Reply 1988

"Reply 1988 " (2015) was referenced when I was researching another film.  It was described as one of the best ever television series.  At one time it carried a 9.5 IMDB rating, but 8 or so years later has settled down to 9.0.  Wondering why?  It has been suggested that it carried a lot of emotions of a wide variety.  There is a lot of interconnection and support between five families.  

My first impression after about 3 minutes was that I had made a big mistake.  The narrator Deok-Seon was screaming for no apparent reason.  Throughout the series she gets very emotional, especially with rejections.  Others, also over-react both when frustrated, but also when excited. It is not over-acting.  The parents are very involved supporting their children's friends.

The parents include a widow and a widower.  The parents have their own struggles with their children and among themselves.  The personalities are diverse, but they are very supportive of one another. 

It is set in Seoul, Korea in 1988 the year they held the Olympics.  Deok-Seon has been given the task of marching with a flag for Madagascar, but we learn at the last minute they withdrew in protest over North Korea not being included along with another 3 or 4 countries.  She ends up with Uganda near he end of the parade, but all the families watch on tv.

A Studious daughter, Bo Ra joined student protesters which left her father very upset.  They get reconciled.  Some students have trouble qualifying for university and wrestle with studying, friends and keeping cool.  Romances develop, but with usual teenager angst.

Taek is an international Go champion, but seems grounded when not competing.  All the families follow his successes.

At the end of many episodes there is a segment 10 to 20 years later with the mature versions of the characters telling you who did get together using different actors.   

The end segment is reminiscing about how they remember the joy of their friendships which can no longer be relived.  They, parents and children grouped together for wedding photo.

This series was a massive effort and succeeded because of their cast and crew.  Here are some of them:

Shin Won-ho was the award winning director.  He has 6 directing credits and 1 for acting.  

Lee Woo-jung was the writer.  She has 9 writing credits, 2 for directing and 1 for acting including "D.P." (2013).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/04/dp-stands-for-deserter-pursuit.html

Oh Jae-ho was the cinematographer.  He has 8 cinematography credits and 1 for writing.

Lee Hyeri played the main female lead, Sung Deak-seon.  Better known as Hyeri when singing and was a key member of Girls Day.  She has 33 acting credits.

Park Bo-gum played Choi Taek, the Go champion.  He is a well known singer and one of the most respected brand endorsers in a wide variety of demographics.  Bo-gum has 21 acting credits and 1 for soundtrack including "A Hard Day" (2014), Itaewan Class" (2014) and "When Life Gives You Tangerines" (2025).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/04/when-life-gives-you-tangerines.html  

Ahn Jae-hong played Kim Jong Bong.  He has 34 acting credits, 1 for directing and 1 for writing including "Rebound" (2023) and "Mask Girl" (2023).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/08/mask-girl.html

Ryu Jun-yeol played Kim Jung-hwan.  He has 25 credits for acting including "A Taxi" (2017).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2026/09/a-taxi-driver-is-gem.html 

Go Kyung-pyo played Seong Seon-woo.   He has 32 acting credits including "Strongest Deliveryman" (2017), "D.P." (2021) and "Decision to Leave" (2022).    See   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/02/decision-to-leave.html

Lee Dong-hwi played Ryu Dong-ryong.  He has 44 acting credits including "The Beauty Inside" (2015), "The Handmaiden" (2026), "Designated Survivor:  60 Days" (2019) and "Broker" (2022).   See   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/07/broker-japanese-korean-collaboration.html

Ryu Hye-young played Seung Bo-ra the older sister.  She has 17 acting credits.

Kim Sung Kyun played Kim Sung Kyung.  He has 46 acting credits including "D.P." (2021) and "Divorce Attorney Shin" (2023).  See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/04/divorce-attorney-shin.html

Choi Moo-sung played Choi Moon Seong, a widower and father to Taek.  He has 8 acting credits including "The Good Bad Mother" (2023).    See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/06/the-good-bad-mother.html

Ra Mi-ran played her namesake, Ra Mi-ran.  She has 76 acting credits including "Thirst" (2009), "Hope" (2013), "Black Dog" (2019-20) and "The Good Bad Mother" (2023).  See  http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2016/11/hope-gut-wrenching-film-from-korea.html  and                     http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2023/01/black-dog.html

Kim Sun Young played Kim Seong-yeong, a widow.  She has 84 acting credits including "When the Camellia Blooms" (2019), "Crash Landing on You"(2019-20), "Broker" (2022), "Queenmaker" (2023), "The Trauma Code" (2025) and "Our Unwritten Seoul" (2025).   See   http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2020/02/crash-landing-on-you-very-addicting.html and http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2025/06/our-unwritten-seoul.html 

Sung Dong-il played  Seong Dong-il, one of the fathers.  He has 95 acting credits including ""200 Pound Beauty" (2006), "Miss Granny" (2014), ""The Chase" (2014) and "Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days" (2018).   See http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2014/04/a-slice-of-korean-cinema.html  

At times some of the emotions might seem a bit much, but very likely most viewers will find themselves tearing up--perhaps when parents are feeling love for their child and also vice versa.  Available on Netflix with subtitles.

As usual I have bolded the first mention of films I have seen.  Some of them are among my favorite Korean films and a big part of my Korean obsession.  If you follow the links you should be able to determine if any film is worth following up.

Korean names recorded in western sources can be confusing.  Their names have different English spellings.  In many scripts that actors have their stage names adapted to their roles, sometimes duplicating.