I watched Reply 1994 after watching 1997 and 1988 so it felt natural to expect too much from it, however the negative reviews I read prior to watching was what kept my expectations low. After finishing the series, I wondered where the bashers were coming from. I mean, the show was really good! So good in fact that I can almost consider 1994 to be my favorite among all 3 "seasons", if you can call it seasons. I say almost because the show did fall short on some aspects in which the other two shows shined on. It's hard to review 1994 and 1988 without comparing it to 1997, which I think was still the best among the three. 1997 was able to balance everything -- youth and the nostalgia of the late 90s, friendship, family, and the romance. Plus, Jung Eun Ji was really great as Sung Shi Won -- I still think she was the best female lead in Reply series. 1988's strength on the other hand was family and friendships. I cannot count the times that I've cried because of the touching scenes between mother and sons, father and daughters, and among friends. The romance took a back seat and though I loved both Taek and Jung Hwan, I really didn't expect that turnout. I was blindsided and I thought the show didn't give much room for Duk Seon to show why she made that choice. Back to 1994. I love the cast (especially the mainstays -- mom Lee Il Hwa and dad Sung Dong Il) and I love that they're in college instead of high school -- I think that gave romance a bit more maturity. I think each cast shined but my favorites were Haitai, Yoonjin and Samcheonpo. I can understand why people were so torn between Chilbong and Trash and why some were so disappointed with the end result but hey, it was obvious from the beginning who Na Jung was going to end up with. Personally, I'm happy with her choice (and unlike Duk Seon, we clearly saw where Na Jung's heart was) but I was super frustrated with how the show dragged the love triangle. Did it really have to be 21 episodes? It was too long, some parts were unnecessary and boring. If they kept it at the usual 16-episode format and didn't drag the romance part too much, I would have probably given this show 10 stars. The best thing about this show? The OST. It was so so so good! My favorites are Sung Si Kyung's version of Seo Taiji's To You, and Blue's Only Feeling You as sung by Jung Woo, Yoo Yeon Seok and Son Hojun. I can't over how good the songs were. Overall, Reply 1994 is a good, must-watch drama. :)