From its cast to the interesting twist in the storyline, "Lovely Runner" is the K-drama fans' latest drama obsession. Some even claimed that the adaptation is better than the webtoon!
Do you agree?
'Lovely Runner' Attracts More International Viewers Despite Low Ratings in Korea
With the strong buzz and expanding popularity of tvN's "Lovely Runner," attention is also turning to its original web novel "The Best of Tomorrow," penned by Kim Ppang.
Despite the moderate viewership ratings of 3.4 percent, Nielsen Korea reported that the drama competes in buzz with high-rated series like "Queen of Tears," which recently boasted ratings of 21.6 percent.
Combining genres like time-slip, youth, fantasy, and rom-com, "Lovely Runner" immediately caught the public, primarily the younger audience. Given that it is released on OTT platforms, to which a huge number of viewers are subscribed.
Even though it received a modest viewership score in the traditional TV ratings, it still managed to generate a buzz comparable to mainstream hits.
'Lovely Runner' Drama More Appealing Than the Web Novel?
"Lovely Runner" drama adaptation has taken different creative liberties from the webtoon.
While the novel focuses on Im Sol's despair following the sudden passing of her favorite idol, leading her to time travel to change his fate, the series introduces various key changes and added elements to enhance the narrative.
Thanks to these changes and additional details, the drama became more interesting to watch, making the viewers glued to their screens every time new episodes were released.
In particular, Im Sol's character in the novel does not suffer from paralysis. Consequently, according to a source, there is no plot involving a tragic accident or Ryu Sun Jae saving her from such an event.
Furthermore, Ryu Sun Jae (Byeon Woo Seok) and Im Sol (Kim Hye Yoon) are not neighbors in the webtoon, which means scenes where the male protagonist delivers packages to the female protagonist's home or falls for her at first sight, are uniquely made by the drama's creatives to make it more appealing to the audience.
Writer Adds New Elements in 'Lovely Runner' Drama Version
Lee Si Eun, following her adaptation of "True Beauty," she once again added a first-love narrative to the main characters, intensifying the romance allure of the series. Moreover, Kim Tae Seong's (Song Geon Hee) character does not really exist in the webtoon.
In the series, Ryu Sun Jae is portrayed not just as a swimmer and Eclipse's vocalist, but also as a successful actor, diverging from the novel who joined a group and struggled with malicious comments.
Also, Sun Jae's cause of death in 2023 is different; in the webtoon, he accidentally overdosed, while the drama has yet to reveal the real reasons.
As the adaptation continues to win the viewers' hearts, it was also revealed that the drama has changed the timeline; whereas Im Sol time travels when she was 18, in the series her current age is 34, with both characters being 23 in the webtoon's present time.
These brilliant changes and added elements, although disappointed some fans of the original webtoon, have been lauded in the "Lovely Runner" drama adaptation as it introduced a distinct charm that has positively influenced its critical reception.
The drama version not only captivated viewers but also ignited discussion about the transformation involved in the webtoon to the screen adaptation.
What can you say about the "Lovely Runner" drama adaptation? Share your thoughts/replies in the comments!
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Shai San Miguel wrote this.
