Shop of the Lamp (2024)

A dark fantasy horror slowburn that kept me intralled and broke me down

Whoa...whoa...and whoa!!! I have to say this immediately, I am a big nerd about history, culture, folklore, myths, and fantasy, and having been diving into K-Dramas, I must share that I absolutely enjoy watching how they share their medium of folklore and myths in their dramas. Light Shop gives us that dive into their cultural folklore and I immediately understood what was being depicted in episode one and was hooked!

Without giving any spoilers, I will say, that this series starts very slow. Still, the interconnection of all the characters will give an intense dive into a dark and expansive world that connects with the human experience with light and made my eyes hurt, especially at the end with a poignant scene between our ML and one of my favorite K-actress [Lee Jung-eun]. When I say, she showed out (like I've seen her do before), oh, my gosh!!

I won't say more here, because, spoilers! Make sure to watch the final end credit though!

Leia Mais

With repercussions of regrets and longing, can we easily move on?

I'm not the type to hop on the bandwagon of hyped content. But I definitely wanted to see what the hype is all about!

So I decided to binge-watch this on Sunday. Started it in the afternoon and finished it at midnight. I was in a good mood when I started it but ended up with a choked throat and a lump in my chest. Really had a hard time with sleeping.

From the very beginning, an unsettling vibe is present, drawing the viewers into something eerie. The storyline or the situation doesn't immediately feel scary, but the tension slowly builds up, which eventually leads to moments that will leave viewers gasping in awe!

I was almost about to lose all my interest after ep 2-3, then it started...From ep 4-8, I don't know how it all just happened, and I feel like I'm in a daze.

In the first half, the story can be a bit confusing, as the events unfold without any clear explanations, leaving everything shrouded in mystery. The pacing is slow, which may not be to everyone’s taste. I do understand people might lose interest and drop it before going to ep 4. But trust me, bear with the storyline; it gets better and better in the second half.
"Disclaimer: box of tissues needed!"

What made this stand out from all the other kdramas was its way of storytelling and its execution of putting the right situations in the right time. The storyline moves at a slower pace, though it never feels dragging or boring, as the jump scares are well-timed for an adrenaline rush; they keep you on the edge. Moreover, it doesn't solely rely on jump scares; instead, it builds tension through unsettling visuals and subtle sound design with a creeping sense of fear. The story is engaging, which will undoubtedly leave viewers wanting more. There was no way the audience could assume what was going to happen next.

Overall, it was a rollercoaster ride of suspense, mystery, tearjerker moments, and grievance. It should be watched binge-watched; otherwise, viewers can get confused by waiting. Even if it's not your genre, please give it a try; I'm sure there's no way you'll be disappointed.

P.S.- I'm definitely not going to re-watch this as this is bad for my heart. Wanted to give it a solid 10 but needed to deduct (-0.5) for making me miserable on a good day.

Leia Mais

MASTERPIECE ???

I just can say WOW!! This is a really masterpiece in all the extent of the sentence 👏 👏👏👏

The way you can experience the different genres as you watch the episodes and the way that make you have terror in the first part of the serie are the same things that makes you cry in the second part of the story... just GENIUS ✨️✨️

The Scene of the mother that can speak and what to save her daughter WOW!! the emotional they need to give her an OSCAR!!! and the plot twist of she and the guy with glasses didn't see to come.. and gladly have my eyes like waterfalls and its ok!!! ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹🔥

Leia Mais

The Afterlife

I really liked how the plot revolves around an actual near-death experience like how the they collectively agree that they all see a light right before waking up. It was so creatively written, and it felt different from any other ghost or afterlife narration I’ve come across. Not to say I fully believe in the afterlife, but this definitely poked at my morbid curiosity about what it might be like on the other side—walking that thin line between life and death. But then again, who knows? Augh!

I super enjoyed this, and that genre shift halfway through? Completely uncalled for but so good! It starts off kind of weak, but that’s the point!

It feels so rewarding to put the pieces together haha. I highly recommend

Leia Mais

Ghibli-esque atmosphere, unique story, compelling mystery. A+++ in my books.

I knew from the get go this was going to be good, what with the writer being the same as Moving (2023).

It absolutely did not disappoint. It is confusing in the best way, until it’s not and how validating and satisfying the payoff is!

I mostly cried, was thoughtful, felt understood and profoundly moved by this drama. The acting was for the most part amazing (not a big fan of Seolhyun but eh), especially from Hyunjoo’s actress and of course Ju Jihoon. But they all did amazing. Everything is so important in this, every little detail so well thought, you can only watch with full intention. It felt a little like a Ghibli, because the aesthetics and mood settings are extremely unique and draw you into the plot in a way no drama ever does. I love that the soundtrack is so lowkey. Moments of silence are so important and underrated in nowadays’ productions.

Loved, loved, loved this so much.

Watch it at night, under a heavy blanket, with hot chocolate on a comfortable bed 🫶🏼 You’re in for a treat.

Leia Mais

you must find your light with your own will

light shop
BUHAY NG LAHAT/10000000

— the light bulbs represent people’s souls, with the light shop keeper really being the keeper of these souls.

some lights are barely hanging on, some already out. some are dirty and worn, most bright. they all probably feel the pull of their own soul

episode one gives me so much chills, imagine 1 am ko to pinanood tas ako lang mag isa sa taas ??? ang mysterious every character kaya nakaka-entertain sya panoorin and papanoorin mo talaga sya dahil curious ka every character eh, sa ep 3 naman superb sa detective, ang galing mag ano ng crimes although lahat naman pero kasi if ako yung kasama nya mag identify don hahahhaa di ko rin yon mapapansin, ang galing !!!! every small details putcha lopit.

OMGGG sa season 5 ko narealize lahat lahat, nandon lahat kung bakit yon nangyari kung ano dahilan at kung bakit, euueueueue super gandaaaaaa. Ang hate ko lang is yung mother ni hyungmin, why did she do that :( hindi niya manlang inisip yung consequences nung text na binigay nya dun sa deaf na gf ng anak nya, nagsuicïdé tuloy yung girl, super sakit non. kaya naman pala sya laging nakaupo ron sa bus stop kasi inaantay nya si hyungmin, ang last kasi na interaction nila ay pasakay na ng bus si hyungmin kaya hinihintay nya yon, kahit ghost na sha :( tapos sa ep 6 naman yung deaf na gf ayaw nya pa umalis like meron kasi sakanilang 3 day funeral which is parang 40 days ng mga patay sa ph, pero ang kaibahan nasa chamber or may fridge na lagayan yung mga patay sa korea, so after 3 days hindi mabuksan yung fridge ayaw pa pala umalis nung deaf gf sa world, tapos ang ginagawa pala is tinatahi nya si hyungmin para mabuhay yon :(((( tapos dun naman sa nasa apartment yung nanay nya pala nagligtas sakanya sa accident, super sakit ng episode na to, iba talaga ang grief. madami pa ako gusto sabihin kaso i can't put it into words 😭😭

the way the bus driver kept trying to find his passengers to take them to the light shop so they could survive even tho he himself was dead, my tears literally burst out, he died out of guilt my heart aches BEST CHARACTER EVER! IM SO SORRY FOR YOU.

THIS IS SUPERBBBBB !!!! ROLLER COASTER EMOTIONS WHATTTTTT, SUPER GALINGGGG, YK THE FEELING NA MANONOOD KA NITO SA MADALING ARAW NG HINDI NATATAKOT KAHIT HORROR GENRE SYA? ITO YON EH, GANDA NG PLOTTTT, CONNECTED LANG SYA SA LAHAT !!! DESERVE NA DESERVE ANG HYPEEE 😜 SEASON 2 WHENNN????

Leia Mais

find that light, where life and death depends on your destiny

"hoping that we would never see each other again"

After i've watched the drama moving last year, now i realized why this has must to be must watched, especially the director and writer from this drama are the same as the drama moving! Also, this has been one of my greatest top-tier kdrama of 2024 for me. Very heartwarming and as I kept watching it, made me now realize why they were in a dark area, as they were very unconscious, laying on a hospital beds in the ICU while they altogether experienced the same traumatic tragedy. The ending was pretty clear, that they shall find light, and that hope from its light depends on your destiny and future.

There was no ost, but the storyline was very unique, it was like from the drama moving, where from that drama each family has their own superpowers, while in this drama it was all about passing through generations of taking in charge of the darkest world where everyone (not all specifically) are unconscious and finding answer through unexpected short-comings. The storyline was very clear, there were no plot holes and as everyone's story was connected one by one. Park Bo Young's role (Kwon Young-ji) from here is very remarkable and yet, as she understood everyone's experiences that actually she came from her own experience of life and death. She was like the so called "bridge" of hope and light, despite the light shop owner, Ju Ji-hoon who had a similar tragedy experience way back in his time, (played by jung won-young) was there to keep eye on new "lightbulbs" where it gave as the life of those people who were in between life and death. Each of the victims from that incident find each of their light, as they depend if they go back to their current path, or they'll left behind. At the last episode, everything for me actually makes sense, despite the short episodes allotted for this series, everything went well and all of my answers have been answered.

One of the highlights for me was definitely knowing that on behalf of the lightshop owner, he recognized his daughter, who survived from the incident of the apartment collapsing, as he brings the lightbulb and gave her a source of life during that incident. As they met in the light shop, every moment the time her father (the owner) realized that actually they met again, and they'll stay forever as both of them died in a form of accident. The ending was clear, they stayed together in the light shop as they had their mission to give lightbulbs to those who want to see their path again. It was pretty clear and yet I love how it was a sign that there would be another season to come (hopefully) :')

Also, the end-credit scene gave us a clue of how the timeline of Moving and Light Shop were all the same!! I really love that series so much because of how cool the concept and the story is. Jang Hee Soo (played by Go Young Ju) made a promising appearance in this drama!!

The ending was pretty clear, most of them had reborn to their new life, while others stayed behind, waiting for their final moments to end. "hoping that we would never see each other again":') Kudos to the cast who were so good in portraying their characters, especially to Shin Eun-soo whom I adored so much from her previous drama, twinkling watermelon, as well as Park Bo Young for choosing this drama that fits for her role as she was very promising and had so much potential <333



Overall, really a good watch, I really love the storyline and the cast from this drama. Knowing that the directors and writers from this drama has so much potential to write another series/story, I do hope that they continue to shine with their own talent and skills in making the drama both Light Shop and Moving a remarkable and yet unforgettable one!! Really recommended for beginners and totally rewatchable. Everything was very emotional, despite the thriller and mystery genre, I was totally satisfied with the story being told.

Rooting for the casts future roles!! Hoping for another season definitely.

Leia Mais

The best kdrama of 2024

I don’t use the word “masterpiece” easily because it’s no easy to create a film or tv show that’s literally perfect but that’s the only way to describe Disney+ kdrama Light Shop.

Actor turned director Kim Hee Won makes a perfect directorial debut with this very human and heartfelt Korean gothic ghost story.

Light Shop is a masterfully crafted production, every detail full of significance and important to understand the story as it progresses. No character is unimportant, all playing a key role in the lives of each other; and the performances of each actor nuance. Never giving away too much but managing to connect with the audience at the same time.

The technical aspects, such as cinematography, lighting and special effects, are simply some of the best you will ever find in a Korean drama.

This is the kind of kdrama you want to watch without knowing anything beforehand, but you should know the first four episodes are key for the world building and then, it twist and turns in order to take you on one of the most beautifully made ride.

Perfect.

Leia Mais

The Light Shop for Lost Souls/ Finding One's Light

The thriller-suspense of the first half hooked me that I thought I was in for a mystery crime story. I was left with several questions and it increased my curiosity of the plot. I like how they started the story to how they slowly revealed the minor to major details and the connection of the characters. The individual sad stories are the usual scenarios irl but the addition of the accident and the aftermath plus regrets and guilt created a melancholic atmosphere. Accidents leave scars that will take longer to heal but no one ever wanted accidents to happen nor be in or be the cause of accidents and lose your loved ones and watch others lose their loved ones
I love the concept of the story plus the acting is convincingly brilliant; it brought me to tears as the characters reunited with their dead loved ones in that other world and it was hard to accept the reality of not seeing them again when they regain consciousness (be in the real world) and accepting that they had to move on and continue living
I was very touched with the barking dog/rescue dog story and the back story of the light shop keeper/guardian of the afterlife and my guess for her daughter is correct. The mute woman and her lover was an interesting twist. What happened to the woman should leave the man's parents, in particular, his mother a memorable lesson. I was mad at her impulsiveness and insensitivity which led to the mute woman's unfortunate ending.
Ligh Shop is an inspiring and moving story.

Leia Mais