Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Started and ended well, but the middle...
Mirror of the Witch is one of those dramas that started and ended superbly, but had a few episodes in the middle that were quite boring and slow, meaning it was a slight chore to get re-invested into the story in the later stages. However, thankfully, I was re-invested into the story and I felt quite emotional with the last episode. However, this does not mean the story is perfect. It's not. It's quite confusing at times. However, when it wasn't confusing, it was a great story. The acting was perfect, and whilst I was unfamiliar with some of the main and supporting cast, I instantly became a fan of all. The OST was really nice to listen to. The rewatch value is just low because of the aforementioned 'slow and boring' episodes in the middle (I want to say roughly episodes 9 to 14, but I can't guarantee if it was all of these or a combination of these).I really liked the cinematography and costumes in this drama, and the SFX weren't too bad either. The fighting scenes left a little to be desired, alongside the editing, and there was one minor plot hole I unfortunately managed to find in the last episode. However, I have noticed quite a lot of the hate that this drama gets is unjustified, in my personal opinion. This drama isn't perfect, but it's definitely not bad. It could be argued that the FL could have been older, but surely the casting team would have casted an older FL if they desired to show physical romance. I personally preferred it like this, where the romance was basically all hinted or done in non-physical ways.
If it wasn't for the boring middle, I'm confident I would have rated this higher. I still recommend people to watch this, but are 'in the know' of the slowness of the middle.
Was this review helpful to you?
Secret Dealer
This drama was like a rollercoaster ride without the thrills or the rails. That first episode was unbelievably bad and a huge turn off to kick start the drama but I kept going regardless. The whole mystical shaman vibe in a historical setting turned out to be quite an unsuccessful combo in this case, it felt like they slapped on those elements without any real thought. The entire story felt so limited and restricted, even the cast, when taking into consideration its length. All of that was accompanied by poor pacing, you can imagine how they were trying to push it to reach the 20 episodes mark.Was this review helpful to you?
But it was disappointing, the pitiful end, no matter what they say ....
Perfect ending was the (The Moon that Embraces the Sun)
This was just so much sacrifice to have the same end, every plot was worth nothing, because it ended in this way, without joy, without happiness ......
Was this review helpful to you?
Worth a watch
LIKEThat scene when Hong Joo saw Hyun Seo which reminded her of the old days - that was touching
DISLIKE
What Queen Shim and Hong Joo did to Hae Ran
What Hong Joo did to Hyun Seo - though she had her reason but it was too painful to bear for Hyun Seo
MUSIC
Not to my liking
REWATCH VALUE
Five for now
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Too Much Dwelling On Black Magic
"Mirror of the Witch" was badly written script and too much dwelling on black magic and too little time showing Heo Jun learning herbal medicine. It is a fantasy historical K-drama series of "Hur Jun, The Original Story". "Princess Yun Hee"/Seo Ri is almost identical to a character in "Hur Jun, the Original Story", "Im Mi Hyun", a young daughter of an exiled royal physician that taught Heo Jun about herbal medicine in the first few episodes. Both Princess Yun Hee in "Mirror of the Witch" or Mi Hyun in "Hur Jun, the Original Story" is the first love of Heo Jun; apparently his first love lingers in his memory for a long long time.Both actress Miss Kim Sae Ron and Yoon Shi Yoon have promising talents. They have good on-screen chemistry in "Mirror of the Witch". Hope to see them grow in this entertainment industry that is saturated with excellent Korean actors/actresses.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Black Magic
What wouldn't you do to lift a curse?It all begins when, with the help of black magic, twins are born, and one must be eliminated. Deciding that the baby girl must be sacrificed, they should burn her.
This cursed daughter, however, was spared and hidden in a remote hut.
When she is discovered, several years later, the hunt for the witch begins. A boy will be her talisman and protect her.
Meanwhile, she will try to light these 108 candles to lift her curse and bring peace to the country.
People dying and being reborn, demons taking control of bodies.
Since her superpowers made her fearsome, I wish she'd used them more, especially against this evil sorceress who could have died a thousand times over, yet was always spared.
So, from mid-series onwards, it becomes a little repetitive, including the soundtrack.
I found episode 18 to be the worst ever.
It's exasperating. Add to that the fact that the king is a puppet who changes his mind every 2x3... What an idiot!
Even the ending was disappointing. Waiting 40 years to meet again?
I find that the old version of the character doesn't look like him at all.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
I love (almost) anything that has historical and fantasy elements, which was why I watched this. The first few episodes were great, and I felt like the pacing was good as it helped brought the story forward, even though it felt slow. The last few episodes feltl frustrating, and the last episode made me feel like I've given the show too much credit along the way, even though I could understand the choices the characters have made.
Acting/Cast:
2 words. SO. GOOD. Kim Sae Ron's acting is soooooo good. I know her age gap with Yoon Shi Yoon may be a turn off to some, but try not to let it bother you! I think it is also because I've never watched Kim Sae Ron's other shows (I know she started as a child actress, but I only watched like one episode of High School Love On) so the age gap didn't really bother me because she did such a good job here.
The other characters did a good job as well, providing some comic relief, and I think Do Hee surprised me the most. It felt like the character Soon Deuk belonged to her. The protaganists were good as well, portraying their flaws, and the reason behind it.
Music:
It was good and appropriate music was played at the right time and not overused.
Rewatch Value:
I only gave it 5 points because the plot got repetitive at the end. Although the characters developed from it, it wasn't really worth it and I don't think I could stand watching the last quarter of this show again.
I would recommend this if you love something with historical and fantasy elements and you don't mind the age gap between the casts because the acting was good. ????
Was this review helpful to you?
Certain aspects of the series are decent, respectable, even good, but others genuinely made me laugh at their poor execution. From poorly acted seizures, unabashed evidence of wires, to massive and unexplained gaps in side character plots, and sheer inexplicable stupidity in characters' actions in order to create a story, this show had a lot of shortcomings. But then it also has a pretty great soundtrack, and seriously well acted villains. Inexplicable stupidity aside, the characters were generally really well written, being interesting individuals who were all simply on their own side, rather than being divided into factions, and with the kind of inner conflict that makes you think 'I hate this guy, but okay, I get why they're like this'. The development of relationships progressed naturally, (although perhaps a bit fast for some) without being forced, or having to fight the drama - and in some ways those that were not explicitly defined stood out to me the most. Of course, that could only be pulled off with the skills of the actors and the rest of the practical crew, but I give the writers some points back for giving it that integrity.
Overall, a mixed review. Would I recommend it? Sure, for a light watch, if you can accept it being a bit all over the place. I think it's a show you can enjoy if you leave your expectations and critical mind at the door ^^ If you're looking for some intense, gripping, moving masterpiece however, then I'm sure you've already gotten the message to move along to the next thing and have a nice day.
Was this review helpful to you?
