Reply 1997 응답하라 1997 is one of the hottest dramas this year and also my thirty-seventh drama. This drama marks the acting debut for Jung Eun Ji, who is a member of idol girl group A Pink. Reply 1997's male lead is Seo In Guk, who played a role in Love Rain. The drama also features Infinite's Hoya and old school boy band Sechs Kies's Eun Ji Won. Reply 1997 includes numerous cameos from other entertainment celebrities. The number is actually quite astounding. It reminds me of the time I watched High Kick Through the Roof. Like High Kick Through the Roof, Reply 1997 is arguably more similar to a situational comedy than to a typical drama. Instead of a standard laugh track, Reply 1997 uses a hilarious sheep noise for noting awkward moments. It might seem weird at first, but it becomes very amusing running gag. This drama was recommended to me by a friend and has become one of my all-time favorite dramas.
Set in Busan during 1997, Sung Siwon (Jung Eun Ji) was like any other high school girl idolizing H.O.T., her favorite boyband. Yoon Yoonjae (Seo In Guk) lives next door to Siwon and has known her since they were kids. Both of them spend most of their time together with their other four friends. Kang Joonhee (Hoya) is the quiet, sensitive friend. Mo Yoojung (Shin So Yool) is Siwon's best friend. Like Siwon, Yoojung is a total fan girl. Do Hakchan (Eun Ji Won) is a student who recently moved from Seoul. He is a complete idiot around women, having spent too much time reading dirty magazines and watching adult videos. Bang Sungjae (Lee Shi Un) is the loud and talkative friend. Fifteen years later, two of them will announce their engagement. Reply 1997 follows the lives of these six high school students, revealing the couples formed and their post-high school happenings.
Reply 1997 is set in Busan, which means it is only natural that the actors and actresses speak in the Busan dialect. The drama did an excellent job with the casting, making sure to pick out actors and actresses who actually speak the Busan dialect. The numerous references made between the character Do Hakchan and his actor Eun Ji Won are really funny. The other characters repeatedly remark about how similar the two look. Yoojung is a big fan of Eun Ji Won, who was the leader of Sechs Kies. Ironically, she becomes a couple with Hakchan. A funny moment was when, they watch 'Seventeen' during a date, a movie that Eun Ji Won actually starred in back in 1998. Hakchan comments about Eun Ji Won's lame acting, which is amusing considering Hakchan's actor is Eun ji Won himself. This drama doesn't miss a beat and has a done very consistent job with maintaining the timeline. The drama features numerous referenes to the '90s with technologies such as video cassettes, beepers, Tamagotchi's and even Dance Dance Revolution. Even the cell phones used in 1998 and 2005 are also consistent to the time period. Reply 1997 also features many '90s references to famous people throughout the drama. The boys enjoy playing a game in which they bet whether a song becomes popular or not. In an early episode, Yoonjae loses a bet to Sungjae when Yoonjae claims Yangpa's song "Young Love 애송이의 사랑" would not become a hit. Yoonjae ends up stripping down and doing cartwheels in front of the Busan Girl's High School. In Reply 1997, Siwon's father is a baseball coach. He makes some scouting reports which reference to some famous baseball players: Lee Dae Ho, Park Chan Ho, Choo Shin Soo. Although the references do not add to the story, they are still a fun surprise and make the drama very enjoyable to watch.
Reply 1997 is filled with old '90s pop songs. As a drama set in 1997, the drama showcases all the top songs from that time period. Although drama focused on the rivalry between H.O.T. and Sechskies, other '90s groups such as Fin.K.L, S.E.S., Turbo and Deux are mentioned. Certain songs are heard in earlier episodes but others are not heard until later episodes. This was done to keep the timeline consistent since this drama centers around '90s Korean pop culture. Some of the '90s music featured in Reply 1997 include: H.O.T.'s "You and I 너와 나", "Candy" and "Warrior's Descendant 전사의 후예", Sechskies's "To You, The One I Love 사랑하는 너에게" and "Couple", Yangpa's "Young Love 애송이의 사랑", S.E.S.'s "Dreams Come True", Turbo's "December 회상", 1TYM's "Without You", Fin.K.L.'s "To my Boyfriend 내 남자친구에게" and Uhm Jung Hwa's "Invitation 초대". After the time skip to 2005, there are some new songs used. When Yoonjae and Siwon reunite, the background song is Pinocchio's "Meeting You Again 다시 만난 너에게", followed by Brown Eyes's "Already One Year 벌써 1년". Late in the drama, two important songs to look out for are "Dream of a Doll 인형의꿈" by 미스미스터 and "널 위한거야" by 일기예보. Within the last episode, there's Lim Chang Jung's "Marry Me 결혼해줘", DBSK's "Hug", Zhang Liyin's "Timeless", Kim Jong Kook's "Loveable 사랑스러워", Kim Dong Yul and Lee So Eun's "Miracle 기적" and Tony An's "Beautiful Girl". During the alumni reunion in 2012, the scenes feature music from the current time period. These songs include Seo In Guk's "Tease Me 밀고 당겨줘", A Pink's "Bubibu" and Secret's "Poison". There were two songs that were released for this drama. Since Eun Ji is the main vocalist of A Pink and Seo In Guk is the winner of the first season of Superstar K, a duet with both of them was inevitable. The first song is a remake of Cool's "All for You". The other duet song is a ballad called "Our Love Like This 우리 사랑 이대로". The popularity of Reply 1997 shot both of these songs into the top of the music charts. Most of the songs I have mentioned are being put into a special soundtrack for Reply 1997. As for any other songs that were missed, the official website contains a list of every song used in each episode.
Each episode is structured as flashbacks to 1997 during their 2012 alumni reunion. As the story progresses, the drama enters 1998, moving forward to 2005. Oddly enough, this deviation from a typical drama format is not bad and I don't dislike it. As someone who's watched so many dramas, I find this change in storytelling to be very refreshing and unique. The drama drops so many hints as episode cliffhangers. At the last episode, the drama flashes back and forth from 1997, 2005, 2012 and 2013 and explains every possible cliffhanger presented in the previous episodes and throws in more unexpected surprises. I highly recommend watching Reply 1997. Reply 1997 explores the fan culture during 1997. However, the drama is actually about six high school students who learn to grow up as their lives progress. All the characters are people who everyone can relate to. All the events that occur in the story are relatable to everyone, even though the timeline may not be recognizable to anyone who did not grow up in the 90s. This drama is really funny to watch and heartwarming at the same time. Reply 1997 is a drama that should not be overlooked. Besides, given the huge popularity of the drama, it's near impossible to not have heard about Reply 1997.
