18 vs. 29

18 vs. 29

2.5/10

18 vs. 29

Genre:                    Episodes: 16                          Year: 2005

Romance

Comedy

Family

Synopsis:

On the way to file for a divorce, Yoo Hye Chan is involved in a serious car accident. After waking at the hospital, it becomes apparent that 29 year-old Hye Chan has lost all her memories after the age of 18, and still believes herself to be a high school student. Hye Chan is shocked when she is told that she has married her high school nemesis Kang Bong Man, who has gone on to become an extremely successful actor. While Hye Chan worries over Bong Man’s close relationship with his co-star, Shin Ji Young, she grows closer to an 18 year-old boy she met while still believing she was 18 herself.

Cast:

Park Sun Young (Yoo Hye Chan)

Ryu Soo Young (Kang Bong Man)

Park Eun Hye (Shin Ji Young)

Lee Joong Moon (Kim Noon)

Jo Eun Ji (Yoo Hye Won)

Lee Sang Woo (Kang Bong Kyu)

Park Min Ji (Yoo Hye Chan)

Choi Siwon (Kang Bong Man)

General Thoughts:

I did it guys. I made it through. Not completely unscathed, however I did finish the drama. Why? Because apparently I don’t know when to quit. If ever there was a drama worth dropping, it was this one. But I persevered in order to deliver this review to you, along with a firm warning. I strongly believe that it is in your best interests to not watch this drama.

Don't do it guys- DON'T WATCH IT

Sure, there were parts of the series that weren’t all bad. Namely Kim Noon and young Choi Siwon. If you were curious- yes. Yes, Choi Siwon has been adorable and insanely charismatic his whole life. Waffling and fan-girling aside, the drama- it’s not good. The premise is interesting enough- married woman wakes up believing she is still 18. It basically opened a whole door for cute, hilarious shenanigans. But did we get cute, hilarious shenanigans? Of course not. We got ‘Full House’.

Let the madness begin. 

But worse. Because rather than lying about being married and being forced to be cute in front of others, we have two leads that are actually married, but it appears they kind of don’t want to be. Cue the unrelenting bickering. Kang Bong Man didn’t get a great start, with the show making out like he cheated on his wife, then it’s all good because she can’t remember. However, as we become aware that this is not actually the case, and that Hye Chan’s really just a complete over-reacting psycho- Bong Man does gain some points. His complete devotion to his wife and tireless efforts to save their marriage do a lot to elevate Bong Man’s character. However, just when you think you can start to like him and cheer for him, he does something stupid or insensitive. Sure, the cute was there in his thoughts, but we need to see him actually caring about Hye Chan while she’s in front of him. Instead, we get him quietly worrying about her and trying to care for her from the sidelines, while getting angry and yelling at her when she doesn’t understand what he’s done for her. Number 1 way to not get a lady to fall for you- yell at her all the time when she doesn’t know what she’s done wrong. On the flip side of that is Hye Chan. And what a total mess she becomes. At first it’s easy to forgive her mistakes, because she’s scared, confused, and honestly believes that she’s 18. But as the drama goes on and her actions continue to be based firmly in the realm of selfish and idiotic, it becomes hard to support (or even like) her character.

Behold this K-Drama mess and weep

She becomes increasingly more selfish as the drama progresses, pulling Bong Man close or pushing him away on a total whim. She never understands her own shortcomings or how her actions have such a negative impact on her husband. Number 1 way to not gain love from your audience- have a self-centred asshat for a heroine. It also didn’t help that Hye Chan acted like she was 12 not 18. The music was forgettable, the plot was slow and uninteresting, and the characters were irritating. The acting was all pretty good- but when your characters are that sucky, sadly the acting doesn’t count for much.

What Was Great:

The Young Boys:

Choi Siwon and Lee Joong Moon are some much needed eye-candy in the series. Not only were they the cutest (by far) actors in the whole show, but their characters were also easily the least irritating.

In case there was any doubt- Siwon was always dazzling

The same traits that were annoying in Kang Bong Man were acceptable, if not adorable, when acted out by Choi Siwon. Because, you know, he’s an adolescent. And has no idea how to express his emotions. In a young boy- cute. In a grown man- not so much. And then there’s Lee Joong Moon as Kim Noon. Ahhhhhh Noon-ah! Literally the only reason I didn’t drop this drama. He carried the Noona Romance torch bravely and sweetly, and did everything right. He provided some pretty hefty Second Male Lead Syndrome when you consider he’s 11 years younger than our heroine. Noon did everything right to gain the love of our viewer hearts. I loved this character so much that I actually didn’t even want the heroine to fall of him because I truly believe that she didn’t deserve what a thoughtful, wonderful man this 18 year-old boy was. Of course this means that the bratty, selfish 18 year-old classmate didn’t deserve him either- but in a drama full of disappointments of course the most likeable character is going to get paired of with a snotty little sh*t.

Sibling Romance:

Lee Sang Woo is always all kinds of amazing in whatever he’s in. At least the drama didn’t manage to kill how wonderful Lee Sang Woo is. His character was excitingly different with his inability to speak, and while the drama made no effort to capitalise on this difference it was still interesting to have this kind of character grace my screen. Yay to Lee Sang Woo knowing sign language- it was awesome.

But first- Imma take a selfie

I also tend to enjoy Jo Eun Ji’s performances, and she provided another down-to-Earth, logical, and simply nice character in this series. The relationship between Jo Eun Ji and Lee Sang Woo’s characters was enjoyable and cute, and a wonderful distraction from our main pairing. While the romantic relationship between the siblings of our hero and heroine was not without its difficulties, the two managed to work through their problems together. Not only were they able to sort out their own issues, but these two characters also played a great role in assisting our main characters and their highly dysfunctional relationship.

The Ending (I Suppose):

Considering that K-Dramas are notorious for notoriously average finishes, it was nice surprise for the wrap up of ’18 vs. 29’ to not completely suck. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it was a good ending (as to have a good ending you require a good drama) but it was definitely a step up from the rest of our series.

In one word- insufferable

We had the better relationship (Hye Won and Bong Kyu) get a sweetly satisfying conclusion with their marriage, and even our main pairing were able to pull their sh*t together enough to start acting like believable adults. While I never honestly believed that the characters in the main pairing truly loved each other, at least by the end I was convinced that they could stay together. And not threaten to move out or get divorced every five minutes. Maybe. The clear up for Hye Chan’s amnesia was pretty well done. As her memories returned she became more like the adult she was before her accident, but with the added knowledge of the misunderstandings that had been cleared up during the time she had believed she was 18. It also provided an acceptable out for Noon’s feelings- because she wasn’t the girl Noon had fallen for. He had loved the adult who held a childlike innocence and found joy in simple, uncomplicated things- just as an 18 year-old would. When Hye Chan regained her memories, experiences and maturity, she was no longer the same person Noon had fallen for. I really appreciate the time the drama took to express this issue when it could have quite easily left Noon out in the cold while wrapping up Hye Chan with Bong Man under the excuse that they had loved each other all along for 11 years.

Weirdly satisfying relationship wrap-up

What Wasn’t:

Pretty Much Everything Else:

Our two leads were pretty sucky. All their fights and misunderstandings were sucky. The jealous co-worker was sucky. The complete inability of our characters to think of someone else’s perspective and feelings was SO sucky. And last but definitely not least: the plot was sucky. The whole drama basically circles around the fact that Hye Chan doesn’t know if she wants to be with Kang Bong Man or not. And that gets old pretty darn fast.

We're married- now let's fight for 16 hours

The drama may have held more interest if the writers had chosen to focus on rebuilding the love that was shaken between these two individuals, but instead it chooses to centre around 18 year-old Hye Chan having to deal with 29 year-old Hye Chan’s problems. And that’s not all that fun. Due to her immaturity and unwillingness to cooperate with Bong Man, rather than Bong Man attempting to assist her and romance her again, he just becomes frustrated and angry with her- as do we all. It was also a mistake to have the audience doubt Bong Man’s sincerity and loyalty to his wife.

I feel like I've seen this character before. Because I have. In every K-Drama ever.

Had we known all along that he had always been faithful to Hye Chan and had never even considered Ji Young in a romantic light, at least the audience would have been completely supportive of him from the start. As it was, we were led to believe that Bong Man had cheated on or been unfaithful to his wife in some way, so our opinions of him were lowered right from the start and we sympathised more with Hye Chan. But as it became clear that Hye Chan was selfish and crazy and that Bong Man had done nothing wrong, Hye Chan quickly lost our sympathies. Which unfortunately meant that viewers were feeling no connection or warm feelings towards any of our main characters. Except Noon. Because he was perfect. The supposed ‘love rival’ was just purely dislikable. She had no redeeming qualities and couldn’t even play the pity card- it’s no one’s fault but your own if you let yourself fall for a married guy. As Bong Man only saw Ji Young as a colleague and had always made his feelings clear, Ji Young’s role was basically redundant. Even if Bong Man and Hye Chan broke up (with or without Ji Young’s meddling), Bong Man would never have made the switch to Ji Young. Irritating and stupid as many of the characters were (Hye Chan, Ji Young, Grandfather, and at times Bong Man), my biggest issue with this drama is that there was no overarching plot.

0 effort to re-romance his wife

Sure, Bong Man and Hye Chan were rediscovering their feelings, but they were doing so in a slow, round-about way made up of many smaller happenings. The drama didn’t even have Bong Man trying to romance his wife again the way he had when they were 18. Like, c’mon dude- you’ve done this once before, you know what worked when she was 18, at least try and do that again.

Really? This is who Kim Noon ends up getting?

But no, instead Bong Man simply tries to jog Hye Chan’s memory so that she remembers falling for him the first time around. While Bong Man did make an effort to relate and connect to Hye Chan, it never felt like he was making much of an effort romantically. And Hye Chan just plain never made an effort. Except for that one time she made him dinner. But then she had a complete hissy and left before he even got home, so that’s kind of a moot point. Sadly, this also meant that there wasn’t a whole lot of cute going on between our main pairing because they were always awkward or angry with each other. There were a couple of cute scenes, but in a drama with nothing else happening but the relationship development between the leads I was expecting (and wanting) a whole heap more cute. At least Noon delivered. I suppose you could say that the triangle between Bong Man, Hye Chan, and Noon was the main plot development- but did anyone actually believe Noon had a shot? I didn’t. Hye Chan only ever saw him as an adorable 18 year-old friend who she could connect to intellectually. Supposedly. I still argue that Noon was more emotionally and intellectually advanced than either of our leads.

Re-watch?

Never.

I still don't understand why I watched it the first time

Reply 1988

Reply 1988

8.5/10

Reply 1988

Genre:                Episodes: 20                    Year: 2015

Family

Comedy

Romance

Synopsis:

It’s 1988, and five neighbours have been friends since childhood as they have all grown up on the same block. Though each family has different circumstances, the neighbours support and comfort each other as though they were family. The story follows the five teenagers as they mature, and learn about family, love and friendship through various hardships.

Cast:

Lee Hyeri (Sung Deok Sun)

Park Bo Gum (Choi Taek)

Ryu Jun Yoel (Kim Jung Hwan)

Go Kyung Pyo (Sung Sun Woo)

Lee Dong Hwi (Ryu Dong Ryong)

Sung Dong Il (Sung Dong Il)

Lee Il Hwa (Lee Il Hwa)

Ryu Hye Young (Sung Bo Ra)

Choi Sung Won (Sung No Eul)

Kim Sung Kyun (Kim Sung Kyun)

Ra Mi Ran (Ra Mi Ran)

Ahn Jae Hong (Kim Jung Bong)

Kim Sun Young (Kim Sun Young)

Choi Moo Sung (Choi Moo Sung)

General Thoughts:

The ‘Reply’ franchise returns with it’s latest instalment- and boy does it deliver. You’d think that by the third time around, the series would have lost a lot of it’s mystery and charm. But you’d be wrong. So, so wrong.

Our third wonderfully wonderful 'Reply' heroine

The writer (who has apparently sold her soul to gain the most majestic, tear-inducing writing abilities) gives us a whole new group of down-to-earth, painfully realistic, completely loveable characters. ‘Reply 1988’ recaptures much of the magic and charm of the original, and takes us on another journey as we grow up with a brand new set of characters. Unlike it’s predecessors, ‘Reply 1988’ chooses to focus less on the romance, and more on the differing family relationships and dynamics. This choice has both an upside and a downside, but it did feel refreshing to have the focus on the families after how laser-visioned ‘Reply 1994’ was on the romance. The show had a huge cast- which it needed in order to fill up those insanely long episodes. I mean honestly, is it really necessary to have 20 episodes that all go over 90 minutes? Disregarding the insanely long episodes, the cast were spot on. Mum and Dad return (hooray!) along with a trio of children.

It just wouldn't be 'Reply' without Sung Dong Il and Lee Il Hwa

It was enjoyable to have our leading lady have some siblings (that are alive), unlike in the previous instalments. It added a whole new set of relationships into the mix that had our leading lady at the heart of it all. We got to experience being a younger sister, an older sister, and a middle-child all through Deok Sun- and it was appropriately touching. Every family dynamic that could be explored was  explored through our many neighbouring families.

It would be so hard to choose just one

Each series has approached the husband mystery differently, and ‘88 is no exception. In '97 we had a clear contest between two brothers. The series effectively used time-skips and flashbacks to continue the mystery. In ’94 we had a name- but no face to put to that name. Here in ‘88 we had a face- but no name, due to using different, older actors to portray our married couple in the present.

All aboard the Taekie train! Choo choo!

It’s a cute quirk of the series that while it may be redoing something it’s done previously (in the way of the husband mystery), it always goes about it in a different way. The overall tone of the series was more serious than either ‘Reply 1994’ or ‘Reply 1997’. It downplayed a lot of the romance (while still keeping the husband mystery going) and focused more on fading youth and a time you can’t return to. While all three segments of the franchise have included this reminiscence of youth, it was felt more strongly in ‘88 than in either of the ‘90s series. It was truly a bittersweet farewell to a simpler time that is long gone. It says a lot about this writer and these actors that they can make me so deeply nostalgic for a time and place that I was never in, and so completely attached to these people I’ve never met. 

What Was Great:

Less Hurt Love Feelings:

It happened. It finally, finally happened. The boy I was rooting for got the girl. Third time’s the charm. I loved Taek from the get go- though he did remind me a little of Chil Bong, so I was a little nervous that I would be on the losing team again. Being on Team Taek, I can’t exactly comment on how those on Team Jung Hwan feel, but I personally felt that the franchise did a much better job in the handling of the love-triangle than it did the previous time around.

At least it wasn't as bad as last time guys. The triangle of '94 was just plain brutal

I think they could make a thousand more series in the ‘Reply’ franchise, and none would be able to top the original, so we just won’t even go there. In ’94 the series focused too much of it’s time and energy on the love triangle and the competition between the two boys, which inevitably left some people (us Chil Bongie shippers) out in the cold come the close of the series.

The girl can't choose you if she doesn't know you're an option

Personally, I thought that ’88 did a fantastic job of explaining why one man was able to get the girl and the other wasn’t. Adorable and swoon-worthy as Jung Hwan’s crush was- he never acted on it. The times he came close, he always covered up his true feelings with a joke. Whereas Taek was always ready to take the next step forward with Deok Sun, rather than keep his feelings hidden. The episode where Jung Hwan realises this himself is a great close for his one-sided romance. It’s sad, and your heart bleeds for him, but seeing as he wasn’t getting the girl, it was a satisfying way to conclude his Deok Sun crush. I’m sure the those cheering for Jung Hwan were disappointed, but at least there was a legit, tangible reason that his romance with Deok Sun never worked out, that went beyond Deok Sun just liking Taek more. That being said, I do wish Jung Hwan had been given some kind of conclusion in the adult present. He wasn't heard from or seen, which was a huge disappointment. He is the first 'Reply' second male lead to not end up in a clearly defined relationship with someone who isn't our heroine.

All the Feelings:

The different families brought on so many different emotions. It would take a million years to talk about each one in detail. Which is probably why the series went for a million years. Learning from it’s mistakes in ’94, ’88 chooses to (successfully) attempt to evoke emotion through different types of love- be it friendship or family.

Did you honestly go into this series expecting not to cry?

Some standouts were: Sun Woo and his mum, Jung Hwan and his parents, and Bo Ra and Dad. Oh, and of course the undying love between Taek and Jung Hwan- the reason no one got the girl in their teenage years. The relationships were heartwarming as they were just so true to life. No one was happy all the time. No one got the relationship right all the time. Everyone had to work hard in order to understand each other and build a relationship together. 

Ensemble:

What can you say, everyone was brilliant. I’ve yet to watch a ‘Reply’ series where I’ve been unhappy with a single member of the cast. The actors in ’88 don’t disappoint. Good job team.

The kids were fab, the parents were fab. Everyone was fab

What Wasn’t:

Less Seen Love Feelings:

While I appreciated the romance taking a back-seat to all the other relationships in the series, unfortunately this did mean that our main couple got less time to shine. Unfortunately, it also meant that our leading lady, Deok Sun, fell behind the other characters in the way of character development.

I wanted so much more of this than we got

Which couldn’t be helped when her feelings were purposely hidden from us in order to prolong the ‘Who’s the Hubby’ storyline. After it was revealed in the second-last episode that Taek was our husband in question, I totally expected to see a nice, long episode about how they exposed their romantic relationship to their family and friends. But then this was glossed over in favour of Bo Ra and Sun Woo’s relationship. Which was enjoyable in it’s own right- but the whole time I was watching, I couldn’t shake the niggling feeling that this was taking away from time I could be spending with Taek and Deok Sun when they were all loved-up. And they were so damn cute when they were all loved-up. Much as I adored the awkward, finding-their-feet teenage years, I do wish the show had spent a little more time on our characters when they were in their twenties. When you consider that 90% of the relationship development between your leading couple happens in the 90s, it seems silly that 90% of the series happened in the 80s.

Behold the cuteness

I must admit, when the series finished I was satisfied on many levels, but I was left feeling hungry for more on Taek and Deok Sun- as we were really given the bare minimum on their actual romantic relationship.

Grown Ups:

It was a different twist to have older actors playing our characters in the present. I completely see why it was necessary- as I just don’t believe Lee Hyeri (or any of the young cast) would have been convincing as people in their 40s/50s. However, it did leave me feeling a little alienated from our cast as their older selves. It was understandable that older Taek didn’t act completely like younger Taek, as that would have given away the husband story.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! WHERE'S THE REST OF THE GANG?!

But at the same time, when it was revealed that it was Taek in the present, I felt like he’d changed so much- and we as avid viewers had missed out on so much, whereas I always felt invested and connected to the characters of the previous series. Also I nearly threw a fit when we didn't get a little heads up on what our other characters were up to. We heard Sun Woo on the phone- but never saw him. Poor Jung Hwan and Dong Ryeong didn't even get a mention. Boo to that.

Crap...there's still a whole 50 minutes to go...

It’s Long Again:

Hoo boy did those episodes drag on. Unlike ’94, I never felt bored while watching, but there were times when I was consciously aware of how long the episodes were going for. There was enough content to fill the episodes, what with the different families and all, but they were just...so...long. A lot of the beauty of ’97 came from the hard-hitting emotional blows that followed one after the other. It’s undeniable that ‘88 delivered some storylines with big emotional impacts, but these moments were once again separated and distanced by less emotional scenes. It’s just ridiculous to think that the last two episodes sat at around 2 hours long. ‘Reply 1988’, I love you, and I love your characters- but that’s insane.

Re-watch?

I would like to. But another downside to the extreme length of the series is that much as I love the story and characters, I just can’t justify spending that much time on something I’ve already seen. No matter how great my love for this series is.

Another 'Reply' successfully completed

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