[Reply Challenge] Dreams
[Michelle]
Well I decided to just skip the first challenge after watching the last two episodes of Reply 1988. Again I do not dislike the drama, but it kinda leaves me a bitter and sour feeling whenever I think about it, especially when it comes to loveline or youth; therefore, I think I will not be able to write about it very soon. We (JJ and I) will then focus on other aspects of the series first. And today's theme would be Dreams.
I guess people say “It’s never too old to have a new dream”, but a normal person will start thinking about it in their high schools when they first choose their majors and then re-think about what they want to do when they nearly finish universities. These two specific stages fit into all of our young characters in the Reply series, and it is good to see how most of them develop their dreams based on their situations. I was thinking about analysing how each Reply season differs in delivering messages about building Dreams, but then I decided to categorise the characters and focus on that. It seems to be easier.
#1 Genius is 1% talent and 99% hard work - Chil Bong, Taek
These talented people are those who recognise their dreams at a very young age. They know what they want to do since they were little, and they are usually very good at it. By the time we grow up enough to start wondering about our futures, they already become famous in their world and achieve something really great that we can never imagine a person at our age can actually get. (And they are people whom our parents usually compare us to make us feel guilty for not getting good marks *sad face*). Taek and Chil Bong are that kind of characters, who know nothing but baduk and baseball when they are young.
I have never been such a person like that, so I guess it’s hard for me to understand them. Since I was young, mom and dad had made me go to so many arts-based classes such as craft, piano, drawing and even dancing, but I show no talents in all of these areas (so sad!). I really wonder how those people discover their talents and I am even more curious about whether they have ever thought of giving up their dreams from childhood. There was a time (about episode 4 or 5) in Reply 1988 that I thought Taek may give up Baduk after losing and became a normal person who struggled with finding a (new) dream like his friends. I guess because I want to know how genius people actually find their dreams and so I really have high hopes for that situation. But too bad it did not happen, and I am so sorry to say this but Taek’s baduk scenes in later episodes are not interesting at all.
Anyway, I still like the message they send us through these characters, that talents alone are not enough, you will always have to put efforts to be successful.
#2 Shoot for the moon, even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars - Reply 1997 theme
I always admire people who can acknowledge their dreams, as I still do not realise mine yet (!!!). And of course it is great if you have appropriate abilities to become who you wanna be, “sometimes passion will create miracles”. But unfortunately, it is rarely the case. Look around you, do you have any friends who do not have any music talents at all but always want to become famous singers? (oh yes, you do!)
I really like this episode in Reply 1997 in which our Teacher Yoon Tae Woong advised his students that even if they cannot achieve their dreams, they can still try to go close to them. I have never seen the same idea in any other movies and dramas (maybe I did not watch enough), but I believe that this is such a nice solution. The concept is old, but the specific idea is excellent. Normally when we start talking about our dreams, adults either approve them or encourage us to find other things which suit us more, and generally it will be changing your dream from becoming a singer, as an example, to becoming a doctor or lawyer. Why have to direct our passion to something totally different while we can just simply think of other job opportunities that are still related to what we like? Well, I guess if I want to solve crimes on an international scale and do not meet requirements to become an FBI agent, I may consider being a (Sherlock fanfic) writer. And how about being an owner of a karaoke store instead of a singer? Problem solved :D
#3 Seeing you smile makes me so happy - Main Reply theme
Not that everyone can have a dream or passion by himself. Generally most people grow up struggling with finding what their heart truly want, and often they end up with those which make their beloved people happy. Throughout the Reply series, I saw Yoon Jae insisting to go to the Air Force Academy because Si Won wanted to marry someone in uniform, Sseureki became an excellent doctor in neurology for the sake of his childhood friend (and I think it was also his wish to make Na Jeong’s family happier), Jung Hwan followed any dreams his brother ever wished to become, and Sun Woo tried to pass the exam with high scores to enter the Medicine department in Yonsei University with a full scholarship to show gratitude to his mom. In fact, I guess that Yoon Jae and Sun Woo did not have any specific dreams, but I doubt this reason was applicable for the other two characters. Instead, I think the Jung Hwan and Sseureki did have their own dreams, but still seeing their beloved ones being happy matters more.
#4 What happens to a dream deferred - Tae Woong, Bo Ra
People say “Life does not give you everything”. It is not easy to have your own dream, and it is even harder for you to have all the skills you need to achieve it, but when you have both, it is often the family situation that will become an obstacle to achieving your dream. This is the case of Tae Woong and Bo Ra in Reply 1997 and 1988. I wonder when they decided to give up their dreams in their youth, have they ever thought that they may not have any other chance to achieve their dreams in their lives? I guess they have, yet they still choose what is more important to them, their families.
What happens to a dream deferred? Tae Woong and Bo Ra show me that they can think more about their dreams to figure out whether they are really important to them or not and also to imagine what they would do if they can ever be back to the game. So that when they have that chance, they will put all their souls into it and become even greater than before.
My final thought
I was about to compare Reply with other movies and dramas that also talk about dreams (High School Musical!!) but then when I started writing, I recognise that the characters Reply series itself are diverse enough to show a full picture of life. I guess this is why I like this series so much, as I can always find myself somewhere in each season.















