Disney+ “Light Shop” Episodes 1 To 4 Review

Disney+ has unveiled the 1^st 4 episodes of its newest series “Light Shop” featuring an ensemble cast one can only dream of, so how is the drama so far? A bit of a mixed bag for me… but I mustn’t be too quick to judge, lets talk about it!

So the “Light Shop” marks actor Kim Hee-Won’s debut project, and as a fan of his acting, I must say, he has potential as a director. He teamed up with the one and only Kang Full/ Kang Pool to create this drama based on the webtoon artist’s past work.

I became a fan of Kang Full through “Moving” which is easily one of my fav kdramas in recent memory. There is deep humanity in Kang Full’s works that show up so beautifully in a way that is difficult for me to fully articulate. I just loved his approach to the characters in that drama and became a fan ever since, so when they said an amazing cast is joining his next project, I was excited as you’d expect.

So, reading through Namu wiki I come to find out that the 1^st part of the series was also criticized for being slow and setting up the mood. And I understand that the screenwriter-director duo follow a similar path in the drama adaptation too.

The reveal at episode 4 does add tension and intrigue but I felt the episodes were slow, a bit too slow to my liking. However, I cannot be quick to judge because the other 4 could end up making this series an amazing one, so I’ll refrain from judging too harshly. “Moving” also started off a bit slow but built up to an amazing series, so I am hoping this one will be similar.

So, from my understanding, we must pay close attention to the light bulbs the ghosts touch. There is quite a contention regarding who is a ghost and who is not. It turns out that more characters than I thought were either dead or close to death. The drama has an eerie feel which I love because I personally love horror too, its a bit creepy but not actually frightening.

My guess is, some of them have the will to live and will survive, and others will die. I am guessing this will unravel in the latter half of the series. The timelines are also deliberately muddy which slightly frustrates me but I am guessing this is also intentional so I shall pause off my complaints to the finale.

This drama is based on a shorter webtoon that had around 30 chapters. I pray to god there isn’t a 2^nd season with the same ghost characters, at least wrap up the storylines of the existing ones. Hollywood making Kdrama land into another seasons sort of hell is getting too out of control to my liking so I hope it ends with 8 episodes precisely.

I am excited for next week’s episodes. I hope the rest will offer a good payoff for the slower pace in the 1^st 4 episodes.

So, have you guys seen “Light Shop” yet? Thoughts?