Tale of the Nine-Tailed (2020)

I started this drama because of my friend who persuaded me to watch because she liked it as well, especially Rang. So that's why I started watching it and oh boy I was so glad that I did it.
Unlike many I actually came to like the female lead, she was hardworking and strong and wasn't afraid of hurting or even killing herself to save the people that she loved. Same goes for the male lead and I absolutely loved his red hair. <3
One could also learn more about Korean culture, traditions and urban legends just from watching this drama.
Episode 15 was such an emotional rollercoaster of my god.
I honestly can't wait to watch the sequel when it comes out.

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Interesting plot but seems like too heavy to take sometimes

I am really into these types of interspecies romance drama . The storyline was interesting and the actors were excellent. But sometimes it feels like the plot is too heavy to take . They could make it a little bit lighter. I was expecting some more fluff when it is about romance . Btw I love the female leads personality.She is not dumb but intelligent and strong. Lee Dong Wook just nailed his role . How could I forget the amazing siblings relationship? The younger brother will give you a vibe of naughty and cute personality and the villain was so hot.

Pardon my grammertical errors

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I enjoyed it..?

So, first of all I would have to say that this is a good drama but it has its disappointments.

But let's first look at its strong points:
1. The acting was really good and I was especially impressed by Jo Bo Ah who did a very good job of acting the two very different sides of her character. I don't understand why I saw many comments/reviews saying that the two main leads didn't have any chemistry because I definitely didn't think that; I thought they were really cute together especially later on in the drama.
2. The OST was AMAZING !! It had these powerful and beautiful soundtracks that really added to the scenes.
3. I enjoyed the story and weirdly it had many resemblances to the Vampire Diaries, Twilight, Teen Wolf. The plot was also a lot darker than I thought it was going to be so that was a bit of a surprise.

Now let's look at its disappointments:
1. Although I liked the story, I felt that this was also the drama's downfall. Firstly, near the end they were dragging it out so much to the point that I was getting fed up and just wanted to move on. They could have definitely ended it earlier. Secondly, the fact that they suddenly decided to sacrifice Lee Rang at the very end, I just found that very bizarre and it backs my point up about them dragging it out for no apparent reason.
2. This is a very small point but I was disappointed by Kim Yong Ji's performance, I just didn't think it believable.

Overall, I think it is worth a watch but beware the last episodes!!
(p.s. I really loved seeing Kim Bum again as the last time I saw him was in Boys Over Flowers which was my first ever kdrama!)

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A drama to just chill

I'm too lazy to write a long review, but I'm here to say that:
1) the best character of this whole story is Rang. I love his arch and the way his character develops through the story;
2) the ost is absolutely beautiful;
3) the most beautiful thing about this drama is the relationship between Rang and Yeon, and how it evolves throug out the episodes;
4) it's a good drama to just enjoy and learn a little about korean folklore (that's one of the reasons I started watching in the first place).

The story in general is intresting and keeps you wanting to watch the following episodes. If you just want to chill and watch a little of Dongwook and Kibum, this is a great opportunity to do it.

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The best the genre has to offer

I'm writing this review partly as a response to the frustratingly many criticisms of the show here, most of which are concerned with the ending or, unfathomably, claim that the main couple lacks chemistry. As I had a completely opposite response to the show, I just wanted to present my point of view and encourage those doubting whether to watch it to just go for it and form their own opinion.

I started Tale of the Nine Tailed with zero expectations, not even sure whether its urban fantasy vibe will appeal to me. And I was sucked right into a mesmerizing world filled with well-rounded characters, surprisingly fast-paced plot, and an extremely healthy main relationship which made me fall completely in love.

The story moves beautifully through the traditional K-Drama structure, with the first four episodes forming a complete mini-story arc which solidified the show as an early favourite for me. The backstories of the characters are revealed gradually and paced expertly so they always add momentum to the story, while the balance of major plot events and periods of lull which allow for the characters to bond and grow is just perfect. There was never a moment when I felt bored or thought the story was dragging, and some episodes such as 9 even have a remarkably strong arcs on their own.

The acting was absolutely phenomenal, with every cast member breathing life into their multi-faceted character. Lee Dong Wook's portrayal of the gumiho Lee Yeon was not only fantastic, but also remarkable in its seamless blend of sarcasm, silliness, slyness, and softness. Lee Yeon is a character who is totally unpredictable and always fascinating to watch. Jo Bo Ah deserves so much more recognition for her feat of portraying not one but three (!) characters, two of which were basically polar opposites and demanded her to switch from acting completely unhinged to emotional within half a second. Her main character of Nam Ji Ah easily became my favourite K-Drama female character with her cleverness and resourcefulness, her level-headedness in the face of disaster, and her beautiful character arc of learning that giving and receiving love can be a powerful weapon. Kim Bum did an amazing job portraying the morally grey Lee Rang and making the audience go from feeling intimidated by him to understanding him and sympathizing with him. Without giving anything away, I'm satisfied with his character arc, and I think that if you pay close attention to his actions from the beginning, they inevitably lead to his fate in the end, which feels both just and allows him to finally grow as a character.

The main romantic relationship developed extremely naturally and gradually throughout the series, both playing to the audience's expectation of angst while avoiding the usual K-Drama pitfall of a non-sense break-up in the face of adversity. As a viewer who is usually dissatisfied with the reincarnation trope and the power imbalance typically stemming from relationships between a mortal and a powerful immortal being, I am stunned by how the characters and the story made these tropes feel exactly right and removed any power imbalance that could have existed between the couple. Yeon and Ji Ah have a snarky, supportive, healthy dynamic, and their love languages of physical touch and quality time really make them shine as an OTP. One of the small details of their relationship that really stuck with me is how many meals they shared throughout the series, building up their bond through such a casual yet vital part of intimacy in everyday life.

Tale of the Nine Tailed is going to stay in my heart for a long time, and I'm looking forward to rewatching the show again and again and introducing it to more of my friends. Thank you if you've read this far, and I'm hoping my review will make you feel encouraged to give this story a chance and see whether it manages to take roots into your heart like it did with mine.

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Unexploited potential...

Tale of the Nine Tailed was promising in the first episodes, but what happened ??

The major failure is the character development. None of them evolve, except Lee Rang who's the only one who profoundly questions himself. The Gatekeeper evolves a little bit as well, opening her heart, but she is rather insignificant and despite her status and supposed strength she barely does nothing. Nam Ji Ah has the worst development as she becomes more and more helpless as the plot goes.

I liked the couple chemistry between LY and NJA, but as soon as they unveil their feelings towards one another it gets a bit too cheesy. Actually, the romance takes too much place within the plot. There are a lot of elements that are forgotten of abandoned and it spoils the chain of events in aid of the love story. Who were the foxes at the beginning ? Did LY knew for Imugi's resurrection then , and so why did he not kill the perpetrator ?
What about the parents, what is NJA's goal when there are brought back ? Maybe the plot meant to make her switch from finding her parents to protect her lover, but it doesn't work. She is happy and forgets them after a plain encounter. Had they been dead it would have been better. Had she discovered thay they were actually dead 20y ago, she could have learned to move forward and then turn to devote her life to LY.

As for Imugi, he is too manichean. He has no real motivation. He is just born evil, and that's all. At some point he alludes to a vengeance to the God of the Mountain, but it is a mere allusion and he does not even seem to have pleasure doing that. For a moment he wants NJA as his wife ( wtf she has no strength ), and I thought then that it was because she had a part of Imugi, but he still tried to kill her while killing her meant his own death... simply illogical.

Besides, there could have been further development of the identity crisis of NJA. She just has one line when they first kiss with LY, asking if he likes her or her past life self. And then ?? Nothing. It's ambiguous, and we don't know who LY really does love. He says later that he waited 600 years for her ( ep 16 ) but before he claimed loving Ji Ah and not Ah Eum anymore ... it just does not make sense. NJA seems fine with that and her identity seems mixed with Ah Eum's from the moment she discovered her life through the glasses. Why didn't we have a further identity crisis ? It would have questioned their love, and most importantly their fate as it is a theme that was preponderant throughout the drama ( especially with the Gatekeeper who wanted to keep their destiny as it should be. )

And let's talk about the ending. What was that seriously ? The dramatic ending of LY's death to save his lover was good enough to forget the other incoherences. His farewells are poignant and forecasts the tragedy. He fought his destiny, died saving his lady... why making him come again ?? All the more so as he is not even just resurrected, but is just the same man ? Why making LR die this way when he eventually made peace with himself and found a family ? Besides LR is the one who actually kills LY and Imugi, meaning that his ending was not that happy as he would carry the burden of having sacrificed LY at his demand. Why making HIM resurrecting his brother ?? He was at the end of his lifespan anyway, his disappearance is useless.

The rest of the ending is a mess as well, and suggests a sequel, or a second season, which would just be useless. A new enemy ? for what ? Aren't they a happy couple now ? There is nothing more to add.

Overall the drama is good, because of the rhythm and the action ; and the visuals are a pleasure to the eyes. It is a mostly a love story while it is expected to be an action/ horror/ fantasy series as well. It could have been way better, and that's disappointing.

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Twilight with foxes and snakes

Story: This is Twilight knock-off - supernatural beings, a fox and a snake (but both looking like hot human men of course) fight over a human woman below their league - but without a proper love triangle and with much older ML and FL which is the main problem. You can't have characters in their 30s behave like teenagers and expect that to work. The romance in this is beyond awful and drags the whole thing down. ML and FL have zero chemsitry, are very unlikable and their romantic montages are diabetes inducing and cringe. They worked OK when they weren't romantically linked (yet) but were more of Mulder and Scully in the earlier episodes. But the show rushed to make them a couple without a proper foundation and then proceeded to make their romantic scenes more and more inane and senseless. Cases in point: SPOILERS The couple takes a romantic getaway while ML's brother is lying in coma on the verge of death. They also take numerous dates in restaurants and amusement parks during a deadly outbreak. SPOILERS END

Not all is this bad which is why the show is so frustrating. The bromance between 2 fox brother is really compelling and should have been the main story, without romance preferably, or with romance as a side not focus. This is also the reason why first 9 episodes (some lagging in episodes 5 and 6 notwithstanding) are stronger than episodes 10-16. They are more focused on brothers and Ep 9, which is the best in show, brings their relationship to a satisfying closure. If only the show ended there.

Acting: ML and FL are awful. Maybe it's because they play characters who should be much younger than their age. The constant and nonsense vows to save one another as if no one else matters (his brother and friends, her parents and friends, people who were dying because of them) are tiresome but at least understandable for teen characters. Not so for 30somethings, one of them being a career woman who should know better.

I'm sorry LDW fans but he is just playing himself, always acting self-conscious "ain't I the hottest thing?" with repetitive smugness, pouting and one brow raising. I have a feeling that this was meant to be his Goblin where he was ML not SML like in Goblin. And indeed, the show panders to him so much, more than dramas usually pander to their MLs, that I'm positive that this is a vanity project. Not only that every character who isn't his got shafted in order to make his character always look cool, but SPOILERS the last episode is literally one long LDW praising reel. It even ruins secondary characters' wedding for they and guests are asked to praise LDW('s character) which takes attention away from them. SPOILERS END

Jo Bo Ah is both miscast and awful in this. She just doesn't cut it as someone who would have a Mountain God spend 600 years pining for her and who would get a teenage or barely out of his teens Snake God-posing-as-an-intern horny for her (especially when truly beautiful fox Yu Ri is right there). Also, there's no real difference between Ji Ah and Jia Ah Imugi. They both bulge their eyes a lot as if crazy, but I guess Jiah cries a lot while Jiah Imugi laughs a lot so that's the distinction.

The standout and the reason to watch this is Kim Bum. He is just terrific, giving a layered, believable performance that's much stronger than many awarded ones from more popular shows. Skip the romance and watch for Kim Bum is my advice.

The supporting cast runs circles around ML and FL despite having nothing to work with for all characters were massively underwritten. I honestly can't say a bad thing about about any of them for they did the job and made characters out of nothing and had a strong rapport. Also, Kim Yong-ji is so beautiful and likable, she would have been FL with Kim Bum as ML. Now that would sizzle.

OST: Amazing. Together with Kim Bum and supporting cast, it's the show's strongest link.

Rewatch Value: Low. Rewatch for Kim Bum. He gave a tremendous performance that deserves to be seen. Skip ML/FL drivel. It's really that bad and there are good romances in other dramas so why waste time on a terrible one?

Overall: Squandered potential, a drama that starts as X Files but ends up as Twilight and even butchers that premise. There is no reason to make the (much younger) villain horny for the heroine if there is no payoff. Though the noona romance tease is more interesting than vanilla crap with ML and FL and at least the young villain conveys that he wants to jump in the sack with FL. Something that is entirely absent from ML and FL interplay. They are too busy making vows to save each other and crying 5 times per episode than actually looking like they want each other. I know that dramas are super chaste but many actors know how to convey real desire unlike these two. They are all platitudes and no passion.

Also, too many characters that don't add up to anything. As enjoyable as they may be in a vacuum, about 50% of them had no consequence and no real role in the main conflict between the heroes (ML and FL) and the villain. And speaking of the latter, you cannot have an effective villain if you don't let him move the needle. He has to do something that raises stakes for the heroes and creates a serious setback for them. Instead, he was given nothing because it was mandated that ML had to be the smartest man in the room every time. Imagine Avengers: Endgame without Thanos winning in Infinity War. There would be no Endgame. You have to let the villain win, and win big, to have a big payoff. This drama has no payoff cause there were never stakes and there were never stakes cause ML was too cool, smart, always prevailed in every episode and thus killed any suspense and stakes that could have arisen from villain's actions. In short, drama without drama.

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Enjoyable, but a disappointing ending and unrealized potential - watch it for Kim Bum

I'll try to keep my review short and sweet and unspoilery. I watched this drama while airing and genuinely loved it at first, but toward the last third it started to fall apart. It's one of those dramas that you enjoy it while watching, but after the episode finishes and you think it all over, you're left with too many questions. Each of the abandoned little plot threads and inconsistencies might be minor and ignorable alone, but when you add it all up, it makes the story feel flimsy. The chemistry between the lead couple never really convinced me, I felt very much as if I was being told "they're star-crossed lovers!" without being organically shown. Multiple aspects of the last episode were confusing and upsetting, or felt forced and slapdash. The star of this drama is Kim Bum as Lee Rang, the misguided, damaged, emotionally tormented younger brother - it was an absolutely fantastic performance, and far more compelling than the actual lead. Lee Rang is a character I'll never forget.

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