00. Quick Thoughts
I am a huge fan of the Reply series. Been following it from the beginning. Like many avid followers, I got interested in the charm of Reply 1997 and got hooked by Reply 1994so jumping in with Reply 1988 is a no-brainer. Each installment has its own strengths but the cumulative driving force of the series for me is the strong relationship between the characters and how they are intertwined with each other.
Although one installment might shine more than the other, each series was done beautifully that it can withstand anything on its own. My favorite of the bunch is still 1994 (let’s not talk about how many times I re-watched this please). No pairing has outshone Najung + Trash oppa for me yet.
I usually watch a series after all the buzz and hype so I was late on the shippers divide on this one. TBH, I intentionally delayed watching this because the first 2 episodes didn’t do much for me. It didn’t have the charm that the previous 2 have. Like its predecessors, it had all the strengths. It’s visually pleasing, the actors have proven that they can perform and the series was well hyped. After months of thinking, I finally realized the culprit. It was because of Hyeri. Don’t want to offend any Hyeri fans (I also don’t have issues with idol/actor) but IMO Hyeri does not stand out as a lead for me.
After a few episodes in, I think I found out why Reply 1988 couldn’t catch my attention immediately. Her facial expressions were all over the place – her expressions are quite off on key moments and it totally caught me off guard. I enjoyed her comical antics but I have a hard time watching her in other scenes especially those with her crying – aaargggh it’s the same reaction I have with Suzy. You can see the tears however it doesn’t leave much impact.
02. Meet the Characters
Lee Hye Ri – Sung Deok Sun
Hyeri as Duk Seon was actually OK – slightly annoying but OK. I would love a friend as lively as her. She is cute and sweet not the cringe type as I anticipated but something about her voice does annoy me. Too low or I dunno. Again, bearable yet annoying.
Ryu Hye Young – Sung Bo Ra
Then opposite to her character – we have her older sister Bo Ra. Aaaarrrrg I hated her early in the series. She was so authoritative and combative that she came off douche-y. I don’t mind outspoken characters (*cough*Yoon Jin*cough*) but Bo Ra wasn’t a favorite of mine at first.
Ryu Jun Yeol – Kim Jung Hwan
One one side we have, Jung Hwan. Very sarcastic and stone faced but he has a bigger side that makes your heart pound. He’s the friend that looks like he doesn’t care much but you can count on him 100%. His relationship with his mom Mi Ran is like what I have with my mom. Though not as passionate, we have this understanding that we love each other.
Park Bo Gum – Choi Taek
Then there’s Taek. His character is lonely and aloof and lives in his own bubble. He’s sooo focused on playing baduk that he becomes so mechanical even with his friends. With no mother figure and just him and his dad (an exact copy of him) so it’s not a mystery why Taek is shy and withdrawn. He’s the most mellow of the rowdy bunch and I love how he gives a certain balance to the whole group.
Go Kyung Pyo – Sung Sun Woo
Sun Woo is the family man and typical model student in this group. He studies hard, maintains a good relationship with his sister and mother, and part of the second love line in the installment. His strongest trait is how he remains a dotting son despite having the nosiest mom in the neighborhood.
Lee Dong Hwi – Ryu Dong Ryong
The wackiest would be Dong Ryong. Personally, his character didn’t really speak to me. I get his charms and why he’s a fan favorite but not really my style.
Sung Dong Il – Sung Dong Il
Sung Dong-il is the typical gruff yet caring father we often see him portray in the Reply series. Definitely the character who brings humor and warmth to the family dynamics.
Lee Il Hwa – Lee Il Hwa
Lee Il-hwa shines as the everloving mother, balancing affection and sharp wit while keeping the family grounded amid everyday chaos. The perfect balance to Sung Dong-il’s chaos TBH.
If you are a follower of the series, Sung Dong-il and Lee Il-Hwa are familiar faces. They are the mainstay in all the installments and are solid characters as always. They often are the parents of the main cast and in every installment, they never fail to amaze me.
I can’t picture the Reply series without them. They portray the typical Korean couple/parents and it’s always a joy to watch them bicker about little things yet be lovey-dovey the next.
Kim Sung Kyun – Kim Sung Kyun
Sung Kyun portrays a gentle and slightly awkward father and brings a combination of hilarity, love and warmth to the series.
Ra Mi Ran – Ra Mi Ran
La Mi-ran’s character is fiercely protective and loud. She’s unafraid to speak her mind and one of the characters who brought the most memorable and comedic moments in the series.
Kum Sun Young – Kim Sun Young
Kim Sun-young portrays a single mother who’s resilient and loving. A quiet yet powerful presence in the series. She’s the subtle balance to Mi-ran’s boldness and Il-hwa’s warmth.
Sung Kyun is also a familiar face because I saw him in Reply 1994 as Samcheonpo. And if you actually watch him in variety shows, he is a funny guy. Awkward yet funny.
Mi Ran is like the mom you want to have. She’s uber cool and another standout character in the series – one of my favorite. Her relationship with Jung Hwan is so lovely to watch that it will often make you smile. Their relationship is so relatable that it makes your heart warm and fuzzy.
Time will always flow.
Everything will pass by.
That might be why youth is beautiful.
It shines, blindingly bright, for just an instant.
But you can never go back to it.
03. Plot Points & Popcorn Moments
So let’s talk about the love triangle that broke a lot of hearts last year. This was a series that had solid shippers and I have read a lot of hubbub because of what happened to the main love arc. I didn’t watch this immediately but I did read and watch spoiler snippets so I had an idea of what’s going to happen but it still didn’t prepare my heart for the inevitable.
Team Jung Hwan X Duk Seon
It’s evident that Jung Hwan liked Duk Seon first and it’s entertaining seeing the small changes in him whenever Duk Seon comes into play. Being cool and expressionless, my heart fluttered seeing him scrambling in his feet. I realized early on why a lot of people protested on how the series ended. You really can’t stop falling for this guy.
It’s all those little things that made their story sweeter. It’s not overly done and the push and pull they did throughout the series was seriously making my heart swell. If you don’t actually pay attention, you’ll miss those scenes.
It’s evident that Jung Hwan liked Duk Seon first and it’s entertaining seeing the small changes in him whenever Duk Seon comes into play. Being cool and expressionless, my heart fluttered seeing him scrambling in his feet. I realized early on why a lot of people protested on how the series ended. You really can’t stop falling for this guy.
Here are a few clips from tvN and I am warning you – these are major heartbreakers.
But as the story progress and you are deep in your ship, it hits you . . .
And seeing these flashbacks really hurt. I understand his choice and why but I sincerely felt bad for him and everyone who went through the same thing. My heart was ready for them to get married. I was 90% sure they were the couple. But alas, Reply. They love their twists.
As people are screaming and protesting, only Duk Seon was clueless. It came to the point that Jung Hwan became frustrated because she couldn’t see what was happening right in front of her.
Team Jung Hwan X Duk Seon
Who wouldn’t like falling in love with Taek. He’s handsome, smart, and very charming. When you see him, you would want to pet him for some reason. He’s the boyfriend every parent dreams of.
I think my issue with the pairing was because it became a thing out of the blue. I was so absorbed with Jung Hwan x Duk Seon that I wasn’t even thinking of Taek until he confessed. It was an off-hand confession and most viewers like me were dumbfounded.
When Duk Seon asked Jung Hwan if she should go on the blind date and he said no that was the biggest solid evidence that he does like her. Duk Seon eventually knew that he likes her which is why she was always by his side. She’s obvious like that. But with Taek, people had nothing to grab onto. Duk Seon and Taek’s relationship felt like sibling love. If you think about it – Jung Hwan makes Duk Seon feel like a girl while Duk Seon gives warmth to Taek.
As I said, Duk Seon is the reason that viewers see Taek as a person. His interaction with Duk Seon is the only moment you’ll realize that he’s not a robot. The episode when Duk Seon accompanied Taek in an international competition is an example of how much she thinks about Taek – she took care of him and Duk Seon didn’t whine because she understood Taek differently than others.
I think this is the reason why shippers love them. He’s so different with her. They connect on a level and the obvious contrast of Taek with Duk Seon is obvious. He smiles, he laughs, he lets himself go, and enjoys the moment.
Why The Protest?
With the previous Reply series, they set it up to make you guess until the wedding day but you eventually know. With this one, they played around with the story and made it confusing and frustrating. The hints seemed to lean towards Jung Hwan rather than Taek though. In the previous series, the second lead confesses early and they go on with that but here, Taek x Duk Seon didn’t even materialize until later. Soooooooo what happened there?
Although I wasn’t rooting for anyone as hard as I did for Sseureki x Na Jung, I understand why a lot of shippers got disappointed. There was so much build-up for Jung Hwan x Duk Seon and then boom! All of a sudden it went in a different direction. I felt robbed. TBH, I felt like both sides didn’t have equal fighting chances. It felt like I watched two separate stories, not a love triangle. Some things didn’t stick and it’s very frustrating when things don’t add up. It seemed like Jung Hwan gave too much leeway for Taek because they are accustomed to giving in to him – or maybe he just favored their friendship more than his love.
We’ll never know. He’s a damn good contender for Duk Seons and it made me furious how it felt that Jung Hwan gave up too quickly on Duk Seon. I wanted him to fight. He deserved more though. So much more!
Wow, too much emotion and violent reaction. Haha! There were several reasons why the romance here felt short for me:
Sun Woo X Bo Ra
As I said, not the biggest fan of Bo Ra at first so I wasn’t sure how I felt about this arc but she grew on me. I love how obviously different they are though they both complement each other perfectly.
I think my issue with the pairing was because it became a thing out of the blue. I was so absorbed with Jung Hwan x Duk Seon that I wasn’t even thinking of Taek until he confessed. It was an off-hand confession and most viewers like me were dumbfounded.
When Duk Seon asked Jung Hwan if she should go on the blind date and he said no that was the biggest solid evidence that he does like her. Duk Seon eventually knew that he likes her which is why she was always by his side. She’s obvious like that. But with Taek, people had nothing to grab onto. Duk Seon and Taek’s relationship felt like sibling love. If you think about it – Jung Hwan makes Duk Seon feel like a girl while Duk Seon gives warmth to Taek.
04. Is This My Cup of Ramyun?
With all the things that I said there’s nothing more important than – what do I think about the series as a whole?
Well, let’s start with a few things that bugged me beyond the loveline (which, let’s be honest, I’ve already ranted about). One minor annoyance? The sheep. Damn that sheep! It felt like the creators had too much fun with that gag. At first, it was amusing, but after a while, it lost its impact. The overuse of that sheep sound took away 1988s charm a bit. It got old too fast.
Next, pacing. This installment dragged on longer than it needed to. The series could’ve wrapped up a couple of episodes earlier TBH. From episode 18 onwards, it felt like they were tying up loose ends, which is fine if they hadn’t completely neglected my boy Jung Hwan! Seriously, that guy deserved more! I would’ve loved to see him find happiness – or at least some closure with someone. I’ll take anybody, just give my boy some love.
And then there’s the issue of filler characters. With a bigger cast this season, it made it a bit overwhelming. But that doesn’t justify adding characters who didn’t contribute much to the story. Other installments are as big as this bunch but 1988 had issues. Wasted potential with underdeveloped characters. Take Jung Bong, for example. While his brotherly moments were nice, there wasn’t much depth to his character. Easily one of the more forgettable ones. And then there’s Jin Joo, Sun Woo’s little sister— other than being cute, she didn’t add much to the plot. Okayyy, I’m mean, sue me!
05. Weekend Binge or Weeknight Dud?
TBH it’s a great series. There’s a reason why this installment won numerous awards but this is not my favorite of the Reply series for obvious reasons. Would I still recommend it though? Very much! There’s a lot of reasons to appreciate this series. Unlike some disappointing show, the time you spend watching this one won’t be a waste. However, I have to say that, compared to previous installments, this one didn’t leave me lovestruck.
What do you think about Reply 1988? Share it in the comments, and let’s talk about what makes this show special. Lights out, drama lovers!
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