Review: Arang and the Magistrate

As most kdrama fanatics probably know, the popular drama Arang and the Magistrate just finished airing last weekend. A historical fantasy about a female ghost searching for her killer, this show essentially combined all of my favorite things.

It had drama, romance, action, mystery, magic, suspense, folklore, comedy, and Lee Jun Ki…need I say more?

The man in command

In terms of story, Arang and the Magistrate did a fantastic job of leaving viewers guessing while still giving up enough clues to keep the story engaging. Nearly every episode ended with a nail-biting cliffhanger, and even when I thought I had everything figured out, there were still twists and turns in the plot up until the very end.

What really made this show for me, though, were the intricate relationships between the characters. There was, of course, the main relationship between Arang and the magistrate, which slowly developed into a full-blown love story by the show’s finale.

There was also the endearing bromance between the magistrate and his manservant, as well as a romantic side story between the manservant and shaman Bang Wool.

In addition to those, we had the truly heart-wrenching and tragic story between Arang and Joo-wal, who was Arang’s love interest while she was alive.

We also had the touching relationship between the magistrate and his mother, which was a relationship I think most people can relate to. 

There were certainly more relationships in the drama than these, but that’s just to give an idea of how important characterization was in this series. There were no “throw away” characters. Each one contributed in some way to the overall plot development.

I have to be honest and say that Arang and the Magistrate came across as more of a melodrama than a historical horror/comedy in the sense that there were many heartbreaking moments filled with passionate sobbing. This was not just limited to the female characters, either. More than once I saw Lee Joon Ki’s crying face…and it was not the most attractive thing in the world. It was nice, however, to see the actors really get into their roles.

Overall, Arang and the Magistrate is by far one of the best dramas I’ve seen, historical or otherwise, and I would highly recommend it.