The Night Watchman

Episodes: 24 

Given Synopsis (viki.com):

Being able to see ghosts and other supernatural spirits is a heavy responsibility. Prince Lee Rin (Jung Il Woo), like his father before him, discovers that he has the ability to see ghosts and other supernatural beings. Armed with his newfound abilities, Lee Rin becomes the leader of a group of night watchmen who patrol the streets from dusk to dawn to protect the people of the Chosun Dynasty against evil spirits. Moo Seok (Jung Yun Ho) is the best swordsman in the land who is the prince’s trusty bodyguard. But their loyalties will be tested when they both fall in love with the same woman – Do Ha (Go Sung Hee), the successor of the Ma Go tribe who seeks their help to protect the Baek Do mountain’s spirits. But Park Soo Ryun (Seo Ye Ji), the daughter of a court officer, will stop at nothing to marry Prince Lee Rin. “The Night Watchman,” also known as "Diary of a Night Watchman," is a 2014 South Korean historical drama series directed by Lee Joo Hwan.

Review: 

      When  I started watching this,  I wondered if this was going to be something similar to Arang and the Magistrate. It really wasn't despite the fact that ghosts were involved and the main leads could see the ghosts. There were many times I didn't want to continue watching it but I sat through this whole thing mainly for the three ghost characters that followed the protagonist around. They were extremely trustworthy and caring. This drama definitely did not become a favorite of mine. It was watchable but there were too many factors that bothered me. The story dragged at times and I constantly had to sit through the antagonist's weird rituals as he tried to summon the dragon. I had to constantly watch the king struggle with his inner self (I think he might have been schizophrenic) and also watch his weak character buckle throughout the entire series. The acting was really bad for a lot of the scenes and I did not feel any chemistry between the protagonist and the girl. I did not think romance was necessary in this series and their relationship felt unnatural and awkward. 

        On the bright side, the OST was really cool. I really like the one that EDEN sang because it's so action-packed. The whole drama was very fantasy-like and their clothes were not exactly historical. Many parts of this drama reminded me of Harry Potter (music, the strange whispering scenes, and the demons that looked like dementors flying). I spent the majority of this drama enjoying the acting of the three minor characters that were ghosts. They added comedy and great acting to this drama. I was surprised that the little girl acted better than Do Ha (the girl lead). I admired Jung Il Woo's nose in a lot of the scenes as well. Other than the three ghosts that did a great job in acting, the emperor also did a great job in acting out his messed up character. All in all, it wasn't the perfect drama and I wished that the storyline and acting could have been better. This drama could have a lot of potential but it failed to do so.