Ancestral Guest House

Ancestral Guest House
Genre	fantasy romantic comedy
Developed by	Roisin Arnegah
Theme music composer	Ministry of Culture
Opening theme	Into the New World
Composer(s)	Unknown
Country of origin	Malgrave
Original language(s)	Malgravean Ancient, Mystrian Common
No. of series	4 (2019-)
No. of episodes	48
Production
Executive producer(s)	TBN
Production location(s)	Epping
Cinematography	TBN
Running time	80 minutes
Production company(s)	Ministry of Culture Ascenion Production
Distributor	Ministry of Culture
Release
Original network	MBC One
Picture format	1080i (16:9 HDTV)
Original release	1 May 2019 (2019-05-01) – present
External links
Website

Ancestral Guest House is a 2019 TV show starring Rhee Chae-Yeong and Angela Necchi as the operator and manager of a hotel that caters to souls stuck between the earthly plane and the afterlife.

History

In 2018 the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Social Solidarity published a report on the role of shared television experiences in promoting the ideals of social cohesion within Malgrave and improving relationships between Malgrave and the international community. In response to this report, MBBC started a competition for aspiring writers and producers to propose an idea for a new television series that could broadcast on the channel and provide an opportunity to cast non-Malgravean actors, with the eventual winner being Roisin Arnegah from the Grand Duchy of Glaristant.

Following discussions between Roisin Arnegah and MBBC production started on Ancestral Guest House near the end of 2018, with the finished product being broadcast in 2019. Earlier in production a few rumours circulated hinting that the show wouldn't be renewed for a third series due to the expenses of production, however, the popularity of the show meant that it was renewed and it is currently in its fourth series.

Synopsis

Ancestral Guest House is a hotel managed by Kim Eun-Ji (played by Rhee Chae-Yeon) that operates as a resting point and haven for souls that through unknown means have become stuck while travelling between the earthly plane and the proper afterlife for the person in question, the Hotel is primarily located in Epping, Malgrave, however, due to its existence on an unseen plane, it cannot usually be seen by ordinary members of the public.

Kim Eun-Ji and the rest of the hotel staff used to focus on making the spirits feel as comfortable as possible during their stay in the hotel as they cannot reliably interact with the world. To get around this limitation the Hotel typically functions through the help of an avatar from the real world, however, their unexpected death a few months before the series means that the Hotel hasn't been functioning properly, but during a heavy storm the unexpected arrival of Alessia Tiraboschi (played by Angela Necchi), an elf that can interact with the Hotel and the real world means that the Hotel can start helping trapped souls again.

Cast/Characters

Character	Description
Rhee Chae-Yeong as Kim Eun-Ji	Kim Eun-Ji is is the owner of the Ancestral Guest House, she is initially aloof to strangers and early on in the series focuses on assisting the long-term residents of the Hotel, however, eventually she begins to open up to Alessia and become involved in trying to help newcomers that have found their way to the Hotel. Eun-Ji is shown to have a soft spot for those that have worked at the Hotel for a long time such as the Nefreedian security guards and Dakba, however, how she came to own the Hotel is unknown. In an episode during the first season highlights of her background as an operative in the Special Investigative Service are shown, including the assassination missions she was sent on during the opening stages of the civil war before her untimely demise during an operation. It is a popular fan theory that the large number of people that she killed as a member of the SIS resulted in her being effectively sent back in time to run the Ancestral Guest House and atone for the blood that she spilled, however, that hasn't been confirmed by the writers or producers of the show.
Angela Necchi as Alessia Tiraboschi	Alessia Tiraboschi is an elf that works as an intermediate between the real world and the ancestral plane, as they are able to effectively travel around the country and region to help trapped souls connect with family members. Alessia is hired in the first episode after accidentally stumbling the hotel while trying to hide from an unexpected bad storm. As Alessia wasn't selected to be the intermediate through the traditional method and due to her optimistic nature she initially clashes with Eun-Ji, however, her ability to connect with the guests and their family members in the real world eventually wins her the respect of her boss and the two eventually become friends between the end of the first season.
Even Sørensen as TBN	TBN is the Head of Security for the Hotel, a Nefreedian that provides security to the hotel and helps protect it from particularly aggressive spirits. In an episode it is revealed that TBN was once concerned about occupying the afterlife, however, after being trapped in a long-term fight with Eun-Ji and subsequently learning her duties and the comforts that the hotel provides to people he signeds himself and his men to protect the hotel. TBN is very concerned about the security of the hotel, however, despite his stern exterior he loves to get involved in the escapades of Karen De Valera.
Fervi Mossscale as Dakba Greentail	Dakba Greentail is the Head of Catering for the Hotel, a kobold adventurer that died after eating a bad sandwich he became obsessed with the idea that everyone should eat good food and therefore became trapped at the hotel. Dakba wishes that he could serve everyone sandwiches, however, his old friend Kyrlux Frostscales is able to convince him (in comedic fashion) to cool other forms of food for guests.
Jirlah Coldfang as Kyrlux Frostscales	Kyrlux Frostscales is a draconid explorer that initially ventured into the hotel to try and rescue his friend Daka, however, he ended up getting trapped himself and is now resigned to helping his long-term friend
Larysa Pasternak as Karen De Valera	Karen De Valera is a Dornalian-Mal receptionist, Karen is incredibly enthusiastic about her helping people pass over to the over side and often appears in unexpected places to try and help wayward spirits and cheer them up. Karens wayward antics have gained her the admiration of TBN and the two often form a stern/bubbly duo to comic effect

Episodes

List of Ancestral Guest House episodes

Reception

Ancestral Guest House is quite a popular drama in Malgrave, with the show being praised for its inclusion of non-human and non-Malgravean actors and the respect that it plays to foreign religions. It has gained a reputation for having an incredibly passionate fan-base after shippers of Eun-Ji and TBN and shippers of Eun-Ji and Alessia Tiraboschi were involved in a series of disputes that broke out into fist fights and organised cyber-warfare.

The show received rather harsh criticism from religious authorities in the absolute royal federation and the show was at several times called out as necromantic and pro keeping the dead in this world. This was due to the fact that the show focused on making the dead comfortable instead of destruction on sight. In federal newspaper did a panel of clerics from all mayor religions and several sects denounce it. Despite that did it have a limited run on federal cinemas that showed foreign videos and shows. Admittedly was the show severely edited and redubbed to change important details to make it more palpable to a federal audience. Amongst this was a rather controversial edit about the spirits not being dead but instead spirits of the land, that needed to pass on to other areas, causing rather odd moments as sorrowful scenes of spirits departing for the afterlife are played with the intended seriousness of the original but the new audio claiming they are just moving back home. Similarly were some concerns raised about a lot of Malgravean cultural references were Imerianised such as scenes clearly depicting arancini was referred to as "Surkal mid flaskvurst ach rotmos!".

In Dyste, the show has a small but dedicated fandom, the character of Dakba being by far the most popular and marketed in the nation. It is not uncommon to refer to the show as 'the Dakba show' by those more aware of the kobold character than the show as a whole.