AoS is a fantasy Kdrama which brings together elements from my most beloved fantasy genres. I saw influences from the world of Harry Potter, WuXia and Korean mythology. All these elements have been amalgamated into a delicious new flavour, which was an absolute delight to watch. At the same time, the show truly retains all the characteristics we love about kdramas.

AoS brought together a stellar cast with talents of all ages. Lee Jae Wook has been a wonderful actor ever since his first project, but he truly shines as Jang Uk. Jang Uk is impossible not to love, and you root for him all the way through the show. Jeon Seo Min has done well in her role of Mu Deok, and her experience did help the show. The other young actors have also created absolutely lovable people to watch on screen. The surprise for most of us was the character of the Crown Prince who became a crowd favourite very quickly. Hwang Min Hyun’s action scenes as Seo Yul were a delight to watch. As much as I talk about the young actors as they’ve led the main roles, the older, more experienced actors add density to the show with their performance.

The CGI and fantasy elements are handled well. Although the action sequences were not many, whatever they did add was done beautifully. The music works to amplify the emotions in the show. The costumes are nice, although I did have a problem with the FL’s costumes. They seemed to be made for comedic effect but it started getting annoying after a few episodes. But everyone else looks regal.

The only thing to complain about would be the pace, which is slowed down because of the 30 episode format with two seasons. In my opinion, making it a 24 episode show in one season would have helped the pacing. There are also controversies around the FL changing in S2 which is difficult to judge right now since we’re so used to JSM playing Mu Deok. We will have to wait and see if the show manages the transition well.

In a nutshell, watch the show, it's a beautiful representation of the fantasy kdrama genre.