Reply 1988 (2015)

Rating number is based solely on my lack of enjoyment

Up front I'll say that this show is a slow, slice-of-life comedy/drama. Wonderful cast. I loved the idea that they all grew up together and lived in the same alley. We got to see their day-to-day lives. I LOVED the scene where they kept taking side dishes to the others in the alley and it became a seemingly never-ending travel from house to house with side dishes. They knew each other so well; they didn't knock before entering the houses of others. That's the kind of closeness that's developed over the years, creating comfort for all involved. Every character had their flaws, but they also had redeeming qualities (except perhaps the FL's sister, she just wasn't a nice person). I can totally see why the rating for this is so high, and why people liked it, but I didn't care for it.

I loved the character of Jung Hwan. He was fascinating to watch. Still waters run deep. This character was like watching a cautionary tale of what happens if you play it safe all the time, if fear or insecurity drives you, relationship-wise.

What I didn't care for:
The FL - I felt that she played the character over the top a lot, with a lot of shrieking, screaming, crying. This actress has a very expressive face, but it just felt like too much to me. She liked one person, then another, then another.
The romance storyline. None of it felt natural to me. I wasn't seeing/feeling chemistry. And I definitely didn't agree with who the FL ended up with, that's all I'm going to say.
SO MUCH yelling and hitting between all of the characters. Parents hitting kids, sisters hitting sisters, friends hitting friends. And in the midst of all the hitting was all the yelling.
WHAT was with the goat sounds. That was SO overused!
The "grown" FL and ML. To me, they were too different than the characters we'd been watching.

If you like slice-of-life, give it a try. It might also be enjoyed more if you don't binge watch it, but savor each episode.

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Journey of Life

I have been keeping this show to watch somewhere later but after completing it i realized this show is really a "GEM".
This is really a good Presentation of "Journey of Life", how everything changes quickly with time and the only thing remains unforgotten is the "Memories" you create during this journey.
There are so many instances with which i totally relate to and it has happened with me too like,
1. Parents trying hard to give their kids a good life and secure future, being a parents comes with responsibilities where they even forget what their personal wish is and all they do is live for their kids.
2. Plate rotation in neighborhood and having feast even in small occasions.
3. A time when finances aren't enough and in order to buy one thing u have to think 2wice but with future and opportunities situation does changes.
4. That incredible atmosphere in neighborhood and all are supporting each other in their bad times or laughing together in good times.
5. The bonding between friends.
I really liked everything about the show but one thing which really disappointed me is that after showing CT and SDS feelings for each other, not much time was given to them.
I really have no issues that they showed CT and SDS confessing in 2nd last ep but they could have made the last ep all about CT and SDS instead of just focusing on marriage of SSW and SBR bcoz the last ep was almost rd 2hrs or they could have made a "SPIN OFF MOVIE" dedicated specially to CT and SDS.

Initially it didn't appeared that CT have any romantic feelings for SDS that too throughout half of the entire show and suddenly they showed him having a soft corner for SDS which was just like a surprise where else, KJH who was already in love with her from the the start but at first he didn't confessed bcoz of SSW even after that KJH didn't confessed his feeling while he had so many chances and here i was really hoping for him to confess that too when SDS was giving KJH so many signals.
"LOVE is all about PATIENCE" but when it comes to confession better not to be too late otherwise u will end up regretting it forever. when KJH got to know about CT feelings for SDS even then he didn't confessed bcoz of his friendship just like what CT did, who cancelled his confession plan after knowing about KJH feeling for SDS. May be that's the reason i do feel bad for KJH but not completely bcoz he was the one who gave up on confessing while he had so many chances.
But still i cried when KJH gave her that fiance ring while confessing and then pretended that it was just a joke...:( :( which made it so difficult to choose between CT and KJH.

Well i do understand why CT loves SDS but i don't get why SDS suddenly fell for CT? or did something changed after that kiss when CT thought of it as a dream?

I m really in love with that scene where SDS accidentally spill the beans about kissing and then when CT ask her while his eye are full of tears, this scene really pinched me.

I have a soft spot for love stories which is about childhood couple bcoz its really amazing to see a friendship developing into love and then the promise to be with each other and most importantly that u only had eyes for each other.

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Must help full

Excellent... Very interesting... Daebak.. Female lead acting is natural.. Worth for watching it... Story line is very interesting .. If you finished one episode then you can't wait for next episode to watch it..... Nice Family , friends , neighbors ...... Very hilarious... Calm male lead... Finally perfect story line... Awesome speaking way.. Enjoyable Dialogue content ... In reply series overall I watched.. I thought this is the best one... Emotions between friends and family.. Way to Take caring of parents .. Very kindly... After watching this we will give more attention to our parents and friends to grow your relationship become thick fond.... Must help full

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One of the best shows !!

This series has been on my list for so long and finally I finished watching it yesterday.
This is one of the best family dramas I have ever seen.
I loved the way the story was narrated. I had started making columns with point system for Taek and Jung Hwan haha.. I was not convinced Taek would be the one till last 3 episodes as most pointers were towards Jung Hwan.. I know second lead syndrome is a thing but till now in any show, I have somehow leaned more towards the lead.. This is the first time ever that I cried buckets and buckets of tears and I even thought it's okay if they stay in polygamy relationship of 3 of them..
The friendship and close knit bond of neighborhood, neighboring being there for each other when own blood relatives won't. how they are all supportive of each other and instead of comparing and being toxic, they are such positive influence on each other families.
The series displays different type of family bonds, like sibling bond of each family is different and bond between spouses is different in each family which is very relatable to most of us.
I was reminded of my neighbors back home where I would spend time in their houses waiting for my parents to get back from work or how we exchange different food between each other during special occasions, how you can reach out to them and they are their for your family in time of need.
The series even talks about menopause and I was surprised as it is not a topic in any series I have watched. They even portray how Dong-Ryong mom was working women and after she retried she couldn't stay home, felt depressed and wanted to work. But there is no "looking down" upon each other and just supportive conversation.
I don't even want to start about the beautiful friendship 5 of them share and also Duk-Seon friendship with her 2 classmates. Taek asking permission before making move on Duk-Seon and knowing the choices he made, Jung Hwan not having any bitter feelings and saying go get her (was bawling my eyes out).
I am going to stop writing more as I can literally write pages and pages about how good this show is!

I had only one issue with this series that at the end they don't tell what Jung Hwan is up to in his life like where he is and whether he got married or do they all still meet, and about Dong-Ryong (did he end up being with Duk-Seon's other friend?) and what is Jin-Ju up to.

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An excellent portrayal of love, family, and friendship from a small fragment of the past

Masterfully depicted journey back in time, this drama successfully evoked feelings of nostalgia and deep emotions of joy mixed with sorrow within me, especially when one becomes aware of the passage of time and the realization that everything that once was can no longer be reclaimed. Yet, in the end, only love remains.

Story: 10.0
Through the portrayal of the lives of several families, encompassing their struggles, challenges, moments of bliss, failures, successes, first loves, and heartaches, the narrative seamlessly transports us to the year 1988, during the Olympic Games in Korea. It grants us a glimpse and a sense of the prevailing atmosphere of that era. A captivating narrative unfolds, beautiful story of love, family, friendship, and the transformative journey to adulthood.

Actors: 10.0
The cast delivered an outstanding performance, effectively transmuting emotions from the television screen to captivate the audience in a truly remarkable manner.

Music: 9.0
Even though it's fitting into the general atmosphere that prevails throughout the series, I give it 9.0

Re-watch: 10.0
The profound impact this series can leave on the viewer suggests that it has great potential for repeated viewings, making it a timeless show to revisit in the future.

I wholeheartedly recommend this show.

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An ode to youth and friends

Reply 1988 is like a cup of warm tea on a cold morning, the kind of drink that warms your soul. Nothing can compare to all the emotions that you feel while watching this drama. Let's talk about the drama now (It'll be a little long :D)

CHARACTERS:
The main reason why this drama feels like home is because of the whole cast who does exceptioanlly well in portraying their respective characters. And that includes all the members of Ssangmun dong neighborhood. My favorite character in this series has to be Jung hwan cause he is the type of person who may not be vocal about their love but will show it through their actions and I can relate to that. Tbh, I fell in love with him. The confession scene and all the scene he had with Deok sun made me cry so much cause there was so much love and hurt in his eyes that my heart ache for him. And that is the reason I initially dropped this series in 1st episode. Talking about Deok sun, Hyeri is perfect for the cast. The funny, carefree and loving nature she had in this drama was so heartwarming. Taek is just so pure and innocent. He was well loved and taken care by everyone and he was very steady about his feelings fro Deok sun too. Sun woo is the ideal son who cares so much about his mom and sister. Although he had some hard time accepting Moo-sung, he never hated him or Taek. And lastly, one of my favorite character of this drama which is Dong ryong literally did so good cause he is funny yet emotionally mature given he doesn't receive much attention from his parents. Whenever he popped up in any scene, I just laughed cause his acting and role is so fit for each other. Though most of you might have hated Bora during first episodes, she is not evil or aloof. She is just that way cause she has to be a strong independent woman to make her family live a good life in future. Also she softened alot in later episodes. My next favorite character in this series is Jung Bong. He's hilarious and his dumb yet fascinating hobbies made the series really funny. And kudos to Miran, Il-hwa, Sun-young, Moo-sung, Dong-il, Seong-gyun and Jae myung for being the perfect cast ever.

STORY:
The story of this series is about youth and friendship of 5 people who grew up together in the same neighborhood and the changes they face as they grow up. It was really heartwarming to see how 5 of them were so close to each other. The bond they had was so wholesome. Also, I loved how Miran and Seong gyun never thought of others as inferior although they were well off. They always helped the others and made sure everyone was fed. That is what I loved about this drama. The three ladies of Ssangmun-dong: Miran, Il-hwa and Sun-young sharing so much love and food with each other and never having any evil thoughs towards each other.
Also the love triangle in this story is heartbreaking but you will never ever hate any of them. I dropped this drama in first episode cause JH and DS was not the end game. But as I picked up the drama and continued to watch it, I realized that it was never about them really. Yes, there was plot of romance, but this drama is much more than the love triangle. This drama navigates through friendship, relation between parents and children, moving out of the house, financial issues and romance. Everything that we experience in our youth is what is shown in this drama. And I bet you will cry so much in most of the episodes. I have never cried so much in a drama before. And especially the last scene of last episode is such a tearjerker. And I just relaised that the last scene of last episode and first scene of first episode is same. The way I cried so hard during both is unimaginable. Also when whole neighborhood moves out, I felt so empty inside as if I was the one moving away from them. But this is life, we cannot be around the same people forever. Eventually, some will leave and some will stay.

This drama is a must watch cause this drama has perfect balance of happiness, comedy, sadness, anger, hesitation and love. Nothing will stay same in our life. We will pass our youth age and when we look back, we realize that it's the people that made our youth the way it is. Cheers to our youth where we made new friends, fell in love for the first time, had rebelling thoughts against our family and experienced a heartbreak. Now as we pass our youth, we have left some people in the past but carried their memories with us. But we all remember our youth, the memories we created and the love we had. This drama reminisces about our youth and maybe that is why we feel empty once this drama finishes.

Lastly, thank you to Reply 1988 for giving us such a heartwarming drama where we rememebr our youth, which will never come back but we'll revisit it time and again. Thank you to all the casts who gave justice to this drama and the crew involed in this drama.

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Checklist on why “Reply 1988” deserves 10 Stars:

1. CAST - Every actor, whether main or supporting, junior or senior, adult or child, wholeheartedly portrayed their individual roles with depth and realism.
2. SCRIPT - Five families living and thriving on the same street. You will laugh and cry with them throughout their many milestones and ordeals, and feel that you’ve become a part of their family by the time you wipe away your tears on the final episode.
3. MUSIC - OST is comprised of upbeat tunes and melancholic melodies that stick to your head like a catchy LSS. They’re played subtly in the background, making the scenes more heartfelt and pronounced.
4. SET DESIGN - South Korea in 1988 gradually transitioning to 2015. From the hairstyles and fashion, furniture and gadgets, to the lingo and trends - the production crew astonishingly enabled the audience to go back in time.
5. LESSONS IN LIFE - Watch and learn!

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This is one of my most fav drama! It is a very slow drama and tbh I don't like slow drama's .But after watching this I really really thank the writer for writing such a beautiful and heartwarming story...I just cannot express HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS DRAMA .....All the scenes in these dramas has meanings behind it and i cried so much because the scene's were SO heartwarming. The Characters in these drama was the most amazing part because if there were other characters in these drama it would not fit them well as much as this characters did ,every single one of them did their role so beautifully even the characters who just appeared for 1min or for a short amount of time was just perfect .....I realized that this moment is going to fly away and I won't be able to come back to that beautiful moment that passed away which i learned from this drama - REPLY 1988.....I CAN just watch this drama AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN WITHOUT HAVING ANY REGRET.....

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Flag on the play ;do not pass go

Before I give my review i wanted to say that I am fan of Park Bo Gum, he's one of my fav actors. However the writers bothed the ending. with DeoSuk husband (love intrest) . The writers fumbled the ball, "flag on the play", " do not pass go, do not collect $200, go straight to jail," Did they change their mind to who sould have been her husband (b/c of how popular my fav actor is) .. I thought Choi Taek was more on the reseved end for his personalitky. Or does Choi Take has Mulitple Personalilty disorders. How he is depicted in present time is completley differnent person. The esscescnce of who Choi Taek is as a teen changes to the esscscence of Jung -Hwang. I mean reall, Make it Make sense". I cant even watch the last 2 episodes b/c of how they writers do Jung-hwang toward the end of this series: A carppy confession to someone he's been in love with since High School// hidding his feelings for the sake of freinds ship. Blows my mind.. I can keep going on & on about this so I will leave it there. my raiting is relfelceted in the writer's error. I think I will boycott the last 2 episodes

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