Very good
The storyline, the cast, the ost in this drama is so so good. The thing that stood out to me was the storyline. It was different and very interesting. Honestly, I only watched this drama because iu was the lead female actress in this story. She did a wonderful job. The whole cast did. My favorite character was iu’s character. iu really bring that role to life. This drama can make you laugh, cry, swoon also. Please go watch this drama. The chemistry between the main lead couple was amazing. I hope you enjoy this drama and this review lol.Was this review helpful to you?
Watch it!
A superb drama- so well written and the actors were just so good! A really great and unusual story which had me gripped from the first to last episode. The main female character was so well drawn- her back story and development so beautifully told. So good to see a nuanced and strong female character. The stories of the other employees were equally fascinating. The cinematography was beautiful, her outfits stunning.You will cry many times but so worth it! Thete is nothing to dislike in this drama and everything to love!
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This review may contain spoilers
THE POWER OF IMAGINATION.
yin story per se is nothing new or unexpected. However, the casting, production, direction and EDITING .. was spectacular.IU is hands down one of the most talented actress of her age, paired with a VETERAN and CHAMELEONIC actor such as Yeo Jin Goo ...you already have a solid base. The screenwriting and editing are in sync and polished. A complicated intersections of people, twist and turns at each corner and yet no problem following the story, enjoy it, and re-watched it periodically. The production did a great job with maintaining a "low profile" and yet deliver a clean, yet artistic concept. The hotel per se feel so real in this paradoxical and dystopian reality that it doesn't make sense and yet it just does. I adored it.
I ADORED THE LIMOUSINE, AND THE STORY OF THE ELDERLY MAN WITH THE DOG.
It was hearth wrenching but so well done.
The final touch is the 3 goddesses. LOVE LOVE THE IDEA. It's the perfect definition of what yin and yang mean to me. Never full light , never total darkness. Just variations of it.
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I'm not too sure how they fell in love
The entire concept of the show is so interesting and unique however I was always confused as to how they fell in love so soon. I didn't really see much of a chemistry. maybe it's just me but that was the only drawback imo.I also didn't see any bonding amongst the other staff. it seemed super forced and distant. Everything else was interesting and I like Man-Wol quite alot.
If not for these seemingly superficial relationships, this show is honestly like an artwork. Absolutely stunning visuals and amazing music. The storyline is sooo intriguing and deep.
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One of TVN's greatest kdramas!
I mainly watched this as I was recommended this and I was interested in seeing IU's acting and also seeing Park Yoo Na portraying another character! I was not disappointed apart from the kdrama True Beauty, this has to be one of the best dramas I've seen from TVN.Acting
The cast did so well with portraying their characters to the point I forgot this was all fictional. The crying scenes felt so real to the point I shedded tears of happiness and sadness towards the final episode. IU and Jin Goo truly have some chemistry and they didn't have to have many intimate or sexual scenes to show that.
Soundtrack/OST
Amazing! The osts are absolutely beautiful it has to be one of my favourites to listen to! They do an amazing job capturing the atmosphere whether it's to create sadness or suspense.
Plot/Storyline
The writers did incredible! From the beginning to the end of the kdrama, I was intrigued of what would happen next with each episode, the writers definitely know how to keep the reader on their toes. The comedy was great too! I couldn't help laughing at some points.
Cinematography and Special FX
The Cinematography and Special FX is something I'll never forget about this drama. The makeup artists did incredible with makeup to create a ghostly look on the actors, it gave me goosebumps! Plus the editing is incredible, it definitely adds to the ghostly/supernatural atmosphere. Also IU's stylist needs to get a raise! I couldn't stop admiring at her outfits throughout the whole drama, all of them were gorgeous.
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Unique, Entertaining, Memorable
This is one of the few dramas that I'll never hesitate to rewatch. I loved watching this drama due to its storyline, OSTs, but also the emotions that I felt throughout. There are scenes that can be scary, scenes that will make you laugh, and scenes that will make you cry. The storyline of this drama is something new and unique that I haven't seen portrayed in other dramas that I have watched. There is great chemistry amongst the actors/actress. The OSTs are very nice and fitting to the drama, even without watching the mv to the most just by hearing the song you'll be able to picture a scene from the drama in your mind.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Disappointing end
Visually, this is quite stunningly beautiful, in a deeply satisfying way. Ahhh the color. Every single scene was a jewel: they could have made the whole thing silent (and kept the orchestral part of the soundtrack, which I also loved) and I would still probably have watched all 16 episodes. The storyline switches between the ghost hotel's current incarnation in present-day Seoul and monster-of-the-week-style tales of its residents as its new young non-ghostly manager adjusts to his job, and historical flashbacks to the story of the immortal, 1000-year-old owner Jang Man-wol and how she got the curse which ties her to the hotel. She was a great character, wonderfully played by IU - I had never heard of her before this, but she was marvelous, and so was her wardrobe, which must have filled a warehouse. I loved both the flashbacks and the ghosts and unlike some reviewers, I liked the ML, who grew on me, and in fact all of the cast. And it was so very good in parts, especially the flashbacks. I'm sad that it's finished and out of my queue.But the storyline was undeniably patchy and messed up: there were too many arcs, which felt rushed, badly paced and not sufficiently filled out, and the end fell very flat for me, as did both of the romances. I felt similarly about The Master's Sun - that it started so well and could have been absolutely brilliant - so I'm super curious now about the Hong sisters' writing process: how much is pre-outlined, how much is done on the fly as it's filmed? Because it feels like they just started pantsing it at some point because they were out of time. If anyone is reading this who has better Korean than me (not hard) and can link to any interviews with them, that would be great. Anyway. In short, could have been a 10, but it gets an 8. Still definitely worth watching though.
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A Nocturnal K-Drama
HIGHLIGHTS: Sumptuous cinematography and set designs. Beautiful and mysterious soundtrack that expressed perfectly the mood and ambiance of the drama. Intriguing plot with plenty of twists and turns to maintain interest.I liked IU’s performance as Jang Man-wol. There was enough nuance in her performance to keep me intrigued. But I didn’t think she had the physicality and aggressiveness to inhabit her role as bandit and fighter in her earlier life. Yeo Jin-Goo'’s acting seemed too exaggerated and annoying in the first episode but I grew to like his character. Overall, the cast and acting was very good.
For me, chemistry is the most important element in a K-drama. There’s plenty of moments when emotions cut loose but what makes this drama really successful is the tension from all the emotions that are held in check. After watching parts of the series for a second time, I gained a greater appreciation for the script. Jang Man Wol and Go Chun Myung were in a passionate love/hate relationship. And this was while she was fully human. Jang Man Wol and Ku Chan Son's relationship was a counterbalance to that. Jang Man Wol was no longer quite human, she was Koo Chan-Sung boss, and both implicitly understood that she was destined to cross the bridge. So their dynamic was one of an understated, unrequited love mixed with an awkward brother/sister relationship. I feel the contrast between the two relationships made the drama a richer experience. But the problem I had with Yeo Jin-Goo's acting is that it appeared to be overacted and inauthentic much of the time. Jang Man Wol also had a warm, heartfelt relationship with her staff which again, was understated, making it a more emotionally nuanced and engaging dynamic.
This isn’t the kind of drama you watch while working out at the gym. It’s far from your typical rom-com. While it has its fun and playful moments, the overall tone is darker and more introspective — perfect for a quiet evening under the spell of the full moon.
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STORY: That being said, I think the plot to Man Wol's story was revealed pretty well. It had a beginning, a middle, and a end. I like it how it leaves me guessing a lot so it wasn't predictable for the most part. What was predictable was knowing the ending was going to be heartbreaking just based on the plot and scenario itself but it matched up pretty well to what I expected.
While I did like most of the minor stories of the guest characters, my only problem was there wasn't much relation to the main plot or the main/support characters. I would've cared more of the minor stories if it somehow reminded Man Wol or the other hotel staff about their past lives and it showed some steady progression on how to move on to the afterlife eventually. I mean I just didn't like how they neglected the stories of the support character roles until the very end, like literally the last few episodes. I also didn't like how some minor stories like Chan Sung's mom or Sanchez's girlfriend had potential to have a bigger impact on the plot but was cut short like it was mistake in writing or something. This was something I had a bit of frustration in Master's Sun as well.
ACTING: For the most part, the acting from these actors & actresses were pretty good. IU shows a great deal of emotions, from being heartbroken & betrayed, a stern woman, to having a comedic side when it comes to money. Yeo Jin Goo's acting was a bit boring for me in the beginning. I felt like that didn't give him an opportunity to really show what he can do in his acting but that quickly improved towards the middle and end of the drama, especially his crying scenes. My favorite actor has to be Ji Hoon from this drama. He plays Hyun Joong so well. You just love it when he's happy because he has that puppy smile that makes you want to smile but when he's sad, you just can't help but be sad with him.
MUSIC: Rarely is there a drama where I enjoy and add every ost to my playlist but this drama is one of them. The ost are just amazing and it fits very well to every situation in this drama. Punch's songs "Done For Me" & "Another Day" with Monday and Yang Da Il - Only You, are my favorites from this drama.
REWATCH VALUE: This is one I would definitely consider rewatching however I would probably skip the minor stories this drama shows since the main plot has more value overall.
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I'm out of tears
At first I didn't know if I should watch this drama cause it had so much hyped I was afraid I'd dislike it. Now that I'd finished it, I know why it had so much hyped and why it received so much love. The plot is interesting, this concept of a hotel where the dead go before going to the afterlife. That, plus the thing with past lives and reincarnation, amazing.I'll be honest, the best thing that happened to this drama is its ost. So many good songs that go well with each scene, they set the mood perfectly, I can't complain. There were two songs that stucked with me the most, Can you see my heart and Done for me... uffff those two songs, every time they came out I'd cry my eyes out and sob like a baby.
Another thing that I really liked was IU's acting, I can't help but think that there was no other actress that could've taken the role, Jieun was perfect for Man Wol's character. Also, I really liked the quemistry she had with Jingoo, really loved the couple.
I think the only down side with this drama is that the last few episodes are long af and the story starts to drag a little bit, but other than that I really liked it.
Also, the last episode broke my heart. So prepare tissues if you're gonna watch it.
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The drama itself has beautiful production, the scenes, Jang Man Wol fashion lol
Jang Man Wol has many layers and IU had showcased her character beautifully. The cute, happy, sad, tormented, mad scenes were acted in a way that I do think she is Jang Man Wol and she does it in a way that's believable and consistent with her character. She's the star of this drama and others are just there to support her character which is unusual since most of the time it's the male lead.
I do think that Jang Man Wol has more chemistry with Chung Myung romantically than Chan Sung. I'm actually more interested in the back story than her scenes with Chan Sung. I think of Jang Man Wol and Chan Sung relationship would have been better as platonic than a romantic one.
I wished the ghost stories were not so prominent per episode though, it'll have been better if those scenes were shorten and give the time to show the developing relationships with the Hotel Del Luna staff and, Jang Man Wol and Chan Sung.
The casts were really good too, they portrayed their roles really well, it's just that everything seems so rushed in the latter episodes in terms of resolution for the Hotel Man Wol staff and I prefer to have seen more of their stories than the other ghosts.
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One of the best dramas for 2019
I decided to watch this drama purely because of the title. It was very catchy and so was the poster. I haven't checked the cast so I was suprised to see I.U but I gave it a shot although I'm not a fan of hers ( sorry not sorry). I have to admit that she was really good and proffessional , I was impressed. The story was really good , funny in most parts but there was the nessesary drama as well (and the needed romance of course). I really loved the aisthetics and I.U 's clothes (her stylist did a really good job). Even if you don't like watching supernatural / fairtytale / ghost dramas I think this drama has a little bit of everything and you will definitely like it.Was this review helpful to you?
