Reply 1988 is a 2015 South Korean drama about a group of five friends living in Ssangmun-dong, a small neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea. The series focused on their challenges and unforgettable moments. No matter how much trouble they get themselves into, these childhood friends have each other's backs. Their parents have grown close as neighbors and depend on one another. The various characters go through various stages of life, from difficult school years to adulthood, which is mentally, psychologically, and financially exhausting. Friendship, family, and first loves are all depicted beautifully in this film. It depicts the ups and downs that Koreans in Seoul went through in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The drama started by introducing the lead characters namely,
Seong Deok-seon.
Kim Jeong-hwan.
Sung Seon-woo.
Ryu Dong-ryeong.
Choi Taek.
Deok-seon, the middle child, shares a half-basement with her two siblings and parents. Jeong-hwan and his family live above them, unlike Deok Seon's debt-ridden family, they became wealthy overnight. Taek, on the other hand, lives with his widower father and does not face financial difficulties. His greatest challenge was winning baduk matches, and he became known across Asia as a brilliant player. The first three's neighbors are Seon-woo and Dong-ryeong, who live with their respective families. Taek's room is where the five of them normally congregate. Their mothers will remain at home with their children while their fathers work to support their families.
The story continues to introduce some characters.
Seong Bo-ra.
Seong No-eul.
Kim Jeong-bong.
They normally share their food with each other during mealtime. One will give food, and in return, the one who received the food will also give their food or just something to eat on their house.
The same pattern happens for five families in the block until one families have the food of the remaining four families. It is like they are sharing the same table but in different homes.
One variation of food is enough to cook because you will get different variations after the swapping.
Jeong-hwan, on the other hand, has failed to build a good relationship with his mother. He did not bother to tell his mom anything because he finds it unimportant. Unlike Seon-woo to his mother, Jeong-hwan is not very close to his'. Seon-woo's mom seem to know alot about her son, almost everything.
"Jeong-hwan got his sneakers stolen."
"It has been a while since it happened. I heard it from Seon-woo."
Jeong-hwan's mother got jealous because of their relationship as well as worried that his son is not telling her about this. As a result, she tried to talk and re-connect with her son. She opened up about how jealous she was whenever Seon-woo's mom would tell them how open he is to her. She then told him to tell her things too.
"Even if it is not everything, just few things that you think would be okay to tell me would be nice."
He finds the situation awkward, yet he still replied, "Yes, Mom." He decided to rebuilt a new relationship with his mom, light and closer.
"Mom, can you get me a new pair of sneakers? I lost them."
Deok-seon and her older sister, Bo-ra, share the same month of birthday, and only three days apart. She made herself clear to her parents that she did not want to celebrate their birthdays together. She wants it separately as her birthday was later than her sister's, and they celebrate it on the day of her older sister's birthday which is unfair to her.
Her sister requested for a new reading glass despite of having a new one, and her only request is to celebrate their birthdays separately. However, becuase of lack of money, their parents have to choose only one request to grant, and they end up choosing Bo-ra's. That is when Deok-seon exploded, not to mention that she is already having a bad day.
Deok-seon has been chosen to become one of the picket girls in the Olympics representing Madagascar, and she is not attending class to practice.
For some reason, Madagascar happen to not attend the Olympics. She is very shocked and mad at the same time for only knowing it just now when she already invested so much time and effort. That is why when she learned that they will celebrate their birthdays together, she got extra mad.
As a middle child, Deok-seon yielded a lot for her siblings.
"Mom, I want fried egg."
"Mom, me too."
"I am okay. I do not need one."
This day, she only wants to be recognized and appreciated.
"How come you never make me a fried egg? I loved fried eggs. You just give me black beans all the time. I hate black beans!"
Deok-seon ended up giving a quote...
This day was not that special of a day. The misery of being the second daughter was always like this, after all. As middle children all over the world know; for the eldest, it was because they are the eldest, for the youngest, it was because they are the youngest that I had to always yield to them. Even so, I thought that my mom and dad were aware of how much I had sacrificed, but that was not the case. In some ways, one's own family is the most oblivious.
Despite of getting fired being a picket girl, Deok-seon still managed to attend the Olympics to represent different country which is Uganda. Her family and friends were very supportive, and they watched her together with their own respective families.
After the Olympics, Deok-seon's dad surprised her with a cake to celebrate her birthday separately with her older sister. The two of them celebrated her birthday in a mini-grocery store near their block. He also took that opportunity to say sorry for everything that Deok-seon felt, and admit that they were not aware about it.
"When your sister was born, we were worried about how to teach her. When you were born, we were worried about how to raise you. And when you brother was born, we were worried about how to shape him into a good person. Dads do not automatically become dad the moment you were born. It was my first time being a dad. So, I would like it if you let me off the hook, just this once."
Deok-seon continued what she was saying...
...in some ways, one's family is the most oblivious, but what is so important about knowing? In the end, what helps you overcome obstacles is not brains but someone who will take your hand and would not let you go. In the end, that is family. Even for heroes, the people they go back to in the end is family. The home inflicted upon you outside the home, the scars inflicted on you by life itself and even the pain inflicted on you by family, the people who will hold you and stand by you until the end, in the end, it is family.
First image: https://pin.it/2z6CWk5
