marieljanina
Visually stunning, impeccable storyline and beautiful drama
Hotel del Luna was such a refreshing drama for me. I haven't seen many fantasy dramas but the plot of this one really got me interested. Besides the plot, the trailer itself was intriguing and visually stunning as well which is what led me to watch this drama. It definitely lives up to the hype and even exceeded my expectations of the fantasy drama genre.
WHAT I LIKED:
Plot/Storyline: I loved the main storyline of this drama and how it was written and portrayed throughout the episodes. The story was like I said very intriguing as you only get snippets of the main plot line which kept me guessing and curious for most of the episodes. Besides the main character (Man-Wol's) story, there were also little storylines on most of the episodes that featured the ghost guests and the supporting casts. I found these little stories beautifully written and meticulously intertwined with the main story. For most of the little storylines and of course the main plot, there were also lessons to be learned which the writer effortlessly taught the viewers.
Cinematography & Editing: Hotel del Luna is no doubt the most visually stunning drama I have watched to date. The visual effects, the camera work/angles, the stunning sets and locations and of course Man-Wol's unrivalled wardrobe all made for such an exquisite looking drama. We have to give it up to the make-up, wardrobe and editing team especially. The way they've edited and made the ghosts look, really made this drama even more fantasy-like and out of this world.
OSTs: The Original Soundtrack was just absolutely perfect in this drama. So many wonderful songs from K Drama OST legends like Punch, Heize, 10CM and more. Every time the songs came on during certain scenes, it just tugged at your heart even more. Some scenes towards the end were really heightened by the OSTs and definitely made them 10x more emotional which is exactly what an OST should do. Aside from the OSTs, the different sound effects were also very very well done in a lot of scenes. They added so much to the scenes like the comedy ones, the high tension ones and of course the scary scenes. Whoever did them deserves an applause for sure.
Acting & Characters: Ok, I'm most definitely late to the IU party but better late than never, right? I can now definitely see why IU gets so much love. Her acting is just so sensational and she makes it look so effortless too. It's just amazing how she showed so many sides of her acting/emotions in this drama from being serious, scary, comedic and of course all the heartfelt emotional acting too.
Of course, our lead guy Yeo Jin Goo is absolutely magnificent as well. It's hard to believe that he is only in his early twenties as his acting skills and career can rival many actors that are older than him. My favourite scene in this drama was a solo scene by Jin Goo at a bus stop. It was an emotional scene that tugged at my heart. This particular scene was so well done and so gut-wrenching and almost hard to watch because of how emotional it was. Jin Goo's performance in this particular scene was so so good that I won't be forgetting it for a while. Alongside his emotional scenes, there were his funny and scary scenes which were just so entertaining and great to watch too. The chemistry between the two main actors was just perfect and both of them really complimented each others acting.
I have to mention the supporting actors as well, they did such a great job with their own storylines too. They not only complimented the main characters but shined on their own as well. The casting director did a really splendid job with this drama.
WHAT I DISLIKED:
There's not much to dislike about this drama. The only things I probably didn't like is:
1.) 2nd lead guy/first love's story that sometimes outshined Chan-Sung/Jin Goo's love story with Man-Wol. I understand from the plot line why it's important and why it was written and portrayed the way it did but during the climax of the story it almost made me root for them more than Chan-Sung and Man-Wol, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But it just took away some of that highlight between the 2 main characters towards the end.
2.) Personally, I am a sucker for a good happy ending, that's just my personal preference. I totally understand why the ending happened the way it did. It was very important to the story line and it was something that had already been mentioned throughout the episodes leading to the ending but as I said, I am a 'they lived happily ever after' kinda person so that's what I would've hoped for. Although saying that, the last scenes were still beautiful and happy which I appreciate from the writers.
WOULD I RECOMMEND:
Absolutely, 100%. If you're into fantasy, romance, comedy or just want something different from the norm of KDramas, then this one is definitely one to watch. There's just so many good things about this drama that it would be amiss not to watch it.
WOULD I REWATCH:
Probably but not straight away. I feel like I could re-watch this drama after a few months/a year after finishing it as it will be a nice refreshing drama to watch compared to other KDramas I normally watch (romance/melodaramas/love triangles, etc). Plus I'd re-watch this just to see Man-Wol's incredible wardrobe again and gawk at the visuals of the whole drama.
WHAT I LIKED:
Plot/Storyline: I loved the main storyline of this drama and how it was written and portrayed throughout the episodes. The story was like I said very intriguing as you only get snippets of the main plot line which kept me guessing and curious for most of the episodes. Besides the main character (Man-Wol's) story, there were also little storylines on most of the episodes that featured the ghost guests and the supporting casts. I found these little stories beautifully written and meticulously intertwined with the main story. For most of the little storylines and of course the main plot, there were also lessons to be learned which the writer effortlessly taught the viewers.
Cinematography & Editing: Hotel del Luna is no doubt the most visually stunning drama I have watched to date. The visual effects, the camera work/angles, the stunning sets and locations and of course Man-Wol's unrivalled wardrobe all made for such an exquisite looking drama. We have to give it up to the make-up, wardrobe and editing team especially. The way they've edited and made the ghosts look, really made this drama even more fantasy-like and out of this world.
OSTs: The Original Soundtrack was just absolutely perfect in this drama. So many wonderful songs from K Drama OST legends like Punch, Heize, 10CM and more. Every time the songs came on during certain scenes, it just tugged at your heart even more. Some scenes towards the end were really heightened by the OSTs and definitely made them 10x more emotional which is exactly what an OST should do. Aside from the OSTs, the different sound effects were also very very well done in a lot of scenes. They added so much to the scenes like the comedy ones, the high tension ones and of course the scary scenes. Whoever did them deserves an applause for sure.
Acting & Characters: Ok, I'm most definitely late to the IU party but better late than never, right? I can now definitely see why IU gets so much love. Her acting is just so sensational and she makes it look so effortless too. It's just amazing how she showed so many sides of her acting/emotions in this drama from being serious, scary, comedic and of course all the heartfelt emotional acting too.
Of course, our lead guy Yeo Jin Goo is absolutely magnificent as well. It's hard to believe that he is only in his early twenties as his acting skills and career can rival many actors that are older than him. My favourite scene in this drama was a solo scene by Jin Goo at a bus stop. It was an emotional scene that tugged at my heart. This particular scene was so well done and so gut-wrenching and almost hard to watch because of how emotional it was. Jin Goo's performance in this particular scene was so so good that I won't be forgetting it for a while. Alongside his emotional scenes, there were his funny and scary scenes which were just so entertaining and great to watch too. The chemistry between the two main actors was just perfect and both of them really complimented each others acting.
I have to mention the supporting actors as well, they did such a great job with their own storylines too. They not only complimented the main characters but shined on their own as well. The casting director did a really splendid job with this drama.
WHAT I DISLIKED:
There's not much to dislike about this drama. The only things I probably didn't like is:
1.) 2nd lead guy/first love's story that sometimes outshined Chan-Sung/Jin Goo's love story with Man-Wol. I understand from the plot line why it's important and why it was written and portrayed the way it did but during the climax of the story it almost made me root for them more than Chan-Sung and Man-Wol, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. But it just took away some of that highlight between the 2 main characters towards the end.
2.) Personally, I am a sucker for a good happy ending, that's just my personal preference. I totally understand why the ending happened the way it did. It was very important to the story line and it was something that had already been mentioned throughout the episodes leading to the ending but as I said, I am a 'they lived happily ever after' kinda person so that's what I would've hoped for. Although saying that, the last scenes were still beautiful and happy which I appreciate from the writers.
WOULD I RECOMMEND:
Absolutely, 100%. If you're into fantasy, romance, comedy or just want something different from the norm of KDramas, then this one is definitely one to watch. There's just so many good things about this drama that it would be amiss not to watch it.
WOULD I REWATCH:
Probably but not straight away. I feel like I could re-watch this drama after a few months/a year after finishing it as it will be a nice refreshing drama to watch compared to other KDramas I normally watch (romance/melodaramas/love triangles, etc). Plus I'd re-watch this just to see Man-Wol's incredible wardrobe again and gawk at the visuals of the whole drama.
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