U-Next Japan Declares Lovely Runner the Most Popular K-drama Streamed in the First Half of 2024

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• Starting off with 'hahaha' has never been more perfect. I laughed too, at those anti- LR.

• I just finished binging this drama in 3 days and it was PERFECT! The romance, humour and stake just hit alll the right spot for me. I could watch another few episodes of SJ and Sol's life together :3

• Both QOT and LR are popular enough to not care about their popularity and to be happy for actor's success.
  I still can't understand why people need to compare them and to check which drama more popular one. Is this a competition or what?

  • right?! We should be celebrating that kdramas have still got it, especially in this time when MBC/KBS/SBS have slashed their drama time slots, two tvN dramas doing well and capturing buzz - one of them with tvN's highest ratings of all time, the other getting buzz domestically and internationally despite having no big name writer or stars - means dramas will survive at least on cable. Instead, idiots on both sides have turned it into a 'competition' when they weren't even in the same time slot?

    • Even some of the cast have turned it into a competition. Recently the director lamented lovely runner ratings and mentioned qot then the other day you had the lady that plays the Fl's mum on a talk show mention KSH, Jiwon and qot out of nowhere comparing dating rumours, really odd.

    • @Royal We
      Completely agree with you.

  • Because people don't have any accomplishment in real life so they live vicariously through their faves and think the success of their faves and their dramas is theirs too. They need validation that their faves/fave drama is successful so they can feel successful too lol.

    Many of my fave dramas have low ratings. Do I care? I absolutely don't. I like what I like, I don't care what the general opinion about it is lol

    • @Seodalmi
      Sadly I'm agree with you in first and positively agree in second.

  • @Kalfeezy I love the actress who played mom in LR. She’s got great energy and played so many mom roles, sometimes I get confused on which drama I’m watching when she’s “mom”. 😂 I think the hosts of the show you’re referring to asked her about working with KJW in Liberation Notes. It didn’t seem like she was comparing for the sake of competing.

    • She talked about constantly getting asked if KHY and BWS are dating, and randomly mentioned the drama that competed being qot and doubting ksh and kjw had such rumours. Ofcourse, people would ask her about BWS and KHY since she worked with them.

  • @Royal We
    Completely agree with you.

  • I personally liked LR and did not care much for QoT but both are super popular in their own ways.
    The fan wars are fueled to some degree by the aggressive marketing by BWS's agency. No actor has been spared - from oldies like BYJ to KDW to KSH, LMH and even CEW. I find this kind of traffic marketing off putting personally.

    • I don't know if BWS's agency has something to do with this, but fans of both dramas actively do this from first episodes to even now, then both dramas ended. And many of them international k-drama fans.
      Even here people often comparing their popularity and trying to push down one or other drama. I somehow doubt agency has responsibility for this, most likely people themselves love to do fanwars, because they can't stand a thought that their fave not one and only on pedestal.

    • Looks like BWS's agency did dome media play for him, but I didn't notice media play towards drama itself.
      To be honest, I think some other agencies better repeat their strategy than let their actor's popularity to go in vain. Many people criticised (me as well) BWS's constantly comparison with other actors, but at least he wasn't forgotten after the end of LR

    • Regarding his agency - BWS's acting, looks and age are all very ambiguous. IMO the agency should have been moderate if they are serious about long term career as an actor. He is being promoted as an idol actor and has co-opted character's personality as his own. Personality sales always always backfire.

      He has a massive airport controversy going on right now and issue has spread to non entertainment communities. I even saw a report on JoongAng Ilbo. Agency was too high on something. They should sincerely apologize and course correct.

• incredibly happy for the love that Lovely Runner continues to get. it's such a great drama made with a lot of heart and care. i truly hope this success takes bws, khy, and lee sieun, the writer, to bigger and better things.

  • True all except that creepy director, I can't believe I liked him when I watched bts. I'm especially excited and curious on what KHY will pick next, I know BWS will go the romcom route. I also hope KHY doesn't do that drama with Joy.

    • I read some rumors that KHY is reviewing a movie offer. I also hope she declines the drama with Joy.

      Whale star has also started casting. It's being led by Hur Jin-ho so this one will be an ambitious one but my personal wish!

• Makes perfect sense LR is a hit due to the winning combination of DIRECTOR + SCRIPT + CAST+ OST. When K-pop idols are singing that catchy “Run, Run” OST and rival broadcast station
  getting on board too, it makes the drama even more popular. LOL

• Yh these two drama's fans are moving like kpop fans, so embarrassing just completely different drama's, just loser behavior.

• Yay for Lovely Runner! It really is the little drama that could 🥳🥳🥳

  I have noticed on SM it gets a lot of Japanese comments. KHY is having her first Japanese fanmeeting in a few weeks which will be really nice for the J-fans!😊

• Considering that Lovely Runner is not on Netflix or Disney but a small local platform in Japan, this is indeed impressive.

  • Not to dismiss LR’s popularity, but U-Next Japan is not going to name a show on Netflix or Disney, which most of the popular kdramas are on.

    • TVing surpassed their subscribers and beat Netflix in South Korea for the first time during Lovely Runner and thanks to it. CJENM execs said so and were overjoyed. LoveRun was number 1 in 133 countries. Heck even Extraordinary You went back to charting in top 10 in SEA countries during its run. Yes, Netflix boasts better reach then Viki and Viu in general but that didn't stop LoveRun from reaching viewers worldwide. There's a reason Netflix social media was posting Kim Hye Yoon and Byeon Woo Seok on their socials for the entire run of LoveRun like the one that got away. They knew they messed up. Its okay to admit Lovely Runner is massively popular online. Yes, it wasn't projected to be but it did it fair and square.

• I watched both of them and if I had to pick one over the other it would have to be LR. I couldn’t stand all tha crying on QOT. The most annoying thing I ever saw in a K Drama. Neither one can top Crash Landing on You. That had everything, comedy, romance, suspense, you name it. And the acting was superb. I wish they would do season 2.

  • I, on the other hand, think CLOY is overrated. I found it predictable.

  • CLOY is way better than these two dramas. I agreed. I couldn't stand the intended comedy and all the predictable tropes in QoT that I quit. LR had great chemistry between the OTP but that's it. I fast forwarded many parts of the school romance but finally finished LR.

• UNext named Queen of Tears the second most popular kdrama after Lovely Runner. So obviously included

  • That's Japan Filmarks not UNext. Sorry.