GENERAL INFORMATION
KOREAN DRAMA
Original Title: 응답하라 1988 | Eungdaphara 1988
Also known as: Respond 1988; Answer Me 1988; Answer 1988
Broadcast network: tvN
Episodes: 20
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Synopsis
Ssangmun-dong, in the north of Seoul, 1988. Five families live along one alley and treat it as a shared front room, and the five teenagers who grew up there spend more of the day in each other's houses than their own. Sung Deok Sun is the middle child, ranked 999th in her year, forgotten at birthdays. Kim Jung Hwan says almost nothing and means all of it. Sung Sun Woo is the model son. Ryu Dong Ryong knows more about girls than any of them and less about anything examinable. Choi Taek left school to play baduk professionally and cannot reliably work a washing machine.
As in the two Reply series before it, a woman in the present day is interviewed beside the husband she married out of that alley, and which of the boys he is takes twenty episodes to answer. That is the smaller half. This one belongs to the parents — what they gave up, what they never got round to saying, and the year the neighbourhood emptied because everybody finally had somewhere better to go.
It shares a writer, a director and a pair of parents with Reply 1997 and Reply 1994. Unlike them it takes nothing else: new families, new names, its own story, with two faces from 1994 passing through episode eighteen.
THE CAST
CHARACTERS SUMMARY
MAIN CHARACTERS
Others
Others
EXTENDED CHARACTERS
Deok Sun's family
Jung Hwan's family
Sun Woo's family
Taek's family
Dong Ryong's family
Older and younger selves
SYNOPSIS BY EPISODE
EPISODES 01-10
1 In 1988 Seoul, Deok Sun spends her days hanging out with childhood friends and practicing her role in the upcoming Olympics opening ceremony.
2 Choi Taek's latest win calls for a neighborhood celebration. Deok Sun and Dong Il grieve for their loved one's passing in different ways.
3 Despite her disastrous dance skills, Deok Sun is determined to win a cassette player at a talent show being held during her school retreat.
4 Deok Sun declares she wants to get into college, Seong Gyun nurses hurt feelings, and Taek deals poorly with losing.
5 Bo Ra's participation in risky student protests upsets Dong Il. Sun Young wants to show her mother she's doing all right, even when she isn't.
6 Taek shoulders heavy pressure as he heads to China for a tournament. Deok Sun writes about experiencing first love, which Jung Hwan happens to read.
7 With Christmas around the corner, everyone picks names for Secret Santa. Jung Hwan notices Deok Sun wants a pair of pink mittens.
8 While the Kim family braces for Jung Bong's heart surgery, Bo Ra runs into relationship trouble, and Deok Sun meets No Eul's girlfriend.
9 The new year comes with money trouble for Sun Young and a health scare for Moo Sung. Deok Sun gets a glimpse of Taek's life in the spotlight.
10 Everyone piles into Bo Ra's car to fetch Dong Ryong after he runs away from home on his birthday. Deok Sun and Taek take a detour on the way back.
EPISODES 11-20
11 The moms see a fortuneteller. Jung Hwan grapples with complicated feelings, made worse when Deok Sun and her family temporarily move into his house.
12 Secrets abound as Sun Young keeps news about her part-time job from Sun Woo, who sneaks around with Bo Ra. Moo Sung babysits.
13 Il Hwa gets anxious about a lump on her chest before a physical at the hospital. Taek leaves for a big competition in Tokyo.
14 Sun Woo doesn't like that Sun Young and Moo Sung have grown so close. Deok Sun gifts Jung Hwan a pink shirt for his birthday.
15 Deok Sun faces a harsh reality check about getting into college. Dong Ryong ends up at the police station. Seong Gyun takes a bad fall.
16 When a TV singing competition rolls into town, Mi Ran and Dong Ryong are eager to audition. Bo Ra moves out to study for the bar exam.
17 As Deok Sun and the boys ponder their futures, the parents discuss their own bygone dreams. Meanwhile, Taek dreams of something sweeter.
18 It's 1994, and the friends are back in town for Taek's birthday. Deok Sun gets stood up for a concert, and Bo Ra agrees to a blind date.
19 During a layover in Beijing, Deok Sun makes sure to stop by to take care of Taek. Jung Hwan puts together a touching surprise for Mi Ran.
20 While Sun Woo and Bo Ra set out to change their parents' minds about their relationship, juicy gossip about Taek turns up on the news.
VARIETIES
CORRELATION CHART
Audience
| Date | Episode | National AGB Nielsen (%) | Seoul AGB Nielsen (%) | National TNmS (%) | Seoul TNmS (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 6, 2015 | 01 | 6.118% | 6.509% | 6.5% | |
| November 7, 2015 | 02 | 6.600% | 7.600% | 6.7% | |
| November 13, 2015 | 03 | 7.777% | 8.697% | 8.6% | |
| November 14, 2015 | 04 | 7.800% | 8.600% | 8.0% | |
| November 20, 2015 | 05 | 10.145% | 10.282% | 9.6% | |
| November 21, 2015 | 06 | 8.900% | 9.800% | 8.8% | |
| November 27, 2015 | 07 | 10.200% | 11.200% | 10.2% | |
| November 28, 2015 | 08 | 10.900% | 11.100% | 10.7% | |
| December 4, 2015 | 09 | 11.563% | 11.861% | 10.2% | |
| December 5, 2015 | 10 | 13.365% | 13.793% | 12.5% | |
| December 11, 2015 | 11 | 12.228% | 11.772% | 12.3% | |
| December 12, 2015 | 12 | 13.060% | 13.046% | 11.8% | |
| December 18, 2015 | 13 | 12.858% | 13.277% | 12.2% | |
| December 19, 2015 | 14 | 15.133% | 16.082% | 13.2% | |
| December 25, 2015 | 15 | 15.192% | 16.834% | 13.6% | |
| December 26, 2015 | 16 | 15.372% | 15.771% | 12.6% | |
| January 8, 2016 | 17 | 15.472% | 16.005% | 15.5% | |
| January 9, 2016 | 18 | 17.191% | 18.615% | 16.2% | |
| January 15, 2016 | 19 | 17.597% | 19.368% | 17.9% | |
| January 16, 2016 | 20 | 18.803% | 19.421% | 18.4% | |
| Average | 12.314% | 12.982% | 11.775% |
MORE DETAILS
| Broadcast period: | November 6, 2015 - January 16, 2016 | |
| Air time: | Friday & Saturday 19:50 | |
| Drama OST: | Reply 1988 OST | |
| Runtime: | 100 minutes | |
| Viewership ratings: | 6.118% - 18.803% (Nielsen Korea, nationwide) |
PRODUCTION CREDITS
| Screenwriters: | Lee Woo Jung, Jung Bo Hoon | |
| Director: | Shin Won Ho | |
| Production company: | tvN |
RECOGNITIONS
| Year | Award | Recognition |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Director — Shin Won Ho |
| 2016 | 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best New Actor — Ryu Jun Yeol |
| 2016 | tvN10 Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang), Drama |
| 2016 | tvN10 Awards | Best Content Award, Drama |
| 2016 | tvN10 Awards | Special Acting Award — Sung Dong Il |
| 2016 | tvN10 Awards | Asia Star Award — Park Bo Gum |
| 2016 | tvN10 Awards | Rising Star Award, Actor — Ryu Jun Yeol |
| 2016 | tvN10 Awards | Rising Star Award, Actress — Lee Hye Ri |
| 2016 | tvN10 Awards | Scene-Stealer, Actor — Kim Sung Kyun |
| 2016 | tvN10 Awards | Scene-Stealer, Actress — Ra Mi Ran |
| 2016 | 5th APAN Star Awards | Best Director — Shin Won Ho |
| 2016 | 5th APAN Star Awards | Best New Actor — Park Bo Gum |
| 2016 | 5th APAN Star Awards | Best New Actress — Lee Hye Ri |
| 2016 | Korea Cable TV Awards | Best Drama |
| 2016 | Korea Cable TV Awards | Rising Stars — Ryu Jun Yeol and Ryu Hye Young |
| 2016 | 1st Asia Artist Awards | Best Rookie Award, Actor — Ryu Jun Yeol |
| 2016 | 1st Asia Artist Awards | Asia Star Award, Actor — Park Bo Gum |
| 2016 | 8th Melon Music Awards | Best OST — Oh Hyuk, "A Little Girl" |
| 2016 | 18th Mnet Asian Music Awards | Best OST — Lee Juck, "Don't Worry Dear" |
| 2016 | 4th DramaFever Awards | Best Rising Star — Park Bo Gum |
| 2016 | 4th DramaFever Awards | Best Kiss — Park Bo Gum and Lee Hye Ri |
| 2016 | 16th Top Chinese Music Awards | Best International Artist — Park Bo Gum |
NOTES & VARIETIES
MORE LIKE THIS
Titles sharing cast or genres with Reply 1988.
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