My Roommate Is a Gumiho (2021)

weak story with not much payoff. good for casual viewing.

i thought that this show was very empty with a weak story. i initially watched it for Jang Ki Young and Hyeri, as well as the cohabitation trope, but there wasn't much angst between them. i mean, i expected there to be more so that might be on me. also, they fell in love pretty quickly, especially the female lead, which doesn't do much for the development of their relationship.

but overall, the story was just uninteresting and the show felt hollow and surface-level. also, their first kiss was so weird that it made me want to turn off the show? lol. i get the reasoning behind it but i thought that it was just uncomfortable. i feel like they should've shown that the ML was having a hard time being intimate with the FL for [redacted] reasons in another intimate kissing scene and not during their first kiss. i don't know, i feel like it kinda ruined it.

but either way, it can be watched as a head-empty drama when you don't feel like doing too much thinking. plus, both Jang Ki Young and Hyeri are very hot in this show so, you know, it's worth it.

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contemporary

A very easy-going fast-paced extremely cute light fantasy rom-com.
Nothing original but very cute and emotionally moving. It showed college life, friendships, immature bullies, family antics,
loneliness, love, insecurities, a sweet protective ML and a VERY headstrong and determined FL.

I liked how the gumiho and Dam had a very honest and cute relationship. They both cared deeply about each other (I awwed every time they smiled/grinned at each other!!) and never gave up on each other.

I liked how it also focused on their lives apart and the other characters. It wasn't anything new (Tale of the nine tailed and Goblin) but it had its own vibe and that's why it can't really be compared to the other two. TotNT and Goblin had a more serious vibe with a fair share of action while this series focused way more on the mc relationship and how funny and cunning Lee Dam is, hence giving it a very contemporary slice of life vibe, but it didn't lack the fantasy aspects.

They had to overcome many problems but him being a supernatural wasn't given the same importance/role as the mc in tale of the nine-tailed. His life is ordinary and he doesn't really have a separate fantasy life. his powers were used for entertainment purposes and him being a gumiho showed how different he is and served as a main obstacle for the couple. But it was never too weird to imagine him being a human, something which was harder to imagine with Goblin and Lee Yeon because they had a whole separate supernatural life that separated them from the human world and being human.

It was great to see how the gumiho changed over time and became a really warm person when in the beginning he had 1 facial expression the whole time. I liked his non-toxic jealousy and protectiveness and I loved the side characters and their little stories.
The ending was great. I liked the pickup lines scene (gumiho and Lee Dam) and how they had a real red thread between them, making it obv that they r soulmates.
I also liked how the girl BFF is soulmates with the class president (been shipping them since the start) and how they showed that by tying a string (wool sweatshirt) to her ring (ADORABLE)
the second lead couple was such a delight to see bc of the cuteness overload and all the misunderstandings between them!!

I give it an 8 bc : while it's very cute and funny and has its fair share of interesting characters, it was nothing new and everything was about the couple and the romance (not much plot).
From the start there was one problem and that 1 problem was solved in the end, but it didn't involve many others or anything IYKWIM. So it was simple, extremely cute but no real suspense/action/heavy plot. But they also never promised more so its just high expectation after the two other similar dramas ;)

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There was laughter, sadness, horror and a lot of feel-good vibes!

I don't remember the last time I laughed out loud so much in the middle of the night! A hilarious take on the tired gumiho/supernatural genre, but so so good.

One of the best things about the drama was the strong-willed FL, which was refreshing to see. She never changed character or personality throughout the show and I was so glad there was no character improvement arc for her, because she was perfect! The leads had awesome chemistry together too.

But my absolute favourite character was Kang Han-na's. She simply stole the show! Her character as someone who lives life fully suited her so well.

I don't have any complaints - the pace was perfect, there were elements of horror, fantasy, history, comedy etc thrown in without too much unnecessary focus on any, all characters were fleshed out well and everything tied up nicely at the end. A must watch for romcom lovers!

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Classic Tale with a Twist

I have seen several Kdramas based on folklore (stories about Gumiho), by far I enjoyed this comparatively. I like how the author explicitly showed the essence of the story. It was done very smoothly without disrupting the flow of the plot. The episodes were aptly planned. Although it seemed monotonous halfway through, where the scenes were mostly of Jang Ki-Yong's struggle to be human, the essence of the struggle served as a cohesive piece -- like an aha moment. Unlike other story of the same theme, this Kdrama revealed it all at once. It was a good element in the plot -- added fun, romance, magic, etc.

I have seen most of Jang Ki-Yong's dramas and movies and his acting in this Kdrama is impeccable. I didn't see him for his previous character or roles. But he got me focused on this character. He was able to portray the mature, witty, withdrawn, mystical role. As his character evolved in succeeding episodes, he never fails to show a spontaneous and natural acting especially when sweeping a girl off her feet. He makes audience put themselves in that scene. The chemistry between Jang Ki-Yong and Lee Hye ri is notable. They complement on how they look in screen and acting.

Episode 15 was very moving for me. The scene, lines and acting evoked the right emotions. It was so real that I could really feel the pain of the characters. It seemed predictable that he will be a human but when he disappeared, my thoughts aligned with the story too. Even though there's a part that expects a certain ending, the storyline was able to captivate my attention in the moment. So when he came back as a human, it truly was a surprise too!

Other elements that gave color, appeal and flavor to the drama were the theme on friendship, love, relationships, humanity, and misconceptions. The secondary characters were played well too. The actors gave justice to their roles. I enjoyed the comic relief in between.

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Perfect for your romcom sweet tooth, featuring eye candy!

When I first saw this drama I thought it would be a reversed version of "My Girlfriend is a Gumiho", which is one of my favorite old-school Kdramas. Although the plot of "My Roommate Is a Gumiho" is definitely different the main elements are similar. Like the former, this is also a fun Interspecies romcom about an extremely attractive Gumiho whose fox bead ends up inside of an unsuspecting college student who must move in with the Gumiho for the sake of the bead. The Gumiho lore in this drama is pretty interesting, but what I liked about this drama is that it never tried to be much more than a light and often silly romance... no major melodrama, no taking itself too seriously. Sure, it is definitely full of tropes, but I was entertained. Yes, the sweetness sometimes goes to type 2 Diabetes levels, and the storyline isn't always the most logical or original, but great characters kept me excited about watching each episode.

I'll start with Jang Ki Yong who is perfect as the male lead Gumiho Shin Woo Yeo. Even when I don't necessarily like the drama he is in, I am usually impressed with his performance, but I feel like he comes into his own as a leading man in this drama. He can easily play mature so he is totally believable as someone centuries old. He is funny, charming, major eye candy, and has a mysterious sexiness that makes a very convincing Gumiho. I loved his cool, composed, soft-spoken, and unbothered style, with just a hint of danger to it, and would love to see him play a true villain one day. He is matched with Lee Hye Ri as Lee Dam who is the exact opposite. She is bubbly, immature, messy, drinks too much, eats EVERYTHING, shows ALL of her feelings on her face, and unapologetically says exactly what she feels. This character could have easily been annoying but her honesty made her relatable and funny and I also really liked that she was proactive instead of passive and didn't just wait to be saved or have everything solved for her. Together these two have great chemistry, although romantically they are more cute than sexy. I loved watching him subtly flirt with her, although I wished she would react less wide-eyed and innocent sometimes. I even appreciated that they could pull off the big age gap in the story while actually being close in age so it never felt too inappropriate. Still, if the story was just about them I could see it getting redundant after a while so the supporting characters were a huge part of what kept me watching.

Most of the supporting characters are great. Not only did they make me laugh, but I cared about many of them as much as the leads. I loved the Hermione-esque Soo Kyung and the adorably sensitive Jae Jin as Lee Dam's BFFs. They are definitely friendship goals and I was glad to see that supportive friend dynamic including a guy. I also couldn't resist developing a drama crush on Jae Jin and I was glad he turned into more of a lead character. Then there’s Kang Han Na who was such a great frenemy as Yang Hye Sun. I really expected to not like her character that much, but she became one of my favorite characters in the whole drama. Lee Dam's brother Lee Dan was very funny too, and they hilariously seemed like real siblings, although he does have less screen time than the others he stood out too.

There is only one character that I did not like at all and that’s Bae In Hyuk as Sun Woo. To be such a major character in a comedy I found him to be extremely boring and uninteresting. It didn’t help that they kept presenting him as a super attractive playboy, which was not convincing. To be fair, it’s hard to be compared to Jang Ki Yong’s level of eye candy, but I would have appreciated a personality that matched the rest of the cast or at least had way less screen time. The love triangle is a major part of the story, and I did like that concept behind it, but he gave me less 2nd lead who you can sympathize with feels and gave more entitled stalker you may need a restraining order for vibes. Other characters that could have had less screen time were some of the bigger cameos. Jung So Min’s and Go Kyung Pyo’s characters both felt like their guest roles were much smaller than their talent, and their scenes added more confusion than mystery to the story, seemingly to fill in time. The whole mystery/thriller element of this story felt like a waste of time so it's definitely skippable.

Would I watch this again? Probably. There are enough cute and humorous moments that would be entertaining to watch again, and I liked the drama’s theme of figuring out what makes us human and what makes life worth living. I think I may still be tempted to skip a lot of scenes, but I'd be just as tempted to rewind a few others. I would definitely have to be in the mood to binge watch wrist grabs, falling into people’s arms, strategic glamour lighting, stalking, stares, and so many other kdrama romance clichés… but sometimes that’s exactly what I am in the mood for.

Overall this is the kind of drama you enjoy for what it is. I didn’t shed any tears. There were no mind blowing plot twists. The story is pretty standard, a little predictable, and isn’t too deep, but it does explore empathy in a way that made me think without feeling preached to. The ending is ridiculous but satisfying. If you know nothing about the webtoon it’s based on, like me, I would think of it as a classic style kdrama that is "basic" but in the best way possible… plus eye candy! Delicious eye candy! I don’t think I can mention enough how "risk it all" attractive Ki Yong is in this. That still wasn’t enough to make this drama a new favorite of mine, but I do recommend it to all who have a romcom sweet tooth.

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New romcom fave but could've been better

This was so hilarious that I ended up rewatching the whole show shortly after finishing it for the first time. It was funny, had an equally unique and cliche plot which had a lot of my favorite romcom tropes (living together, contract relationships, serious guy and laid back girl, etc.) but also fresh in its own way, swoon-worthy, and just perfect. The OST was slightly lackluster to me, and I think it was around Episode 9/10 when things started going slower than before and I felt like it lost tension and conflict, but all in all, I loved it. It was funny and definitely something I'm running back to when I'm looking for something to cheer me up.

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This drama is funny and quite interesting. Not with a new story because stories about gumiho have been filmed quite often. I watched it for the first time because I really like Jang Ki Yong, the ML, I liked his acting in his previous dramas. He is very handsome and his acting is good. And it turns out that the FL is Hyeri, making me even more curious.

I thought this drama would be more serious and talk a lot about the story of the gumiho, but it turns out that after watching until the end, this drama is more about the love story of gumiho and FL, which is actually not a problem but becomes too cliché and is quite bored in the middle. The conflict is also not too serious and not dragging, but because the cast is funny, it makes this drama quite interesting.

Besides the love story of ML and FL, I like the story of the supporting players, Hye Sun and Jae Jin. They are both so adorable. Hye Sun, who used to be a gumiho, still has to learn how to be a normal human. And the innocent and whiny Jae Jin, too attached to his partner, makes this couple learn slowly until they finally realize they like each other.

At first, I didn't like SML, moreover Mount Spirit connected the red thread between him and FL, so he likes to force his feelings on FL, making me annoyed. After a while he finally realized his position and accepted the reality, and went to study abroad, making me feel sorry for him. Another adorable character is FL's brother, he's so cute, handsome, caring, and reliable. I wish I had a younger brother like him.

This drama is quite interesting, but it will be more if the story is made deeper, not just a love story between two worlds.

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A good romcom genred drama

Ahh....When i first read the name of the drama...i just thought of skipping this drama...i thought- "oh another gumiho drama , just skip it as it'll be the same just a slightly different...But then i got some scenes on my IG..i laughed a lot while watching HYERI'S acting....and then i decided,maybe I'll give it a try...and then boom -i binge watched it..It just didn't let me go, was just so intriguing that i kept craving for more while holding my cheeks as i laughed alot.
Trust me it was really good to watch a drama with a new gumiho storyline^∆^....The casting was perfect ...each and every character played their role perfectly....The FL's acting was hilarious....i laughed like an idiot ,everytime she did something funny....Now HYERI is one of my fav actress.....Hope they work again together.
At the conclusion, it was totally worth-watching....i enjoyed it all the way.
Thank you for bringing up such a good drama~
<3

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Will always be in my Top 10 list.❣️

Even now after completing the drama , i miss them. Really loved the entire cast. Hyeri , kang ha na , kim do wan , jang ki yong, all each and everyone were perfect. I didn't even think that kang ha na will be suited for a comedy role(after watching Start-up) , but in every aspects she did a wonderful performance. This drama really filled my heart with joy and love. It's a fantastic one and those who are interested in rom-com & fantasy should definitely watch it. You will never get disappointed. Hoping to watch another wonderful drama of Hyeri.With lots of love...😘

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A gumiho road to becoming human. A must see

I loved it from beginning to end. The cast portrayed there parts perfectly as written. I has seen a few dramas with gumiho as storyline and love them all as each one is different.. I found this exciting, fun and unpredictable till the end. The chemistry for the ML/FL was on spot, from the moment she digested his marble and slowly humanity started to fill his heart. The way there relationship and romance slowly began for a 22yo girl name Lee Dam and a 999yo gumiho named Shin Woo yeo who wish is to be human. She is a history major and he and his house is full of all historical events and artifacts which draws her attention to him even more. Now we have the 2nd ML/FL leads which I describe as Frick and frack as neither one of them has there head on straight. Lol.. She was a 700 yo gumiho name Hye sun and was a friend of wooyeo that turn human, disappear and returned to help him become human. She is not the brightest person but is Pretty and catches the attention of the 2nd ML Do Jae jin who is also the same but cute. For a 700yo she still hasn't pick up on current slang words and there proper meaning and he being him takes her remarks as if she understood here is one Ex: After being drunk he woke up in her bed and asked if they slept together and she said yes and he apologizes. Until later in story she slept on the couch and him in bed, but to her they slept together in the same room.lol. I love this type of word play dramas as it keeps it real and funny. We also have her brother who seems older but is younger and a mom who works overseas. Ofcourse we have the normal school drama of the rich kids that think they know all and pick on the lesser ones and a bet is made. That the smart & handsome Gye son woo can make Lee dam like him within a few dates problem is she wants no part of him. She does the opposite of a normal dating: instead of a restaurant she takes him to eat at the market, in a restaurant she stuff her face,. The more she pushed him away the more he started to have feelings then she over hears about the bet and all hell breaks loose.
There is so much more to this drama and how shin wooyeo and Lee dam relationship grow and him turning human. 10+++ Well worth the wait and watch. Possibly to re-watch in the future. A must see

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The title should be My Boyfriend Is a Gumiho

Here are my thoughts about this drama :

1) MRIAG is a light-hearted and quite entertaining rom -com drama. It was basically a story of a gumiho 's journey to become a human and find love along the way. Suitable drama to watch if you are in the mood of watching a sweet romance story but not as overdone and as cringeworthy as..*cough cough* ...the romance in What's Wrong with Secretary Kim. The romance has just a perfect amount of sweetness. *chef's kiss*  I cracked up alot watching our 1st and 2nd couple.

2) Actually the first half of this drama was quite boring to me, it made me remember the reasons why I rarely watch rom-com these days. But like someone said to me , the story indeed became more enjoyable for the last half of the drama . Personally I think episode 9 -10 were very good. But episode 11 -12, I started to feel bored again. Thanks god! I had so much fun watching episode 13 till the finale.

3) Excellent a 10/10 for humor scenes , I felt they were genuine, unlike my experience with  ...*cough cough* Vincenzo.

4) 9/10 for the acting of all casts. Dam was a bold ,funny girl and I liked her, alot. Hyeri did an impressive job with her acting here. I noticed that she was great with all her facial expressions . Whether it be an angry face or annoying face or making ugly face or embarassing face, she excelled in all. I could see no other actress can be as perfect as her as Dam. Jang Ki Yong as Shin Woo Yeo , his acting was as expected. He was good in his potrayal of a smart, brooding and taciturn 999 years old male gumiho. A very typical ML character right.... As a couple ,I guess they complement each other .Kang Ha Na also did a very good job as Yang Hye Sun . A quirky, funny and elegant 700 years old ex- female gumiho. She was my favourite. I liked her synergy with Kim Do Wan who potrayed Do Jae Jin. He was a naive and such a crybaby character but so adorable though. He really cried alot I think more than the girls here lol. These two made a very cute and sweet couple to see. I think Park Kyung Hye as Choi Soo Kyung such a waste of a character in this one. She had so much potential to be this hilarious and entertaining character but it was pity that the writers did'nt fully used her to her potential like they did with Hye Sun's and Jae Jin's character. Like her bestfriends, I wish she have her own developing love storyline too . Most of the times, she was just there to be Dam's companion whenever she had relationship problem or became a third wheel in the scenes. I felt sad for her character when that happened.

5) I really enjoyed watching Woo Yeo - Hye Sun frenemy scenes. It was hilarious to see they were always arguing whenever they met.  The mean things they said towards each other... those what keep this drama alive . Apparently , they could not stand the present of each other but could not stay away because the other was their only friend for the past 700 years lol

6) Because I am so used to the present of villain character in most dramas  I have watched , it was like a fresh breath of air to see this drama had no such evil being. Only we had these annoying duo of girls that appeared not so often because they were insignificant. This drama proved that not every drama need to have villain to be entertaining to the fullest.

7) Drama OSTs were okay. I guess they flowed well with the story but nothing outstanding.

Last but not least, watch this drama if rom-com is your forte or like me, if you need a break from all thriller, crime, investigation dramas that you usually see.

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