Review: Reply 1997 (2012)

Set in the 90’s, Reply 1997 is a nostalgic coming-of-age story of six high school friends in Busan and their long arduous journey to adulthood, rediscovery of familial importance, chasing dreams, and what it is like to fall in love. 

Image via Tving.

Reply 1997 is a feel-good drama that easily shot up to my list of all-time favorites because of its distinct narrative and heart. It is the kind that grows in you without you even knowing, like that of a friend you become familiar with over time and experiences. But what I like most about Reply 1997 is the simplicity that it has: a living proof that dramas don’t really need to complicate things to make a stand because in the end, it is how you connect to the audience that matters.  

❀ RAVES ❀ »•» 

1) Substance, Style and Parallelism. Reply 1997 was very much a slice of life drama that tackled the realities of being young and in love—that insane, overwhelmingly heart-pounding era of bittersweet teenage angst and poignant teenage memories; carried in a fashion of so much substance and style. Reply 1997 was a standout in that aspect: a perfect drama layered with subtle nuances, depth and of course, heart. Its beautiful piece of storytelling and poignant juxtaposition between parallel moments is definitely something I love the most in this drama, like:

When Shi Won’s father got diagnosed with cancer, he stayed in a ward where other cancer patients were. That ward was following an awesome TV drama that everybody loved, but when the main character of the story became sick, everyone felt sad and didn’t watch it anymore. I love it that during those times, Shi Won’s mom kept calling the writer of the show to plead for her to let the main character live, saying that at the time, it was the only thing she could do for his husband—to give him hope. Miraculously, in the end, the main character lived. His husband got better and everyone was happy again. And I was like… awww!

Or like:

When Tae Woong declared an all out against Yoon Jae for Shi Won’s heart at Episode 15 saying that he’d give up everything for Yoon Jae except a woman, I was worried sick Yoon Jae would be back at square one and not get his girl.  Man, he even set up Yoon Jae for a date! Yoon Jae, being the little brother that he is, agreed to go as a sign of respect but clearly told Tae Woong not to set him up for dates anymore because he wouldn’t be giving up on Shi Won either. Fast forward to the restaurant. Yoon Jae opens the door, and… bam! There she was, Sung Shi Won, instead of his date. Yoon Jae bursts into sobs. He then gets a text that says hyung was sorry, and bursts into sobs once more. Awww. It didn’t help that these scenes were interwoven in Uncle’s (the brother of Shi Won’s grandfather) narration of how he hated his hyung only to realize that it was just him hating all along, because in reality, hyung loved him so much and that hyung was sorry too. Double awww. Both Uncle and Yoon Jae never knew the extent of their brothers' love, and when they finally realized that their hyungs have loved them unconditionally all this time, my heart exploded into tiny little pieces I was literally a crying mess. Nice going, show.

2) Family. I love the strong emphasis Reply 1997 has put on the word family. Whether it was Yoon Jae and Tae Woong’s brotherly connection, Shi-Won and Dong-Il’s daddy-daughter tandem or Dong-Il and Il-hwa’s love-hate relationship, family is as important as all other aspect is in this show, and it is what definitely gets me the most. Family is the heart of Reply 1997 and I swear this drama is so damn good with that theme it kills me every. single. time. Like so:

On the night that Shi-Won rushed to the hospital after finding out that her Dad has cancer, her Mom passed her a notebook with 3000 phrases transcribed in both hanja and hangul saying, “You two always fight to death, but he must not want someone else hitting his daughter. No matter what he says, you’re everything to your father.” Awww. Shi-Won and her Dad bicker a lot and fight non-stop, yet Daddy still did her homework for her so that she wouldn’t get a beating at school. Awww. Just. Awww.  

3) Seo In Guk as Yoon Yoon Jae. I would be lying if I say I did not watch Reply 1997 because of Seo In Guk because frankly speaking, it was really the man who got me to finally pick up the show. Not that I’m complaining. Reply 1997 is the kind of drama I would gladly pick up anywhere, anytime, Seo In Guk bias aside. It’s just that his presence in the drama gave me all the more reason to go ahead and watch, and man, was I not disappointed. Yoon Yoon Jae was perfection, and so was Seo In Guk. His delivery of the character was so spot on he made Yoon Yoon Jae feel layered and nuanced and real. From a brilliant kid to a tortured soul to a young man in love, Seo In Guk was everything that Yoon Yoon Jae needed to be. Like everything. Like:

In Episode 11, after hearing from Shi Won that she was being followed in the middle of the night, Yoon Jae frantically ran out of the house wearing nothing but his T-shirt and slippers. He even took a bad fall along the way after crashing with a biker. But when he finally got to Shi Won, the first thing that he said was “I’m sorry I‘m late.” Awww. He loves Shi Won enough to run to her rescue like that. It didn’t matter if it was freezing winter or if he was bleeding and limping due to a bad fall; Shi Won comes first. It’s very much evident in Yoon Yoon Jae and his actions…. and I can’t thank Seo In Guk enough for acing it so much in the acting department.

4) The Friendship. Another aspect that Reply 1997 nailed compellingly well was the friendship that each of the characters share with one another. I personally loved Shi Won and Yoo Jung’s side of the coin—the way they talked about bands, bought accessories or had their hair done, watching them was just like reliving the old times I had with my best friend and it was absolutely fun to watch. Speaking of hair…

There was a scene in Episode 3 when Shi Won and Yoo Jung fought big time after Shi Won found out about her friend’s wavering loyalty to H.O.T. It really wasn’t something big to be mad about, but it was for Shi Won, so they went on for days without talking to each other. That is, until Shi Won got punished for sneaking her way to Seoul. Her dad had butchered almost all of her hair as a punishment and it was ugly, but it couldn’t have been that bad because there’s Yoo Jung, sporting the same short ugly hairstyle. Awww. As a sign of love and support to her friend, the girl chopped her hair too. That’s a special kind of friendship right there!

5) Great roster of quotes. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a great sucker for quotes, metaphor, and absolutely brilliant writing. Reply 1997 is one show that is so, so plenty of that I actually needed a notebook to hoard. Heeee. Say for instance:

Yoon Jae: “The easiest thing we can do for the person we love is to throw ourselves away. The strength to do things that aren’t in our nature — that’s love.”

Or:

Tae Woong: “You have to be content with a dream that’s close. If you chase after one that’s far away, your heart will hurt and your insides will burn. A futile passion only leaves heartache. That’s why life’s stupidest thing is a one-sided love. But the reason that stupid one-sided love is worth trying is… that passion can sometimes make miracles happen… sometimes go the long way around to help you fulfill a dream… and even if it doesn’t allow you to realize that dream, it allows you to linger near it and find happiness.”

Man I can go all day with this.

6) Joon Hee’s Character Treatment. I love that even after coming out clean (to Shi Won, at least) Joon Hee never became less of a person to everyone else and was treated just the same. His sexuality was never a joke: he wasn’t treated differently nor was he left alone to suffer just because he was gay. His character was treated with weight and respect, without being stereotyped, therefore showing us that love is, after all, just love—whatever gender you may have. 

Joon Hee’s heartbreaking-not-heartbreaking first love and how the show handled it with poignancy will always be one of my fondest memories about Reply 1997. That backhug Yoon Jae gave him in the end was like Yoon Jae telling him, “I know your secret, and I’m sorry I can't love you the way you wanted me to but I still love you nonetheless.” It was never spoken, but that backhug spoke for a thousand words and it was beautiful. Just beautiful.

❀ RANTS ❀ »•» 

1) Sung Shi Won's Character. No, this is not because of Jung Eun Ji. I may not like-like Jung Eun Ji but she was awesome as Shi Won. She was lively and animated and brought so much life to the character I sometimes forget that Shi Won isn’t real. Like, I get really annoyed at her most of the time for being too loud and brass and difficult to handle. Poor Yoon Jae. Those kicking and beating and pulling of hair were just too much, weren’t they?

2) Pop Culture References. Reply 1997 has a lot of meta references to K-Pop culture from the 1990's and, unfortunately, I did not get any of it since I did not live in Korea nor have I been introduced to anything Korean earlier than 2003. There were also a lot of cameos from past and present K-Pop stars that I did not recognize, like... I didn’t know who HOT and Sechskies were until this drama. Heck, I didn’t even know Eun Ji Won used to be a part of Sechskies. It wasn’t a big deal, really. It's just that I didn't really get to fully enjoy the drama’s tropes sometimes, being a lost kid and all.

❀ RULING ❀ »•» 

Nevertheless, watching Reply 1997 was like reliving the days of one’s own youth—days when you were silly yet serious, anxious yet hopeful, brazen yet endearing… especially at taking a chance at love. It was nostalgia to the nth level—the kind that highlights the beauty of the little things in life, the kind that reminds you of memories tucked somewhere in the recesses of your heart. Things end: youth, first love, even this drama. But at the end of the day it doesn't really matter for memories are already there. Memories do last forever, and there's nothing else better in this world that doesn't cost a cent than memories itself.

TAGS: Jung Eun Ji, K-Drama, K-Drama Reviews, Reply 1997, Seo In Guk, Seo In Guk Dramas   Edit