But let's start with the things I liked. I LOVED the cast! I've never watched Lee Jun Ki in a drama before, but seeing him in this really made me want to. He did an amazing job! Shin Min Ah was really good, too, especially in the earlier episodes, and her chemistry with Jun Ki was awesome. I also liked pretty much all the supporting characters. They were portrayed well and added humor and depth. I really liked the music, especially the score. Really beautiful instumentals.
I think the story is where things start to move into the gray area between Like and Dislike. The plot started off really unique and interesting. All the characters were really strong at the beginning. Then somewhere along the way things got... slow? complicated? just different? I'm not sure exactly what it was, but I gradually became disconnected from the characters and the plot. I didn't care as much about what happened to them. I was especially sad that Arang became less feisty and strong and more like the typical K-drama female lead. A bit disappointing.
But despite that, the show was still enjoyable. The visuals were always really good and I thought the ending was, too, even though it could've been more epic. Still definitely worth watching. ^_^
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The story is well written and flows smoothly from episode to episode. It is very imaginative. I think the subplots work well together to make up the whole story. Eun Oh's mother looking for revenge for her family seemed to set up a chain of events that brings him and Arang together. I like that they resolved issues quickly. There was only one flaw that I found in the story and it was a timing issue and that didn't mean anything to the story as a whole. I expected to see more of the main characters together in the last episode, but at least it ended nicely.
I totally adore Lee Jun Ki and he does not disappoint playing Eun Oh. His acting abilities are as strong as ever. If you haven't seen Iljimae, then you should watch that drama too. Shin Min Ah is one of my favorite actresses. Her portrayal of Arang's character as strong yet vulnerable is really well done. Yoo Woo Jin plays Joo Wal who is a disturbed young man. I felt extremely sorry for his character even though he had obviously committed some heinous acts of violence.
The Jade Emperor played by Yoo Seung Ho and the Grim Reaper/Moo Young played by Han Jung Soo were also well done and eye candy too. The little secondary couple were too funny and adorable. I usually don't like all the secondary characters and story lines, but it wasn't too bad in this drama.
The music was really pretty and went well with the drama.
I might rewatch this someday.
I recommend this as a must see for everyone, because I think it has a little bit of all genres.
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Story: The first couple episodes were mysterious and funny. Then by the second half I found the writing a little lazy and predictable. The slow pacing is what made the story borderline boring at times. The strong pull though was definitely the romance. I thought the writers did a phenomenal job with that and its what ultimately kept me watching till the end. As for the ending, it wasn’t the way I would have liked it to end but I give it up to the writers for making a not so expected ending that many of the viewers would be satisfied with.
Acting/Cast: This is my first Lee Jun Ki led drama and I have to say he was so awesome! His acting was very natural and I never sensed overacting. I can definitely say I am a fan now. As for the lovely Shin Min Ah, I was so happy that she had an amazing chemistry with LJK because that really made the romance so believable. Once again that is what kept me watching. As for the supporting cast, I thought they did a good job, but I wasn’t really interested in most of their characters. I will say that Yun Woo Jin (who I have only seen in Ojakgyo Brothers) did a really good job playing his character, who can be considered a villain, but who you will come to sympathize with greatly.
Music: Loved the haunting score which matched the ghostly theme so well.
Rewatch: I honestly don’t want to see this story again just because the plot really didn’t grab me but I would consider it for one of the greatest OTP I have seen this year.
Overall, although Arang and the Magristate didn’t end up blowing me away like I thought it would, I would recommend this solely for Sageuk fans (that are used to slow pacing plots) or Lee Jun Ki/Shin Min Ah fans.
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The acting was so good in this drama. I find Shin Min Ah a very talented actress, and was not disappointed whatsoever with her portrayal of Arang. Although, as I watched this drama play out I did sense a lot of character development that kind of altered how she was in the very beginning. In the first 5 or so episodes you saw Arang with a lot of spunk and was a feisty one I don't think you'd want to go head-to-head with, and as her character began to adapt to her current situations, I feel like she lost that spark that she originally had in the beginning.. Which may have been the only thing I remotely disliked about her character development. And in my opinion, I always noticed how often she would get herself into trouble and how Joo Wal and Eun Ho were always right there to save her, so I personally think she turned into a damsel in distress, which really rubbed me the wrong way. Nonetheless I gotta give mad props to the male lead actor, Lee Jun Ki, and the supporting lead actor, Yun Woo Jin. They did an outstanding performance portraying their characters.. Especially in the more emotional scenes. Jun Ki and Woo Jin probably did the most believable portrayal of their character handling something so overwhelming that it brought them to tears, and when they cried I cried with them. I loved Joo Wal's character development, and I liked that Arang was a big factor in changing his perception of the world and life.
The OST was pretty average. Many songs I loved, and others I loved a little less, but all were very appropriate for this drama. My particular favorite was "Mask Dance" by MC Sniper because when that song came on, you just KNEW that someone's ass was about to get kicked.. Which reminded me a lot of "Sad Run" in City Hunter's OST. ^^
Overall this drama was very good in keeping up the suspense, that I really never knew what was going to happen next. The comedic relief was great, the action scenes were badass, and the romance scenes were so beautifully written it just might bring tears to your eyes.. I know I had to hold back a few tears in the later episodes. I probably wouldn't rewatch this.. Maybe certain episodes, but definitely not all at once. It was a great drama that I thoroughly enjoyed watching, and I'm certainly glad I did finish it, cause I was very close to putting it on hold in the earlier episodes. I recommend this to those who like historical dramas, or those who are just looking for a good action drama with the romance aspect involved as well. I know many have enjoyed this drama, and I'm certain you might too!
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I think the most important thing for me was that there was more than one interesting story that I could keep track of, and they all eventually intertwined in an exciting and meaningful way.
Another good point was that the show managed to keep the balance between comedy and drama for most of its run which made its 20 episodes enjoyable. Especially, how funny were the Three Bangs? Loved the music during their scenes!
I loved the cast, the writing, the acting, the music, the GORGEOUS camera work. However I'm not giving it a 10/10 because I got a tiny bit bored in he last few episodes; also, I wanted to see more of Muyeong and Muyeon's story; and finally I think they dedicated too much time to the old witch's ugly grimaces. Other than that, it was great.
Definitely recommended!
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The story was very interesting and the first i`ve seen thous far, quite original. Its basically about A ghost called Arang who came back to find the reason for her death. She meets a young guy Eun oh who became a magistrate of a creepy little town and there began the adventure and laughter. However there is more much much more, so give it a try you`ll enjoy and hopefully you wont get bored like me in ep 15-19.
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The story wasn’t really so original, though there are some hints of originality in it. The story loosely reminds me of 49 Days because of the idea of a mission in order to receive a reward. But I liked the story anyhow, because the concept was somehow original in a lovely way. The fantasy element was just daebak. I so love the fantasy. I love it, I love it, I love it! The fantasy really carried this drama up to the end. Also, I love the side stories. This drama has got to be one of those with great side stories.
The cast was amazing. They were convincing enough to make my heart break into pieces and put those pieces back together again each time. I never found Lee Jun Ki attractive, but why is he so damn gorgeous here (or is it just me who thinks that way?)? I guess I’m starting to believe the theory that post-army look is agfjhkljhklfjlgkjglkjgkjhdfljgksd so much better than their pre-army one. Moving on, Lee Jun Ki’s attractiveness is not really my main point, but the fact that he’s such a good actor. The guy knows how to act and I was really surprised with how good he is. Then there’s Shin Min Ah, who I think is really a perfect catch when the drama involves a mythical creature or any of that sort, so I wasn’t really surprised when she was cast in this drama. Oh, and how I adored her in this! She gave me a different feeling here than when she was a Gumiho, and I love this feeling. As for Yun Woo Jin, it’s the first time I’ve encountered him, but he has a lot of potential in acting. He may not be as good as the other two, but he had those moments where he shined, at least for me. Oh, and I’m gonna miss those adorable puppy eyes. As for the supporting cast, they’re too many for me to write about each one of them, but I just want to say how I adored all characters. Each character had good substance and it really helped a lot that those characters were well-portrayed, so I commend the actors for that.
Beautifully twisted and awe-inspiring, this is truly an endearing drama that may have some forgettable moments, but the feeling it gives will surely linger on.
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The Magistrate, Eun Oh, played by Lee Jun Ki had everything going for him. He was gorgeous, brilliant and a master fighter. Sounds like over the top descriptions but they are apt, and when you watch this drama you will see they fit him perfectly. Lee Jun Ki was fantastic in this role; he played it with credibility and sensitivity, and was totally believable.
The other secondary characters were also very interesting and well developed. The writing for this drama was very good, as the story kept you hooked and had a number of surprising devlopments. It kept you guessing at 'who' was Arang's killer. It was also very well paced so you didn't have a lot of those moments where 'nothing' happens and you got anxious for the plot to advance. The writers made every moment count in that something interesting happened or there was a revelation of some sort .
The music score and sound track for this drama was outstanding! It was a lesson in how to lead the audience to understand the mood of the scene...they were spot on with the music. Most impressive was the flawless blending of the orchestra musical score with the contemporary rap or romantic ballad;
All the actors for this drama put on a superb performance; I feel I must single out in addition to Shin Min Ah and Lee Jun Ki, the actress who played the Magistrate's mother 'Kang Moon Young'. She did an outstanding job in portraying two different characters.
Finally there was a really good mix of humour, drama, mystery and horror all rolled into this one story, and the director very expertly phased them effectively.
What were the bad points? There were none of any consequence because overall this was a very good drama which was well written and brilliantly made. BEST ENDING EVER! I would recommend watching this as well as re-watching it.
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My absolute favorite aspect of this drama as the music. Goodness, the music in this drama was extremely appropriate for all the scenes. Creepy, chilling instrumentals gave me goosebumps during intense and scary scenes and sweet serenading vocals evoked tears during the emotional scenes.
The actors and actresses were acceptable. Lee Jun Ki and Shin Min Ah had tons of chemistry as Eun Oh and Arang. Neither Eun Oh nor Arang never were annoying lead characters, like so many other lead characters in other dramas. Other characters I would have cast younger or less creepy looking; however, I set their looks aside after seeing their acting skills.
Overall I think "Arang and The Magistrate" was a good drama. There was comedy, mystery, romance, action and much more. It was not perfect drama and it irritated me sometimes, but I enjoyed it.
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