"We didn't have much but our hearts were warm"
I was familiar with the concept of "comfort food" and Reply-1988 is what I would call a "comfort show." We, the viewers, follow five kids (each born in 1971) and their families, starting in 1988. It's an ensemble cast, around 12 characters total, each of whom is a vehicle to explore topics like family, community, youth, aging, and romance. Bad guys are scarce, and they tend to show up for a scene or two, and then disappear. This is a drama about how a family of families support one another.
The central character is Deok-sun, the one girl of the five kids. The series is framed as a flashback from the present day, and that framing raises the big question of who does Deok-sun end up marrying. But that's really just the frame, and there's an awful lot of other not-so-romantic issues to address in the story. You'll get a pretty good sense of what to expect from the series in the opening voice-over, which I've headlined with "we didn't have much but our hearts were warm."
Deok-sun herself is a bit different from your standard lead character. She's pretty, yes, but the four guys have been friends with her so long that they barely notice. She struggles as a student, and her college options aren't looking promising. Deok-sun does seem to have a special... social awareness... not sure how to describe it. For example, when her teacher needs someone from the class to take care of a complex problem (no spoilers here), the teacher sagely selects Deok-sun even though Deok-sun's grades aren't so hot and also, frankly, in spite of Deok-sun tendency to act like an idiot in some situations.
That mysterious special-ness of Deok-sun, and similar special-ness of the other main characters, gets to the focus of the show, and why it's rated so highly. The viewer has a nice time, watching these characters help one another and navigate their way to the present day. It is something to emulate.
As for possible complaints, I didn't see not a lot of action in the show, which might turn off some. Again, you can figure out pretty quickly, if that's going to be a problem for you. The only other thing I might complain about would be the weird redactions of the show on Netflix. Apparently there are some questions about property rights, so the editors constantly blurred pop culture imagery -- stuff on the Goldstar TVs, book covers, magazines, wall posters. All the blurring is distracting, and on top of that, folks back in Korea have said all those little pop culture bits enhanced the ambience, so if you can find an unredacted version, then go that route.
The central character is Deok-sun, the one girl of the five kids. The series is framed as a flashback from the present day, and that framing raises the big question of who does Deok-sun end up marrying. But that's really just the frame, and there's an awful lot of other not-so-romantic issues to address in the story. You'll get a pretty good sense of what to expect from the series in the opening voice-over, which I've headlined with "we didn't have much but our hearts were warm."
Deok-sun herself is a bit different from your standard lead character. She's pretty, yes, but the four guys have been friends with her so long that they barely notice. She struggles as a student, and her college options aren't looking promising. Deok-sun does seem to have a special... social awareness... not sure how to describe it. For example, when her teacher needs someone from the class to take care of a complex problem (no spoilers here), the teacher sagely selects Deok-sun even though Deok-sun's grades aren't so hot and also, frankly, in spite of Deok-sun tendency to act like an idiot in some situations.
That mysterious special-ness of Deok-sun, and similar special-ness of the other main characters, gets to the focus of the show, and why it's rated so highly. The viewer has a nice time, watching these characters help one another and navigate their way to the present day. It is something to emulate.
As for possible complaints, I didn't see not a lot of action in the show, which might turn off some. Again, you can figure out pretty quickly, if that's going to be a problem for you. The only other thing I might complain about would be the weird redactions of the show on Netflix. Apparently there are some questions about property rights, so the editors constantly blurred pop culture imagery -- stuff on the Goldstar TVs, book covers, magazines, wall posters. All the blurring is distracting, and on top of that, folks back in Korea have said all those little pop culture bits enhanced the ambience, so if you can find an unredacted version, then go that route.
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