Memories of the Alhambra (Korean: 알함브라 궁전의 추억) is a 2018 South Korean television series, starring Hyun Bin and Park Shin-hye. Primarily set in Spain (and in South Korea in later episodes), the series centers on a company CEO and a hostel owner who get entangled in a series of mysterious incidents surrounding a new and intricate augmented reality game inspired by the stories of the Alhambra Palace. It aired on cable network tvN from December 1, 2018, to January 20, 2019, every Saturday and Sunday at 21:00 (KST). It is also available for online streaming on Netflix.
The drama is one of the highest-rated Korean dramas in cable television history, and was praised for its creative plot and its unexpected twists. Its title also alludes to Francisco Tárrega's eponymous classical guitar piece Recuerdos de la Alhambra, which is also a part of the series' soundtrack.
Contents
Synopsis
After receiving an email regarding a groundbreaking AR game about medieval battles in the Alhambra, Yoo Jin-woo (Hyun Bin), CEO of an investment company that specializes in optical devices, travels to Granada, Spain to meet the creator of the game, Jung Se-joo (Park Chan-yeol). However, Se-joo has gone missing and there, Jin-woo meets Se-joo's older sister, Jung Hee-joo (Park Shin-hye), who is the owner of the hostel he stays in and a former guitarist. Both get entangled in mysterious incidents, as the border between the areal world and the AR world built by Se-joo begins to blur.
Cast
Main
Hyun Bin as Yoo Jin-woo
CEO of investment company called J One Holdings and a Doctor of Engineering, who is talented at developing games. He is fearless, adventurous and cynical. His AR game ID is "zinu" and he is the highest-level player in the game.
Park Shin-hye as Jung Hee-joo / Emma
Lee Chae-yoon as young Hee-joo
Jung Hee-joo: Owner of Hostal Bonita. A former classic guitarist who came to Spain for further studies, but took on several jobs there to sustain livelihood following the death of her parents. She has artistic sensibility but zero financial sense.
Emma: An NPC character in the AR game created by Se-joo based on Hee-joo.
Others
Han Bo-reum as Ko Yoo-ra
Jin-woo's second ex-wife, who is an extremely vain and impulsive celebrity with a drinking habit.
Lee Jae-wook as Marco Han
A programmer and hacker who is affiliated with Se-joo. He was accidentally killed by Se-joo due to a bug caused by their physical contact while duelling. His AR game ID is "marco".
Park Jin-woo as Noh Young-jun
Yoo-ra's manager and ex-boyfriend.
Special appearances
Park Hae-soo as A (Ep. 1, 2, 4, 8): A detective who collects intelligence for Jin-woo.
Jung Min-sung as Hee-joo's father (Ep. 3)
Choi Yoo-song as Hee-joo's mother (Ep. 3)
Han Da-sol as Gamer (Ep. 3): An international student.
Kim Hyun-mok as J One Employee (Ep. 7, 10, 16)
Park Seul-gi as Entertainment News Program Reporter (Ep. 7, 16)
Park Jong-jin as Live Weekly News Host who reported on Cha Hyung-suk's death
Eom Seong-seop as Live Weekly News Reporter who reported on Cha Hyung-suk's death
Production
The series is helmed by director Ahn Gil-ho, who directed Stranger and writer Song Jae-jeong whose previous works include W and Queen and I.
Touted as Korea's first augmented reality-gaming drama, Memories of the Alhambra was revealed to be inspired by tech mogul Elon Musk and the Pokémon Go game.
The first script reading took place in May 2018.
Overseas filming took place in several cities in Andalucía and Catalonia, such as Granada (Andalucía), and Barcelona and Girona (some interiors and exteriors) and Terrassa (exteriors and film studios) in Catalonia from late May to June. In early August, the cast started filming in Budapest, Hungary and Slovenia. The script for the last episode was completed on December 19, 2018 and filming wrapped up on December 29, 2018 in South Korea.
A preview screening event was held at CGV theaters on November 28, 2018 prior to the airing of the first episode.
Reception
Memories of the Alhambra was a commercial success, consistently topping the cable television viewership ratings in its timeslot. Its 14th episode recorded a 10.025% nationwide audience share according to Nielsen paid platform, making it as one of the highest rated in Korean cable television history.
The drama has attracted attention for its unique theme of augmented reality; and earned praise for its high-end computer graphics, cinematography and fast-paced storytelling. Critic Jeong Seok-hee praised the drama for its mysterious and captivating plot that held viewers' attention until the very end, and that it "has the potential to become one of the very best TV dramas we have seen in years". However, later on it received criticism for its confusing development and slow development of plot, and its excessive product placement.
According to the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, the series is receiving favorable reviews and popularity in China for its actors' performance, cinematography and fresh story.
International broadcast
Memories of the Alhambra was broadcast on Netflix in Asia and English-speaking territories an hour after its broadcast in Korea. In Japan, the drama was broadcast on December 2, while in Europe, South America and the rest of the world, it was launched starting December 11.