Tale of the Nine-Tailed (2020)

Meh....Lee Dong Wook does a bunch of stuff in cosplay sometimes and not enough.

This is only for the Lee Dong Wook fans out there....watch it.
Absorb LDW like cocoa butter on freshly washed skin and slip yourself into those fuzzy socks some random cousin gave ya for Christmas some years ago.
See him cosplay whatever he was supposed to be and forget the disappointment of not seeing him swinging around 9 actual tails.
Write fanfics about a love triangle including his live-in veterinarian butler minion that looks like a fresher but, water down version of Gong Yoo.

The story hooks you in then forgets what it's supposed to be about.

Weakest links and total wastes of time:
1)The villain,
2)Main chick's parents and everything involving them after the first 5 or so episodes.
3)Main Boss God!!!!! Like WTF
4) LDW hair as in Gumiho mode.... I said what, I said!
5)The whole half thought-out universe of "gods and minor deities" they just threw on the wall and hoped would stick or the viewers would be to enthralled by LDW licking things and saying "MMmmm" to care.

The Strongest point:
LDW ability to commit to the character when nothing and everything starts making complete 0, zero, sense, his cute minion and puppy boy.

Don't watch this mess.

They could've made it awesome if they went complete camp af with it and didn't try to take itself seriously. There were some promising hints of this in the first two episodes but then they forgot what dram they had planned. Or maybe there was no plan because that's how'll you feel as soon as the "big bad" is revealed.

Disappointed. I want my time back.

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why even bother making a second season

Jia is the problem, period. The most selfish character. She caused the entire problem. Rang should of never died. At first her and Yeon's romance was sweet even though he watched her grow up, in essence falling in love with a child. Pervvy but I overlooked that part. Eventually I actually wanted Jia to just DIE! Rang was the best and truly most humble of them all. His family is what was worth saving, not Jia and her parents. The side plots with Granny and her husband was nice as well the cook and her mate from The Snail Bride. Imoogi was in Jia because she wanted to save her dad in the beginning. It was her choice and she should of felt the consequences, not poor rang which she was pleased when his life was worth taking to bring Yeon back. Yeon and Kia totally disgusted me by the end of the show. Plot is stale and over now. No point in even making a season 2 or 3.

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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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