A slow-burn slice of life to savour

Reply 1988, where everlasting friendships and blossoming romances never fail to bring wistful nostalgia and recurring memories of our adolescence. What will it be like to live in that era? And what awaits the five friends filled with ambition who are getting ready to face adulthood?

It is a particular kind of drama that almost did not have an immersing plotline but sheer raw interactions and gradual development of traits, making it a slow-burn slice of life to savour. It also can be an inherent limitation of the drama.

The episode duration may seem overwhelming as it undoubtedly has its draggy parts and unnecessary situations; one should readily invest in the emotions to understand and enjoy the drama better. Once set with the characters, I think it will be a fast one.

Some aspects that I love-

Realistic Characters. Having a diverse cast is rather daunting because the characters may become monotonous hence making the show dense. But that is not the case here. The characters are riveting and refreshing, each definite and distinct, bringing the drama to life and tugging at your heartstrings.

Relationships. Not just romance and friendship but also kinship is in the spotlight. Look out for the heart-wrenching love triangle, the community friendship, parents' love, sibling bonds, the ahjumma fiestas, and loving married couples. It all makes the show more refined and wholesome.

The 80s Elements. To give the nostalgic feel, the crew had to put the required diligence into details that make you travel and experience the 80s. Elements like fashion, music, food, setting and various historical events gave insight to the international audience while impressing the korean audience with the subtle and original lifestyle of regular folk.

Message. Reply 1988 carries a simplistic message which has a more profound meaning. It is an exemplary coming-of-age drama that aptly portrays various themes on friendship, family, humanity, economic adversities, academic anxieties, self-actualization and accomplishment of dreams.

OST. The leading ost brings back all the nostalgia even after years of watching.

In conclusion, an all-time favourite that I will never stop recommending it.

“It is family—that covers over the wounds from the world outside the front door, the scars we each sustain from life, even the sorrow that family itself gives us. The people on my side till the very end—it is family.”

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Broody and gripping

Weak hero class 1 was a refreshing take on the bullying system and school violence in Korean high schools. It came off as vaguely relatable and unusually intriguing. It showed an unique dynamic between three students who got into A LOT OF SHIT and showed their vulnerability as teenagers.

The cute bromance made up for the intense action-packed fights and adrenaline rushes. Sometimes, there's too much going on the screen and I ate up all that chaos wholeheartedly.

With one of the best pilots ever, it built a lot of expectations going ahead. The writing in the first ep was on point structurally. The screenwriter knew exactly what she wanted us to get introduced to in the first ep. Regretfully it immediately took a U-turn and started to be more plot-centric. Followed by some letdowns the focus changed to a controversial character who sadly wasn't that interesting to watch.

Shi Eun's nuance was skillfully incorporated by the writer and portrayed by the actor Park Ji Hoon. He was visibly blue, dull, and gloomy but his sudden outbursts and piercing words without a single emotion hit hard like that book he threw at Yeong Jin. Giving him chapped lips and a pale look delivered so well. I was very INTO his character and thought we would get more layers of him (which we didn't) so quite disappointed by that. It suddenly abandoned building his character and focused more on the plot.

Soo Ho was likable and cool. Hyun Wook played this character with charm and made him particularly memorable.
Isn't Bum Seok the new nation's enemy? Just kidding! I appreciated his arc and enjoyed scrutinizing his character. A big shout out to Hong Kyung's acting; he nailed it by making the character extremely unappealing.

The production value uplifted the whole show. The intro smoothly goes into my list of "unskippable intros" and the entire aesthetic it went for was so awesome. Still, I think the first two eps were far more well-executed than the rest. It was a shame that the entire concept of the latter half of the drama failed to deliver. My emotional investment in the show was not as high as I had expected.

Overall this was a contemplative show with some great acting though a slight letdown through the later eps.

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One of my favourite dating shows so far.

The concept itself was so superior and unique in the first place, a guarantee for more drama. But surprisingly, there was less psychological warfare and many participants were eager and interested to find love. This helped the show to be more entertaining. There was more variety and overlap in the interests. Unlike other shows, there didn't seem to be prejudice or focus on one person, rather it was an assorted pool of contestants. The plot line unfolded neatly and I personally loved the secret nights and the truth game. It made things more perplexing and especially made my predictions off the mark. All the buildup and episode cliffhangers kept me on my toes.

Sooro - Best boy. The consideration when he decided not to check Taeeun's identity.
Yongho - He is a good person but didn't play the game well. Like at all.
Sungbum - Cheesy af that I actually thought he was acting.
Junghyun - The timing god wasn't on his side. Only if he had chosen love...
Taehyuk - He literally deserved better.

Taeeun - Best girl. She played well.
Sooji - And she played them all. And us.
Hyojin - She was one of my favs. But what a shame.
Seungyoun - You did well.
Yoojung - And you didn't.

It turned out to be an exciting watch and the best couple from a dating show was born.

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Freakishly impressive

There is something about jdramas...
They pull off bizarre and odd concepts exceptionally well.

After reading the synopsis, it sounded like something my 13-year-old 'vampire diaries' obsessed self would come up with as a prompt for a mystery novel on Wattpad (I do not write btw). Diving into the show and anticipating the rest of the plot, I was caught off-guard by its strangeness. The pilot episode set the tone and atmosphere accurately.

Nana was seemingly poignant but remarkably toxic and crazy. I didn't understand the neighbor's existence as a character and what she added to the story. Her arc was sadly left unexplored. I didn't expect familiar faces, but Aguni (AIB) with hair, a mustache and a seemingly younger face was a pleasant surprise.

The setting was restricted and monotonous, but its significance was well-explained. A continuous sense of eeriness lurked around, making the mood tense and gripping. Moreover, I enjoyed the color grading, the SYMBOLISM and the overall cinematography. It was extremely short (jdramas yay) and thoroughly binge-able.

Their shot at dark humor didn't work out from my point of view, and maybe I would've appreciated its eccentricity a little more if it had been any longer. The ending pretty much got messed up, but in a good way(?)

Certainly not for everyone especially the lighthearted.

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