Hello!! Yes you read it right – this could be my very first review since Arthdal Chronicles Episode 1 to 12 Review back in September 2019. I’m not sure if anyone is still sticking around, but whether you are an old-time reader or just randomly clicking around, I would be really happy if you dive in with me and read my thoughts on this drama.

How has everyone been? It has been such a long time since I wrote anything here and truthfully I feel rusty (and perhaps even irrelevant…?) I will write a separate update for those who are interested in knowing what happened to me on a personal level since I do not want clog up this post with personal issues – just know that truthfully I am nowhere near back to my normal writing abilities, yet I am way over my drama slump and would really want to share my thoughts like good old times. This is why my reviews in the near future would be rather short and I’m afraid recaps might be a thing of the past for me. Nonetheless, I’m hoping that at least some posts from me are better than none at all. Right?:D

Today, let’s talk about: Sell Your Haunted House. So a quick synopsis for anyone who hasn’t started watching this – our male lead, Oh In Beom, is a con man who sets up scams using holograms and voice controls to fool victims into thinking that they had seen ghosts, and then thereafter sell them devices to get rid of them. Female lead, Hong Ji Ah, on the other hand is a real exorcist and runs a realty estate with her assistant, Joo Hwa Jung, where they perform exorcisms on haunted houses and take a commission after the house is sold. Kudos to whoever thought of this marketing and branding strategy because boy, I think exorcists would really have such potential in this market. Unbeknownst to OIB, he’s actually a real psychic and subsequently, helps HJA to contain the spirits, and absorb their memories, not to mention being a human heat pack as her temperature plunges every time she performs an exorcism.

Now, do I like this drama? Yes! I think it has a unique concept that hasn’t already been done before. I also like the idea that OIB is technically not a “good” person (as conman) but one can tell that he is genuine, sincere with a good heart.

He also provides the comic relief and juxtaposes nicely against our female lead.

On the other hand, HJA is portrayed as a cold character, although she did not start out that way, and I love seeing how she starts changing her ways slowly after meeting OIB. OIB isn’t just raising her temperature on a superficial level but also from an emotional and mental perspective – he is slowly warming her up. She’s also her own bodyguard and I just am so tickled every time she saves OIB.

Each character has his or her own quirks and yet the whole crew matches together together very well. I am invested in the story and can’t wait to find out more. The mechanics of the exorcism are also kept very simple, with almost little to no difficulty, so if you are here for The Guest level kind of ghost, you may be disappointed. But what this means is that you are more likely to be able to watch this at night.

From a casting perspective, I am already biased because I have been a fan of Jung Yong Hwa since You’re Beautiful days (and who could ever forget the second lead syndrome he gave so many people?). In terms of acting skills, I think he’s doing fine, although honestly not mind-blowing. OIB offers a lot of room to showcase acting as he is showing a new personality every time he’s possessed but the portrayal of the possessions are slightly bland. As for Jang Nara, I find her very attractive in this role and she is rocking some moves which would have been difficult for me *coughs*.

*spoilers*

I do have questions though (but would not consider them as plot holes at this point):

• Why did the mom die when she stabbed herself, when the equipment should not have been dangerous as OIB has been stabbed many times before? When the camera panned away, we could also see that there was nothing left on her chest.
• We have also yet to find out why OIB absorbs all the memories instead of the HJA but I’m sure we will get to find out in due course.

theories:

• The fact that the female lead has never questioned her memory probably has something to do with JYJ.
• JYJ isn’t a bad character and may have done something to protect her children seeing how she was adamant that child spirits aren’t evil.

comments on episode 7 and 8:

Those two episodes are my favorite although I like episode 7 more than 8. It is good that the show is covering different types of backstories (/deaths) which prevents it from becoming repetitive and formulaic, unlike Ghost Whisperer.

I am not a fan of misunderstandings / leads being separated as such since we already know that there is a lot more to the backstory, so I just want the story arc of HJA being angry with OIB to be over as quickly as possible. In fact, I am hopeful from the preview that OIB will stick around and prove himself indispensable by the end of the next episode.

Well, this took a lot longer then you would have imagined XD Do let me know what you think in the comments below! And for the first time in a long long while, signing off –

❤ thoughtsramble