Summary
Despite ending four years ago,True Beauty’s legacy lives on in a new time-travelK-drama. Based on the popular webtoon by Yaongyi,True Beautyhas become anessential K-drama to watchthanks to its heartfelt story that is masterfully presented through humor, romance, and quirkiness.Lim Ju-kyung’s (Moon Ga-young) quest to become “pretty” seems shallow at first, yet delving into the reasons behind her desperate desire to change her appearance makesTrue Beautymuch more than a Cinderella story and one that deftly tackles adolescence, bullying, and romance with ease.
K-dramas' recent growth in popularity has seen many live beyond just one season. Just this year alone,Squid Gameseason 2will finally be coming to Netflix, as willSon of Netflix Song Kang’sSweet Home, which returns for season 3. Spin-offs are also becoming popular, withStrong Girl Bong-soon’s world revived in last year’sStrong Girl Nam-soonandHospital Playlist’s spin-off series expected to come sometime next year. ThoughTrue Beautyseason 2doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon,this new time-travel K-drama bringsTrue Beauty’s vibrant world to life in a whole new way.
Lovely Runner Is The Perfect K-Drama If You Liked True Beauty
They’re Both Heartfelt And Charming K-dramas
Lovely Runneris a charming yet bittersweet K-drama with many similarities toTrue Beauty, except it has a time travel twist.Lovely Runnerfocuses on the story of aspiring movie producer and K-pop superfan Im Sol (Kim Hye-yoon) as she travels back in time to save her favorite K-pop idol, Ryu Sun-jae (Byeon Woo-seok), from death. At first glance,Lovely Runner’s premise seems like fan fiction. However, much likeTrue Beauty,Lovely Runnerdefies expectationsby providing a story that is full of laughter and heart.
ThoughTrue Beauty’s Lim Ju-kyung andLovely Runner’s Im Sol are at very different points in their lives, with Lim Ju-kyung being a high-school student and Im Sol a woman in her thirties, their very similar attitudes glueTrue BeautyandLovely Runner. Both characters' unrelenting optimism is the core of their respective K-dramas. Although their clumsy approaches often lead them into similarly hilarious situations, they always mean well. Their struggles hang over them like a dark cloud, but they never let them define them, making their battles to change their futures more and more heartwarming.
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.
Every Connection Between Lovely Runner & True Beauty
The Two K-dramas Have More Than One Connection
Though they are very similar K-dramas, there also are many direct connections that linkTrue BeautyandLovely Runnertogether. The most obvious connection comes from the writer Lee Si-eun.True BeautyandLovely RunnerareK-dramas based on webtoons, andLee Si-eun wrote both of their on-screen adaptations, withLovely RunnerbeingTrue Beauty’s direct follow-up. With this in mind, it’s hard not to see how tonally similar they are due to the infusion of Lee Si-eun’s writing talents. However, it’s also great to see Lee’s development asLovely Runner’s emotions run much deeper thanTrue Beauty.
Kim Hye-yoon is the driving force ofLovely Runneras she stars as the show’s female lead.
Secondly,Lovely RunnerandTrue Beautyboth star Kim Hye-yoon. Kim Hye-yoon is the driving force ofLovely Runneras she stars as the show’s female lead, Im Sol, whose desire to save her favorite K-pop idol is the entire reason for the story’s inaction. However, Kim Hye-yoon’s appearance inTrue Beautyis minute as she reprises her role fromExtraordinary Youin a short cameo in episode 4. This is a lovely nod to the hitfantasy K-dramathat rewards eager K-drama fans whilst connectingLovely RunnerandTrue Beautywith the wildExtraordinary Youuniverse.
Speaking of cameos, twoTrue Beautycameos inLovely Runnercement the connection between the two shows even further. The first comes from Kim Min-ki, who played Lim Ju-kyung’s mischievous younger brother Im Ju-young inTrue Beauty. He makes a brief cameo in episode 13 ofLovely Runneras the arrogant actor, Park Do-jun. Next, is the appearance of Lee Woo-je. Lee’s appearance inLovely Runneras Sun-jae’s friend Cho-rong is absolutely hysterical, but he also played a character called Cho-rong inTrue Beauty, further solidifying the connection between the two K-dramas.
How Lovely Runner Is Different From True Beauty
They Have Very Different Messages
Though there are many connections betweenLovely RunnerandTrue Beauty,they explore K-pop’s effect on artists and fans in opposite ways.Lovely Runnerfocuses on the fans, as Im Sol treats Ryu Sun-jae as a beacon of hope after she is paralyzed in a car accident. This upliftsLovely Runner’s story as Sol desperately tries to save the person who kept her alive. Alternatively,True Beauty’s focus on the artists creates a source of conflict and criticism. The death of Lee Su-ho (Cha Eun-woo) and Han Seo-jun (Hwang In-youp)’s friend destroys their friendship while criticizing the effect scandals can have on young artists.
10 Best K-dramas Like Lovely Runner
From time travel revenge thrillers to nostalgic sports melodramas, here are some of the best K-dramas to watch after finishing Lovely Runner.
Lovely RunnerandTrue Beautyalso have very different core messages that greatly impact their stories. Firstly,True Beautyis a story that focuses heavily on bullyingand the pressures that beauty standards can have on young people. This is particularly seen through the character of Lim Ju-kyung, who uses makeup to hide her natural appearance due to the heavy bullying she received at her old school. On the other hand,Lovely Runnerasks what would happen if you could change your fate, as Im Sol chooses to navigate the past to change both her and idol Ryu Sun-jae’s future.
True Beauty’s Ju-kyung’s change in attitude makes her future seem much less daunting as she finally embraces her natural beauty.
The way Ju-kyung and Sol attempt to overcome their issues exemplifiesLovely RunnerandTrue Beauty’s key messages. Im Sol’s quest is outwardly very literal, yet she has to overcome some of the biggest traumas in her past instead of running away from them. On the other hand, Ju-kyung’s change in the high-schoolK-dramaattitude makes her future seem much less daunting as she finally embraces her natural beauty and enacts change as her true self, not as what she thinks people want her to be. Though their messages differ,True BeautyandLovely Runner’s similar approaches make them the perfect pairing.
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.
