Yeo Gin Goo cemented his status as one of my favorite male actors, only 22 years old but phenomenal! IU found a new fan in me! Her acting in the past was feeble but improved dramatically from a puddle to a Great Lake.
I recommend this heart-stealing gem :)
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it's fucking sad
i cried my eye's out, it's worth the watch but not if you're a sensitive person or a crybaby. i kept crying.i hate the princess the most she was a fucking shitbag i even ate her in their present life it was her fault that all of this happened, i kinda wanted jang man-wol and go chyung-myung end up together, it wasn't really Go cyung-myung fault, he was forced to marry the bitch or Jang man-wol will die
ji hyung-joong was really sweet and seeing him cry made my heart ache, i wanted to jump of a roof because i saw that they all cry why did they had to make my heart ache so much ugh it's making me cry again
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Why I loved the story:
The storytelling was focused, and didn’t waste time with annoying side that were useless. Each episode felt like it had its own theme or central message. Don’t get me wrong there are loads of side characters, but they all served a purpose in this drama, either to teach the other characters something or to expand this ghost world which the Hong sisters care fully created.
All the rules establish in this world wasn’t broken to create cheap tension. There were hardly any plot holes - showing how much care the hong sisters put into the storytelling
The backstory of IU enravled quite interestingly and the hong sister was able to keep me hooked but never bored by presenting new side characters
The gender role reversal in make this drama unique. It’s the man this time that open up the cold but more powerful women’s heart.
And this makes the two lead characters very interesting and watchable, as we get a man very confident in this manhood without feeling intimidated by the other half - something which I rarely see in Kdramas.
And another badass female character but whose is deeply flawed with resentment.
Yes and the story did make me cry! I was defiantly weeping the whole of the last episode.
What I don’t like in the story:
Nothing really, or I wouldn’t of given it 10/10.
Umm...I guess that the secondary couples story wasn’t that interesting - but even their story line made me cry.
There is, what feel is like a shoehorned side plot to do with the leads in the last ep but even that hardly bothered me because it tied the story up nice and neatly.
What I liked in the acting department:
IU relished in this role, you can tell she enjoyed playing this strong powerful women but she was also tender when it came to other scenes. And this I think kept most viewers (including me) hooked.
Now the thing with playing the less powerful other half is that the interest for you can just get swallowed by the other half. You most of the time also end up with less interesting traits and Yeo Jin Goo’s character is a goody two shoes with a strong moral compass- which is normally something I find off putting and very uninteresting because they tend not to have any flaws and just are there. However he has to be my fav character in the drama and I think that lends it to YJG’s acting chops, he pulls off this character really well even when there feels like there is not much for him to do.
What I didn’t like:
The chemistry with these two actors isn’t electric, but by no means bad. The don’t have the great amounts of chemistry but really I didnt feel like they needed that instant electric and overly sweet chemistry, as it may have felt disingenuous to IU’s character who has had a bad experience to love. They had sweet, touching scenes and that was enough to make me root for them but I can understand if someone else doesn’t find it enough.
Some complained about P.O’s acting but to be honest it didn't overly bother me, I though he did a fine job.
What I liked about the OST:
EVERYTHING!! It was lush and placed really well through scenes. This OST is just amazing, really has to be one of the best! My absolute fav obviously include Part 3 (obvs), 1 and 12 (both of the two Punch songs and Taeyeon’s)
The only complaint I could see someone making is that all the songs are too sad but like I don’t think anyone would deny that that are all beautiful!
Why I have already rewatched it:
The OST
The production values , from each one of IU’s stunning outfits, hairstyles and always perfect looking makeup to the really impressive CGI- this drama makes it hard for you not to rewatch.
Also the cinematography is just beautiful, everything looks gorgeous but also very distinctively ‘Hotel del luna’ like.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Give this one a watch, I don’t think many people would be disappointed!!
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IU saves the show
I tried to like this unfortunately I fast-forwarded most of the episodes, especially after 11 or so.I watched this because of IU and she did not disappoint. Her visuals plus the visuals of the drama itself is 200%. Her outfit changes were GREAT. Her acting is superb too with a lot of cold yet funny lines and moments. Part of the bg music makes it even funnier. However her chemistry with the ML was lacking.
The side characters were likeable, but not great. I did like their backstories. Mago is probably my favourite.
The ghosts had meh stories and endings. I sometimes expected more but each episode fell rather flat with how the ghosts were handled.
the FL's main story was good, but took too long to be explained. There was a huge gap in the middle where they were focusing on the side characters.
Overall, a 7/10 for me simply because of the stunning visuals.
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This review may contain spoilers
Don’t get me wrong, this drama was a fun watch. I loved a whole lot of things about it. From its OST, to the premise (who the hell can actually think of a hotel for ghosts???) and the acting, Damn the acting. It’s just that the writing had its ups and downs.The up? Every story of a visiting ghost was a treat to me. I enjoyed seeing how the hotel solved their problems in the most human way possible, because afterall, they are humans... just dead.
The down? The love story and the shift in focus let me down gravely. They’ve been building up the Man Wol - Chong Myeong story since the beginning and to have it end sadly with Man Wol leaving him by the bridge to after life... what the hell was that for? I mean, did we forget that this guy chose to live as a glow in the dark insect for 1300 years only to be forgotten because of a new, way younger guy she had a few meals with??? I do love chan sung’s character, and I rooted from them at the start, but it was always the flashbacks that dominated the course and mood of the story for me. To make that grudge disappear too quickly was really just... lousy writing.
Other than this huge disappointment, I loved the drama. Sadly I ended it without rooting for the couple they wanted to close the story with. Sigh
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A magical show with lots of exciting twists
9/10 is my rating. This is a 2019 South Korean tv drama with 16, 90 minute episodes. Hotel del Luna is a hotel located “in” Seoul. It is not visible to just anyone and undergoes a complete transformation when night falls. Kang Man-wol (Lee Ji-eun) became the “boss” of the hotel when she was transporting some souls of people she killed to the hotel in an effort to make up for her actions. She is unable to find it until she drinks a mysterious liquor which curses her to be the proprietor of this hotel for ghosts. She had run the hotel for over 1,000 years when a human wanders in which is normally a death sentence. However he strikes a deal with her to give her his son 20 years in the future in exchange for his life. Ku Chan-Seong (Yeo Jin-goo), was raised by his father to avoid Man-wol and her employees and even lives outside of South Korea until he deems it safe to return. Avoiding his fate may not be that simple and he soon finds being the hotel‘s new manager may be a job he cannot refuse.Spoiler 🚨 This was written by the Hong Sisters who have written other good dramas like ”Master’s Sun” and ”You are Beautiful“. They definitely know how to tell a good story. It is somewhat reminiscent of ”Goblin“ In that it has a delightful blend of spiritual and magical. It also has magical and ghostly elements like ”Master’s Sun”. I liked all the main characters and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each one and their back story. It was like ”Beauty and the Beast” in the way their relationship was transformative. Both leads were really gorgeous and their chemistry was really amazing. I would have given an even higher score but I’m not one that likes sad endings. It will be sad for some but for others it will not be. A lot depends on your beliefs and your own personal philosophy. If you like paranormal with twists of magic then you will really enjoy this one. I think everyone would enjoy it most of the way through. If you do not expect happily ever after it is easier to understand.
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This review may contain spoilers
Ghost plot wins, Romance barely survives
Pros:Individually, FL & ML are on point
costume
make up
sets/props/decor
lively ensemble
Cons:
Together, FL & ML do not generate any feeeelllllssssss aka lack of sparks between the leads
Terrible second lead syndrome with the FireFlyGuy
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
Both ML & FL are good actors with their own charms and characteristics, yet i failed to feel their sparks :(
Both actors brought their A game, yet their romance was still born.
This may be due to the writing or the directing - which seemed to be more invested on delivering the mystery/resolving ghosts' grudges plotline than on the romance.
As a result of this, JangManWol (needing to resolve her own hefty grudges in order to cross the bridge) have more sparks with the FireFlyGuy aka Go Chung-myung rather than the human Go Chan-Sung.
Halfway through the series, I was more invested in watching JMW with GCM scenes (Oh, the angst when he was getting married!) rather than the impending separation of JMW with GCS.
Watch this if you are a fan of ghosts' story line (which this drama totally delivered 10/10) and amazzziinngg dresses/make up on JMW.
Skip if you are looking for thrilling sparks of romance - interlaced with ghost stories.
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Yeo Jin Goe should've done better.
It was really good, gave me some goblin vibes. That one person who said it Will have goblin-type ending was right! heheOST
It was okay, but i didn't really Pay attention, it wasn't ear catching.
ACTING
Maybe because i watched all dramas IU has been in that i love her so much, but she was wonderful! Her cold-hot, bratty attitude was refreshing and not annoying! Yeo Jin-goo was fine, didn't partculary stand out sadly. He was main lead but was lacking in comparison of Lee do-hyun (past lover). Lee do-hyun and IU had such good chemistry i felt sad he wasn't main lead. Personally i didnt feel anything from him, and it seemed that if he was crying or sad, i'd feel more émotion towards Sanchez than him! Even tho he is main lead!!! Everyone praised him, but personally he was the only one lacking hère. Other actors who played side characters (Mira, P.O, Yoona, Sanchez etc....) were also gréât. They weren't lacking at all, and for side characters They did a fantastical job portraying their own charisma.
PLOT
It was refreshing to see it, a girl being stuck in Life forever, hosting a hôtel for dead. Pretty unique for me, and characters were unique themselves. They all had a part in the story and weren't there just to be there. They had history which is nice! Altho there were a few cliches that i hated, it was a drama where nobody was stupid enough to let a misunderstanding drag on and have a huge impact. I loved how writers didn't pull out a wild card at the end that something magical happenes and everyone is happy! I teared up réal hard at the end, but loved the cameo of someone spécial, it created a perfect opprotunity for a second season which i hope happens. The plot was nicely written with minor plot holes, overall it wasn't the best drama out there, but for a reason its hyped and loved so much....
BUT
The ML was actually very shallow. Now that i reflect on this drama, i dont like him any bit. The actor wasn't boring per say, because that is his character. He has a personality? Where? If you told me that he was a male lead i wouldn't have believed without watching all of it, since he seems too...boring. Was he only there to drive Man Wol plot or was he suppose to have a purpose? Heck Man Wol, who wasn't suppose to be expressive emotion Wise, was more than him. Which is terrible! The only reason i would watch this again would be because IU really performed well.
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First It was WoooowThen great
Then just OK
with a failure FL with dead face expression and stupid ending for me
AS USUAL THE END 🤦🏻♀️
The writer made them all apart
He could make mi na go with p.o because she is already a ghost
And I saw it was so unfair for do hyun the fl's ex
And simply the writer could compensated the FL By making her choose to be back to the ML after living all these years suffering
But NOOOO
THEY should make stupid open ending which was really annoying
left us with a ML wishing he will be gathered with her oneday
And I don't know why?
I like and dislike at the same time
And the last 3 eps. Weren't necessary
The drama was full of many unnecessary side story and they dropped the main past one
They just came through it quickly and you should figure out what happened by yourself
And I think it was going to be a spectacular drama if they focused more on the past and present story
And a little bit side stories
But this was stupidity
And the romance was lukewarm
So I can't figure out whether I liked or not
But think not
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This Drama is Overrated
This review will be short.I liked the cinematography...really beautiful
The 2 OSTs by PUNCH were incredible
The cameo at the end - damn fantastic
Jung Mal Wol was quirky and not your typical FL - that was interesting to watch
That's it for me.
Even the great acting by the 2 leads could not save a lackluster plot. This drama is totally overrated.
The episodes were soooo long and they dragged and dragged. I just hate the fact that I can't not finish a drama once I am a few episodes in. That and my respect for IU as an actress were the only reasons I made it to the end.
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