I have watched all the previous installments of Reply. I will definitely say that I am immediately captivated by the warmth of Reply 1997, the liveliness of youth, and that nostalgic feeling of reminiscing youth. It was definitely a breath of fresh air. And so, I watched Reply 1994 and got so disappointed by how I was wrapped around the story and got Chilbong-ed in the end. So watching Reply 1988, was not an easy "yes."
I am unsure whether the show made the right decision in having the 90-minute format, but this choice led them to skip a week to cover up the whole length of their episodes. Also, this hurts the rewatch value of the drama. It's kind of quite a long drama for rewatching or marathoning. I have several friends who dropped the drama because each episode is just too long.
I don't doubt tvn's capability of creating actors and actresses out of their dramas. I have Kyung-pyo and Bo-gum since Cantabile Tomorrow and well, Gyung-pyo was already adorable. I don't know Jung-hwan and Dong-hwi yet so I am not to judge. I really had my doubts on Hyeri's capability to star in a Reply series since the predecessors were mainly focused on the female leads. It was a good thing that the guys were really good and that there were a lot of them that you don't get to focus and nitpick on Hyeri's acting, though I must say she did a good job. The ensemble (they really did well all together!) of the youths and the parents were so good that I loved every single bit of the show.
Reply 1988: Why do I love thee? Let me count the reasons...
1. Unlike its predecessors, Reply 1988 did not focus on the who-did-she-marry quiz show and instead focus more on how each and every one of our leads lived their youth and their relationship with their families. Show, you somehow manage to make it a deal to keep us thinking but not really dwell on who she ends up with.
2. You gave each character their own set of family. They were a daughter or son, a brother or sister, and a friend before being someone else's love. This gave each character more depth and life than the previous series.
3. I love that the kids have their own circle of friends, and so do their parents. I love how they share every mundane things in their life up to their lives' biggest challenges. You really did well on giving us such lovable parents for the main characters, show.
4. Just like the previous series, you have a certain theme or lesson for each episode that goes all around the neighborhood and shows how each family deals with that (There was an episode about how strong and weak fathers are at the same time.).
5. You made me love every single character of yours. They were written so well and given life so well. I was really sympathetic with every single one of them (though I still like Bora the least).
6. You made me cry and laugh through the downs and ups of the characters. This is how deeply touched I am with the characters and the plot.
7. I should really thank you, show, for the bromance you have shown me. Where will I ever see a Sun-woo and a Jung-hwan? A Jung-hwan and a Taek? A Sun-woo and a Taek? All the boys, and Dong-ryong? I always get kilig by that love between these boys. This is the real gem you had and THAT I REALLY LIKE THEM SO MUCH I CAN'T GET OVER <3
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