This drama is about friendship (theme that I personally adore), family and neighborhood. The whole production (story, cast, music, editing, cinematogpraphy, etc.) grab the viewers to live in it.
The story been told well. The plot was keep its path to be reasonable without forgetting its value as a tv drama.
The actors/actresses are casted perfectly. They brought the roles alive and make us feel like already know them personally. It's an awesome idea and also a great job to create various characters unite in one production. I could feel Dukseon's feeling as a middle child of girl-girl-boy siblings, and my parent also work at a bank. I can relate her feelings and situation personally. I believe that the other roles also present our own self, our friends or our family. Their acting feels real that could make us live with them. I gave a bold perfect score for them. Thumbs up!
For every new song (ost.) that came out from this drama, I search it right away. The sound-track and singers were selected perfectly. Even though those were remake songs, they'd been delivered well. All of the sounds (music, ost., sound-effect, etc.) placed at the right moment. They're impactful and increase the story value.
It's good to re-watch this after finish it once. Why? Just to remind you what's really going on, and also to help you understand the whole story in case you got confuse. For me, personally, I'll re-watch this again whenever I miss those roles.
ps. Guys, just in case you feel disappointed or frustrate in the middle of watching this drama, I suggest you to keep on watching until the end.
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This review may contain spoilers
My favorite of the series !
Reply 1988 was in my list for a long time and I just watched it recently. I was actually quite hesitant regarding the period (88) which is completly unkwnown to me and didn't seem appealing. Reply 1997 was one of my favorite drama and I really liked the 1994 version even though they were some lenghts in it, so I gave it a try despite the 1.30 hours episodes ! And I don't regret it AT ALL.Story : I cannot say much about the scenario as it is really a "slice of life" type of drama. Each episode has its story with a guided thread, focus and a moralty. It talks about family, friendships, love, work, and so much more. You will definitly find one story in which you recognize yourself or a piece of your life. The stories were really touching especially the one with the parents. I got invested in EVERY story, and the bound uniting all those people living together was the driving force of the drama. I sobbed so much at the end of the drama with all the flashbacks. The only down side of the scenario for me is clearly the ending couple. As a rom-com lover, it could have ruined all the drama but the rest was done so well that I accept that. I am still convinced that they changed the husband last minute because of the popularity of the actor because it didn't make any sense. They did my boy dirty and I am dispapointed he didn't have a proper ending (the love declaration really broke my heart , ALL his scenes broke my heart for real). An other reason why I thnik the story was changed last minute is they never showed any interaction between Deok Sun and Jung Hwan's father despite them being really closed at the begining. Everything was made for here to end up with JH at the begining and I am sad they didnit really discussed their feeling (even in the future) because they clearly liked each other.
Characters/Acting : Clearly the best part of this drama. I am not gonna talk in details about all of them because it will be way too long. I was happy to find the main couple of parents, who comes bacl in each season. They are so funny and touching at the same time and the drama would not be the same without Dong Il IMO.
Every one played their part at perfection and I got really attached to everyone (except maybe for Bora who was quite annoying for third of the drama. A special shout out to Deok Sun/Hyeri. I was impressed by her acting and I loooooved her character. I was less impressed by Teak/Park Bo gum : I found him nice but didn't really like his "puppy" side and didn't find any chemistry with deok sun. Lastly I loved the chemistry between deok sun and Jung Hwan and her friendship with Dong Ryung who was clearly her soulmate as she said, they were so similar !
Music was cute and well used but I won't be listening to the ost. Special mention for the goat sound.
The episodes were really long so most of the time, I was watching it in 2 times because we do have a life sometimes :). I will not rewatch it because of the lenght of the episodes but I would still watch some scenes of my ship (that actually happened in RL so it's ok) or some funny moments.
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Moving and heartwarming drama
Can I just say that Park Bo Gum is an excellent actor? I started watching Love in the Moonlight (but got sidetracked) so this was really my first time watching him. Can I just say how effective he was in that scene where Sun Woo came in the room excitedly to tell Taek that he reconciled with Noona Bo Ra and Dong Ryong and Deok Sun were inside the room as well? That scene where Sun Woo was hiding behind Taek and Taek denied that he knew about it? He was laughing and denying it at the same time. Superb acting there because I can really see myself with that kind of expression. Some acting in dramas are exaggerated but Park Bo Gum's acting in that scene was SPOT ON. Out of all the Bogummy scenes in the drama, this is my favorite and the scene with Deok Sun's dad in Ep. 2 comes as my second favorite. Way to go Park Bo Gum! He is to me the best Korean actor ( and I am huge fan of other Korean actors) with his most expressive eyes. I AM NOW A FAN!Was this review helpful to you?
This is perfection, no wonder it was the highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television
This drama teaches so many things about life, family and friendship and little life changing gestures that I just cannot express in a mere review how perfect it was, from the beginning till the end.I won't say who the female leads ends with but once you re-watch the drama or think back at many things, everything starts to make sense. I wonder if there are still people who don't know who Duk Seon's husband is, but if you don't, and even if you do, please just watch the drama anyway. It is really not about the ship, this is just a particular aspect of the Reply series, just one aspect among many other more important ones
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Let me introduce Ssangmun-dong
There is so much to unpack in this series. This is definitely one of those series wherein after you watched it, you'll never be the same person before you watched it. You just kinda grow and mature with the characters.The story. I love how it has a little bit of everything: friendship, family, love, career, decisions almost everything that life offers. The depiction is too relatable that even after watching it I felt like it has become a part of me.
The characters. I just love the dynamic of how everyone interacts with each other. The chemistry of the entire village is unmatched. The friendship among the 5 Ssangmun children. The variety of each and every family. The uniqueness of everyone which made the story even more colorful.
There's so much I wanted to say about this series but I felt like my words can't justify the whole beauty of it.
I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to watch a light-hearted, funny and lesson-filled drama. 31 hours of my time is so worth it for this series.
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I'll start talking about my favorite character, Seong Deok Seon (Lee Hye Ri). Lee Hye Ri it's an incredible actress, and I'm very happy that she had the opportunity to shine again recently with "My Roommate Is A Gumiho", but Deok Seon is my favorite female lead these days. The charming of this character to me is to see how Deok Seon represents the most part of the teenage girls that lived in the 80/90's. Her strength and kindness were touching so many times that made me think about many things that I do in my life and the way how I see my youth. This girl will be unforgettable.
All the boys were also amazing, but I have to emphasize my Master Choi (Park Bo Gum), that started as a moron but turns out into the most incredible guy, with great strength and maturity that made me cry and smile all the time. Seon Woo (Go Kyung Pyo) was the bomb that I was expecting would explode, but nothing happened. His personality seems quite repressed for me, even more than Taek sometimes, and I wish could see a little explosion there. The same for Dong Ryong (Lee Dong Hwi), which clearly acted as a support role between the friends, which we can see even in the appearance of his parents. He was so fun and necessary sometimes, that I felt his character was a little wronged. And, of course, my major frustration here, the moron Kim Jung Hwan (Ryu Joon Yeol) - yes, I'm still enraged -. Guys, seriously... I wanted to root for this guy, but every time he disappointed me with his double actions, and uncertainness... His speech in the penultimate episode was the synopsis of his attitude, and that drove me crazy. I understand the motive, but at the same time it isn't justifiable for me. The ring scene... oh my gosh...
This show is far away beyond romance, and I remember a lot of "Go Ahead". See the interactions between the families and friends and how the things going on was incredible and each character marked me in a certain way. I wouldn't take off anything from this, it was everything perfect. To say something bad, I just made the episodes a little shorter because some had almost 2 hours, and it was a little hard to keep up the rhythm, but if you like big dramas, you gonna love it.
This one is another chosen one for me (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★★★). This drama will give all kinds of emotions to you and any second will be worth it. I have to say that, even being better produced and more elaborated, the 1997 is still my favorite one :D
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So emotional, heart-warming drama
To be honest when I watched the first episode I literally wanted to drop this drama. I liked it but not that much. Every episode is longer than 1h 30 min. So I thought I can't watch this drama which contains 20 episodes. But gladly I didn't dropped it. And when I was at 3rd episode I fell in love with this drama. There is some comedy throughout the whole drama. And it becomes very emotional for the last few episodes. This drama also has a romantic side. It felt like I was living in the drama's neighborhood for these few days. This drama is so damn hard to get over with. You will feel so empty after finishing it. Everytime i listen to the Hyehwadong (A song of this drama) I feel so emotional and I feel like crying.Just give this drama a try. You will reget not watching it. I mean it.
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Best drama that ever graced my screen
I'm not sure what prompted me to just go for this drama that was idly sitting on my Netflix recommendations for ages. That too at a time when I was watching sub-par Western and Asian shows that were doing nothing for me in terms of emotions or meaningfulness. Well damn, did this show change my whole life.First of all, the plot was composed of a series of subplots in every episode that came together to tell an interlinked story of the people within the neighbourhood, complete with a narrated message at the end that ties them together/teaches the audience some sort of lesson. I must admit that this was one of my favourite parts of the show, waiting to hear one of the characters talk about the messages within each episode, and watch it connect to the individual characters' stories at the time. Such a refreshing and heartwarming part of the series.
Now, the characters...no words I say will ever do justice to how multi-dimensional and authentic every single character felt. The adults down to the kids all had their own struggles and personal growths, and no one felt like a secondary character or a mere afterthought of the writer. In fact, it blows my mind that every character managed to have their own dreams, personalities and struggles be so beautifully illustrated and in association with each other...it felt so natural and real! I found almost every character to be relatable to me or someone I know, and exposed me to the fact that the human experience in general is an universal one no matter which year you were born in or where in the world you live. The emotions, heartaches, hard work, relationship bonds and successes feel very much the same. Overall, I have nothing but good things to say about the characters and their development, right from watching them grow from episode 1 to episode to episode 20.
The OST, ahhh the OST. This deserves its own paragraph because of just how beautiful and nostalgic it feels...its been a long time since I watched the drama yet every single time I hear ANY song from the drama, I find myself tearing up or outright bawling. This has never happened to me before haha, the magic of this drama's OST is incomparable and simply magical. Bonus points to the lyrics doing complete justice to those times and moments. Also, the scenes between the ML and FL near the end featured music that was so fitting and beautiful I have no words, like "In Dreams" for the moment where they didn't know if what was happening was a dream, to "Right Here Waiting For You" when he rushed to her at the concert, to tense music being followed up by "My Dear, Come Back to Me" when they finally reveal a major secret and realize their feelings for each other. So masterfully chosen and gave proper justice to those moments...I hope whoever came up with the song choices got a raise!
Finally, the realism of it all. Every scene right down to the ending, I loved how raw and warm it felt. Nothing over the top or forced, just pure chemistry between the characters and realistic depictions of life and love. Just like Don't Worry, I really have o regrets with this drama (okay maybe a few more scenes with the leads as a couple because I loved their adorable and healthy relationship so much), right down to not every character showing up to the interview...because thats just how life is. Not everybody (like the parents) may be be alive, or still close or in the same country, etc. And thats okay. What matters are the moments they lived together and the memories thy made. I loved how they kept elements of the ending up to the viewers to decide. Very elegantly concluded. Let's not even get started on the final shots of the ruins of Sssangmundong followed by the flashbacks into the opening scene...simply breathtaking. Left me with the biggest hangover I ever felt.
So, I literally rewatched this drama right after away with family. And somehow, it was even better than the first watch. The rewatch value on this show is insane not just because of how any emotions it has the potential to make you feel again, but the hidden hints you notice only on the second time around. So much fun!
All in all, this show is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. Heartfelt thank to the cast, director and writer for gifting us such a beautiful drama that I will take with me forever.
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The end was so good I couldn't help but rate this a 10/10 for capturing Nostalgia perfectly.
We all have that time in our lives when we had great friends that we saw all the time and thought we knew REALLY well. Friends you could tease, talk seriously with, who would cheer you up, support you and help you through the hard times. The ones who understand you well enough to drink with you without saying much else, just because they know that's what you need at that time. Reply 1988 has not one but TWO such friend groups - one involving the parents and the other consisting of their kids.Initially it moved slowly and took its time developing the characters, outlining the situation and letting things come to a boil. Once it got moving, it was great. It's a mantra to parenting, pressure, has a healthy dose of pop culture and music. At the very first episode I burst out laughing because I had Deok Sun's hairstyle when I was a teenager, and my mom had the amma's perm hairstyle. That was 1988 all right. Slowly we got invested in all the characters. I hated the goat sounds for the funny bits, I felt that wasn't needed.
All was on pace for a 9.5 rating until the final 2 episodes reduced me to a pile of blubbering happy-sad tears and then I couldn't help giving this 10/10. It's pretty much flawless in evoking the feelings and sentiments. Now I have a heartfelt wish to go back to my teenage years and visit my friends from those days, friends I can no longer locate or get in contact with because of geographical and other issues.
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A celebration of youth and life
This is one of the best shows I've seen in a while. It had everything , and the ends makes you physically hurt with nostalgia. You'll remember your youth throughout the show, your time with your friends, with your parents , your home, your street, your crushes, relationships, your sad times, happy times, EVERYTHING. This show is a trip down life.I hope I get to watch it again when I grow old. I'll die happily if I see this show in my final days. This show is a celebration of life.
This is the first show i will never mind rewatching again and again.
Don't miss out on this gem.
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The Cast-10
All of the cast members played their roles brilliantlly. You see multiple layers of personality from each and everyone of them. I thoroughly enjoyed the bonds that were made. From the main cast we see how they protect each other, laugh, and embrace their faults as they grow into adulthood. This was a time before social media impacted how people interacted. Everything was done in person from hanging out to eating together. This was a a group of neighbors that went above and beyond. From the parents to the kids everyone was treated like a member of each other's family. Most of the focus was on the bonding between the kids and their families. Everyone was treated like blood. I would definitely like to point out that as important as the main cast were we cannot forget how wonderful the parents were in this show. The parents were truly giving to their children and made the most of what they had. The fathers had a brotherhood amonst themselves but I feel the Ahjumma sisterhood was really inspiring. The women shared every detail of their lives and took care of each others families like their own. They were truly moms and sisters to each other. There were no one dimensional characters and I found everyone unique in their own way.
These were just Characters I liked:
Lee Hye-ri as Deok Sun was a breath of fresh air. She was bubbly when she needed to be but her crying scenes could use some more work or maybe that is how Deok Sun was suppose to be. Overall 9.0
Go Kyung-pyo as Sun woo. This guy can really act as he plays the loving son and friend . He was adorable to his little sister and very loving to his mom and friends. You can't help but notice his charms and facial expressions. 10.0
Park Bo Gum as Taek was such a good choice. He played the awkward and reserved Baduk genius Taek so well. He really looked like a cute socially inept teenager. 9.5
Ryoo Hye-Yeong as Bo Ra. She played the angry and at times irrational sister to Deok Sun. This character really grew on me because you see that she is just not all anger. Deep down inside her family is important to her. 9.0
Ra Mi-Ran was such a great woman. Kudos to her for putting so much depth into a character. She made her come alive and brought out all facets of the gem. She was funny, kind, torn inside at times but remained strong for her friends, family, and herself. 10.0
Sun Young- The actress who played Sun Young really made me believe how a tiny mom could be so strong. She could give the world to her friends and family. When she crys you can't help but feel how genuine and kind this woman was to everyone. She also showed this cute awkward moment side I loved. 10.0
Goat- What would this show be without that sound effect? 11.0
Story-10
A step back in time showing how close neighbors can be and how growing up comes with challenges. A real slice of life.
Music-10
They really did use a lot of popular songs for this time period and everything fit into place.
Rematch Value-10
It takes time to really enjoy this show considering episodes average 140 mins.
Overall- 10 A real Gem.
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The only complaint I have besides Hyeri's acting is the drama lacks cliffhangers,lacks climatic dramatic event that makes you chase episodes after episodes. I will still recommend this to anyone who wants to watch a good drama.
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