Motel Kaeliponia

This drama opens with something interesting and a little surprising that makes us curious.

I enjoyed the novel that inspired this drama (Home Bitter Home), the drama creative team, & the actors (Lee SeYoung & Na InWoo) succeeded in making the characters Ji KangHee & Cheon YeonSoo come to life on the screen.

A story about an imperfect human who has past wounds and struggles to rise to become a better version of themself.

Ji Kanghee becomes a strong woman because of her bitter life & Cheon YeonSoo a man as pure as water who protects his first love may seem cliche, but after we know their past story we will love them.

The diverse behavior of Hana-eup's residents will make us Feel sweet, bitter, laugh, tear & love. Cinematography that brings a warm & nostalgic experience combined with beautiful music completes the sweetness of this drama.

Can't wait to see the next episode.

Motel California may not be perfect to some but for me I loved it. The cinematography, leads insane chemistry, the OSTs are the best, and Lee Se Young performance. She is really the main character on the show and she slayed it! I always love her characterization of every roles she take. The Red Sleeve. Doctor John, The Crowned Clown, and What Comes After Love are some of my favorites the rest I really enjoyed it. She is brilliant, underrated actress. She may not be as popular as some over rated actress but her personality and acting skills are impeccable. I will always support her from afar. I wish you that one day you will be recognized globally. Fighting, Se Young!

One thing that kept me engaged in this story was the way the female lead was written. She has pulled off shows like "What comes after love", "The red sleeve", "law cafe" and "The story of parks marriage contract" . She plays "damsel in distress" typa rolls wayyy too well. Her tears leave me in awe every single time. She wasn't like any ordinary goody-two-shoes or saintly character. There were moments when I actually disliked her, which speaks to the quality of her acting. It was raw and captivating-she was hot-tempered, young, ambitious, reckless, fierce, and proud. No one understood her except for the male lead.

The casting was fantastic; all the actors did an amazing job. The performances felt genuine, and nothing seemed forced or awkward. The character development was natural, even if it was frustrating to watch at times. I found myself rooting for them to end up together.

Although the second leads weren't given much depth, I was glad they were able to find their own loves. I would have loved to see more of the love story between Sang-on and the short-haired librarian girl, though.

The chemistry between the main leads was remarkable; they deserve a best couple award for this. Their love was intense, filled with jealousy, confusion, longing, sadness, and, above all, love. I really appreciated how passionately in love they were.

Kudos to the cast for making this mid-story an 8/10 for me. It's worth watching at least once. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you have a great day!

Korean Drama '' Motel California '' is a melodrama about family, first love, and small communities.

The drama had so many interesting themes to explore, like the main lead's biracial identity and how she was treated by the small community she was raised in, or her relationship with her father and her mother. Alas, everything was only touched upon, were never explored deeper than the surface, and was concentrated on the romance, which wasn't that interesting to begin with, other than the first episode.

At least, the performances were all great by every actor and actress of the cast. The pace, however, of the story was messy and badly handled.

So, overall, four out of ten.

Tedious and repetitive. Twelve episodes and it goes nowhere. The female lead is annoying and unlikeable. The supporting cast have nothing to pull together. The writers have failed miserably and it's one of the few dramas that falls well below standard. Lee Se-young is better than this but sadly these characterizations are long remembered, here she is mean and selfish without reason, her constant pushing away then demanding attention is tiresome and in every episode it's the same scenario. Personally, Lee So-e as Han A-reum is the only shining light.

I expected much more. Twelve episodes was too long yet I didn't bail but sadly I didn't enjoy it and now regret the time spent enduring this rambling mess.