★★★★
The 2016 Korean drama, starring Yoon Si-Yoon as Heo Joon, Kim Sae-Ron as Yeon-Hee/Seo-Ri, and Yum Jung-Ah as Shaman Hong-Joo. Also known as “Secret Healer.”
Brief summary: Once upon a time in Joseon, a barren queen turned to the use of black magic in order to conceive. Because of this, she was cursed with twins that would be cursed to either die on their 17th birthday or else everyone around them would die. Plans were made to kill the twin princess that bears the weight of the curse, but the Taoist Priest Choi Hyun-Seo saved her as an infant and raised her in hiding to try and break the curse herself. These plans, however, are turned awry by the introduction of Heo Joon, a young conman. Heo Joon and Yeon-Hee grow close despite her curse, but can their relationship last when anyone who loves her is fated to die?
This drama had a similar feel to "Scholar Who Walks the Night," intermingled with concepts from Disney's "Tangled." I really liked watching it, although it may have some dark topics probably not suitable for kids under the age of 15. Yoon Shi-Yoon is obviously a man of great talent and Kim Sae-Ron has had experience since she was much younger! All in all, great execution and production.
I particularly admired the OST for this drama. It had your typical mood-setting k-pop, but it also had a lot of traditional instruments, especially drums. The theme presented whenever the curse was activated or black magic made an appearance was a personal favorite, with plenty of cymbals and bass tones.
I loved the chemistry between Lee Yi-Kyung's character Yo Gwang and Soon-Deuk. They were totally cute!
"Mirror of the Witch" doesn't have a lot of affection between the two leads in it, but that's almost to be expected from a Joseon drama. The couple's passion seems to more evident in their determination to keep each other alive.
Lame ending. I had higher expectations. I thought the plot was leading up to a happy ending, the kind in which you think someone's dead, but after a time lapse it turns out not to be the case. The problem with the ending of this drama is just how big that time lapse was- 40 years! It's not really obvious to the audience that Heo Joon really is finding her. For all we know, he died and it's more of a spiritual reunion (more likely considering how he transforms into the young Heo Joon as he crosses under the gate, walking towards the kite). The joy that the end of the curse brought to the royal family wasn't really emphasized, either. It isn't the worst ending I've ever seen in my experience, but it could have definitely been better. I think the biggest problem is that the plot of the drama wasn't really leading up to it, like you can sometimes predict in other popular dramas.
That said, I did enjoy watching this one. It had some good elements, laughs, sad moments, cheerful moments, and all the in-betweens. I would totally recommend it under the horror or historical genre.
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