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[Funcurve Review] "Mirror of the Witch"

Bewitched

Personally, I find it harder to get into more serious historical dramas compared to a playful rom-com. However, I was instantly drawn to "Mirror of the Witch"'s premise: a cursed princess is hidden away in the forest, and she must overcome the evil shaman to lift the curse and change her fate. This fairytale-like concept and the bewitching fantasy vibe instantly caught my interest.

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"The fairytale-like concept and the fantasy vibe instantly caught my interest".

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The supernatural elements of shadow spirits and curses also do a great job setting a dark undertone for the drama. However, that is not to say the whole drama is murky; we do get lighthearted moments and a sweet romance that blend in well with the eerie theme. To top it all off, the acting from both the leads and supporting actors are believable and natural. "Mirror of the Witch" is an all around enjoyable drama besides the occasional lag in pacing and questionable character motives.

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Episodes 1-4 Review

We delve right into the action-packed plot within the first four episodes of "Mirror of the Witch". Princess Yeon-hee (Kim Sae-ron) and her brother the Crown Prince are cursed babies where everyone that they love and loves them will die. Evil Shaman Hong-joo (Yum Jung-ah) convinces the queen to transfer the curses to one baby and end that baby's life. Yeon-hee is chosen as the sacrifice since she cannot succeed the throne. However, Taoist and Hong-joo's teacher, Hyeon-seo (Lee Sung-jae), manages to save her life and raises her in secret.

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17 years pass by and we learn that Yeon-hee has been hidden away in a forest her whole life, with no knowledge of her family or her curse. Her family now appears to be Hyeon-seo, whom she calls father, and his son Poong-yeon (Kwak Si-yang), who is actually in love with her since they were young.

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We also meet our hero, Heo Jun (Yoon Si-yoon), a young scholar born to a slave mother. He's working hard to buy his mother out of her slaver contract. Despite his feisty, defiant facade, we can see that he's actually a quite lonely and sad soul. I think Yeon-hee and Heo Jun are going to make a good match and console each other as they both question their existence in society and live in isolation.

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"I find some of the conflicts a bit of a contrived setup".

Unfortunately, the first few episodes are not without faults. I find some of the conflicts a bit of a contrived setup where they could have been resolved if Hyeon-seo had told his son the truth about Yeon-hee's curse. Instead, he leaves him blind to it, and as a result, things go awry. I hope the drama will show us more logically sound plot developments in the coming episodes.

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Continue reading on Funcurve.com

Funcurve is a new kind of reviews site. Their reviews help readers visualize the ups and downs of a drama from start to finish with an impression graph. Read more Korean drama reviews at funcurve.com.

 

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