Hotel del Luna (2019)

Top notch cast and acting all around. Killer OSTs - there is a valid reason why HDL OSTs completed took over the charts in Korea. IU and Yeo Jin Goo not only nailed their characters - their chemistry and acting were perfect - fantastic partnership between two of Kdramas most talented young actors as acknowledged by the K-industry and media. If you're looking for mushy sickeningly romantic scenes then this drama isn't for you. Yet there was plenty of moving and heart-melting moments between the two leads. Huge shout out to the supporting cast for moving the story forward and keeping the momentum going. My family, group of friends and I were emotionally invested through and through - the main plot, side stories (in hindsight, all were foreshadowing), the chemistry between the cast, humour, cinematography and music but most prominent - the level of acting, kept us glued to the tv screen every weekend. Hoping for another drama with Yeo Jin Goo and IU - our favourite actors after watching the masterpiece that is Hotel Del Luna. Highly recommended!!!

Lire davantage

Este dorama se llevo mi corazón desde el primer momento en que lo vi, no pude evitar maratonear por completo este dorama sin parar y lo vería un millón de veces más.

En general la historia es buena, no llega a ser demasiado tediosa más que en algunos puntos pero es hasta finales del dorama. El OST es simplemente increíble y creo que no podrás dejar de escucharlo, la química de ambos personajes es buena (dado que esto es el núcleo del dorama a mi parecer) y me encanta los detalles de producción de cuidar las locaciones y las tomas (algo que me recuerda a "The Heirs" de 2015).

Creo que lo hace más perfecto y diferente este dorama por que tiene los puntos clave de romance (obvio con un excelente OST de fondo) pero no llega a ser demasiado excesivo y a su vez conservan un poco lo cómico para no hacer todo el dorama tan meloso. Me gusta mucho la temática del hotel de fantasmas y se me hace algo un poco único a decir verdad sin llegar a darte miedo, sino plantearlo más bien cómico.

Llore en algunas partes es verdad, pero al final quede satisfecha totalmente en como pudieron resolverlo de una buena manera. En conclusión, si buscas un dorama diferente del romance habitual y lo meloso que pueden llegar a ser, pero que sigan teniendo partes cómicas y tengan su final feliz, te recomiendo 100% este dorama.

Lire davantage

Hotel del Luna is a drama that revolves around a woman who is the owner of a hotel for the dead and the previous encounters that led her to were she was in present time and how she finds love in the arms of a general manager who she forced to work for her. I personally loved this drama it had everything from good directing to great screen writing to the best of editing and the sound track is amazing. I love IU and Yeo Jin goo they gave a heart warming performance that leaves a well imprinted impression. The story line is well crafted and without doubt unique in all edges. Watch this drama you’ll love it!

Lire davantage

Story

The plot of this drama is definitely something new; each episode leaves you with a lot to think about. That isn't to say however that the plot is free of cliches and stereotypes. The story was also predictable. I already guessed (correctly) how it will end when i got to episode 6. It's a refreshing take of a fantasy drama, but it's not really something to rave on about.



Acting/Cast

Good! The leads were awesome, especially IU. The supporting cast was great as well. A lot of people are criticizing the chemistry between IU and jin goo... I do not think they were bad, their chemistry just wasn't suited for something romantic in my opinion. Overall, it's not a deal breaker and it shouldn't be



Music

My only barometer for a good drama ost is if it (a) matches the mood of the scenes in the story and (b) if it makes me listen to it outside the drama. Generally, the music was bad. They were all mellow if not sad. It was mehhhh


Rewatch value

It's actually a relatively simple plot so rewatching this for me is fine. Not something I look forward to, but something I can stand



Overall

A good fantasy drama to give a try. It's not quite at the level of god-tier fantasy dramas like goblin or while you were sleeping, but it definitely has its own charm. By charm, i mean the visuals and the effects

Lire davantage

The opening scene of the story shows a beautiful landscape and a woman warrior beside a cart that has a casket on it. It seemed that she has killed a lot of people and she's looking for a place she heard that souls can reside before going to the afterlife. For some reason, she's even willing to kill herself to repent for her sins. She then ends up as the proprietor of a hotel for souls. Fast forward into the present time, the main male lead character (Yeo Jin Goo) has grown up and needs to fulfill a bargain that his father made with her. The deal that was made is similar to the story of the beauty and the beast where the father plucked a blooming flower for his daughter. Only this time, it's a dad offering his son's life in servitude to a thousands-year-old woman.

Honestly, this story got me interested right away. It's a pretty good ghost story so far. Main female lead (IU) looks convincing as a warrior at the beginning and looks gorgeous in her flowing outfits when she became the boss of Hotel de Luna. I'm looking forward to her beautiful wardrobe changes and see if there will be sparks between the main leads. Male lead Jin Goo looks dashing in a suit and playing his character well. There's also some comedic relief I'd like to see more.

Will update review later on.

Lire davantage

In the beginning I did not want to watch this drama. I m not really a fan of ghosts or fantasy ish dramas but since I was bored, I watched the first episode and kinda liked it. The first reason was the male lead, whom I ve been waiting for to grow up ever since I miss you. Anyway, I ended up waiting for the episodes weekly so I can say it s a drama I actually like. Even so, it s not the best drama ever. why?

1. The story. Even though I was excited to hear more about Man Wol s past, I can say it was not constructed really well. I think it needed more details and I find it that I still have some unanswered questions. Also, the daily ghost situation: at first it was ok, they were interesting but It got boring. Watching the same thing over and over again (new ghost, idk Chan Sung is in danger, Man wol saves him etc etc). The love story was slightly covered ( I find that their love didn t really have a point where it started--- which I should like, because technically the love grew bigger and bigger---but I saw no starting point)
What I mean is that I think the drama had no focus: it wasn t really the love story, but it wasn t the ghosts either. Lets say it was her past. Was it really? The past doesn t cover much.

2. The acting was ok. As expected form IU (obviously). The others acted well but there werent that many scenes where they could have shown really cool acting skills either. That s why I gave it a 9. The cast was really well chosen tho.

3. The music was on point. It made sad scenes even more heart breaking.

4. Hmm. Rewatch.. I would rewatch this but only in a few years maybe, after I forget what it is about. To be honest, I m pretty sure I won t. When I rewatch dramas I pick a random episode, because I know that every episode has something good going on. But here, I don t really know, there s a boring vibe it gives me.

*IMPORTANT* even though from this review it sounds like I kinda hated it, it s not true. I enjoyed every episode and when I had to be excited or shocked I was. The review compares it to my expectations of a really really good drama (also I ve just finished another one and it really blew my mind. So i might be comparing to it as well).
For a first watch, it is a cute drama that IS WORTH WATCHING.

Lire davantage

I heard a lot of hype from this show so my curiosity eventually led me to watching this. I definitely think this deserves the hype it gets.

PLOT the beginning each scene was engaging and the plot that unfolds leaves you wondering what happens next. The storyline is very much like goblin so can't really say its original but it was still interesting nonetheless. A lot of plotlines from the other characters and the ghosts from the hotel were thrown at me but I was more interested in finding out about Man Weol's past. I must admit that I did think the overall storyline of the drama was kinda confusing and even after finishing this not everything makes sense. I do think that the show spent too much time focusing on the storylines of the ghost who would come into the hotel. Like sometimes they were interesting but I wanted to see more of Man Weol and Gu Chan Sung, damnit!

The CINEMATOGRAPHY is beyond beautiful. There wasn't a single seeing that wasn't any short of wonderful. Even the boring scenes we're nice to look at because of the amazing production that went into the sets.

The COSTUME DESIGN was exquisite. The main cast always looked good but IU's wardrobe was on another level. Her clothes matched her character so well. She definitely look the part. Gu Chan Sung wore suits most of the time but hey you can never go wrong with a suit ;)

The ACTING was excellent and the scenes between the Man-wol and Chan-sang were so enchanting to watch. Each interaction between them was truly captivating. I couldn't get enough of them both on the screen together. I definitely think they had some chemistry.

The OSTs are literally so amazing I have no words. every song was right for the scene it was put in. The music truly transported you into the story as you were watching. Taeyeon's "all about you" and Paul Kim's "so long" are my favorites. Punch's "another day" was very good also. This is the first drama where I actually like all the osts.

OVERALL I give this drama a 8.5/10. I started watching dramas last year but out of the ones I've seen so far this one is one of my favorites.

Lire davantage

I was looking for a k-drama to watch when a friend of mine suggested me this. When I found out that IU was the main female protagonist, I was really enthusiastic and I had a lot of expectations. Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo was a hit and it made such an impact and headline not just to the avid k-drama community but also to the people who were just interested in k-dramas in general. It was the talk of the town, so naturally, I had very high expectations for this one. And let me tell you that this drama has met those expectations and I was satisfied until the end.

This drama has the perfect twists and turns at the perfect time. The flow of the story from one event to another is smooth and somehow seamless. It does not drag or suffer the plot in any way. Although I wish that they could have given more emphasis on the character of Lee Do Hyun (aka Go Chung Myung, the captain of the guards). But, aside from that, the story was well written and well-directed. IU, as well as her co-actors, really did a good job of delivering what the drama needed. They did it justice. Each character is important for the story and I'm glad that they gave emphasis on the backstory of each character whether it be main or supporting. The ending though it was confusing at first, really is the proper way to end the series. (I've cried like gallons of tears for this drama, especially the last episode so brace yourself)

As for the music aspect, this drama has the most beautiful soundtracks that I've heard. So far, this is only the k-drama that I've liked all of the soundtracks. (I'm not even joking). In fact, I've downloaded all of the soundtracks and I listen to it from time to time on my phone. The heartwrenching songs combined with the actors' drama really makes you so damn emotional.

So, would I rewatch this? Definitely. Maybe in the near future, I would rewatch this series. This series really made an impact on me as the viewer and I would definitely be at the top of my list for a long time.

Lire davantage

Hard to get over with...

Oh My God.. I felt sad after it ended.. I wanted to know what the fellow viewers are feeling. I ended up reading a lot of stuff regarding Hotel del Luna, reviews and went on downloading many pictures related to it, especially of GO CHUNG MYUNG character. He (Lee Do Hyun) resembled a lot like Kim Sang Bum (Kim Bum of Boys Over Flowers fame). .. ... . Even after two days of watching, I still feel pangs of pain. The ending was all fine and acceptable yet, hard to get over.. As the drama says - We should learn to let go than holding onto it, I should learn to let go of the sad feeling and so, I'm rewatching Hotel del Luna. So that, I can feel less sadder than before. :D

Lire davantage

Incoherently filled with cliches and cringe - Good CGI doesn't make a good drama series.

Techically speaking, this drama seems to nail everything down. From the CGI, actors, environments, music and all in all cinematography.

But it is just repulsive. This stupid drama series only had two episodes that I could watch. Everyone can see that a lot of money was spent on its creation, which is why the CGI was so amazing in the first place. However, regardless of how excellent the CGI is, you cannot ignore the reality that the drama as a whole is badly written and handled, making everything dissonant and useless.
All of the characters are vapid. Because the script decides to do so, the story appears to be conveniently moving along.
Despite being portrayed as an independent, strong, quirky, and sentimental female lead who for convenient reasons was also a warrior who could take on many men in her past, the proprietor of the Hotel del Luna is an empty figure. To further increase her "awesome" factor, she also possesses divine abilities, funny. Oh, and she is played by someone going by the name of "IU"; were you expecting me to gloss over that information? It doesn't matter to me who the actor is as long as they can act. Even the "goddess IU" shouldn't be able to play an empty role in this situation, right?
Next, the ghosts...the f***ing ghosts, GOD please make them actual GHOSTS! They weren't "ghosts", more like monstrous looking zombies. So when someone dies, they become a "ghost" with overly exaggerated monstrous make-up and they all act like zombies instead of actual ghosts (which would imply they would still behave like humans but with a few oddities since they are dead anyways). Wow, the horror...
The music. I cannot really remember any moment in those 2 episodes I've watched where the music simply stopped f***ing my ears all the time. What's with the choice of music? They went from overly magical, disney style music, to extreme horror and suspense, down to goofy comedical. What the hell did they want me to feel? Or rather, did they themselves know what this series wanted to be?
This series is too over-whelming to watch, I wonder how anybody manages to watch this for another 14 hours.

Never trust a drama with a high budget. It will be either garbage or very rarely a gem.

Lire davantage