We’re back with a new Patreon Exclusive Review, this time writing about the 2020 drama ‘Mystic Pop-up Bar’.
This drama was based on a webcomic written by Bae Hye-Soo. The screenwriter was Ha Yoon-A. It was directed by Jeon Chang-Geun.
Actors
The story is about an outside bar run by Weol-ju portrayed by Hwang Jung-eum. You might know her from her roles in ‘Kill Me, Heal Me’ and ‘She Was Pretty’. Weol-ju is a rather hot tempered woman. She speaks before she thinks and she’s lived a very long life. She has to help 100 000 souls as a punishment for something she did when she was living in the Sageuk era. Hence the modern style hanboks.
She’s accompanied in her task by Chief Gwi played by Choi Won-Young. He was part of the Afterlife police force and decided to try to help Weol-ju reach her target. There’s more to this character (like a lot more) but I can’t write about that fully without spoiling like the biggest plot point the series revolves around even though it’s obvious as hell.
The last main character is Han Kang-Bae played by the adorable Yook Sung-Jae. He’s a part of the group BTOB and has played roles in ‘Goblin’ and ‘Reply 1994’. He’s super loveable in the series because he plays this sensitive, dorky character who’s had a rough life. When he touches someone they start speaking about their inner most desires.
Weol-Ju discovers that and enlists Kang-Bae for her own purposes as she’s struggling to reach the required target within the deadline that’s been set for her by the God of the underworld Yum Hye-Ran. Almost all of the dramas she has acted in, I’ve seen, even her movies like ‘Innocent Witness’ and ‘Kim Ji-Young, 1982‘ because I love her.
Plot
The plot seems pretty straightforward and after a while it gets crazy predictable. There are only 12 episodes and it makes for a pretty light watch. There are tons of cliches with all the souls they have to help with but usually it comes with an interesting performance.
Storybuilding is one of the strengths of ‘Mystic Pop-up Bar’. It’s interesting to see how the spiritual world is built and the key roles it plays. It was cool how they went inside people’s minds and see how everything played out.
The dynamics between the three key players were absolutely adorable. Especially if you get further in the season. There are power dynamics of course and lies that have to be told for dramatic effects even if you knew what was going to happen like two episodes in.
What I liked about the show is that Kang-Bae works in a grocery store and is quite happy with his ‘simple’ role. He’s not an architect or programmer or any other fancy role that made him dirt rich. Kang-Bae has a crush on one of his co-workers. Kang Yeo-Rin, played by Jung Da-Eun. Her role is eschewing normal gender stereotypes. She’s one of the security agents at the store and is trained in martial arts. She’s strong and not super emotional. I quite loved her character and thought the two were such a good match.
Overall
There’s a certain wholesomeness to ‘Mystic Pop-up Bar’ that I wasn’t necessarily expecting. It’s funny and sad at the same time and creates an interesting world. Is it perfect, absolutely not. Am I going to watch it again? I don’t think so. However, I was entertained and I watched the entire season in just a couple of days. So I would recommend to check it out if you enjoy rom coms with a spiritual element.
