This review may contain spoilers
IU dominated this drama...
I was not surprised to witness another stellar performance from IU. This woman is just so talented that she always over-delivers regardless of how big or small her role is. IU as Man Wol was the perfect angsty and badass boss lady. Her angry scenes were so scary and credible (and funny too). Oppa found those moments absolutely cute and adorable. But even if Man Wol's supposedly jaded after living a thousand plus years, IU is still able to convey Man Wol's fears and vulnerability through her magnificently dramatic eyes. She handles heavy drama really, really well. Some of my favorite moments were the scenes where her friend Yeon Woo (Lee Tae Sun of Prison Playbook and Suits) was executed and all of the scenes where she and her staff had to move on to the afterlife. Those were heavy moments but IU handled them with so much restraint (yes, no loud wailing) while still managing to deliver those emotions with a lot of intensity. I felt so sad for Man Wol. Living that long and unhappy life must have been really hell for her. But I also understood (and appreciated) where the Mago (various deities all played by Seo Yi Sook of Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol and Start-Up) was coming from. The Hotel was like purgatory for her - a place where she's given the opportunity to make amends for her past sins. She would have vanished as an evil ghost but the Mago probably thought that her crimes were somehow justified because she did them as revenge for what happened to her people. I was glad that she got that chance because I knew she was a good person. No, Jin Goo was not as spectacular as IU. I felt he struggled quite a bit during the heavy drama scenes that required him to cry, hence, he had to resort to covering his face most of the time. But IU's in a totally different level and I don't think it would be fair to compare them. Overall, I was happy with Jin Goo's delivery. I loved his steady and reliable acting especially during the scenes when he had to persuade the feisty Man Wol.
I loved how Chan Sung always reassured Man Wol that he would protect her, be by her side, and never allow her to go into the dark side. And how he kept that promise! I loved how Chan Sung would always hug Man Wol whenever she was doubtful or afraid. Those hugs were definitely one of the things I looked forward to in the show. They made me feel so secure.
And Man Wol always did her best to protect Chan Sung too. I loved it when she said that although the dead are bound to lose their memories as they walk along the bridge to the afterlife, she would hold on to her memories of Chan Sung for as long she can. And I loved how she kept that promise when she sent off her first love, Go Chung Myung (Lee Do Hyun of Prison Playbook), on that bridge. Man Wol was not swayed and she never forgot her promise to go back to Chan Sung.
One of my favorite themes in the show is the inclusion of reincarnation, specifically Man-Wol’s past life characters showing up centuries later in 2019. It’s quite entertaining watching her hold grudges towards oblivious people that affected her in their past lives, such as Mi-Ra and Yeon-Woo. In their past lives, Yeon-Woo was Man-Wol’s best friend and Mi-Ra was her sworn enemy. However, in their new lives, Mi-Ra and Yeon-Woo are a couple, to which Man-Wol doesn’t take well. I have to say that I kept waiting for Yeon-Woo to get a more interactive role in his new life, maybe develop a heart-warming friendship with Man-Wol again to help her cope with the 1000 years of isolation and loneliness she endured being bound to the hotel.
There are a lot of twists and turns surrounding Man-Wol’s love life, with constant flashbacks to her previous life relationships we develop an understanding that she is waiting for her past love interest, Chung-Myung, to return to her and walk the path to the afterlife together. However, throughout the drama, there is a slow-developing relationship between Man-Wol and Chan-Sung that could seem forced to some or just inevitable, but it results in Man-Wol having to choose between the two further on in the drama.
I loved the music in this show. They definitely helped set the mood, especially for the drama scenes.
I was happy with how the show ended. Yes, it was sad. But that was the right and logical thing to do. Chan Sung's love for Man Wol was so great that he no longer wanted to see her suffer while living her long and unhappy life. He let her go and he trusted that their love for each other will bring them together again in their next lives. Overall, I think that IU well presented the beautiful yet avaricious character of Man-Wol and will forever be a fashion icon for me. It’s a show where you must pay attention to the plot and make up your own theories and conspiracies, which just makes it all that more exciting.
I loved how Chan Sung always reassured Man Wol that he would protect her, be by her side, and never allow her to go into the dark side. And how he kept that promise! I loved how Chan Sung would always hug Man Wol whenever she was doubtful or afraid. Those hugs were definitely one of the things I looked forward to in the show. They made me feel so secure.
And Man Wol always did her best to protect Chan Sung too. I loved it when she said that although the dead are bound to lose their memories as they walk along the bridge to the afterlife, she would hold on to her memories of Chan Sung for as long she can. And I loved how she kept that promise when she sent off her first love, Go Chung Myung (Lee Do Hyun of Prison Playbook), on that bridge. Man Wol was not swayed and she never forgot her promise to go back to Chan Sung.
One of my favorite themes in the show is the inclusion of reincarnation, specifically Man-Wol’s past life characters showing up centuries later in 2019. It’s quite entertaining watching her hold grudges towards oblivious people that affected her in their past lives, such as Mi-Ra and Yeon-Woo. In their past lives, Yeon-Woo was Man-Wol’s best friend and Mi-Ra was her sworn enemy. However, in their new lives, Mi-Ra and Yeon-Woo are a couple, to which Man-Wol doesn’t take well. I have to say that I kept waiting for Yeon-Woo to get a more interactive role in his new life, maybe develop a heart-warming friendship with Man-Wol again to help her cope with the 1000 years of isolation and loneliness she endured being bound to the hotel.
There are a lot of twists and turns surrounding Man-Wol’s love life, with constant flashbacks to her previous life relationships we develop an understanding that she is waiting for her past love interest, Chung-Myung, to return to her and walk the path to the afterlife together. However, throughout the drama, there is a slow-developing relationship between Man-Wol and Chan-Sung that could seem forced to some or just inevitable, but it results in Man-Wol having to choose between the two further on in the drama.
I loved the music in this show. They definitely helped set the mood, especially for the drama scenes.
I was happy with how the show ended. Yes, it was sad. But that was the right and logical thing to do. Chan Sung's love for Man Wol was so great that he no longer wanted to see her suffer while living her long and unhappy life. He let her go and he trusted that their love for each other will bring them together again in their next lives. Overall, I think that IU well presented the beautiful yet avaricious character of Man-Wol and will forever be a fashion icon for me. It’s a show where you must pay attention to the plot and make up your own theories and conspiracies, which just makes it all that more exciting.
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