Cable network tvN had a hit last year with coming-of-age drama Reply 1997, which was the first kdrama I ever watched from start to finish. I really only started watching it because INFINITE's Hoya was in it, but I finished watching it because of the great acting and writing. A Pink's Eunji and Seo Inguk absolutely stole the show as the two leads; Sung Shiwon and Yoon Yoonjae. I believed everything they did, and I found Shiwon one of the most relatable characters I've seen in a while.
Basically, I loved this drama through and through, and I am planning on watching it again.
So when I heard they were making a second installment of the "Reply" series, I was sceptical to say the least. I was worried it was going to be a let down, and that I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I did with its precursor. I wasn't familiar with any of the actors except from Go Ara (whom I've heard less than stellar things about) and B1A4's Baro, and was debating whether I actually should watch it or not. It takes a lot of time and emotional investment to watch a drama, and because I was so doubtful I didn't know whether it'd be worth it. However, as you can tell from the title, I did indeed watch it.
The strength of Reply 1994 definetely lies in the cast. I liked all the characters and found them all relatable and realistic (as supposed to the 1997 version where I really only cared about the leads) and they all had their own plots which were just as important as everyone elses. It didn't feel like I was watching two main leads and a bunch of second leads, but rather one group of people that all mattered.
The community formed between the characters and the chemistry was spot on, and I enjoyed all their interactions. It was funny (like I burst out laughing like a crazy person a LOT), warm and heartful.
The problem with this drama is its length, and the overused "who's the husband" plot, which really took over everything else, especially at the end. It was a different feeling with Reply 1997, because even though they also played the same card there, it was not as excessive and there were other plot points that carried the same weight. The husband mystery was just an added bonus.
I found that with Reply 1994, because of its 21 episode run, the writing became too centered around who the husband was and left little room for character development. After a while it just kept going and going but it never made any progress, if you know what I mean? There were episodes that I watched where I felt like I could've skipped them and I would not have made a difference at all. It became boring, which is a shame because the first 10 episodes or so were gold. I would like to think that it might have been different if the drama only hade 16 episodes or so, but maybe it still would have been the same.
I was a bit frustrated with the writing for the three main leads Trash Oppa (Jung Woo), Chilbong (Yoo Yeonseok) and Sung Najung (Go Ara) as well as for Baro's character Binggurae. Especially for Chilbong I was really disappointed, because for the first half of the drama, there was actual hope for him of becoming a love intrest to Najung, but as she only had eyes for Oppa, it kind of died out after a while. Instead Chilbong was just clinging on, going back and forth from Japan and the US, and became a character on the side instead of a main one. Yoo Yeonseok did a wonderful job, but even that couldn't save this sinking ship.
As for the ending of the drama, I am a bit torn. I like the outcome for the most part, but I am not a fan of how they got there. It was obvious Najung and Oppa were going to be together, and I am in full support of that, but the climb to get there was too long and dragged out. I mean, they got together way back in episode 13, and there was still 8 more to go by then. Bingguraes storyline was also a misstep in terms of continuation of the character we've gotten to know. I felt like the writers were just playing a huge prank on us and it didn't sit right with me.
I have to give mad props to all the actors though, who all did great even when the writing started to fail them. Go Ara was fantastic as Najung, something that apparently suprised a lot of critics. I haven't seen her previous work, but I was really impressed with her performance. She became Najung, and convinced me with every emotion she portrayed. I loved the proposal scene between Najung and Oppa, their acting was top notch. Jung Woo, who played Oppa, was fantastic. I loved his character so immensly, and I'm convinced it was mostly because of Jung Woo himself. I'm confused as to why he's not a bigger name, because the man can act, like for real.
I also loved mom and dad (Sung Dongil and Lee Ilhwa) who played themselves and made every scene a bit better. Dad was hilarious and mom was supportive and loving.
As a conclusion, I really liked this drama. It was heaps better than the average romantic comedy and made me emotionally connected to the characters of the boarding house. I just wish they would've been written better. But at the end of the day it made me smile, laugh and brought tears to my eyes, so I can't say I'm not satisfied.
Is it better than Reply 1997? Yes and no. They are very different, even though they share the same premise, they give off totally different vibes. I prefer this one in terms of comedy, warmth and cast chemistry, but I prefer the previous one in terms of writing, emotional investment and romance.
Both are worth watching, so if you haven't already, what are you waiting for?
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