Reply 1997 (2012)

Funny and sweet. This is how I describe Reply 1997, it may not be the best one but if you like RomComs, you shouldn’t miss this series. The first episodes didn’t appeal so much to me, I honestly think they’re a bit monotonous at times and I nearly drop it though it gets better in the end. Here is my personally assessment:

Strengths:
? The Cast – I have to say,THE CAST DID A WONDERFUL JOB. The characters’ acting is spot on. They’re lovable, adorable and amusing. All of them are commendable.
? “No, you’re so ugly I’m in shock” - this got to be one of my favorite lines in the series. The writer did a great job in arranging the punch line. Humorous lines, thrown at the right time.
? Though I figured out the “mystery” part early on the series, it didn’t make it any less charming.

Weaknesses:
? I just think it could’ve been shorter, maybe 10 episodes or less. Some of the scenes are redundant (though some are funny).
? The appearances of the characters didn’t compliment the time that have passed. I mean 10 or so years ago how come they still wear and have the same hairstyle and fashion statement. It didn’t have much difference, it’s like they’re still the same as yesterday.
? NO CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. The story started when they were teenagers, then it ended like they're still teenagers. Maybe the writer wants to be teenager forever lol.


I didn’t give a 10 since nothing is so special about it. Though it is endearing and loveable, I laughed and felt nostalgic but that’s it. I love the cast but that doesn’t make it a 10, I would be biased if I will do that.

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I wanted to Like it More

7.5 out of 10 is my rating. This is a 2012 South Korean TV show with 16, 30-60 min, episodes. Shi-Won (Jung Eun-ji) is a fangirl in the 1990s of a boy band called H.O.T. Flash forward to her at 33 years old and nearing a reunion, her and her 5 friends in high school recall what was like for them all back then. Yoon Yoon-je (Seo In-juk) is the younger of two brothers who grew up with Shi-won when his parents died. Shi-won’s parents were best friends of Yoon-je‘s parents and became like mother and father to the two boys when their parents died. Yoon Tae-Woong was in love with and fiancée to Shi-won’s older sister who died tragically. Tae-Woon later shows romantic interest in Shi-won. Yoon-je also loves Shi-won but feels his brother, who sacrificed so much for him, should not bear heartbreak again so he puts his feelings aside. Friendship, love triangles and flashes back to the 90's lots of interesting elements.

Spoiler ? I was very lukewarm about this one. I found myself waiting for it to get over. I didn’t hate it but I didn’t like it either. It was a little bit like the United States television show "How I Met your Mother" in that it started in the future and had you wondering who Shi-won's husband was. They kept teasing you with it and you couldn’t figure out which one of the guys she was married to. Then in a series of extended flashbacks you get the story slowly throughout the episodes. Of course there are love triangles and side romances and also bromances and all of that was good. It ended the way I like them to end where I knew what was going on with all the characters. I did not particularly like the type of relationship the two that wind up together had. It was the sort of bickering and fighting that makes you wonder if they even like each other sort of relationship. The chemistry was there but the way they portrayed the relationship was hard to envision them lasting long term. One of the side couples would have been cute but they were constantly breaking up or saying they were going to break up which made them not seem that into each other either. It made me wonder what the writers idea of a good relationship is. It focused a little bit on the fan girl angle but I didn’t feel like I knew a whole lot more about that after having watched this. There were also some weird things like when the sister died I had to read some other reviews to even figure out that that was Shi-won's sister. They never showed the sister as a really being part of the family they always showed her doing things other than with the family. Then when she died suddenly and unexpectedly there was really only one passing comment about it made by the dad. And the fiancé, Tae-woon, it did not really show him going through much grief either. It made me wonder why they even bothered to include that storyline except for later when he falls for Shi-won she wonders and you wonder as well if it’s just because she reminds him of the sister. Shi-won even asked Tae-woon if he liked her because she reminds her of her sister and he said that’s not the reason. Which, if that is the case, there was no reason to even have the sister be part of the story. To me there were just a lot of elements like that that didn’t hold together or add interest. I would definitely not recommend this highly or even to get a feel for the genre or time. If you like movies told In flashback then perhaps you would like this better than I did. One thing it does well is keep you hanging on who she ends up with.

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Note:
If you want to feel emotionally moved, this is probably a good drama. It's well made and contains good acting and all in all has a good story. If you're not used to Korean culture or Korean dramas or if this is your first kdrama, I DO NOT recommend watching this yet! The extreme overdramatic behavior of everyone will just come off as yelling and fighting and will distract you enough to lose the beauty of the story.

This drama contains:

- Romance, comedy, friendship, family, idol obsessions, a lot of yelling, a lot of fighting, a lot of bickering, a lot of hitting, a lot of 90's references, deep truths, and youthful life lessons, love triangles and a hint of lgbt.

- A group of friends getting along very well and romance sparking between some of them.

- Slice of life with a classy kind of medium drama.

- Medium chance of crying because of relatable content.

- Ridiculous extremness in idol obsessions, family matters, romance and friendship.

ENJOY!

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Just watched it and it was amazingly refreshing.
The casts are amazing and funny. The love story is predictable but so cute and sweet.
The chemistry of all casts are great. No time to get bored here. This is a must watch.
This is a story about love, family and friendship. 6 friends from high school until married etc.
Watching it, i can relate to their life. I think in here, jung eun ji best act is as shi won. Her other dramas is not as good. She is the light in this drama. Yong jae is so handsome and dreamy here. I like his character in here. And their kissing are so good .

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Answer me 1997 is probably one of the most down to earth kdramas that I have watched, if you can call it that. It isn’t that every other kdrama is completely unrealistic but they (or at least those that I watch) tend to be a bit of a fairy tale like dramas, total escapisms, in some way while I didn’t feel like this drama is. It’s very down to earth, coming of age type of story.

This is not some Cinderella tale, where the rich guy falls or the poor girl or anything like that, and while I often like those dramas a lot, it was also so refreshing to get something like this one, where the characters were just normal people and we just follow them through their young adult life. After the drama I truly felt honored to have been able to see them grow as humans.

I was truly amazed by the fact how nostalgic it felt, and how it evoked that nostalgia within me, despite the cultural and the time differences, that I had from this drama. I was feeling not only nostalgia for those universal things like; your first crush, your first day at school after the summer, first idol band you liked (granted, I was never that kind of kpop fan, like Shi Won, but then again I never lived in Korea, where these kpop idols where, with that type of idol culture), while also nostalgic over time that I had never experienced. And that connection, that nostalgia and that coming of age aspects of the story made me weep like I have never weeped before.

The drama may have been set in ‘97, but the story feels sort sort of timeless, even if we didn’t grow up or were around Sung Shi Won or Yoon Yoon Jea’s age in '97. Throughout the drama I found myself saying this to myself; god this drama speaks to me. It perfectly describes emotions that I had felt when I was a teenager and even beyound that. That age where you feel like you could where you put everything on the line for the smallest of things like a boy band or something. A more naïve and innocent times.

It’s a story about you first love, about your first heartbreak and just about growing up, but so much of it is just about friendship. There is so much heart and soul in this drama and it hits such a sweet spot, at least for me, which makes Answer me '97 is quite a unique drama. It was just so original and wonderful. And it has had such an impact of this more slice-of-life, coming of age type stories in kdramas.

It was just this little show produced by the cable network TvN that just became so big and so successful. It just fills us with empathy (or sympathy) and nostalgia. I felt like the writer(s) of the drama understood what it had been like, being a teenager, just like I feel like a lot of adults forget what it is like to be with all those hormones and emotions and can’t therefor quite catch those feelings when they try to talk to you or write about it.

The later half was much more about the supposed lover-triangle. I did feel like they did a good job on it and I felt like they did keep us guessing for the most part throughout the drama. It was wearing a little tiresome by the end, but I didn’t feel like it ruined the story or anything. But I always got the sense that the people involved knew what kind of story they wanted to tell so they didn’t go overboard with the story, so it become too crazy or just fell flat. It just hit that sweet spot.

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This series genuinely has everything and every time I watch it, I find something else to laugh or cry at.

One of the great things about this show is the characterisation... And that is brought to life by the awesome actors. I could talk about the entire cast but stand outs for me was Jung Eun-Ji who played the female lead and Sung Dong-Il who played her dad. They were great when interacting when any of the other characters but more especially when they were in a scene together. Even if you had not enjoyed a relationship with a parent in the same way, watching the two of them together mostly had me crying in hysterics. But, the same could be said for pretty much every other character and actor as the whole thing just worked. They came across as a tight friendship group, even going as far as becoming each others' family and I could see that extending to off camera relationships too.

But then there was the story. It was so original. Although I'm not korean, being able to reminisce about my late teens (I was 18 in 1997) in how I acted, what my friends were like all came flooding back. And the fact that over the 16 episodes, you had a 'mystery' to solve just made it a show that you couldn't drop even if you wanted to. Every episode taught you something more and gave you clues as to the outcome, but more than that, you got to know the characters more and more and probably had your own idea of what you wanted the outcome to be. In my opinion, everything worked out as it should have and there was no disappointment.

I loved this as well because it was rare for there to be any angst even though a significant amount of episodes covered teenage and school years. It was just about friendship and relationships in general but nothing seemed far-fetched or unrealistic.

I've watched this several times because it's that good.

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Reply 1988 was the first part of the Eungdabara series that I ever watched -even though it was released after Reply 1997-, and for that reason it has a special place in my heart.
This one, however was as good or you could say even a little better, since it was the first one. The characters are equally endearing, the cast and the acting is good (maybe not as good as in R1988), the story is simple but touching and it talks about things everybody can relate to (family, friends, love...).
Maybe the cast in Reply 1988 was a little stronger and there was more balance between family issues, friendship and romance stories and especially the most veteran actors were awesome

Among all the actors I loved Eunji's performance and her character (even more than Reply 1988's Hyeri), her sassiness and strength, and also Song Jong Ho's (this man is soooo talented and underrated...). Needless to say Lee Il Hwa and Sung Dong Il were amazing.

The cameos and guest and supporting roles by idols, as well as all the references to korean pop culture were really funny.

One of the aspects I liked more was the subtlety and the finesse with which the subject of homosexuality is addressed. That is something you rarely encounter in a korean drama.

The production details, camera work, photography, were great. But those are some of TVN's features in their drama releases.

All in all, I strongly recommend this drama.

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I watched it in 2012 when it's aired and wait for every episode with enthusiasm ...i re-watched it 4 - 5 times because it was so good!!!
the plot
the acting and all the actors-every one of them
the producing
everything was perfect
it was perfect because it's like i can get into the real authentic South Korean modern culture and at the same time it was crossed with my culture , it's like i can see the connection that it's not so far and different.
The drama itself was refreshing and special in the Kdrama TV landscape off all the 11 years i'm watching Kdrama. it was more like the Kcinema production
it was like this because:
1. The story was special and original as if you can see it's real contradictory from other Kdrama that combine fantasy storyline
Yet it kept the humor and the ingredient used in Kdramas
it was like a salvation for the Kdrama at the time because it was for me at list the pick of the Kdrama,(addicted - i watched everything and know every drama there is....so i get tired from the same old plot
but this one was a sunshine through the rain. I also know that Korean people especialy from Busan (where is the story took place) love this drama a lot.
2. The acting was amazing...so moving , i love then the actor Seo In-guk at that time he was at his second role i've seen and i waited to see him on the screen...from then on i can't even watch him because this drama was so perfect and he is keep choosing bad roles . so this was his life time role (for now:)
3. the love story is not so far from reality i know couple who fell in love in hightschool and still in love so it was very real fro me
4. every episode make you want to know more .you don't know how it will end
love love love

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Maybe it was just overhyped to me

It seems like EVERYONE loved this show, it's possible that I could be nothing less than disappointed. And I was very disappointed. There were some positives, and I'll get those taken care of first.

Seo In Guk as Yoon Yoon Jae - I love him as an actor. He's got that cool, serious look about him; his smiles are few and far between, the intense stares always serve him well. I liked his character as whole. I loved when he realized he liked her, and his support of his brother, as well as his friendship with Kang Jun Hee were extremely special. SPOILER HERE - when he discovered that Jun Hee liked him, I really appreciated that he didn't treat him any differently and he still loved him as his friend, just as he had all along. END SPOILER.

Hoya as Kang Jun Hee - I don't know if it was the actor or the storyline that I liked in this instance, but I must say that this was my favorite story arc of the entire show. And I do not watch BL, so it wasn't due to that. He played the role with such sensitivity, and he valued his friendship with Yoon Jae, as well as Yoon Jae's happiness over his own. I'm so tired of characters that will do anything the can to get the person to like them, at the expense of the other person's happiness. To me, that's not love, that's obsession.

So, that's it on what I liked. On the other side of the coin:

Jung Eun Ji as Sung Shi Won - there was never a time in this entire show that I liked her character. She was pouty, immature and abrasive, and I couldn't understand why ANYONE would like her. Plus, I felt like she was playing the older brother, she didn't like him but still dated him. I could never tell when she started liking Yoon Jae, and even once she supposedly did, she was never nice to him.
Lee Si Eun as Bang Sung Jae - this character was irritating throughout the whole show.

Brothers and Shi Won storyline - older brother was just TOO old, so that storyline was creepy for me.

Lack of chemistry between the leads. Partially, this was due to their antagonistic love/hate relationship (which was not healthy, by the way), but I didn't see the attraction between them AT ALL.

Editing/poor differentiation between time periods - sometimes they told you what year it was, sometimes it was a small time period between the scenes, but I didn't think things ran cohesively through the story. For example, in one scene, they weren't even friends at that time, but he called her his girlfriend. She dragged him away, saying they needed to talk, and the next scene cut to something completely different. From what I could tell, the talk, where they would explain why he was calling her his girlfriend, never happened.

Language - I'll be honest, I don't understand why, even if curse words are used, they need to be translated. I don't like to hear them or read them. Men calling the girls B*tches - never a good thing.

Needless to say, I couldn't recommend this show to anyone, but I'm glad it was so famous, if for no other reason than to introduce others to Seo In Guk.

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Eu tenho uma relação muito pessoal com Reply 1997 por causa da minha identificação com a personagem Shi Won.

Shi Won é a fã número 1 do H.O.T e conhecida por todos na escola como a "esposa do Tony", um dos membros do grupo.

A forma como Reply 1997 é contada, apresentando os alunos formados em 2002 e com suas carreiras, cria todo o suspense de o que aconteceu no passado até esse encontro escolar rolar no futuro.

Shi Won é uma personagem vivaz, enquanto Yoon Jae é centrado e focado. Tbm temos a Yoo Jung, a amiga da Shi Won, que se encarna muito bem o papel de melhor amiga de um jeito que dá pra sentir a amizade delas. Jun Hee, que sem dúvida, fez o melhor papel não romântico desse drama. O lado cômico fica todo para Jung Jae, e, Hak Chan é o aluno transferido que vem pra fechar esse grupo de amigos inseparáveis.

Eu amo a forma como esse drama é contado: com presente e passado. É uma verdadeira viagem no tempo para conhecer a magia desses adolescentes crescendo e pensando/sendo empurrados para a vida adulta.

O romance é algo que por mais que saibamos quem tem interesse em quem, é uma incógnita ter a certeza até que a verdade seja revelada, pois a trama cresce conforme os episódios vão passando. É possível ver o relacionamento saudável entre eles apesar das brigas, coisa que apenas no último episódio em uma fala é dismestificado. Eu amo a Shi Won e o Yoon Jae! ❤

Temos um interesse homossexual que foi contade de um jeito sensível e muito sentimental. No final das contas, foi o motivo das minhas lágrimas e da minha torcida por um final bonito para o personagem.

A ost ficou devendo, mas talvez seja pq foram várias músicas antigas. No entanto, "Just The Way We Love" e "All For You", os duetos do Seo In Guk com a Eun Ji, os protagonistas do drama, serve muito bem.

Eu amo quando a Coreia fala sobre juventude e primeiro amor, é diferente, e tem um jeitinho todo especial de me deixar anestesiada.

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당신이 좋은 이유? 그저 그 사람이라서. 바로 너라서.

I started this first part of the Reply family hoping to get to the bottom of the odious goat bleating sound effect that all the three dramas were riddled with. Needless to mention I didn't find its origins. It just exists. But I was very surprised to stumble upon a respectful representation of gay character Joon Hee. It would probably be a lot to ask for a happy ending of his love line in 2013, but at least there were no mocking or deliberately "awkward" situations to make fun of his feelings.

The main nostalgic attraction point of the drama is the first wave of K-pop with H.O.T. and SECHSKIES and cultivated insanity of K-pop fandoms. The female lead Shi Won spends a considerable amount of runtime in lines to concerts and fan meetings and makes it a part of her personality. The male lead Yoon Jae though spends most of the time struggling to confess his feelings to Shi Won, and by the end it gets quite annoying and stagnant. There is a lot of charm from the supporting characters because the writers don't shy away from portraying teenage awkwardness in relationships and "inappropriate" obsessions like porn tapes that influence their perception of dating.

I cannot leave out a giant walking screaming red flag that the teacher Yoon Tae Woong is. All the drama he is almost grooming Shi Won and buys her attention with expensive gifts so she, a high school student, would agree to date him, a rich adult man working at her school because Tae Woong's previous girlfriend was Shi Won's older sister who died. It's fucked up. And you know, it's obvious why Shi Won is susceptible to his grooming. Her own father is so crazy entitled that he finds it appropriate to tell his daughter she looks awful and to shave her hair for any "wrongdoing", and the boys in the drama agree with him. The grooming is portrayed as romantic and totally normal behavior while the dad's repulsive character is portrayed as humorous and caring. No, thank you, don't drag this shit to the next generation of K-dramas please.

If I had to rate the Reply series, it would go like this:
1. Reply 1988
2. Reply 1997
3. Reply 1994
If you have watched 1988 you don't have to look into the other ones as they're on absolutely incomparable levels of quality and you won't find anything new. But Reply 1997 is much more laid-back and gives you the vibes of both 2013 and 1997. It's a double nostalgia shot.

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