Reply 1988

One day, I was scrolling through Netflix, looking for something to entertain me for a while. When the screen was fixed on one TV series, I took it as a sign and clicked it. Little did I know that I would never be able to forget that show.

Reply 1988, or 응답하라 1988, is a 2015 Korean Drama starring Lee Hye-ri, Ryu Jun-yeol, Go Kyung-pyo, Park Bo-gum, and Lee Dong-hwi.

The story of Reply 1988 revolves around the lives of five friends and their families living in the same neighborhood called Ssangmun-dong.

Although the synopsis is short and simple, this drama is more than just a TV show. And I am not saying this just because it's a fancy sentence.

Watching Reply 1988 is like moving into a new neighborhood. From the moment you press play, you meet your new neighbors and become a part of the family. You are invited to their dinner tables, hear them bickering through your window, watch the evening news with them, cry, laugh, and dance with them. You form such a profound bond with the characters that they become like a family to you and you start to miss them when you are away.

Every part of the story finds its way to your heart. You feel the hardships of life, the excitement of youth, the grief of loss, the disappointment of failure, the warmth of love, and the hopeful anticipation of the future.

While watching it, you become a student again; slacking, playing, loving, huffing and puffing to your parents, reading comics in your room while listening to music, right before that exciting school trip. Or a parent who works hard day and night to make ends meet while raising their kids and still trying their best to be kind towards others. Or, a first-time adult, filled with the excitement of big decisions and hope for the future. Or maybe, you become someone dealing with the cold silence of an empty dinner table, once filled with the joy of the ones you lost.

In exact words, the show is a warm hug, welcoming you at the door of your new house. It's that soft blanket on a cold winter night or the gentle hand on your shoulder when you cry. It's a filmstrip full of your memories, reaching the deepest corners of your heart even with the smallest details.

It's made from you,
for you.

Image: netflix.com