[Drama 2013] Answer Me 1994 / Reply 1994 응답하라 1994

[clockwatcher]

Here's a clearer pic (credit to Reply '94 DC)

[Guest whatdz]

:-bd

[NakaiKana]

Aaah Baro/Dohee ....I like seeing them together too. Unfortunate not all of them could make it. I would love to see a reunion.

[Guest maygraceae]

Is there any link to TVN Taxi with Eng Sub?

[luluponyazn]

@stuartjmz Another great campus k-drama that is quite underrated and undeservedly so is What's Up. It's less nostalgia, but more about a group of unlikely friends coming together and creating a musical together, and the show has so much good music and youthful energy. It kind of dwindles at the end, but much better than the slow crawl that most k-dramas experience.
@clockwatcherI was not intending on starting a fan-war, but rather an intelligent discourse backed with narrative evidence. I believe that my original post did not sound inciting in any way, so I apologize if at certain points, you may have interpreted my words differently. In fact, I would gladly welcome any intelligent and well-reasoned rebuttals to my viewpoints backed with narrative evidence. This type of respectful and intellectual discourse actually fomented a genre all of its own called literary criticism, and what a way to show that people with differing perspectives can overcome their differences with such discussions. In fact, plurality in perspectives and opinions is partly what drives human achievement, and is a fundamental aspect in any line of work. 
To just address the episodes you have pointed out, NJ's emotional state during these scenes is more akin to petty jealous and frustration, which is consistent with the scenes I have pointed earlier where NJ did engage in over-eating behavior. NJ's emotional state during ep19, if actually indicative of sadness, is more appropriately described as the mourning/grieving over a lost relationship, likened to her emotional state over the anniversary of Hoon's death and break-up convo in ep20. 
Like @stervamerzkaya0 says, arguments based on personal wishful thinking does not necessarily make you right, but yes, you are entitled to your own opinion and may keep holding on to them for as long as you'd like. 

[Guest]

@luluponyazn Thanks for the recommendation. On the strength of your OUTSTANDINGLY well-reasoned and intelligent analysis of the OTP in this drama, I'll be sure to check it out. Your post really was a delight to read, thank you!

[clockwatcher]

@luluponyazn, I am sure you weren't trying to start a fanwar but usually when a comment results in endless back and forth, one usually ensues. 
It's fair to say that my view is "wishful thinking" but based on what I've read in this thread, many comments were considered wishful thinking that were later proven true. In the same vein, there was so much analysis that later turned out to be completely off the mark. And in the end, some say that the story didn't follow through on the narrative. Is that really true or did some people just completely miss the actual story and start writing their own?  
Let's go back to this overeating out of depression OR overindulging in home foods. 
One thing we know for a fact is that the writer brought attention to Na Jung's overeating by having both Haitai and her father mention it. This means that we were supposed to notice it. 
Unless I missed it (and it's possible since I've only seen this episode once), there was no explanation for this. Which means that there also was no mention by Na Jung or any other character that Na Jung was overindulging because she missed Korean food. This was simply your conclusion. However, we also saw her stuff her face with popcorn, chips and pastries. But perhaps those pastries can't be found in Australia so let's even say popcorn and chips which are not unique to Korea.  So we can't say she was being entirely selective with the food she was eating.
This indicated to me that perhaps there was something else going on under the surface. Even discounting Na Jung's previous behavior with indigestion, overeating to dull pain isn't exactly a rare phenomenon so is it such a leap to see this behavior and find it indicative of some kind of sadness? Lots of people who overeat don't even realize why. Isn't it often because they aren't dealing with their emotions?

As far as we know, Trash previously hadn't overworked himself to dull his pain but it took place in ep 19. So why is it okay for us to see this behavior and understand its underlying meaning but when it comes to Na Jung, it's immediately discounted? Especially in a drama like this with lots of subtle hints? 
In addition, believing Na Jung was still hurt and not over her relationship with Trash was later supported in the next episode. She wasn't crying herself to sleep every night but she obviously still loved Trash and wanted to be with him (subconsciously or not) even if she didn't fully understand why they'd broken up. The pain of the breakup wasn't at the forefront on her thoughts so she's not going to wear a hat everyday of the year but it doesn't mean it wasn't there. So when I saw this, I was already prepared to see her fully address the breakup (especially as the 3-minute montage was clearly not the end for them). 
However, not seeing this signal and simply assigning it to missing home food added nothing to the story. So in the end, even if you call it wishful thinking, it was later validated in the next episode (or even in the last minute of the episode) but one not seeing this signal and believing that Na Jung had moved on from Trash might end up being surprised to discover that she hadn't. You might call it coincidence but I beg to differ.

But one thing we know for sure is that Na Jung emotionally overeats. Another is that she was overeating in episode 19. Saying that she can have only one specific reaction to one specific emotion doesn't make much sense to me. And I don't even agree that Na Jung was in mourning about her relationship in episode 20 (or that it was similar to Hoon's anniversary) partly because that would mean that she'd accepted that it was over. Except she hadn't because she still kept hoping that Trash would call her. No one mourns an ill person, you only mourn a dead one. Plus she doesn't only wear a cap when she's in mourning. In ep 8, she wore one when she was disappointed that Trash picked Yoon Jin over her. IMO, that's a different emotional state from when Hoon died. Which means that this isn't her go-to reaction for only one specific emotion. And she doesn't always wear one when sad either. An example is the day after Trash told her she couldn't go to Australia. And less obviously in other scenes in that episode when she was upset with her job search. She didn't wear one when she was sad that Trash was leaving in ep 11.

So in conclusion, neither reason was explicitly stated in the drama so you can't claim my explanation to be wishful thinking and be sure of yours. Na Jung isn't the only character who was abroad for a while - CB was as well. He's got a smaller appetite but if this behavior is common amongst returnees, why didn't we see this from him as well? As least, if we had, it would have supported this theory.

Anyway, this is as much as I can write about this. You may call this wishful thinking while I might say you're willfully refusing to see things from a different angle. Neither assessment is necessarily right.

[luluponyazn]

@clockwatcher
These conversations only turn into fan-wars when they are continued with arguments based on supposition, which I am afraid yours is. I actually looked back into ep19 and then some of the earlier episodes to give an honest appraisal to your arguments, and this is what I saw (but again, you may disagree, as you probably will). The only instance when NJ was explicitly over-eating in ep 19 was the crab scene, which was indicated to be one of her favorite foods. Her mindless snacking behavior for the rest of the episode is pretty consistent with her eating patterns in general shown in the earlier episodes. (Sidenote to your comment: CB did exhibit said behavior in ep18 when he was meeting up with BG). 
Second, my argument was never about whether NJ was sad in ep 19, but about whether her eating behavior in said episode was indicative of a certain emotional state. Given her pre-established behavior exhibited during said emotional state, my conclusion is null based on narrative evidence, which is different from an argument based on supposition like yours. (Thank goodness that her eating behavior is consistent, unlike some other aspects of her characterization). Now, why Show decided not to show NJ sad in other ways in ep 19? I have no idea, and I will just have to chalk it up to character inconsistency, which Show was rampant with in the last few episodes anyways. 
Now to address your point about the arguments made by either side before the finale, you are right that most of them are due to wishful thinking, mostly stemming from each person's interpretation and understanding of the narrative themes/conflicts/characterization and the hope that Writer Lee will follow through on her narrative in a logical manner. Being wrong with my suppositions is a pill I willingly swallow. However, I am disappointed with how she wrapped up the story not because I didn't get the ending I was hoping for, but because she sacrificed thematic resonance, character consistency, and narrative logic for the ending that we did get, and angry at the realization that the writers deliberately and continually manipulated with one of the most tenacious, yet delicate and precious attributes of the human spirit, hope. Subversion of expectation I can accept and even welcome, but dallying with hope, when sometimes it's all one has to continue living in the cruel world of real life, is something I cannot forgive, and it destroys my trust in the professionalism and creative integrity of Writer Lee and Shin PD. Besides, it's an utter insult to the perseverance and hope that the wonderful actors in this show lived off of before they got their chance in the spotlight. 
Back then around episode 17, I stated that for this drama to satisfactorily resolve its main character conflicts and be thematically resonant, either two things needed to happen. (ignoring the 2013 scenes, which should not have happened. Period.) 1). CB reversal in a convincing way (which I now realize may be reasonably too abrupt for some viewers in the emotional narrative, based on my reading of Nareki analysis), or 2). For T to grow up in some huge and well-developed way in his relationship with NJ. Neither happened, and that is why we are left with a half-baked ending with logical loopholes and character inconsistencies then magically transported to an artificially derived happy ending, and not to mention an OTP that is candy-coated to be cute and fluffy, but thematically so flat and even regressed. In the process, we are also robbed of potentially poignant scenes with 1). YJ/SCP wedding, 2). CB's reconciliation with his real family, and 3). development on HT and BG's love lines. 
From a conversation I had with other viewers, someone brought attention to an early review by vaultofdoom based on the first 2 episodes, which turned out to be incredibly incisive and deadly accurate for the entire series, and sums up (or should I say predicted) pretty much my own and other's complaints about the show.  I will just pull out an excerpt here, and you can see the entire review here. 
"Yes, marketing demands, because if you thought a tvN show wouldn’t eventually go back to the thematic tenets that have long defined its brand image, you’d be fooling yourself. I’m trying to avoid spoilers here, but let’s just say that what looked like a compelling portrayal of the tough love between two siblings is quickly turned into a “shocking” romantic shootout, in which Cupid will have way too many targets to potentially aim at. And we’re back to a ugly duckling having to choose between Princes Charming, fostered by the dumbfounding notion that there is truly any mystery in what her ultimate choice will be. But surely they will milk it until the very last second,complete with misguiding cliffhangers and narrative promises that are never kept"

[stervamerzkaya0]

luluponyazn said:
Back then around episode 17, I stated that for this drama to satisfactorily resolve its main character conflicts and be thematically resonant, either two things needed to happen. (ignoring the 2013 scenes, which should not have happened. Period.) 1). CB reversal in a convincing way (which I now realize may be reasonably too abrupt for some viewers in the emotional narrative, based on my reading of Nareki analysis), or 2). For T to grow up in some huge and well-developed way in his relationship with NJ. Neither happened, and that is why we are left with a half-baked ending with logical loopholes and character inconsistencies then magically transported to an artificially derived happy ending, and not to mention an OTP that is candy-coated to be cute and fluffy, but thematically so flat and even regressed.

[kepogee]

New article

'응답하라 1994' 소설 출간…배우들 7人7色 친필사인으로 '응답'

http://www.tvreport.co.kr/?c=news&m=newsview&idx=453305

[clockwatcher]

@luluponyzan, I don't want to go on and on about this overeating thing but I saw it in more than one scene. In the ep 18, Chil Bong explicitly mentioned that he hadn't eaten said food in a while, which is exactly what I said Na Jung would have done in one of my previous posts if that was supposed to be the takeaway. And he wasn't scarfing down the food like Na Jung did. But I think we can move past this, right? 
I'm glad that you've told me the root of your problem with this drama which is that it toyed with your emotions and gave you hope. And I think this is valid and maybe you felt emotionally terrorized and manipulated. And I don't think you're wrong to feel that way but I don't feel that for the most part, the writers did that. But this is certainly subjective so while you feel like they were unprofessional and you will never trust them again, there are others who want them to do another Reply series. And while you might feel that the writer didn't follow through on the narrative in a logical manner, there are many others who disagree and think any other ending would have been illogical. 
I don't want to address the hope that you say the drama toyed with because I feel like it might come off as being offensive which is not my intention at all. I'm assuming this hope you speak of is related to CB's story. However, my interpretation of CB's storyline is completely different from yours so it's possible that what you got out of it is not what the writer intended. I never saw it as a story of hope but one of growth. I'm not saying that the writer wasn't manipulative at certain points, but in the grand scheme of things, I feel the story was clear. And I honestly don't know why you're bringing the actors' hope into this. Please, let's not forget that this same writer and PD changed the lives of these actors. 
When you mention particular storylines that you needed to see for the story to end satisfactorily, your review becomes less objective. What I read from your comment about what should have happened versus what did happen is that you thought the writers were telling one story when they were actually telling another. You say it needed to end a certain way to be thematically resonant and I say that you simply picked up on the wrong clues. Mind you, the writer did think that Trash needed to grow and I personally felt more time should have been devoted to their resolution but thematically flat, I disagree. And I think we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one. 
So I read your comment and see someone who felt misled and betrayed by the writer. And I'm sorry you feel that way. But on the other hand, I don't feel that they necessarily committed the crimes you accuse them of because there are a lot of people who understood the story they were trying to tell. 
P.S.I'm not saying that there weren't mistakes here (I already mentioned what I thought were mistakes in previous posts). Heck, there was even a broadcast mistake in ep 18. But in my opinion, this wasn't a botched up series at all. Could it have been better? Yes. But what I will say is I read at least 400 pages of this thread and I personally didn't find a lot of themes a lot of people spoke about in the drama. So how can the writer follow through on something that isn't there? Lots of minute/throwaway scenes were, imo, given far more weight than necessary. Heck, I just wrote so many words about overeating that I personally don't think deserved that much analysis. When I watched it, it was merely a passing thought. So in the end, when some people connect dots that shouldn't be connected, they end up being dissatisfied. But is that the writer's fault? 

[StaRix]

FloARA211

[clockwatcher]

Trugen 14 S/S Catalogue.
Credit 

[luluponyazn]

@clockwatcher

My original reply was motivated by the dismissive nature of your original post, and even then I was using reason to ask for a mere recognition of the opposing, or even neutral, opinion. I at least made the attempt to remove any personal bias, and to read and appreciate Nareki from another point of view. However, it appears to me that being dismissive is a persistent trait in your posts, whether consciously or unconsciously done, which is regrettable because I was looking forward to an intellectually engaging conversation, so any future attempts to reason are basically futile. Sadly, I am late upon this realization, unlike other bystanders watching this discourse unfold.

 To end, my fundamental problem with show is in its failure to follow through on its narrative promises, structural and character inconsistencies, abuse of logic as others and many neutral viewers have pointed out, and that unfortunately was true for the Nareki arc and many others, so CB’s arc is only a small part of that. One person’s acceptance, embrace, and even deification for the sub-par is another’s lost opportunity to see the infinite possibilities of what could have been. Like I have said before, a great piece of dramatic art is one that stands up to scrutiny, and let us see if AM1994 will become a timeless classic or just another fleeting hype, like Moon/Sun. 

@stervamerzkaya0 

speaking of product placements, there was a recent c-drama called Best Time that abused product placement to the max. I think one of the products was this off-brand soft drink, so they would have the two leads share this intimate moment with epic romantic lighting and whatnot, and end it with, "let's drink/celebrate with some XXX tonight," and raise their cheap cans of coke. The faces of the actors during these moments is pure comedic gold. 

[clockwatcher]

@luluponyzan, I do apologize if I appear to be dismissive of your POV. However this may be a case where we both feel we are taking personal bias out of our posts but we aren't successful at it because I see a lot of bias in your comments. I read what you're saying and I hear you but it comes across as coming for a certain place. Especially after reading your CB rebuttal.  I've already stated several times that I don't think this is a perfect drama but I also don't believe that it's as bad or failed as badly as some claim. That was supposed to be my point. Anyway, at the end of the day, it's just a drama. 

[Guest]

stervamerzkaya0 said:
luluponyazn said:
Back then around episode 17, I stated that for this drama to satisfactorily resolve its main character conflicts and be thematically resonant, either two things needed to happen. (ignoring the 2013 scenes, which should not have happened. Period.) 1). CB reversal in a convincing way (which I now realize may be reasonably too abrupt for some viewers in the emotional narrative, based on my reading of Nareki analysis), or 2). For T to grow up in some huge and well-developed way in his relationship with NJ. Neither happened, and that is why we are left with a half-baked ending with logical loopholes and character inconsistencies then magically transported to an artificially derived happy ending, and not to mention an OTP that is candy-coated to be cute and fluffy, but thematically so flat and even regressed.

[clockwatcher]

Some more pics from the musical special



From DC gall via the Nareki thread. 

[stervamerzkaya0]

@luluponyazn, thanks for sharing. I might try and find that particular scene for the lolz   . I understand that dramas are financially dependant on sponsorship deals but the choice of advertised products in newer dramas boggles me to no end. For example, I wouldn't bat an eyelash to characters sporting the same phone model since 95% of my real life acquaintances have an Iphone anyway. But when every Tom, D1ck and Harry starts wearing outdoor clothing and going on camping trips my brain cells start to melt. I half expect to see winter coats and tents in the next sageuk I decide to pick up. Because, why not? According to the latest dramas all the chaebols, fashion designers and other rich and gorgeous drama characters an outwear store is the best place for shop. Who cares about Chanel and Jimmy Choo, hiking is all the rage these days (sarcasm).

I remember a brilliant scene in Answer Me 1997 when Yoon Jae receives a Guess t-shirt as a birthday present, only to be completely humiliated when his friends find out that it is a fake. I simply did not expect that drama creators, who did such a brilliant job poking fun at society's obsession with brands in their previous drama, would do exactly the opposite in Answer Me 1994. I nearly choked when the camera zoomed in on a Tous Les Jours cake that Chilbong bought for Na Jung's mother. Do people really want to buy products that are unceremoniously shoved in our faces, completely ruining the emotional impact and production value of the show? Probably yes, but for me it has an opposite effect. I'll forget this drama one day, but not the bakery that I will forever avoid as a place that has once ruined the enjoyment for me.

[Guest dieallkpop]

Our men of Reply 1994 <3








Source: http://www.kofan.com/?p=42837

[stervamerzkaya0]

stuartjmz said: stervamerzkaya0 said:
luluponyazn said:
Back then around episode 17, I stated that for this drama to satisfactorily resolve its main character conflicts and be thematically resonant, either two things needed to happen. (ignoring the 2013 scenes, which should not have happened. Period.) 1). CB reversal in a convincing way (which I now realize may be reasonably too abrupt for some viewers in the emotional narrative, based on my reading of Nareki analysis), or 2). For T to grow up in some huge and well-developed way in his relationship with NJ. Neither happened, and that is why we are left with a half-baked ending with logical loopholes and character inconsistencies then magically transported to an artificially derived happy ending, and not to mention an OTP that is candy-coated to be cute and fluffy, but thematically so flat and even regressed.