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| Credit: Picture from Koreandrama.org |
Answer Me 1997 / 응답하라 1997
aka Reply 1997, Respond 1997
Starring:
Jung Eun Ji as Sung Shi Won
Seo In Guk as Yoon Yoon Jae
Song Jong Ho as Yoon Tae Woong
Hoya as Kang Joon Hee
Shin So Yool as Mo Yoo Jung
Eun Ji Won as Do Hak Chan
Lee Shi Un as Bang Sung Jae
Sung Dong Il as Sung Dong Il
Lee Il Hwa as
Lee il Hwa
Year: 2012
Episodes: 16
Network: tvN
Genre: Romantic Comedy, Mystery
Synopsis:
Answer Me, 1997 is about the lives of six high school
friends and how they grew alongside K-pop culture, friendship, and love with
many lessons learned along the way. The show is told in flashback since in the
present day, the group of friends are at a high school reunion dinner fifteen
years later. One couple announces their engagement while another couple announces pregnancy
news. The answer as to who are the couples are kept secret, which brings a bit
of mystery and also explains the title of the show where everything stemmed
from the year, 1997. The concept is similar to the American TV show, How I Met Your Mother.
Reasons to watch it:
Fans of K-pop are bound to love this show, especially
those who experienced that era in time: the late 90s in Korea. The story line particularly focuses on how dedicated fans are towards their idols. In
this case, our main character, Sung Shi Won (Jung Eun Ji), is a hardcore H.O.T. fan
and in particular, Tony Ahn’s fan. She is such a dedicated fan that she is
known as Tony Ahn’s wife. During the main cast's high school years, there was an intense
fan war between the fans of H.O.T. and their rival, Sechkies. There are many
references to Korean pop culture of the time period. Even after fifteen years later in the
present day, Shi Won continues to be a dedicated H.O.T. fan.
The show itself is very detailed. I find myself missing
interesting parts of the show when I’m not paying attention. For example,
before their SAT exam, Yoon Yoon Jae (Seo In Guk) gives Shi
Won a box of taffy for good luck, but Shi Won did not have a present prepared
for Yoon Jae. Improvising, Shi Won gets up, tells Yoon Jae that she’ll be right
back, and then returns with a “S” shaped metal piece for Yoon Jae. A later
scene would reveal Yoon Tae-Woong’s (Song Jong Ho) new car as he drives away,
but we see that the “S” in the car name, “SONATA III” is missing on the back of
the car. My husband actually watched this show twice and found even more fun
references.
There’s also an interesting scene with Shi Won’s dog
where fate comes into play, but I don’t want to ruin the ending for that. We
also find out in the ending scene why Yoon Jae broke his arm back in high
school.
All the actors in the show acted and portrayed their
character really well and each character had significant screen time. I loved
how each character was unique and each character had some quality time in the
story to give each one of them depth. We see Tae Woong’s devotion to his
brother and his urge to buy second-hand or knockoff stuff even though he’s
well-off. We see Kang Joon Hee (Hoya) show his one-sided love and dedication
towards Yoon Jae. We see Mo Yoo Jung (Shin So Yool)’s shocking side as she
changes from being a H.O.T. fan to a Sechkies fan as well. We also see her
heartbreaks and sunny smiles as her relationship with Do Hak Chan (Eun Ji Won)
progresses. Hak Chan was an interesting character as he could not look girls in
the eyes, but later on gains more confidence as his relationship with Yoo Jung
progresses. Bang Sung Jae (Lee Shi Un) takes on a hilarious role as the
motor-mouthed classmate and also the gossiper of the group. Lastly, a lot of
credit is given to Sung Dong Il and Lee Il Hwa for their portrayal of Shi Won’s
parents. They bicker one minute and love each other the next. I love how the
story also showed how they fell in love as well. Basically, every character
underwent his or her own journey through life in these fifteen years.
There are lots of cameos in this show as well as voice overs Tony Ahn even shows up as himself, which I am thankful for because
without his appearance, the show would seem a bit inauthentic. I also
recognized Kim Jong-min, Shin Bong-sun, Kim Tae-won, Shin Dong-yup’s voice, and
G.NA. Lee Jooyeon from the girl group, After School, also took a larger minor
role and I honestly didn't recognize her in this show. She was stunningly
beautiful. She was a totally different character in drama, Smile, Donghae. I
also thought it was cute that Jung Eun Ji’s fellow A-Pink members Park Chorong
and Yoon Bomi played minor roles as Shi Won and Yoon Jae’s mother during their
youthful days.
Busan accent? How many shows do you know where all the
main characters speak in dialect? I am not a Korean expert so I can only spot
obvious dialect differences, but those who understand the Korean language well
will definitely get a kick out of it.
Reasons not to watch it:
If you don’t like girls fanning over idols, then you’d
probably not enjoy it too much. It could seem suffocating looking at all the
things Shi Won does just for Tony and H.O.T. Other than that, there isn't much
not to like about this show.
If you don’t enjoy gay story lines you might be slightly
uncomfortable with this show. The show does not explore Yoon Jae and Joon Hee’s
relationship too much, but it is present. We only see Joon Hee longing for Yoon
Jae, but Yoon Jae doesn’t know Joon Hee had such feelings. There is no big
dramatic story line build-up for them and the story continues on as expected.
Favorite Couple and Chemistry Factor:
It comes as no surprise that the main love story draw is
between childhood friends Yoon Jae and Shi Won. It’s cute when they share
drinks all the time. I loved the whole coupon idea for birthdays and I even did
the same thing for my husband. When Yoon Jae confessed to Shi Won in the
karaoke room, it was so real, painful, and raw. It was also very memorable when
he said that if a man tells a girl who doesn’t like him his confession like
a fool, it means that he never wants to see her ever again. I think Yoon
Jae emotionally jabbed Shi Won in the gut to make her realize that she loved
him and she didn't realize it. I also felt that jab myself. I freaked out when I
saw their kissing scenes later on in the show. Their kisses were so delicious and I can practically
feel Yoon Jae’s longing feelings for Shi Won. Seriously, if I were Shi Won, I
would forget about Tony and concentrate on Yoon Jae forever though I guess Shi
Won has the best of both worlds: one worshiping Tony and the other, her
husband.
I must admit Seo In Guk really can act and played the
role of Yoon Jae excellently. I never knew he could carry a whole series by
himself. I saw him as a side character in Love Rain and I only thought of him
as a side character and nothing more. A good script makes all the difference.
I love the
couple’s tender moments. I also liked whenever Yoon Jae shocked Shi Won, Shi
Won is quiet and stiff. I am amused by that because I am the same way in real
life when confronted with a problem or shock. Sure, Shi Won is also quietly
shocked in other situations, but her shocked feeling is always the most potent
when confronted by Yoon Jae. When Yoon Jae was crying out of control in the
restaurant because he realized how powerful his brother's love was for him, Shi Won is innocently confused, but also so shocked in that she doesn't know
what to say or do in order to comfort Yoon Jae. I feel like this couple has sprung to life and I have to
remind myself this is only acting.
Favorite Scenes:
I think I loved the “Yoon Jae confessing to Shi Won”
scene the most in the karaoke room. Everybody else left and it was just the two
of them. Yoon Jae had been downing beers. His confession was really heartfelt
and poignant. I’m not Shi Won, but I felt her pain as she tries to make sense
of how she hurt Yoon Jae. I’m also surprised that Yoon Jae confessed everything
he was feeling in one shot. It was disappointing to hear Shi Won ask if they
could still be friends afterwards. Both characters were extremely heartbroken over this confession.
The scene where Yoon Jae ran for his life just to protect
Shi Won from a potential rapist predator at night was also very touching.
Without hesitating, Yoon Jae ran out of the house, lost a sandal, tumbled on to
the floor after an accident with a bicyclist, and scratched his arms in a way
where streams of blood came out just to protect Shi Won after receiving her
scared phone call. I think that brought on the initial spark Shi Won had for
Yoon Jae, though I’m not sure if she realized it or that she wanted to ignore
that feeling. She definitely felt something because she was quietly stunned the
whole time. I like how her character is very consistent.
When Tae Woong told Yoon Jae that he was still going to
fight for Shi Won even after Tae Woong realized that Yoon Jae had liked Shi Won
way before Tae Woong started pursuing Shi Won, Tae Woong set up a blind date
for Yoon Jae and also a dinner meeting with Shi Won at the same time. I thought
the storyline would take a melodramatic turn that would break the lovers apart
and leave Tae Woong bitter with love, but I was shocked to see that the story
took a different turn. It’s clear that the brothers love each other, but one of
them have to yield to the other in order when it comes to loving Shi Won.
I loved every single Shi Won and Yoon Jae kiss scene. You
can definitely tell they love each other.
Yoon Jae’s birthday scenes were funny. First there was
Shi Won’s coupon scenes. Yoon Jae ended up redeeming them for odd favors like
borrowing her parents for his middle school graduation, forcing Shi Won to
stand at her own graduation exclaiming that what everyone is thinking is
correct and that she has no parents. Tae Woong’s gifts to Yoon Jae is even
funnier. Yoon Jae had a bunch of knockoff gifts: Adidos shirt, Westpak backpack, Safty Zone shirt, and lastly, a
Guess! T-shirt.
When Hak Chan invited Yoo Jung over his house for the
first time when his parents weren’t home, Yoo Jung was freaking out every time
Hak Chan went near her because she thought he was asking for sex and she was in
her period. The scene was so awkwardly funny. Yoo Jung screamed every time Hak
Chan had his hands near her when he tried to take her coat and when he reached
for the remote. Yoo Jung eventually screamed out that she was on her period. Lastly,
the final punch came when during the movie they were watching, Hak Chan said
that If Yoo Jung was expecting something else, he could still do what she presumably
wanted.
The Yoon Jae dog scenes were very cute. I find it such a
coincidence that there are two dogs that look alike. Yoon Jae spent so much
effort to obtain a dog that looks like him only to give the dog to his friend
Joon Hee. At the same time, Shi Won’s father ended up finding an identical dog
in the park that belonged to a young girl who lost her dog. I think the dog
scenes foreshadow future events very well.
Least Favorite Scenes:
Sung Song Joo (Kim Yewon) was in a few episodes as she tries to woo Tae
Woong, but she ends up dying shortly afterwards. Honestly, I think I would have been
completely fine without this character even appearing. I also didn't like how
quickly Tae Woong was able to move on afterwards. He wanted to marry Song Joo,
but to me, he moved on fairly quickly afterwards. Actually, the story didn't really concentrate on Song Joo after her death. On a side note, Song Joo is
super cute as she was the aggressor in the relationship.
The writer seems to be going nowhere with the Kang Joon
Hee and Yoon Jae relationship. I would have wanted more drama between them, but
they both just quietly accepted the fact that “it is what it is.” It was sweet
how they both tried to enter the air force together. I appreciated how Joon Hee
was always honest with Yoon Jae except for when it comes to his own feelings. I
think at least Joon Hee should have at least told his best friend Yoon Jae that
he was gay. They were friends for such a long time.
The Lesson:
Finding love is about timing, but the effort goes a long
way.
OST songs:
Seo In Guk and Jung Eunji's remake of Cool's "All For You"
Seo In Guk and Jung Eunji's remake of "Just The Way We Love" from the movie, "Love Wind Love Song"
Wehaiyo’s Dramafever Recommendations:
If you liked this drama, then consider watching these
Korean dramas:
The World That They Live In – The World That They Live In
aka Worlds Within goes into depth with each character in the TV/film production
business. We go into the individual lives of actors, program directors,
directors, script writers, and the film crew. We get to see in depth the
realistic situations that they face on a daily basis as well as all the
problems that could arise during production and even post production. The
characters of the main leads, Hyun Bin and Song Hye Gyo, go through ups and
downs where they wish their life was as lovely or as perfect as a drama. I
admit this drama may not be for everybody’s taste or mood. If you like realism,
a serious tone, and no fluffy story lines I recommend this drama. The story is
basically a story within the story of making a drama. As a bonus fun fact, Hyun
Bin and Song Hye Gyo actually dated in real life after this drama ended and
that relationship lasted until before Hyun Bin entered the army.
The Bean Chaff of My Life – I have not finished this
drama yet, but I've seen the majority of it so far. It is about two people who
meet during their college years, go through Korean electoral events like
campaigning for their candidate in order to earn some money, and continue meeting on and off throughout
their lives, but never going as far as dating each other. They somehow end up
intertwined with each other even as they date other people. This drama might be
frustrating to watch since the main leads don’t get together for the majority
of the series and it might not live up to Answer Me, 1997 standards, but it does
have the concept of friends who grow up without dating each other until later
on. As an added bonus, we get a musical scene in each episode where characters
burst into song. If musicals interest you, you might find The Bean Chaff of My
Life interesting as well.
