This review may contain spoilers
After all of the positive things I have heard about this popular Kdrama, I have decided to finally give it a go. It took me a very long time to finally finish the series, I kept on stopping and putting it off after intervals of watching 2-3 episodes of the show. I can see why it is that popular: the cinematography, the lovable cast, the amazing OST and the fantasy theme that takes you back to the times when Goblin was still airing. But I will never fully understand when people say it is their favourite drama. Personally, it is lacking in so many various fields, especially with the levels of engagement. As mentioned before, I was about to drop the show, but it suddenly became very good towards the end. Why did the director and the scriptwriters keep us on edge right from the beginning, but instead decided to make the drama full of thrill at the end? It is mind-boggling. However, I did enjoy the complete storyline, as I am a fan of folklore and the Korean cultural elements, which dominated the drama. IU was a brilliant actress for this drama, and she keeps on improving and improving with every role that she acts. Additionally, I loved the fashion and overall aesthetics that she brought out. The male lead, on the other hand, I did not like: nor his character, nor his acting or the chemistry between him and IU. The tragic love story of the hotel owner tore me to pieces, and I wish they would have chosen to reincarnate the general. I would say the secondary characters were more favourable than the leads. Moreover, the amazing OST is a huge part of why I like this show too. There are so many great singles, all equally as beautiful and sung by very talented singers. In the end, would I recommend this drama? Yes, I feel like it is a definite staple of a drama to watch, but for me, it is a watered down version of Goblin. There is definite room for improvement, but it is a great watch with fascinating cinematography and soundtrack! Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
IU dominated this drama...
I was not surprised to witness another stellar performance from IU. This woman is just so talented that she always over-delivers regardless of how big or small her role is. IU as Man Wol was the perfect angsty and badass boss lady. Her angry scenes were so scary and credible (and funny too). Oppa found those moments absolutely cute and adorable. But even if Man Wol's supposedly jaded after living a thousand plus years, IU is still able to convey Man Wol's fears and vulnerability through her magnificently dramatic eyes. She handles heavy drama really, really well. Some of my favorite moments were the scenes where her friend Yeon Woo (Lee Tae Sun of Prison Playbook and Suits) was executed and all of the scenes where she and her staff had to move on to the afterlife. Those were heavy moments but IU handled them with so much restraint (yes, no loud wailing) while still managing to deliver those emotions with a lot of intensity. I felt so sad for Man Wol. Living that long and unhappy life must have been really hell for her. But I also understood (and appreciated) where the Mago (various deities all played by Seo Yi Sook of Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol and Start-Up) was coming from. The Hotel was like purgatory for her - a place where she's given the opportunity to make amends for her past sins. She would have vanished as an evil ghost but the Mago probably thought that her crimes were somehow justified because she did them as revenge for what happened to her people. I was glad that she got that chance because I knew she was a good person. No, Jin Goo was not as spectacular as IU. I felt he struggled quite a bit during the heavy drama scenes that required him to cry, hence, he had to resort to covering his face most of the time. But IU's in a totally different level and I don't think it would be fair to compare them. Overall, I was happy with Jin Goo's delivery. I loved his steady and reliable acting especially during the scenes when he had to persuade the feisty Man Wol.I loved how Chan Sung always reassured Man Wol that he would protect her, be by her side, and never allow her to go into the dark side. And how he kept that promise! I loved how Chan Sung would always hug Man Wol whenever she was doubtful or afraid. Those hugs were definitely one of the things I looked forward to in the show. They made me feel so secure.
And Man Wol always did her best to protect Chan Sung too. I loved it when she said that although the dead are bound to lose their memories as they walk along the bridge to the afterlife, she would hold on to her memories of Chan Sung for as long she can. And I loved how she kept that promise when she sent off her first love, Go Chung Myung (Lee Do Hyun of Prison Playbook), on that bridge. Man Wol was not swayed and she never forgot her promise to go back to Chan Sung.
One of my favorite themes in the show is the inclusion of reincarnation, specifically Man-Wol’s past life characters showing up centuries later in 2019. It’s quite entertaining watching her hold grudges towards oblivious people that affected her in their past lives, such as Mi-Ra and Yeon-Woo. In their past lives, Yeon-Woo was Man-Wol’s best friend and Mi-Ra was her sworn enemy. However, in their new lives, Mi-Ra and Yeon-Woo are a couple, to which Man-Wol doesn’t take well. I have to say that I kept waiting for Yeon-Woo to get a more interactive role in his new life, maybe develop a heart-warming friendship with Man-Wol again to help her cope with the 1000 years of isolation and loneliness she endured being bound to the hotel.
There are a lot of twists and turns surrounding Man-Wol’s love life, with constant flashbacks to her previous life relationships we develop an understanding that she is waiting for her past love interest, Chung-Myung, to return to her and walk the path to the afterlife together. However, throughout the drama, there is a slow-developing relationship between Man-Wol and Chan-Sung that could seem forced to some or just inevitable, but it results in Man-Wol having to choose between the two further on in the drama.
I loved the music in this show. They definitely helped set the mood, especially for the drama scenes.
I was happy with how the show ended. Yes, it was sad. But that was the right and logical thing to do. Chan Sung's love for Man Wol was so great that he no longer wanted to see her suffer while living her long and unhappy life. He let her go and he trusted that their love for each other will bring them together again in their next lives. Overall, I think that IU well presented the beautiful yet avaricious character of Man-Wol and will forever be a fashion icon for me. It’s a show where you must pay attention to the plot and make up your own theories and conspiracies, which just makes it all that more exciting.
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Acting: I really never thought a combination of IU and Yeo Jin Goo. But after seeing this I started to ship this couple. I would especially highlight the work done by Jin Goo, he was just amazing. He is portrayed as a coward at the start but the way he transforms himself for IU was lovely.
Story: There is everything in the synopsis so I won't go with the detail. This story has a lot of fun elements and you'll never get bored. The thing which I liked the most was that it does not just focuses on the male lead or the female lead. But every single character's life is very well portrayed. Coming towards the end, it has lots of uos and downs. At some point you might feel like-" No this can't happen " But slowly you'll be able to overcome it.
Overall,... I loved it. And if you are planning to watch it, then please don't waste your time here and just go watch it now. It's worth your time..
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they had the best teamance, and those final scenes with them was beautiful...
the best compliment I can give a drama is "I wouldn't have been able to writer a better drama than this"...
this is my soulmate of fantasy dramas, the best of the best! probably the only real fantasy I truly enjoyed from start to finish~
one of the things I loved about this was that they didn't make the plot the only point. usually they give us a glimpse of "conflict" at the start, then forget about it and bam last ep is here and everything is solved...
here the characters -all of the characters- were the main focus! they solved their plot gradually ep by ep.. and each side plot was related to the characters journey. by the time we get the last two eps (minor spoiler) they got their sweet time to solve the final chapters of the main characters stories and that was beautifully done~
I actually want to brag and compliment this drama way more, like manweol is my perfect woman, and chansung is a dream....
and so I'll end it with this: this is what happens when top notch acting meets top notch characters, plus a well balanced well thoughtout story~
my rewatch values are 1 or 10, but I'm already planning my rewatch of this~
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I loved the entire main cast of this drama, but IU's character is so amazing that I became a fan from the moment she appeared on the screen. Yes, I've liked her in other dramas (especially in My Mister), but in this role, she is not only a bad@ss, and funny (I loved her sarcasm), but she had an elegance that was epic and even regal! I also love a good villain and Man Wol was the perfect balance of heroine and villainess which made me never quite sure what she would do. She is matched with the super talented Yeo Jin Goo as way too empathic hotelier Goo Chan Sung, who I thought was a good match, but I admit that there were moments when he seemed a little out of his league with her, but that also worked for their dynamic in the story. He mostly plays the straight man, which I'm sure isn't easy to do in such an over the top drama, but he has the right kind of likable innocence to make him perfect for his role too. As far as romance, it definitely plays a large part in the main story, but it's pretty platonic. Their chemistry is basically some cute flirting, funny banter, and eating so don't get your hopes up beyond that.
I also have to mention the rest of the hotel staff Bae Hae Seon, Shin Jung Keun, P.O, and Mina. Instead of just being comedy relief, these characters each have strong stories of their own, and by the end, I became attached to each of them. Then there are the flashback sequences, the stories of the hotel guests, poor rich Sanchez, The Grim Reaper, and of course Seo Yi Sook as the many faces of Ma Go Shin... and every single person in the cast is great! With a story this over the top it can be hard to make certain moments not feel too silly to be believed but they really pulled it off. The fun visuals also helped. Many of the stories are light horror stories, or are mysteries that need to be solved, but mostly centering around revenge or longing. I unexpectedly connected emotionally to a few of the stories. Maybe it's because death is a touchy subject for me, but I also think it's because the writing in each episode was good, and made me think about how precious, and sometimes cruel life can be. So keep this in mind if you have recently experienced a loss. This show may be comforting in some ways, but it may also be too much to handle.
The only reason I gave the overall story a 9 instead of a 10 is because some of the explanations and resolutions seemed convoluted. The overall story is so ambitious that I think they sometimes missed the mark in tying loose ends in the story. The last episode is a perfect example of that. I loved most of the last episode, which resolved things so beautifully in so many ways and had me in tears throughout, but in the final moments, I was just left scratching my head. It didn't make me like the drama any less. I'd rather watch an imperfect but original drama like this than a predictable and boring drama.
Would I watch this again? Yes. I know a lot of people seemed to want a second season (Oh, make sure you keep watching past the credits), but I'd rather just watch this again. It may seem less mysterious with a second viewing, but maybe I'll catch some things that I missed the first time.
Overall I liked this drama a lot. It's not going to make my favorites list, but it's certainly one of the most memorable dramas I've seen in a while. I usually don't like dramas that focus on random side stories too much, but I guess these stories are my taste (I admit Halloween is also my favorite holiday), and I loved the repeated theme of making peace with the past at the end of life. It's also surprisingly lighthearted considering there are so many dark aspects to this drama. Think of it more like an old school fairytale and you will have a better idea of what to expect. It really is a beautiful world, full of amazing imagery (That bridge!) and a gorgeous hotel (I really wish it was real!), so the director definitely deserves praise for that. I also love that it all centers around such a strong female character, and her amazing wardrobe! Seriously, every single outfit deserves applause! This is not your average ghost story, and even if I loved The Hong Sisters Master's Sun more (So Ji Sub has A LOT to do with that though), I understand why this drama has so many fans! I recommend adjusting expectations and giving this drama a chance. Who knew that a drama about death and deep resentment could be so cute?
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Last i have some question
1.In the starting episodes lead actress told that how she started living with yeon woo (past) ,how his father search her and help her then why at the last episode had been shown that the small child whose father help her is lead actor ,got confused
2.when lead actor asked the dieties that why she send him to hotel so she told him that one of your dream still remain which he didnot seen yet,when he saw that dream so how his dream related to his question which he asked from her ...may be i didn't understand th answer.again confused.
As a whole i like watching all the episode .
Everyone did the great job....
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This review may contain spoilers
Well this was an interesting show to get into. Even when I was 2 and a half episodes in - I could see this show’s super high quality. I felt it was really well written and that a high budget was put into it. The highlight of the show is Jang Man Wol. Her personality is unlike most female characters and I loved her stern but playful personality. It’s the first time I’ve seen the cold woman/warm man trope and I was pleasantly surprised by it. Jang Man Wol had a past that I was interested in for once. Most flashbacks do nothing for me but in this show I was keen to learn more about her backstory. And her fashion sense!! Every outfit was breathtaking, stunning and on point. Her makeup, and hair as well. IU is a truly gorgeous woman. [She also reminded me of Kaguya from Love is War. Both shows were released in 2019 and from the personality to her looks, Jang Man Wol is almost the real life version of Kaguya.]
And may I just say, I have seen endless dramas where we get a glimpse into the main character's past + first love (when the main character has lived for decades) and this is the first time I've actually really shipped the couple!! This couple has so much chemistry - just like the present couple. I am impressed. Not many dramas have succeeded in this, nice job writers. Their story was tragic like Romeo and Juliet. It made me wish they could be together in another life. I really wished when they met again in the present that they could have had a tad more closure. Even if they could have just hugged, or something. It broke my heart that he stayed with her since the beginning as firefly, as her guardian and she had been waiting for him the whole time and never knew. I just think they deserved so much more. But you know what they say; first love doesn’t always work out.
But of course our main couple had just as much chemistry, and they got a happy ending. Let’s talk about Koo Chan Sung - aka the most perfect human male on the planet. At the start he may seem quite vanilla, and you wouldn’t be entirely wrong. But he honestly just has a heart of gold. He does the right thing every time, is good at everything, is intelligent, and will help anybody wholeheartedly. He sticks by Jang Man Wol through thick and thin and helped her start to make better choices. I loved how at the end, the reason why she likes the plump food-eating star is because of him. In a way, they kind of did meet in their past lives. I found it so funny that he told her past-self “I must return to where I came from, to return to the woman I love very much” and she was jealous, and then when reunites with her present-version he says “I just denied a drink from a very beautiful woman” like XD. He loves messing with her and I live for it. I really did feel like their love was just so genuine and real. Their dynamic just worked and a great example of opposites attract.
Another thing I loved about this show was the colouring and all the magical elements. I really liked how the fantasy setting was done. In fact, this show reminded me of Goblin in many ways. From the reincarnation, deities/gods, immortal-having-lived-centuries main character and ghost-seeing love interest. Both protagonists are immortal beings who are paying their sins for the deaths they caused in the past. The overall vibe of the show is very similar.
And finally: the soundtrack was so beautiful too. Had so many emotional songs and they fit with the show SO well.
Overall, this show was a solid 8. A good watch.
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Overall very aesthetically pleasing with the constant outfit changes from IU and the OST was beautiful. I would say for me, it was more a show I watched more for the nice visuals over the storyline.
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This review may contain spoilers
I liked the drama but I think the ending felt rushed. I think the writers spent too much time developing Man Wol's past and too little developing the resolution of it. Her meeting with the captain was supposed to move me as much as the flashbacks did, and instead it felt shallow. And the "princess and Yeon Woo are getting married" seem too much like a rushed way to say "this part of the plot is closed, MOVING ON"...I was a little bit bored by the ending, tbh. I don't think it was a bad ending, but it wasn't a ending that made me fangirl or be like "woah, this is amazing". I really liked, however, the talk between Choi Seo Hee and the pregnant lady about how that baby is her baby before anything else and it's going to carry her last name. I also liked how the five characters of the hotel are found family tm. And I must admit that, in a way, I see Man Wol and Chang Sung more as sister and brother or really good friends than romantic partners. I'm sorry, but I didn't feel any chemestry between them (and I'm watching Moon lovers right now, and let me tell you, Iu and Lee Joon Gi is wow), and while I appreciatte the way their relationship was written, I was left feeling meh about their romantic scenes most of the time. Which kills me because GENDERSWAP BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Like, I did like the development of their friendship and I do understand how they came to be a couple but Man Wol and Chang Sung romantic scenes didn't move me as much as Man Wol and the captain, tbh.
Which brinsg me to people saying Chang Sung was boring and, let me tell you, I don't think he was. I think is really good to see a male character being the nurturing one, the one who choses to be kind and give second chances and believe the best of everybody else. And I don't think he was naive, I think he understood people but wanted to give them a chance to prove him right in making the "right" choice. I think he's cunning, kind and interesting. I do wish the story focused a little bit more of him outside Hotel del luna, though. Like I would've liked to see him arriving to New York and see a little of what he was doing, and so on. Again, I don't think the ending was bad, but I wanted to see a little bit more of the people left behind and the ending felt rushed.
I liked the acting. I think the ones I liked the most were IU's, Bae Ha Seon's, Lee Do Hyun's and Kim Mi Eun (who played the ghost bride).
The music was really good, I think it fit the kdrama really well.
The filming was amazing and I know people talk about it a lot, but the aesthetics were goals. And yes, I'm one more in the line of "God, I wish I had a lot of Man Wol's wardroble"
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Manwol is the GOAT
Story: An interesting premise that started strong, lacked in the middle, and ended strong.(+) the romance is endearing and mature. I know a lot of people had second lead syndrome but I personally enjoyed Manwol and Chan Sung romance. They bicker and tease but there is so much affection and understanding.
(+) finding out Manwol's backstory was interesting
(+) The second couple was cute
(+/-)beautiful CGI- it was really good in the beginning but wasn't as prominent/good later in the show
(-)Because the episodes are over an hour long I easily got bored of the week to week ghost stories. I think it would've worked better if the show was 20-30 minutes.
(+/-)bittersweet ending
Acting/Cast: IU owns this role! Not only is she amazing as the 1300 year old CEO but her scenes in the past- specifically her crying scenes got me.
Jin Goo was also great but his character was not as strong or developed compared to Manwol. He was interesting in the beginning but as the show went on his character was more of a support system to Manwol.
The rest of the cast was great but I'm disappointed that all their side stories were rushed at the end. I would have rather learned about their past than random ghost stories.
Music: Hands down one of the best OST of any drama! It features well known artists such as Gummy, Punch, Chungha, Taeyeon, Ben and even our wonderful IU.
Overall: This drama holds a special place in my heart. Though I can acknowledge the flaws I still looked forward to it every week. My advise would be to not binge it as it might get boring because the episodes are long.
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beautifully made
Hotel del Luna is an amazing drama. Although it took me a few episodes to get truly invested in the story, it left me crying like a baby during the last episode.First of all this drama is just overall very beautifully made. The hotel, the scenery and the outfits (ESPECIALLY IU’s outfits!) are super pretty and pleasing to the eye. This might be one of the most aesthetical kdramas I have ever seen.
Second of all the story is emotional, fun, and investing and the characters are all very likeable. The dynamics between the main leads are great and it‘s fun to see how their relationship changes over time. IU‘s performance really stood out to me, but all the actors did a great job in this one.
Lastly the OST of this drama is amazing and features a lot of popular artists.
Would recommend everyone to watch this kdrama!
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