alon-luna
This review may contain spoilers
***SPOILERS***
Reply 1998 was recommended to me by two people but it took me awhile to watch due to the number of episodes. The episodes are also pretty long, each running at an hour and a half! I’m really glad I took some time for this; it was very heartwarming. This might be my first slice of life drama and nothing major happens here…there’s no main antagonist to get by or big problem to solve. Those expecting something more specific or thrilling to happen might be bored, but those who don’t mind watching day-to-day life may find this really special. This could also be a good drama to watch alongside something more serious, as a breather. The episodes are plotted in such a way that one can even watch right in the middle without missing anything important.
It mostly centers on five teenagers growing up in the 1980s. I like how the show focused not just on the friendship of the main group but also the friendship between their parents, each family and its dynamics. Watching this entire network of relationships was a very pleasant experience and I can see myself rewatching some of the scenes later.
The main female character Deok Sun is a loudmouth and one of the wackiest characters in a drama but I found her pretty funny and likable. She gave off this good energy in every scene. Actually, all the characters here, from the gruff older sister Bora to even the older parents such as Mi Ran and her husband Sung Kyun (even wackier than Deok Sun!), had distinct personalities. I was expecting to fast forward the scenes with the parents but it turns out that their antics were just as entertaining as their kids!
What I didn’t like were the parts with a grown up version of DeokSun (in 2015) talking about her youth in flashback. Her husband was with her during this interview (she gets together with one of the guys and his identity is revealed later) and the problem is that his personality differed so much from when he was younger that it made him seem like a different person. I understand that the writers did this deliberately to keep the audience guessing but it was too much and I agree with those who said that it was as if he got a personality transplant :/
I also felt that one of the gang, Dong Ryul, didn't get as much screen time as the rest of them. He’s just as goofy as Deok Sun, but some scenes revealed that he could be surprisingly wise and deep when needed. His relationship with his father, the dean, was pretty abusive and I wish they addressed this more.
There is a love triangle here which I normally dislike, but this one - while it comes with its share of natural angst, wasn’t toxic or offensive to any of those involved. It’s interesting how they went against stereotypes where the more introverted party happened to be the more expressive and direct when it came to relationships. In the end, every character is happy and at the right place. This drama really manages to capture the nostalgia of growing up and what Korean culture was like at a time when things were much simpler.
Reply 1998 was recommended to me by two people but it took me awhile to watch due to the number of episodes. The episodes are also pretty long, each running at an hour and a half! I’m really glad I took some time for this; it was very heartwarming. This might be my first slice of life drama and nothing major happens here…there’s no main antagonist to get by or big problem to solve. Those expecting something more specific or thrilling to happen might be bored, but those who don’t mind watching day-to-day life may find this really special. This could also be a good drama to watch alongside something more serious, as a breather. The episodes are plotted in such a way that one can even watch right in the middle without missing anything important.
It mostly centers on five teenagers growing up in the 1980s. I like how the show focused not just on the friendship of the main group but also the friendship between their parents, each family and its dynamics. Watching this entire network of relationships was a very pleasant experience and I can see myself rewatching some of the scenes later.
The main female character Deok Sun is a loudmouth and one of the wackiest characters in a drama but I found her pretty funny and likable. She gave off this good energy in every scene. Actually, all the characters here, from the gruff older sister Bora to even the older parents such as Mi Ran and her husband Sung Kyun (even wackier than Deok Sun!), had distinct personalities. I was expecting to fast forward the scenes with the parents but it turns out that their antics were just as entertaining as their kids!
What I didn’t like were the parts with a grown up version of DeokSun (in 2015) talking about her youth in flashback. Her husband was with her during this interview (she gets together with one of the guys and his identity is revealed later) and the problem is that his personality differed so much from when he was younger that it made him seem like a different person. I understand that the writers did this deliberately to keep the audience guessing but it was too much and I agree with those who said that it was as if he got a personality transplant :/
I also felt that one of the gang, Dong Ryul, didn't get as much screen time as the rest of them. He’s just as goofy as Deok Sun, but some scenes revealed that he could be surprisingly wise and deep when needed. His relationship with his father, the dean, was pretty abusive and I wish they addressed this more.
There is a love triangle here which I normally dislike, but this one - while it comes with its share of natural angst, wasn’t toxic or offensive to any of those involved. It’s interesting how they went against stereotypes where the more introverted party happened to be the more expressive and direct when it came to relationships. In the end, every character is happy and at the right place. This drama really manages to capture the nostalgia of growing up and what Korean culture was like at a time when things were much simpler.
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