Responde 1988 (2015)

Reply 1988 is possibly my favourite from the Reply series. Perhaps it is because this series focuses more on familial relationships and friendships, while romantic ones are less in focus.

The running time seems very long, but the writer fills it with plenty of stories from daily life plucked from five best friends and their families in a little community in 1988. At first, it seems there are too many characters, but each are written extremely well. They all have distinct personalities, dreams and goals. These characters are very real and not too outlandish, which allows us to relate to them and care for them. The Reply series is known for its naturalistic tone, poignant and heartfelt moments and the cast were very committed and determined to bring us that same feeling. Except, they outshone their predecessors in the process.

I particularly enjoyed the relationships between our characters. Our three ajummas were the absolute best. They've been through everything together and were closer than family. They were often the stronghold of their family, and they made it look so easy. My favourite dynamic is Bora and her father. Both are very similar characters, both gruff and a little shrewd. But their moments together made me cry the most. Without a word, they are able to communicate their deep love and respect for each other. No matter how prickly their words are, they can always find the underlying meaning. The way the characters endlessly support each other through thick and thin is truly moving.

What touched me is the fact that communities like this rarely exist nowadays. In Ssangmundong, people are good-natured and unassuming. You treat your neighbours like family and you have faith in other people. I watched this series with my mother and she said the show is a true representation of the 80s - a simpler time when hearts were bigger than hands.

I admit I got sick of the husband mystery. I wish the writers did not try to bait us and trick us because it detracted from the story. I also think the last few episodes were rushed, but it efficiently let us see the kind of men and women our lovely five friends had become.

Reply 1988 is also about youth, an innocent golden time that we always reminisce about and mourn. After Deok Sun left her adolescence, she recognises that she is unable to return to that blissful time. It is a reminder for us to enjoy and cherish our younger days while we can.

Leia Mais

I seldom write reviews but i decided to write one for my All time Favorite Kdrama, Reply 1988.

I love all the shows done by the director and the writer of Reply 1988: from Reply 1997, Reply 1994, Prison Playbook and Hospital Playlist but Reply 1988 is not only my favorite work of the combo Shin Won Ho/Lee Woo Jung (director-writer) but also my favorite Kdrama of all time.

After watching this for 3 times, the show still has the same impact every time i watch it. You will laugh and cry, laugh some more, and cry some more. This is not just a mystery love story, but it's more about family & friendship. The story sounds simple but you will be amazed how the show was perfectly directed and written. You will finish this series and you will feel that you are part of their story.. that they are your friends and you are their family as if you know all of them. I tell you this show has many characters but you will know each and every character in the series. That's how brilliant the writer is.

You might not be hooked right away just by watching 1 episode. When i recommend this show to my friends, i always tell them to at least watch 5 episodes before deciding to stop or continue. I know a lot of us has this tendency to just watch the pilot episode and decide if we will continue to watch or not. Reply 1988 is a slow paced drama. It is slow but a lot of things are happening in all of the characters. You will not be bored in every episode. There are so much funny and heartwarming scenes. And the more you finish each episode, the more you will get hooked and won't realize that you already finish the entire 20 episodes (some of the episodes even last for 2 hours).

If you want a feel good drama, i strongly recommend this. It is very nostalgic, realistic, heartwarming, funny and romantic. The show does not need major twist and unrealistic villains. It is as real as it gets. It is definitely a CLASSIC and truly a MASTERPIECE.

"A time so warm and pure, that it was painful. Can you hear me? If you can hear me, answer me, my 1988, the days of my youth." – Sung Deok Sun

Leia Mais

There is rarely a drama like Reply 1988 that comes out once in a while and totally steals your heart. Reply 88 may or may not have been similar to its predecessors but it's a gem of a drama on its own. Never have I seen a drama so well-written, acted and executed so well that it sucks me in and makes me smile and cry as each moment passes by. The family of the drama is one whole consisting of so many unique people. There are moments they are good and moments where they behave terribly and yet, they remind us of how they are also human. These people define a family- being together through the good times and bad and cherishing each other no matter what. I happen to be a person glad to be living in the 21st century but this drama made me wanna go back to the 80's.

The romance may have been the main part in the previous two installments but this drama overall outdoes everything on every level for me(opinions may differ for all). I can only call this drama a masterpiece because NEVER have I ever seen or read or heard of such a story in my life before. This drama made me think about the beauty of relations and what kind of love is love. It is a story about remembering the past and being grateful for what you possess.

The OST happens to consist of old songs remade and it is another beauty that only enhances the drama. Every single song is jjang and goes with the mood of the drama perfectly.

When it comes to the cast, the casting was perfect. Hyeri was given such hatred in the beginning but I knew she'd be good. But she really exceeded my expectations too. All other cast members were also cute and Jin Joo will always be my favorite kid. <3

The story in spite of being so beautiful, was flawed. Towards the last quarter of the drama the characterizations went bad and some plots drug out too much. Trying not to focus on the romance at all in the drama kind of ruined it in some ways. The romance was cute but the love triangle wasn't executed properly. I think it's okay because whatever the writer wanted was accomplished. I found myself changing ships midway and Deok Sun indeed ended up with the one I wanted her to be.

This drama was a real charm and gave me 10 memorable weeks which I shall never forget. I'll always rewatch this drama and watching it in one go would be a treat, because it was a torture waiting for every week for the subs to come out.

You may or may not like this better than the "best" Reply 1997 but it's surely an improvement over 1994 and leagues apart from the other two combined for me. But- PLEASE do WATCH it.

Leia Mais

It's hard to write a short review of this drama because I loved so many things about it and because it offered so much more than I expected. But if there's one word that can sum up the whole show, it's this: heartwarming.

I watched Reply 1997, the first installment of the franchise, and loved it. I also saw positive reviews of 1988 so I came in expecting to be entertained. But I've always believed that first installments, whether a movie or a book or a show, are the best so I didn't expect too much. And so from episode 1 to 20, I kept on being surprised and impressed because not only was 1988 a good drama -- it was also better than 1997 and definitely one of the best, if not the best, 2015 kdramas.

Like its predecessors, Reply 1988 is an ode to youth, a tribute to a time long gone. I think this installment was more nostalgic because the era was the oldest. 88 stood out though because it focused less on romance and the typical Reply franchise trope of husband hunting but more on youth, friendship, and family. First loves and romance also played a part but it took a back seat, which was both a good and bad thing.

88 had a strong cast and I love that even though Duk Seon was the lead, each of the cast got their own shining moments. They were so fleshed out that it felt like I knew them in real life. The strength of this show lies in its characters and the way they interacted with each other. The camaraderie and rapport not only among the younger characters but also among the parents was so heartwarming. And the conflicts presented in each episode were real-life problems. This kept the show real, relatable, and deeply engrossing.

Reply 1988's most touching moments were the ones centered on family and friendship. I swear, there wasn't an episode where I didn't shed tears and during the latter part of the show I was crying multiple times per episode. The dynamics between Bora and her dad, for instance, broke my heart to pieces, as well as the friendship of the three ahjummas. I also loved moments between Jung Hwan and her mom, and Taek and his dad.

The romance, at first, seemed predictable. From the pilot episode, I was so sure who Duk Seon will end up with. Up until the 18th episode I was confident of my guess. And then the opposite happened and I was shocked. Viewers were shocked. I did not see that coming at all and if you watched, you'd know that one of the guys was painted as the typical male lead so it was a real surprise when he wasn't chosen. This is not to say that it wasn't justified. The guy Duk Seon ends up with truly deserved her because be was braver and more determined to get the girl. Since both guys are good, I was okay with either one and I couldn't choose. I just felt a little played because of the unexpected twist. I wonder if this was the original plan of the writer or if it was changed midway.

I only wish more attention was given to the romance. Since it took a back seat, there wasn't a clear narrative on how Duk Seon fell for the guy. Other than that, I have no complaints.

Reply 1994 is next on my to-watch list but I'm not expecting much since it has not-so-positive reviews. Plus, it would be hard to top Reply 1988. I'm still reeling from the hole it left in my heart.

Leia Mais

First let me say that I did like this show. It's got a lot of great parts to it and the cast is fantastic. I thought the Female Lead ended up with exactly the right person and could not see her with anyone else. Not everyone agrees with this, but I felt like there was no other person that they were actively connecting her with than the one she ends up with. It was great! The friendship between the 5 leads was the best part of the show and anytime they were together were some of the best scenes.

My only real issue is that the episodes are SUPER long. Each one is at least and hour and a half and some are longer. There are a lot of family story lines that were simply not needed and if they had been left out the series would have had much more manageable episodes. Don't get me wrong...all the parents and side characters are needed for the series, but not all the story lines connected to them. They gave a well rounded family story, but for me, SOME (not all) just made the series too long and didn't really add anything to the main stories which is where I wanted to focus. Since there are already 5 main characters, their stories alone were a lot to keep up with without the superfluous ones.

Overall, I liked this show fine, but it won't be on my top ten list or anything. By the end I was longing for it to be over because it just felt so long. As I said though...I'm in the minority.

Leia Mais

One of the best dramas to date. I would say it is better than Reply 1994. Compared to its predecessors, this one focuses more on family and friendship rather than love. Romance is an important factor but there are so many deeper things that are shown in this drama. It shows you how love and friendship are intertwined sometimes and how friendship is a barrier in some relationships. It shows how important family is, as well as friends. It shows us the aging process and how family is the only support. This drama really showed me so much that this is one now one of my top 5 dramas. Super well-crafted. Though it is less reminiscent than 1994, this one really digs deep and is now an irreplaceable drama for me.
The first few episodes were alright but not super good. It is when the drama starts to really show you the different relationships of this neighborhood that you start to fall for it, so give it a try and be patient.

Leia Mais

Reply 1988 has got to be one of the best dramas in 2015. It takes you through the 80s' where you get the chance to appreciate their struggles, humour and subsequently, growth. It was a nostalgic watch and every emotion was raw and genuine. I love the the drama format, in which we have an episode that unveils a different story (but still related to the rest of the story so that the plot flows smoothly) and each episode is a bundle of joy at between 1 and a half hour to almost 2 hours long.

The characters were golden. I truly enjoyed the brilliant acting of the adults, how they portrayed their friendship and family ties between one another. Throughout the series, I was amazed at how close the families were together, and how every time something happened, the first people they would tell to are one another. It was always a heartwarming sight to see the families (especially Junghwan's family, Deoksun's family and Sunwoo's family) together. When they were together, there would always be something hilarious going on and then cue the awkward goat sound would set in. As much as I feel that the adults' acting is golden, I honestly think that the children's acting is on par too. When you watch them, you can really feel for them.

In the end, Reply 1988 is a family drama. It highlights the importance of family, friendship more so than romance. The romance factor is here and to be honest, I really wish the scriptwriter did not change direction mid way (elaborating on this would reveal spoilers so I shall not). Nevertheless, I never once regretted watching this because there are so many great characters here.

Music: Well with a total of 11 original sound tracks, each to add to the nostalgic vibe to it, I must say that the music is definitely the best of the best. My personal favourite is Hyuk Oh's ?? (A little girl).

I know there was an uproar after around episode 17-18 and some comments I saw on Reply 1988's tvn official twitter were extremely nasty. I was kind of shocked reading them (if you could understand Korean, you would too)... and then after the last broadcast, I saw the comments on articles on Naver, many Koreans were upset with the ending because it felt incomplete to them. Personally, I wasn't all too happy with it either but I could understand that in the end, we must know that Reply 1988 is really just a family drama. This drama, I believe, will always remain as a drama that is dear to my heart.

Leia Mais

A bittersweet but very moving portrayal of youth, love, family and friendship.

I don’t usually like family-centred dramas but let me tell you: “Reply 1988” got me hooked. You don’t find that easily such an heart-warming drama.

The cast’s chemistry was something else! My biggest motivation for starting watching this was Park Bo Gum (god bless whoever chose him for this role because no one would do it better; every time he smiled I felt like I could die) but all of the cast did an outstanding job: Hyeri fitted really well her character; Ryu Joon-yeol was a big surprise for me (really excited to see him again in “One Way Trip”); Lee Dong Hwi’s character is pure gold (he’s that friend who only seems to care about having fun but knows more about life than what people think). I have been watching a lot of Go Kyung-pyo’s works and I think he deserves more recognition for his acting: I watched this after “Chinatown” (a.k.a. “Coin Locker Girl”) and he did a remarkable job with both roles, which are completely different. Finally, in my opinion, one of the most incredibly played characters is Sung Bo-ra (Ryoo Hye-Young), I could write a lot about her but I’ll only say I was really moved while watching the scenes about her unspoken love for her dad.

I fell in love with every single family. I shared the parents’ worries and fears, I had fun along with the five friends of Ssangmun-dong and, at the end, I felt like I grew up with them because they taught me so many life lessons. The character’s individual traits aren’t given to you all at once, but slowly, as things unfold in an extremely realistic pace. I was really moved by all of the families’ stories that I actually got the feeling I lived in that neighbourhood. Everything is so raw, that it touches your heart in a special place. The writers did an outstanding job interlocking each family’s stories and fitting them in each episode’s theme/moral and on that level in my opinion it outshined R1994 and R1997. The music and the lyrics support beautifully the plot and gave me such a nostalgic feeling about that time (which is kind of weird because I was born a lot of years later).

However, if you’re expecting a fascinating love story I fear you won’t be completely satisfied. In contrast to R1994 and R1997, the mystery around the identity of the female lead’s husband isn’t the main topic. That’s mainly why some people were really disappointed about the ending (which I won’t spoil). I admit I was expecting to see more of the “bigger moments” between Deok-Sun and the husband and maybe their romance could’ve been a bit better developed.

But as I said before, you can’t start watching this extremely focused on the romance or you won’t really get what it is all about: whether we want it or not we’ll eventually need to move on with life and say farewell to our younger selves, jumping in to the adulthood, living behind our “own Taek’s room”, where we can only go back to in our memory. After following closely the story of this neighbourhood, you’ll find yourself being grateful for your own family and friends and you’ll cherish your youth in a different way.

Leia Mais

This drama is so ENDEARING.
I just finished watching it and feel like I have been part of their families' lives.

It is a drama about life, love, friendship, anger, failure and family.
There is a huge amount of comical moments to ensure that it never
gets depressing or too heavy. (THE GOAT)
I laughed many time at the top of my lungs, because every episode will
deliver something totally ridiculous (in a good sense).

You have all kinds of characters and they are quite original. Each of them
is portrayed as flawed but loveable at the same time. The constellations between
the families are the reason that it feels like a tiny universe of emotional ties that
is shown at a moment (or some years) that are most important for their future
development.

And there is the issue of THE love-mystery...
I have never watched a drama where it was not clear which guy is the leading role
and who is the second lead - thus making it really difficult to predict who the main
girl will choose in the end. IMO the writers did a great job in making it ambiguous.
It is so fifty-fifty, that they could actually pull off an alternative ending taking the last
two episodes.

But this is NOT a love-drama, if you are looking just for romance then you will be
disappointed. When you look for an entertaining, adorable, higly emotional and funny
drama, then you have found it.

What a great piece. Applause to the producers and the team of Reply 1988.

Leia Mais

Definitely one of the best dramas that I've seen in a long time, it went all the way up to my top list of favourites of all times.
Since the beginning till the end, I laughed, cried, got sad, angry, felt all the feelings that the characters felt.Their hurts, sadness, achievements... You truly get involved with the story of every character.

This one I'll certainly re-watch. It made me go back in time, specially for someone that is from the 80's.
Usually family dramas can get a little dull after a while, but not with this one.

I'll recommend to everyone that wants to laugh with the foolishness, the comic moments. Anyone that wants to relive the first love, get angry with the troubles of life and shed tears of happiness.

Leia Mais

Nothing happens. You might or might not mind.

the various Reply series are good if you:
- enjoy slice-of-life content
- don't need story progression
- don't mind repetition
- enjoy having a 'life lesson' delivered several times in a row
- don't need many minutes of romance, action, or suspense
- think that goat noises make everything funnier
- derive happiness from seeing brands and fads you might fondly recall from decades ago
- love references not only to history and pop culture, but also spotting re-use of phrases, scenarios and characters from other Replies


they're a horrendous choice if you:
- require plot development
- are allergic to filler storylines (= don't like your time wasted)
- hate laugh tracks and the idea that dumb noises should accompany jokes
- want (actually) funny jokes/comedy
- hate preachy voice-overs and the writers droning on and on about the same point
- don't like information initially omitted just to show the same scene again except slightly longer (= don't like your time wasted)
- feel underwhelmed when the writers try to sell you the same thing they already did in another Reply time and time again
- don't miss the 80s/90s in the first place
- want *all* questions answered
- don't like sudden giant time skips, especially for the purpose of furthering the romance storyline(s)
- can't stand screechy girls & people yelling at each other at length



Except for virtually all actors in Reply 1988 being really bad at crying on command, the casting, acting and production are all great.

The 80s music is very good / appropriate, but on Netflix and other legal streaming sites, a lot of the music and otherwise copyrighted content will be omitted, replaced, or blurred out. Especially if you watch the show to 'experience those times', you don't want to watch it like that.
I didn't care for any of the original music, it was very much forgettable.

Leia Mais

first spoilers. alittle 2nd let me laugh at y'all. hahahahaha people are so furious!!! lol. oh come on guys. if you want shows where the main lead is so obvious go watch.i summon you gold. am kidding dont it was horrible. i still have nightmares but that put aside this was best reply drama for me at least. the character development was well written in this drama. also along side the main couple we go more detail about other couples. and yes!! no cliches at all. may be one or two. i still cant pin point where i saw any cliches. the music was amazing. the acting. well..the young cast was fine. but the older cast (parents etc) was great. i will be rewatcching this one especially since i shipped the right couple. hahahaha. iam sorry....ummm... i cant believe the writers did this lol

Leia Mais