tvN’s “Hotel Del Luna” has been a hot topic even before it made its premiere, due to its stellar cast (led by IU and Yeo Jin Goo) and crew (the screenplay is written by the famous Hong Sisters).
A month into the drama’s run, “Hotel Del Luna” remains one of the most buzzworthy dramas airing now and recently hit the double digits in viewership ratings.
Spoilers
Here are three reasons why viewers may be drawn to “Hotel Del Luna”:
The Hong Sisters’ trademark humor
Combining horror, romance, and comedy has become one of the Hong Sisters’ trademarks after their success with “Master’s Sun” in 2013. In “Hotel Del Luna,” the comedy comes from the witty dialogue between Jang Man Wol (IU) and Goo Chan Sung (Yeo Jin Goo).
When Chan Sung worries about whether Man Wol will reincarnate as a dog or pig in the next life, she tells him, “I’m okay with being a chicken. If I reincarnate as chicken noodles and end up meeting you again, I’ll greet you like, ‘Hi? I’m tasty if you eat me with fresh kimchi.” Chan Sung, not to be outdone, responds, “From next month, you won’t even have money to buy chicken noodles.”
The Hong Sisters’ trademark humor also comes out in the supporting characters, who have no sense of tact. Sanchez (Cho Hyun Chul) has left a particularly strong impression on viewers, but in recent episodes, Shin Jung Geun and Nam Da Reum‘s characters also made people laugh with their cluelessness.
Clues that reward repeat watching
In the house of a lonely senior and their faithful pet, Seo Yi Sook‘s character opened the door a little for the pet to escape. However, the pet chose to stay by their owner’s side and die with them. This scene was an illustration of divine power versus human free will: gods can open the door, but the final choice lies with the person.
This has also been interpreted as a foreshadowing of Man Wol and Chan Sung’s situation: the gods have given Man Wol a “door” in the form of Chan Sung, but it all lies on Chan Sung’s own choices. In another scene, the extinguishing of the ghost in Room 13 gives Chan Sung a glimpse of what could happen to Man Wol in the future.
Viewers have been drawn not only to watch “Hotel Del Luna” but to rewatch it multiple times in order to see how each week’s episode alludes to Man Wol and Chan Sung’s relationship.
Domination of music charts
Factors that contribute to the buzzworthiness of a drama include hearing about the drama even when it’s not onscreen. “Hotel Del Luna” has been dominating the music charts over the past month with their OSTs (original soundtracks), sung by amazing artists (and consistent chart-toppers) like Taeyeon, Gummy, Paul Kim, and BEN.
Moreover, the OSTs are well-synchronized with the storyline and relationships. Producer Song Dong Woon, who is in charge of OST production, stated, “We prepare the OSTs according to the story’s flow in advance of the broadcast. We approached and cast the ‘golden lineup’ of artists before the drama began airing.”
What are some of the reasons you’ve been drawn to “Hotel Del Luna?”
Source: Soompi