Run On (실행)
No Running From Run On
Run On gives us a look into the world of sports & entertainment in Korea. The acceptance of bullying within the sports world starts off this series. Although its not your usual bullying story and it doesn’t take too much time before we are directed to the real focus on the series which is genuine and honest relationships and communication. The characters and the dialogue completely sold this series for me.
Ki Seon-Gyeom is a popular sprinter on the National Track Team while Oh Mi-Joo is a translator who is hired to translate for Seon-Gyeom during one of his public events. They are the first characters we are introduced to before we get to meet the secondary characters who are just as blunt and charming.
Seo Dan-A is a female chaebol who is a CEO of a sports agency who falls in love with a painting created by Lee Yeong-Hwa who is a university art student. Her love for the message of the painting slowly develops into a love for the artist.
I really enjoyed this series because of the realistic characters, intense yet subtle dialogue and the human interactions. It is refreshing to watch a series that isn’t cliché. You will become invested in the growth of the characters, especially Seon-Gyeom & Dan-Ah.
Seon Gyeom is awkward and adorably innocent. At times Mi-Joo makes references to him growing up before her eyes. He becomes more rebellious and starts to speak up for himself the more he falls in love with Mi-Joo. The opposite was Mi-Joo who was the most confident, outspoken and stable character throughout the series. Yeong-Hwa was charming and sweet. He was very different from what Dan-Ah was used to so falling in love with him seemed natural and honest.
Run On is a fresh diversion from the oversaturation of over-the-top dramatic Korean shows that I have watched over this last year. I really enjoyed that there was never a love triangle. You knew who the couples were. I also loved the banter of Mi-Joo and Dan-Ah which turned into a very endearing and begrudging friendship.
The acting throughout the series was really good but there was one actor that kept me entertained. Sooyoung (Dan-Ah) made me into a fan. Her performance was amazing. She made me laugh at how unaware, direct, and honest she was. She fought against allowing the “peasants” into her life throughout the whole series and in the end she becomes closest to those very “peasants.” She doesn’t play the usual chaebol (rich) character for me. She made this type of character her own and I love that.
I really enjoyed this series and have re-watched it 4X. It stays on Tammy’s Watchlist.
Ultimately what kept me interested in Run On was the dialogue and the development of the relationships. Both seemed very genuine and honest. The scenes were well-acted. These actors showcased their characters without leading to them being boring, cliché or pretentious.
If you are looking for a kdrama with the normal cringeworthy dramatics, then Run On isn’t for you. “Run On” gave me the feelings of watching a critically acclaimed American drama on a critically acclaimed network like HBO or Showtime. LOL…..
If you watch this series, give it time, pay attention to the dialogue and you will slowly find yourself anticipating the next episode and binge-watching all 16 episodes in one go.
For these very reasons I have listed, my rating for Run On is……….
Rating = 🍿🍿🍿🍿.25 of 5🍿
Production Company: JTBC Studios, MAYS Entertainment, Zium Content
Starring: Si-wan Yim, Shin Se-Kyung, Sooyoung Choi
Seasons: 1
Episodes 16. Run Time: 70+min
Where To Watch: Netflix
Official Soundtrack
Curated Playlist
