Aigoo, Samantha!

Arang and the Magistrate

Arang and the Magistrate features Lee Jun Ki (who starred in Iljimae as Iljimae) and Shin Min Ah (who starred in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho/Nine Tailed Fox).

Basically, we start off with Kim Eun Oh (Lee Jun Ki) as a wandering noble accompanied by his manservant, Dol Soe (played hilariously by Kwon Oh Jung). At this point, he is heading to Miryang to look for his mother who has been missing. Then, we see Arang (Shin Min Ah) as a very spunky, memoryless ghost who is constantly fighting with the other ghosts and is on the run from the reapers. Eun Oh can see ghosts. And hear them. And touch them. As such, he is in high demand by those seeking favors so he tries to pretend they do not exist but it doesn’t get past Arang. Basically, through some manipulation, Arang gets Eun Oh to become a magistrate of Miryang so he could help her learn her identity and solve her murder. In return, he wants to learn what became of his mother from Arang, who has his mother’s hairpin, though she knows none of this yet.

Arang and the Magistrate cast. Taken from asianwiki.com.

By the end of episode 4, we have been introduced to: Nobleman Choi and his son Joo Wal. These two are poised as the bad guys. Bang Wool the hilarious shaman who only wants a “fierce warrior” as a spirit to communicate with instead of troublesome Arang. Moo Young, the lead reaper/Angel of Death, who seems to have a murky past and sister (from dialogue). Jade Emperor/Lord of Heaven and Lord of Hell, both who have hilarious interactions and dialogue (“I want your body”… lmao). And we have the three stooges… in the magistrate’s office who dance to Lord Choi’s tune but are obligated to follow Eun Oh as he is the magistrate.

We know Arang is Lee Seo Rim, the murdered daughter of the previous magistrate and ex-fiance of Joo Wal. Arang is given a second chance by the Jade Emperor and the Lord of Hell. She is given a human form and sent back to Earth to find her murderer. Somehow, this is the Jade Emperor’s plan to set everything aright, from what went awry 400 years ago.

Thoughts: I’m loving this drama already!! It’s exciting, captivating, and funny. There are little dark moments here and there but it is very light-hearted overall. Lee Jun Ki and Shin Min Ah have very good chemistry on and off screen (according to many articles, they’ve been complimenting each other non-stop and like to have fun on set) so I wouldn’t be surprised if they started dating in real life. I love that LJK has fight scenes in here and that SMA is so spunky. All of the characters have enough depth in them so far and I think they will be able to build upon it as the drama progresses. I love the little hints here and there, the layering of plot. Murder mystery ftw! I love that they have that fantasy aspect in here too, very reminiscent of Hong Kong/Chinese dramas that deal with the gods, fairies, etc. This drama has me intrigued!

So at this point, the audience knows a few things and has many guesses.

1. We know Eun Oh and his mother were arguing. She wanted him to live at his father’s, a nobleman, while he wanted to live with her, a lowborn. The next day, she vanishes. Who is “that bastard” his mother referred to? His father? What does it have to do with them all living separately?
2. We know Arang died from a stab would and was buried. We have now speculated and probably accurately guessed Joo Wal as the culprit. Why did he kill her? Seems to have some sort of relation to that mysterious woman locked in that house. Who is that woman?
3. And the full moon? Nobleman Choi and Joo Wal seem to be agitated as the full moon approaches. Joo Wal searches desperately for a girl.. and that weirdly glowing ring…
4. Moo Young seems to be interesting and have some connection to what’s happening… what is his story?
5. Something changed the balance of the world 400 years ago. What is it and who was involved?

Guesses:

1. How did Arang get Eun Oh’s mother’s hairpin? It had to be “given” and she wasn’t wearing it when she died. Therefore, just as the shaman “gave” Arang the clothing Eun Oh bought, thus she was able to wear it, I think Eun Oh’s mother gave it to her after her death. Maybe that’s how Eun Oh is able to see the dead, because his mother passed the gift to him.
2. The full moon seems to be a deadline for Joo Wal to find a girl that makes his ring glow weirdly (Arang). It seems that the mysterious woman in the house is the one that commands it. And, it looks like he has to kill whoever this girl is to satisfy some command of the mysterious woman. I’m guessing since seeing her pretty smile, Joo Wal probably won’t be able to carry out his duty properly. Love triangle!!!
3. This is gonna be kinda far out… but I wonder if the imbalance is because of that mysterious woman. Like, if she has been alive for 400 years because she absorbs the life energy of the women who have died (ones who light that ring). I wonder if that woman is Moo Young’s sister? I don’t think it’s Eun Oh’s mother as some people have hypothesized…
4. Not sure what’s going on but there’s something weird about Eun Oh’s parentage. His relationship with his father didn’t seem awesome/close, he’s wandering around with ONE servant, and he’s part high part lowborn… this has to come into play right?
5. Eun Oh’s father is the reason why Nobleman Choi lost his position and had to go back to Miryang. I expect a LOT of conflict coming up.

That’s all I have right now. So looking forward to the rest of the drama!!