Mirror of the Witch

Mirror of the Witch is a South Korean Drama, counting with 20 episodes, based upon the book Dongui Bogam which was published in 1613 by the Royal Physician of the Joseon Dynasty.

The Show tells a wondrous story of a barren queen, that pressured by her mother-in-law concedes to the use of black magic to give birth to the royal heir. But, she gives birth to twins, which are cursed and directly linked to the dark witch who performed the rituals. The witch tries to have the girl killed to prevent her own death, but unknowingly to her the child is spirited away. 17 years later, this same child will have to brake the curse placed upon her.

The story is long, and full of new events in each episode (or almost). There are many positive points one could point out, but for me the best are:

The pictography of black magic that the evil witch has, from the way she is shown weaving her spells to the

wardrobe chosen for the character. Everything about her screams predator. I love the evil laughter and voices every time the spell is about to hit, and this character has such colour, it is simply beautifully crafted.

Her opponent, the cursed princess is as well a very well composed character, although not as delicious she has many strong points. The appearance given to the character due to the curse is very well done, although the hair a little too much CGI in a certain scene, more to the end of the drama, but, one could hardly expect for the actress to ruin her hair for those few moments, when the curse is visible.

There are many other characters, worthy of note, and when watching this drama, they’ll make you love them or despise them, in turns.

The Storytelling of this drama is linear, with the usual flashbacks for good measure. The story is told in an engaging manner, and the ending, although it probably won’t please most, is fitting for the story being told.

I would recommend this drama to all those who enjoy fantasy and period dramas.

Here is something to open your appetite to this fabulous story: