There are both pros and cons in this drama. I prefer the love triangle in 94 much, much more than the one in 97. Overall, the characters in this drama were almost equally as good as in 97 (or in some cases- even better).
For starters, Na Jeong was quite funny and likable. According to me, it's hard to beat Sung Shi Won played by Eun Ji in 97 but nonetheless, Go Ah Ra did a great job of playing the main character. The rest of them were great in their roles too but the character of Chilbong stands out a bit more for me. I didn't feel like the writer fully utilized his character. Yoo Yeon Seok however did a splendid job with the way he played Chilbong. Applause to him for making me love him so much and making his character feel so real! Then there's Jung Woo who played Trash oppa. I failed to fully connect to his character, maybe due to the way it was written or due to the lack of acting skills of the actor. I don't know who to blame here. I honestly felt like Trash's character had more depth to him than was delivered- which is just sad.
I now understand why this drama had countless shipper wars. My biggest complaint with the love triangle was why drag it out so much when one guy didn't even stand a proper chance from the beginning? Na Jeong clearly loved one and one only from the start. I did like both guys but the outcome was too predictable. Of course, the writer tried to 'confuse' the viewers but I could easily sense the direction it was going in. Better luck next time, writer-nim!
The thing that makes this drama stand out is the band of realistic characters, their unbreakable bonds, unforgettable friendships and love for each other. Mixed in with the nostalgia of the 90's this was surely a recipe for success. I must say it delivered exceedingly well on this front.
Its other great strength lies in its deeply likable cast where there wasn't a single annoying person! Its OST is pretty good too and is sure to keep me listening for days.
Btw I HAVE to mention the cameos of the cast of Reply 97! They were so hilarious that I wanted to kick out the 94 part and let them stay instead. :D This came as a plus to me because they entered the drama right when the plot started becoming stale.
In spite of the many moments that made this drama super likable, there were an equal number of scenes during which I found myself hitting the fast forward button. Why, writer-nim could you not make this drama shorter? What made Reply 1997 work was its shorter length and ability to not drag out as much as regular dramas tend to do. This drama's duration of each of the 21 episodes made watching a tedious task. The downside of having a drama stretch more than it can eventually tires out the viewer thereby decreasing the overall enjoyment.
Had it been shorter and not as repetitive, I would have said that this drama was better than Reply 1997 in a lot of ways. It probably is. Being the same kind of story, by the end it managed to touch me and thus left me with the happy and warm feeling that it sought out to do. :)
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I liked watching Reply 1994 because of the great acting of the casts, and the OSTs. WOW. Totally great. I downloaded the OSTs of this drama and the songs are really good to listen especially if you're having stress or doing something. Besides the OSTs, you can feel the "freshness", and the feeling of "youth" in the drama.
As usual, we have the "Love Triangle". That's what the story is all about. Finding out the "who" in the end. But, the story-line is somehow special, connecting the past to the present. The wonderful memories of the freshness of the youth.
Go Ara's character is a strong yet sweet girl, and she really portrayed it well. She had a loyal heart who only sought one man in her heart, which made it unfair for the second man involved in the Love Triangle.
But what's more amazing in this drama is the creativity of the director. There are three stuff toys that shows in almost every episode, notice their positions, and you'll see that they are sort of like weather forecasts on what will happen next.
Overall, this is a good drama and I recommend it to you.
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First, this show was too long for its story. Some episodes were an hour and a half, and there were 21 in total. If the show's length were to be shorter, R1994 would've benefited a lot. It began to drag halfway through, and it even got boring at times.
Also, this focused way too much on the husband mystery. The rest of the characters had nice stories, but since most of the show was about the husband's mystery id, their stories couldn't develop as smoothly as they should've. Instead, they were wrapped up out of nowhere in one episode. For example, Binggeure's.
Some people have also pointed out that Najung was quite empty, and it's true. She's the main lead, and the only thing she did in the drama was pine for Trash's love. The secondary characters had better stories than her.
I was also disappointed with the husband's ID, if it was just going to be like that, then why cause the dumped guy so much trouble and angst? The writers should've at least given him a better story, and maybe developed his character more, so it wouldn't feel as if he was just placed in the drama to make the main couple's story more interesting. I feel it was such a waste of a likable character.
I don't think I would recommend this to my friends, especially the ones who watched and loved R1997. There were good things in this show, but the flaws overshadowed them. At least for me.
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That is indeed true the plot is the flaw of this drama.. but at the end I was totally hooked by this drama.
The reason is that the actors are really amazing!
They are really able to make you feel the characters emotions! Amazingamazinamaaazing really, I never tought that Go Ah ra was such a great actress!
I'm not the type of person that would rewatch a drama, but in the case of reply 1994, I would make an exception!
So if you are afraid to start watching this drama, because you have probably alredy watched reply 1997, give it a try just watch the first 3 episodes and I'm pretty sure you will tottaly enjoy the rest of the drama ! (I say the first 3 episodes, since for getting rid of my prejudice towarad this drama, those were the amount of episodes I needed)
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The thing with Binggeure also bothered me, because he was obviously going through a dilemma the show never really addressed before it tied it up nicely with a bow. 1994 had amazing heart and great characters, but the writers decided keeping the viewers in the dark was more important than telling a good story. (Let's not forget that basketball suddenly disappeared, and there are several episodes where a certain baby isn't even mentioned. Plus, what was the point of the scene with the teen in the present talking to that girl?)
But, again on the plus side, a good story is here nonetheless. It;s worth watching. There will be parts, however, where you are banging your head against a table.
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So if you are a curious fellow reading reviews to see whether it's worth a watch, yes it definitely is, don't be discouraged by the ones who didn't like the ending. It's WAY MORE than just who Na Jung ends up with. It's a story about life in your 20's in a realistic way. The passion of youth.
It had the same homey feeling as its predecessor, Answer Me 1997, and I really felt like i was part of the Shinchon Boarding house by the time the drama ended. In terms of character development, AM1994 is better than AM1997 because all the characters are a lot more complex and go through a series of change throughout the drama. The characters are not flat, and each character has their own story arc, which I found really charming.
THE CAST WAS PERFECT! The acting was superb, and Go Ara really really exceeded my expectations. Everyone's acting was perfect in portraying their character, and every emotion and feeling can be felt by the viewers as well. and Jung Woo was AMAAAZING at being Ssureki Trash Oppa. You will not hate a character in this drama because all of them are portrayed so well. And the parents once again are soo crazy and even funnier in this drama.
I also think that while you are watching the drama, you should pay close attention to the songs being played in certain scenes because the directors specifically and intentionally put these songs in to suit certain scenes. The music was really good again, like in AM1997 except this time they got their whole cast to sing for the OST haha :)
Overall, i give this drama around a 8.88/10. Although there were some holes, they do not affect the story as a whole and these little holes don't change the meaning of the story. My advice to those who are looking to watch this drama is also to not overthink and overanalyze the drama because it might ruin it for you like how i have seen it get ruined for others. It's a GREAT show that will really get you emotionally entangled with it and shouldn't be overshadowed by the husband mystery. I'm sorry i had to reiterate the part about not focusing too much on "who's the husband" because it's such a waste that a great drama is being clouded by this. It's a realistic portrayal of how life can be like for those in their 20's and is once again a heartwarming story which will, without a doubt, have you **laughing **and **crying** with each character of the series.
Recommend this to those who liked AM1997. Great writing just like AM1997 and was not a mere prequel or sequel that doesn't make sense like Dream High 2. Cable ratings reached over 10% which is a record-breaker so that is saying something :)
It was really a beautiful series.
oh, and there were a lot more passionate scenes, so i was quite satisfied with that too LOL. Go Ara opened her mouth man.
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It started out as a promising drama. The first episodes were great, you had the various stories set out, and I was ready for a cute drama about friendship, life and romance.
But not even the great acting, lovely secondary characters, and much-anticipated cameos from the R1997 cast could light this drama up.
It's all about the husband scavenger hunt, at least a 90%. It was so focused on that, that two of the characters involved in the love triangle did not have any story other than that. And that's bad, because it means that two of our leads were empty as heck.
My main concern was Najung, the female lead. I think she was the only reason why I did not ship anyone with her in this mess of a drama. Whatever happened to her story? Whenever she appeared onscreen, it was either about her undying love for Trash (the childish part of the love triangle), or something that had to do with her friends (only 10% of the time it was about this, sadly).
And the endgame couple... quite boring, too. This pairing... I won't say much, but unless you shipped it, I'm not sure how satisfied you could be. For me, there was just no spark. Maybe due to the fact that I disliked Najung, or maybe because the writers probably switched their endgame couple toward the middle, throwing away the flow this drama could've had.
This also made the dumped second lead, not saying who, seem like an empty plot point. What exactly was he doing in the show? He started out with a hint of the story, but then he was down-leveled to an empty character, a bit fuller than Najung, but still empty. As I mentioned, he was just there to keep the drama more "interesting", nothing to gain out of his presence, sadly.
To wrap things up, this drama was a disappointment. Maybe because I began watching it with too high expectations thanks to everybody's comments, or maybe because it truly was a bad drama.
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One thing I especially love about Reply 1994 compared to Reply 1997 is there is way more romance in reply 1994 than reply 1997
I really loved the diversity in each character and the difference in their dialects. Also I loved how they brought the parents from Reply 1997. Also if anybody is thinking of watching Reply 1997, watch it first because they appeared as guest role in Reply 1994.
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This review may contain spoilers
*NO SPOILERS*EVERYBODY SHOULD WATCH THIS DRAMA!
First of all I want to start by saying I'm not a newbie in Korean dramas (I've actually completed 66 dramas).I'm saying this not to brag but the review that follows might make you think that it comes from a newcomer that's just excited from finishing their first k-drama,but that's how good this drama actually is.
I started watching Reply 1994 while it was airing and I dropped it on the first episode.After the show was finished I decided to give it a second chance and then I couldn't stop watching.
The story is actually a simple one following the lifes of a family and college students of a boarding house,who just came to Seoul.
Despite the simple plot,the work thats done with the characters is simple wonderful.
Unlike the typical dramas,that usually focus on the leads and leave the supporting roles aside Reply 1994 is all about the supporting roles.
If I analyze all of them this review will take too long, but from the lovable lead Chil Bong Yi (my personal favourite and I think every girl's dream guy) to the crazy father Sung Dong Il evry single character makes this drama what it is.
The acting is strong and allthough I'm not Korean I actually felt nostalgic during many episodes.
You can also relate to the characters at many points since there is a variety of stories and love lines through the drama.
The episodes were so smooth,they actually made you forget about the whole husband mistery and focus on the everyday life of the boarding house.
After many disappointing repetitive dramas "Reply 1994" is a beautiful story that will leave with the sweetest feeling.
That was long but there are not enough words to describe how good it is,watch it and find out on your own ;)
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ps - the goat sounds are just too perfect esp in sam chun po scenes
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One way in which Reply 1994 adhered to my heart was its story. No, I don't mean the love story, although I enjoyed that too, but the idea of what "family" is and what "family" means. Throughout intense scenes of sweetness and laughter, I found that meaning. Were there some draggy scenes? Sure, but with even those, Reply 1994 brought everything back to the concept of family--of how relationships develop, mature, endure, and survive life. Each and every moment, in my opinion, brought me toward that realization, and it was that which stuck with me the most.
The bonding (the adhesive, if you will) of this drama came from commanding, inspiring, insightful, and heartfelt performances by every one of the main cast. Other than Sung Dong Il and Lee Il Hwa, who played the best parents in dramaland yet again, my favorite actors were Yoo Yoon Seok as Chilbongie, Jung Woo as Trash, and (my personal favorite) Kim Sung Kyun as Samcheonpo. The intensity of these three characters/actors propelled me to see even the little moments (the subtle smiles of Samcheonpo,the serious face of Chilbong, the raw emotion of Trash behind a poker face)and feel every kind of emotion as a result.
Furthermore, I commend Go Ara for her image reversal and complex handling of Sung Na Jeong. She was great! My biggest surprise, however, was how standout the performances of Min Do Hee (Yoon Jin) and Baro (Binggrae) were. Each took side characters and delivered them with heart and dedication. Because of all of these people, that sense of "family" came alive.
Those of us who remember mixtapes will agree that those mixtapes were usually songs that stuck with you. Reply 1994's mixtape does not fail in such a comparison. Every moment was felt in the music as well: happiness, sadness, love, and of course, the sense of "family." The Reply 1994 family bonded often around music, and I think that I bonded along with them.
If Reply 1994 taught me one important lesson, it was this: family is having someone to share everything with, no matter the relationship. It achieved this by developing relationships of all levels and doing it well. Not only that, Reply 1994 included us in that relationship through its story, characters, music, and overall, its message, which begs for a reply.
This is my Reply.
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Reply 1994 was a long ride of nostalgia,laughs,and tears,I was instantly drawn to each characters stories and they way they interacted with each other in their small college boarding house. The characters all have nicknames that are easy to remember and impossible to forget once you've finished the drama. Go Ara really impressed me with this role she was Na-Jeong in and out and gave one of the most sincere performances of the year. Jung woo and Yoo Yeon Seok are the best male leads to be in a love triangle with both funny and Deliciously cute you'll find yourself rooting for both to get the girl at the end.
The music is beautiful and catchy, and most importantly appropriate to the decades quirky charms. I'm happy to say Reply 1994 is my favorite drama of 2013.
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