[Review] Reply 1988 (2015): Heart-warming Slice of Life Retro

Let's go back to the iconic era of baggy jeans, hair rollers, and walkman; where Seoul was becoming the host city of Olympic Games and happiness was meant to be able to spend time with the family, simply eating or watching television together. At least it was for the five families in Ssangmun-dong district. Back then in 1988, not everything was already made, but it was just more than enough for them to always have a place to come back to: family. You'll be drawn to love each one of them once you follow their stories and see how small moments in daily life do matter.

Well, I don't know where to actually begin... so I'm gonna start with how I portrait Sung Duk Seon and her chingudeul. 

Sung Duk Seon (Hye Ri) is one of those kids spending their youth in Ssangmun-dong. She is the type of girl you wouldn't mind getting around with for days, because she is just that endearing. Despite her lack of talents in nearly everything, Duk Seon is so bright and lively. She is great with people and willing to do anything with all her might to cheer her loved ones up. I love her personality so much. Her sister is Bo Ra, who is a smart-ass, don't-ever-dare-messing-with-me kind of person and her brother is No Eul.

And then there is Kim Jung Hwan (Ryu Jun Yeol). OH MY BOY sorry I can't help it, I just have a thing for cold-looking yet tender-hearted boys. He is the sweetest when it comes to things he cares the most. I smiled like a weirdo all the moments he reveals this trait... geez.

Choi Taek (Park Bo Gum). He is a talented Baduk player, no wonder his friends protect him like a gem. From the very first episode you would see him as the quietest. Taciturn. Kind of soft yet firm. I must tell, that I did have a soft spot for him for the way he never lets go of what he believes in. He is funny though, Taek kind of funny. It's soothing somehow seeing him smile. (more like because it's Park f-Bo Gum...)

Sung Sun Woo (Go Kyung Poo). No kidding, a good son and a good brother and all. You can see how much he cares for his mother throughout the episodes. He is smart, and considerate too. Once he loves, he holds firm.

Lee Dong Ryong (Lee Dong Hwi). Though he seems like getting less screen time than the others, his presence is always freshening. He is the guy who reads comic and spouts nonsense and just laughs all the way. He loves to bring joy despite the problems he has.

There is also a 'guess who the husband is' game in Reply series. I tried guessing but ended up knowing beforehand because my friend unintentionally told me the ending. Geez, you have to know how much I hate spoilers. :') I'm glad I managed to watch it until the end though, because trust me, it doesn't really matter who the husband is.

Just kidding, it still matters to me. At least I was more prepared than ever to face the disappointment in the end. ((not to trigger))

This drama was heart-warming all the way. I was moved by how it can turn from a gag into a sad scene real quick. Some scenes left me laughing for real; some were so emotional I couldn't help but shedding tears. My eyes were already teary before I even noticed, pardon my poor heart! Unlike any common K-dramas, it doesn't revolve around romance, but family and friendship too. Every episode is rich with meaning and lessons, powerful enough to give you the urge of embracing your family afterwards. I really love this drama to the point I have to write this.

[SPOILER ALERT!] 

Pictures contain spoilers too.

1. Duk Seon and Bo Ra's sisterhood. They are just like any regular sisters with nonstop arguments and hair-pulling fights. They yell at each other, bicker on who's taking a shower first, but deep inside, they really care for each other. Remember when Bo Ra tries to comfort her siblings when their grandma died despite their hostility? And when Duk Seon cries seeing her sister sleeping in a room so small while pursuing some test? It's so heartwarming! They even get closer when they're already adults.

2. Bo Ra and his dad's way of caring. They barely talk to each other, knowing they have the same inability to show their feelings. Turns out they're having the exact same way to deliver it all, you can see it on episode 19 & 20. I cried during their scenes together; when Bo Ra moves out from the house, his dad is already waiting for her on the street corner to give her a bag of medicine and she just couldn't help her tears... aw she is softened up. And kudos to the part where they read letters from one to another on Bo Ra's wedding day.

3. Jung Hwan and Duk Seon. This is going to be hell long. Yes. They could have happened, you know. They should, could have. Jung Hwan is so capable of being the male lead. If only his love was bigger than his fear. If only he had a courage to tell her how he really felt. We can see him being sincere from his act towards her, remember the bus scene? The umbrella. The gift. Simply the way he looked at her when she wasn't looking. I can't blame him though, I know he is somewhat afraid of breaking the friendship, of finding out that Duk Seon doesn't feel the same way. When in fact she was in love with you too, she really did like you back, Jung Hwan. She even lied saying she sprained her ankle for the sake of holding your hand. She liked you even if it only lasted for a moment because you didn't notice it and act like nothing happened geez of course she tried to move on. And when you finally realized you should've told her, it's too late. Too freaking late, man. He was showered with opportunities he was too afraid to take. And the real-to-fake confession? SERIOUSLY?! As heart-wrenching as it is, I just want to tell you #TeamJungHwan we are all in this together.

4. Taek and Duk Seon. I must say that at first I hoped it won't be him, because I captured Taek as someone so innocent, that Duk Seon was always taking care of him the way a sister would do to his young brother. Taek's naive nod when Duk Seon teaches him how to swear and be bold, his puppy eyes when Duk Seon reminds him not to take any medicine to help him sleeping. But as the show goes on, I could see Taek somehow changed and that he is more than meets the eye. Turns out he always liked Duk Seon as a woman, and he somewhat always prepared himself to confess to her as things started to sort out (his relationship with Jung Hwan, I'll talk about this later). I find the courage he's got within himself attractive; how he wasn't in rush yet he was so certain about his feelings. He could make anyone fall in love with him slowly but surely (look what he did to me! I got butterflies seeing all loveydovey moments between him and Duk Seon). No wonder he gets the woman.

5. The parents' friendship. I always love how they aren't just family living alongside the other, but how they always consider each other as important as one and that their friendship is genuine. The way they always share their food, telling not to feel indebted towards each other because help has become customary, giving support unconditionally. They are so giving, so kind. When one has a problem, the whole neighborhood seems to worry and they try to figure the way out together. I freaking love that. The sisterhood among the ahjumma gang is so solid too; I would like to see them still hanging out together when they are already wrinkled. Oh, and my favorite character is the cheetah ahjumma, Jung Hwan's mother. She is so refreshing and faaabulous!

6. The bromance. Dude, the boys' bromance between one another is strong too. Also Jung Hwan and Jung Bong's brotherhood; comforting to see how it always seems to spark. Taek and Jung Hwan though! I love how they managed to not make 'liking the same woman' thing such a big deal because they know their friendship is so much more than that. I love how they know what each other feels yet they choose to remain silent and give way to one another even though it hurts. When Jung Hwan overhears Taek has a feeling for Duk Seon, I could see how he tries so hard to maintain his expression and keep calm. So does the opposite, when Taek find it out in Jung Hwan's wallet and witness how his friend looks at Duk Seon just exactly how himself looks at her, Taek decides to back off. Frankly, they had been given the equal opportunity to move, it's just about who's more courageous enough to act on their feelings.

7. The five gang. I love how their friendship is so pure since they were little, the way they stick together through thick and thin, the way they embrace and comfort each other in their own kind of way. I love how the boys sleep in Taek's room often, sharing blankets, like it's the most natural thing to do. The way Duk Seon yell at them to not watch porn, the way the boys think of her as someone too strong to be a girl and how they afraid of her sometimes, the way Duk Seon and Dong Ryong dance their favorite jam together. Also the way they protect Taek so much but can't help grumbling at him at times due to how clueless he is.

8. The parents and the kids' relationship! I cried along episode 19 when they have galbi dinner at Dong Ryong's restaurant to celebrate the cheetah ahjumma's birthday. At the same time she is also entering this menopause phase where she feels sensitive and miserable so the dinner makes her a little bit better. She had no idea that her family is working on to surprise her. Remember when I said Jung Hwan is the sweetest? It was his idea to make her mother feels better and happier because she has no daughter to help her going through this stage. He plans on making the day look like a wedding day to remind her mother that she always deserves to receive the love like that. The father even wears a tuxedo and walks down the aisle toward her. She bursts into tears and laughs and cries the whole time. And there goes the tear-jerking part of Duk Seon reading a plaque as a present from her and the siblings to their father after his early retirement. The message is so sentimental; I was crying too, I might add.

Well, those are some of my favorite highlights. There are still more, more heartwarming relationship that will tickle your heart like Sun Woo and Bo Ra's love story, Taek's father and Sun Woo's mother, Duk Seon's parents, on and on.

After you watch the whole episodes, you would probably understand why I strongly recommend this drama. Reply 1988 was successful indeed in depicting the relationship between married couple, siblings, and friends. It shows not only the youth of the kids, but also how fathers and mothers face a lot of growing up too.

The ending is not so unexpected though. The kids are already grown up. One by one, everyone starts to move out of the block. It's kind of sad to see the Ssangmun-dong district where all the memories took place in is unoccupied. 

Now that I've finished it, maybe I'm going to watch the other Reply series. Or what should I watch next? Any recommendation would be appreciated; K-dramas, TV series, movies, anything!