"Please Answer 1988" is a youth nostalgia drama directed by Shin Won-ho, written by Lee You-jing, and starring Lee Hye-ri, Park Baojian, Yoo Joon-yeol, Ko Gung-yeol, etc., and has been broadcast on TvN Television InKin-do in South Korea since November 6, 2015.
The drama is the third TV series in the "Please Answer" series, which is set in the 1988 Seoul (now Seoul) Olympic Games and tells the story of the warm affection and neighborhood between five families living in Shuangmun-dong, Dopong-gu, Seoul.
Cheng De Shan
Actor Lee Wai Lee Lee
One of the Gang of Five in Shuangmendong, 18 years old, a second-year female high school student of Shuangmendong, nicknamed "Shuangmendong Special Gong Bag" (a head with particularly poor homework), is a happy and lively girl. She was the second in the family, always suppressed by her sister and pestered by her brother. Her academic performance has always been counted down, but she herself does not care about the grades. I care more about the romance of seventeen or eighteen years old than textbooks; I care more about my appearance than my grades.
Trizer
Actor Park Baojian ; Kim Joo-hyuk (middle-aged)
One of the Gang of Five in Shuangmendong, 18 years old, the only son of the watch shop "Phoenix Hall" family. He is a Korean national treasure-level Go master and enjoys the title of "Stone Buddha" in the Go world. He entered the professional chess world at the age of 11 and became the youngest world Go champion at the age of 13. I don't know when it began, his heart was like a warm breeze blowing into the wasteland, as long as he thought of her mood would be very good, as long as he saw her, he would smile involuntarily, and for the first time he wanted to step out of the chessboard and into the girl's world.
Kim Jong-hwan
Actor Yoo Joon-yeol
One of the Shuangmendong Five, Jin Chengjun's second son, 18 years old, nicknamed "Shuangmendong Dog Zhengba". He is very mean on the surface and is not full of anything, but in his heart he silently thinks about everyone. He has very good grades, plays football well and is popular among the girls around the school. But because of his dog-like personality, his female friends only have virtue that he has known for 18 years. He bullied her every day, but strangely enough, without her would be empty, invisible to her would be curious.
Cheng Shanyu
Actor Gao Gengyu
One of the Gang of Five in Shuangmendong, 18 years old, a second-year student at Shuangmen High School, nicknamed "Shuangmendong Ma peng'er" (the "son of a friend" in her mother's mouth, that is, the legendary perfect man). He and Deoksan's birthday are the same day. He is the president of the Shuangmen High School Student Council, has excellent academic performance, and has a kind and gentle personality that is definitely not found among boys of his age. He was a very popular gentleman among his friends and among his teachers.
Liu Donglong
Actor Lee Dong-fai
One of the Gang of Five in Shuangmendong, 18 years old, the son of Liu Zaiming, the student director of Shuangmen High School. He always has a toothpick in his mouth and likes to dance, so he is nicknamed "Shuangmendong Park Nam Jeong". His academic performance was very poor, but he never forgot all kinds of dances. In addition, he is also familiar with the places where female high school students often go, where they can rent yellow video tapes, and the cinemas that show tertiary films, and is a senior intelligence officer in the eyes of his friends.
Cheng Paula
Actor Liu Huiying ; Quan Mei Shan (middle age)
Deoksan's older sister, a second-year student at Seoul National University, is 21 years old and 3 years older than her younger sister, Deoksan. She has been a bully since she was a child, and her academic performance is always the first place, which is the pride of the family. But she's also a headache. She is hot-tempered, very picky, and is the little bully of the family, and even her parents can't control her. She often quarreled with her sister Deshan, and never lost. She participated in the student movement and was afraid and unwilling to tell her parents about it.
Kim Jong-bong
Actor Ahn Jae-hiro
Jeong-hwan's older brother, Kim Sung-jun's eldest son, is 24 years old, 6 years older than his younger brother Jeong-hwan. He has participated in the college entrance examination a total of 6 times, all of which ended in failure, and is now preparing to take the 7th college entrance examination. He was interested in many things, such as stamp collecting, going to the game hall to play games, etc., but he was not interested in learning at all. He looks healthy on the outside, but he actually had a heart attack when he was 12 years old and had a heart attack when he was 13 years old.
into the afterglow
Actor Choi Seung-won
Deshan's younger brother, Cheng Dongyi's youngest son, is 17 years old. He looks very old and looks like a man in his 40s. He grew up with the love of his parents. When his hot-tempered sisters fought, he could only look at their faces like a fool. But despite this, he will always be the only son in the family who can enjoy special treatment. Although he was also in adolescence, he was kind and honest in heart, and never let the people around him worry about him.
Cheng Dongyi
Actor Sung Dong-yi
Deok Sun's father, 45 years old, is a regular employee of Han Yi Bank. He has been moving to Seoul for many years, but still speaks the Jeollan dialect. Many years ago, he helped people to pay off debts carelessly, and then he had to use half of his monthly salary to pay off debts every month. Due to poor economic conditions, he and his family had to rent a semi-underground house for more than ten consecutive years. Although he was short-tempered, he took good care of his three children and was a considerate and kind father in front of them.
Li Yihua
Actor Li Yihua
Deoksan's mother, 45, was born in Gyeongsang-do. Every day, starting in the early hours of the morning, she would get up to prepare bento boxes for her husband and three children and start a hard day's work. The two daughters of the family quarreled every day, and she was responsible for separating the daughters. There are many places where her family has to spend money, but her husband always disregards his family's poor financial situation to help others, and she is very dissatisfied with such a husband. Her greatest pleasure was chatting with the housewives in the alleys every day.
Romelan
Actor Romelan
Jeong-bong and Jeong-hwan's mother, 46 years old, a year older than her husband, Kim Sung-joon, was born in Gangwon-do. She is a cheerful lady, a captain who can lead the housewives of shuangmendong. She was not satisfied with her husband Jin Sungjun's always being cautious, but she still took good care of her husband. She is obsessed with her husband's energy and likes to buy him supplements and says it is good for his body. She likes to wear clothes made of tiger skin, hence the name "Leopard Lady".
Jin Sung-jun
Actor Kim Sung-joon
The father of Jeong bong and Jeong Hwan, 45, is a Gold Star electronics retailer from Gyeongsang-do. He was originally a poor egg, and 3 years ago he won a large sum of money because his eldest son Zhengfeng bought an Olympic lottery ticket. But after 3 years of sudden wealth, he still does not know how to spend money, or wears a worn-out jacket every day to run around, buys oranges for the whole family to eat and only buys a few, so he is often ridiculed by his wife Romelan. He is the only person in the hutong who recognizes Deshan's funny behavior, and is Deshan's funny partner.
Cui Wusheng
Actor Choi Moo-sung
Cui Ze's father, 45 years old, is the owner of the watch shop "Phoenix Hall". He is similar to the "Gao Jidong" hairstyle that appears in the manga "Little Dinosaur Dolly", so he is called "Uncle Gao Jidong" by children. His wife died when he was young, and he moved to Shuangmendong with his son Choi Taek and opened a watch shop. He is so grateful to the neighbors who took care of themselves and their son like family.
Kim Sun-young
Actor Kim Sun-young
Sunwoo's mother, 43, the youngest of the housewives of Shuangmendong, is a little woman who cries and loves to be spoiled, speaking a thick Gyeongsang-do dialect. Her husband died, and she had to raise her son Sunwoo and daughter Pearl alone. She and her son Sunwoo are as close as friends without secrets. Her ability to cook is terrible and unaware, and she likes to share the food she cooks with her neighbors, which makes them feel very embarrassed.
Liu Zaiming
Actor Liu Zaiming
Dong Long's father, 48 years old, is the student director of Shuangmen High School. Every time he caught a student who made a mistake, he was severely punished, so the students at Shuangmen High School were afraid of him. He and his wife are dual-time workers, so the couple has limited time to take care of their son Donglong, and often allows Donglong to live alone.
There are five families living in Shuangmun-dong, Dopong-gu, Seoul, each with a child born in 1971. Deok Sun, Sun Woo, Dong Yong, Choi Taek, and Jeong Hwan are good friends who grew up together, and in 1988 they were in their 18-year-old youth.
They share common interests, idols they worship together, and they have ambiguous male and female feelings for each other. In that innocent era, they wrote many good memories together.
The main cast of the play is as many as 15 people. The show was cast in a large-scale public audition, and the production team's requirements for actors were only "fit for the role". In the play, 7 elderly characters from the five families starred in their real names.
Director Shin Won-ho, after watching the special episode of the female soldier in the variety show "Real Man" starring Lee Huili, thought that she was very suitable for the role of "Cheng Deshan". The role of the talented Go teenager "Choi Taek" played by Park Baojian is based on the Korean Go player Lee Chang-ho.
"Choi Taek", played by Park Baojian, lost his mother at an early age, and he himself died when he was in elementary school. Gao Gengyu and Liu Huiying, who played a couple in the play, were born in the same university, and the two were good friends before filming.
Kim Sung-joon was born in 1980, and Ahn Jae-hong and Yoo Joon-yeol, who play his two sons, were born in 1986, and the actual age difference between father and son actors is only 6 years old.
Kim Sung-jun played a junior student in the play's predecessor, Please Answer 1994, but played a parent in the play, both of which differed greatly from his actual age.
On June 3, 2016, the 52nd Baeksang Art Awards, TV Drama Works Award "Please Answer 1988" was nominated. On October 9, 2016, tvN 10th Anniversary Awards, tvN TV Series Awards, "Please Answer 1988" won the award.
The drama revolves around the themes of family, friendship and love, and impresses the audience with a plain, funny but warm story. The sons and daughters of the iron-clad Cheng couple, the goat sound of the beeping, and the kiss of the classic bridge section "confirming the heart" are wonderful. Classic lines can be picked out individually in each episode. (Sina Entertainment Review)
In these familiar modes, even the post-80s and post-90s who do not know much about the history of 1988 accept the themes conveyed by the screenwriters. The play focuses on the relationship between the neighbors and the affection between parents and children, bringing deep excitement and touching to the audience. (Sina Entertainment Review)
"Please Answer 1988" portrays 5 families and more than 10 main characters, the characters are evenly played, no one is an absolute protagonist; the emotional concentration is also very even, and no one is a winner or loser in life.
This drama does not rely on high-value actors, no great joy and great sorrow of character emotions, no ups and downs of character fate, and even no strong plot and reversals, but the play has conquered the hearts of many audiences. (People's Daily Review)
The seemingly ordinary family stories and ordinary trivia in the play are rich in emotions, so that the audience can truly feel the warmth and kindness given by their relatives. (People's Daily Review)
The drama integrates traditional cultural elements such as Korean food, folklore, costumes, music, and Go into the details of life at your fingertips, bringing a sense of cultural heaviness and freshness to the audience. (People's Daily Review)
The show continues the tradition of the "Please Answer" series, faithfully presenting the popular culture of the era in which the story takes place. The play meticulously recreates the unique products of that era, such as wearing a denim jacket and NIKE sneakers, perming eyelashes with matchsticks, listening to Lee Wen-sze's music radio programs, writing letters to the radio station, and so on. (Beijing News Review)
The exhibition recreates things such as fried chicken and game cassettes that were just popular in that era, which evokes the youthful memories of people who have experienced the 80s, and also helps people trace the origins of the current popular Korean culture. (Beijing News Review)
The drama is a TV series that focuses on family and family. The warm plot evokes a sense of affection, and as a result, it has won the love of audiences of all ages without any obstacles, including many who were not yet born in 1988. (Sohu Korean Entertainment Review)