This was disappointing. I think it was inferior to 1997 and 1988 in every respect. I’ll start with the things I liked.

Na Jung was OK. She was very likable and her acting was fine. In terms of the writing, her character lacked depth compared to Shi Won and Duk Sun though. Samcheonpo and Yun Jin were also good and probably had the most interesting story of all the characters. Hai Tai was likable too but his story needed to be fleshed out more.

But there were lots of flaws. First of all, I was kind of repulsed by Se Re Ki, both in the writing and acting. His acting was flat, he had no charisma, and his looks weren’t worthy of Na Jung. And his character was kind of creepy. I was really turned off by the patronizing way he treated people, especially Na Jung and his little puppy Bing Gu Re. Just thinking about him tickling his chin and calling him gangajee makes me shudder. And I would never trust the care of a neurosurgeon who was a slob that wears dirty underwear, eats rotten food, and never showers or cleans his room. Also, what kind of 26-year old would argue over music with a teenage girl on a bus and then violently attack her? I know that scene was played for comedy, but imagine if that happened in real life. If I were one of her friends sitting on that bus with her and I saw this creep laying his filthy paws on her, I and the rest of her crew would have jumped on him and strangled him with his own intestines. Is this the kind of guy that Na Jung falls for?

Also, I know this franchise is toying with this incest fantasy thing, which is really popular in Asian dramas and especially in anime, and I understand the appeal. However, in the other 2 series, this incest theme was kept to a fairly harmless level, but in 1994, it passed into the realm of (sorry for overusing this word) creepiness. I mean, I thought Yun Jae was Shi Won’s brother for like half the first episode, but in 1994, it wasn’t until a couple of episodes that I realized that Se Re Ki wasn’t Na Jung’s real brother. They really were brother and sister in just about every respect aside from biology. I don’t think this type of romance is very common due to the Westermarck effect (google it). When I think of girls that I grew up with, I don’t feel any sexual attraction towards them at all. So that just makes Na Jung’s irrational crush on her oppa that much less believable (in addition to the other ways that he lacks appeal).

Chil Bong wasn’t a great option for Na Jung either. He has the looks and the status, and he was a nice guy who was at least more consistent and confident in his feelings for Na Jung than that wish-washy fool Se Re Ki. However, his character was way too bland and paper-thin. We really never got to know him at all.

I’ll end on a very negative note: Se Re Ki’s little puppy dog Bing Gu Re. What’s up with this guy? He just seemed like a little babo crybaby to me. Why would a lively, assertive girl like Die Die have the slightest interest in this weak-assed kid?

I haven’t even mentioned how there’s no plot and tons of filler (overextended scenes of watching the World Cup, driving on the freeway missing multiple exits while Aboji needs to pee, basketball fandom that went nowhere, etc.).