5 #RelationshipGoals From Reply 1997

5 years too late, I’ve now watched Reply 1997. 🎉🎉  It’s a cute show with short episodes, each one having some sort of central theme. The series features a group of friends during their high school years (1997) and their lives 15 years later (2012).

What makes Reply 1997 stand out is that the series didn’t rely on flashy scenes, extreme villains, or OTT romance to get its message across. The relationships between the characters were fun, realistic, and relatable… mostly. Heh.

Disclaimer, though:  This series has virtually zero eye candy at first, but I SWEAR it gets better. The characters have the normal sort of faces, and none of them are chaebols. LOL.

But anyway.

Major(!!) spoilers, some photos ahead (No GIFs because… I’m lazy & the internet is slow). Pls watch the show first huhu.

5. Tag Team Marketing with Hak Chan and Sung Jae

Marketing 101 by Sung Jae

Ahhhh, these two. I really (really) liked Hak Chan’s character, everything from his introduction to his last scene, in all his flaws and inside jokes. The series never really focused on Sung Jae much, but I always looked forward to his scenes with Hak Chan. They go so well together, they can even make and sell their own products.

Check out that old-school editing. HEH.

4. Extreme Fangirling with Shi Won and Yoo Jung

That’s what BFFs are for!

H. O. T!~ H. O. T!~

Friends who fangirl together, stay together.

3. Cutie/Psycho Girlfriend Yoo Jung & Clueless Boyfriend Hak Chan

(They get larger screencaps.)

Yoo Jung: 50% cutie, 99% crazy

You know, when you break up with your boyfriend because he doesn’t eat crab the right way. Or because he layers a v-neck over another v-neck. Or because he forgets your birthday, but maybe that’s just Yoo Jung.

MY FAVORITE HAK CHAN SCENE AAAAAHHH HELLO

AAAAAAHHHHH. They’re so cute!!!!

Also, in the show, Yoo Jung declares her love for a Sechs Kies member, Eun Ji Won. Guess which actor, who was previously a Sechs Kies member, plays Hak Chan in the show?

THAT’S RIGHT, it’s Eun Ji Won.

Once more for the people in the back: Eun Ji Won. Plays. Hak Chan.

I loved these meta scenes. “I can act better than that punk!” – Hak Chan on Eun Ji Won

2. #LoveWins with Joon Hee and Yoon Jae

AWWW. It’s both sad and happy, I don’t know what to feel. Yoon Jae eventually overhears that it’s true, that Joon Hee was telling the truth all this time.

( – o – )

I’d put a ~revelation~ GIF here, but I’m too lazy, so have this slideshow instead.

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I’m extra happy with how everything turned out, though.

✨ B R O M A N C E ✨

1. Dealing With Batshit Crazy with Yoon Jae and Shi Won

Heh.

AHH, this couple was so fun to watch. It’s a nice break from the usual enemies-turned-lovers trope of KDramas (which I still find more addictive, heh) because they start out as super close best friends.

I also love how their relationship retained the bickering even as they came together.

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Bonus(es?): Sung Jae & Granny (lol) aaand Shi Won’s parents!!!!

AW, Sung Jaeee

Sung Dong-il was super funny!

I purposely left out one character, because I disliked him (although he was integral to the plot but whatevs). HAHAHA.

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So that’s it. Reply 1997! If you’ve just scrolled down to this part, then let this be your key takeaway: WATCH THIS SHOW. It has tamagotchis and floppy disks, VHS tapes and Dance Dance Revolution home version.

Oh, and it was so successful that it started the Reply series – Reply 1988 and Reply 1994.

Have some cutie ~Yoon Jae~ (the puppy) to brighten up your day.

You do that, Joon Hee. You do that.