Secret Healer

Seo-Ri's mother Queen Sim was unable to have a child. She went to a shaman to help her have a child. With the help of shaman Hong-Joo's black magic, Queen Sim was able to have a boy and girl twins. The girl, Seo-Ri, was put under a curse and abandoned deep in the mountains. She meets Heo Jun, a young man, there.

Mirror of the Witch (2016) is a South Korean historical fantasy romance drama created by Yang Hyuk-moon for JTBC. Kim Sae-ron plays Seo-Ri, a girl born through shaman Hong-Joo's black magic and cursed to be abandoned deep in the mountains, where she meets the young man Heo Jun, played by Yoon Shi-yoon. Their bond grows against the pull of the court and the magic that defines both their lives. The engine of the story is Seo-Ri's struggle to understand the curse that marks her and the reach of the sorcery that made her, as shaman rivalries, royal ambitions and family secrets move around her. The series runs as a single twenty-episode season of roughly sixty-five-minute episodes, following one continuing storyline rather than standalone cases. It is set in Joseon dynasty Korea, with its palace intrigue and mountain retreats rendered through a shamanic, mystical lens. The tone mixes romance, mystery and a sense of dread about the cost of dark magic, with a wistful, melodramatic register. Fans of Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Hwarang and Jang Ok-jung, Living in Love will find resonance in its blend of period romance and supernatural intrigue.

Viewer reception is sharply divided, with one reviewer finding the mix of shamanic magic and historical Joseon setting poorly executed and the pacing weak across its twenty episodes.

• Hwarangshared historical korean setting with shamanic magic and curses, romance-driven fantasy
• Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeoshared joseon era court intrigue with supernatural and revenge elements
• Jang Ok-jung, Living in Loveshared shamanic black magic woven into a period drama about a cursed noblewoman

Created by

Yang Hyuk-moon

Release Date

2016-05-13

Episode runtime

65 min

Rating

6.9 / 10 (36)

What is Secret Healer about?

A cursed Joseon-era princess abandoned in the mountains falls in with a young man as shamanic black magic shapes her fate.

What is Secret Healer like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Secret Healer as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Secret Healer violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Secret Healer as moderate.

What did critics think of Secret Healer?

Viewer reception is sharply divided, with one reviewer finding the mix of shamanic magic and historical Joseon setting poorly executed and the pacing weak across its twenty episodes.

Which shows are like Secret Healer?

Shows with a similar feel include Hwarang, Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, and Jang Ok-jung, Living in Love.

How long is Secret Healer?

Secret Healer: 1 season, 20 episodes.

Is Secret Healer still running?

No, Secret Healer has ended.