One glance at the cast shows why Hotel del Luna is and will be one of the most talked about dramas of 2019. A second glance highlights an interesting premise, and more in-depth research reveals HDL’s insane ratings and chart-topping music. The only blemish is the screenwriters, the infamous Hong sisters, though many love their work. Unfortunately, HDL does not quite live up to the hype, and I find its substance a bit lacking, much like candy. Still, I’m sure HDL will be a must-watch for most viewers regardless of what I say, but maybe I can lower your expectations just a hair. Who knows - maybe you can better appreciate the show without such lofty expectations.

Story:
I am not purposefully trying to rain on the parade, but the story is the weakest aspect of Hotel del Luna. To HDL’s credit, fantasy is one of the most challenging genres to pull-off in kdramas (said another way, it’s easier to relate to human dramas). The other two Hong sister supernatural dramas I have seen are The Master’s Sun and My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. I am not a huge fan of The Master’s Sun, and I have a feeling that Gumiho has not aged well since its debut in 2010. The Hong sisters are a master of the romcom craft, and the overall story remains surprisingly coherent through its multiple time period settings.The balance of romance and comedy is also carefully weighed, and each piece of HDL’s episodic format adds to the main underlying plot and tension.

Many may think that HDL’s plot is incredible based on what I have said thus far. The true challenge that HDL does not quite surpass is a relatable and believable gravity within the main plotline. It is not enough to say the main character waited hundreds of years for this moment and expect all viewers to immediately empathize with her. HDL fails to adequately address some critical questions: Why wait hundreds of years? Is this really a problem/challenge? The Hong Sisters’ responses are sadly insufficient. Looking back, one of the root causes is that too many subplots, plots, characters are covered over 16 episodes, even if each episode is over one hour long. As a whole, the story, while intriguing, did not leave me thinking about it throughout the week like some of my favorite dramas.

Acting:
Hotel Del Luna boasts two of the hottest main leads of 2019, IU and Yeo Jin-goo. I had 2 thoughts before starting HDL: unsurety of IU’s shedding of the idol-actress image and the poor taste left after Absolute Boyfriend. Let me caveat that I did not finish the most recent dramas starring IU or YJG, My Mister and My Absolute Boyfriend, respectively. In HDL, both exceed my lowered expectations. In comparing the 2 leads, Goo Chan-Sung shows a narrower range of emotions and often plays the straight man, shutting down many of Jang Man-Wol’s anctics. YJG executes this role with precision and professionalism, plus he’s only 22! I look forward to his future performances as he continues to grow as an actor.

Jang Man-Wol experiences a much wider range of emotions and actions, and I cannot confidently say that IU is a bonafide top star (of acting) yet. The main reason is because the casting of IU is as much a part of her success as her acting chops. HDL jumps between romance, comedy, and drama frequently and sharply. IU’s execution, like YJG, is exceptional, but sometimes it looks more like IU playing multiple characters vs her portraying one consistent character. Furthermore, IU puts together a more convincing character in the “drama” scenes than the romance and comedy scenes, and the chemistry between the two leads is just short of electric. All around, I praise IU for committing to her acting career and participating in different genres of dramas/movies, and I fully expect her to become a topflight actress sooner or later.

Here are a couple thoughts on the supporting cast. Overall, the supporting cast is as wonderful as the leads, but they lose major screen time to not only the main leads but also to the guests who fill out the episodic format of HDL (again, a criticism more of the story than acting). Of course, there are weaker areas, one being Kang Mi-Na. Her character is convoluted and a difficult challenge for the young actress. Hopefully, she grows and follows/exceeds IU’s acting career trajectory. To end on a sweet note, I am a huge fan of Kang Hong-Suk and would love to see more screen time from him in the future.

Music:
The backing cast of artists for Hotel del Luna is incredible, especially for kpop fans. Even the non-”pop” singers are well-respected veterans of kballad. So, I won’t get into every single song and artist from the OST. I will mention Song Ha-ye because she is relatively “new” (5+ year vet) and may be lesser known. Her track, “Say Goodbye”, fits great with the drama, and her latest hit, “Your Regards”, is definitely worth a listen. My favorite track from the OST is Heize’s “Can You See My Heart”. It didn’t top the music charts like Taeyeon’s or Gummy’s, but I still listen to it on repeat! Also, nearly an hour of original music for a cable network drama?! HDL shines bright in countless ways.

Rewatch Value:
Writing this review made me reconsider my thoughts on Hotel del Luna as a whole. I would enjoy HDL more had I binged the drama instead of following the weekly releases. Since I found the main storyline slightly unconvincing, my interest in HDL wavered while waiting for a new episode. It is entirely possible that I bump up the overall rating by half a point after a binge rewatch. However, I do not have any plans to rewatch HDL at the moment.