Shrishti Kalwar, Mumbai, Maharashtra

Genre: Coming of Age, Comedy, Romance, and Family

No of episodes: 21

It has already been over two years since the pandemic started and we all began living in isolation. During these difficult times, we all longed to go back to our normal lives and we all will once this pandemic ends. Unfortunately, there are some parts of our lives that we will never get back, no matter how hard we try; the time when we were young and fierce and technology was yet to bloom. But, no worries even if we can’t go back to those days we can still watch and relive those moments.

Reply 1994 (응답하라 1994) also known as Answer Me 1994 is the second installment of the Reply/Answer Me series. It is the kind of drama that brings out the slice of life moments especially, for the millennials who started their journey in the 90s. For this generation, the drama is like a flashback of how the world used to be before we entered the 21st century. 

Plot

This drama set in 1994, begins, when six university students came across each other after shifting to a boarding house in Seoul to pursue their careers. The boarding house is run by a couple named Sung Dong-il and Lee Il-hwa. This couple will not only make you laugh but at times, they will also touch your heart in various ways along with the main leads, who will eventually become your favourite ship too. They lived with their daughter Sung Na-jung played by Go Ara and a guy nicknamed Sseureki or Trash played by Jung Woo whom they considered being their son. Na-jung, majoring in Computer Engineering, is kind, warm-hearted and a big fan of basketball player Lee Sang-min, while Sseureki/Trash is a medical student. He has a good sense of humour and is a very bright student. But, he always messes up and probably this is one of the qualities that he seems to be lacking, yet it is also charming. He is also the best friend of Na-jung’s older brother who passed away. It is almost impossible for Na-jung and Sseureki to be in the same room without nagging each other but when the time comes, they have always got each other’s back.

Since, most of them left their home, and their comfort zone behind, their journey with each other wasn’t easy in the beginning; but as time kept passing by, the boarding house became their second home and the strangers became their family. Samcheonpo played by Kim Sung-kyun is from the Samcheonpo of  South Gyeongsang Province. He is a mama’s boy who has travelled to Seoul for the first time all alone. He has a tough time from the moment he steps into the city. At first, he found it very difficult to adjust to the city but with time he gets used to it. Samcheonpohas to share his room with another student whose name is Haitai played by Son Ho-jun. Haitai is from Suncheon, South Jeolla Province and, his father is the CEO of a bus company. His character is very fun-loving. Samcheonpo and Haitai are the types of friends who did not have a good start when they first met but eventually, they became close.

Min Do-hee playing the role of Jo Yoon-jin is a character to whom most fangirls can relate. She is a big fan of Seo Taiji and Boys and would not hear a single word against them. She hardly ever speaks and even when she is in front of you it’s hard to see her because of her bangs which cover her face most of the time. Even though she does not end up with her favourite idol like most of us, she does end up finding the love of her life. Lastly, Chilbong played by Yoo Yeon-seok, who though only a freshman, is the number one pitcher of Yonsei University‘s baseball team. He is every girl’s dream guy and it is going to take a while for you to get over him.

Why you should watch this?

This drama perfectly portrays the emotions that we all at least once in a lifetime go through. From settling in a new city to making new friends, from falling in love to experiencing heartbreaks, from building goals to making sacrifices to live our dreams, it is a perfect blend of all the emotions. 

But that’s not all the drama portrays, it also keeps switching from 1994 to 2013 leaving you with a question, “who will end up with the female lead?” Aren’t you curious to know it? So, what are you waiting for, grab your popcorn and let’s get started. Just in case you finish it and crave more of such dramas you also have Reply 1997/Answer me 1997 and Reply 1988/Answer me 1988!

What do you think? Tell us in the comments