Completed
Liz Anderson
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 3, 2021
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 6.5
Even though this show has a decent rating (8.6 at the moment), I still feel like it is underrated/underhyped by a lot of people. Even though there is romance in it I really wouldn't describe this as a romantic K-Drama or at least not a typical one. Other aspects of the show were focused on more than romantic relationships though it was the romantic feelings that weaved these characters together.

This show did a really good job at viewing people in a very realistic way. No characters besides the main bad guy were painted as overly good or overly evil. Everyone had their regrets, their sins. Even the most kind and gentle looking characters had some "dirty secrets" in their past. It showed this balance of good and bad we all have in us and no one is perfect but you can make up for your mistakes by growing into a better person in the future. I also feel like we got to see a very wide range of characters/stereotypes throughout this show so it kept each episode fresh and worth watching. There really was no episode where I was bored, all of them were decent at minimum which is saying a lot for a K-drama.

I've seen a few people complain that in the beginning they kind of showed us these details from the past but then didn't mention them for a bit but I think they way the past and future unraveled together was quite good in this show compared to others that have a lot of flashbacks. I really like how they tied things up quickly and revealed some big shockers in the last three episodes instead of doing the "lets drag this out to 16 episodes and put in a bunch of unnecessary scenes". The last three episodes were really great and I was happy this drama didn't go into a lot of the typical clichés we see in dramas nowadays.

If you are expecting a romance K-drama, this definitely isn't for you. This drama is more about relationships in general and most importantly the relationship we have with ourselves. In one episode you get to explore the relationship between a parent and child and in the next you get to go into the relationship between friends or between lovers or coworkers. Even though this show followed a definite outline for each episode, it never got boring. In one episode you would find yourself laughing and in the next, or even the same one, crying.

I wouldn't call this some Oscar worthy show or anything over the top but it was quite good. Even though it has this very spiritual/mystical atmosphere about it, it really shows this very realistic portrayal of what many people go through in their lives. Its a simple but fun show.

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Completed
Newbb
0 people found this review helpful
Jul 5, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers

A Generic Kdrama Genre of Reincarnation

Let's just get straight to point.

Every episodes are worth to watch to be honest. More likely the first 2-4 episodes were very good but in the middle part of the series the consistency of the hype was gone. It's just like a normal episode and nothing new. The main story on how the past and future connects was really predictable which makes me forced to finish the drama atleast until the end. Overall all it was a good drama but the thing is it is just another generic reincarnation-fantasy korean drama which is you'll going to predict the ending.
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Completed
dusktildawn
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 20, 2021
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.5
At first I thought that Hwang Jung Eum and Choi Won Young were an unlikely pair. The last time I saw them together was for the drama "Kill Me, Heal Me" I didn't think too much that they would have the chemistry I expected in the drama but boy, I was wrong. I didn't get the heart fluttering chemistry most leads would have to let the drama stay afloat. Their chemistry was more mature and calm. Their chemistry was like the relationship between an old married couple.

I loved the fact that this drama seemed like an anthology of sorts while keeping the original plot. Wol Joo is someone in limbo, not alive yet not entirely dead. She has to fulfill her goal in order to pass on peacefully. Chef Gwi is a former chief from the afterlife who now accompanies Wol Joo in her adventures. Add Kang Bae to the mix and we have one of the perfect KDrama trios. I really enjoyed the chemistry between the three and although I already had an inkling with regards to who they really were, the story was weaved beautifully. 12 episodes seemed not enough and perfect at the same time.

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Completed
boksilxlouie
0 people found this review helpful
Apr 6, 2021
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

Heart-warming and heart-rending story

I binged "Mystic Pop-Up Bar" in several days - the quirky and sweet story drew me in from the first episode and, coupled with its loveable characters, light humour, and magical elements, kept me glued to the screen until the wonderful finish.

The chemistry between the three leading characters was fantastic - each one had a unique personality with their own views of the world and problem-solving ways, and they all worked perfectly as a trio and in pairs. No one seemed like a side character - they all equally contributed to the story and had their own tasks to achieve. I couldn't ask for a better found family!

The episodic format of the drama worked very well - each problem that needed to be solved rightfully paralleled the troubles of the main characters and helped the narrative to evolve. I'm a big fan of the 'case-of-the-week' type of storylines because I believe they are the best way to introduce us to the daily lives and dynamics of characters before moving on to the overall plotline. And "Mystic Pop-Up Bar" did the shift halfway through so well that I didn't get taken out of the story!

Lastly, I want to compliment the overall tone of the drama - the lighting, the music, and the vibrant colour palette were kept even during the bittersweet moments to show us that this is a happy if sometimes melancholy story. Also, while the soundtrack wasn't a standout (except for the opening music and animation!), the sound effects worked brilliantly and were incorporated so well. Half of the fun in comedic scenes came from them!

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Completed
Tun Tengku Haziq Jaeden
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 5, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

For me the most important thing is the satisfaction and love of the story against the viewer

I gave a reviewed to the story 10/10 because I like the character of the actors in this story and they add more stories about their history in the old days this story is really powerful and I like this story because they add more to the power of their God and their power, they make this story even more interesting to other viewers including myself love to see this story. However, I still say that this story is indeed the best and appropriate for me as a seer
Okey itu sahaja......
Saya memberi ulasan kepada cerita 10/10 kerana saya suka watak pelakon dalam cerita ini dan mereka menambah lagi cerita tentang sejarah mereka pada zaman dahulu cerita ini sangat berkuasa dan saya suka cerita ini kerana mereka menambahkan lagi kekuatan. Tuhan mereka dan kuasa mereka, mereka menjadikan cerita ini lebih menarik kepada penonton lain termasuk saya sendiri suka melihat cerita ini. Namun, saya tetap mengatakan bahawa kisah ini memang terbaik dan sesuai untuk saya sebagai pelihat

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Completed
fio_el
0 people found this review helpful
Oct 27, 2021
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 1.0

Refreshing

I basically inhaled this series, it's so good. One of the things I love about this drama is that it's very cheerful and has plenty of hilarious moments while they tackle issues that are hard to talk about. Don't get me wrong though, there are plenty of tear jerking moments too. There are a lot of life lessons being taught, even towards the very end. The familial relationship between the main characters are very endearing and a very strong drive in the story. I also love that romance isn't the focus of the drama. In a way this reminds me of Hotel Del Luna with the supernatural and punishment elements. Overall, this is a very sweet series, and quite a short one too (12 episodes), so it's easy to fall in love with this. Would definitely recommend this.

The only thing that bugged me with this drama is that there were times when they jumped around and broke the 180 rule over and over again without any reason.

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Completed
Tabinda Fayaz
0 people found this review helpful
Sep 30, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 6.5
Rewatch Value 3.0

Crazy mystic family!

This drama is fun and heartwarming.
A decent watch. A fair balance of comedy and drama, What's needed to be admired cuz it's difficult to display the conception of life in a light and comic way.
Yep, you can strip out the chorus handily.
Each 2 episode is contained a new story and lesson.
So the drama runs with a great understanding.
It begins with more comedy and then minimizes later on and focuses more on the main leads' stories.
The love stories I mean romance is kinda weird but enjoyable.
Reasonable twists to grab the interest.
Overall, I honestly love is drama.
The reason why I'm not giving it a 10, is bc some scenes/things disturbed me and make me skip the scenes perhaps I find them a little cliche.

But again It's soooooo good to watch.

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Completed
Sinasina
0 people found this review helpful
Apr 8, 2021
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

it's more than a cheap knockoff of Goblin, but not much more!

At the core of it the the show's concept is very similar to Goblin's, to the point that it could be considered a homage to it. I think the creators had homed in on the winning formula & even managed to gather the winning ingredients, but in the end they ended up overcooking the meal.

The three leading actors were excellent. They had great chemistry with each other. I always liked Hwang Jung Eum, but she used to get a lot of flak for her high pitched loud voice, but I feel that she did a good job at suppressing that here, objectively there should not be much to criticize about her acting. Yook Sung Jae improved a lot as an actor as well, that surprised me quite a bit. They main plotline was great, albeit a bit too predictable, though I would have preferred fewer Saeguk flashbacks.

The overarching storyline of the three main leads is only about 20-30% of the drama and that would have been fine really. The idea to make a Goblin-like show where most of the focus is on the ghost stories is a good one. Obviously in MPUB it's not entirely ghost stories, but the problem of the week format with great leading actors could have been outstanding.
The biggest problem with the drama is that production team failed paying attention to detail, there are huge problems with the casting for some supporting characters and also some of the mini stories are on the boring side of mediocre. Luckily there are 2-3 pretty decent ones. As for the casting blunders, Baek Ji Won and Tae In Ho are perhaps the biggest ones. They are both very skilled, renowned actors, however the casting director did a terrible job casting them for these roles.

And finally Na In Woo! I just dislike the actor, I'm not sure why really, It might be completely irrational too. I've seen him in 3 dramas before and there was not a single scene that I liked in which he appeared in.(scratch that, I loved him getting stabbed in Mr Queen!) The actor might not even be the main problem here. Kim Won Hyung as a character just doesn't work very well. We had so many Saeguk flashbacks in MPuB, but despite that his motivations were just not very well explained, resulting on the character becoming a two dimensional cartoon villain merely to be wasted some time on during the final showdown.

I mostly liked the ending, but once again they could have spent a little more time to explain how Guibanjang escaped punishment, instead of just arbitrarily ......

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Completed
Ella
0 people found this review helpful
Oct 3, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

This was just amazing

Okay, so I did just absolutely love this drama. I honestly can't find one fault in it, it was funny, romantic, sad at times but happy at the end. The acting was so good, each cast member was perfect for their role and the relationship between the characters felt so real. When I was watching it for the first time I actually had a hard time predicting the end, which I enjoyed as most dramas have such a predictable ending it's boring. The ending to this drama was perfect, though sad at first (yes I cried), the actual ending was so worthwhile and sweet and tied everything up perfectly. I would not be against a season 2 just to see them all happy together...
The only reason I gave rewatch value a 9 was because you just can't get the same emotions from it when you watch it again. That being said I have watched this drama multiple times and enjoyed it every time, but I could get as emotional to the story knowing the ending, not that that's really a bad thing. It's just, if I could, I would erase my memory to rewatch the drama for the first time again.
One thing is if you enjoyed this I would recommend Hotel Del Luna (or if you enjoyed Hotel Del Luna watch this) as they have very similar vibes in my opinion.

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Completed
ItsDanMane
0 people found this review helpful
Oct 17, 2020
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 10

SO GOOD

I honestly just recently starting watching K-Dramas and decided to watch this because of the concept. Little did I know that this was going to be not just one of my favorite K-Dramas, but one of my favorite shows in general. I loved the way the episodes showcased the various characters in this show. I also believe that this main cast was so likable. I really grew to care for the main cast knowing their struggles and how those struggles connected them. I came into the show thinking it was just going to be comedic, but this was the most emotional I felt watching a show in a while.

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Completed
Reader17
0 people found this review helpful
Oct 30, 2021
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
This review may contain spoilers

Interesting and fun to watch

Enjoyed this drama, it wasn't exactly what I expected, I don't know why I thought it would of been a little darker but I am happy that it wasn't. This drama had very good cast, and the story was enjoyable. Each episode I had fun watching, there would be comedy, and sometimes somethings were a little sad. The drama kept me interested and wanting to watch the next episode to see if she would reach 100,000. I enjoyed that most of the episodes seemrf to focus around one grudge and you would see the story unfold for that character, and get more insight on the main characters.

If you enjoy something a little different and fun to watch I would recommend this drama.

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Completed
romantic-at-heart
0 people found this review helpful
Feb 11, 2022
12 of 12 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0

Life Lessons with a Quirky Touch

This was a feel good, light drama with a unique story line where I enjoyed the writer’s version of how heaven is managed and the purpose of the mystic pop-up bar.

Although some parts of the story was predictable, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment as the acting was good and I liked the pace at which the flashbacks were introduced until the whole 500-year old history was revealed.

What kept it real was the different people’s grudges / regrets and I found myself being able to relate to some of it. Some lessons learned along the way as well. The beginning episodes focused more on this and dropped little hints into their past lives. My curiosity was piqued and thankfully I didn’t have to wait long before more was revealed. Not earth shattering but satisfying enough if you don’t expect too much.

I liked how the story kept some suspense on the 2 male leads’ past lives. And quite cleverly kept me guessing who the FL would end up with as well.

A good watch if you are after something simple and heartwarming with a touch of quirkiness.

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Mystic Pop-Up Bar (2020) poster

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  • Ranked: #567
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