Deja Vu, or Why Do They Keep Trying to Throw Lee Jun Ki off a Cliff?

  I know that we see the same things over and over again in kdramas—I mean, I have already dedicated posts to tropes and cliches. But this is one trend that I find especially worrying. There are many, many instances of dramatic cliff-edge cliffhangers in Dramaland, and especially in sageuks, but something is definitely amiss with my beloved Lee Jun Ki. 

Arang, Meet Buffy—You Have a Lot More in Common than You May Realize

Via

  For anyone who has watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it's pretty obvious that Arang and the Magistrate bears any number of similarities to that series, especially when it comes to characters. I'm not saying that they are the same show, or that Arang is derivative of Buffy, since both have their own distinct mythologies and flavor, but there are just too many similar characters to be ignored. For fun, I wanted to outline these characters. (Spoiler Alert.)

The Mysteries of Arang and the Magistrate—My Current Theories

  This post is chock full of spoilers through episode 6. Mostly I discuss what the deal is with the evil lady and Arang's death. I welcome any and all (respectful) discussion and dissent. But please explain your POV—I'm open to changing my theories if I find something that makes sense to me.

The Fantastical World of Arang and the Magistrate

  I am totally captivated by this show! Granted, that wasn't difficult, since I knew it was going to be epic. I mean, Shin Min Ah as a ghost, paired with Lee Jun Ki as the only person who can see her? Gold, pure drama gold. And there is a great deal of brightness and light in this drama to bring warm fuzzies, besides the chemistry between Eun Oh and Arang. Most of all, Arang's personality shines brilliantly, the Jade Emperor is resplendent (as long as we ignore the wig), the friendship between Eun Oh and Dol Swe is beautiful, and all the scenes in Heaven, or on the bridge between the worlds have their own otherworldly glow. (Plus, the camerawork here is fabulous!) Also, the comedy is done with a light touch—enchanting during the lighter moments, and contrasting nicely in more serious/creepy moments.