I rarely give a drama a 10 and to be honest the sad feeling that the end left me with (despite being fitting) made me want to give it a 9. But then Lee Jun Ki and Shin Min Ah have done so extremely well as the leads and made Eun Oh and Arang so endearing to me, that I can't possibly do them that disservice.
Coming to the plot, oh writer-nim how have you managed to mash up all genres - drama, intrigue, mystery, comedy, suspense, romance into one single story and made everything seem so believable and legitimate too? How? HOW? It's a remarkable achievement for which you deserve an award anyway. To tie up all loose ends of a story with such a convoluted plot must have been an ordeal that few writers would want to go through.
And must I say anything about the actors? Lee Jun Ki, do you need to sound so modest that you have to apologize to the viewers for perhaps not being able to do well enough after having just returned from the army? Exactly who are you kidding? To describe your performance in one word I'd say you were FABULOUS.
You played not one but several roles with such panache that the (female) viewer could only be glued to their tv or pc screens and pine for you in their hearts. Eun Oh, the magistrate. Eun Oh, the investigator. Eun Oh, the protector and savior of Arang. Eun Oh, the devoted son. Eun Oh, the administrator. Eun Oh, the top-notch martial artist. Eun Oh, the lover of Arang. You made all the Eun Oh-s so genuine, lovable and dignified that you deserve awards. Not one but lots of them.
And Shin Min Ah, even though you might be typecast in paranormal/supernatural being roles after this who the heck cares? You can play those characters terrifyingly well which lots of other accomplished actresses will have trouble with. Your Arang will definitely remain ingrained in every viewer's memories as a lovely young maiden ghost who never gave up and earned for herself a life and love that had been previously denied to her. Arang rocked our worlds and so did your performance. Honestly, both Lee Jun Ki and Shin Min Ah had crackling chemistry and should work together again.
About the rest of the cast, Yoo Seung Ho was particularly stellar as Jade Emperor and so were others like Yeon Woo Jin. Joo Wal appeared as a creepy, vulnerable and perpetually confused man drifting through life as if he were in a daze and Woo Jin's portrayal ensured that we got the message. Kwon Oh Jung, Hwang Bo Ra as Dol Soe and Bang Wool were equally amazing and without their incredible comic timing things may have gotten a bit drab. Han Jung Soo as Mu Yeong was another plus for the drama - I was a teensy bit unhappy about his fate at the end but the writer turned things around and gave us a little bit of hope that his existence was perhaps not completely wiped out.
If I'm to list the shortcomings, then a few stand out. Like how Joo Wal and Lord Choi came in contact with the evil fairy Moo Yeon and how Lord Choi came to adopt Joo Wal as a son were never shown. Seo Rim's father, the previous magistrate who died searching for his lost daughter was never shown either.
Also the songs were a weak link with the notable exceptions of K.Will's 'Love is you' and Jang Jae In's 'Fantasy' which I've been listening to on a loop. Why this marked difference between the kickass background music, those hauntingly melancholy themes and the actual songs? Even Baek Ji Young's rendition of 'Love and love' comes off as an annoyance.
But anyway, in the light of the brilliance of the other parts of the drama and the story, I'm ready to forgive such minor oversights.
Cet avis était-il utile?
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. ^_^
Cet avis était-il utile?
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.
Cet avis était-il utile?
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.
Cet avis était-il utile?
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!
Cet avis était-il utile?
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!
Cet avis était-il utile?
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.
Cet avis était-il utile?
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.
Cet avis était-il utile?
Cet avis était-il utile?
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.
Cet avis était-il utile?
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.
Cet avis était-il utile?
Cet avis était-il utile?
