Going through grieving this year took me so hard, it left me a complete mess. I just couldn't get my beliefs to match with the deep sorrow. Unexpectedly, watching Hotel del Luna actually helped me to be ready to open the drawer in my mind of those confused feelings and to face the concepts about death that had turned upside-down. How could a kdrama do that you ask? Well, I think it was that it gave me the opportunity to see a different approach to death and to good and evil. Needless to say, I think this drama is beautiful and unique.  


THE STORY
You won't find a kdrama like this one. The premise in itself is very original, a hotel for the dead ones to solve their pending business before passing to the afterlife is brilliant. While most dramas are predictable and full of tropes, Hotel del Luna goes for something different.

The way the story unfolds was beyond my expectations. What I thought to be a story about ghosts turned into a deep story about redemption. Jang Man-Wol´s past slowly unfolds as this starts to intertwine with the present and the mysteries of it keep you hooked and gasping when they are finally revealed.

I was fascinated with all the fantasy and mythology in this drama and the way they portray them in a modern context. From the magic tree representing Man-Wol, to the characters of Death and Mago that aren't either good or bad.

THE ACTING 
We got a lot of ghosts in this drama but it was actually the emotion the cast conveyed for their characters and their stories what made me shiver.

• IU's performance took another level in this drama. Our sweet girl transformed into a badass with a cold face that said don't mess with me bitch and then as Jang Man-Wol started to soften, we'd see her mastering the art of saying more with little gestures. One of my favorite scenes, for example, is when Goo Chan-Sung tells her that she wouldn't be able to handle him without clothes and you can see her expressions going from figuring out what he means, to imagining it and then to a mischievous grin, all of these perfectly portrayed.
  
• Yeo Jin Goo, what can I say? I love this guy since he was young and adorable and now he is all grown up in a leading role and still adorable (I'm feeling like a proud aunt here) so yeah, he is perfect to save Man-Wol's soul (and ours too). You don't often see a male character like Goo Chan-Sung in a kdrama, one that isn´t cold despite being smart, that supports the female protagonist (without being the second lead) and that was saved by the woman as well. 
• All the secondary characters weren't just there as filling, I liked to see their stories and how, in some cases, they'll even have an important role in the main characters' development. And let's not forget the special guest actors' appearances that gave life (hahaha see what I just did here?) to the hotel.

THE FASHION
Kdramas are often good fashion inspiration but Hotel del Luna is a total feast for my eyes. Man-Wol´s has to be the best-dressed protagonist ever with a vintage style that perfectly fits a 1300-year-old woman that has gone through all the history periods. Every single outfit was stunning that it was so hard to pick just one, at the end, I have to say I went for the one I'm most obsessed to wear.  

THE ENDING

• Let's just take a moment for poor soldier Goo Chung-Myung. He didn't want to betray Jang Man-Wol (just say why you did it man instead of killing yourself!) and yet he took the punishment and stayed with her as a firefly for centuries #poorunforntunatesoul. I have to say this is the complicated love triangle I've been wanting to see.
• Ok now let's talk about the ending: It was perfect and wonderful and it left me in a puddle of tears. Not a lot of kdrama endings are good (sometimes they are rushed while others use time fillers) but this one was excellent. It was definetly more bitter than sweet but it was what it needed to be. Is a drama about death after all, but more than anything is about accepting death.
• And the ultimate guest's appearance, Kim Soo Hyun as the new owner of the now “Hotel Blue Moon”, wow what a way to make a comeback after his militar service. I know there's nothing planned for a second season but let me tell you, it has potential.