Reply 1994 (2013) Korean drama gives its audience a panoramic view into the lives of several attractive young people who grew up in the countryside and who then go to Seoul to study at University, learning to be independent while living with strangers in a family's hostel ... young students who eventually all become like one big happy family. This is one of the most heartwarming Korean dramas I've watched. You can't help but feel close to every character and you're sad when the series ends and you have to say goodbye to them. There are actually two more similarly titled series, Reply 1988 and Reply 1997, but after sampling all three it was only Reply 1994 that interested me enough to keep going, and to even take the time to write this review. Starting with a rating of only 2.3%, Reply 1994 exploded in popularity, with the last episode reaching 11.5%, increasing steadily throughout its 21 episodes. Reply 1994 also made the audience admire the special talents of director Shin Won Ho, who had also directed the other Reply series, as well as the very popular Hospital Playlist series.

Each student character in Reply 1994 has their own unique personality, which is especially appealing to younger audiences. Their middle aged married hosts, played by charming actress Lee Il Hwa (What Comes After Love) and funny actor Sung Dong Il (It's Okay, That's Love), continue to give each young boarder their undivided attention, from making food for them daily to keeping their rooms tidy and well organized. They had a son who died young but they continue to care for their unmarried daughter who still lives with them, played by Go Ara (Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol). Over time she grows especially close to two of the male residents at her parents' hostel: medical student Sseureki, amusingly nicknamed Trash (Jung Woo, Sad Love Story) and sportsman Chilbong (Yoo Yeon Seok, Gu Family Book). We are kept guessing for the majority of the drama which one she will end up with and possibly marry.

Other supporting cast of characters living in the hostel are Samchunpo (Kim Sung Kyun), Haetae (Son Ho Jun), Binggeure (Baro), and female friend of Go Ara's character, Jo Yoon Jin (Min Do Hee). Also making appearances in the drama are appealing actors Yook Sung Jae from Goblin and Yeon Jun Suk from Shark.

The drama spans the years 1997 through 2013 (when the series came out) and so if you came of age in that era you will probably enjoy seeing the clothes and technology that were popular then, plus the emphasis on sports, video games, the rise of idol bands, the progression of cell phones they began to use, the improvement in television sets and digital cameras, and most importantly the old fashioned genuine politeness the characters showed each other, that often sadly seems to be something of the past in today's world. I instantly felt connected in the plot, the characters, the timeline. Thanks to all the quirky characters, I got to laugh a lot especially, during the last episodes. My only criticism is that it could probably have been edited down to the more traditional 16 episodes and been even better. I think they saw the dramatic rise in the ratings and so continued to expand the story with more side plots and romances.

I would definitely re-watch Reply 1994 some day, or at least my favorite scenes. Currently you can watch it free of charge on TUBI.

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