Overview of Memories of Alhambra
An inventive plot with effective character utilization and riveting story-telling. Split across two time periods and two geographical locations (Granada and Seoul), the narrative revolves around a company CEO and a hostel owner who become engaged in a series of intriguing happenings around a new and complicated augmented reality game inspired by the stories of the Alhambra Palace.
Profile
- Drama: Memories of the Alhambra
- Director: Ahn Gil-ho
- Writer: Song Jae-jung
- Network: tvN
- Episodes: 16
- Release Date: December 1, 2018 –January 20, 2019
- Language: Korean
- Country: South Korea
Cast
Main
- Hyun Bin as Yoo Jin-woo
CEO of J One Holdings, an investment firm, and a doctor of engineering with expertise in game development. He is courageous, daring, and pessimistic. His AR game ID is “zinu” and he is the highest-level player in the game. - Park Shin-hye as Jung Hee-joo / Emma
The owner of the hostel Bonita. A former classical guitarist who relocated to Spain for higher education but took on a number of jobs to support herself after the passing of her parents. She is artistically inclined but has no grasp of money. - Emma: An NPC (Non-Player Character) character Se-joo (Hee-joo’s younger brother and game developer) made in the augmented reality game based on Hee-joo.
Supporting
People around Jung Hee-joo
- Park Chanyeol as Jung Se-joo
Hee-joo’s younger sibling. A brilliant reclusive programmer who creates a complex augmented reality game. Later, it is revealed that after murdering Marco, he was forced to hide in the Instance Dungeon until Jin-woo liberated him. His AR game ID is “master”. - Kim Yong-rim as Oh Young-shim, Hee-joo’s grandmother.
- Lee Re as Jung Min-joo, Hee-joo’s younger sister. She dreams of becoming a girl group member.
- Lee Hak-joo as Kim Sang-bum
A classical guitarist and foreign student in Spain. He cares for Hee-joo and is close to her, although he frequently oversteps his boundaries.
People around Yoo Jin-woo
- Park Hoon as Cha Hyung-seok
Doctor of Engineering and CEO of the IT firm Neword. Jin-woo’s college classmate and J One Holdings co-founder, who ultimately betrayed him and became his worst enemy. “Mr Cha” is his AR game ID. - Lee Seung-joon as Park Seon-ho
Jin-woo’s a college senior and the Business Strategy Director and co-founder of J One Holdings. He is later elevated to the position of CEO of J One Holdings. - Min Jin-woong as Seo Jung-hoon
Jin-woo’s devoted secretary. He was killed by NPCs generated by the bug because he was Jin-woo’s ally. His AR game ID is ‘City Hunter’ - Cho Hyun-chul as Choi Yang-joo
The head of Research and Development for J One Holdings. To help Jin-woo survive and combat the NPCs the bug has produced, he builds unique gaming weaponry. - Lee Si-won as Lee Soo-jin
Jin-woo’s first ex-wife; Hyung-seok’s current wife. - Kim Eui-sung as Cha Byung-jun
The self-centred and avaricious father of Hyung-Seok is a professor of business administration at Seoul University. In his attempt to indirectly cause Jin-woo’s death by restarting the game, he is later slain by NPCs spawned by the glitch. - Ryu Abel as Lee Soo-kyung
Soo-jin’s younger sister, a florist.
Others
- Han Bo-reum as Ko Yoo-ra
Jin-woo’s second ex-wife, 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 “macro”. - Park Jin-woo as Noh Young-jun
Yoo-ra’s manager and ex-boyfriend.
Synopsis
A young man frantically calls Jin-woo in the middle of the night to discuss an Augmented Reality game he has created and express his interest in selling Jin-woo the game’s rights. The hostel where he occasionally stays, Bonita, is where the game developer (Jung Se-joo) suggests they meet.
The young man drops the phone and flees from an unidentified attacker before receiving any concrete answers to Jin-woo’s queries. Jin-woo appears uninterested at first, but after recalling CEO Cha’s name during the conversation, the competitive streak kicks in and he quickly sets out on a trip to Granada to investigate more about the game. CEO Cha Hyung-seok, is Jin-woo’s former friend and partner, now his business opponent, following a series of professional and personal betrayals from him.
During the phone call, Se-joo said to Jin-woo that he phoned Jin-woo after rejecting CEO Cha’s 10 million won offer because he believes CEO Cha is a horrible person.
Jin-woo arrives in Alhambra and checks into Bonita Hostel, where he meets the hostel’s owner, Jung Hee-joo, a down-on-her-luck former classical guitarist who works many jobs to make ends meet. During their initial meeting, Jin-woo is less than charming to Hee-joo and appears to be rough on her at times.
Meanwhile, Se-joo, Hee-joo’s brother, is still missing from the scene and has left no indication of having arrived at the hostel. In any case, Jin-woo decides to put the augmented reality game to the test using the smart lens his company has just launched. Marvelled at the intensity of the game, Jin-woo is terrified at the thought of losing its right to someone else. The seamless interaction of AR (augmented reality) characters with the real world is impressive and it has the potential to rule the world. Without a doubt, Jin-woo is convinced.
However, Se-joo is a no-show, so he is unable to purchase the game’s rights.
However, Jin-woo had assigned someone going by the name ‘A’ to conduct a background check on Se-joo. Jin-woo learns through ‘A’ that Se-joo is a minor and that his parents are deceased. As See-joo is under the age of 18, his elder sister and legal guardian, the owner of Bonita Hostel in Granada, is the only person authorised to sign the contract on his behalf.
Jin-woo is taken aback by the coincidence of finding himself exactly where he should be. Se-joo’s elder sister, Hee-ju, is the key to Jin-woo’s huge catch. He imagines her to be the princess who is unaware of her worth.
He makes an effort to gain Hee-joo’s favour. He concocts a scheme to buy the old building and offers 10 million won as he learns Se-joo filed for the game patents under Hostel Bonita. He also warns her that the longer she waits, the more money she will lose. After much thought and consultation with her kin, Hee-joo accepts the offer as it is too tempting to refuse.
Jin-woo continues to play the game and climbs the levels. He discovers that CEO Cha, his adversary, is also logged in as a gamer. They fight, lashing out at various issues as they smash swords. In the end, Jin-woo has the upper hand and prevails. However, there is a major glitch in the programme that has real-world repercussions, and things are about to get worse.
The defeat in the game has resulted in CEO Cha’s death in real life. All eyes are likely on him as a result of the fact that Jin-woo was Cha’s last contact before his passing and it is extremely likely that this will become a murder case. Jin-woo is in fear. Even more shocking is the fact that CEO Cha continues to play the game even after his demise as an NPC (Non-Player Character).
The game begins to have dangerous and life-altering effects. Later, NPC Cha enters the game with a rumble of thunder at numerous stages. Even if Jin-woo defeats NPC Cha, he continues to remain a nightmare in Jin-woo’s mind.
A struggle between Jin-woo and NPC Cha causes him to roll all the way down the stairs from the sixth floor during one level. As soon as he passes out, he is rushed to the hospital for surgery. He runs across NPC Cha again at the hospital bed in the game, and he even starts to think that he killed CEO Cha, and likewise is going to be his ending. Hee-joo interrupts the game to save him at that precise moment.
Theme
The most prevalent thing we see today is technology dominating and managing our daily lives. Its invasion into practically every element of the normal human being’s existence cannot be ignored. The point at which the artificial world appears more genuine than our world is not far away.
The K-Drama ‘Memories of the Alhambra’ explores such a theme where virtual / augmented reality monopolizes real life. An augmented reality game that blurs the lines between the actual world and the AR world appears to determine, guide, and reroute the characters’ lives. AR is a technical tool that augments the real environment with virtual graphics.
When Yoo Jin-woo enters a game while wearing a smart lens in ‘Memories of the Alhambra,’ another world emerges over Granada. Jin-woo is astounded by the game’s intensity and convinced that it has the ability to dominate the world. Despite this, the game took an unforeseen turn, dominating Jin-woo’s world and rerouting its path down the most unexpected pathways.
The reality of life is consumed in augmented reality. It appears that neither the player nor the designer can avoid the game’s life-altering perils. The gamer cannot live a life apart from the game. What was created for enjoyment becomes a nightmare that cannot be avoided or ignored.
There is a cost for every advancement they make. The game’s achievements do not appear to excite the gamers. Rather, it’s like running a marathon in a desperate attempt to finish it and get out of it. As getting to the game’s dead end is the only way to fill up its gaps and trace its creator. The game takes a toll on a person’s life, profession, sensibility, and sanity. ‘Memories of the Alhambra’ depicts a critical technological aspect in which we begin to sacrifice the reality of the physical world in favour of virtual / augmented reality.
Awards
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55th Baeksang Arts Awards(2019)
Technical award (special effects) – Park Sung-jin
Interesting Facts about Memories of the Alhambra
- ‘Memories of the Alhambra’, hailed as Korea’s first augmented reality video game drama, was found to be influenced by tech tycoon Elon Musk and the Pokémon Go game.
- It takes its title from Francisco Tárrega’s eponymous classical guitar composition Recuerdos de la Alhambra, which is also featured on the series’ soundtrack.
- According to Nielsen’s paid platform, its 14th episode had a 10.025% nationwide audience share, making it one of the most rated in Korean cable television history.
FAQs
- Who is the director of ‘Memories of the Alhambra’?
Ahn Gil-ho. - What is the genre of the drama ‘Memories of the Alhambra’?
Science fantasy, Action, Thriller, Romance. - Which are the two main locations in ‘Memories of the Alhambra’?
Granada, Spain and Seoul, South Korea - What is the Instagram ID of the main leads?
Hyun Bin – hyunbinactor_ and Park Shin-hye – ssinz7
