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The story is cute, the chemistry is right but it drags soooooo much and the side stories gets annoying at one point.
If you're in for a family drama then go for it. But if you're in for some romance then look elsewhere. The main love story of the actual main leads is like 0.5% of the drama (I'm not exaggerating) the romance between the parents takes more screen time!
I admit, it's an incredibly cute 0.5%, but the lack of screen time is depressing as hell!
The cast are funny and lovely, but again, this drama could've done extremely well as a regular 16 eps drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
Resolution leaves something to be desired
I have two review versions.Reply 1988 is
like a Michael Jackson song
like the youth you never had
like the youth you had
like a warm blanket
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There is not a lot that hasn’t been said about Reply 1988. That’s why rather than trying to simply rehash what others have written before I want to focus my attention on the love triangle, its resolution, on the last episodes and the ways in which they might be lacking.
It seems to me that there is some fluff during the last episodes and uncharacteristically the focus shifts from Deok Sun to Bo-ra, and from the young to the older generation. My theory for this is that Jung Hwan made up a huge amount of the drama, and when they finish the love triangle story arch with episode 18 it changes the dynamic very much.
Deok Sun and Taek, despite being really sweet together, have no real romantic chemistry and the moment Jung Hwan leaves the triangle their romance plot falls flat on its face. The writer/producers might have seen that and tried to stuff the episodes with other people's issues which is honestly fine, but it nevertheless leaves something to be desired. You can argue that even the writer/producers have not enough confidence in the Deok Sun/Taek storyline from the moment the love triangle is over to give them a proper ending. So did they make a mistake in choosing Taek over Jung Hwan?
I am sure Taek was supposed to be the one from the start, something many people in #teamJungHwan are doubting who say they switched the one Deok Sun ends up with midway. I don’t think that. But what couldn't and can't be accounted for, what nobody could anticipate, is the real-life chemistry between the actors on set, something that develops during filming, the chemistry which surely favores Jung Hwan over Taek. The other point is simply what an actor makes out of a role, and clearly Ryu Joon Yeol is an outstanding actor who gives depth and complexity to this character and is immensely charismatic. Everything he does is simply unmissable. This, too couldn’t be foreseen. Equally, Park Bo Gum is a terrific actor with a delicacy that is quite rare in Korean dramas.
Jung Hwan is notably absent form large portions of the last episodes, but so are Deok Sun and Taek. Basically the makers seemed to go out of their way to leave Jung Hwan out of the plot, and whenever he wasn't around something was lacking. Reply 1988 being based on a real story means Jung Hwan's ending originally was different (he was supposed to die in a plane crash, being a fighter pilot), which luckily they changed. They could've changed it even more and changed Taek's role too, if they wanted to.
Both the chemistry and acting point toward Jung Hwan's role having a bigger ending than somehow fizzling out. But be that as it may, crucially, the makers seemed to also not have been very confident about the main couple, so they circumvented putting more time and effort into their storyline by embroidering other's. This goes above and beyond of the mechanisms of Second Lead Syndrome where it might be calculated that viewers favor the second lead getting the girl because it spices things up. There is a weird vacuum because these miscalculations are not properly addressed. There is no solution to the plot being somehow anticlimactic, but I am kind of glad they didn't add insult to injury by making up a happy-go-lucky ending for Jung Hwan.
Not having romantic or sexual chemistry is one thing but the writing has Deok Sun/Taek's relationship as more of a child/caretaker or sibling one. Taek maybe needs a mother or noona more than a girlfriend, and I don't think it's desirable to couple a young woman with a young man who is unable to "tie his own show laces" because she is so good at caring for him.
Of course the equally valid point can be made, and has been made, that no woman would want a man who continuously treats her badly and calls her ugly and stupid because he can not deal with his own feelings. He consistently chooses a negative, petty, mean approach, to protect himself from hurt, or because he is somewhat of an asshole. There is no good explanation why he can not even be different when he is alone: He wishes for Taek to be a jerk which would be bad for her too, and he secretly enjoys the fact that Sun Woo doesn’t like Deok Sun back. He resorts to negative thoughts and wants nobody else to have her instead of wishing the best for her.
Some people say Jung Hwan doesn't deserve her, yes, but the way he behaves until the end is a writing decision. Others say Jung Hwan is stronger and can deal with losing Deok Sun, but it would hurt Taek, maybe send him into even worse drug problems, which he would never recover from. While this is an intriguing point I don't think Taek should be coddled the way he always was coddled, well into his adulthood, just because he is supposedly weaker. Jung Hwan might be able to get over Deok Sun but to say he has to because he can deal with it is kind of cruel. The way he tends to bottle up his emotions is no sign of strength and I would have loved to see him open up and be vulnerable for once.
Of course, Jung Hwan as emotionally unavailable, distant love interest with an equally huge amount of meanspirited quips as well as wordless galantries is the kind of guy women easily fall for. He seems like a mixture of a Tsundere with a Kuudere type character. Mean, harsh, jealous, vengeful, unemotional, guarded who has a huge amount of belligerent sexual tension with Deok Sun. But the extent to which I would argue this is abused here makes Jung Hwan seem like a cheap plot device. He is good enough to provide heartfluttering moments, raise the tension and keep the love triangle alive but not good enough to be developed into something more. He deserves better.
Maybe, just maybe, this is not a bad plot device, and not bad writing, maybe this is intentional and what I am just writing proves just how great Jung Hwan is written and played, and just how they have succeeded in breaking our hearts. And the heartbreak, sorrow, even trauma wouldn't have happened if it were any other way.
With motherhood being such a huge part of Korean culture and even of this drama, I can see why the writers don't have a huge problem with choosing a partner who is essentially child-like in many ways, who needs mothering, and have this be a fundamental part of their relationship. I think it romanticizes motherhood and leaves Deuk Sun with the short end of the stick. From a Western perspective at least it seems strange, if not icky, to show marriage largely as one taking care of the other. From this perspective a romantic relationship is about two people meeting at eye level, not one looking down on the other. Maybe the flaw lies in the writing and Taek/Deuk Sun is never shown to evolve into a more equal kind of relationship. Taek has his moments and is mature in different ways, but he always stays a needy child in others. To be fair, Jung Hwan equally is never shown to fully evolve into someone who treats Deuk Sun well. So you have someone who looks down on her or someone who looks up to her, and of course you would want the latter for your female lead character.
You can complain that Deok Sun has been forced into a caretaking role just because it is her nature, which is unfair. You can also look at it from another angle - Deok Sun is simply a stronger person. She can take care of Taek and be a grounding influence on him just because she is smart, pragmatic, realistic, tough and mentally strong. This makes her not stuck in an antiquated role but, quite the opposite, a very modern heroine.
Jung Hwan hurts himself as well as Deok Sun by pushing her away, hesitating, ruminating and giving major mixed signals. Taek never once deliberately hurts her. That in and of itself should be enough to give Taek the upper hand. But it also makes Jung Hwan so much more interesting, because you can never forget the people who hurt you and there will always be lingering questions like 'why....' and 'what if....?'.
There is a scene when Dong Ryung asks Deok Sun whom she likes more, Taek or him, and without hesitation she says Taek. But when he asks whom she likes more between Jung Hwan and Sun Woo, she answers evasively. This seems to mirror Taek's/Jung Hwan's feelings. I always felt that Deok Sun loves Taek, and isn't afraid to express it, and that she likes to take care of him and is very protective of him, but that she is in love with Jung Hwan. It is fitting that after being very vocal about her feelings for Sun Woo she would tread lightly and be cautious to not get burned again.
Mid-drama it is clear that both Taek and Jung Hwan have romantic interest in Deok Sun, but there is never an easy answer as to what she feels. If there is an imbalance of feelings the final episode unwisely exacerbates it: Once more we learn about Taek’s feelings which were never in doubt. This emphasizes even more that her feelings are still somewhat of a mistery, which leaves a bitter aftertaste. It makes me think of the cheesy male-written line from Titanic: “A woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets”. If that were the case the writer could’ve worked that into the script, they could’ve left room for doubt, longing, inner conflict – particularly in a drama centered around sentimentality. Instead the romance is resolved and everything else is simply left to be forgotten, which is offensively stupid.
In a way whom Deok Sun ends up with is very fitting to who she is as a person. She has always been a people pleaser and never had a dream of her own, she always reacts to being liked rather than liking someone herself. So she ends up with the one capable of consistently showing his affection towards her. We'll never know whether what she likes herself is actually different. Probably she doesn't know herself.
Deok Sun is also pragmatic, and her whole personality is grounded in reality. Despite what other characters say about him I believe Jung Hwan is romantic, and sensitive, and the fact that he is not capable of expressing his feelings adequately only makes him more so. Jung Hwan has the most romantic gestures of the two love interests, and quietly he is very perceptive, very sweet, and very idolizing. I don't really know whether this at all translates into a real-life relationship and maybe Jung Hwan feels that adoring Deuk Sun from afar is already the best part of it. Maybe he wants her to remain an idea in his mind, untouched by reality. Maybe, like he says, he isn't very courageous and hides his insecurity behind a mean facade. In this regard Taek is very confident, he doesn't need to hide behind anything. He also experiences many tough moments with Deuk Sun (the flasher, being in China, carrying her out of the stadium, giving her medicine) and his strength lies in being there and dealing with it all like a mature person. Taek is already real-life tried and tested.
I think Taek is a great guy and I'd have no problem with Deok Sun ending up with him, if it weren't for Jung Hwan. In fact, they are both tremendously intriguing, flawed, complicated characters whom I love from the bottom of my heart and choosing between them is literally like Sophie's Choice, only worse.
As it stands this might be one of the most traumatic, heartwrenching, tragic endings I have ever seen. Maybe the impossibility to find a perfect solution with everything wrapped up neatly is part of what makes Reply 1988 so good. When all is said and done, and reality sets in, the reality we see drawn out which seems not a bad place to be in, there is still that someone in your memory, there is still something unfulfilled, just one more reason to be sentimental for your youth.
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Title : Because I have a thing for classic and vintage and beautiful and simple things ?
Fasten your seatbelt for sure this drama is going to take you to a different time period, yes the one that used to exist without the smart phones.I must say, A must watch drama for comedy and light theme drama fans.
We have heard about the cozy and close family, here we see cozy and very close neighbourhood.
This much close that they do share their curries and side-dishes for the dinner every night. ( yes, I am talking about the opening scene from the episode 1 of the drama).
I was thinking to write a few lines about this drama with the intention that, after reading this you should feel like watching this drama. ( if you have not yet)
I had thoroughly enjoyed watching this drama and want you too to get that experience.
The reason I said in the beginning about this drama taking you to the different time period is-
Because the way they have shown the period of Seoul Olympic year 1988 , and with only television as the mode of entertainment and maximum hours of your day you spend with your friends, that, one just find it difficult to believe that the drama was picturized and aired in year 2015.
In fact I liked everything that has shown in this drama.
*School life of teenagers,
*small little things that have got priority in their lives,
*no worries about the future,
*busy in dealing with the silly ( well not so silly for them) day to day things,
*and yes first love- that love when you do not even know what love actually is, you think looking handsome and being tall is enough for falling in love with some guy.
*Friendship among kids from the neighbourhood and among their moms and among their dads- simply wow !
*Moms with their morning + afternoon +evening gossiping aka broadcasting network *and dads with their money making skills(?)
Actually I was in awe of all the three - kids and the moms and the dads.
Some episodes are so funny that it makes you experience the meaning of the term ROFL.
I was laughing and laughing and rolling and rollingto the point that my stomach started aching, in the episodes -
* where Deok sun’s mom along with her friends goes to some shaman and changes her name so that she should perform good in studies and all.
*episode where she was practicing the walk with the flag holding,
*and episode where she comes back running home in that “jeans of her elder sister episode”
*so many naive comments by the kid Dong Ryong with the spectacles ( the moment he opens his mouth to speak, you are sure that next thing you are going to do is to laugh.)
*the episode where these our non-adult kids go to some adult movie.
*the episode where one of the mom was out of station for few days and the way dad and kids had gala time during those days OMG ( I am sure this is the situation at every house, so you feel it close to your heart, be you are a dad or a kid)
*that scene where sister Bo-ra conducts maths class for those poor kids!
I can go on and on talking about this.
*Romance part - kudos to the director and script writer- the way they have shown how tenderly the love blossoms through the foolishly seeming things on the surface.
Like the way, how you find a girl so cute who is sleeping with her mouth open ( might be snoring also- I am not sure about this part, have they shown her snoring in that bus ride scene ?) and drooling saliva too?
Just like you, our this SL ( second male lead) also finds her equally cute, cute enough to let the feelings develop for her. ( frankly speaking, however adorable and innocent was our ML Choi Taek, I was secretly supporting this SL Jung Hwan)
*All the actors did their job extremely well that you feel all these characters in your bones.
(The one scene needs a special mention here , where Deok-sun and Jung Hwan had to hide in a very confined space in an alley that, their bodies pressing into each other’s, the way they have performed that scene, without any dialogue just with the expressions on their faces…..mind blowing ! )
*songs are enjoyable too, in fact today also I just leave it in loop to play and dive in pure joy.
*There was this lump in my throat when they visit their neighbourhood after few years, with them you also feel nostalgic and you also miss those days.
This is the beauty of any good drama, you do not even realise when did you become part of their lives and when you started staying with them in that neighbourhood and living their lives.
I have already given 10/10 rating for this drama.
Without any doubt, this drama is one of my favourite ones.
*So, just go ahead and live the day to day life ( even without any significant outcome at the end of the day) of common middle class people from those time period who were happy and lived happily.
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It's a simple story about ordinary people with ordinary problems (which doesn't mean we're before an ordinary drama) with which almost everyone can relate to.
All of the characters are endearing and lovable without exception. There are no shrew ahjummas overprotective of their rich flower-boy sons or vamps trying to steal your boyfriend.
I didn't even want to finish it because I knew I would miss them all, since they had become something as old acquaintances.
It's actually really difficult to reach this level of sympathy and empathy with the characters in other series, which means that the writers did a great job.
Reply 1988 is a tribute to a certain time not just in the life of many Koreans and Korean families, but as I said, many people who watch it from over the world can relate to this nostalgic look to youth and family relationships.
The cast is amazing and the situation comedy gags are really funny. The story is well balanced between family and love issues. I really appreciate the fact that the older characters are not stereotypes. I actually believe that if Reply 1988 works so well is because of the great acting and the character design.
The soundtrack adds to an impecable production that recreates the atmosphere of nostalgia.
Also, it's full of hidden jokes and tributes to Korean culture -about which I found out after watching it- that make the series richer (I recommend looking them up when you're finished, since some might spoil the plot).
Summing up, I REALLY recommend this. You don't even have to be a Korean drama junkie to enjoy it.
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A heartwarming story
This drama is first and foremost about family, but also about growing up and about love. In this drama we get to experience the day to day lives of different families that live near each other back in 1988. The story starts in 1988 and ends in current day. You have the usual husband "hunting" fun (trying to guess who she ends up with) that these series are known for. But my favorite part about this drama is how relatable it is. It invokes nostalgia, even though I was not even born in 1988, yet their problems and issues are so similar to ours these days. It is warm, and wholesome, and realistic, and makes us think about our parents and their struggles and the love a family has for each other. Hands-down the best drama I have ever seen, and I re-watch it constantly.Was this review helpful to you?
you must not pass this kdrama...
specially if you are 20s or older...and east countries resident
its a such a heartwarming drama... you'll feel it with all of your sense...
director and writer had a big jump from 2 past ones you can easily see the improvement
i didnt think i'll like this much but when it come near to the end episodes i was sad
i've loved it so you'll love it too...
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never seen anything better or perfect than this
it's the best on so many levels
don't think,just sit through and watch it
after finishing it you will definitely feel empty
do not expect anything,do not get upset with reviews,if you have not watched this drama you missed something good in your life
Reply series is the best but but 1988>>>>>>1997=1994
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The drama is so funny, I laughed in the entire series. Not only that, the story is so deep, between family, friendship and love. I know many people didn't like the ending, but I love it, sooo much. I love that this story was similar from the reality. I don't have any other words to describe it except I love this drama so muuuch! ^^
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