Reply 1997 (2012)

One. of. the. BEST. I. HAVE. EVER. WATCHED.

Before watching this, I would consider a drama on how good it is based on how addicted I was, but even if I wasn't super addicted to Answer Me 1997(maybe part of it is that I didn't watch it while it was airing so I wasn't left hanging every week), everything in the drama was full of meaning and everything just fit together perfectly.

I applaud the writer and director for making such a work of art altogether, I must say.

This drama was different from others, in the aspect that it wasn't the typical cliff hanger every episode and there wasn't really a FIXED storyline, if you know what I mean. It was the story-telling of two first loves that succeeded and their growth together. From high school to adulthood, it was just lovely seeing all the characters grow.

It was full of sweet moments and what I like about this drama is that there isn't some annoying, cockblocking antagonist that was only put there to have a base conflict. The conflict in the drama was more personal, realistic, and relatable which made this drama just seem more "real" I guess. Even if I wasn't into kpop in that time exactly, I still felt the nostalgia and warm fuzzy feeling when they play a 90's or early 2000's song in the background. This drama always got me all emotional all the time haha. The writing was also amazing and even I learned a few lessons watching this drama :)

THE CAST AND ACTING WAS PERFECT. Everyone was so natural and even if Shiwon was a delusional fan girl, I still loved her character. Yoon jae was just sooo.. soo.. dreamy at times. You can see his emotions through his eyes and his intense gaze that's only for Shiwon. When he cries I just cry with him, because it seems so genuine and the pain is visible through his crying. Again, I loved the fact that there was no crazy ass villain in the drama.

The music they played seemed to fit so well with every scene and even if j didn't even know some(most) of the 90's Korean songs I still felt nostalgic. I'm currently looking for all the songs used in this drama because it's that good.

I would highly recommend this drama to anyone who is a sucker for sweet and 'fuzzy' love stories as well as people who are just looking for a drama that's not too heavy. This will take you down memory lane as the beepers and cell phones with antennas are re-introduced. I mean, who DOESN'T love the feeling of nostalgia? Well this drama will definitely give you that feeling.


I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS DRAMA!

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Unique, hilarious and oh-so-refreshing.

That's the best way to describe this sitcom. I have to say though, after reading the synopsis and hearing there would be constant flashbacks in this story my expectations weren't too high but after completing it, I can finally say that it genuinely blew me away.

Let me start by saying the flashbacks were never annoying and I realized after a couple of episodes that I thoroughly enjoyed them and they were essentially the entire backbone of the story. There was just SO MUCH going on in this sitcom. It truly has every little good bit of every good drama I've seen. It's fun. It's witty....and a bit insane (lol). But don't let those crazy/slapstick comedy moments fool you. There is so much more to this story than that. It's a sitcom about the strength (and craziness) of family, the unbreakable bond between friends and the courage it takes to take a chance at love. I felt like each scene of this sitcom was a piece of a puzzle and as the story progressed the pieces that once seemed to never fit together, finally combine to make a simplistic yet beautiful picture of how an average family and an average group of friends handle both the expected and unexpected moments in life. The small moments the characters shared with each other created the biggest impact on me. I found those sweet and simple scenes to be the most captivating moments of the entire story.

The cast behind this sitcom is the absolute best. Really. You can't get much better than this. Every single one them managed to create their own story in their own unique, quirky way and it just worked. I laughed, I loved and I cried for all their troubles and woes. They made it seem so easy, pulling off the Busan dialect, acting like crazy loons and yet it all felt so real and genuine. As if I was watching a documentary about the lives of these people in Busan and not some Korean sitcom. The fact that it was so relate-able to so many generations of youths is another plus. You cannot go through this sitcom without ever saying the words, "Dude, I'm just like that!" or "Omg...I know someone who does the same thing!" It's just so relate-able and I think that's what makes this thing so popular. Yoon Hae and Shi Won's young, naive, and crazy love has truly left a deep impression on me. Seo In Guk was FANTASTIC in his role as Yoon Jae and not to go too much into the deep end here, but this guy really knows how to put emotion behind his words. He's angsty, passionate and not to mention hilarious (much like the rest of his crazy friends) and the best thing about it is that it NEVER gets too cheesy or overbearing. Eunji also blew me away with her acting skills. She truly is wise beyond her.... what is this....19 years?! She's only 19?! No way. I would never have guessed, with her flawless acting. One other thing to note here about the characters: THOSE PARENTS! In most drama/sitcoms I have a tendency to overlook these insignificant people, but Shi Won's parents were just so gosh darn lovable! The constant curses and arguing were just so entertaining to me. Some might find this a bit over the top, but I like the way the writers stuck to their gut with these characters and weren't afraid to make them loud and proud. They were such a hoot and I will continue to love them forever! :3

Ah, the music. Well, if you're the type to get so caught up in the story like I was, you most likely won't notice, BUT the music is just fantastic! As a sitcom with many flashbacks to the 90's, it is only appropriate to put in music from the 90's. YES, THAT'S RIGHT! Throwback songs from the 90's! Ah, how I wish I could go back to those times~

This also seems like the first show I've come across in a while, that I wouldn't mind coming back to again. It's just that good! I have a feeling I'll be missing this show and it's characters fairly soon. I don't think I'll see another drama/sitcom as genius and entertaining as this for a while. So it worth a re-watch? Uhhh...HECK YES! :D

Wow. This is by far one of the longest reviews I've written so far (which should tell you something about this sitcom *wink wink hint hint nudge nudge*). So if you've made it this far, I thank you for bearing with me. *highfive* :) This is the point where I should exit outta here with something fun, I guess....hmmmm.

*sheep baaahha* :D

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