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Reply 1997 (응답하라 1997; Eungdaphara 1997) is a 2012 South Korean television series that centers on the lives of six friends in Busan, as the timeline moves back and forth between their past as 18-year-old high schoolers in 1997 and their present as 33-year-olds at their high school reunion dinner in 2012, where one couple will announce that they're getting married. As the first installment of the Reply Series series, it also portrays the extreme fan culture that emerged in the 1990s when first generation idol groups such as H.O.T. and Sechs Kies took center stage and K-pop was just beginning to blossom.
The last episode recorded the highest ratings at the time for a Korean cable drama, and the series has garnered praise from audiences and critics for being well-researched, refreshing, genuine, and full of humor and heart.
Synopsis[]
If you were to look back on your life, what would you remember most about your high school days and what you and your friends thought was important back then?
Sung Shi Won (Jeong Eun Ji) and her five friends – Yoon Yoon Jae (Seo In Guk), Mo Yoo Jung (Shin So Yul), Kang Joon Hee (Hoya), Do Hak Chan (Eun Ji Won) and Bang Sung Jae (Lee Si Eon) – were friends in high school in 1997, when K-pop and celebrity idols were gaining national popularity, and they were swept up in the adoration of their favorite K-pop and other idol stars. To the 18-year-old Shi Won, her entire world revolved around Tony An of H.O.T., and her only aspiration in life was to grow up to become his wife. Her best friend Yoo Jung was her partner in crime, also falling in love with a different idol everyday. Fifteen years later at the age of 33, the six high school friends meet for a mini-reunion, during which two of the friends announce their plans to marry. As they reminisce about the height of their teenage angst, the viewer needs to try to figure out which two friends fell in love during the 15 years since high school. Which two friends' passionate idolization K-pop stars turned into a genuine love for each other?[1]
Cast[]
- Jeong Eun Ji as Sung Shi Won, a devoted fangirl of boyband H.O.T., who dreams of marrying Tony
- Though Shi Won is last place in her class and has her head in the clouds, she is also forthright and sassy.
- Seo In Guk as Yoon Yoon Jae
- Song Eui Joon as Young Yoon Yoon Jae
- Quiet and brooding yet devoted to those close to him, Yoon Jae is Shi Won's childhood best friend who frequently spends time at her house following the death of his parents. He is also known as one of two of the most handsome boys in the school, besides Jun Hee, and girls often fall for the both of them. He is intelligent and placed first in his class. As a teenager, Yoon Jae falls for Shi Won and tries to keep it a secret.
- Hoya as Kang Jun Hee, Jun Hee is shy and sweet, and is Yoon Jae's best friend and right-hand man
- Like Yoon Jae, girls fall for him easily, and he often spends time with Shi Won. He harbors the secret that he is gay and is in love with Yoon Jae, which only Shi Won is aware of after he confides in her.
- Shin So Yool as Mo Yoo Jung, Shi Won's best friend, despite the occasional argument following the revelation that Yoo Jung is a fan of Sechs Kies, a rival boy band
- Yoo Jung is known to be very fickle when it comes to love, falling for boys - whether in real life or in the celebrity world - at the drop of a hat.
- Eun Ji Won as Do Hak Chan, a transfer student from Seoul
- Hak Chan loves sports and has a comically large pornography collection. He is outgoing with friends yet his major weakness is his inability to interact with girls - however, he eventually falls for Yoo Jung.
- Lee Si Eon as Bang Sung Jae, the mile-a-minute talker and one-man rumor mill of the group
- Song Jong Ho as Yoon Tae Woong, a teacher at the high school
- Tae Woong turns out to be Yoon Jae's older brother, and had previously been engaged to Shi Won's elder sister prior to her death. However, over the course of the show, Tae Woong also falls for Shi Won.
- Lee Il Hwa as Himself
- Park Cho Rong as Young Lee Il Hwa (Ep. 9)
- Sung Dong Il as Himself, Shi Won's father and a baseball coach of the Busan Seagulls
- Kang Kyun Sung as Young Sung Dong Il (Ep.9)
- Jung Kyung Mi as Kyung Mi / Eun Dok Ki
- Jung Young Sub as a doctor
- Sun Ah as Herself / Eun Gak Ha
- Jeon Hye Young as Jang Woo Dong
Soundtrack[]
Episodes[]
In this table, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings.
| Episode | Title | Aired | Average audience share | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TNmS | ||||||
| Nationwide | ||||||
| Episode 01 | "Eighteen" | July 24, 2012 | 1.20% | |||
| It is time to go back to 1997 with several friends who are meeting for their high school reunion. Shi Won performs an oldie by karaoke in front of her parents. She can hardly believe it has been fifteen years since she and her friends swooned over every member of H.O.T. | ||||||
| Episode 02 | "Becoming more and more different" | July 24, 2012 | 1.20% | |||
| A flashback to 1997 reveals Shi Won disappointing her father with a terrible report card. She is 48th in a class of 48 students. Those monkey-faced performers have done it this time! Her father tears H.O.T. posters from her wall and threatens to adopt her friend, the recently circumcised, Yoon Jae. | ||||||
| Episode 03 | "What you see is not everything" | July 31, 2012 | 1.20% | |||
| Shi Won boldly ventures to Seoul with other H.O.T. devotees. One fan is missing. That person is Yoo Jung, who betrayed Shi Won by converting to the Sechskies. Shi Won meets her idol, Tony, only to arrive home where the punishment for her follies is a short, ragged haircut. | ||||||
| Episode 04 | "Fair play" | July 31, 2012 | 1.20% | |||
| It's the big day of the Korea-Japan World Cup qualifying game. Everyone gathers in front of the television. No one, not even a roach, is outside, Sung Jae observes. Shi Won admittedly forgets to place the fried chicken order, so it looks like everyone, including roaches, will watch the game hungry. | ||||||
| Episode 05 | "Life's counterattack" | August 7, 2012 | 1.00% | |||
| Shi Won and her parents get into a fender-bender. Her parents seize the opportunity to fake injuries in front of the other driver. They end up in the hospital as a precaution, but while Shi Won’s father receives the all-clear as far as injuries go, he also receives a startling diagnosis. | ||||||
| Episode 06 | "Love makes you do things you've never done" | August 7, 2012 | 1.00% | |||
| After surgery, Shi Won's father complains about his ajumma-packed hospital room and waits anxiously for the results. Shi Won gets into a fan-girl brawl over the use of a classroom VCR. It starts out innocently, but turns serious enough for Yoon Jae to be called away from a basketball game to help. | ||||||
| Episode 07 | "Future hopes" | August 14, 2012 | 3.25% | |||
| Shi Won's grades threaten to keep her out of college. She deals with this by creating fanfic and has several avid online followers. When the teacher embarrasses her by reading a juicy, romantic H.O.T. fantasy of hers in class, she ends up getting an invitation to enter a writing contest. | ||||||
| Episode 08 | "D-day" | August 14, 2012 | 3.25% | |||
| It is a countdown to personal D-Days. In the present, there are 200 days remaining until Tae Woong finds out if he will become the next president. In the past, one day remains before Yoon Jae plans to pledge his love, and a puppy, to an already-taken Shi Won. | ||||||
| Episode 09 | "The thread of fate" | August 21, 2012 | 3.00% | |||
| Yoon Jae winds up giving the puppy to a delighted Joon Hee while Tae Woong, recently resigned from teaching, bums around the house not knowing what to do with all his free time. Shi Won sports a ridiculous, trendy hairdo, one her father promises to pay her to re-do. | ||||||
| Episode 10 | "The reason why I like you" | August 21, 2012 | 3.00% | |||
| The boys and girls get together for an evening out at an underage nightclub. Joon Hee performs a dance routine on stage. The routine makes Shi-won and Yoo Jung squeal at their fangirl-best, but Joon Hee is less interested in impressing girls and more interested in impressing Yoon Jae with his skills. | ||||||
| Episode 11 | "The fairness of relationships" | August 28, 2012 | 3.46% | |||
| Shi Won's parents, unaware of her secret night job, leave for a cruise. Dad is nervous and, knowing crime is on the rise, recommends Yoon Jae stay over. She rejects the idea until the night a stranger follows her home from work. She frantically dials Yoon Jae, but the line is busy. | ||||||
| Episode 12 | "The meaning of hands" | August 28, 2012 | 3.46% | |||
| Yoo Jung and Shi Won are busy trying on hair clips when Hak Chan passes by, walking with Dan ji. Shi Won insists Hak Chan only has eyes for Yoo Jung, but Yoo Jung transports herself outside immediately to confront them. Shi Won packs her H.O.T. posters for college in Seoul while Tae Woong buys a ring. | ||||||
| Episode 13 | "Later... No, now." | September 4, 2012 | 3.70% | |||
| It is 2005 and Yoon-jae is a successful judge. Tae Woong is a billionaire who fancies returning to teaching. Yoo Jung teaches kindergarten while Hak Chan pursues film studies. Joon Hee is a successful medical intern and Sung Jae is a successful public servant. Shi Won's whereabouts, however, are a mystery. | ||||||
| Episode 14 | "Love is ordered by the heart" | September 4, 2012 | 3.70% | |||
| Sung Jae gets relief from his demanding servant job when Hak Chan and Yoo Jung visit to take him hiking. He thanks Hak Chan for the special video that made him so popular on the job. Seems Hak Chan studied more than PG-13 films in Hawaii. Shi Won, meanwhile, decides between Tae Woong and Yoon Jae. | ||||||
| Episode 15 | "While I loved you" | September 11, 2012 | 4.17% | |||
| Yoo Jung receives the happiest surprise of her life when Hak Chan introduces her to his parents as his girlfriend. Shi Won causes a brotherly quarrel between Yoon Jae and Tae Woong who both confess they love her. Tae Woong lets Yoon Jae pursue things, but if he fails, Tae Woong gets a chance to capture her heart. | ||||||
| Episode 16 | "The reason why first loves don't last" | September 18, 2012 | 7.55% | |||
| It is March of 2013, and Shi Won's parents nervously pace the hall of a hospital, awaiting the doctor's news regarding the birth of their grandchild. When the doctor appears, she has no news for them. She does, however, have a question. Where, and who, is Shi Won's husband? | ||||||
| Average | 2.68% | |||||
[2] This drama airs on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS).
International broadcast[]
- The series also aired in the Philippines on GMA Network (dubbed in Tagalog) from August 10 to September 4, 2015 before replacing StarStruck (season 6) on September 7 with a total of 20 episodes. It re-aired on GMA News TV at 11:00 pm replacing the Taiwanese drama Fall in Love with Me from May 15 to June 2, 2017.
- In Thailand, the drama aired dubbed into Thai under the title ย้อนรอยรัก 1997 (Yon Roy Rak Nueng Khao Khao Jed; literally Reply Love 1997) on the Workpoint TV beginning 13 May 2013.
- In Malaysia, the drama aired on 8TV in original Korean version.
- In Southeast Asia, the drama aired on tvN Asia in original Korean version (replace) in 2018.
Production[]
The series originally aired live on cable channel tvN in 16 episodes (fourteen 30-minute episodes aired back-to-back over a period of 7 weeks, with the last 2 episodes aired separately and lasting 1 hour each due to the amount of material the staff didn't want to edit out). However, due to its popularity, the 15th and 16th episodes were also aired simultaneously on Mnet, OCN, O'live, Ongamenet and OnStyle.
This drama served as the acting debut of Jeong Eun Ji.
Reception and impact[]
The TV serial mostly consisted of idol singers with scant acting experience, and apart from the meta casting of Sechs Kies member Eun Ji Won (who previously worked with director Shin Won-ho and the writing staff on the variety show 1 Night & 2 Days), it premiered to little hype. But with strong word of mouth, it soon gained recognition as a high-quality production with a distinct sense of identity, becoming a buzz-worthy "syndrome" show (the Korean slang term for a hit show with an ardent fanbase).
With Korean cable shows generally considered successful if they hit 1%, Reply 1997 took cable ratings by storm, and received an immense amount of attention and critical praise. The show has been credited for its laser-sharp attention to detail, re-creating the late '90s with an accuracy that has fans singing its praises. Endless pop culture references are packed into every minute of the show, with little pop culture easter eggs hidden in scenes, callbacks to the trends of the day, and cameos that are in-jokes.
It was also a digital success, receiving more than a million hits after it was made available for downloading and streaming on internet and mobile site Tving. This was attributed to the fact that Reply 1997 had aired on a cable network (pay television channel), such that several viewers were unable to watch it live.
With majority of Korean dramas shot in the capital Seoul, another of the show's charms is its Busan setting, which is treated in a matter-of-fact way as a locale. The realism is aided by the fact that much of the principal cast is actually from the region, who speak with authentic Gyeongsang dialect. The dialogue also uses time-specific, location-specific slang.
But '90s nostalgia and meticulous attention to detail is only part of the show's appeal. Fans were also intrigued by the clues which the 2012 scenes dropped at regular intervals about who ends up together, as well as the episodes' subtle twists. And its smart, witty way of addressing the growing pains of its adolescent cast makes it just as relevant in the present as it was back in the late-'90s setting of its primary plot. Audiences have lauded the show's intimacy and realism, with a sincerity that connects with people — even those outside that particular generation.
Seo In Guk, Eun Ji Won, Lee Si Eon and Shin So Yool hosted the 15 September 2012 episode of sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live Korea, which included skits that parody scenes in their series. On 20 September 2012, a special was aired on tvN's enews featuring behind-the-scenes videos and a few bloopers from the set.
A novelization was published in January 2013.
Director Shin Won-ho re-edited all 16 episodes for a special director's cut DVD, released in February 2013. It also included 358 minutes of exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, a blooper reel, as well as commentary from the director and actors.
The show was said to have sparked the "retro" trend in South Korea and the media and cultural commentators have noted an increased interest in the pop culture of the 1990s after the show aired. Notably, the show garnered more interest in "first generation" K-pop idol groups whose heyday took place during the 1990s prior to the Korean Wave, hence not being as well known to international audiences as their much younger counterparts. Not long after the show concluded, Eun and H.O.T members Moon Hee Joon and Tony An joined two other members of fellow first-generation groups in filming their own variety show Handsome Boys of the 20th Century, which Moon called the "reality-variety show version of Reply 1997". In 2014, the highly successful comebacks of Seo Taiji, g.o.d and Fly to the Sky further added to the retro wave. The variety show Infinite Challenge began airing the "Saturday, Saturday is for Singers" (ToToGa) segment which specifically features artists and groups popular during the 1990s and has directly led to the reunions of first-generation groups Jinusean, S.E.S, Sechs Kies and H.O.T after over a decade of inactivity or disbandment.
Spin-offs[]
Another series from the same writer and director, Reply 1994 was produced in 2013. Set in a college campus, it follows the pop culture events of that year, including the emergence of seminal K-pop group Seo Taiji and Boys and the basketball craze of the era. It also starred Sung Dong-il and Lee Il Hwa, but as different characters. Younger cast members Jeong Eun Ji, Seo In Guk, Hoya, Lee Si Eon, Shin So Yool, Eun Ji Won, and Lee Joo Yeon reprised their Reply 1997 roles in cameo appearances.
A second spin-off, Reply 1988, aired in 2015. Sung Dong-il and Lee Il Hhwa again joined the cast.
Remake[]
An American remake, Answer Me 1999 is in development at Fox, written by Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer (Step Up 3D), with the pilot episode directed by Jon M. Chu.
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 5th Style Icon Awards | Top 10 Style Icons | Seo In Guk and Jeong Eun Ji | Won |
| 5th Korea Drama Awards | Best Couple Award | Seo In Guk and Jeong Eun Ji | ||
| 14th Mnet Asian Music Awards | Best OST | "All For You" - Seo In Guk and Jeong Eun Ji | ||
| 1st K-Drama Star Awards | Acting Award, Actress | Jeong Eun Ji | Nominated | |
| Rising Star Award | Seo In Guk | Won | ||
| Jeong Eun Ji | ||||
| Best OST | "All For You" - Seo In Guk and Jeong Eun Ji | |||
| Best Couple Award | Seo In Guk and Jeong Eun Ji | |||
| 4th Melon Music Awards | Best OST | "All For You" - Seo In Guk and Jeong Eun Ji | ||
| 2013 | 7th Cable TV Broadcasting Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Reply 1997 | |
| 49th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Actor (TV) | Seo In Guk | Nominated | |
| Best New Actress (TV) | Jeong Eun Ji | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay (TV) | Lee Woo Jung | Nominated | ||
| 8th Seoul International Drama Awards | Best Series Drama | Reply 1997 | ||
| 2016 | tvN10 Awards | Best Actor | Sung Dong-il | |
| Special Acting Award | Won | |||
| Best Content Award, Drama | Reply 1997 | |||
| Made in tvN, Actor in Drama | Seo In Guk | |||
| Made in tvN, Actress in Drama | Jeong Eun Ji | Nominated | ||
| Scene Stealer Award, Actress | Lee Il Hwa | |||
| Best Kiss Award | Seo In Guk and Jeong Eun Ji | Won |
Trivia[]
- This drama took over the timeslot previously occupied by "I Love Lee Tae-Ri" and was replaced by "Flower Boy Next Door" on January 7, 2013.[3]
Gallery[]
