Reply 1997

Reply 1997
Promotional poster with Jung Eun-ji
Also known as	Answer Me 1997 Respond 1997
Genre	Romance Comedy Teen
Created by	Shin Won-ho Rhee Myung-han
Written by	Lee Woo-jung[1] Lee Sun-hye Kim Ran-joo
Directed by	Shin Won-ho
Starring	Jung Eun-ji Seo In-guk Eun Ji-won Shin So-yul Hoya Lee Si-eon
Composer(s)	Kim Han-jo
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language(s)	Korean
No. of episodes	16
Cinematography	Oh Jae-ho Bae Young-soo
Production company(s)	CJ E&M
Distributor	tvN
Release
Original network	tvN
Original release	24 July (2012-07-24) – 18 September 2012 (2012-09-18)
Chronology
Followed by	Reply 1994
External links
Website

Reply 1997 (Hangul: 응답하라 1997; RR: Eungdapara 1997) is a 2012 South Korean television series that centers on the lives of six friends in Busan, as the timeline moves back and forth between their past as 18-year-old high schoolers in 1997 and their present as 33-year-olds at their high school reunion dinner in 2012, where one couple will announce that they're getting married. The first installment of the Reply series, it also portrayed the extreme fan culture that emerged in the 1990s when first generation idol groups such as H.O.T. and Sechs Kies took center stage and K-pop was just blossoming.^[2][3][4]

The last episode recorded the highest ratings at the time for a Korean cable drama,^[5] and the series has garnered praise from audiences and critics for being well-researched, refreshing, genuine, and full of humor and heart.^[6]

Cast

Main characters

• Jung Eun-ji as Sung Shi-won

She's the ultimate fangirl who lives for boyband H.O.T.. Shi-won is last place in her class and has her head firmly in the clouds (when her exasperated father asks what she's going to be when she grows up, her totally heartfelt answer: "I'm going to be Tony oppa's wife!"), but she's also forthright and sassy. ^{[7][8][9][10]}

• Seo In-guk as Yoon Yoon-je^[11]

The boy next door, first in his class and the quiet, brooding type. Yoon-je grew up with Shi-won all his life and as teenagers, he falls in love with her.^{[12][13][14][15][16][17]}

• Hoya as Kang Joon-hee

Yoon-je's best friend, who suddenly starts to spend a lot of time with Shi-won. Joon-hee is gentle and sweet, and loves to dance. He also harbors the secret that he's gay and is in love with Yoon-je, which only Shi-won is aware of.^{[18][19][20][21][22]}

• Shin So-yul as Mo Yoo-jung

Shi-won's best friend. Yoo-jung is known for falling in love at the drop of a hat. Every day it's someone new, whether idols or real boys. ^[23][24]

• Eun Ji-won as Do Hak-chan

The army brat who just transferred from Seoul. He's good at sports and has an enviable porn collection, but his one weakness is actual girls.^[25][26][27]

• Lee Si-eon as Bang Sung-jae

The mile-a-minute talker and one-man rumor mill of the group.^[28][29]

• Sung Dong-il as Sung Dong-il

Shi-won's father and a baseball coach of the Busan Seagulls.

• Lee Il-hwa as Lee Il-hwa

Shi-won's mother and a housewife.

• Song Jong-ho as Yoon Tae-woong

A teacher at the high school who turns out to be Yoon-je's brother.

Supporting characters

• Noh Ji-yeon as Jang Dan-ji - Moon Hee-joon fangirl
• Jung Kyung-mi as Kyung-mi / "Eun Dokki" (Eun Axe) - Sechs Kies fangirl
• Kim Sun-ah as Kim Sun-ah / "Eun Gak-ha" - Sechs Kies fangirl

Cameos

Production

The series originally aired live on cable channel tvN in 16 episodes (14 30-minute episodes aired back-to-back over a period of 7 weeks,[1] with the last 2 episodes aired separately and lasting 1 hour each due to the amount of material the staff didn't want to edit out[2]). However, due to its popularity, the 15th and 16th episodes were also aired simultaneously on Mnet, OCN, O'live, Ongamenet and OnStyle.

Ratings

Reception

The TV serial mostly consisted of idol singers with scant acting experience, and apart from the meta casting of Sechs Kies member Eun Ji-won (who previously worked with director Shin Won-ho and the writing staff on variety show 1 Night & 2 Days),^[32][33] it premiered to little hype.^[34][35][36] But with strong word of mouth, it soon gained recognition as a high-quality production with a distinct sense of identity, becoming a buzz-worthy "syndrome" show (Korean slang meaning, a real hit with an ardent fanbase).^{[37][38][39][40][41]}

With Korean cable shows generally considered successful if they hit 1%, Reply 1997 took cable ratings by storm,^[5][42][43] and received an immense amount of attention and critical praise. The show has been credited for its laser-sharp attention to detail, re-creating the late '90s with an accuracy that has fans singing its praises.^[44][45] Endless pop culture references are packed into every minute of the show, with little pop culture easter eggs hidden in scenes, callbacks to the trends of the day, and cameos that are in-jokes.^[46]

It was also a digital success, receiving more than a million hits after it was made available for downloading and streaming on internet and mobile site Tving. This was attributed to the fact that Reply 1997 had aired on a cable network (pay television channel), such that several viewers were unable to watch it live.^[47]

With majority of Korean dramas shot in the capital Seoul, another of the show's charms is its Busan setting, which is treated in a matter-of-fact way as a locale. The realism is aided by the fact that much of the principal cast is actually from the region, who speak with authentic Gyeongsang dialect. The dialogue also uses time-specific, location-specific slang.^[48]

But '90s nostalgia and meticulous attention to detail is only part of the show's appeal.^[49] Fans were also intrigued by the clues which the 2012 scenes dropped at regular intervals about who ends up together,^[50][51] as well as the episodes' subtle twists. And its smart, witty way of addressing the growing pains of its adolescent cast makes it just as relevant in the present as it was back in the late-'90s setting of its primary plot. Audiences have lauded the show's intimacy and realism, with a sincerity that connects with people — even those outside that particular generation.

Seo In-guk, Eun Ji-won, Lee Si-eon and Shin So-yul hosted the 15 September 2012 episode of sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live Korea, which included skits that parody scenes in their series.^[52] On 20 September 2012, a special was aired on tvN's enews featuring behind-the-scenes videos and a few bloopers from the set.^[53]

A novelization was published in January 2013.^[54]

Director Shin Won-ho re-edited all 16 episodes for a special director's cut DVD, released in February 2013. It also included 358 minutes of exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, a blooper reel,^[55] as well as commentary from the director and actors.^[56]

Soundtrack

The '90s-set drama didn't have an original soundtrack of its own since a huge aspect of the show's mood is set with era-specific music, one of its defining characteristics.^[57][58] So as a thank you to the fans of the show, lead actors Jung Eun-ji and Seo In-guk recorded a 2-part mini OST called Love Story.^[59] Seo was the first season winner of the music audition program Superstar K, and Jung is the main vocalist of K-pop girl group A Pink. Their duet in Part 1 was a remake of 1990s idol group Cool's "All For You."^[60][61] Their duet in Part 2 is a remake of "Just the Way We Love," from the soundtrack of 1999 film Love Wind Love Song.^[62]

The two singles topped the Gaon Single Chart and Billboard's K-Pop Hot 100, and "All For You" became one of the best-selling singles of that year with 2,499,273 downloads.^{[63][64][65][66][67][68]} Jung and Seo also gave a live performance on Mnet's M! Countdown on 6 September 2012,^[69] and on 19 September, the song "All For You" ranked first on another music program, Music Triangle.^[70]

Due to popular demand, CJ E&M eventually released a "Director's Edition" soundtrack that feature Jung and Seo's 2 covers, as well as '90s songs played throughout the series. It also included a mini photobook and a behind-the-scenes DVD.^[71] Before its official release, the album sold out its 12,500 units via pre-order, surpassing the average soundtrack sales figure of 5,000.^[72][73]

Awards and nominations

Spin-offs

Another series from the same writer and director, Reply 1994 was produced in 2013. Set in a college campus, it follows the pop culture events of that year, including the emergence of seminal K-pop group Seo Taiji and Boys and the basketball craze of the era. It also starred Sung Dong-il and Lee Il-hwa, but as different characters.^[90] Younger cast members Jung Eun-ji, Seo In-guk, Hoya, Lee Si-eon, Shin So-yul, Eun Ji-won, and Lee Jooyeon reprised their Reply 1997 roles in cameo appearances.^[91][92]

A second spin-off, Reply 1988, aired in 2015. Sung Dong-il and Lee Il-hwa again joined the cast.^[93][94]

Remake

An American remake, Answer Me 1999 is in development at Fox, written by Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer (Step Up 3D), with the pilot episode directed by Jon M. Chu.^[95]

Trivia

• This drama served as the acting debut of Jung Eun-ji.

International broadcast

The series also aired in the Philippines on GMA Network (dubbed in Tagalog) from 10 August to 4 September 2015 before replacing StarStruck (season 6) on 7 September with a total of 20 episodes.

In Thailand, the drama aired dubbed into Thai under the title ย้อนรอยรัก 1997 (Yon Roy Rak Nueng Khao Khao Jed; literally Reply Love 1997) on the Workpoint TV beginning 13 May 2013.^[96]

References

External links

• Reply 1997 official tvN website (Korean)
• Reply 1997 on Twitter
  
  (Korean)
• Reply 1997 on Facebook (Korean)
• Reply 1997 at HanCinema
• Reply 1997 at the Internet Movie Database