I’ve been feeling a bit off the last few weeks and haven’t really been able to focus on dramas, but I finally started Mystic Pop-Up Bar and…it’s kind of great?

What I love most is the trio at the heart of the show. I fully expected to casually watch this and be half-interested. I was intrigued by the fact that there wasn’t any sort of romance advertised between any of the leads, and instead it really did seem to be an adventure show. I think calling it Hotel Del Luna lite is a disservice – there are the obvious similarities of course, but I don’t have a problem with that; I really enjoyed Hotel Del Luna I’d watch another version of that story. I think that this is different because while Hotel Del Luna was told on a grand sweeping scale, Mystic Pop-Up Bar is more grounded and its stories are tighter and more focused on everyday people. I also think this finds a better balance between past an present, so it moves the story along at a good pace.

I also think this is the most I’ve ever enjoyed Hwang Jung-eum in a role. I don’t dislike her, per se, but she does play a certain type and it usually takes a few episodes of a drama for me to warm up to her characters. But I loved her here immediately. I think part of it is the styling. You can’t wear those outfits and those amazing lipsticks and not have some sass and attitude. She also looks like she’s having a blast in the role, and while I think she always commits to the physical comedy in her roles, she seems to have honed it well here to fit the character here.

I also love the two male leads (yes, I see both Choi Won-young and Sungjae as the male leads, plural). They have a great chemistry together and I love the way this trio has gelled quickly and formed a little family. Sungjae’s character is an adorable, awkward, sweet little goober and must be protected at all costs. Also, he is a hoot to watch because he has really committed to the comedy and plays the hapless angst-magnet so well.

I’ve always loved Choi Won-young’s chameleon like ability to adapt to his characters; he can do it all: creepy villain, sweet father, slimy CEO, obnoxious husband, goofy sidekick, overworked secretary – and every single time it feels fresh. I never associate him with one single type of role, and I always am eager to see what he brings to a drama. I love that he’s kind of a goofy, sweet, badass here and I can’t wait to see more of his character’s backstory. I also love the subtle hinted at story between him and Hwang Jung-eum – they have great chemistry and I loved them in Kill Me, Heal Me, even though that was a very different relationship.

Which brings me to the final thing I’m loving – the direction and the writing. The direction in this drama is flawless. The shots are all perfectly lined up and the colors pop. The use of space is brilliant, layering shots and using the entire frame to tell a full story. The story itself is solid, each episode builds on the mythology but also tells a complete story which is thematically relevant. We can see where the story is going but there are still surprises and the characters are all well-realized and not as stock as I expected. The world it’s building – not just the supernatural one but the contemporary one – is also its own little universe and it’s great to see the smaller characters come back and evolve. More than that it’s clever and finds ways to call back to little things keeping the story connected and consistent.