Contéstame 1994 (2013)

Originally I did not plan to watch reply 1994 simply because while I enjoyed Reply 1997 for what it was, it wasn't on my favorites list. However, after seeing so many people become obsessed with the husband mystery I just had to jump on the band-wagon
Reply 1994 was a long ride of nostalgia,laughs,and tears,I was instantly drawn to each characters stories and they way they interacted with each other in their small college boarding house. The characters all have nicknames that are easy to remember and impossible to forget once you've finished the drama. Go Ara really impressed me with this role she was Na-Jeong in and out and gave one of the most sincere performances of the year. Jung woo and Yoo Yeon Seok are the best male leads to be in a love triangle with both funny and Deliciously cute you'll find yourself rooting for both to get the girl at the end.
The music is beautiful and catchy, and most importantly appropriate to the decades quirky charms. I'm happy to say Reply 1994 is my favorite drama of 2013.

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Oh my god, i have to say that this drama is GREAT!!!
usually i don't like comedy-romance dramas that much , but i REALLY REALLY loved Reply 1994 , maybe because it's so realistic and HILARIOUS , but DRAMATIC at the same time , like it joins all the elements together to create such a beautiful drama.

The story overall may look simple , but i was surprised that i didn't feel bored in any moment while watching the episodes though the episodes are longer than the usual.

The Cast probably is one of the reasons of making me love this drama, although it's the first time for me to know them they impressed me.
and as i said before, what makes the drama special is that it's so realistic and what made it realistic is the outstanding acting of the talented cast.

And importantly .. the ending was satisfying :DDD to me.

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Wow what a joyride this drama was! I had initially been scared that this drama won't live up to expectations (remember the dream high 2 debacle?). But so glad I started it! Reply 1994 was just as good as Reply 1997. In fact I thought that this year I won't like a drama as much as I Hear Your Voice but Reply 1994 turned my thought upside-down.

The plot was superb. I think this drama truly taught us the power of a writer. The writers were GENIUS here. And I'm not saying that just because they succeeded in trolling us so much. The power of the writers truly lies in the building of characters. And that was the strength of this beautiful story. The Characters. All these characters that made us laugh and cry.

Whether it was Sam Cheon Po's weirdness or Trash's dorky-ness or even Chil Bong Yi's sweetness, every character was special. They weren't perfect, but special. It's not easy building such lovable characters and such a funny script. There are times when a famous actor makes a drama, but in dramas like Reply 1994, the writers are the real heroes.

But that doesn't mean the actors weren't any good. THEY WERE AMAZING! Trash, Na Jung, Chil Bong Yi, Haitai, Binggrae, Yoo Jin, appa, omma, even all the cameo actors (especially the Reply 1997 cast!) they were all such good actors and I think they'll all go a long way. The ending was great for me too. I know a lot of people were left disappointed by the ending, but if you really look closely at the facts, it's not tough to guess who the husband is. Nevertheless, a fangirl ships who her heart ships, I'm no judge. All I can say is that I was satisfied with everyone's ending and I felt sad when the drama ended because I feel like I was living at that Boarding House for all that time too and I felt emotional leaving. It's sort of crazy, I know.

I loved the music of this show. The original soundtrack as well as the old 90s songs they used in the background music! :) I found a lot of 90s kpop gems thanks to this show! :D I'm going to rewatch drama for sure. It's a total keeper. lol. And I'm really hoping that they make one more season. And I hope they'll keep the same parents again. The ajjusshi was so funny, always predicting the opposite XD and omg the mom was so sweet, cooking and looking after everyone. Very pretty actress. I want to see Man From The Stars, just because she plays someone's mom in that show :)

This is a great drama overall but people should definitely watch Reply 1997 first, that way they'll understand the cameos better. What can I say? I'm obsessed with the cameo the first season cast did! lol.

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I first watched this drama because it said that this was the sequel drama of "Reply 1997" which is one of my fav dramas too.

The first episode didn't really make me curios about the next episode but after i watched the second episode it was a good drama to watch because the interesting plot that makes the watchers curious about who is gonna be Na Jung's husband.

I adore every aspect of this drama, from the wardrobe, the interior design, the music, the plot, it all become a great package. I also love every character of this drama and they all played really well. If you need something fresh and fun, then this is the drama you should probably watch to enjoy your day and being dragged to old times again.

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This was way over-hyped for me. That comes as part of the problem with waiting to watch it until it was over with. Seeing the numerous articles that sites put out about it, and the nonsense about how no one really knew who the husband would be till the last episode.
Most Kdramas have the two leads in which you already know from the beginning that they will end up together. With this one I didn't know who the male lead was going in, and maybe as per the drama there wasn't supposed to be one, as it's more about the ensemble. I've watched enough Kdramas though, to know that from the very beginning they skew it toward one relationship and thats how it would end up. The hype and the whole thing of keeping the husband a mystery really does piss me off when it turns out as predictable as every other Kdrama. I guess it was the hype that made me hope it would do something different, as I didn't have a problem with who it ended up being, but it was just super annoying in the way it played out. Reply 1997 wasn't much different, but maybe I didn't have a problem with that one because I already knew that Seo In Guk was the male lead, and it didn't prance around the idea of trying to fool us as much.

This drama was way over long too. It's a cable show, aren't they supposed to stick to the 45 minute or less format? I guess not. Many scenes went over far too long, with no added substance, including a final episode that felt nothing but that.

The acting was great though. Go Ara kind of bugged me at first, but she really settled into the role and owned it as did everyone else. The set of characters and their friendship is really the strongest thing the show had going for it, as well as the humor provided with those secondary characters.

What's up with forgetting about the son? The parents have a baby some episodes in. And some of the episodes and scenes were as if they forgot he even existed. Like all the times they eat at the table and he isn't even there. WTF? Seriously strange.

My recommendation going into this show is to spoil it for yourself. You might enjoy it more that way actually. Because like most Kdramas, its not as if you don't know who is going to end up together in the end anyways, right?

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A poor man's Answer Me 1997. If you saw Answer Me 1997 then you will notice the character similarities and storyline similarities which for me make this drama almost pointless. If you never watched Answer Me 1997 then you may like this drama. There were some good moments but the story really drags out the husband mystery to the point where you stop caring. Around episode 16 or so I started to get bored. The acting was good and I liked the actors but not the storyline. Yoon Jin was a lot like Shi Won from the previous show and Bingrae a lot like Hoya's character and they recycled the childhood friend/growing up together idea and basically the whole thing felt recycled. It wasn't awful but it did lack imagination.

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I must admit, I waited quite a few hours after completing the show to write a review, because, for lack of a better phrase, I had "many feels" upon the ending of the show.

Having watched Reply 1997, I couldn't help myself from comparing 1994 to the first one. Some aspects of it are similar, like the love triangle, the parents and the pseudo-familial bonds. But this ensemble has a story of its own to tell and its own lessons to pass on, which is where the rewatch value lies.

First, the story. I am too young to understand many of the pop culture references and trends referenced in the show. However, the show continues what it did so well in "1997" - appealing to universal themes of youth, moving away from home and your parents, sibling relationships, first loves, family and, growing up. Some important news events that occurred during that time period were nicely woven into the characters' storylines. Another thing this writer does well, which I find unique from other dramas, is the way each episode has a theme, a lesson, and often focuses on certain relationships and characters. This gives the supporting characters equal opportunities to tell their stories and shine.

However, after the halfway mark, the episodes got too long for their own good. I found myself groaning towards the finish line.

I found this love triangle a lot tighter than the one in "1997", which was a dead giveaway to me halfway through the show. It was hard to ally myself with an OTP. I did have my suspicions who the husband would be, and while I'm glad my guess was right, both male leads won my heart over and I still ache for the one that was denied.

Next, the cast. The show has done it again - making superstars out of its cast. I'm pleasantly surprised by the makeover that Go Ara went through for her character. I would never be as endeared to Oppa Trash if Jung Woo was not portraying him, and Yoo Yeon Seok plays Chilbong with such earnestness and sincerity. Without going into all the supporting characters, the strength of this show does lie in the ensemble and I'm glad they were all very appropriately cast.

Finally, the music. I love the use of different songs as themes for the various relationships. The revival of hit songs from the early 90s was a big bonus.

I will miss this camaraderie in this alternate universe created in the show!

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I watched Reply 1994 after watching 1997 and 1988 so it felt natural to expect too much from it, however the negative reviews I read prior to watching was what kept my expectations low. After finishing the series, I wondered where the bashers were coming from. I mean, the show was really good! So good in fact that I can almost consider 1994 to be my favorite among all 3 "seasons", if you can call it seasons. I say almost because the show did fall short on some aspects in which the other two shows shined on.

It's hard to review 1994 and 1988 without comparing it to 1997, which I think was still the best among the three. 1997 was able to balance everything -- youth and the nostalgia of the late 90s, friendship, family, and the romance. Plus, Jung Eun Ji was really great as Sung Shi Won -- I still think she was the best female lead in Reply series. 1988's strength on the other hand was family and friendships. I cannot count the times that I've cried because of the touching scenes between mother and sons, father and daughters, and among friends. The romance took a back seat and though I loved both Taek and Jung Hwan, I really didn't expect that turnout. I was blindsided and I thought the show didn't give much room for Duk Seon to show why she made that choice.

Back to 1994. I love the cast (especially the mainstays -- mom Lee Il Hwa and dad Sung Dong Il) and I love that they're in college instead of high school -- I think that gave romance a bit more maturity. I think each cast shined but my favorites were Haitai, Yoonjin and Samcheonpo. I can understand why people were so torn between Chilbong and Trash and why some were so disappointed with the end result but hey, it was obvious from the beginning who Na Jung was going to end up with. Personally, I'm happy with her choice (and unlike Duk Seon, we clearly saw where Na Jung's heart was) but I was super frustrated with how the show dragged the love triangle. Did it really have to be 21 episodes? It was too long, some parts were unnecessary and boring. If they kept it at the usual 16-episode format and didn't drag the romance part too much, I would have probably given this show 10 stars.

The best thing about this show? The OST. It was so so so good! My favorites are Sung Si Kyung's version of Seo Taiji's To You, and Blue's Only Feeling You as sung by Jung Woo, Yoo Yeon Seok and Son Hojun. I can't over how good the songs were.

Overall, Reply 1994 is a good, must-watch drama. :)

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I watched this drama while waiting for Reply 1988 to load new episodes. I had previously attempted to watch it fresh of finishing Reply 1997, and couldn't get into it. I'm so glad now that I went back and gave it another shot at a later time. I adored Jung Woo as Trash Oppa. I'm sure he doesn't rank on most people's lists as super attractive, and I hear there were great fan wars over him and Chilbongie. But Trash was a character that I loved. Na Jung was just a so-so character for me sometimes, but I loved the ensemble of it. This drama's episodes are LONG, so be prepared. Some of them came in at around an hour and a half long. But there is a lot of story to tell. The side character's stories are interesting, and the "husband question" will drive you just as nuts as in Reply 1997, but I think it should be obvious. While I probably won't be going back and watching the entire drama again anytime soon, I do like to go back and re-watch some of my favorite scenes occasionally.

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Fast-Forward

The first half was fun to watch but then the last half, I just couldn't bare it. The main female lead, NaJung, is extremely unlikeable. The main lead character and his personality seemed very Jekyll-Hyde-ish? Like rash one minute and sweet/kind the next (to various other characters too which left lots of loop holes as well). Also, there is basically no true love triangle in this kdrama, when it seems like one of the potential candidate didn't even stand a fighting chance. In addition, no character arc for one of the potential love interest, other than just his pining love for her, however, I couldn't understand how he could have been that infatuated with her that much, given the lack of profound interactions and growth between the two. Overall, I would not recommend this Reply Series to anyone, although, the kdrama did have some enjoyable friendship and nostalgic 90s childhood moments in the first half of the series. The parents is the saving grace, they are great, even though we're not sure what happens to the son (maybe he was sent to boarding school) ! So if you're fine with that and wish to complete all of the Reply series, then maybe the fast forward button will be your best friend throughout R'94 completion.

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