Before watching this, I would consider a drama on how good it is based on how addicted I was, but even if I wasn't super addicted to Answer Me 1997(maybe part of it is that I didn't watch it while it was airing so I wasn't left hanging every week), everything in the drama was full of meaning and everything just fit together perfectly.
I applaud the writer and director for making such a work of art altogether, I must say.
This drama was different from others, in the aspect that it wasn't the typical cliff hanger every episode and there wasn't really a FIXED storyline, if you know what I mean. It was the story-telling of two first loves that succeeded and their growth together. From high school to adulthood, it was just lovely seeing all the characters grow.
It was full of sweet moments and what I like about this drama is that there isn't some annoying, cockblocking antagonist that was only put there to have a base conflict. The conflict in the drama was more personal, realistic, and relatable which made this drama just seem more "real" I guess. Even if I wasn't into kpop in that time exactly, I still felt the nostalgia and warm fuzzy feeling when they play a 90's or early 2000's song in the background. This drama always got me all emotional all the time haha. The writing was also amazing and even I learned a few lessons watching this drama :)
THE CAST AND ACTING WAS PERFECT. Everyone was so natural and even if Shiwon was a delusional fan girl, I still loved her character. Yoon jae was just sooo.. soo.. dreamy at times. You can see his emotions through his eyes and his intense gaze that's only for Shiwon. When he cries I just cry with him, because it seems so genuine and the pain is visible through his crying. Again, I loved the fact that there was no crazy ass villain in the drama.
The music they played seemed to fit so well with every scene and even if j didn't even know some(most) of the 90's Korean songs I still felt nostalgic. I'm currently looking for all the songs used in this drama because it's that good.
I would highly recommend this drama to anyone who is a sucker for sweet and 'fuzzy' love stories as well as people who are just looking for a drama that's not too heavy. This will take you down memory lane as the beepers and cell phones with antennas are re-introduced. I mean, who DOESN'T love the feeling of nostalgia? Well this drama will definitely give you that feeling.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS DRAMA!
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That's the best way to describe this sitcom. I have to say though, after reading the synopsis and hearing there would be constant flashbacks in this story my expectations weren't too high but after completing it, I can finally say that it genuinely blew me away.
Let me start by saying the flashbacks were never annoying and I realized after a couple of episodes that I thoroughly enjoyed them and they were essentially the entire backbone of the story. There was just SO MUCH going on in this sitcom. It truly has every little good bit of every good drama I've seen. It's fun. It's witty....and a bit insane (lol). But don't let those crazy/slapstick comedy moments fool you. There is so much more to this story than that. It's a sitcom about the strength (and craziness) of family, the unbreakable bond between friends and the courage it takes to take a chance at love. I felt like each scene of this sitcom was a piece of a puzzle and as the story progressed the pieces that once seemed to never fit together, finally combine to make a simplistic yet beautiful picture of how an average family and an average group of friends handle both the expected and unexpected moments in life. The small moments the characters shared with each other created the biggest impact on me. I found those sweet and simple scenes to be the most captivating moments of the entire story.
The cast behind this sitcom is the absolute best. Really. You can't get much better than this. Every single one them managed to create their own story in their own unique, quirky way and it just worked. I laughed, I loved and I cried for all their troubles and woes. They made it seem so easy, pulling off the Busan dialect, acting like crazy loons and yet it all felt so real and genuine. As if I was watching a documentary about the lives of these people in Busan and not some Korean sitcom. The fact that it was so relate-able to so many generations of youths is another plus. You cannot go through this sitcom without ever saying the words, "Dude, I'm just like that!" or "Omg...I know someone who does the same thing!" It's just so relate-able and I think that's what makes this thing so popular. Yoon Hae and Shi Won's young, naive, and crazy love has truly left a deep impression on me. Seo In Guk was FANTASTIC in his role as Yoon Jae and not to go too much into the deep end here, but this guy really knows how to put emotion behind his words. He's angsty, passionate and not to mention hilarious (much like the rest of his crazy friends) and the best thing about it is that it NEVER gets too cheesy or overbearing. Eunji also blew me away with her acting skills. She truly is wise beyond her.... what is this....19 years?! She's only 19?! No way. I would never have guessed, with her flawless acting. One other thing to note here about the characters: THOSE PARENTS! In most drama/sitcoms I have a tendency to overlook these insignificant people, but Shi Won's parents were just so gosh darn lovable! The constant curses and arguing were just so entertaining to me. Some might find this a bit over the top, but I like the way the writers stuck to their gut with these characters and weren't afraid to make them loud and proud. They were such a hoot and I will continue to love them forever! :3
Ah, the music. Well, if you're the type to get so caught up in the story like I was, you most likely won't notice, BUT the music is just fantastic! As a sitcom with many flashbacks to the 90's, it is only appropriate to put in music from the 90's. YES, THAT'S RIGHT! Throwback songs from the 90's! Ah, how I wish I could go back to those times~
This also seems like the first show I've come across in a while, that I wouldn't mind coming back to again. It's just that good! I have a feeling I'll be missing this show and it's characters fairly soon. I don't think I'll see another drama/sitcom as genius and entertaining as this for a while. So it worth a re-watch? Uhhh...HECK YES! :D
Wow. This is by far one of the longest reviews I've written so far (which should tell you something about this sitcom *wink wink hint hint nudge nudge*). So if you've made it this far, I thank you for bearing with me. *highfive* :) This is the point where I should exit outta here with something fun, I guess....hmmmm.
*sheep baaahha* :D
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I'll write about the good parts first ( so that no one would get too angry at me! ^^) The first half of the drama was pretty good; it was very youthful, and quite unique. It's not easy to create youth, it usually has too much elements or too little, but this drama nailed it. It made me remember my high school, skipping classes, hating some subject/teachers and loving the others, obsessing over things, not worrying about time/health/future, and thinking that everything is possible, that I can become anything if I set my mind into it. The times that I didn't have to think too srsly nor had to take that much responsibility, since my parents were there to take care of it all. However, I liked it even more, because it wasn't all fun and games; it had some darker, deeper elements into it. The writers managed to explore these deeper part of the plot through the older characters i.e. the parents. I loved them so much, they were a joy to watch.
But then half way through the drama, as if the magic was gone, the characters lost their charisma and started to become flat. There was no character development anymore, and the plot itself became one dimensional, boring and in times very very annoying. Remember the darker, deeper parts of the plot that I was writing about in the previous paragraph ... well the writers decided to forget about it, which created a huge problem.
It was as if the writers didn't understand human psychology. They didn't put any effort into changing the characters- which was necessary due to the darker,deeper parts of the plot -. Let me elaborate here: if someone has a problem within themselves that is stoping them from achieving something they want, they have to first recognize that there is a problem and then solve it in order to be able to achieve what they desire. However, in this drama, the writers decided to skip the step of one looking deeper within oneself, pondering, changing and maturing. They went straight to the achieving part !!!!!! Yes, that's all fun and nice ... BUT the thing is, in real life, this couldn't have happened, they had to mature. - side note: maturing is not a bad thing, it's a natural process for humans to survive, and it doesn't mean one cannot keep their inner child, nor that they will be a completely different person -
So yeah, I had a problem with this drama being so unrealistic... and trust me the writers had more than enough time to manage and show some character development, I mean from 1997 to 2012 is not a short period of time.
The acting was very good, I really liked the cast - even though I didn't like half of the characters, I still enjoyed watching it because of their awesome acting & chemistry. Well, if you want to watch something youthful, and give a break to the realistic part of your brain, start watching this right now! You'll have lots of laughter and maybe some tears! enjoy!
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Though 16 episode is daebak I still don't get how it ranked #1 for me it's just a typical and ordinary dramas that I've watched. ( but I still respect the guys who love this drama soooo much)
So let me give you a background.....
The story is about friendship, extreme fan culture and love. Best story of friendship that I've watched and one of the cutest love story.
Rewatch value: not the whole episodes but some of the scenes only ( 13-16, last episode is my most favorite) :)
OST: it was an ok for me
The cast are great actors and actress I like them, there is a presence of chemistry:>.
Though I'm not that hooked, it's not tottaly a bad drama I find the "story cute, nice and refreshing" but not an amazing drama.
I recommend it to those people who are into "fan girl thing" I think they would love this drama and relate themselves with the story.
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However, you could have the same reservations I had before someone recommended it to me, and may end up skipping a delicious drama thinking - wrongly - that it's not for you.
At first I simply left it off my list without a second thought because of the meagre synopsis. What, fangirlism? No, thank you! I'm not even a fan of K-pop, let alone pop from the 90ies, who could care less?, I thought.
If you have the same doubts, please know that this drama proved me wrong: not only "groupies" and K-pop are a simple vehicle to a completely different story, but that same fangirl I thought I would detest became my favourite character and the one I related to the most.
The story is made of small moments, some hilarious, some incredibly sweet, some profound, some all of those. There are episodes, mostly in the beginning, which take place in the space of a few hours and tell of little, at times mundane occurrences. They are the true force of the drama, along with the characters, because whether you're young or old, from one side of the planet or the other, you surely have lived at least one of those situations yourself. All is seasoned with those very Korean peculiarities we love, including huge meals, bodily needs, people losing their temper and shouting around, gossiping ahjummas and overly stubborn ahjussis.
Reply 1997 finally confirmed something I have been thinking about a lot lately: my liking of a drama is directly related to the number of likable characters. The more, the better.
These people are adorable. All of them. And on top of them, let me put Shi Won, an anti heroine full of shortcomings but wonderfully consistent, brave, straightforward and charming. Even when she's wrong, she's reasonable. I dare say, this drama is a celebration of feminism, not the trite and anachronistic one of wild females rotating their bras over their heads and claiming the ownership of their bodies, but the one combining sweetness and strength of will, friendship and solidarity among girls.
The very natural acting of all adds to the general feeling of realism. It's easy to forget these people are staging a drama. Great. At times I laughed hard, smiled or sympathized because I could see that very scene happening live in front of my eyes.
The music isn't unforgettable, but it's used very well and it's so varied it never bored me, nor did I ever think it wasn't properly chosen for the scene.
As I said, another review may not be very useful, but if it convinces even one hesitant viewer to give the drama a try, it'll have fulfilled its purpose. A very sweet and enjoyable ride I am willing to go along for again. Any time.
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Strictly because of the fuss that went around this drama which is something I rarely do but at the time, I wanted to know the reason that made this drama rank #1.
2) Storyline/Plot:
I would say that this is one of the most unique storylines out there; it's really rare to find this type of story in Korean dramas industry that's why it seemed intriguing to watch.
Positive Points:
*Even though the main topic was about Kpop culture, the storyline didn’t ignore other important angles. Yes, I was trying to be objective and look away from Kpop madness in this drama yet I don't believe I was bothered by that element simply because it felt like a core here.
*Smart writing: Yes, script writers are brilliant; they can change time and space within a fraction of a second but you can never lose interest in events. Even though it’s not a time travelling drama, events between the past and the present were really great, it makes you ask a lot of questions while creating that beautiful feeling of noble anticipation.
The script felt natural, it was dramatic without over doing it, the absence of cliche made it more attractive. It was REAL, yes that’s the perfect word for the storyline, writers managed to make it believable without exercising too much effort. It touched real life, even if there was an important part about overly obsessive fans it felt warm enough to touch many heart out there.
--->;Humor: One more time, it was “Real”; it’s one of the fewest Korean dramas that were funny in a realistic way. Laughing over many scenes would make the drama light-hearted and short since it was an important element that can make serious moments disappear.
--->Romance: it was cleverly divided between the past and the present which created questions and a lot of waiting moments. It was one of the coolest and most believable romantic stories out there. Let’s add that the development created some great anticipating moments.
Negative Points:
None! I don’t think I said this before but I want to address script writers with *CLAPS*
Story: 10/10
3) Acting/Cast:
*Let me say this: I am barely familiar with some of this drama’s casting; I haven’t seen the main two leads in anything before but Wow, it was amazing to see those future talents here.
*Each and every character was really interesting (except Shi Won who was a bit annoying at the beginning), Jun Hee was one of the best characters out there and let’s not forget Shi Won’s parents who added a different taste to this drama since they weren’t the usual boring Korean parents, their characters touched the universal scale.
*Relationships:
--->Friendship: The most important relationship in this drama! Four boys and two girls created a great atmosphere and believable friendship moments. It was one of those relationships that you won’t get tired of watching including Yoon Jae and Shi Won’s best friends relationship.
--->Romance: It felt light with a lot of chemistry. All the pairs in this drama were greatly done even triangles that felt really different and attracting.
Cast: 8/10.
Acting: 9.5/10
4) The ending:
It was a great ending; it delivered nice emotions without being over-done.
The ending: 8.5/10.
5) My impression (How did it affect me):
*Reply 1997 is one of those dramas which I felt its value after I finished it. Even though I am not into Kpop or into obsessive fan girls, I was able to manage H.O.T and the other groups Die-Hard fans mentioned in the drama. I am not saying that I liked them nor understood them it but I didn’t mind their existence like I usually do.
*At first, I was a little bothered by Busan’s dialect but later on, it felt natural.
*Is this drama memorable: Sure it is! Though, I may not remember Kpop madness but I will surely remember the beautiful realistic storyline and some of the cast that gave me great moments while watching them and let’s not forget that I had a respectable amount of laughs which made it more enjoyable.
My impression: 9/10
6) Overall:
*If you’re into Kpop, I am sure you’d enjoy/like this.
*If you’re looking for a different realistic storyline you’d like this.
*Reply 1997 is one of the greatest dramas out there mainly because of its real script and its believable events plus it contained talented actors whi made it more enjoyable.
Overall: 9/10.
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STORY
Your very basic romantic comedy. The story is pretty straightforward. The story is set in the late 90s, we have a band of friends and we see their everyday life. The story has two goals. Goal 1: 90s nostalgia: teenage problems/school/ dreams for the future ect, kpop's first years of success and blooming. Goal 2: First Love.
In terms of story that was it. Pretty plain isn't it? I mean i've watched complicated-enough-to-keep-things-interesting rom-coms, and this definately wasn't it. Yes, i like complicated and deep things. Here, the characters felt superficial and childish, there was no effort to scratch the surface and get deeper with feelings (and the fact that they are teenagers doesn't feel like an enough excuse to give it a pass), and that bothered me. Yes, the comedy was on point, but that couldn't save anything.
The plot was heavily based on the multiple love triangles. In this band of friends, everyone is in love with the other one, so you understand what is happening here. Yes, this is a kdrama love triangles are to be expected, but they were overused here. They are nice, but the whole plot was based on them, and driven by them, enough is enough... It got old very fast. They tried to make things interesting when they fastforward to 2012 and they keep us guessing who the female protagonist ends up with, but it was extremely obvious who she would end up with in the end.
They tried to complicate it with some questionable couple options. Like love triangle between brothers, intergenerational loves, same-sex relationships. Even though all these are interesting, and they could have made the story 10x more interesting, the show chooses to go the easiest way make the safest choices and becomes predictable... Sadly....
Generally, the story wasn't that bad, it was just predictable, and done before many many times. The plot was too straightforward, no ups and downs, kinda boring a lot of times.
ACTING
Great, especially if you consider that 90% of the cast consisted of idols or ex-idols.
RECOMMEND/REWATCH
Would i recommend it? If you are a kpop fan, you like romantic comedies about first love and you don't want to watch anything deep, then sure, go ahead. Don't expect to get blown away by it, i don't understand how people got so invested in it, it was good for what it was, but there have been better rom coms out there, definately!
Would i rewatch it? No, it was possibly the most boring kdrama i've watched to this day.
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This show was one of the most surprisingly amazing shows I have ever watched. I was so reluctant to start it because I don't really watch high school dramas very often, but this show was just so amazing and just completely sucks you into its grasp.
The brilliance of the show lies in the way they laid the story out of the viewer. We were never given more than snapshots of certain time periods in the lives of the characters. There were flash backs and flash forwards and the way they revealed the different aspects of each character made you fall in love more and more each episode.
All of the characters had such intricate stories and had flaws that made them so real. You could find yourself identifying with all of the characters at one point in time. My heart stayed with Yoon Jae from beginning to end, even when I couldn't understand exactly what he saw in Si Won that had him so enamored. She was a really fun character to watch, but her clueless-ness bordered on pathological and she could be pretty selfish. Si Won's parents were just absolutely hilarious most of the time, though there were scenes where I thought the dad went too far in his anger and I wish they had scaled it back some.
I really did love Tae Woong too, and my heart broke for him when they revealed what happened to his past love and who she was to everyone in the group. I wanted so much for him to be happy, but I did not like that he went after Si Won. How he never realized his brother was in love with her blows my stinking mind. Maybe because we are the viewer and given different clues than he was, but it seemed plain to see from a mile away.
The rest of their group, Hak Chan, Yoo Jung, Sun Jae, Jun Hee were always a delight to watch and you will want so bad for all of their dreams to come true. Without spoiling too much, once you start watching it and you find out Jun Hee's secret, I was really really happy with how well the people who found out about it handled it. I worried I would end up hating some characters once they found out, but it was all really great.
All in all, this show is a must watch! I mean, seriously, if you haven't watched it yet for whatever reason, stop being stubborn and watch it! It will remind you so much of your teen years, even if you weren't a teen in the 90s. I grew up in the 90s in America, so a lot of the pop culture references flew straight over my head, but childhood is childhood and universally the teenage years tend to be the same. At least in obsessions, that is :p What teen girl hasn't been obsessed with some pretty boy in a band at some point in time? What teen didn't fall in love? What teen didn't fight with their parents or with their best friend or their boyfriend/girlfriend? This show is just so wholly satisfying and a nice walk down memory lane, even if it isn't your memories.
Side Note: There was A LOT of pop culture stuff I didn't get. I recommend having google handy while watching it, just to fully enjoy all of the quirky references. For example, so many of the characters told Hak Chan how much he looked like one of the group members from Sechs Kies. It didn't occur to me til over halfway through the show that he might actually be the guy from Sechs Kies, so I looked it up on here and he was! Others might not have been so dense about that, but it really did just go over my head :p
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This review may contain spoilers
This was PERFECTION.While I gotta say that most of you guys won't agree with me, I -as a 90's kid- know exactly what kind of feelings are necessary to fully understand this drama. Many of you guys are in your teenage years. While I'm only 20 years old, it might seem to appear as a 'back in my days'-speech, but I can't help it!
Since I grew up with many things taken from the 90's, I can refer to many things which happened in Reply 97.
Story:
Simple, but awesome. You really get a great view on the slowly modernized way of Koreans raising their kids. The possibilities to go from A to B where limited as heck -at last in comparison to our train and subway systems nowadays- and I can still remember the issues I had as a kid trying to cut down some of the old video tapes in order to get rid of the commercials of my recordings. As you can see, nostalgia is going for most of us on while watching this drama. Most importantly though to me is the fact of mentioning a topic which is still a no go in Korea. Being homosexual. While I have some homosexual friends -some of them being Korean- I was quite happy that the script writers didn't stop themselves from mentioning this quite important aspect in everybody's lives.
Acting:
I loved Eunji and Seo In Guk the most. Well not particularly because they've been the main couple, but it's just that they had some great chemistry going on between each other.
Other than that I still can't get over the fact Lee Shi Un (Bang Sung Jae) was played by a 30 year old guy while Hoya is only 23 years old. Meaning: Impressive acting!
Music:
What can you say about the music? Being a devoted fan myself, I can't rate it low, nor can I give it a 10. Everybody's taste is different, so since this was a story about idols and stuff back in the days it's better to say nothing than criticizing or praising it endlessly.
Rewatch Value:
HECK YEA! The thing about romantic dramas/slice of life dramas in general is that they aren't like crime or mystery series: You can actually predict the ending and if not it's just a minor surprise compared with crime series. I find it quite difficult to re-watch a crime/mystery serie while knowing the whole background of it. You spoiler yourself, BIG TIME, while slice of life dramas are just trying to catch the zeitgeist at a certain time.
Overall:
10. Obviously. While I didn't mind Reply94, I think that Reply97 met everybody's expectations perfectly, since you saw many old fashioned styles, devices and so on..
Recommended for those who want to kind of gasp some nostalgic kind of view on a time they've never experienced before, while being entertained.
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I recently finished watching Bridal Mask and was craving a new drama which would get me out of the hangover caused by that amazing show. Surprisingly this happened to be the perfect remedy even though it was of a completely different genre.
Firstly, the story was extremely refreshing and even though it had a few clichés which are ever present in a Korean drama it was never obvious. Throughout the drama the writers always kept us interested about the whole story and nothing seemed predictable. It will compel you to watch the next episode even if you might not want to because it targets the most basic human weakness - CURIOSITY. The flashbacks throughout the show are so beautifully instilled in it that you will never get confused or highly annoyed by them. The direction, editing and storytelling was brilliant. This show is the perfect sitcom with all the comedy and humour(it will never cease to make you laugh) with the backdrop of six high school friends in it however it also has love, friendship, family relations(siblings, parents), heartbreak and even fanatical idol worship.
The acting was amazing. Every actor played their character to perfection and there was never a dull moment watching them play out the different roles through different ages. Every character has amazing chemistry with the other characters, may it be Yoon Je and Shi Won, or Shi Won and Tae Woong and even Yoon Je and Joon Hee. The other actors also did a great job.
Honestly i was so into the drama that i didn't notice the music but the thing i loved the most was the sound of the sheep/goat(not really sure :P ) which was played when any character did/said something foolish and which lead to an embarrassing situation.
I recommend this drama to everyone. Its one of the best dramas i have seen and you will be missing out on it if you don't atleast watch it once. ENJOY ^^
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This review may contain spoilers
Ugh
So, I watched this series after completing Reply 1988, which I loved by the way. I tried a couple of times to watch this one and thought it would be fun considering the boy band craze feature but it... wasn't. Once I finally could make myself complete an episode, I started to like it but then half way through the series it just became kind of boring and typical.I was grossed out and slightly angered by the romance between the older brother and Si-Won for two reasons, 1- the age difference is gross. She's still in high school and he's a teacher & 2- how are you going to start a relationship with your dead fiances sister? And neither of them thought twice about her being a hindrance to them being together. Wtf was that about?! However, I do like that Yoon-Jae initially backed off for the brother since he gave up so much to raise him. Typically characters are selfish and go for their own satisfaction.
At first I hoped for Si-Won to end up with Yoon-Jae, but after the little teaser with Yoon-Jae and Jun-Hee, I totally changed my mind😜 ! I never actually thought they'd explore the gay angle and they still kept it very surface but it was enough for me to want it to happen. Jun-Hee seemed like the most mature out of everyone and it would have been nice to have seen him get who he wanted after patiently waiting in the background. It definitely seemed like Yoon-Jae was thinking about it and that would have been the best twist if they put them together.
Otherwise, character development got an F. It especially shows in Si-Won. She's still incredibly immature, in attitude and how she dresses.
Unfortunately, this installment of the Reply series isn't recommended.
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The characters were just lovable and it made me root for them. The acting was just great, especially Eunji! OMG,that girl can act! The series will make you care about each and every character in the show.
I LOVED THE MOTHER AND THE FATHER! Eunji being the bubbly girl, Seo In Guk being the love sick puppy, the handsome heartbroken older brother, the bickering between the father and the daughter, the rivalries between the two fandoms - it was just too adorable. I lost count of how many times I hit the pause button and laughed for two whole minutes and then replayed the scene again.
This is a fun and a lighthearted drama which does not take itself too seriously. The fact that the drama is set in the 1990's and the story takes place in the year 1997 makes me love this drama even more because it is set in the year I was born. It makes you relive the 90's. Revisiting those days through this drama should be reason enough for someone to start watching this drama.
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