaningful conversation between main leads. Yes, this drama contains a lot of talking. However I don't feel bored at all. I like how honest, beautiful and pure the conversations are, even when they talk about ordinary things. They really put a lot of depth in their conversations.

You also don't have to worry about the angst because this is a lighthearted drama. So, despite its poetic vibes, you still can have many laughs. The humour itself is not exaggerated but it's right in its portion which I like it.

How about the casts? There are four main leads in this drama and I love all of them. Each one of them is unique in their own way.

1. Ki Sun Gyeom - He's so pure, selfless and innocent. I don't think this kind of person exist in real life but still I can't help falling in love with his character. Im Shi Wan portrays this role really really well.

2. Oh Mi Joo - She is probably the most realistic character in this drama but that's maybe also because I can relate the most to her character. I love how independent and straightforward she is. She's adorable!

3. Seo Dan Ah - She's a badass character here. She's a strong, an independent and a confident business woman. She is interesting.

4. Lee Young Hwa - I think he is the weakest among the main leads but he's still likable especially when he's with Seo Dan Ah and Ki Sun Gyeom.

That's all I can say about the characters. I think it's better for you to observe by yourself.

Overall this drama is really interesting and well executed. Each of episode keeps getting better and better. If you like a lighthearted and heartwarming drama, I really recommend you to watch this.

Leia Mais

I want to be one of those that was completely in love with this show. I really do... but ,half the time this show had me warning to rip my hair out. And we KNOW how I feel about stuff that makes me feel this way. Lol

While I'm in no way shape or form saying this show was bad or terrible, it was actually quite good. I just had more issues with is than I would have liked. Such as, who was the main character? No. Really. Who was it? There are 4 people labeled as main characters, which would make sense.... if they were always... there? I guess? I wish I knew how to explain this part. Lol It's confusing but hell, I'm confused. This was the first kind of show I have ever watched that told two storylines at the exact same time. Which I guess makes sense because they all knew each other but half the time some of the main characters were nowhere to be seen. Mostly Ki Seon‑gyeom (Im Siwan) and if you see the show, you know exactly what I mean. I honestly thought he was a supporting cast member through a lot of episodes.

Can we talk about the characters though? Mostly Dan-ah? I literally hate this woman. From episode one, I hated the character so much I wanted to scream but I held on because I'm like... surely she won't be like this the whole time. Surely NONE of them will still be the same through the WHOLE thing. I was wrong. I think MAYBE in the last two episodes there were brief moments where she was nice and acted like she had a heart. But to me, that wasn't enough. I don't think you get to be a bitch to everyone in every episode and expect everything to be okay after you're nice to them for 2 seconds in the last two episodes. Naw. So was her character redeemed? Hell no. Not to me at least. Was I happy about what she did to her brother? Dude all he wanted through this WHOLE show was to just be her brother. That's it. But she had to be a bitch to him through it all then the last episode be like "eh"-- are you kidding me? That shit hurt. I think people who aren't a step-sibling have no idea how much that hurts. And let's not forget her "I pretended to be gay to avoid getting married" ... this... this is why people still ASSUME "oh it's just a phase" and people are never taken serious when they come out. So no. I hate her. So fucking MUCH! I actually might hate her more than Jung-Do, and that's saying something.. cuz he was a straight up bastard. That's all the time I'll wasted talking about that dung pile.

I didn't like the ending. I mean I did, but I didn't. You have all this drama through the whole show, so many problems, even with side characters and with the last episode it's like a bandaid was just slapped on everything to make it "better" -- when it wasn't. I expected growth. I expected bonding. I expected a lot more than what was given. I also didn't like that there were side characters that "seemed" to have important roles, yet... never showed up again and if they did, I didn't remember their names.... at all. Yep. You heard me. I don't remember any of the side characters except the kid that was bullied and I don't even remember his name. SMH. I hate when shows do that.

Would I tell you to not watch this? No way. I hope you watch it! I want everyone to watch it. It was a good show... even if it did drive me nuts half the time. Lol and it wasn't all bad. I know that's all my review has talked about so much but ... there was a lot of good too. I liked how the mom finally stepped up. I freaking ADORED Tae Woong. Lol he was so adorable. I really would love to see a side story about him. I liked how Young Hwa finally stopped letting his heart get stepped on -- even though I'm still confused about how they ended up. I did like how Seon-Gyeom and Mi-Joo worked out though. That was worth it all on it's own.

Leia Mais

IT TAUGHT ME ABOUT SELF-LOVE WHICH IS VERY IMPORTANT!! THANKS RUN ON

Unfortunately, the journey with Run On has ended. But I know I can binge-watch it again :)

This was the best drama that I ever watched in my 2 years of kdrama life. This is my first review for a drama; so, you can guess how much I liked it.

The story the dialogues everything was perfect. Most importantly it taught us about self-love which is very important. Whatever I thought from the previews came out to be completely different. This drama was not cliché at all. This for me was the first drama in which I liked both the couples equally.
Gyeomi was a couple which mostly dealt with a lot of emotions and Danhwa was a couple which really brought smiles to our faces. The iconic birthday party scene which I am sure no one can forget.

Not just the main characters the side characters also helped to really bring out the happy side of the show. This show would have been nothing without- Young Hwa’s homie, Dan Ah’ brother and manager, Mi Joo’s sister like friend May and Seon Gyeom’s sister Eun Bi. These people helped in keeping the show alive.

I am not a picky person but sometimes I just get tired of dramas where I can predict the story and this was just the drama that I needed at the time. I was watching another drama on kissasian but I found it in recommendations I just thought about giving it a try and here I am. I even left the other drama I was watching.

Now for the remarks:
Story- Perfect
OST- Perfect (can never forget)
Acting- My first drama of SSK I know many people don’t like her acting but here she became one of my favorites. First drama of ISW as well and he also became my favorites along with SY and KTO and of course all the side characters.
Rewatch Value- Would definitely watch it again whenever I feel empty and want something to refresh my mind.

Last but not least not to forget I will definitely miss this drama; but I can watch it again. The thing I will miss the most is the COMMENT SECTION of this drama. It was a really peaceful place where everyone shares their views and talked about it. We together predicted the story out of the previews. I WILL TOTALLY MISS IT. I JUST HOPE IT STILL STAYS ALIVE EVEN AFTER THIS DRAMA ENDS.

I recommend this drama to everyone who doesn’t know about self-love and who doesn’t want a cliché plot:)
THANK YOU TO THE WHOLE TEAM OF RUN ON (though they can’t read it)

Leia Mais

to be frank, i dived in this drama full force when i saw the feeds raving about im si wan. what a surprise it was for me to have my whole heart whipped not just for im si wan but for the whole cast and the characters they portray.

you may wonder if this is just another cheesy romance with some love triangle thrown in. well.... it's not. you have much more in store as you are presented with characters working their way around in life.

you have a female lead that values her self more but not in a selfish sense. she is a character that went through tough times and knows her worth. she is not whiny or overboard but she stands up for herself. the male lead is a sight to see as you see him go against his horrible father, wholeheartedly helps his friend from getting bullied and supports him in his recovery and full on knows what's right and what's wrong. two individuals who have different way of living and when together, they are the best duo you can find. this couple is straightforward and doesn't go round in circles about how they feel. when shit hits the fan, they actually talk about it.

the second couple is just as refreshing. sure... seo dan ah may seem too much at first. with how messed up her family situation was and having the mentality that nice things don't last long, we see her debating on her relationship with yeong hwa. her longing for liking something is overshadowed by her strong personality. yeong hwa is perfect for her as he may seem outgoing and fun but when pushed to the limits, he can be stubborn.

what i particularly like in this drama is how chill this feels. you have seon gyeom's dad being a whole ass prick but then you see the main leads have pure love for each other so everything is right in the world again. the chemistry of every single character in this drama is hella amazing. heck, even dan oh and mi joo have amazing chemistry together. it's almost like watching a square relationship but it's peaceful and not overwhelming.

i appreciate the gay character of yeong hwa's friend. it's good that they're opening a conversation. seeing seo dan oh apologise and the bromance with yeong hwa not broken had me clapping all the way. i also appreciate the asexual character that is mi joo's friend. such representations says a lot and i'm happy they're done well.

what else did i like?
-the amazing ost
-badass female characters
-the movie bits
-the cinematography
-aesthetics

overall, this is a drama that i treasure with its refreshing characters and hilarious moments. the ending itself was nicely wrapped up (besides the trashy dad) and it goes to show that everyone involved in this put a lot of effort. i hope to see more kdramas done in such a way.

Leia Mais

Good Enough

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.

Leia Mais

A Wholesome Drama But Nothing Happens?

Quick Overall Summary
Run On is a drama that does well to be wholesome and fluffy, but nothing really happens with the story and characters. This slice of life drama is good for light watching and not thinking too much about the plot or story. The drama is great for sessions where you simply switch off and just watch, but it has its shares of good and bad. Excellent OSTs though!

Quick Story/Plot
The Male Lead just recently lost his job as a national athlete and is wondering what to do with life. The Female Lead just happens to come into the Male Lead's life? The CEO is the boss of a sports agency (ex-agency of the ML) and likes her brand and people not to waste her time. The art student is just a go-happy dude. Then a whole bunch of talking about life... (I have watched to the end and still don't even know what the plot is about. Like is the ML trying a new job and all the other characters are there to support him?)

Quick Acting/Cast/Characters
- Not sure why the ML is portrayed/written this way, but he is often awkward and says stuff that don't match the situation. A conversation could be like, Q:"Hey, were you waiting for me?", A: "I can run 9 seconds". I don't understand the writer's direction for the ML.
- The Female Lead is a movie translator who loves guns, alcohol and movies. Honestly, we the audience knows more about her likes and as a character than any other character in the drama. She loves her work as a movie translator.
- The CEO is a straightforward person who says things exactly on her mind and doesn't reflect back on what she said (She is sensitive to what others think about her). She is not a bad person, but often agitates people with what she says. Soo Young played the character well.
- The art student. I honestly, don't understand and get this character. I am unable to explain why he is even in this story. The CEO and art student couple makes no sense to me (how are they even a couple in this story???), but they are cute in how they bicker with each other.
- Have to mention the Assembleyman father. He is emotionally abusive and two-faced. On the outside he is the 'family man', but he is emotionally manipulative towards his family members.

Music/OSTs
Great music and OSTs in this drama. All great to listen to and unique. One reason I stuck with the drama to the end is the music. Music makes alot of the scenes much better.

Rewatch Value
A single walkthrough is enough.

Why my current rating (7.5)
Drama is great to watch after a long day and watching the interactions of the main couple. The joy of watching them trying to be happy and building upon their relationship is fun to watch. However often, I have question marks pinging with the side couple story and the plot of the story, where I am constantly saying; where is this taking me/ why is this happening? The drama frequently jumps to different locations just for the sake of it and shows off its production value (I guess). Also the abusive father and rest of the family, I don't get their purpose. There is a lot of product placement.

Leia Mais

Boring

I started watching this drama because of the 2 leads. I loved Shin Se kyung in Rookie historian so I was happy to see her in a modern peace.
But the whole story was boring, the lead actors had no passion nor any chemistry whatsoever (despite both leads having really a nice potential for passion).
I felt nothing watching them grow. Yim Siwan is a cutie but his character didn’t strike a cord. His character is basically a teenager who’s completely lost and thankfully lands on Oh Mi Joo who’s going to mother him and help him grow...
the second leads were more interesting to me because, although they are bickering most of the time they looked alive.
This show terribly lacked of life and passion. It’s a pity for a show about life your life to the full dispute the many curve balls life can throw at you.

Leia Mais