#reply series

our beloved summer

I'm a sucker for slice-of-life stories. while this story navigates through different timelines, it expertly toes the line between the past and the present thus presenting a full growth for each character in this simple yet relatable story. i love the script. i especially love the ost which i listen to every day even after finishing this drama a couple of months back.

our beloved summer, adapted from a webtoon, is the story of Choi Woong and Kook Yoon-seo who became viral after starring in a documentary about the contrast of the top and worst student in their highschool. that alone makes you curious. it's a catchy premise and the whole story manages keep the premise alive until the end.

the story is simple and you can guess where the story is headed. but what made me stay is the pacing and the writing. and it being true to what it set out to do-- to say that love can be found in different people in different times. but there are special moments where you find a different love in the same person at a different time.

i can confidently say that Choi Wooshik and Kim Da-mi are both actors to watch out for. they are not just made for the small screen. they each have such a presence that can't just be contained in a small screen. or maybe i just loved their chemistry so much. it's not even that kind of chemistry where it will grip your heart but it's the work that they put on both characters to make them as authentic as possible. i was drawn in on how they portrayed Woong and Yoon-seo. i was drawn on why they did what they did that led to their eventual *spoilers ahead* break-up and subsequent marriage.

watch this if you're not too heartbroken and you like a slow paced stories that fleshes out human emotions particularly of love-- to a romantic partner, to a mother, to a friend, and to found family.

i particularly loved the way they blindsided me about the reason why Woong was the was he was and why in a way he couldn't open himself up completely to Yoon-seo made me fall in love with the writing. with the sheer amount of content and stories readily available for us to consume, you become so desensitised that it's sometimes a welcomed gift when you don't get to predict what happens in a story.

that particular scene where they get back together and Woong says "...please keep loving me," is engraved in my heart.

--the only downside to this wonderful drama is a 1/4 of a love quadrangle that is too green to handle a wonderful script like this one. you'll know what I'm talking about when you watch it.

2. reply 1988

i don't know what got me drawn to the works of the tandem director Shin Wonho and writer Lee Woo-jung but i am so glad that i am. i started with hospital playlist after seeing so much memes about it and now i can't imagine my life without hosplay (i still watch the whole thing like every month).

but i'm not here to talk about hosplay but the third installment of the critically acclaimed "reply" series.

Reply 1988 is the highest rated in tv ratings among all the "reply" series. and i can totally understand that as this show captures all the tales and woes of each generation.

i can say that the number 1 appeal of the Shin-Lee series' is the nostalgia and the bravery it takes to tackle the simplest yet the most constant worries of a human.

for the 3rd "reply" installment, it goes back to 1988, before the year looked funny (as you will see on one of the episodes). there definitely is something true about that as that's when all the technology in the world started to become accessible.

this show crept up to me (much like Prison Playbook). this was my second attempt at watching it since the first time made me drop it for being too "scream-y" which to be honest, a lot of shows are anyway. but what made me stay were the moms and dads. only did the last few episodes made me notice the actual gang of young misfits.

i loved the way it tackled real-world, real-family problems without being preachy. i love the way the pacing is so slow and nostalgic. i love the way all the families interacted with each other and with the other families.

don't come watching this show for the love story (although i absolutely loved who the main girl character ended up with). come watch this show if you enjoy stories about family dynamics.