My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho (2010)

My friend Mi Ho is a cute Gumiho...Hoy! Hoy!

‘My Girlfriend is a Gumiho’ is a fantasy slash romcom starring the oh so adorable Shin Min Ah and equally adorable Lee Seung Gi. One day, a Gumiho (affectionately and cleverly named Mi Ho) is set free by a rich chaebol named Cha Dae Woong. Afterwards, Mi Ho decided to stick to Dae Woong like superglue, first because she temporarily gives him her bead and later because she finds out she can become a human.

It has been a long time since I’ve had this fun while watching a Korean drama. Although the second half is very draggy and there were side characters that were annoying, overall I enjoyed this drama! The main focus of this drama is on Mi Ho trying to become human and the romance she shares with Dae Woong. Their relationship was by far the strongest aspect of this drama but it does fall victim to a lot of dumb tropes but I’ll forgive it since the drama is quite dated. Anyways, in hopes of not spoiling this drama I’ll just briefly describe the things I liked and disliked.

LIKES
Mi Ho: I didn’t think I would like this character because she was quite naive but it was that naivety that made me love her so much. She was naive but she was also strong, brave, sweet, playful, and a but feisty. The scenes where she insinuates that she wants to “eat” and “mate” with Dae Woong are hilarious. Shin Min Ah is truly shaping up to be one of my favorite actresses because all of her characters are so charming and lovable.

Dae Woong: I both love and hate him at the same time. Dae Woong is the typical rich arrogant chaebol who always gets what he wants. When he gets intertwined with Mi Ho his life is thrown into disarray. He did a lot of not so great things to Mi Ho but Lee Seung Gi played the character perfectly.

The romance between the movie director + Dae Woong’s aunt: Alright I fully expected that I would skip all their scenes because I don’t care for side couples but these two were just so chaotic and hilarious. Although their scenes had me cringing from second hand embarrassment they made me laugh a lot.

The OST: I know this drama came out in 2010 but I really enjoyed the OST. It was very catchy and I admittedly went on Spotify to download most of the songs.

DISLIKES
The second ML and second FL: Oh yikes, the SML and SFL were absolutely terrible. At the beginning I didn’t like them but I liked that it spiced the drama up but around the halfway point I was over it. They were so petty and annoying. Kudos to both Park Soo Jin and Noh Min Woo. They both played this characters excellently which is why, even though I wanted to punch the screen every time they appeared, I didn’t skip their scenes. Plus, by the end I went from loathing them to actually enjoying their presence which says a lot

The pacing: After episode 8 everything just got super draggy. I was still invested in the drama but I just grew tired of how slow it was going. I was mostly bored of the SML/SFL storylines and the melodramatic turn it took but luckily Mi Ho made up for it.

‘My Girlfriend is a Gumiho’ is a classic for a reason! Was it the most spectacular drama to ever exist? Absolutely not. Was it enjoyable and made me happy? Yes! That is why I’m rating it so high. I feel like I’ll definitely go back to rewatch some of the earlier episodes or the scenes where Mi Ho/Dae Woong are being all fluffy and soft.

Read More

My girlfriend is a gumiho has a weird description that will confuse some if they're not that familiar with the whole nine tail fox myth. Still, it's a classic because if you overcome that and watch it, it is rewarding. The leading lady is amazing playing the humanised fox who tries to adapt to not only modern society but also the human way of behaving. Actually, the first half of the drama focuses on the comical element and it is actually very funny. Eventually, however, the romance gets a bit too tiring, as things start to be on repeat and eventually there are too many clichés. It's not that the two of them don't have chemistry, and actually the romance is cute and sweet, but it wasn't handled very well. The main song of the drama, on the other hand, was perfect for the whole supernatural themed and created the perfect mood for the drama. Finally, the second lead lady was kind of annoying, almost tiring in the end, though her acting was very good. Maybe it was the fact that she had that cold stare and she didn't blink (!). So, 6 out of 10.

Read More

apart from being a supernatural movie, this drama has some comedy to it esp when it comes to the director and woong ah's aunt. he had a signature look his trenchcoat, glasses, toothpick and walk. when those two tried to interact it was the funniest thing. no min woo is mirror mirror on the wall, whos the fairiest of them all. and wats up with the specific music evrrrrrry time they showed min woo, hes too beautiful. i really loved the chemistry of the two it felt natural. seung ki may not be as good looking but hes a great actor mainly coz hes so good with emotional expressions and shin min ah was awsome too i even thought sometimes she was a gumiho. very funny and interesting show and the last episode i couldnt help but ball out soo emotional. the ost was also great and made it fun to watch.

Read More

I really loved this series! The story was unique, the acting was really good, and the music was really catchy. The only reason I wouldn't rate it perfect is there were a couple little parts that dragged. But otherwise, really good! The supporting characters were all great and the plot twists kept me guessing. My absolute favorite part, though, was No Min Woo as Dong Joo. That man is extremely nice to look at and a really good actor on top of that. He made his character really sympathetic and I kept waiting with bated breath for him to show up again. *happy sigh*

Anyway, I really enjoyed this series and will probably rewatch it eventually. ^_^

Read More

Overall story for this drama is really adorable and sweet. You never get to be bored anywhere also Lee Seung Gi was awesome in this drama with his hilarious acting. I loved his interactions with his grandfather who himself was really hilarious. Shin Min Ah was super adorable. I really loved her because of her innocent nature and love for almost everyone. Director Ban and Min Sook were love. They were seriously meant for each other and I loved them act like clumsy teenagers!!!
Now coming to my favorite Teacher Dong Jo. He was sooooo cool and only normal person on the show kekeke who unfortunately fell for Gumiho. His part is super sad, I wished he would have ended up with someone cool or just ANYONE because I do not like the idea of his being alone for another thousands of years TT-TT
Acting was so cute, funny and really good overall but for me Director Ban and Min Sook were best when it came to acting =p
Music was soooooooooo good. Especially 'Trap by No Minwoo' and its instrumental. I was goner for this one. Other OSTs were really lovely too =3
Rewatch value is 5 for all those scenes between Gumiho and Dae Wong because they were adorable together and funny too. A perfect comedic and romantic couple =3
Overall I gave 7.5 points just because I was super heartbroken because of Dong Joo and because the ending was a bit clumsy.

Read More

I watched this drama some weeks ago (the second time). I don't remember why I watched it in the first place but I don't regret watching it even a little bit.


Positive:
- The story had some new elements like the character of the Gumiho and the bead.
- I liked that the main characters were not mean or strong all the time (both of the main roles had their soft moments)
- I liked that the story was going smoothly and that there weren't any long term actions (something which troubles you for like three episodes)
- The music/ the props and the surroundings matched very well with the story and except for some effects everything was held simple. So the story seemed more realistic and funnier.


Negative:
- Sometimes the acting seemed quite exaggerated
- It follows the typical 'main roles in love but also some people who don't want them to get together' (if I say more it's a spoiler)
- I didn't get some points at the end (but that's more of my personal problem)


I think that the drama isn't a must-watch but you could at least try watching it because I think it is something you should know of.
I also recommend rewatching it, since, I think, the story remains quite interesting and funny even though you know how it ends.

Read More

The Hong sisters always make amazing dramas. This was the first asian drama I ever watched but I have watched 6 now and it is still my favorite. The only thing I didnt like was all of the action scenes during filming for Daewoong's movie. They became boring after a while. The sideplots in this drama were very funny. Daewoong's dog is so cute! All of the music in My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox was excellent as well. They kept you as entertained as the main storyline. This drama was very depressing at times, especially near the end. However I was very happy with the ending.

Read More

One of the cutest, funniest dramas I've ever seen (so far)

Let me start saying I just love urban fantasy. There's something that really gets me hooked and makes me enjoy the way such supernatural and mudane elements can be mixed together. And this drama had a really good dosage of everything that makes a rom-com great.

The story is pretty simple to understand: spoiled good-for-nothing boy runs away from home for no reason other than well, being a spoiled good-for-nothing, then he accidentaly stumbles upon a temple where he meets and frees the gumiho, a historical fox demon who (supposedly) seduced men and ate their livers. Nothing uber original, but refreshing enough. Also, it was good to get to know some things about the gumiho legend, and it was fun to see how they added things and played with others when it came to the story.

Okay, now let me fangirl a bit or else I will regret it later: SHIN MIN AH!! I LOVED YOU IN THIS! Seriously, she was the great star of this show. I fell in love with her cuteness, her naivety and also she was a pretty refreshing female lead. For once we get someone who is not afraid of (althought in a more comic fashion) manipulating the main hero, sticking with him and never giving up yet be portrayed in such a light, cute and funny way. It was so refreshing to see her grow from a child-like entity to a more human, capable person. SMA's acting was just so natural that you actually believe every change Mi Ho has during the course.

Lee Seung Gi is really good on this too. I liked that his character developed and when he did so it was actually pretty believable. Also it's worth mentioning that he's very comic and different from other male leads as well, which makes a good contrast with Min Ah's character. These two have great chemistry, the drama is filled with memorable moments from them together.

I also REALLY liked the second couple. You must be already tired of reading the word "refreshing" and different" on this review, but when I say it, I really mean it. Not only they were fun, enjoyable characters on their own, but they also had good chemistry. It was so good to see an older couple being portrayed in such a light-hearted drama.

Another thing I loved about this drama was the music. Really, every character had their characteristic song, which ranged from the more upbeat ones to the more melancholic, almost bittersweet.

Well, everything I liked aside, I can't say I enjoyed everything on this drama. The secondary characters (mainly Dae Wung's peeps and his "noona") were rather flat and boring, it was like they were there only for the sake of being there. You could remove half of their scenes and nothing would change. Luckily it wasn't that much, and even the noona kind of redeemed herself by the end.

I also have mixed feelings towards Noh Min Woo's "villain". Or should I say, more of an antagonist. He was rather mysterious, but not well handled. You never really know what he wants, but nor you care at all. He is great eye candy I have to admit, but how he was handled was almost shameful. Seriously, if you want to make a mysterious villain, then don't make him uninteresting.

Overall it's a very good drama, one of my top ten of all time. You will laugh, cry and feel warm inside. It's  a must see for drama lovers, but I think beginners or even those who never watched nor heard about kdramas can enjoy it a whole lot. 

Read More

This is another drama that wasn't what I expected, but neither in a good nor a bad way. It was just different than my expectations.
I started watching this show for 2 reasons – the scenario was very interesting and I heard it was very funny. And it was, until it reached episode 12 when it took a very abrupt twist from humour to drama. Of course, given the scenario I was expecting some drama in the end, it would've been unavoidable. But I didn't expect it to be of this intensity. I wasn't prepared to watch something so deep and emotionally loaded, so it caught me a bit off guard. This is probably why I cried a lot uncontrollably starting from episode 12 till the end. You get very few breathers once it hits that point. It's an almost constant depressive mood. So before you decide on watching it, be sure you can handle the drama it comes with as well, don't expect just pure humour.

To write an actual review of this show I have to split it in two – the good and the bad sides. Since it gave me too many mixed up emotions. I have to sort them in a clear way.

Good sides:
- For the first half you're going to roll on the floor laughing. I'd give the humour of this show a 20/10. The supporting roles also really spice up the show. The director and Dae Woong's aunt must be the funniest and silliest couple I've ever seen.
- There is great chemistry between the two leads
- Impressive acting. Lee Seung Gi is incredible and very expressive XD And Shin Min A is perfect for her role.
- You get to see No Min Woo :D lol whoever likes him knows why he just HAD to be mentioned on the good sides of this show (I admit it did count a bit in my decision to watch the show...)
- There's no boring moment. There are enough twists in the plot to keep you interested
- The music blows your mind. I really want to meet the composer of Fox Rain and give them a BIG HUG for composing such a beautiful creation. That really is one of the best songs I have ever heard in my life. It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.

Bad sides:
- excessive drama (this is on the bad side because I personally don't like drama at all. I'd keep it to the minimum all the time. For those who enjoy drama – by all means watch this! You're gonna love it...)
- abrupt change from humour to drama. To me it seemed too sudden. The characters kept a pretty constant behaviour for the first half, but afterwards they changed a lot in a very short time. Something just felt off.
- Throughout the show I kept feeling bad that they didn't develop Dong Ju's character on a deeper level. I think this was my biggest disappointment from the entire drama. I was incredibly thankful they kept him alive, I was really afraid they wouldn't. But besides just remaining alive, I feel they should've given him a happier life.

***SPOILER***

He had to kill his loved one and live with the regret for 1000 years, then when he finally falls in love with another girl he has to let her go, too because not only does she love someone else, but is also willing to give her life for him. After so much sufferance he still didn't meet someone to keep by his side. This really saddened me a bit. Ok, he does get closer to humans from that point on, but I felt it wasn't enough. He suffered too much, he really deserved a better ending.
- This has to do with Dong Ju's character again... throughout the show, somehow a part of me kept wanting to see Mi Ho together with Dong Ju instead of Dae Woong... Even though I didn't want them together in the end, I kept craving for some romantic scenes between them. Maybe it's because of their chemistry (they really look good together) or because No Min Woo is just too handsome to ignore... Either way, if you end up rooting for the wrong couple, you might get disappointed and feel like something's missing when the drama ends (I felt like that a bit). I actually kept feeling like something was missing throughout the entire show.

I am still giving this a 10 because overall it was a well thought-out drama. And it's only my personal view on the dramatic bits. There are lots of people who don't mind it, so I can't deduct points for that just because it affects me. ...And also because at one point in the show I begged the Universe to keep Dong Ju alive and promised I'd give this drama a 10/10 on my review if this happens... Yes, folks, I'm insane when it comes to dramas. I get too attached to them to think clearly. Anyhow, it is definitely worth watching.
Oh, and I'm only giving this a low rewatch rating because I personally couldn't bear to watch it again since it will remind me of the painful heartbreaking moments.

Read More