The Witch: Spoiler-Free Mini Review
- Jul 30
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Title: | The Witch (2025) |
Platform: | Viki |
MDL & IMBD Rating: | |
Genre: | Contemporary Mystery |
Episode Count: | 10 |
Parental Guidance Rating: | PG-13: Minor Language, Minor Violence, Stalking |
Starring: | Park Jin Young (Our Unwritten Seoul) Roh Jeong Eui (Our Beloved Summer) Lim Jae Hyeok (All Of Us Are Dead) Jang Hee Ryung (Sorry Not Sorry) |
RBTS Rating: | 3.2/5 Stars (A slow, creeping mystery that leads to nowhere, but kept me guessing until the bitter end.)  |
Cast From left to Right: #ParkJinYoung, #RohJeongEui, #LimJaeHyeok, #JangHeeRyung, #JangHyeJin
Synopsis:
The story of a young woman with a mysterious and dangerous secret. She's called a 'witch' by some, and a young man she went to school with years before tries to find out why. But he must be careful as he quietly gathers information to solve the mystery. In addition to the danger factor, he must also guard his heart as feelings he had for her long ago resurface. @MDL
Spoiler-Free Mini Review:
The Witch is a very slow paced, quaint story with a sort of Studio Ghibli atmosphere (aka it takes its sweet time), that fails to live up to an excellent premise by having too many recaps and never fully addressing the mystery. I'm going to hold your hand and tell you up front that the mystery essentially leads to nowhere. Which is so frustrating. The idea of this drama really captured my attention and I was hooked until the end, but didn't get payoff. So if that would drive you nuts, I would skip.
Also, it's important to note that this is NOT a romance and that the Female Lead is practically a side character, who so many men are in love with for no reason lol. Had I known this before diving in, I think I would have been less annoyed. That being said, I haven't watched a drama rated so low on MDL that I enjoyed this much. The story is slow and spooky, and I thought the investigative process of Lee Dong Jin using statistics to prove his point was so interesting. However, don't applaud him yet, because his character on the whole was a stalker. I'm so sorry, sir, but it's true. The drama tries to acknowledge this in a way, but not really. K-drama Male Lead stalking needs to cease. Obsession and devotion are fine lines that are crossed too easily in media lol.
The Witch, created by Kang Full, shares a universe with K-Dramas Moving and The Light Shop, but is produced by a different network, so there weren't any cameos. Boo. Also, don't confuse this with the2018 film, The Witch, starring Kim Da Mi and Choi Woo Shik (leads from Our Beloved Summer). They are indeed different.
The drama had a dissapointing destination, but I personally felt like the journey still made it worth a watch. It's slightly creepy without ever going overboard, the acting was adequate, has an interesting exploration of prejudice, and an engaging premise that keeps you guessing.
Lastly, shout out to Senoir Heo Sun Sil. She was the best character of the whole show.
Story=3.75 (interesting premise, but meandering execution), Acting=3.5 (passable), Production Quality=4 (nothing special), Ending= 2 (Comes fast w/ no answers and feels forced), Enjoyability= 3.5 (in it for the mystery, but the constant recaps and slowness threw me for a loop.), Would I rewatch= Yes!
Trailer:
Director: #KimTaeGyoon (Spring, Snow)
Screenwriter: #ChoYuJin (Sorry Not Sorry)
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