This is the second historical drama I've picked up after Faith (which I saw about 8 months back). I really liked Faith but, let's be honest the direction and execution of that show was embarrassingly terrible. So it was only natural that I shied away from historical dramas after that. Arang and the Magistrate did two things for me - 1) Rebuild my opinion about historical dramas 2) Bring me out of my drama slump. Regardless of its short comings, I'm going to remember this drama for a long time. The story of this show was the first thing that caught my attention and made me add the drama to my PTW list. Even the concept itself was novel for me. Once I began watching the show, I realized the dozens of different genres that were being incorporated could either make this the best show I've watched or completely destroy my taste for historical dramas. By the end of it, if not all the way, at least it managed to be one of the good shows I've seen. I read in the reviews that this show had a slow pace and it put me off a little thing it might be boring maybe. But it isn't. I admit, the story moves slowly and not all of the episodes will put you on the edge of your seat but that's fine. It's such a beautifully woven story that you don't notice the slow pace, not as much as you normally would. The premise of the story itself is ethereally breathtaking. You are taken on such an amazing journey in the show that shows you every aspect of life. The characters in the story are so real and human that you cannot help but relate to them and their dilemmas. Brilliant work on the writers' part. As I mentioned before the story was what brought me to Arang and The Magistrate, not the star power of Lee Joon Gi or Shin Min Ah, I've never even seen any of their work before. A huge loss on my part since I've been missing out on some phenomenal acting. I can now understand what all the hype surrounding them is about. The chemistry between the two literally oozes out of the screen. And god the fight scnes of Lee Joon Gi! That man has some serious appeal. The rest of the cast did a spectacular job! I enjoyed EVERY single actor's part. The gods, Moo Young, the three officers, Dol Sae, Bang Woori, the mother/Moo Yeon. Fantastic cast, absolutely perfect for each role. The music was simply magical. Every background score suited the scenes and brought it to life. The songs were great, the feel of the music was spot-on. A special mention to the rap that is played during most of the fight scenes - bloody mind blowing track! The main thing that keeps you hooked into the drama is the intrigue. The show's got a brilliant style of mystery and suspense that keeps you guessing and craving for more. But as is the case with such dramas, once the mystery is solved, it's hard to watch it again. It's a beautiful story and I loved it but it will be difficult watching it again. A note to everyone who's jumping in thinking this is a romantic drama - it isn't. It's got that element somewhere interwoven with the other themes but it's not primarily a romantic drama, there's tonnes of other stuff happening. But that doesn't mean there's a dry dish being served to you in the name of love. You get your fair share of romantic scenes and sweet love that's enough to make you sigh but not wiggle in your chair :P I highly recommend this drama to anyone who's interested in watching a show that serves a dish with every ingredient added right, albeit one that cooks a little slowly. But is worth the patience.