Reply 1997 (2012)

this is a review from someone who haven't watch the other reply series yet, so there will be no comparison. i enjoyed this drama a lot! more than i expected. a very light slice of life, very fun and bright i like it. it's really perfect to watch when you have lots of your mind cause it's very light. as a fangirl myself, there is some degree that was relatable to me, which makes the drama even better. it really gives that nostalgic vibes, retro which lives up to its title. i also enjoyed their friendship a lot. the romance was um very predictable but still I'm liking it haha.

Citeste mai mult

Great series but…

Loved the show a lot but I think they did a injustice to jee-hon( the gay character. He was so important as a character to the series as a whole but justice was never truly done for him . You’ll
Understand what i mean when you see it . I hope kdramas just become a little more progressive with gay characters in the future but besides that the series was amazing, I had a small problem with the main couple because she be crazy but eventually relented because I saw how crazy he was towards the end too. 😂The music was a bit mediocre
especially some very bad singers .

Citeste mai mult

Originally written on Nov 6, 2022

Hmm... I couldn’t really get into Reply 1997. It took until after the timeskip to really get invested in some of these characters, and by that point I was already 2/3rds of the way through the show. It’s not a bad show, just very unremarkable. Hopefully, the other Reply shows, 1994 and 1988, will be more interesting.

Oh, and I absolutely hated the dumb sheep noises. It’s like the creators didn’t trust their audience enough to understand when something is funny, so here’s a bunch of baa’s to get them to laugh.

Citeste mai mult

Nice, feel good drama

I think this is actually a really good drama. The storyline is basic and it's more of a daily life kind of plotline it's still interesting. Sometimes these kinds of stories are refreshing to watch, without all the drama and thrill and intensity. Sometimes it's nice to relax and watch a show about average lives and growing up.
The cast has some top-notch actors/actresses so it's all done really well; although the characters are just simple people I think sometimes that can be harder to portray than an over-the-top kind of character or one that's written to be a precise way.

The music/OST is average but it's not bad either.

The rewatch value is high for me. While the surprise at the end would be ruined (although you pretty much can guess the ending by midway anyway). The rewatch value of just relaxing and watching these characters grow and relive their teenage years is reall high. It's easy to just watch it again and not stress about anything, and probably have some nostalgia of your own.

Citeste mai mult

I started watching this a few days ago because I wanted to see howon. Before this, I already knew some of the scenes because I saw the clips before. But, I was still pretty surprised, because some of those scenes happened way earlier in the drama than I thought (which would be at the end, or at least nearing the end) Honestly, I don't really watch dramas set in like around the 90s cause I wasn't too interrested. And though yeah, I still agree with that, as I still don't really want to watch the other reply series even after watching 1997, I guess it was written pretty well, and it was pretty interesting to see how it was like back then in that year. And honestly the story was interesting enough for me to continue and I honestly liked that it was less than an hour mostly. Near the end, suddenly it became longer from near an hour to actually an hour, so idk it felt a bit tiring (?) and felt a little bit too draggy (?) but maybe thats just me... idk it was pretty good though for a drama released 11 years ago, I don't usually really want to watch older dramas,,,

Citeste mai mult

story

The story has lots of interesting plot twists, the storyline is not like most dramas in general. but I felt interested in episode 11, before that episode this drama was boring. In episode 11, question marks started to emerge, who is Sung Shi Won's husband really, and I was also surprised when Kang Jun Hee liked Yoon Jae, I thought it was just a joke, but basically this drama is just like reminiscing about the easy times of Sung Si Woon and Yoon Jae
As for acting, I like everyone except Yoon Jae, when he cries, his tears are really fake. The music is also boring, I think this is suitable for a boring drama plot like this

Citeste mai mult

Finally, I watched one "Reply" and all I have to say is: how I lived so long without seeing this? I didn't write my first impressions because I watch everything in two days, so I didn't have time. But let's start with a brief resume.

"Reply 1997" tells the story of a group of friends that grow up together and how their relationships develop through the years. The main plot involves Yoon Yoon Jae (Seo in Guk), an orphan that was embraced by the family of Sung Shi Won (Jung Eun Ji), and a third person that I won't mention because is part of the process find out this. I choose "Reply 1997" because of Seo In Guk and because I already knew who was the couple. I hate love triangles and hate fall in love with the wrong couple, so this made me enjoy the process without any tension. Maybe this could be a big factor to put this drama on my favorite list now.

The edition of the drama with the flashbacks and flashforwards was very captivating and make you travel in time. I was born in the '90s, so this also has a nostalgic side to me. The fact of you don't know what is going on and the surprises in every episode make you attached to the story and yearning for the end. As I said, I already know the spoiler of the main couple and yet for me was an incredible journey. If you don't mind with the possibility of frustration, I suggest that you watch without spoilers, but if you already know something and thought that it wouldn't be fun to watch like this, give it a chance.

I'm now preparing to watch the 1988 version (and yes, I already know who is the main couple) because I really enjoy the way how they put everything together. This is a drama with almost ten years, but it's amazing how only the edition can say that. The themes and relations are pretty different and developed in an incredible way, without the shadow that you usually see in this kind of old drama.

If you are looking for something fun and well-done, go for it! This is a chosen one for me (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ) after a long time! Yay!

See you soon!
Mari.

Citeste mai mult

Oh gee, I just loved Reply 1997. It's not your typical K-drama, and I guess that is why I enjoyed it so much. I loved being able to go back to 1997! Although I was only 11 in 1997, I have to admit that the 90s were always going to be the best for me. I could feel where the characters were coming from during their teen years. Growing up in America, I loved the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync and there was always a war between which boy band was the best... and through this drama, I learned it was H.O.T. and Sechs Kies for Shi Won and her friends in South Korea. Reply 1997 details something we could all relate to and learn from... first love, good times with friends, growing up, and learning some life lessons along the way.

The cast is great and have wonderful chemistry. Seo In Guk (one of my newest Hallyu crushes) and Jung Eun Ji (so realistic in her portrayal of Shi Won, it just fit her perfectly) were great in their portrayals as Yoon Jae and Shi Won and I hope to see more of them. Everyone meshed so well that you could not help but love all of them.

Honestly, I would recommend Reply 1997 to everyone. It's something fresh and different to watch. The storyline is not too outlandish, but too simple either. I hope there will be more dramas like Reply 1997.

Citeste mai mult

I feel really bad about saying this but this drama was just not my cup of tea.
I just dont know what to make of it. I feel bad because so much effort is put into the making of a drama, the actors, production teams, music etc etc, but guys it didnt work for me.
I love teen dramas, BOF, Hana Kimi, Dream High, Shut Up Flower band etc. but I dont know whats wrong here.
The actors are cute but the story so predictable and forced comedy.
This first love thingie is also getting too out dated.
I wont stop others, as so many of you out there love it. This drama is just not for me.

Citeste mai mult

LISTEN TO ME, HE IS NOT A REAL PEOPLE

This review is more for the people who already watched the show and want to hate on Tae Woong; this ethnic household is a Tae Woong hate zone and a Tae Woong hate zone only. Plus, if you haven't watched a 12 year old K-drama classic, that's a little bit on you (this is my plea for you to go to Viki and watch Reply 1997 RIGHT NOW!)

After a recent rewatch, it's like watching this show with adult eyes has made the entire Tae Woong storyline even more insane, which begs the question: who the heck saw this being written, produced, directed, acted, edited and STILL went, "Ohhh yeah, a little more of this, nice, nice, nice." EVERYTHING about Tae Woong and his insanely random and creepy "love" for Shi Won was poorly thought out and irrelevant.

To start off, the Sung Song Joo storyline...because, why. I'm 1000% sure Shi Won was supposed to be an only child but they wanted to shove in a sad past for Tae Woong for somewhere and- what do you know! - why not give Shi Won a DEAD SISTER that he loved? A DEAD SISTER that is first mentioned in episode 8. A DEAD SISTER that doesn't show up in any of the family's official pictures in the living room. A DEAD SISTER that is never mentioned, even in passing, EVER. A DEAD SISTER that dies in a bus crash... and there is ZERO MENTION OF THIS ever even when Shi Won takes the bus alone to Seoul to go to college and tells her mother "don't worry, it's not like I'm going to die or something." Ma'am...the beating and lectures I would get. The agony from my family. And yet, no mention of her DEAD SISTER that DIED this way.

And Song Joo could have been the perfect reason for Tae Woong's misplaced love and obsession with a CHILD 10 years younger to him, especially when he mentions he likes Shi Won's spunk and finds her pretty. The arc could have been about unresolved trauma, lost love, and moving on...instead, he "gives Shi Won up" to his brother? NONSENSE, when she barely liked him at all! You didn't have a fighting chance, uncle-o! OOO the way that "plot twist" made me so mad because he was the one who decided to be a creep and pursue his younger brother's best friend, a CHILD he watched being born and raised, and didn't think for once about his brother's feelings on the topic. Heck, he wanted to TIE DOWN a CHILD 5 minutes before she moved away to college because he loved her that much? NONSENSE! NOOOONSENSE! That's a groomer talk.

The reveal that Shi Won and Yoon Jae liked each other was frankly the most hilarious part of the whole show for me, because tell me why a shittier, uncle version of Oscar Fishtooth from Fish Hooks looked like he was SLAPPED when he heard about it, like this was something SO shocking and outrageous. Like he doesn't get absolutely mogged by his younger, more attractive, more age-appropriate brother. When I catch the writer who put their entire sweat and tears into trying (and FAILING) to convince me this botox peasant was attractive, on God,,, its on SIGHT.

I am his BIGGEST hater, if Tae Woong has no haters I am dead. That weird thing he does with his lips every 2 minutes, where he purses them forward and smiles with 30% teeth capacity, all while serving goofy Justin Beiber in his Youtube era, makes me want to donate my eyes. Because any universe where I have to watch a minimum of 10 extras in the show talk about how hot this fruit seller-looking uncle with the fashion sense of Chinese mob boss #3 is not one I want to witness.

I wish this character died. The end <3

PS: I'm never changing the rating for the show bc I would never do my king and queen Jung Eun Ji and Seo In Guk like that, I love you guys <3

Citeste mai mult