Reply 1988 is hilarious, heartfelt, and bittersweet
Five families, parents and kids, go about their dynamic lives within a neighbourhood set in late 80's Seoul. While navigating their lives and youth, a 'mysterious' romance is blooming among our female leads and her childhood friends. Despite not being glamorous or full of suspense, it's a coming-of-age story focusing on family and community with lots of memorable and emotional moments.Well, it’s an amazing drama to experience; from mother's friendship, community power, youths finding identities, parents coping with their children leaving home, first love, unrequited love to all the trials and tribulations that we've all gone through. Each episode has a life lesson for everyone.
The production is top-notch! The camera is incredibly playful and shows lots of unique angle. The show is teaching me patience to get into the story. The quiet moments are actually storytelling at its’ finest; They're showing what I need to know and not telling, building up a strong foundation towards a climax. So when it reaches the climax, I really got sink in that emotional arc. The choice of retro OSTs were wisely done. I didn't understand the lyrics but they give me all the nostalgia.
That said, the show can also feel so long, some people might not finish because of the lengthy episodes. But if you get invested with the quirky & real characters, you're going to love this drama. It’s beautifully acted with gentle humour and a coming-of-age story with a big focus on family.
PS: If you’re watching this, avoid googling to avoid spoilers!^^
===== SPOILERY PART=====
Of all the characters, my favourite character was Bora. Some of her moments with her father, especially the ones in the final episodes were so damn relatable to me. I cried so much and cried again upon my rewatches of their heart-warming, at the same time heart-breaking scenes. Also, I like Deok Sun's character, she is incredibly happy and I want to have a friend like her. Now talking about the love triangle between her and Jung Hwan and Taek, I thought they were both really compelling in separate ways like they both are amazing and neither one is better than the other. That's how I appreciate this love triangle. Of course, as the viewer I try to figure out who she will end up marrying and I think it was quite predictable once we reach the obvious foreshadowing scene midway. I was just a bit conflicted because the character of her future husband is nothing like his character in his youth. I read that this choice was deliberate as the writer changed the stories while it was airing, but still, I wasn't completely satisfied because I feel they kind of wrecked his adult character.
My complaints were mostly in the late part of the series, the time jump when the group of friends grew up and were busy with their day-to-day job feels too mundane. The parents are really pushed to the wayside and their conversations are not that interesting to me, but the vast majority of the screen time is devoted to them. I got bored and had the urge to skip ahead a few times on this part. I also am kind of disappointed as the families left their neighborhood just like that. There is no urgency that forces them to leave and had moved out from that street and we didn't need to see the neighborhood gets abandoned.
Finally, the final scene didn't have an uplifting feeling. The final voiceover gave the impression to me that it was really idolizing youth and this makes me feel sad growing up, like oh, I'm old now. While I know that's not true as life goes on and I can experience wonderful moments as an adult, that feeling of never being able to experience youth again felt bitter. I don't like it when it's put on the finale, I prefer that they cut the show without showing all of these.
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This review may contain spoilers
I watched the first episode and wasn't super into it and put it on hold. After hearing out some of my MDL friends, I decided to give it another go and was really glad I did. Since there is a large cast and a lot of different relationship dynamics, it takes a few episodes to get everything sorted. If you're not initially wowed by the first episode, give it a couple episodes to really get going. That being said, I'm starting to really enjoy Slice of Life way more than I expected. Usually I'm really into dramas for the RomCom moments to lighten my day, but the family relationships and friendships that these dramas showcase make me feel all warm and tingly. Story: I really enjoyed the plot of this drama. Even though I'm too young for it to be nostalgic, I still got that sense of nostalgia for an older, pre-technology time if that makes any sense. The one thing I didn't love was the love triangle. I guess I've been watching fewer and fewer (serious) love triangles lately, so this hit a little different. Also, I guess I saw a bit of myself in Jung-Hwan, so maybe that's a good message for the future. Even though I love the ML and FL together, I also really liked the second male lead. Regardless, we can find a little bit of happiness that he also got a happy ending, seeing that the actors are actually dating irl. I wish we could have seen more of the ML and FL at the end. Like what about telling their family? How did that go?
Acting/Cast: 10/10 across the board. I've never really watched Park Bo Gum all the way through. Man, I've been missing out! His acting is fantastic. The way he can make his eyes tear up I mean damn boi. Also, Lee Hye Ri's expressions are EVERYTHING. That sort of comedic acting is hard to do well and I truly think she succeeded. Regardless, the rest of the cast did fantastic as well. All the old ajummas and ajusshis; like all of the real moms and dads of dramaland.
Music: How could you not bop/sing along?????
Rewatch value: High! Since a lot of the drama is episodic, it's not hard to jump back in.
TLDR; a great show, like so many I watched this year. I'm excited to watch more of Bo Gum's work and I got a little bit of second male lead angst this time around.
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All the casts were damn good and close to the hearts, everyone felt like families to me.
The show brought me back to my memories when i was young and reckless and having crush on every single boys back then like Duk Soon.
Wonderful stories revolving the lives of the teenagers and i felt like i literally grew up with them.
The parents were awesome and every single household held their own great story.
The love they had for each other and the slow brew of love blossoms was just nice and not draggy. I wish this drama was longer so i can enjoy more.
A great drama thats worth rewatching over and over again and still cry over the touching storyline here and then. Thumb up!
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Why did this thing end ? i miss them already.
Everything in this drama is perfect for me !
A great combination of romance , comedy ,family , friendship acted by an outstanding cast.
I am emotionally attached to each and every character in this drama.
OST(s) were all awesome!
No villains , No headache , Very heartwarming.
Best slice of life drama from the ones that i've watched.
SALUTE to all the people who worked on it.
I really wanted to write a good long review on this drama but can't think of words to describe this masterpiece seriously.
Worth the 20 episodes.
In my opinion this was the best out of the reply series.
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You will love the cast, the 5 best friends and their respective families. You'll love the neighborhood so much that you'd feel you were a part of it. With a string of romance that will get you on your toes, what more can you ask for from a feel good drama.
Being set in the 80s, you'll feel nostalgic even when you weren't even alive back then - that's how amazing they stitched music, costume, setting and everything!
This is a series that did something to me that any other dramas haven't - make me shocked at the plot twists that i really had to leave the room and regain my composure.
I just finished watching it and I want to watch it again, but I don't want to get too sad. They really felt like a part of my family.
Watch this, you won't regret it!!!!!
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This drama did not meet my expectations because it went beyond that. It did beautifully exceed what I anticipated.
Remember how this drama will touch your heart. Will it touch your heart barely? Will it touch your heart quite often? Or will it touch you every single episodes. Because it caught my heart every minute. And probably that's how I would relate my rate for this awesome drama. Maybe it would be the same as you. I realized that I should not judge the drama by its ending instead I should judge it on how it conveyed me from the very beginning.
This drama will forever in my heart. My first favorite drama of 2016.
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This drama takes you to the 80's of Korea and even if the culture is far from yours you'll end up with this weird feeling. It makes you feel like you were actually born then and everything feels familiar.
The strong bond of the family members between each other, the strong bond of the neighbourhood friends and the strong bond of the neighbours brings a warm feeling into your heart.
Every now and then releasing a reply series just brings freshness to the drama scene, the whole "guess who the husband is going to be" was well done in this series as well.
I think what makes people love the drama even more is really because of the bonding, these days we lack interaction between friends, neighbours and sometimes even family. I personally grew up somewhere in the time where social media was not part of the daily programme, and this drama showed a time where the family would gather around a tv together under one blanket just to watch something.
A must see for everyone who loves to get sucked in a time and place far from where you come from.
Acting was superb, story line was outstanding and the fact that one episode lasted an hour and half to an hour and 50 minutes was one of my biggest joys xD
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The acting is absolutely phenomenal, particularly by the adults. The music is so nostalgic, even though I'm not someone who grew up in Korea in the late 80s. The storytelling is gripping and makes your heart heavy. Even though this series follows the trope of wondering who the lead will end up, the story is hardly focused on the romantic relationship of the leads more than the family/friend relationships. I really appreciate the family/friend aspects portrayed.
You really need to have a deeper mind to appreciate this show. If you get easily bored, would rather watch action or a rom-com, then I don't think you'll have the mental capacity to appreciate this show. Its subtlety and nuance makes it so beautiful.
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This review may contain spoilers
Lee Woo Jung's masterpiece
This is the best drama I've ever watched. It's amazingly beautiful, everyone should watch this masterpiece. The duet formed by PD Shin Won Ho and writer Lee Woo Jung is the best. They are genius!I absolutely loved EVERY SINGLE character, they are all so well written. Every time we think we know them, we realise we were wrong. The friendships between the characters (the teenagers but also the parents, the ajhumma gang, etc) were so funny, realistic, beautiful. Reply 1988 series doesn't only focus on friendship, it also deal with love and most of all family love. I adored every moments between the siblings in every family (Bo-ra and Deok Sun, Jong Bong and Jung Hwan). The relation children-parents were so well depicted (I cried so much during Bo-ra's wedding, or during Mi-ran surprised party organised by Jung-Hwan). I could talk about each character for so long but I must stop. About the romance, every couple was great. I must say I knew since the beginning who were the husband (I was spoiled a long time ago). But I must admit that I'm really happy about the ending and who the husband is, even if my heart is broken for Jung Hwan (he's such an angel, but Taek was braver that's why he deserves Deok-Sun better).
I cried, I laughed, smiled, or was afraid or disappointed for the character. I felt so many emotions while watching this drama. It's such an heartwarming and realistic drama and that's why it is so good.
The soundtrack was perfection, every song was so good ! The acting was gorgeous.
To say goodbye to Ssangmundong neighbourhood is so difficult but every good thing has to end one day.
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Amazing? yes amazing!!
I've watched all the reply series but i must say this one was on a totally different level from the others.
I loved the fact that the main focus was not just on the love triangle or "who the husband is" but also on the side characters (were there any ? Everyone had their own spotlight.) and family, friends, about growing up and every other thing that one experiences in life. Nothing seemed forced or boring(even thou the episodes are long) time seemed to pass away so quickly.
Loved each and every character present in this drama from the teenagers to parents and every character and episode touched my heart. By the way Park Bo Gum was way too cute and Ryu Jun Yoel was way too smart and sexy. Want to take both of them with me!
Talking about love triangle. I didn't care about it that much. I mean of course i wanted to know who the husband is badly but never got frustrated about the secret thing. if she would have end up with the other person in the triangle i would have been equally happy but in the end i was satisfied of her choice as' he' really did deserve her.
Music? didn't i tell you everything was perfect. Music only alleviated my emotions. . Always fit for the situation.
And ya i do have regrets but it doesn't affects my love for this series. Those are just small things that i personally wanted to see 'cause i'm still craving for more.
Even thou the series was great but there were points that were a bit dissapointing in the end. It was like the ending could have been better.
For rewatch value i cannot go through such long episodes and feel such complicated emotions again plus im not good in rewatching stuffs but i wont stop watching this with my siblings or make them watch this series.
In the end, a must watch! I bet you'll seriously enjoy this amazing roller coaster ride of all types of emotions and crave for more and more (If you like a pure slice of life drama and root for the correct guy- but it didn't matter to me- i liked both of them)
ENJOY!!!!
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Honestly, this drama is every bit as good as the reviews say it is, if not better. Every single actor from the youngest to oldest, totally shone. I laughed more than I can remember laughing for a long time, and I had tears running down my face at other times. There was not a single moment of boredom, even in the quieter scenes, because it is so well written, produced and acted. And the ost just adds the cherry on top. I can even forgive that my own choice of ship for Doek Sun lost out!
The most devastating part for me was the end because I loved every single character so much I felt I was losing friends.
I can't recommend this highly enough, and am actually half way through watching it again, and its making me laugh and cry just as much.
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In comparison I did really like 1997, but was not a fan of 1994. In either regard this one passed them both in spades for me. Even though I had it spoiled for me who the husband was before I started watching, it didn't take away from it at all. I compliment the writer for being much more progressive in that manner. 1997 it was obvious who the husband was. 1994 was less obvious, but they still heavily skewed it toward who it was. This one didn't feel obvious at all until the later episodes, and they even skewed it away.
The writer said that they wanted the audience to focus more on the family/friends aspect rather than the whole guess the husband thing, and that makes sense given the last episode doesn't give much focus to it. Which I am fine with, even though it's a slight disappointment that we at least didn't get a scene of them telling their families about their relationship, and would like to have seen the overall reaction from everyone. Oh well, doesn't take away enough for me to lower my score on this, as I just completely fell in love with this show. This show practically portrays every theme you can think of when it comes to family and friendship, and does so in such moving ways.
As for the acting, everyone was great. Hyeri did a fantastic job, along with everyone else. I don't have a single complaint about any of them.
This is my 92nd completed K-drama, and only my second perfect 10 score. It will definitely be hard for me to stop thinking about this one for a while.
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