Reply 1997 (2012)

I started watching this drama because of Eunji.  I am a fan of her music and so I decided to give this drama a shot.

Truthfully, a large portion of why I enjoyed this show was because it was so relatable. I did not grow up in Korea but I have heard about the Korean boy band fan wars after getting into KPOP in my late teens, early twenties.  I did not live through H.O.T. versus Seckskies but I lived through Backstreet Boys versus NSync. The way Shi Won obsessed over H.O.T was similar to how I used to obsess over the Backstreet Boys.  I remember, vividly, hovering over a teen magazine and tearing out pages to share with my girlfriends and classmates, similar to the drama.  My inner 90's kid self laughed when the gang in the drama started getting into Tamagotchis and other 90's crazes like overalls, pig tails, CD players... Of course, I had a Tamagotchi!  It was also really nostalgic and heartwarming watching the friends have their reunion.  How many people still keep in touch with their high school friends in their late twenties?  Not too many people unfortunately.  This was something that I couldn't relate to but still found touching.

I also loved how the drama talked about real life topics despite some topics being controversial in a conservative country.  When I lived in Korea in the early part of this decade, it was still taboo to talk openly about homosexuality.  People were having same- sex relationships but it was still not a widely accepted mindset.  It was refreshing for the drama to kinda mention homosexuality and paint it with a warm, understanding light.  

I also commend the actors for portraying their roles so well.  Some might find the Busan accent to be whiny but I found it to be endearing.  This drama also transcend gender lines.  I recommended this drama to my fiance and he absolutely loved it.  Eunji, as Shi Won was the clear glue to this entire show.  She was so lovable that it is easy to see why people liked her.  In Guk as Yoon Je was also hilariously straight edged and goofy.  It was so funny how the main leads interacted with each other and their chemistry was palpable.  

All in all, if you grew up in the 90's...watch this drama.  You will love it.

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I watched reply 1988 before I watched this drama and I liked reply 1988 better, however, I could relate so much to the fangirling and loyalty of fandoms that the main character goes through. I am also a huge fan of Apink (eunji omgggg) so I really enjoyed the casting. The parents are always the same people so the familiarity is nice :) The storyline, just like any other reply drama, is based off of family conflict, friends, love, and finding out what is most important. I did cry a lot so prepare yourself some tissues !!! but it's beautiful and illustrates the beautiful youth everyone goes through in life. <3 highly recommend this drama

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This was such a good drama. I loved the main actors. Eun Ji as Shi Won and Seo In Guk as Yoon Jae were amazing. This was the first drama I've ever watched either of these actors in, but they have made me fans. This was the first in the Reply series, but arguably the best one just because the story was fresh the first time they did the "Who's the husband" bit. The side characters and storylines are good and keep the plot going with the husband mystery. I thought that part dragged on too long, and I would have liked to have gotten to see more love story. But the angsty-ness of it all kept the tension going. I would 100% watch this drama again. Shi Won was immature and quite the hooligan, but she was lovable all the same. The parents had great chemistry together also, and that may be part of the reason they used them as the parents in the other 2 Reply dramas. They may have been a little loud and obnoxious at times, but I felt that they acted out a long-married couple that's still in love perfectly.

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Reply 1997 was sooooooo much better than I thought it was going t be. It took a couple of episodes before I was completely hooked, but after getting into the groove of present-day vs. flash-backs, I was binge watching until the end. I really loved the chemistry between the two MC's and the suspense about which brother the female MC ends up with nearly killed me because I just HAD to know soooo bad (hence, the binge watch).

I really liked all the characters in this Reply series and oddly, I was highly entertained with the female MC's tantrums. They were hilariously cute to me and not annoying to me at all. I also found the younger brother (male MC) to be very attractive and his character was bashfully sweet. The way he ran to her when she was being stalked was *sigh* such perfection, it made my heart swell.

I also found Reply 1997 to be very reminiscent of my childhood, making me feel much older than I am (in a good way). I ended up being a little nostalgic and remembered all the things we went without in the 90's and did so differently, even here, on the other side of the world. I also liked seeing the similarities between here and Korea in the 90's.
Overall, while there were some obvious/inevitable flaws to the drama, the ending was thoroughly satisfying and the execution was well done. Since this was so good, I gave the sequel (Reply 1994) a fair chance (and I enjoyed it too - refer to my review for it, if interested).

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In 1997, I was not a teenager in South Korea, but a five-year old in Europe. Yet, without having had the exact same experiences, the 90s nostalgia hit me hard with this one.

The gadgets (or lack thereof), the music, the hair styles,... it all created such a nostalgic atmosphere, while telling a timeless coming-of-age sory. I loved seeing the squad grow up and go through all these stages of young adult life. Anyone, no matter which decade they were born in, will be able to relate. A lot of shows about teens focus on their love life and rebellion only, which is why I was especially appreciative of the portrayal of Si Won‘s relationship with her parents and the loss all three of them felt, when she left for college. I think every adult who has left the nest or has had their own children leave the nest, will get emotional when watching these scenes.

I loved Si Won and Yun Jae‘s unconventional relationship and his acceptance of her (fan) craziness. None of the other characters understand the dynamic of their relationship, yet they adore each other in their own way.

I think Jun Hee‘s queerness should‘ve been explored more but I understand that Korea just was / is not there, yet. I would have at least liked to see the face of the person who picked him up in the end, though.

The whole production design was lovingly detailed and everything was just so creative and unique. Basing their story around 90s Kpop was a brilliant idea and was made even better by the casting of Sechs Kies' Eun Ji Won as Hak Chan - hilarity ensued.

In fact, The whole cast is pretty amazing. Seo In Guk shines, Hoya is a cutie and the perfect fit for the sweet Jun Hee and Eun Ji is just an absolute treasue. I could watch her read the phone book in her Busan accent and I would be content.

The only thing I disliked about this drama was the character of Tae Woong. I found him creepy ever since he showed interest in Si Won. He was how much older than her??? Plus, he was engaged to her late sister. Yikes.

To summarize, a very touching drama that will make you remember your first love and rebellious teenage years and make you miss the simplicity of the 90s.

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FUNNIEST KDRAMA I HAVE EVER SEEN

This is a tragically under-recommended kdrama. I have watched 50+ kdramas and this has to be in my top five. It is hilarious and heartwarming at the same time. The cast has such great chemistry and the humor is so much more raunchy, and hilarious than typical kdrama humor.

I love the two main leads. UGH I shop them so hard. The main female lead was also the lead in another one of my favorite kdramas (Sassy GO GO) and she gives a stellar performance in this show as well. The male lead is also in the show Shopping King Louie but in this show he portrays a totally different character.

I have not watched another of the other shows in the Reply series but plan to check them out now that I have seen this show.

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I was surprised that I enjoyed this drama.

Although this is the genre of drama that I liked (Romance, School,Youth), I wasn't expecting a lot due to the cultural/age differences I had with regards to the drama setting. I was born in 1997 and obviously, is not from Korea. Surprisingly, I realized that our time of youth goes beyond age, time and place. The story grew on me, reminding me to cherish my youth and I can totally imagine when I am 30+ and I look back upon these days.. So much feels.

This drama had a bit of sitcom with different funny situations happening in each episode and when it concludes, you learn something. It's a story about youth and romance (not the cheesy type) of course as well as kinship. But then I expected more character development as the setting of the drama passes from teen to adulthood, especially for the two leads. Jumping too much between the time frames also makes it a bit messy for me.

I need to mention this. When Shi Won says that living in Busan makes it difficult to follow her HOT, I totally shouted at her: WHAT ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL FANS?!

Chemistry is there, right on point. Seo In Guk and Eun Ji really did well in this drama, their emotions from friends to couple is displayed well. I personally am not impressed Eun Jiwon's acting, not bad but lack of emotions at some time especially since his co-star (Shin So Yool) did very well. And then I want to say that... Shi Won's parents have THE BEST CHEMISTRY EVER. Anyway I think the couple appeared in all Reply series right. Point proven.

Music, well, is from 90s, I enjoyed it as well. Loved the duet between Eun Ji and Seo In Guk. Credits to the lamb/sheep sound that appeared every time there's an awkward moment for the characters (making it more like a sitcom).

Go back in time with Reply 1997. I can totally understand why this had high ratings (although I am not sure about how realistic the setting of the drama is)..

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I could ring praises for this drama all day all night.
I've watched this drama twice over now. Once when it first came out in 2012 and just recently in 2020 on Netflix (man, how times have changed.) The first time I watched it I just remember loving it so much. It was funny, it was cute, and it was overall just a happy go-lucky drama. Watching it in 2020 as an adult, made it so much better because of how relatable it was. The nostalgia of their youths was like me. Her obsession with Kpop and dramas was exactly like mine just 8 years ago. What I also loved is how much time they focused on each character, and gave each a well done plot line. There was so much wit in the comedy and just overall made the drama experience well worth it. I highly recommend this one. It's worth your time.

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This is my second favorite drama from the reply serie. I start with it and didn’t get disappointed. Reply 1988 still being my favorite, but I feel that 1997 is more important in my life in some way. Maybe because I could relate myself with the characters and because I learned a lot about life and how it could be difficult sometimes. I could met a lot of old kpop songs that I didn’t know before and loved it (H.O.T is better than I expected). If you like this kind of slice of life drama, just go for it and you will love each episode of this drama. It’s really amazing <3

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i recommended 3 other drama titles if you wanna think the story through

finished! LOL.

overall, a nice time-pass drama, but not great (as reflected in my score). my score begins from 5.0 upwards.

actually i think this drama is wildly inferior to 3 other kdrama titles that i have watched and really liked, and which themes kinda fit this drama like puzzle pieces:

1. Delightful Girl Chun Hyang

- the story of young teenagers who kinda grow up together, and she gets physical too with the male lead LOL, but here i feel like it's worse. she's literally a bully here the way i see it with him, and it's not cute nor entertaining to me. her father is right LOL in saying that the FL's husband is either a Buddha or a total fool for marrying a thug-like girl like her LOL. i personally think the kind of unconditional love that Yoon Jae gives her is one of "wonders of the world", LMAO. something that is completely hormonal instead of logical, and in that way actually rather a terrible match to his actual personality (a supposedly very intelligent, rational guy).

2. Boys Over Flowers

- the story of two men who like the same girl, and the brotherhood is really deep so the dilemma is very intense. i just really love BoF for how well it does the love triangle really, so well done in my opinion. here it's kinda meh AF. instead of a love triangle that could have been heart-wrenching, it's just so awfully done here.

3. High School King of Savvy

- i literally have a huge problem with the characterization of both the ML and FL here. for me the ML has remained dry throughout, though i must say Seo In Guk's manly charms really got into me especially from ep. 11 onwards. i just wanted to see him be more playful and i didn't get that here which was frustrating to me. as described by his friends here, he has a rather stiff, unflexible character. in real-life situations, i myself wouldn't wanna date someone like that so i kinda understand why the FL didn't see him as a man initially, LOL.

overall, an okay drama for me. i find it pretty underwhelming, and quite distastefully done in parts. it's probably because the girl had not much character development as written here. even after becoming a mother, she still went around and do hard works because of her kpop crush LOL. her husband is right when he gets mad at her about it but she fights him fiercely right away. so this is definitely one of those drama couples that is kinda/sorta shippable out of questionable reasons (just because the writer throws them on your face), and definitely one that won't make you feel too optimistic about love. LOL!

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The show where I found out Seo In Guk as an actor, who is really versatile.
I loved this show for many reasons: because the plot was well done and convincing; because the cast is amazing; because all relationships are believable; because it's been very funny and moving at the same time; because even though they used some sort of "How I Met Your Mother" narration, they didn't ruin the ending as HIMYM did and yes, because I was 18 too, back in the 1997, and I miss the 90s so much! The show's vibe made me feel nostalgic. :)
Great, great show that deserves a re-watch.

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