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Not horrible.
This drama would've been heaps better had they focused on Man Wol's story. It was compelling and got me interested in the drama. But they didn't spend as much time as I would've liked. I'm okay with the backstory of the other ghosts in the hotel, they were cool and I liked them enough. But I spent a lot of my time just wondering when they'll get back to addressing Man Wol's origin.I also didn't feel attached to the male lead. It's not a slight to Yeo Jin Goo at all, but he didn't have any chemistry with IU, at least in my eyes. I liked Lee Do Hyun better.
IU was awesome though, as usual. She's a fantastic actress.
Overall, will I rewatch this drama? Probably not. I haven't found myself wanting to, not even for a specific scene. It's not horrible, not bad, but not great. The emotional moments didn't hit as hard as I wanted them to, and I didn't get attached to a lot of the characters. I don't remember any standouts from the OST either, but it didn't annoy me.
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This review may contain spoilers
Visually beautiful, but slow plot
Mixed feelings about this drama.The good:
1) IU's acting is so good! I'm a huge fan. The heart of this show is, without a doubt, IU. She stole every scene she was in. I also loved her outfits. I really felt for her - her past and current self.
2) Main plot was really solid. The flashbacks to the past, Jang Man-wol's past, all of that was really compelling. I loved her story with Go Chung-myung, and her familial relationship with Yeon-woo.
3) This show is absolutely beautiful. The set designs, the cinematography, the outfits... absolutely beautiful.
4) I love Sanchez.
The bad:
1) Too much filler episodes. Each episode basically comprises of about 70% 'ghost of the week' and 30% Man-wol's past/flashback to the past. Some of the ghost side characters had really poignant stories. The rest, I really didn't care much about. I only see them for about an hour, then they're gone forever. Also, Man-wol's past is fascinating and compelling, and it ended up being frustrating that I couldn't find out more about it until the end.
2) I did NOT buy Gu Chan-sung's romance with Man-wol. I was way more invested in her and Chung-myung. I felt for him and his failed and tragic romance with her. They really seemed like doomed star-crossed lovers. The minute Chung-myung appeared, I kind of switched ships. I saw Chan-sung as Man-wol's brother and started skipping their romantic scenes because I just wasn't filling in. Chung-myung made a way more compelling love interest. Sadly, the writers obviously did not think so.
3) Side characters that were never developed or fleshed out. Unfortunately, I didn't care about most of the sideplots or side characters. They barely got any screen time.
4) Gu Chan-sung has no personality outside of being in love with Man-wol. He ends up functioning as an impetus for plot stuff to happen, with no real presence of his own. His character was quite poorly written - he did not feel like a main character.
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This review may contain spoilers
I found the plot to be pretty good, but the ending was just so sad to me. I went to sleep and woke up sad because I was so sad from the ending that I had a sad dream too. I love the acting and the visuals of the drama are just absolutely amazing. The story conveyed was really good to me as it was heartfelt, but the problem is that now, every time I think of this drama, I get sad, and every time someone in another drama dies, I think of this drama. The thing about the ending that made me so sad is that everyone left, and seeing the empty hotel made me feel really down. Although it is expressed that they meet again in their next lives, for me, I'm still left with the impression that the main characters did not end up together. However, on a happier note, I felt like there was character growth, and I definitely don't regret watching this drama because I feel that it is a beautiful drama despite how sad it made me. So I'd still recommend this drama. Was this review helpful to you?
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Good Kdrama with a lot of Plot twist
The plot is consistent is easy to follow even if there's time travelling.. I like the casting and the story takes place in Korean purgatory that is Hotel del Luna. I like how they still show the side characters' story like Sanchez or MC's friend group, and in that friend group.. They are connected to Man whol's past before she died. The story at first is slow but it was showing the setting of the story, it started to get good when they show glimpse of Man-whol's past. It is unpredictable and has a lot of plot twist..Only nitpick I have in the kdrama is the character : Chung Myung, it is revealed that he was by Man whol's side for 1000 years and he only appears at the ending. It would be better if their scenes is longer, since he still get friendzoned in the end lol (or forgotten). The reveal of the bartenders' past is kinda rushed and also the other staff. And P.O kinda abandoned yuna there, why didnt she join them since she's ded alredy..
Still it's a good kdrama to binge watch if you hve a lot of free time :>
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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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LOVEEEE This Show
This was my first show with IU and I was excited because I've heard nothing but great things about her acting (and singing since I know Jungkook is her #1 fan lol) and I was not disappointed. Despite her character's cold exterior, there is this small part of her that is likeable from the start.This was also my first drama with Yeo Jin Goo, and I really liked him too. His character was really fun and very endearing and I LOVED their chemistry. I heard people talk about the chemistry in Doom and I felt like there was NONE. THIS was chemistry. I also loved that they kept Kim Yu Na (Kang Mi Na) as part of the main cast. I kept thinking how bummed I'd be if that's where her story ended.
On that note, Ji Hyun Joong (P.O) might have been my favorite. I'll be honest that I had no idea who the actor was and I wound up looking him up about halfway through the series. When I learned he was a rapper I was super surprised. Then I watched some videos of him and was like, "This is the same guy!?" Which really is a nod to how talented he is.
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Dropped after 3 and a half episodes
In Hotel Del Luna, Yeo Jin-Goo plays Koo Chan-Sung, an elite hotelier cursed to endlessly gesticulate without ever expressing an emotion. He has so little presence that I sometimes forgot he was in a scene while it was still playing.The titular hotel has even less presence. The staff magically teleport around its diverse interiors (a composite of sets and real locations), which means it never acquires the immersive quality of the Overwatch or the Grand Budapest, or the café in Coffee Prince.
A combination of frenetic editing, dutch angles, and stylised lighting gives the jarring impression of watching a music video, even in moments that should be quiet and lyrical.
The story moves with perverse slowness, sadistically withholding from the viewer the fantastic tales and sights that it could offer. At the point where I dropped the show, Koo Chan-Sung had only just joined the hotel's staff.
I would have liked to learn more about IU's past ( she is far and away the highlight of the show ), but I suppose I'll never know.
(By the way, shouldn't it be 'Hotel de la Luna'?)
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I love the story and how each episode has a back story. You can get hooked to all the side line characters and feel sympathy and happiness for each one.
I definitely recommend this drama to all supernatural story loving fans who look for different emotions in a drama, like fear, sadness, happiness, anger, excitement and amusement. I am looking forward to seeing more episodes soon.
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I came to watch this without really knowing what the premise of the story is. I had heard all the buzz about the show when it was first airing but I did not watch it then, and I'm kind of glad I held off because this show is honestly binge-worthy. In the first episode I wasn't really sold on the story yet, but I kept watching because I liked stories that put twists into the whole idea of a purgatory and an after-life. I don't regret watching this show at all. Although it took some time to get attached, I ended up being hooked when they showed flash-backs of a character's previous life. This naturally made me curious, and kept me coming back for more and more episodes because I just wanted to know what happened and how things ended up the way they are. There were some developments within the relationships of some characters that felt almost rushed and out of the blue, but in the grander scale of things I think this can be disregarded because the writers go out of their way to explain and build on these throughout the show.
One of the themes that I really enjoyed seeing, other than the romance and comedic moments in the show, was this idea of found-family. I don't think it was particularly emphasized until the last couple of episodes when things were starting to come to a close, but nonetheless the writers really did a good job to show that there is growth and love to be found in these connections. Another was the feeling of 'moving on'. I think grief in many different forms was addressed here, both in negative and in positive ways. It was nice to see the characters learn through others' experiences, and find in their own ways how to deal with their past that might've given them many negative feelings.
If anything, the part of the show that I loved the most was the end. There's always this sense of unease when it comes to drama endings because sometimes they are not done well or there is something left to be desired. I really enjoyed seeing the show come to a close through the last few episodes because the writers really take you through it in a way that doesn't leave you going "What? That's it?". You know it's going to end soon, characters have their last appearances on the screen and you KNOW it's their last appearance. Everyone gets an ending, and to me, each character got the ending they were set up to have. It was incredibly heart-warming (and I admit, I shed many tears) to see these characters - these people who have lived for many years with negative feelings tying them down to the living world, leave with ease and smiles on their faces. I also really appreciated that little cameo at the end... ;)
I think for me, the MVP of the show is Sanchez. He went through so much as the show went on, but it was really nice to have this consistent character be there for Chansung.
Overall, I'd recommend this show. I loved it. From the production quality, to the story which may seem simple at first but eventually builds on its own, and the characters. It's funny, it's wholesome, sometimes it's a little scary and the romance is nice. Oh yeah, and most importantly, Lee Jieun. She is a goddess on earth, I swear.
Shoutout to the stylists of the show. They did an amazing job on IU's fashion, I was just heart-eyes the entire time.
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