More promos and character stills from Arang

All right, this is more like it: The above promo poster (wallpaper, actually) carries more of the quirky fantasy comedy-melo I’m expecting of Arang and the Magistrate than, say, its previously released main poster. That first poster’s pretty, sure, but rather straight-up romantic and fantasy-like. Nothing wrong with that, of course (see: Queen In-hyun’s Man), but this is a drama with a loud, assertive dead-ghost heroine and a pretty, pretty magistrate hero (who’s very much alive). With heavenly gods and messengers of death and shamans with half-sight. There’s definitely a strong personality with this show, that’s for sure. We’ve been following this show pretty steadily so we can dispense with the repetition; y’all know the important points of the show, right? (Mainly: to watch it.) So let’s skip to the new stuff, like the scenes below depicting Arang on the run. The setup: Shin Mina’s ghost character, who’s described as brash, bold, and cynical (great mix), has no memory of how she came to be dead. But with the Grim Reaper (Han Jung-soo, Chuno) hot on her heels to take her to the underworld, Arang knows enough to NOT go quietly along with him, and manages to flee his clutches. A dead girl who cheats Death? I can’t decide whether that’s awesome or just cruel and ironic. There’s also some additional information on second lead Yeon Woo-jin (Ojakkyo Brothers), who’s going for a different image this time with the cold-hearted nobleman role. His character Joo-wal is the adopted son of an influential nobleman in town; he’s elegant, cool, and exacting and causes a fair share of the villages ladies’ hearts to flutter. But not much ruffles his feathers, so he’s not likely to return any of those affections with that haughty attitude firmly in place. It’s not quite clear how he figures into the main plot, since it seems like our magistrate (Lee Jun-ki) is the only one who can actually see the ghost of Arang. Well, perhaps her half-psychic friend (Hwang Bora) can as well, though it sounds like her powers are touch and go. But given the setup, expect Yeon Woo-jin to come on conflict with the magistrate, though I think we can safely assume it’s more about power than getting the girl this time. ‘Cause, um, I’m thinking two guys fighting over a ghost would be too perverse even for K-dramas, despite their penchant for riddling romances with the perverse. Arang and the Magistrate premieres on August 15. Via TV Report, Newsen, TV Daily