[Drama 2018-2019] Memories of the Alhambra | Recuerdos de la Alhambra, 알함브라 궁전의 추억

[litopanda]

I don't hate the ending. 
But it just irritates me that there are sooo many questions left answer. 
Don't get me wrong, I love this show and the concept of it is very interesting. The writer did a good job on creating such a rich world and depth of a character. I'm neutral on her works though so I guess I see things more objectively. There is so many things she could have done better regarding the plot, the character, and the rules of her world. When things happen and there is no explanation, it just feel like a lazy cheap plot twist. Writing fantasy and scifi is hard because it is hard to keep constant with all the rules you create for that world and when you can't keep up with it or explain it, it's like a needle in the audience's heart and mind, always wondering why it happen. 
I was hoping that the finale would answer all if not most of the jarring twist in this series but it didn't and that really disappoints me. 

Questions
1. When and why did the glitch happen? If it happen when Marco stab Se-Ju, then that is way before Jin Woo starts playing the game. If the glitch was already there and getting "kill" in the game will result in real death then WHY DIDNT JINWOO DIE WHEN HE WAS SLAY MANY TIMES IN THE BEGINNING? Or any new players that keep gettign slay by npc?
2. The first question could have been answer by maybe the "real death" only occur if it's during a duel between real player. Like when JinWoo duel the Cha guy and killed him. But then if it's only happen between duel between real players, then there is no way Jinwoo could be kill by any npc. Whats the difference between the npc in level 1 and level 3? npc when you're level 1 can't kill you? But NPC when you're higher level can? That makes no sense. The secretary shouldn't have died. I felt like his death was just there for plot twist and emotion pull. 
3. Regarding npc that can kill you. If they all can kill you, wouldn't all of them be glitched? Why is only the 3 main one the "glitched" one. On that when Jinwoo deletes all the glitches....where is Marco? He didn't delete Marco. 
4. Why is JinWoo a glitch except again just used for plot twist and emotion pull for his "death". It's irritating. Whatever makes him a glitch...I guess being involved or related to the other glitch game file...could make him a glitch...but wouldn't that make Se-Ju also a glitch for marco who I haven't seen "deleted"/ 
5. Why does Emma deleting Jin Woo, trigger the reset of the game? If anyone say he is the source of all the glitch....then no, wouldn't that be Se-Ju who may had created the first bug with Marco? So wouldn't it make more sense if she deleted Se-Ju to reset the game? Of course they wouldn't do that, it will break Hee-Ju. So Jin Woo being the bug MAKES NO SENSE.
5. On becoming the master and creating things. When Se Ju was the master, he is the creator, it makes sense that he knows how to "program" this game so he can create things instantly. When JinWoo becomes the master....seriously hold does a businessman like him know how to create anything in this game? 
6. On to technology....its new, advance and cool yes. But the writer never explains how it works. How did Se-Ju create the game. Where was the original server before the server moved to J-One? What happen to the original server after J-One took over. How did the game or any file of it's creation get in J-One's hand without Se-Ju being there. 
7. If the game is on a console/platform ie the contact lenses, then how did it still plays without it? Technically, where does it connect to? How did it register and connect to the server? If there is no platform or object to connect the player then how can the creator or that guy in J-one keep track of the player or level? In term of technology. It makes no sense. i guess you could just wrap it all up and said its "magic". But for a show about technology. It's annoying to see it not done logically.
8. If there was a bug then that bug will bound to happen again. Why in the world would they released the game again a year after it's reset is beyond. Someone somewhere will stab someone again with a real knife and cause another bug. It's beyond me that they are releasing a game they could barely control in the first place or understand how it work right out to the public shortly after all the tragedy. Do they never learn their lessons? 

Characters
All the actors did an amazing job portraying their characters. The characters have depth and is interesting but....sometime....they dont make sense. 
1. JinWoo - He is a savvy businessman, who is smart and confident. I understand that his confidence can be strip away as things are getting out of hand. But in dealing with the lawsuit and stuff....He is smarter than what he is doing. He blames the game for Cha's death...but technically he did "kill" the guy with his own hand. There is no evidence but he is a murderer all through and through. Towards the end, he acts like he is innocent and heroic and he is for trying fixing things but as for the incident...the truth is he killed Cha. The death was a result of his action no matter how much he want to blame the game. On dealing with the father and the ex wife....I thought he was smarter but nope he just let things get out of hand because he ignores them. It was a disappointment to see the "smart" side of him in the beginning just disappears. 
2. Hee-Ju. Sigh. Can you do anything else other than cry cry and cry? I want to love her character, her character was supposed to be strong for having to deal with so many things in life alone....but all she does is cry. I expect a stronger Hee-Ju, someone who cry at times but can take things in her own hand to support Jin Woo, not just someone to let him borrow a car or being a flower pot. 

Endings
The conclusion to most was alright.....it wasn't satisfying though. 
What i mean is the "ending" of each character. 
1. The professor Cha should have a worse ending than just getting kill by his son. He should have to face all the things he did. His death was too easy. It felt disappointing. 
2. Hee-Ju annoying "friend" is still there, I don't see an apology or attitude change towards JinWoo. He was just there to create conflict, causes trouble and is still there. They should kill him off seriously. 
3. The second ex wife....that ending for her was ok. But she deserve worse plus a slap in the face. 

Sigh. Maybe I think about it too much. 
but with all un-answer questions, plot holes, and disappointing endings. It make the show a lot less enjoyable. I like the show and it's concept but as a drama itself, I don't think its the "great". It's good and enjoyable show, but it's not great. There are so many things it could have done better to make it great. But it didn't and its a disappointment. 

[Kasmic]

The casts gives their thanks to all whom supported them ...it's over 

 

 

[lotuzea]

i still couldnt bring myself to watch ep 16 to avoid the heartbroken lol. For my benefit I will just imagine that PSH in the end will play the game, meet JW and embrace in game lol 

[wenchanteur]

On 1/22/2019 at 12:10 PM, Celi67 said:

SJJ please go back to college and learn how to write. 

 

I am happy to tell you that your wish is a reality.
SJJ did return to school.
However, not in college, but in university.
And as a dramaturgy professor.

[an-naum]

It feels like something is missing in my daily life. No fangirling with Hyun Bin as Jin Woo or watching the MOA game in the drama. Still dissapointed with open ending drama. I wish they extend a little bit like My Love from Another Star. 

If they continue with movie, they have to do an action movie, a thriller. And it ends with them together. Only if its worth it. I followed Cheese in the trap bcoz of Park Hae Jin that time. But when they continue a movie version due to unsatisfied ending and change the actress, it spoiled the whole movie. 

So, at least give us a closure how they will end up together and JW finds his happiness, I am happy. 

[rori0711]

[ENG SUB] Final Greetings from the Actors of <#MemoriesOfTheAlhambra> - #ParkShinHye cut.

cr: yysy_IG

 

 

 

[lduc]

 

 

 

Cr.https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs98LYkhRcO/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1k6w5j0ypujnv …

[lduc]

 

(Cr. jy_47 IG)

 

 

 

 

 

[TRANS] #MemoriesOfTheAlhambra’s #ParkHoon: “When I heard that I was going to die in the first eps, I thought I was only casted for a special appearance. My mom was so shocked. I went to shoot for a year and she asked me how I could die in the 3rd ep.”

 

http://www.kukinews.com/news/article.html?no=624935 …

[lduc]

 

cafe.daum.net/alhambradvd  for overseas :: English/日本語/中國語

 http://m.cafe.daum.net/alhambradvd/m5Pj …

 

#알함브라궁전의추억 #MemoriesOfTheAlhambra #현빈 #박신혜 #Parkshinhye #hyunbin

 

 

 

cr:@nlsinz11

[classyviews]

On 1/21/2019 at 3:15 PM, enigmatic_zephy said:

ya.. anything by this writer is super questionable..

 

QIH is better?

Definitely better.

It had actualy good plot and excellent characters.

You should try it.

 

The only sensible drama from this writer that justifies itself as it goes. 

 

[lduc]

 

 

[packmule3]

@wenchanteur, 

 

So what's your take on this kdrama?  I'm interested to know your verdict since you like this writer. And how's your fiction coming along? Good luck!

 

@litopanda  And for others who are confused about the game logic. 

 

http://bitchesoverdramas.com/2019/01/22/memories-of-the-alhambra-phoenixs-happy-ending-and-game-explanation

 

My explanation why Seejoo was NOT debugged, and other things. 
 

http://bitchesoverdramas.com/2019/01/23/memories-of-the-alhambra-goyangis-instance-dungeon-and-odysseus

 

I think we shouldn't conflate the actual person with his avatar or user/gamer identity. The intent of the NPC Emma was NOT to kill Jinwoo the person (otherwise, she TOO would be a "killer" bug, right? Just like NPC HS ) but to eliminate the user/player named Zinu who carried the bug.

 

Also, the NPCs aren't bugs or glitches. The NPCs are only doing what they are programmed to do. It's user Zinu who's the bug carrier. And because user Zinu is a malware, the actual person Jinwoo gets physically injured when attacked by an NPC instead of logging out. 

 

Hope those posts will help you understand.

 

 

[Kasmic]

I love his post drama interview. Im glad Im not the only one whom believed that PSH and HB were the one whom brought their romance alive....NOT the writer.  Hearing it from a cast member is more comforting 

 

 

[Raquel Bastian]

finally watched the episode with subs. The ending was fine, but I am not sold to the fact that everyone was a bug, and they turn into ashes like JinWoo is like Thanos (lol moment) .... JinWoo could've wait for SeeJoo to be sane and solve the game together...and then what is that 'dungeon' thingy, this writer is too clingy about parallel worlds idea!!!! this idea is off in this drama because we watch it at the first believing that everything was done out of technology, so it is hard to digest to mix up fantasy and technology 

and yeah seejoo was genius but he does not deserve that clap! from the tech people.... hellooo!!!! a lot of people died and suffered because of his stupid game! 

I love park shin hye but I am not sold to her acting scene in the church... (still like her tho)

--

so want I am going to do next, delete all the episodes in my fone, not worth the storage...ciao!

[tiotraceyyyy95]

hallo.. been a silent reader for a long time..

just decided to sign up just now..

anyone know where to download the part 1 ost STAR  (Little Prince) without the rap part ?

(heard at the ending on the last ep)

 

Thank you

[wenchanteur]

1 hour ago, packmule3 said:

So what's your take on this kdrama?  I'm interested to know your verdict since you like this writer. And how's your fiction coming along? Good luck!

 

Hi!
I loved the drama for many reasons.
I had a hard time finding a drama to hang on to, and then I don't have time to see any too. And I was waiting since the end of "W" for the next SJJ drama
However, I will appreciate it more when I can review it with a better translated version, with time to pay attention to the details. I am not trying to discuss a possible "plot-hole" at the moment, I have no information to say whether or not there is one. We have to be careful with this scriptwriter, we quickly say stupid things, and find mistakes where there are none!
The story has this incomprehensible side, resembling a kind of wandering, that we find in the other dramas of Song Jae-Jung. She really has a style of her own.
What struck me about MOA was the extreme side of its chronological organization. If I wrote a story like that, assuming I could do it already, it would be unreadable. And I won't be able to do it.
MOA is almost as striking as "W" in the originality of its theme. I still prefer "W", which is perfect. For me, it is the absolute masterpiece.
MOA has more side scenes, more slowness, and a less clean realization. (The director doesn't impress me as much as Jung Dae-Yoon)
Seeing the drama again will also accentuate the strong emotions it brings. Normally, in an ordinary drama, emotion is delivered raw, and made to be felt that way. But SJJ's dramas are very condensed, and sometimes too much for the emotion to be palpable the first time with its maximum intensity.

 

About "W two worlds - season 2 - four worlds" :
 

Spoiler

 

My only goal at the moment is to finish the script. You could say that I don't do anything else in life, and I don't even care, because I'm so passionate. But since I also have a real job, it takes away my available time.
I started this project in April 2018. It would take too long to recap everything. I wrote a text once about it, but I didn't intend to publish it. I can send it to you in MP if you're interested.

Organizing the chronology can be incredibly difficult. I blocked on this after episode 38, no longer being able to write my story. The tangle of causes and effects and the multiple competing frames lead to a multitude of scenes and twists, most of which are already planned, but in a rather vague way. They must be put in an order that makes this possible and coherent.
After several weeks (in September and October), during which I simply made photo montages, I loosened up. So I just wrote the most difficult part to organize, episodes 38 to 52 (it will continue to be difficult until 55, then after a few easier episodes, it will become quite difficult again.)

I have planned 60 half-hour episodes, since I have the plan of the scenario quite detailed, but with a certain chronological blur on some scenes.
But sometimes things change. Maybe it'll be 66 episodes. I don't think it's possible in 60 episodes right now.
Episodes 32 to 34, I thought it would only take one episode. In fact, I had a lot of trouble getting into three episodes. Sometimes it's the other way around. Errors of assessment are common. There are key scenes planned that are emblematic, but when you write them, you realize that there is a previous scene missing that is not planned at all. Or that a complementary scene is missing, generated by poorly anticipated effects.

The writing process itself is magical, it brings ten times more ideas than what is already established. This does not mean that a scene lasts ten times longer, but just that it is richer and more condensed, and that there may be something new.
I know that on some passages, I am at 1000% of what I can give. It's quite scary, because if I look at scenes already written a long time ago, I wonder if I was still in that optimal state. Returning to something already written is very difficult. And where to look?

I know I'll have to do it on obvious things. For example, there is a passage in episode 14 where a character recounts events in voice-over. But there is no visual at the moment. In a drama scenario, that's unthinkable. On a screen, you have to show something. So I have to rewrite this scene. Some of the voice-overs must be removed and replaced by a flashback. On the remaining voice-overs, I have to add an indication of what we see. Wherever a visual is missing, I must indicate it, at least in a minimalist way. For example, in episode 4, a conversation is about a manhwa. I must at least put a short sentence like: "Editing: images of the manhwa are shown".

Some passages are quite rich in explanations. At least the spectator will feel less lost than in Season 1, but is that wise? These are totally crazy conversations, if we take a step back, about the phenomena of the manhwa. That's why I love them. But removing part of it would also guarantee more mystery, the way Song Jae-Jung does. She must have planned and explained everything for herself, but chose to plunge the spectator into a state of total destabilization. I do it too, but I don't let the phenomenon continue as it does in MOA.

Of course, on some stages, the spectator has enough to make big eyes, scratch his head, or fall his richard simmons on the floor and say "WHAAAAT?!!!!". But whether it is after 1 or 40 episodes, an explanation arrives (some cases require to wait really very long, ah ah !). I don't know if I would fix this, I don't even feel capable of doing so. Fortunately, there are still some things that will remain unexplained, and which I think do not need to be, because the meaning is obvious.

 

For example, in "W", we wonder how the faceless killer steals Oh Sung-Moo's face. To me, that's obvious, and it's in the conversation between him and the killer. They share the same soul, now it's Oh Sung-Moo's turn to obey. The fantasy goes without saying, with the face being erased and passed on to the killer. It is not a phenomenon that is explained by others, it is a basic fact. The manhwa has already been crazy enough for the faceless killer to walk through reality, keeping his manhwa character essence, and the accompanying narrative defect, allowing him to disappear and appear elsewhere. This is also self-explanatory, but it is incredibly impressive. When I saw episode 8, which begins with Kang Chul's explanation of the killer, and how his only existential role was to traumatize the hero, I knew that this drama would be the best television work I had ever seen.

Regarding emotion, I have the same symptom as Song Jae-Jung's dramas. Everything is very condensed. A love story or an emotional scene has less time available than in an ordinary drama, since the story revolves around the crazy adventures that the characters encounter, linked to manhwa phenomena. Not to mention the time reserved for comedy, which is more important than I had anticipated. (and to think that I was afraid at first not to find enough funny scenes!)
 The emotion contained in a scene sometimes takes on its real meaning in reverse, once you know the conclusion of a script arc. This means that the emotion is at its maximum when you read the story again. Some scenes are even quite shocking, and love stories go pretty fast. They follow a natural and logical course, if we look at their true meaning, and could not happen otherwise. But this is far from the framework of a normal drama, in which the love story will be built in 9 one-hour episodes, followed by a kiss, followed by 7 episodes of uncertainty and a happy ending, all focused on a single main couple.

I detected a few episodes that don't have a clear cliffhanger. There are few, but still. If I want to place a cliffhanger, I may have to reorganize a scene or two, move a scene forward, and then put a flashback. I try to be as faithful as possible to the story, and I refuse to put filling scenes or to fill the missing time with useless flashbacks. The narrative must be honest, and tell only the strictly necessary story in the appropriate order. It is therefore normal that I sometimes fail to put a cliffhanger. I am even surprised that I manage to get one most of the time. On some episodes, it's simple, because there are several scenes in the episode that can be used as cliffhangers. So if the episode is too long, I can stop before.

 

To get a better idea of the project, you can see the page on asian fanfic (by setting the mode "night", key word "wtwoworlds"), whose only additional addition is a short funny scene with Soo-Bong. But for the rest, you have to be a member/subscriber.

or the one on soompi :
https://forums.soompi.com/en/topic/430855-w-two-worlds-season-2-four-worlds/
And the first episode, which is completed (the page is long to load):
http://w4worlds.fr/html/W_Season2_Script01_US.html
The first three episodes are reserved for the exhibition, and we learn a lot of things, without looking like it, in various scenes that sometimes look harmless.

 

 

[angelineong]

after watching the episodes with subs, i agree with most of you here. We waited for 14 episodes for SeJu, the master to return. We insisted to hold onto our faith in SJJ's magic. But, alas! I guess, Se Ju, the character, was 'oversold'. His return helped nothing except to inform about the instant dungeon. 

And instead of using the precious remaining 2 episodes to 'showcase' how Se Ju's cool coding "kung fu", they were wasted on 'repeated flashback' and the JW's ex-wives. Who needs extra airing time for these exes????? seriously, anybody here?

I know SJJ is trying to be different. But an ending like this is somehow unacceptable. I want my hours back! I felt cheated. 

However, I am grateful for the entire acting crew especially the leads. They worked really hard to bring out the characters. Special thanks to the editing team too. They did an 'excellent' job by  'randomly' cutting and  pasting. Perhaps, due to the writer's instructions.

The technical part of the game/AR technology related needed to be fine tuned. I am not an expert but the drama appeared to be lacking in prior 'literature research on AR technology". As this is 2019, many already have some knowledge on this area unlike MATRIX, which came way earlier where a large majority of people were still unaware of online games,

[litopanda]

5 hours ago, packmule3 said:

 

@litopanda  And for others who are confused about the game logic. 

 

http://bitchesoverdramas.com/2019/01/22/memories-of-the-alhambra-phoenixs-happy-ending-and-game-explanation

 

My explanation why Seejoo was NOT debugged, and other things. 
 

http://bitchesoverdramas.com/2019/01/23/memories-of-the-alhambra-goyangis-instance-dungeon-and-odysseus

 

I think we shouldn't conflate the actual person with his avatar or user/gamer identity. The intent of the NPC Emma was NOT to kill Jinwoo the person (otherwise, she TOO would be a "killer" bug, right? Just like NPC HS ) but to eliminate the user/player named Zinu who carried the bug.

 

Also, the NPCs aren't bugs or glitches. The NPCs are only doing what they are programmed to do. It's user Zinu who's the bug carrier. And because user Zinu is a malware, the actual person Jinwoo gets physically injured when attacked by an NPC instead of logging out. 

 

Hope those posts will help you understand.

 

 

 

Thank you @packmule3
This does help me answer a lot of my question about the glitch/bug and how jinwoo could be a bug. 
On all the theme and symbolism the post mention, i see that too and that is why i do like this drama a lot. 

It still doesn't answer a prime question about how can NPC kills Jinwoo or per say his secretary? 
When new level one players or even hee-ju when she went looking for him and keep logging on and off, i would think thats she got slayed everytime? So why couldn't her or any new tester die.....but professor cha or secretary can...? And why didn't he die the first day he was playing the game, after getting kill so many times by NPC. 

And how the technology works without a platform...? 

lol maybe I should just accept it and see the beauty in it instead of picking through the logic of it lol

 

[siddy09]

5 hours ago, wenchanteur said:

 

Hi!
I loved the drama for many reasons.
I had a hard time finding a drama to hang on to, and then I don't have time to see any too. And I was waiting since the end of "W" for the next SJJ drama
However, I will appreciate it more when I can review it with a better translated version, with time to pay attention to the details. I am not trying to discuss a possible "plot-hole" at the moment, I have no information to say whether or not there is one. We have to be careful with this scriptwriter, we quickly say stupid things, and find mistakes where there are none!
The story has this incomprehensible side, resembling a kind of wandering, that we find in the other dramas of Song Jae-Jung. She really has a style of her own.
What struck me about MOA was the extreme side of its chronological organization. If I wrote a story like that, assuming I could do it already, it would be unreadable. And I won't be able to do it.
MOA is almost as striking as "W" in the originality of its theme. I still prefer "W", which is perfect. For me, it is the absolute masterpiece.
MOA has more side scenes, more slowness, and a less clean realization. (The director doesn't impress me as much as Jung Dae-Yoon)
Seeing the drama again will also accentuate the strong emotions it brings. Normally, in an ordinary drama, emotion is delivered raw, and made to be felt that way. But SJJ's dramas are very condensed, and sometimes too much for the emotion to be palpable the first time with its maximum intensity.

 

 

I must admit that I am going through severe consequences of withdrawal symptoms and that is the worst part of watching a show live, because only when it ends, then you realise that you have lost something great. Sigh.

Bold

This is something that struck me too. I am not sure if it's the director or the script was screaming the need of a script editor. I thought that it is the latter. However, I am not entirely impressed by the direction. W had a more wholesome approach, and less confusing too. Also, the cinematography was considerably more bright and hued. Compare the last scenes of W where KC comes to real world,  to the last scene of MOA, where we are left with only silhouette of Jin Woo; I think you would get a better idea of how different the approaches to direction were in both dramas. 

But I am not sure whether it was the director's choice or the script was gloomy that forced such dark settings. That reminds me to the conversation that I  had with @wenchanteurearlier, about the writer and her reference for the sufferings of her characters. All four of her last characters-OYJ, KC, HJ and JW had their fair shares of ordeals in their lives. And her latest characters HJ and JW depict helpless passive, woeful suffering, almost borderline depression. I would want to know what is going on in that head and life of hers that is being reflected in her characters. And if she writes an autobiography in her life, I would love to read that too. 

It is said that when Shakespeare wrote tragedies such as Othello, Hamlet, King Lear, he was going through the worst time of life when his son and father had died. It is said that he had stopped believing in any rational Will or Justice. Although, I admit that it is not entirely true that writers reflect their own torments in their characters. I am not a writer, more of an analyst. Even though I used to write but I don't know why, I lost my knack of writing. But when I used to write, the more inspired I was from my own life events, the better I expressed myself.  

[wenchanteur]

 

8 hours ago, packmule3 said:

http://bitchesoverdramas.com/2019/01/22/memories-of-the-alhambra-phoenixs-happy-ending-and-game-explanation

 

My explanation why Seejoo was NOT debugged, and other things. 
 

http://bitchesoverdramas.com/2019/01/23/memories-of-the-alhambra-goyangis-instance-dungeon-and-odysseus

 

I took a look at this blog, it's a gold mine!
I have to put it as a favorite. I'm afraid to read too much, because it will spoil my second watching of the drama. ^^