> Life is an endless reincarnation of meetings intertwined by Fate and Past. This is Visually An aesthetically pleasing, original fantasy drama . You should watch it just for IU ; she will be your crush .


I didn't expect this drama to leave this much impression but from cinematography to acting, it couldn't be described in words of how beautiful this drama is. What made this drama impressive is the fact that the old-era storyline was so nuanced that I became invested on it as much as the modern storyline. This drama while maintaining its romantic essence manages to covers nuanced and serious themes that revolves around today's society such as political corruption, accidental deaths, online bullying and many more. The drama made an excellent way of making all the characters' likeable by having their story leave a deep impact.
Unlike the traditional Ghost stories which focus on individual ghosts and less progress on story line ; Del Luna has the right mix of both the original story and filler ghost stores ; every ghost has a interesting background and a lesson to teach each of the staff there by nurturing the frozen ghosts and warming their hearts to accept the reality and pass-on .

Man Wol (IU) is the centre piece of this art show ; with breathtaking designer dress and hairstyles ; she stood out the most in the show and probably carried it till the end. Her capricious emotions in the show are eye pleasing and entertaining.The way IU presents her character’s conflicting ego and heart is as poignant as it is mysterious, and she executes the identity of a CEO with a low economic IQ with hilarity.

There’s only one protagonist in this story, her name being Man Wol. There’s nothing wrong with this, but it is a bit of a letdown that everyone else has the potential to be equally interesting, yet doesn’t get nearly enough development. Chan Sung, for example, is a nobody—beyond pushing Man Wol to address her emotional wounds, he doesn’t possess the individualism that a lead character should have. This means that while the interactions between him and Man Wol may be compelling to watch, the moment that you isolate Chan Sung away from her, he devolves into a character who’s mediocre at best and painfully boring at worst. Seeing as I view Chan Sung like this, that should give you a pretty good idea of what I think of the other supporting characters: meh.

[spoiler]The only other support characters that stuck a chord are Hyun and Yoo-na ; their chemistry and the pain of parting was emotional at the end. [/spoiler]


That all being said, I can see the reasons behind the hype. I just wouldn’t say that they’re justified: gorgeous cinematography, a cast list riddled with famous names, and an amazing soundtrack are all great assets to have within a drama. If future shows could continue Hotel Del Luna’s ability to create an effective atmosphere, I would have zero complaints. But what use is all of that if the show at its core doesn’t match up to the level of its decorations? Hotel Del Luna is almost sadly entertaining in that it may be fun in the moment, but doesn’t leave a deep enough impression to be phenomenal.

I would rate it 8.5 ; although not at the level of CLOY,LOTBS; because of the wonderful ending ; it has all the right emotions [spoiler] during the goodbyes [/spoiler]. If you like ghost stories in particular and liked Master's Sun ; you would love Del Lune.

A story about healing, moving on, forgiveness, and loving again

n.b.: Might contain what others consider as "spoiler" but is not in my opinion.

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At first, one would assume this is a typical romantic comedy about some couple who found each other, denies being in loved, and eventually lived happily ever after. However, one will soon learn that this is a story about healing, moving on, forgiveness, and loving again.

IU, as Jang Man Weol the owner of Hotel del Luna, beautifully brought to life her character. She successfully hid her image as the world's "Queen of Pop" with her superb acting. From a very friendly, approachable, smiling IU, she totally became the bitter, easy to anger, and strict that is Jang Man Weol. As this story spans a thousand years, IU's talent in acting shone as she took on different roles and genres in one series.

One would probably also assume that Hotel del Luna was an IU show especially since she wore countless of dresses in every 1.5-hour episode, which could range from a thousand years ago to the present. I would say she probably beaten Lucy Liu in Elementary in this area, turning a series into a subtle fashion show. However, Yeo Jin Goo made this his own show as well, himself a veteran actor who have taken challenging roles, playing as Goo Chan Sung, the Hotel Manager, equalised the show between the two actors and their characters.

The music were also great. Yeo Jin Goo's and IU's acting were more than enough but with the right music at the right time, it deepened the emotional connection to the important scenes. From action to the most heart-wrenching scenes, the music made the series very memorable and touching, especially for those who are going through the same challenges in their lives.

The writers also did well. While Hotel del Luna was a hotel for ghosts/spirits, nothing was too scary, I wouldn't even categorised this show as "horror". In each episode, they touched on different subjects about death, murder, accidents, forgiveness, and separation with the people we love, that longing desire to be with them even after life has ended. They carefully guided the show to not turn into "horror"--which amateur writers would've fallen into and throw the story everywhere--by always bringing in the light-hearted comedy of Yeo Jin Goo and IU.

Finally, the overall story of healing, moving on, forgiveness, and loving again was told perfectly in 16 episodes averaging 1 hour and 20 minutes each. This was very eye-opening for those of us who were recently deeply broken, those of us who are denying we have lingering bitterness in our hearts, those of us who are finding it hard to forgive and move on. Goo Chan Sung and Jang Man Wol showed us how and why we should heal, move on, forgive, and love again. Goo Chan Sung demonstrated to us how we should let someone heal first before entering into a relationship with them, how we can be the support they need and not give in to their every demands just because they were deeply hurt. While Jang Man Wol told us how bitterness and an unforgiving heart can lead one to live a sad, unfulfilling, pointless life, and how we can once again love by healing ourselves first.

Thank you to the whole team for bringing us an amazing production and a great meaningful story.

If there will ever be a "Hotel Blue Moon", I hope that it will tell meaningful stories as with Hotel del Luna, and that the sequel wouldn't fall into "just another entertainment show"--a common pitfall with sequels.

Hotel del Luna: 100 out of 10 stars!

**_A story about healing, moving on, forgiveness, and loving again_**

_n.b.: Might contain what others consider as "spoiler" but is not in my opinion._

-------

At first, one would assume this is a typical romantic comedy about some couple who found each other, denies being in loved, and eventually lived happily ever after. However, one will soon learn that this is a story about healing, moving on, forgiveness, and loving again.

IU, as Jang Man Weol the owner of Hotel del Luna, beautifully brought to life her character. She successfully hid her image as the world's "Queen of Pop" with her superb acting. From a very friendly, approachable, smiling IU, she totally became the bitter, easy to anger, and strict that is Jang Man Weol. As this story spans a thousand years, IU's talent in acting shone as she took on different roles and genres in one series.

One would probably also assume that Hotel del Luna was an IU show especially since she wore countless of dresses in every 1.5-hour episode, which could range from a thousand years ago to the present. I would say she probably beaten Lucy Liu in Elementary in this area, turning a series into a subtle fashion show. However, Yeo Jin Goo made this his own show as well, himself a veteran actor who have taken challenging roles, playing as Goo Chan Sung, the Hotel Manager, equalised the show between the two actors and their characters.

The music were also great. Yeo Jin Goo's and IU's acting were more than enough but with the right music at the right time, it deepened the emotional connection to the important scenes. From action to the most heart-wrenching scenes, the music made the series very memorable and touching, especially for those who are going through the same challenges in their lives.

The writers also did well. While Hotel del Luna was a hotel for ghosts/spirits, nothing was too scary, I wouldn't even categorised this show as "horror". In each episode, they touched on different subjects about death, murder, accidents, forgiveness, and separation with the people we love, that longing desire to be with them even after life has ended. They carefully guided the show to not turn into "horror"--which amateur writers would've fallen into and throw the story everywhere--by always bringing in the light-hearted comedy of Yeo Jin Goo and IU.

Finally, the overall story of healing, moving on, forgiveness, and loving again was told perfectly in 16 episodes averaging 1 hour and 20 minutes each. This was very eye-opening for those of us who were recently deeply broken, those of us who are denying we have lingering bitterness in our hearts, those of us who are finding it hard to forgive and move on. Goo Chan Sung and Jang Man Wol showed us how and why we should heal, move on, forgive, and love again. Goo Chan Sung demonstrated to us how we should let someone heal first before entering into a relationship with them, how we can be the support they need and not give in to their every demands just because they were deeply hurt. While Jang Man Wol told us how bitterness and an unforgiving heart can lead one to live a sad, unfulfilling, pointless life, and how we can once again love by healing ourselves first.

Thank you to the whole team for bringing us an amazing production and a great meaningful story.

If there will ever be a "Hotel Blue Moon", I hope that it will tell meaningful stories as with Hotel del Luna, and that the sequel wouldn't fall into "just another entertainment show"--a common pitfall with sequels.

Hotel del Luna: 100 out of 10 stars!