Following the massive success of Disney+’s Moving last year, a new series from the same creator just dropped its first four episodes, and I promise you won’t regret this — you should add Lightshop Keeper to your watch list, and here’s why:

The story

Lightshop Keeper follows a group of strangers, all of whom seem to be unconnected to each other, except for the fact that they are all strangely pulled to a light shop located in a dark, dubious alley. Each of these strangers has a different story, and the cautious lightshop keeper may hold the key that links them all.

We know that sounds vague, but it’s difficult to write a synopsis of the story without giving spoilers. The story is told through anecdotes. In each episode, you’ll meet new characters who’ll pull you in and get you invested in their lives and stories.

It’s based on Kang Full’s work

As someone who knew nothing going into the first episode — I didn’t read the webtoon or even any information about the webtoon — watching Lightshop Keeper was a very different experience from Moving. Fun fact: while both webtoons were popular in their own right, the webtoon Lightshop (2011) was published a few years earlier than Moving (2015).

Though the original webtoons and screenplays were created and written by Kang Full, they tackle different themes. Moving was more about the hidden superheroes, while Lightshop Keeper leans towards a mix of horror, mystery, and drama.

It’s a perfect mix of horror, mystery, and drama

Watching the first four episodes felt like going through a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

On the one hand, the drama comes in when we are shown the backstories of these various characters, and they make us invested in their lives and why they’re being drawn to the lightshop. Their stories will move you and make you want to see more of their lives.

On the other hand, the suspense and mystery of identifying which among the characters are ghosts and which are humans were executed so well. And when we finally get the reveals, there are no overdone makeup effects to bring the scare factor — just a whole lot of buildup in the storytelling and a great score.

Kudos to Director Kim Heewon and his team for the amazing execution.

It might be linked to Moving

Speaking of, in case you didn’t know, the director of Lightshop Keeper is actually an actor making his directorial debut through this series. And Director Kim Heewon might be familiar to some of you, because he played a role in Moving as the physical education teacher who teaches the superhuman children at Jeongwon High School.

In a press conference ahead of the series’ release, creator Kang Full was asked if the series Lightshop Keeper and Moving are set in the same universe. Though he kept things vague, Kang Full said the link is director Kim Heewon, who was involved in both works as director and actor, respectively.

Kang Full’s webtoons are actually set in a shared universe aptly called “Kang Full Universe.” Fans expect his series adaptations to be the same, though this has not yet been confirmed.

It has a star-studded ensemble cast

Just like Moving, Lightshop Keeper has an ensemble cast that doesn’t disappoint. Led by Ju Jihoon (Kingdom, Blood Free, Princess Hours) and Park Boyoung (Strong Girl Bongsoon, Daily Dose of Sunshine), the actors in this show deliver fantastic performances in each episode. Even if their screen time is short (so far), all of the actors’ performances are so powerful, they’ll stick with you throughout the series.

You need to watch out for details

Averaging at about 40 minutes per episode, it’s short and sweet — just enough to hook you in and build up the tension, but still packed with so much detail you’d have to keep your eyes open for.

Pay careful attention to everything happening onscreen. In fact, if you can, rewatch the episodes because we’re sure you might notice new details (I definitely did).

Our verdict

Lightshop Keeper is definitely a must-watch — but slowly, because you’ll need to process everything that’s happening well. It might seem like random, unconnected stories at first, but they all converge at the light shop, just like life. Their stories will move you, but only after scaring you for a bit.

The show may feel slow going at times, but savoring each episode is worth the payoff, just like it was in Moving. And if you make it to the end of Episode 4, you might be surprised by how well the stories tie together (so far) and how it would make you want to rewatch the show again. (I’m already rewatching it. During the day though.)

When and where can you watch Lightshop Keeper?

The first four episodes of Lightshop Keeper are now available exclusively on Disney+, with two new episodes dropping every Wednesday.

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