Sell Your Haunted House (2021)

I feel extremely underwhelmed with this show. The storyline itself was really promising and could have anyone hooked from the start, imo. But a few episodes in, it kinda lost it's "oomph!" it started to drag and I kept watching in hopes that it would pick back up and be this amazing show.

Even at 2x speed through over 80% of the show, it still felt like it just dragged by. I felt zero connection to any of the characters. It's such a weird feeling. I wanted to drop it so many times but kept telling myself "no, it'll probably get better soon!" Up till the last episode, only for me to stare at the screen wishing I had never started this show. Lol

Like I said though, it's weird. Because the storyline itself was really good and I don't hate the cast, but I feel like maybe the pace itself is what completely ruined this show for me. I'm sure they meant to build the suspense but... that was a terrible fail. It just made me more annoyed than anything else. The point of suspense is to blow your mind in the end... kinda hard to blow someone's mind when they see what's coming 3 episodes before the characters do. There was zero mystery to this show and was pretty easy to figure out which was a huge disappointment.

I *did* like the ending though, I thought it was cute and sweet but lacked what it really could have been because to me, the characters still feel like strangers with each other. There was no character building, there was no relationship building.
Well no, I take that back.... The thug and the restaurant owner; I saw them getting closer and thought it was cute but I'm still lost as to why focus more on side character building rather than main character building. Not saying they should be all lovey-dovey, it was fresh to see a non-romantic outcome for once, but ---- they were just so cringy and awkward around each other. Not to mention the pushing and pulling away, she needed to pick one, it got old fast. It was like watching preteens trying to figure out life. Lol

I just feel like this show could have been a lot more than what it was. If there is a season 2 like they seem to kinda hint at, I hope it's better than this one.

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Although it's already the 15 episode, I'm not even excited about what will happen in the final episode.
It's watchable but I wouldn't recommend this as a must-watch.
If you have nothing to do and still want to watch a decent drama with good acting and good quality then this is the one for you.
The drama is basically about exorcism mixed with a mystery involving 2 generations. Just consider this as the introductory guide to exorcism and ghosts. (lol) anywho this is predictable but still watchable.
I only watched this drama because of actress Jang Na Ra. ( this is better than her previous drama oh my baby )

EDIT
finished watching the final episode...

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This drama first showed up on my radar after it was reported that Jung Yong Hwa was the male lead (I'm a fan). After discovering the drama, I didn't know anything about the female lead and also found the synopsis of the drama uninteresting. With all this in mind, I wasn't motivated to watch any dramas at the time; so naturally, I ignored this drama. About a month and a half after this drama started airing, I started looking for something to watch and coincidentally found this drama again. I checked the comments and saw a lot of people saying that the drama was good and was such a hidden gem, so I gave this drama a shot.

Oh boy, the people in the comments couldn't be more right. Sell Your Haunted House is definitely a hidden gem. I literally had no expectations going into this drama, but after watching just a few episodes, I was hooked. I don't normally binge dramas easily, but this drama is an exception.

Let's talk about the strengths of this drama.

The cast - The cast and their chemistry are unrivaled. I don't think any other actors/actresses could've done a better job. I suggest watching behind-the-scenes episodes after watching the drama.

The characters - Oddly enough (and this is rare), I didn't find any of the characters annoying. I felt like every character served a purpose and was not in a way useless.

Comic relief - there were tons of funny scenes, but not too much. What I hate the most in any kind of drama is when there are too many comedic scenes that are way too exaggerated. Most of the time, I drop such dramas because I can't take the story seriously.

The story - The story was quite interesting and was unexpectedly deep. What I thought was just a light story at first turned out to be the opposite. A lot of things were connected and the characters had an appealing backstory.

Any complaints about the drama? Every drama has a flaw or two, and Sell Your Haunted House had a major one. Somewhere near the ending of the drama, there were some anticlimactic twists. I would've preferred something else for the story that would make everything even richer.

Overall, this drama was so enjoyable. I've definitely become a fan of Jang Na Ra. Give this drama a shot, you won't regret it.

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A very good Kdrama that a has mix of everything. (Read Description)

I've watched tons and tons of shows, and been getting bored of very show due it lack of diversity and the cliche cinderella themed plots. This drama is completely the opposite of that. I am glad the female lead is very strong even though she has a bad backstory/past. This so is just so amazing, i loved every moment of it. It did get boring at times but for the most part it had me hiding under my covers or on my feet! It does lack in the romance but the story and acting is so good that i really dont mind it! I reccomend this to anyone to watch! The show is so good and addicting.

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If you are looking for a supernatural romance, this might not be it BUT

It has leads (and supporting characters) with great chemistry who goes on supernatural adventures. It is a story exploring human relationships and actions.
If you are still hesitant, I say, just do it.
Why should you watch it:
1) It is really refreshing to have a female character who is strong.
Not just the type of 'strong' that dissipates because the plot requires the male lead to come and save the damsel kind of 'strong'. Of course, throughout the story, both Ji Ah and In Beom save each other many times, but it didn't feel forced. The circumstances made sense with each of their core characteristics and plot development.
p.s The Female characters are not annoying and quite likeable.

2) The characters in the different cases are presented fantastically.
They feel real and bring resonance and sympathy as the story unravels. Even though they are dealing with these scary ghosts, it makes you wonder if ghosts are really the most scary things. Is it the people, the actions, the society or just your own regrets.

3) This is NOT as dark as it might look.
Even though it discusses things about regrets, society, crime and GHOSTS, it feels like it is a discussion and a comment rather than a deep dive. (This might be good for some or bad for some people). It doesn't aim to make you feel depressed or give you feelings of atmosphere of oppression (e.g. strangers from hell). The overall outlook of the show is positive.

Last but not least
4) Well paced
The pacing feels good. If there is a problem, it is usually sorted out quite quickly. It doesn't feel draggy.

Critiques:
There isn't much negatives. If you are super logical and a realist, maybe there are something that might you might be able to nit pick. However, it is not aimed to be a serious crime drama so it is acceptable. It will not disturb you viewing experience.

Final Note:
I really appreciate that The romance is not forced, I think it is good to see the different relationships between all the key characters and how they care and look out for one another. If you do decide to watch it, happy drama watching!

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Interesting story, but lacking in character design

The idea was interesting, the storytelling was good enough to keep me going. As I said before, I liked the cases they were working together, they made me somewhat invested in the characters tragedies.

But it was sad that they didn't put more effort into building a solid background for the exorcism itself. They always mentioned some historical infos here and there, so it would help the current case, but it always felt only half-baked and clumsy in thinking it through. Especially the dealing with the cases during the last episodes, even though the action during those episodes was really good.

I always found Jang Na Ra's character very one-dimensional, although I liked her resting b**-face at times. But seeing it throughout the whole 16 eps was tedious. And there was NO character development, a smirk here and there doesn't make it any better. Her male part, Oh In-Beom was way more interesting (even though I'm usually not a fan of the actor). Jung Yong Hwa's acting skills were somewhat limited (or the writing lacked) but still more entertaining than Jang Na Ra here.

Also, the villian!! Please... I'm a fan of Ahn Kil Kang, but the writing of his character was just so, so bad! There was no depth, no background story, no explaining of his character. What a waste of potential.

Overall: Entertaining because of the cases and the CGI. Really, the special effects were really well done! The ghosts at times were frightening, one or two jump-scares (when you watch it at night, alone, lol), and that special faceless one was an interesting idea and a good implementation.

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Exceeded Expectations

This is one that does a good job with blending drama/horror, humor, and tear-jerking moments. I've been holding off on watching this for quite some time because this is a genre/plot that usually isn't done very well. But happily, it became one where I continued to look forward to every next episode until the last.

The main crew of the cast had fantastic chemistry with one another- one that makes you smile with them, cry with them, and root for them. The plot flow was done really well and there was enough "houses to sell" stories in addition to the main underlying story to keep it satisfying. (Sometimes feel tricked with other series where they start off with one or two individual stories and then just drag the rest of episodes into the main one.) It isn't the most complex plot you'll come across but it also isn't an overly simplified one. There are some plot holes but a perfect plot with heavy attention to detail isn't something that should be expected too much for a supernatural genre.

There is a light layer of corny such as the FL always being dressed in black and the ML being dressed mostly in white, etc. But in this case, it works well as it's part of the charm. It is quite difficult to be able to smoothly incorporate a natural lighthearted feel for a plot with multiple darker undertones, so the higher score for the series is well deserved. The only distracting negative was the very obvious ad placement/marketing in certain scenes where it took it a bit too far with the selling of the drinks/snacks/skincare. Nevertheless, highly recommend for anyone who is looking for a balance of emotional triggers.

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A nice horror comedy drama

i’m not a big fan of ghost themed dramas but WOW this drama took my breath away! my initial thoughts upon starting this drama is there’d be scary ghosts and violent scenes but this drama put a unique twist on the supernatural genre: hong ji ah a mysterious, strong enigma who owns daebak real estate, a company that specially sells haunted houses. her abilities to exorcise ghosts were awesome ( the way she’d remove that hairpin from her hair made her look so cool ) but she always holds a mysterious aura that simply pulled you in to her character and made you wonder just what weight does she carry on her shoulders. i love the fact that the ghosts ji ah encountered all had a backstory and gave some depth and meaning to the plotline, which leads us to our other lead: oh in bum, a conman that ji ah encounters. and guess what: in bum specializes in exorcism fraud. what a coincidence.

this drama was packed with action and never was there a dull moment, and the acting especially blew my mind — jang na ra was simply out of this world! she wore a stoic expression but upon meeting her gaze you could see the deeply buried pain that would briefly resurface; when she cried your heart would constrict with her just as much as it would soar upon seeing her have a moment of happiness. jang na ra’s acting was flawless, she fit the role of hong ji ah so well i can’t imagine anyone else playing the role. another thing i loved about this drama was the characters and their portrayals. as ji ah and in bum slowly got to know each other you could see they had developed romantic feelings but nothing needed to be said: they had each other’s backs and i love the maturity they both had ( ex: when ji ah found out her mother’s death was connected to in bum’s uncle’s death and she lashed out at IB, she swallowed her pride and apologized to him, showing her maturity and that she truly cared for in bum ). they worked amazingly together as exorcist and psychic, especially their fight scenes! there was no actual romance but the drama was okay without it, the characters were still enjoyable.

the recurring antagonist, do kak sung, is one that certainly infuriated me with his horrid crimes and manipulative tendencies — the actor did will on his role as I found myself hating DKS more and more as the drama progressed. he played a large role in the deaths of many characters, IB’s uncle as well, and DKS is a prime example that when allowed, greed can poison a person’s heart and lead them to do despicable things; till the end our gang dealt with him and his evil, the ending showing DKS getting sealed away eternally — the villain getting defeated and the characters finally being able to move on well, a satisfying ending in my book. overall this drama was paced well, i found it difficult for me to say goodbye to this drama; i’ll miss the characters greatly, i enjoyed every episode thoroughly, a 16 hours well spent in my eyes. if you’re looking for a good supernatural / ghost themed plot with a steady storyline and no-filler episodes i 100% recommend this drama! congratulations to the actors + directors / producers that helped in creating a truly amazing drama and, in my opinion, one of the best 2021 dramas.

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Ode to Ji Ah

The drama has a promising start with an exorcist and a medium solving ghost mysteries following the familiar ghost-of-the week format. The title is inaccurate because the plot only focuses on the exorcism storylines with the realty business being an afterthought. No actual home selling is being shown in any of the episodes. What I liked about the drama is that every ghost story is not only about sending ghosts happily ever after into the afterlife. Both Ji Ah and In Beom experience ghost memories allowing them to resolve any unfinished business and provide closure to the surviving family, which adds depth to the story and characters.

The drama's weakest link is Ji Ah. When she is not brooding, she is crying. When she is not crying, she is mad. When she is not doing any of these, she is sleeping. She is completely underdeveloped as a character and keeps doing the same things in every episode, which significantly affects her relationships with everyone else. Her and Oh In Beom have many near death experiences and share ghost memories. He even helps to send her mom's ghost into the afterlife. There is so much potential to develop their relationship into a solid friendship, even with a possibility of romance. But, with Ji Ah's perpetually constipated attitude, they always feel like strangers.

Even the promising exorcism plot turns into an endless loop of Ji Ah drama. The story surrounding mom's death becomes a boring array of flashbacks showing the same thing over and over and over with Ji Ah's always losing her sh*t at the end. The egg ghost plotline is the most compelling, but it is completely underdeveloped and ends with a fart, while the writers insist on boring us with scenes of Ji Ah crying hysterically after suffering through another dead mom flashback.

I really enjoyed about 2/3 this drama, but the poor writing at the end and a lack of character development were disappointing.

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