*Disclaimer: hover the mouse over the images for source. Thanks! 

After watching Arang and the Magistrate, I decided to watch other similar sageuks that I didn't get the chance to watch. The Princess' Man was definitely listed next. It's been a week since I finished watching this drama and I had to say that every scene still lingers over my head.

Plot. Hardcore heavy drama. The Korean version of Romeo and Juliet, with a twist. Kim Seung-yoo, our Romeo, falls in love with our Juliet, Lee Se-ryung, the daughter of Grand Prince Suyang who is responsible for the demise of his family. Despite its similarity with the famous Shakespeare tragedy, the Seung-Ryung love story has one element that I truly like: it was never love-at-first-sight. It all started with pure curiosity that blossomed into a deep-rooted romance.


The story begins when Lee Se-ryung learns about her impending arranged marriage with Kim Jong-seo's son, Kim Seung-yoo. Out of curiosity, she decides to swap places with Princess Kyunghye and attend the royal lesson to catch a glimpse of her intended husband.

With the death of King Munjong, the whole world started to lose its colors for the lovebirds as Grand Prince Suyang started the wave of bloodshed towards the throne. He annihilated every court officials that are against him, including Kim Seung-yoo's family whom he considers one of his biggest political threats. I believe you already have an idea of what happens next...

I really like how the writers carefully recreated history with this drama. Although some people might find this misleading, it will still give you the urge to know more about Korea's history especially for non-Koreans like me.

With Romeo-and-Juliet and sageuk combined, lust for power, bloodshed, and tragedy are to be expected. The ending pierced my heart, but I was satisfied.



Cast and Characters. This is probably one of the few dramas that I would highly commend each actors' brilliant performance.

Park Si-hoo as Kim Seung-yoo. Very, very impressive. This drama completely turned the tables on how I see Park Si-hoo. I felt the depth of Kim Seung-yoo's character through Park Si-hoo's brilliant performance. He perfectly executed the many faces of Kim Seung-yoo:




Moon Chae-won as Lee Se-ryung. I've seen a number of K-series starring Moon Chae-won and with the number of characters she has played, I think Se-ryung would be my favorite. Lee Se-ryung's personality is a fusion of being feisty yet charming, careless yet elegant, a little bit of a tomboy but feminine, and definitely strong yet fragile. Moon Chae-won's versatility as an actress brought out the best in Lee Se-ryung's character.


I love Moon Chae-won's chemistry with Park Si-hoo: they complement each other perfectly...



Hong Soo-hyun as Princess Kyunghye. This character received my sympathy as she was the one who lost the most: her royal status, family, and even her pride. At first I expected that I would really be annoyed with Hong Soo-hyun because of her resting bitch face, but eventually I learned to understand her character more. She needs to be strong to protect the monarch from the usurping threats of his uncle and she's the only one that the young king can depend on.


I also love how she finally learned how to love her husband.  **SPOILER ALERT** It was heartbreaking to see her swallow her pride and accept defeat by kneeling in front of Suyang just to save her husband. **END OF SPOILER** 



Lee Min-woo as Jung Jong. Another character that will definitely catch your heart. Honestly speaking, my first impression of Jung Jong wasn't that good either, just like when the Princess first met him. Aside from the fact that his family is debt-ridden and he's not as courageous and charming as his two other friends, it may appear that this guy is definitely not the one you would want to spend the rest of your life with.


With the turn of events, I really admired this character and he earned my respect. He was a gentleman and patiently waited for Princess Kyunghye to love him in return. You won't see him sword-fight against his enemies, but he was courageous enough to stand for his beliefs and risk his life to protect it.



Song Jong-ho as Shin Myeon. Disappointment. That's how I feel every time I see his face on the screen. He wasted not only his friendship with Seung-yoo and Jong, but he wasted his whole damn life because of his poor decision-making skills. It is true that he may be forced to side with Suyang because of his father, but at the end of the day the choice is still on his hands. He was also given a lot of opportunities to change a lot of things and prevent unnecessary bloodshed, but he still chose the other way around.



Kim Yong-cheol as Grand Prince Suyang. I really appreciate Suyang's scenes with Se-ryung as it shows us how deeply he cherish his daughter. It also gives us a deeper understanding of why Se-ryung cannot fully detest her father. Although it is to be expected that a daughter cannot fully detest her father, the scenes gives us a glimpse of Suyang's gentle side.



Production.

At the beginning of the story, we see a lot of vibrant and lavish hanboks which may represent the state of our characters. But if you paid any attention to the characters' costume, you'll notice how things have changed and their lives losing its colors.

I also appreciate the OSTs selected for this drama. It was perfect in setting the mood while watching.

It's been a while since I last watched a heavy drama like The Princess' Man. It wasn't a perfect drama but it will definitely be tattooed in everyone's heart.

"Although I lost my sight, I have retrieved my heart. Although I lost the desire for revenge, I got you instead. --Kim Seung-yoo"

Final verdict: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡ [4/5]

*Disclaimer: hover the mouse over the images for source. Thanks! 

I was enjoying my two-month hiatus from work when Arang and the Magistrate first aired on GMA-7. I am not the type to watch dubbed K-dramas on local television since I prefer to watch dramas online. When I first saw the teaser for AATM, I know that I would totally be hooked with this drama. Before I knew it, AATM has become my 5:30 habit (note: AATM's airtime on GMA-7).

I never got the chance to finish this drama since my contract was renewed and I got busy with other priorities. New dramas, movies, and animes also piled up to my 'MUST WATCH LIST' so AATM was pushed further away and I've completely forgotten that this drama even exist. While waiting for the next episode of Naruto Shippuden, I suddenly remembered this drama so I decided to have a two-day marathon of AATM.

Plot. Death is just the beginning. The story revolves around Arang's search of her memories and the truth behind her death with the help of the newly appointed Magistrate, who can see and communicate with supernatural beings.

Aside from the visually perfect leads (emphasis on this please, *giggles*), the plot is stunningly intriguing. As a viewer, you can't help but feel the same frustration about the mystery that lingers around Arang's death. Politics is one of the apparent themes of this drama, which is to be expected in most sageuks. Personally, I find the political aspect of AATM less annoying than the other similar dramas I've seen. Why? Because the issue with Lord Choi was settled smoothly and the three bangs played a huge part in it. 

No more comment with the other genres: romance, mystery, fantasy, and action. All were properly executed. 

Cast and characters 

Lee Joon-gi as Kim Eun-oh. I can't think of any other actor who can perfectly play the role of the Magistrate other than Lee Joon-gi. I first saw him on the 2005 hit drama My Girl which made me forever brand him as a 'pretty boy'. But after watching AATM, I realized that he is one of the perfect example of evolution: from pretty boy to a mature, perfectly chiseled hunk. ♥

I have to say that there is much development in the character of Kim Eun-oh. From being a person who doesn't care about his surroundings and injustice, he has become a reliable magistrate who the people of Miryang can depend on after meeting Arang.

Shin Min-ah as Arang/Lee Seo-rim. At the beginning of the series, Arang can be described as a blabbermouth, strong, and a fearless ghost. She possessed a very strong personality in order to survive the afterlife. As she discovers more about herself, she starts to become more ladylike and sophisticated just like the old Lee Seo-rim. *** SPOILER ALERT*** In the end, she starts to become a blabbermouth again, just like how Arang used to be, when she scolds Eun-ho for drinking from the well of forgetfulness. ***END OF SPOILER***

I like how Shin Min-ah portrayed the characters of Arang and Lee Seo-rim. Even if Arang and Lee Seo-rim are the same person, she was able to perfectly execute the difference between the two: Arang is Arang, Lee Seo-rim is Lee Seo-rim. It may sound confusing but you'll get what I mean if you watch the drama. 

I also have to give a double thumbs up to the chemistry between Lee Joon-gi and Shin Min-ah. I seriously don't know what to write to describe the chemistry between the two. Asdfghjkl!!! ♥♥♥

Yeon Woo-jin as Choi Joo-wal. I consider Joo-wal as the character with the biggest development throughout the story, He started as a homeless orphan and became the young master of the Choi household in exchange of serving the "fairy" Moo-yeon. Due to his humble background, he thought that wealth and prestige are everything in life. He regained his lost humanity when he met Arang.  

Aside from AATM, I've only seen Yeon Woo-jin on his cameo role in My Love From Another Star so I don't have any reference with regards to his acting skills. But I do have to say that he did a pretty good job in portraying an emotionless, cold-hearted, and a confused guy.

Han Jung-soo as Moo-young. He is the head grim reaper and the older brother of Moo-yeon. In the story, grim reapers should not feel any human emotions such as sadness and of course, love. At the later part of the story, he showed such emotions when he learns about Moo-yeon. I think it was made that way since his affection for his sister motivated him to kill her in order to save her.

Yoo Seung-ho as Jade Emperor and Pak Jun-gyu as Yeom-Ra. The gods of heaven and hell. These two showed the perfect chemistry of bond and conflict. The character of the Jade Emperor is quite mysterious and it shows that he has a lot of things on his mind. He is calm and may seem carefree, but he has all his plans laid down.

Yeom Ra, unlike the Jade Emperor, has a predictable personality. He might give you an aloof feeling given the fact that he is the God of the Underworld and his strong desire for Arang to go to hell. Despite his strong contradiction to the Jade Emperor's request to give Arang a chance, he still supported him anyway. 

Supporting cast and characters 

Kwon Oh-joong as Dol-swe. This guy entertained me a lot. I like how he showed his love and loyalty to Eun-ho even if it might end up being in bad terms with him (his issue with Arang). He is strong and manly, and he provided the best support to the magistrate. I love the idea of him being not too dependent on Eun-ho unlike the other slaves of their masters from other dramas. 

His love story with Bang-wool is also cute. 

Hwang Bo-ra as Bang-wool. Although Arang kept on pestering her throughout the series, I believe Bang-wool's involvement in unveiling the truth behind Arang's death became her stepping stone to hone her abilities as a shaman. Giving fake fortunetelling services and frequent prayers to her ancestors are evidence of her vague spiritual abilities. However, as time goes by, she was able to execute rituals and provide vital information to help Arang and Eun-ho in solving the case. 

The "three bangs". Lee bang, Hyung bang, and Ye bang. I've seen a lot of dramas with political themes and I want to commend these three for giving the perfect example of how "balingbing" a person can be. The word "loyalty" do not exist in their vocabularies and they will stick to whoever they can gain the most benefit. To be honest, I didn't really plan to give them a special mention to this review but I think the character that they have will always be present no matter which era you are in. 

*** SPOILER ALERT*** I really appreciate what they did when Eun-oh and Dol-swe were arrested. They were quick to think of a solution to save the magistrate even if no one ordered them to do so. ***END OF SPOILER***

Overall Production. Setting-- Joseon. The Joseon era will always be one of my favorite settings on Korean dramas. The woods, perfect for that creepy feels. The Afterlife, hmm... it was obviously digitized but nonetheless, it was okay. 

Cinematography-- Good cinematography and good sfx, 

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm a huuge fan of sageuk. And also for the record, I'm a big fan of mythology. The combination of these two gave me the satisfaction that I expected when I started to watch this drama. 

Before I say goodbye, I would like to give a piece of advice to my fellow agassis out there: date a guy who can draw a portrait of you. Cheret. Hahaha

Final verdict: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♡ [4/5]