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i have rewatched this 5+ times and i will continue to do so!!!!
a masterpiece. some may say that it is boring from the first episode, however it is the bond and connections between the characters that make you stay. reply 1988 depicts the raw emotions and the essence of nostalgia that is embedded within familial and platonic relationships. the characters are extremely authentic in the way the actors play them, the cast has done an extraordinary job at delivering their roles with remarkable depth. each episode is emotionally charged, every moment is amplified to resonate with the viewer. i can guarantee you i have cried at least once every episode, it resonates with audiences on a profiund level that has without a doubt left a huge mark on me.Was this review helpful to you?
My all time favorite drama
I can’t hype this drama enough. This is one of the best dramas out there, it is a perfect mix of comedy and romance. A very heartwarming drama that pulls you in as each episode unfolds, it shows the struggle and the beauty of family and friends. I laughed so hard, I cried my eyes out, I basically felt all the emotions in this drama. You really don’t know how much you need this dram until you start watching it. I find myself going back to watch it because of how much I miss the families in Ssangmundong.Was this review helpful to you?
A truly unforgettable experience.
I was putting off this show for a long time because it was a family drama, and I believed it was overhyped, but oh man, I was utterly wrong. It's such a bittersweet story about youth and relationships; it made me tear up almost every episode. I do have certain parts I didn't like; I was not a fan of the romance. Also, not going to lie; I did watch on 1.5x after episode 15.Episode 20 made me cry my eyes out like a baby; the last 10 minutes give you a painful but sweet closure to the beautiful story about the Ssangmundong neighbourhood. Sounds funny coming from a 19-year-old, but it makes you want to sit back and think about your childhood. A very memorable experience overall.
I love the title 'Reply 1988', it wasn't until the last 10 minutes of the show that I understood what it meant. Bonus is the music; I added so many songs to my playlist after watching the drama!
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THE BEST KDRAMA IN THE KDRAMALAND TO EVER EXIST!
~One of the best slice of life drama involving five families and warm friendships~Tackles beautiful lessons on life and living for what’s worth
~Involves soft romance and comedy with the iconic sheep noises
~Husband hunt adds flavor but can also be exhausting. Good luck with the guess game heh.
~Invokes massive nostalgia especially for the early 1990s pop culture, lifestyle, fashion and tackles quite a few historical issues related class, caste and communities
I watched this drama initially in 2016 with no expectations but it has become so close to my heart and the nostalgia it evokes from being a generation that grew up in the early 90s with the early life values and way of living is simply beautiful. I revisit this drama once every six months to ground myself to things that really matter in between the rush of modern life and rat race---- connections with family, friends and strangers that give us the true essence of life and living.
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Squee!!
I can fully understand why Reply 1988 is the best of the Reply series — WOW! What a heartwarming story of family, friends, youth, and first love. I loved the themes of fate/timing/commitment, figuring out your dreams, and the significance of place. I wish I had a group of friends like these, forged through countless hours spent together during our formative years.There were a couple moments that felt draggy. I was also a bit disappointed by the ending, because I felt it was a bit too focused on a secondary romance vs. our main one. Speaking of the romance, I was truly, genuinely shocked after reading an incorrect spoiler floating out there (THANK YOU REDDIT!! This does NOT happen to me often as someone who actively ruins shows for myself!). I was bracing myself to get Chillbonged here, and instead got beautiful, understated OTP feels fulfilled. While I was happy about that, it diverted so far from expectations that I can't help but wonder if the writers changed course near the end? I mean, I started to wonder considering which moments we were shown around halfway through, but... I was shocked things didn't flip flop a bit more. I think the themes we got from this ending were absolutely perfect, but I also felt like we spent too long watching their youth from a certain perspective only to get minimal payoff for it.
Still, I can't gripe too much. The romance was top notch, the family relationships were top notch, and the friendships were golden. I laughed, cried, and felt so nostalgic for a time and place that I didn't even get to experience firsthand. I used this show to introduce my parents to kdramas, and it made for the perfect family bonding experience.
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Nostalgia if you are a 90s kid living in Asia
This series is about friendship, family, love and everything in between. I don't know about the rest of the world but for us Asians early 90s was truly like this. Being in a neighborhood was like being part of a community. You laughed and cried together. If you are looking for slice of life drama I would definitely recommend this.The stories are absolutely realistic and the realtionship shared between each character is beautifully potrayed. The comedy is at its peak and the acting is top notch. You are in for a treat.
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This review may contain spoilers
Reply 1988 was the first and only drama that I waited constantly for the episodes to be released every week and even made me watch the episodes when they hadn’t even been subtitled yet. Yes I did that. The drama is a very warm drama that displays the daily lives of mainly teenagers in a neighbourhood. It’s main focus is on friendship, but it also includes family, school and other issues in 1980’s Korea.
The drama is hilarious, but also so meaningful at the same time. It teaches life lessons in a natural way, and you almost feel as if you personally know the characters in the show yourself.
The romance in the show was a sad story for me. Because who I thought was the male lead the entire time ended up being the second lead, which is the first time this has happened in my entire life whilst watching dramas. Junghwans’s confession scene was the scene that left me crying for days after the drama had finished.
Although the romance didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to, I still appreciated the love story even if it was one-sided, because it was a beautiful one and also seemed to be a way of teaching the audience to not hesitate in things that mean a lot to you.
The drama made me feel a range of emotions, I was crying one minute the next minute I was laughing out loud. It never failed to keep me entertained.
The drama gives a nostalgic feeling to even those who did not experience the 80s themselves, like me! Reply 1988 successfully reached audiences hearts and pulled eveyone’s Heartstrings. It will forever be an unforgettable journey to me, who watched the episodes twice a week when they came out, once without subtitles and once with it subbed
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Deserves all the hype
I won't go into details because Reply 1988 has been highly-regarded by the more professional reviewers -- and it deserves all of it. This is the drama that will forever be timeless.To be honest, it took me 3 times to finish the first episode. I was not used to the long episodes, so I watched it with so much confusion, mostly not remembering all the kids' faces. Still, due to the amazing reviews, I kept coming back and it was the best decision in my Drama-watching career.
The Second Lead Syndrome is real, but I have never thought of Reply 1988 as a romantic series. Some of the episodes got be crying my eyes out and I simply did not want it to be over. I took my time with this drama rather than bingewatch in several days like others, but perhaps it is more suitable that way.
I will always bring up Reply 1988 whenever someone asks for recommendations. Probably not in the introduction-to-kdrama category since it is quite slow-paced and unconventional, but still amazing in every aspect and I couldn't ask for more.
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I have been embaressed and hurt along with Duk Seon, Jung Hwan, Dong Ryonh and all the others. I have laughed and felt anxious, well, felt every kind of emotion that is available really.
I never would have thought that Reply 1988 would triumph over 1994 or even 1997 but yes, yes it did. By far.
This is the first drama I had to rewatch while it was still ongoing just to sooth my abstinence.
And I also got to experience what its like to suffer from secondlead syndrom for the very first time, and to the extrem at that. I cried along with the confession and capitulation. I felt like the conduit for the feelings he wouldn't and couldn't show to protect both his pride and friendship.
It has been a journey, a journey I will gladly take again and again (when I have gathered my strength).
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to the prospective audience you are asked to provide the tissue as the final ep is a very sad ep
in this drama you can also see about one's adolescence, about the neighborhood. This story also focuses more on the family than in reply 1994
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A rare instance where the MDL rating of 9 is absolutely justified for the series.
Why I liked it:- Main Love Story: As you may know, the FL had 2 suitors. There seem to have been fan wars about who she should have ended with. There were subtle clues sprinkled throughout the series, which were confusing to me personally. I thought some clues pointed to the main ML and some to the second ML. Both were quite outstanding suitors because I felt both were complimentary personalities to an extent to the FL. The FL was a generally sweet and happy-go-lucky girl, with no major outstanding qualities/ambition. One ML was really mature but child-like innocent at the same time and brought out the FL's protective & nurturing instincts. The other ML was quite caring and while he bickered with her, the FL brought out his protective & nurturing instincts. So in case of one ML, the FL would have been the primary nurturer, with the other one she would have been nurtured. Both work in real life actually. My take away was: who we end up with is driven by Destiny most of all. People are not fixtures, there are spectrums to behaviour. The same person can be dominating one in a relationship with one partner, and be dominated in a relationship with another partner. The opposite partner's behaviours brings out different personality traits in folks. So, I was fine whoever she ended up with, they both suited her. Kudos to the makers/actors for bringing to life such fine 2 suitors.
- Secondary Love Story: Ah, the FL's elder sister and friend's love story (Sung-Sung couple as I term them). You know there are commitment-phobic guys in real life They are often depicted in dramas too. There is another category of guys who exist but are not as frequently depicted I feel. The commitment-philic guys, who thrive on stepping up and taking responsibilities. Sung Sun Woo was that guy. Stepped up to the role of man-support for his mother and lil sister once his father passed away. Happily so. It's no wonder he fell for an older girl. His maturity level was higher than even his FL though she was older and mature herself. Even in his relationship, he is the one who pushed for permanence, happy to marry early. Though his FL was really aggressive, he tamed her so well. I freakin adore such guys. I love their love.
- Really slow burn romance, both of them. Done just the way I like them.
- Kisses: Swoon worthy and totally real. Especially so from the secondary couple. I truly think the secondary couple are a couple in real life.
Weird points:
- The FL had an adam's apple to rival the ML's. This is the first time I have seen an actress with such a pronounced adam's apple. Distracted me in a few scenes
- Whoever did FL's make-up needs to be fired. I could see her foundation / pimples in so many scenes
- The wigs of the 3 ahjummas were also terrible cause it was so obvious they were wigs
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