This is it. My first historical drama, complete! As a historical drama should, it was filled with hanboks, politics, and... vampires!? "Scholar Who Walks the Night", or what I feel the drama could be alternatively titled, "Kim Sung Yeol runs around on rooftops", had all the potential to be a 10/10 drama. Great cast, amazing music, wonderful costumes and sets-- the only thing holding it back was unfortunately the story. With the vampire popularity boom these past few years, you'd think that we ought to have grown tired of them by now... The premise of this drama is good. No complaints. Just somehow, they managed to mess up on the execution. Some characters have depth, while others are rather one-dimensional. Yang Sun was a bit too clingy and stubborn for my liking. She wasn't able to take no for an answer and followed the Scholar around like a tail. Gwi, on the other hand, seemed like a dull character at first but turned out to be one of the stars of the show. The gisaeng Kim Sung Yeol's right hand Soo Hyang showed some great character development, and Ho Jin charmed us all, I think, with his yes-can-do attitude. The drama moved along extremely slowly around episode 8-10. I watched this on Viki, and I have never appreciated the timed comments-function more. Then the drama changed writers, which was kind of both good and bad. Good, because the pace quickened again and prevented the audience from dying from boredom. Bad, because a lot of loose ends were left at the end. What was the deal with the black cloak anyway? The final episode, by the way, was probably the best final episode I've ever seen- for the first half, that is. The second half, and especially the last ten minutes, provided the second least satisfying ending I've ever seen (those of you that have seen Big know what I'm about). In any case, the storyline wasn't that complex that it really required all that much explaining in the end anyways. But what really got me coming back to continue watching this drama week after week isn't the story- it's the sets and the costumes. Since it's a historical drama, all characters wear traditional Korean clothes, which I've come to understand is called a hanbok. Men wear some sort of long robe and women wear a jacket and a skirt. All the costumes are beyond amazing. With their intricate details, lovely cuts and overall design, it's clear that the costume team spent a lot of time making these. Thank you costume department! The cast all did a splendid job. This is the first time I've ever seen Lee Joon Gi, but let me tell you, it won't be the last. I am definitively seeing more of him in the future! That man can act. There were many demanding scenes in this drama, but he acted all of them out wonderfully. Lee Yu Bi, too, did a great job. Real emotions; real tears, real smiles, real kisses. The two of them had real chemistry, which unfortunately cannot be said for Shim Chang Min and Kim So Eun. Individually, they were great. Just not so much together. I also won't forget that this drama gave the world the gift that is Secret Paradise by Jang Jane. This song is everything. I swear I've listened to it a hundred times. Not only is the atmosphere it gives incredibly well-suited for the drama, it's also a real tune. I just love it so much. The rest of the soundtrack doesn't disappoint either: both Beast and Yook Sung Jae, among others, feature on the OST. The background music overall is strong in this drama. The instrumentals are thematic and really set the mood. There are even a few that I'd like on my iPod (if they only would release the soundtrack... please, if you're reading this, MBC people). Even if saeguks aren't your thing, "Scholar Who Walks the Night" is still a drama worth watching for its excellent production, music and cast.