Reply 1988 walks in the footsteps of Reply 1997, only focuses more on the family dynamics and the old neighbourhood friendships. However, it wasn't as good as the other reply. The main reason that I preferred the 1997 reply over this, was the duration. The 1988's episodes lasted almost two hours each! And they were twenty of them (kudos to the producers; that must have been a challenge). Maybe for some, that wouldn't be a problem, but I personally prefer my dramas short -er, as it's more easy to watch. And the long duration makes it tiring at some point. Anyway, the 1997 reply's main reason for success was the kpop fangirling, that created laughter. Plus, the romance was quite interesting, as it was mixed up with the back and forth of the story. The Reply 1988 had a nice romance, but it was a little predictable and the chemistry between the two of them wasn't that good (I would have preferred the girl to have ended up with another character, as they looked better together). The family stories were quite good, and for me, were better than the friendship-romance. But, in the end, it was a so so drama, with a story that didn't keep the interest till the end, so 3 out of 10, for the good performances.