Reply 1988 Review

Title: Reply 1988
AKA: Answer me 1988
Genre: Family, Comedy, Romance
Episodes: 20
Broadcast Period: Nov-2015 to Jan-2016
Cast: Lee Hyeri, Ryu Jun Yeol, Go Kyung Pyo, Park Bo Gum, Lee Dong Hwi, Sung Dong Il, Lee Il Hwa, Ryu Hye Jung,

The drama centers on the families of these 18-year-olds, as well as the friends themselves. Dong Ryong (Lee Dong Hwi) is the neighborhood "counselor," living in the house across the street. He showers the group with shrimp chips when the bag pops during a movie. Jung Hwan (Ryu Jun Yeol), this boy lives upstairs our heroine Deok Seon (Lee Hyeri), she calls him "Dog," and explains "he's not exactly a human yet”. Deok Seon is direct and extreme, in the only way a teen can be with her feelings and thoughts. Taek (Park Bo Gum) is a genius Baduk player but an idiot, when it comes to anything else. Sun Woo (Go Kyung Pyo) is the most normal person of the group. He's not only normal, he's the prototypical good son, the guy who looks after his little sister and mother.

I’m pretty sure I’m in the same boat as everyone else who watched Reply 1988. The boat floating on desperate feelings over why this drama didn’t have 20 more episodes! I seriously am in love with this serie, I even thought of it as a first placer in all the Reply series, with 1997 as a 2nd and 1994 for 3rd. I’m still hungover from this series, so don’t take that seriously. What I like about this drama, were the 200% realness. The raw emotions portrayed by each character, and how it’s not always by mere “fate” and circumstances most dramas show these days. All the characters were different from one another, and that’s a huge achievement giving how big the cast is. The overall plot were so damn (sorry) good! The Reply series is always touching and relatable, but 1988 just killed it with the dynamics between characters. I won’t go into details about the actors and characters, beause I’m pretty sure im gonna spill the beans soon, so I’ll stop here. No, just one more thing, I don’t think they could have casted better actors and actresses than what they did. Bravo! Even though it ended in 2016, I’m gonna put this into my favorite dramas of 2015! I’m looking forward to a Reply 19XX.

☆☆☆☆☆ / 5 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥♥ / 5 out of 5 hearts

Operation Proposal Review

Title: Operation Proposal

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Time Travel

Episodes: 16

Broadcast period: 2012-Feb to 2012-Mar

Cast: Yoo Seung Ho, Park Eun Bin, Go Kyung Pyo, Kim Ye Won, Lee Hyun Jin and Park Young Seo.

Kang Baek Ho (Yoo Seung Ho) was once a baseball player with a lot of ambition. Now, due to things happening in his past, he is working as an office employee. His life is quite normal until he one day the love of his life and childhood friend Ham Yi Seul (Park Eun Bin) is to get married. Even after spending all his life close to her, he has never been able to tell her or confess his feelings. After her watches her getting married, he stumbles upon a love letter Yi Seul had written to him in middle school. Heartbroken over his own coward-ness, he is greeted by a man claiming to be a ‘Conductor of Time’. He gives Baek Ho a second chance: to let him go back in time and fix his relationship with Yi Seul – and confess his feelings. But people don’t change so quickly: will Beak Ho be able to correct his past, and finally covey his feelings towars Yi Seul?

When I was watching it I was very hesitant as I am a huge Operation Daisakusen fan, but to be honest this really is a good drama. From what I remember of the Japanese drama Yamapi goes back to time and fixes points in the past – but doesn’t really do much (except for having Aragaki fall for him more) to the time stream. The thing that I really liked about this drama was the alternation of the time stream, meaning that whatever he does in the past does not only affect him and the female, but everyone else around them – which is the butterfly effect.

The characters are pretty original, though some of them remind me of the characters from the Japanese one – except Yoo Seung Ho, who managed to make this character his very own, and that is really a tough job to do.

I’ll stop talking now. Summing it up: a good remake with a good story and cast.

☆☆☆☆/ 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥½ / 4½ out of 5 hearts

Naeil's Cantabile Review

Title: Naeil’s Cantabile
AKA: Tomorrow Cantabile / Cantabile Tomorrow

Genre: Romance, Musical, Comedy

Episodes: 16

Broadcast date: 2014-Oct to 2014-Dec

Cast: Joo Won, Shim Eun Kyung, Park Bo Geum, Bae Min Jun and Ko Gyung Pyo.

This is the Korean remake of the Japanese drama called Nodame Cantabile.

Cha Yoo Jin (Joo Won) is a talented young pianist, who excels in all kinds of instruments, but dreams of becoming a conductor. Having a stubborn and rude personality and firm belief that no one can match up to his own talents, he is almost thrown out of the school. As he is unable to leave the country due to his fear of water and flying, he is unable to leave South Korea. Then he is offered to play a duet with an eccentric girl called Seo Nae Il (Shim Eun Kyung) who due to past trauma only is able to play piano if she finds it fun. Though at first he is reluctant, he notices how talented Nae Il is and decides to perform the duet with her. This makes Nae Il fall for Yoo Jin.

When the world famous conductor Franz Stresemann arrives at the school as a teacher guest and wants to make a new school orchestra, Yoo Jin decides to change majors to conducting, but for some reason Franz refuses to let him change to conducting and announces as long as he is there, Yoo Jin will never be able to change the major. What is Yoo Jin going to do?

If you’ve watched the Japanese version you will get what this review is about, and if not, I hope I didn’t make it sound too dull. Out of all Japanese remakes ever done this one has the same feel to it – the goofy story and kind of silly people who are very weird yet grown on you fast. To be honest I don’t remember that much of the Japanese drama except the goofy Nodame and the arrogant Chiaki, and they really do manage to be loyal to that part. Both Joo Won and Shim Eun Kyung are great as lead characters, but the one that stole my heart was Ko Kyung Pyo acting as Yoo Il Rak. If you remember blonde Eita as Mine, Yoo Il Rak was his counterpart, and he does the job perfectly.

I am not really able to compare the two storylines as I don’t remember, but the Japanese is one of my favorite ones out there – though this Korean remake was kind of not that great. I can’t say I wasn't entertained, but I was kind of annoyed at the love triangle, and the fact that 16 episodes pass without really having a climax – or rather I don’t remember one at all.

Okay, summing it up: an okay drama with good acting, and a semi interesting plot/storyline.

☆☆☆½ / 3½ out of 5 stars

♥♥♥ / 3 out of 5 hearts