Reply 1997

Reply 1997

9/10

Reply 1997 

Genre:                                   Episodes: 16                                   Year: 2012

Comedy

Romance

Family

Synopsis:

‘Reply 1997’ follows the story of Sung Shi Won and her classmates as they begin their transitions into adulthood during the late ‘90s. Through different trials and circumstances the teenagers start to grow up, their love and friendships are tested and developed as they leave their childhood behind.

Cast:

Jung Eun Ji (Sung Shi Won)

Seo In Guk (Yoon Yoon Jae)

Song Jong Ho (Yoon Tae Woong)

Hoya (Kang Joon Hee)

Shin So Yul (Mo Yoo Jung)

Eun Ji Won (Do Hak Chan)

Lee Si Eon (Bang Sung Jae)

Sung Dong Il (Sung Dong Il)

Lee Il Hwa (Lee Il Hwa)

General Thoughts:

What a masterful piece of storytelling. It’s one of those rare, beautiful dramas where the director and writers are truly on the same wavelength and come together to produce a stunning, flawless adventure that says all it wants to say and more. The series was deeply nostalgic- even for those of us that have never been a teenager in South Korea during the ‘90s.

What being a teenager looks like in any country

While it defiantly has its in jokes and unique references to Korean pop-culture, it carries a sentimental tone that anyone who’s been a teenager can identify with. It comments on teenage troubles that are consistent across all cultures- family troubles, friend troubles, growing attractions, growing distances, growing up.

It seems incomprehensible that these people don't exist somewhere

The heart of this brilliant drama is its pure, unforced, raw emotion. It captures perfectly what being a teenager is all about- every situation is do-or-die, either brilliantly, dazzlingly wonderful, or devastatingly, horrendously awful. And it’s in this time of unbounded passion when we meet our beautiful characters. Each and every character shown in the drama is created in completion. Every detail of their being has been formed and specified by the writers and carried out by the actors. Its gives the feeling that every being that makes an appearance, no matter how short, in the series is a complete, unique, real individual. It develops such fondness and compassion for the main characters as we see them as whole people that we can relate to and identify with, and wish the best for. The relationships between our characters were a beautiful mess of tangled feelings and experiences. It gave each character purpose in the drama, as the two main stars could never have made it to where they were in 2012 without the experiences and relationships with every other character present. There are an uncountable amount of cameos and Korean pop-culture references, some which I understood (many I’m sure went right over my head), which added an extra, humorous dimension to the already fantastic, many-layered drama. The series was just meticulously thought out and well written, with a cast that made the story shine, and presented an interesting, realistic view on growing up.

Words can't express the feels-train this drama will get you riding on

What Was Great:

The Heart:

At the very centre, heart and soul of this drama was love. Not romance, but love- which was stunningly refreshing and gave the series a deep sense of substance. The story wasn’t just based around the romantic love between the main leads, but also the familial love and the love between friends.

Weep-a-thons...weep-a-thons everywhere

 It’s the deep affection and compassion our characters feel for each other that sucks the audience in and makes us believe that these are real, genuine people and relationships- more than just characters on a screen.

¿Por qué no ambos

The most striking and engaging of these relationships are Shi Won’s relationships with each of the brothers, and the brothers’ own relationship. The difference in the way Shi Won loves the two boys is so vastly different, yet so similar- and captured so perfectly. She has grown up alongside both of these boys, who are now men, and they are both part of her family. She cares for them both and can’t imagine her life without them, yet there’s an unexplainable difference in her emotions towards Yoon Jae- and the whole drama circles around her trying to uncover and explain what that difference is, all while trying to not damage either of the boys. But the true gem of the series are the brothers. Tae Woong, the mature older brother who has given up everything for his little brother, and Yoon Jae, the still maturing little brother who is trying desperately to catch up. The last few episodes really hone in on the different responsibilities each brother has towards the other, and it’s Tae Woong’s choice to completely step away from Shi Won (in a romantic sense) that is the most beautiful, complete, unselfish form of love presented in the whole drama.

Hoya will make your feelings take a beating. And you will love. Every. Moment.

The unchanging friendship between Yoon Jae and Joon Hee is also a strong example of the heart reflected in the drama. Yoon Jae treats his friend exactly the same the day before and the day after he discovers his friend’s romantic feelings towards him, and continues to act completely free of judgement.

The Ensemble:

The entire cast were just brilliant. From our stars to our cameos, every actor gave something unique and important to the overall outcome of the drama.

They're all simply splendid

Every one of the main cast delivered strong, relatable performances and were able to turn a comedic scene into an dramatic one without giving viewers emotional whiplash. The chemistry between the cast members was intoxicating to watch, and they all seemed to feed off each other’s’ energy to provide one of the most dynamic, heartfelt group of characters to date.

Also this story-line killed me

The Story:

I’m usually not a fan of time-skips, but in this case it was perfect. The slow reveals as each episode progressed revealed a little more about our characters, while sometimes simultaneously deepening the mysteries. The overall story was bizarrely simple- a group of friends growing up- but it is laced with such incredible depth and detail that it’s compulsive and addictive. Every small story arc provided new insights, emotions and complications, while also developing the main relationships and storyline. Everything flowed smoothly from one moment to the next. Flicking between the three different stages in our characters’ lives (1997, mid ‘00s, and 2012) gave the sense that we’d known these people a long time- much longer than 16 episodes (or one weekend) and added a huge extra layer of nostalgia to the mix- as if we’d been a part of growing up with these characters. Everything melded together seamlessly, and no questions were left unanswered.

Everything was satisfying

The Execution:

The heart, cast and story were all tied together wonderfully by what I can only imagine is an ingenious director. Each scene was perfectly balanced, and delivered the exact emotion it was intended to deliver.

Not one scene could have been improved

Voiceovers delivered poignant insights without becoming overused. The drama also had the mindfulness and the patience to use silence to evoke the maximum emotional response- sometimes a scene didn’t need a voiceover or a conversation to explain where the characters’ hearts were at, because we could see it and feel it through the way the scene was acted. The director had perfect knowledge of when an insightful voiceover, simple, ungarnished conversation, or pure silence would deliver the most heart-felt moment. 

What Wasn’t:

The Girl Friend:

I understand Shi Won’s friend Mo Yoo Jung, and the character is a perceptive look into how teenage girls function.

"OMG, let's break up"

But there were times I just found her awfully irritating. While she could deliver funny, heart-warming moments, she was by far the most underdeveloped and whiny character in the drama. Her only true shining moment was early on when she lopped all her hair off as an act of friendship for Shi Won. After that, she faded into the background a fair bit, and was only defined by her relationship with Hak Chan.

Re-watch?

For sure. It’s a masterfully created drama where everything works in perfect harmony to create a wondrous, emotional viewing experience. I’m so glad I jumped on the bandwagon late and can go straight into the series spinoff. ‘Reply 1994’ here I come.

Pretty damn close to perfection