[Confession] Reply 1988
Before anything else, I would like to define my drama reviewing:
First, I won't be posting episode recaps for dramas because i don't trust my character - I tend to get lazy when I have routines to accomplish and
Second, sometimes when I decide to watch a drama, I depend my continuance on the first episode. So if ever I am interested in a drama, I will watch the first episode and I will review it just to see how it goes. If I liked it, I'll have a continuation review after I finished the whole thing.
Kke, let's go! :D
My gosh! I can't believe I'm going to review this JUST NOW. This has been aired for almost a year (finished last January 2016) but nevertheless, I'm still going to do it anyway. *giggles* Because of so much love and warmth that I got from this drama, I am honored to have Reply 1988 as my first Korean drama review in my blog! *confetti*
I would want to start off introducing what the hell is a Reply 1988? Well this drama is actually the third installment of tVN's Reply Series. Its series are from Reply 1997, to 1994 and then 1988. Yes, you read the year right - these are all setting-based dramas that brings back fond memories of our childhood. The 1997 was the first one to be aired but I'm starting with this because this is the most recent.
It is a drama set in the year 1988, about five friends and their families living in the same neighborhood of Ssangmun-dong, Dobong District, Northern Seoul. Sung Duk Seon is our narrator who is a middle child of her family and the only girl in their five neighborhood friends. Choi Taek is a genius Baduk (like chess) player who is mostly quiet and struggles his day-to-day tasks. Kim Jung Hwan is a stoic and sarcastic character who loves soccer. Sung Sun Woo is a student council president whose a caring brother and a dependable son to his family and Ryu Dong Ryong is a carefree student who loves dancing and singing but is wise beyond his age. So these five completes the gang of weirdos you'll fall in love with while watching the drama.
Unlike the earlier series, Reply 1988 already set itself apart by focusing on family relationships - and you know that we have a soft spot for family stories. A mother's connection to his impassive son, a middle child's dilemma of getting her parent's attention, the Father and child's unspoken love but expresses in actions and so on. These scenarios cuts deep and made me cry big ugly fat of tears because it's genuine and we experience this just as we experience puberty. Reply 1988 added a layer of extra emotion to the usual franchise because this one celebrated a bygone era and a way of life that no longer exists.
Other than the family values that were incorporated in each episode, we also learn the challenge of finding out Duk Seon's husband - the technique used in the past series as well. I love the drama's storytelling where things aren’t linear and characterization unfolds gradually in bits and pieces, and our limited perspective actually makes the world and its characters seem like real people who exist beyond the glimpses we see. We see the present Duk Seon and her hubby in 2015 and we would be paranoid because we keep going back or forth to whose team we really are - #TeamJungHwan or #TeamChoiTaek - I don't care really! They both match Duk Seon well so I'll just get whoever Duk Seon left out! Haha!
A huge part of what made this season such a success was the lovely ensemble, full of actors who were riotously funny and could turn on a dime and make me cry like a baby. I came into this series with little expectations because I thought I couldn't relate because the year was long before I was born (I only watched 1997) and boy I was wrong, this is the most relatable family drama I've watched. It made me think of my youth, my loving parents and siblings and the life I'm living so far. I get to value the little moments I have with my family because we know that whether we want it or not, the time has come for growing up, and moving on, and saying farewell.
No matter how much I endlessly complain how long each episode runs (almost Two hours huhu) and with whooping 20 episodes - I've eaten my complains in return. I'd rather watch dozens of hours and episodes of this and bottle them up so they'd never end and be eighteen forever. I even got to watch this twice because it's so damn good - and it's so rare for me to watch something the second time around!
The show may have ended but I know Reply 1988 will always have a spot in my heart. Do watch the wonderful series and be ready to remember the things that have already gone and to the time we can’t return to. Say hello to your youth with this drama once again.
My Rating:
Plot: 10/10
Acting: 10/10
Cinematography: 9.5/10
Characters: 10/10
Uniqueness: 10/10
OVERALL RATING: 9.9