Jang Man Wol - Blog Posts

Hotel del Luna had such a bittersweet ending.

And Jang Man Wol - she's a fashion icon.

~ A small look-book of Jang Man Wol’s killer wardrobe and a big talent-appreciation post. ~ 

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‘Hotel Del Luna’ Showed Me That Sometimes, You Get To Choose Who You Call ‘Family’

I wasn't ready to see IU on screen. I wasn't ready for that killer walk in a purple high-slight gown with a rifle in hand. I wasn't ready either for a drama world filled with magic, humor and sass. But it happened and there I already adding 'Hotel Del Luna' to my 're-watch' and 'favorites' lists.

The Story:

The story commences with Jang Man Wol, a 1000-year-old woman for whom the flow of time has stopped. As a manager of 'Hotel Del Luna' (a pit-stop for souls to rest and move on from the earthly realm to afterlife), Man Wol is snooty, obsessed with money, high-end fashion and the latest cars.

In comes Koo Chan Sung, a Forbes-listed hotelier who's bound by a curse to work for Del Luna and hence, he comes to be the 99th caretaker (private secretary) of Jang Man Wol.

We now enter the world of spirits and their stories that deal with our deep attachment to the past, need for revenge, the beauty of letting go and the very scientific bearings of karma. These are wonderfully conveyed in the drama through humor, sensitivity and wisdom.

The hotel staff consists of 3 primary ghosts: Kim Sun Bi, a misunderstood Joseon scholar with a tainted name, Choi Seo Hee, a wronged mother seeking vengeance and Ji Hyun Joong, a brother who is waiting to step into the afterlife with his still-living baby sister.

What I loved:

~ Man Wol's potty mouth + impeccable wardrobe + kind heart 🎃 ~ Beautiful stories of spirits' healing  🎃 ~ The bubbly deity Ma Go Shin and the superbly deadpan Grim Reaper Sa Shin 🎃 ~ The interplay between past and present of each character's story 🎃 ~ Korean mythology and magic 🎃 ~ Man Wol & Goo Chan Sung's love 🎃

Learnings:

1. "Do not judge a book by its cover."

The saying particularly fits Man Wol's character which on the surface, seems selfish and self-centered but actually houses a lot of compassion and justice within. With every episode, through Koo Chan Sung, we come across various layers of Man Wol's personality which seem otherwise absent. This taught me to look beyond what I perceive people to be and allow myself the chance to really know them.

2. Choosing what's best for the one you love is an act of deep courage.

This is my favorite part of Man Wol and Koo Chan Sung's connection. They choose what is the best for the person they love and help them bloom into the best versions of who they are. While it seems like the obvious thing to do, it is far from easy but this is exactly why true love is termed 'selfless'.

3. And while you're here, live. Do not simply exist.  Time and time again, whether it is through the stories of the ghosts or through Man Wol, I learned the power of living each day to the fullest. Which includes lots of laughter, walking your own path, ticking of that wish-list of dreams and loving people deeply.

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Okay, so I've been watching a lot of kdramas (or by extent Asian dramas) since March 2020, and there were a lot of characters who were so queer coded (or just had a fruityness to them)?? Anyway, so here's a list

But let's start with some canonically queer characters in mainstream dramas, shall we?

Park Mae Yi (Run On) - is ace and talks about her asexuality early on in the show

Go Ye Joon (Run On) - is gay and outs himself in the end, has a talk with another character about the discrimination and struggles of being gay

Ma Hyun Yi (Itaewon Class) - is mtf transgender, and while her being a cook is her main story arc, her confidence and pride of being trans is important too

Hikari Kuina (Alice in Borderland) - is mtf transgender and an absolute badass fighter as she grew up learning martial arts

Jung Seo Hyun (Mine) - is lesbian and (like every woman in this drama) an incredible independant badass

Now that we have that out of the way, let's move on to the actual queer-coding:

Seo Moon Jo (Strangers from Hell) - okay, he may be a psychopath and a serial killer BUT he calls Jongwoo 'babe' every chance he gets, and immediately threw his strategies out the window for him, so I declare him gay

Seo In Woo (Psychopath Diary) - again, similar to Moon Jo, the homoerotic tension of obsessive love is STRONG, and in his case, In Woo and Dong Sik are even mistaken as a couple at some point, he's definitely gay

Oh Mi Joo (Run On) - she just gives me bisexual wife energy, especially when you consider her chemistry with Dan Ah

Jang Bong Hwan / Queen So Young (Mr. Queen) - considering their souls are trapped in the same body, and Bong Hwan actually falls in love with the king at some point, they definitely fall into the genderfluid and queer spectrum

Han Se Ju (Chicago Typewriter) - like with Mi Joo, I have no actual reasoning other than vibes, and Se Ju just gives me incredible chaotic bisexual vibes, also his character is basically in a polyamorous relationship that's disguised with some bromance

Jang Man Weol (Hotel Del Luna) - okay, you cannot tell me that somebody who has been alive for 1300 years and is as flirty and cheeky as Man Weol is straight, she definitely falls on the mspec spectrum as well

So Mun (The Uncanny Counter) - again, this is based off vibes, but So Mun feels like a closeted bisexual kid (and boy am I speaking from experience here lmao)

Lee Yeon (Tale of the Nine Tailed) - this man is not only an ancient god, but a fruity god at that. One, he has that bromance chemistry with his best friend, second his true love is kind of split into a male and a female soul if I remember correctly?? that's kinda queer

Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishou (Word of Honor) - I'm putting them together because they're technically canon in the source material, but their chemistry in the drama is still off the charts

Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji (The Untamed) - again, they're gay in the novel but are demoted to "platonic soulmates" in the drama

Wen Qing (The Untamed) - my queen and her (not subtle) hatred for men flirting with her~ she gives me lesbian vibes and you cannot change my mind

Lu Yao and Qiao Chusheng (My Roommate is a Detective) - I don't know if this has a novel, but considering their immense chemistry, an incident of Yao introducing himself as Chusheng's boyfriend, and their overall vibes, they both give me bisexual vibes

Shang Xirui and Cheng Fengtai (Winter Begonia) - aside from the cinematography of this masterpiece, both Xirui and Fengtai are very queer, and canon in the novel

Rizuna Ann (Alice in Borderland) - she's giving me girlboss-lesbian-who-will-outsmart-you vibes, especially after her and Kuina became ~closer friends~ and solved the last murder case