The Tenth Film Club Post!

"Reply 1988" was one of the first Korean dramas I ever watched, and it's also my favorite. I believe I've watched this drama no fewer than ten times, and I take it out every winter to rewatch it. My favorite thing about watching this drama is eating while watching it; it seems to make the meal smell better. This drama feels very real to me, like something that would happen around us. Although this drama takes place in 1988, I think that even though technology has advanced a lot over the years, the human condition is still the same. I like 99% of the characters in this drama; even the ones that I didn't like at first, I started to like them later. Everyone in this drama has a good side. My favorite part of this drama is the many stories about family and growing up. The hutong where the main characters live is like a small community with many things happening, even if there is the occasional fight. But in the end, they are all still a family that loves each other. I also like the tone of this drama because I feel that, unlike other dramas, the tone of this drama is especially close to the tone of our lives; there is no sense of acting, and the actors in this drama are especially great.

Anyway, each episode of this drama is about an hour and a half long, and I once read a review that said watching an episode is like watching a movie, and I couldn't agree more with that. This drama was very immersive for me to watch because it felt like it was all things that would happen in all lives, especially in Asian families like Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. The drama spans from high school to marriage, and a lot of the things that happen to several families in between were something I could relate to. Each episode had very touching moments that stuck with me, such as the heroine stuffing paper into her father's leather shoes for her sister's wedding so that they would fit better. And the letter that the father and daughter wrote to each other after the wedding. I think in many Asian families, there are a lot of words that are "too embarrassing" to say out loud, and words like "I love you" are even more difficult to say out loud, so we often choose to use words to express our feelings. It seems that if the other party hears these words when we are present, they will feel very uncomfortable, very numb. I believe that love is difficult to say in person in many, many Eastern families, and people are never short of expressing it in every way. We don't hug often, we don't say "I love you" often, but we love each other no less than we can say it.

Another episode I remember is when the main character said she didn't want to spend her sister's birthday with her, but her parents let her and her sister share the same birthday cake for financial reasons. In the end, the female lead cried out and went over all the grievances she's had over the years. Although I am an only child, I can very much understand the heroine's feelings. I've often heard the saying, "A crying baby has milk to eat," and it just so happens that the heroine is not a "crying baby." The heroine's repeated forbearance is not noticed by her parents, who instead give her an inch and don't care about her opinion. Although the phrase "the crying baby gets milk" has been proven true countless times, I still think it's very unfair. Everyone should receive the same treatment, so why should the one who cries receive the most care? But this is why I believe that a very strong and independent girl like the heroine is more likely to notice the needs of the "non-crying child" when she encounters them, just like herself when she was a child and her needs were ignored. I think even letting the "non-crying child" let go of their strength for a little while is the most successful time for the person who pays attention to their needs. I consider myself to be a very strong person, but there are people who are concerned about my problems, and I'm really grateful for those people. I hope that in the future, the world will allow strong people to receive the same care and concern as others and that there will be people who care about the heart and may need care underneath their strong exterior.

Another thing I particularly like is that the emotions portrayed within this drama are all very subtle and well-reasoned. It's very full-bodied, and I think it's very difficult and exhausting to create a TV show like this.

All in all, this drama is great; every episode teaches me different things about life, and while it teaches me, it also heals many viewers like me. Even though not everyone may come across something like this drama in their lives.

Here's a picture of me and my friend in November 2023 watching "Reply 1988" once again. Another winter with good food and this good drama.

I really like this picture, this picture got the vibe.🍜