Reply 1988
My uncle is a movie buff as well, and we talk quite often. He never gives me a recommendation but he did for the first time and that is why I'm taking this seriously although this has 20 episodes and all are about 1.5 hours long.
I've only watched 2 KDramas till date and they are Squid Game, which I watched out of peer pressure and found out to be a little more than average and decent. The second one is 'All of Us are Dead' which I got tempted to watch because of its appealing trailer and found it to be good. But I got to say much about this one.
I'd be dividing this review of 20 episodes into 4 parts which would have episodes 1-5, 6-10, 11-15 and 16-20 as I watch them accordingly. I decided of not going one review per episode because then it'd be very difficult to review without spoilers.
**REVIEW OF EPISODES 1-5
"**We don't need to rashly insert truth into happy delusions. Sometimes, we have to be deluded to be happy."
They started this brilliantly. They gave a great introduction to all the characters and everything about their amuses and weak points. Greatly carried out by hilarious and sad moments, they pull off great timings for everything. As this is Korean and superbly simplistic which gives us a view of their culture with a slice of typical life in the late 80s, it never felt boring. There are films and series in which story arcs make the character arcs progress, but it's the opposite in this one and that is what makes it unique. Characters are developing so nicely that they are carrying the story on their own and no one is there to interrupt them. And it's fucking entertaining although being so simple in its premise. As the culture hits so close to home, it feels and hits different because Indian and Korean cultures have so many similarities. One more thing which I notice here was the importance of food and respect towards everyone else. Just like Indian culture, the importance and the purpose of food is shown here very interestingly as of a way of bonding families together which feels really familiar as well. About the respect, they bow and we touch feet. The acting and the writing is amazing, without a doubt. Some people might find some moments cringe, but I didn't feel that at all, I think this is how we were when we were kids as well, although there might be an age difference but still. That isn't a reason for me to complain about because it felt very natural, credits to the writing and acting. About the sad and happy moments, they have an amazing buildup and always have a reason of them happening, so you would be able to empathize very easily and shed a tear twice or thrice in one episode. The little things that make such a great contrast and difference. Capturing simple moments of life and making it so interesting is a work of art and I'm really enjoying it. Just one complaint right now, that they use some sample sounds throughout which feels annoying. I'm very hopeful for the next episodes and I hope that it doesn't go bad or something.
REVIEW OF EPISODES 6-10
The characters which are written and acted beautifully carry on the tradition of this being a fantastic show. They're catching the nuances of the simplistic life back in the 80s. And the relationships that are being developed and the misunderstandings that we are seeing here are a treat to watch. Nothing seems forced, everything happening in the show has a reason. Even though every episode has a long runtime, it doesn't feel that way because they're taking their time of developing the storyline and their lives at an almost perfect pace. It never feels boring. There were standout moments in these 5 episodes as well, and I think that out of the 10 episodes till now, episode 8 was my favourite. It had many moments which touched the soul effortlessly. I'm very much amazed at the fact that these people who made the series possible catch so many nuances which sometimes even the viewer can't state and has to rewind to make sure. And when it comes to the scope of our understanding, it never fails to satisfy. I'm having a very good feeling about this, and I have many expectations now, so I hope very very much that this goes and concludes well.