Hotel Del Luna Review

This is the first time that I’m writing something about a Korean show. However, this one caught my eye, and after three episodes in, I’m completely hooked. Instead of giving a general overview, I’ll be mentioning specific things about why I love this show.

Small spoilers ahead.

Hotel Del Luna Synopsis

Paying for her past sins, Jang Man Wol (IU) is the CEO of Hotel Del Luna, a hotel for ghosts. When an injured human stumbles across and enters her hotel, she agrees to let him live in exchange for his son, Goo Chang Seong (Yeo Jin Goo), twenty years later. To remind him of his promise, she sends evening primroses to Goo Chang Seong every year on his birthday.

In 2019, Goo Chang Seong returns to Seoul after graduating from Harvard Business School. Although twenty years have passed, Chang Seong still receives flowers from an unknown sender. He soon meets Jang Man Wol where she forces him to become her hotel manager to which he refuses many times. To ‘convince’ him, she gifts him the ability to see ghosts.

Jang Man Wol

She’s fickle, mysterious, beautiful, and arguably greedy.

As the female protagonist of the show, her character is greatly contrasted with Chang Seong. From the beginning, we learn she’s neither living nor dead. She appears to be stuck in a time loop.

We get glimpses of her past before Hotel Del Luna. However, it’s still unclear what sin she’s paying for. According to Wiki, the only way she can escape is if she finds someone who committed a worse crime than her.

Her femme fatale character is what makes Hotel Del Luna so compelling. Additionally, in almost every scene, she is wearing a different, glamorous outfit that further emphasizes her dangerous personality.

Pacing

Each episode is approximately 70 minutes long. But the pacing is so good.

From character relationship development to revealing more about Jang Man Wol’s past, there’s always something to keep you intrigued.

I also have a feeling this show will have Chang Seong and Man Wol helping various ghosts before they move onto the afterlife in addition to finding out who Man Wol is and their budding relationship.

Soundtrack

So far there’s a total of three ballad soundtracks for Hotel Del Luna: Another Day, Lean On My Shoulder, and A Poem Titled You. Not much to say, but all three are playlist material.

Hotel Del Luna – A Fairtytale Remake

If there’s one key takeaway from Hotel Del Luna is its similarity to Beauty and The Beast.

Jang Man Wol is the beast, a character with a ‘evil’ personality stuck in a glamorous palace. She’s also tied to a ‘flower tree’ in the hotel garden. Chang Seong is Belle, an intelligent and pure-hearted man who is forced to stay and work for the beast.

I love the spin the writers put on the original tale by combining with historical and modern elements. If you’re looking for a new show, I highly recommend Hotel Del Luna.