Wizardry Meets Fusion Saeguk In 'The Night Watchmen'

A spell cast in a recent episode of  "The Night Watchmen" was translated into "expel" and it might remind viewers of the expelliarmus spell used in the Harry Potter books to disarm a wizard.

And that's not to say it's the only time "The Night Watchmen" might remind viewers of the seven-book saga of the boy wizard.

In "The Night Watchmen," Lee Rin, the legitimate princely heir to the throne, loses both his father and mother at a young and tender age. They didn't die in a noble and tragic way defending him as happened in the Harry Potter saga but their death leaves the young prince without anyone to trust. His father, possessed by a demon ghost, has killed everyone near and dear to him.

The defenseless boy grows up without anyone he can rely on. But he does have a special power and like Harry Potter, he got it as a result of his harrowing early life. Lee Rin, played as a boy by Kim Hwi Soo and as a man by Jung Il Woo, can see ghosts. He just doesn't like to acknowledge his power. But that's the first step in defeating supernatural creatures.

And the ghosts in this drama are more like demonic spirits than the kind of ghosts thought of in more modern or western ghost stories. They are dark creatures, a lot like the dementors found in the Harry Potter books, as they cruelly suck all the humanity out of you and fill you with an evil nothingness.

All alone in the world, even as an adult, Prince Lee Rin will have to acquire some allies. He does find them.  Do Ha, played by Ko Sung Hee, has supernatural energy and can commune with nature. TVXQ's U-Know Yunho plays Moo Seok, a night watchman, which means he patrols for and vanquishes evil spirits. There's also a trio of ghosts that follow Lee Rin around and would help him if only he would acknowledge they exist.

And the magic in "The Night Watchmen" doesn't stop there. The night watchmen will have more to defeat than random ghostly creatures. There's also a serpent monster or imugi that has been petrified and turned into a statue. That monster is worshipped by Kim Sung Oh's character Sadam. He wants to restore the creature to power and rule the world.

To do so he will prey on the weakness of the reigning king, Lee Rin's brother.

Are you watching this drama? What do you think of it?