I think I have a new drama love - I am barely half an ep into AM1997 and am so very smitten. A drama about a group of friends in their last year of high school, which happens to be in 1997, the vibe feels a little SUFBB with its delicacy and joy and feeling of growing up. Even more, it reminds me of my own high school and college years. I graduated high school in 1996, and though I am not Korean and thus the specific cultural references are not applicable to me, the feel of that time in my life, as well general late-1990s relics like VCRs and chunky video games feel so hauntingly familiar. I honestly have no idea if it will work as well for someone not in that generation, but it probably will - growing up is universal.
Just as with SUFBB, the main cast is pretty much all young unknowns (I think some of them may be idols, I am not sure) but are knocking it out of the park. The only one I even recognize is Seo In Gook, who plays Yoon Jae - he had a small role in Love Rain (and was excellent in it).
This drama is more about the vibe and the feel and the relationships (friendships and incipient romance) than the plot. It's emotionally gorgeous....
Oh, and me being me, of course I have a ship: Shi Won/Yoon Jae - the brash, confident Shi Won, the rabid fangirl of H.O.T.'s Tony Ahn. And Yoon Jae, her best friend. You know, I am a sucker for a couple who have been best friends since childhoods. I mean:
Have a shippy MV. Apparently I am not alone:
I don't particularly expect anything to happen out of it, it's high school and all. But I ship it anyway.