My Roommate is a Gumiho (2021)

Rimane fedele a se stesso

Dopo Goblin, in molti hanno cercato di superare o almeno eguagliare il suo successo ma la maggior parte (o almeno quelli che ho visto io) ha fallito. Questo drama non gli arriva nemmeno lontanamente vicino ma ha giocato bene le sue carte. Nonostante ci troviamo davanti ad un fantasy sembra tutto così veritiero che non si percepisce il taglio netto tra la realtà e la storia di fantasia. Questo lo dobbiamo principalmente a due fattori: la protagonista e la storia lineare. Il drama fa un ottimo lavoro rimanendo fedele a se stesso: non hanno cercato di infarcirlo con picchi di trash o con la sopraggiunta di tante creature fantasy (vedi Tale of the Nine Tales) che disturbano alla fine la visione e soprattutto non c'è NULLA che lega i due protagonisti nel passato. EVVAI!
La storia rimane appunto lineare senza troppi scombussolamenti, ma è un continuo crescendo di maturazione e consapevolezza e qui torniamo a prima. La protagonista gioca un ruolo fondamentale. E' riuscita a spiazzarmi. Questa ragazza un po' sbadata e un po' sfortunata in realtà è una di noi. Il suo personaggio è talmente ben costruito che sembra la nostra vicina di banco o un'amica con cui chiacchierare. Avete presente una classica scena di un qualsiasi drama romantico in cui la protagonista è in difficoltà? Ecco, lei non reagirà come tutte le altre. Vi sorprenderà!
E' quella che spinge in avanti la storia, è per lei che succede quel che succede ed è tutto veramente ben costruito. Anche il resto mi è piaciuto, soprattutto i migliori amici di entrambi le parti (già visti ambedue in Start Up). Adorati.
Se pensate di star per vedere una storia comica, cambiate registro Niente di troppo drammatico o che, ma un buon lavoro.

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romantico e soporifero allo stesso tempo

Consigliato per chi ama storie romantiche ... occhio all'eccesso di zuccheri ... alto rischio di iperglicemia!!
Io l'ho trovato eccessivamente lungo, eccessivamente melenso, e molto soporifero.
Gli attori sono bravi, ma qui sono sotto stimati, e cmq riescono a trattenere lo spettatore, ma il protagonista maschile ha sempre la stessa espressione di felicità beota che ogni tanto avrebbe fatto bene a cambiare ... i protagonisti maschili interpretano una affettività poco virile.
Se avete in mente Al Pacino, ne Il Padrino, quando incontra la "moglie siciliana" e lo confrontate con le espressioni degli attori maschi ... si apre un abisso ... siamo su 2 pianeti distanti anni luce ...
Comunque, non è da buttare, per chi soffre di insonnia notturna potrebbe costituire un buon rimedio ;-) ... !!

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If u are undecided if u must watch this drama, this is the sign. WATCH IT ❣

At first I was reluctant to watch this since it is another fantasy/all about gumiho type of drama. However after the first 2 episodes id say it's very fun and hilarious to watch. Hyeri is made for comedy! The way she exaggerates her movements and facial expressions makes me laugh so hard. Also it is good to see somewhat another side of Jang Ki-yong; didnt really peg him for comedy but his character suits him. Loved Kang Hana from Start Up, and seeing her in this drama with a completely different vibe is a treat.

Updaaate! Just finished ep 16 This drama is worth your time!! The main actors (and second leads) are just so perfect for their roles. Their chemistry is on point.
The story has good pacing too! Altho it's a gumiho/ fantasy drama; the writing is good and not boring at all.

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romcom fantasy done right

90% of the reason this worked out was Lee Dam, 9% of it was the mythical creature ML that was civil and sweet and 1% was for the age gap done right
Lee Dam is my ideal type of FLs, she was realistic, she had low tolerance for bs, she thought on her own, she went after what she wanted, she trusted with her whole heart but she didn't let others take advantage and best of all she was HILARIOUS! and also fashionable❣ and so so cute ❤o❤

these things sound so simple yet romcom writers 99% of the time ruin their fls, but Lee Dam was the perfect representation of gen z, she was believable as a person and that helped this fantasy drama feel realistic as far as fantasy goes


on the other hand as a mythical creature oh so amazing out of everyone's reach ML, Woo Yeo was again done right. he smiled when he had to, he talked and interacted with people though he never cared for their presence, he was imperfect, sometimes rash disguised as wisdom in his eyes -ie he'd leave cuz it's the "best" choice- but he was also weak infront of his own decisions, he was emotionless but he changed with Lee Dam (she didn't "change" him, he just reacted to her presence), he was curios because of her, he was happy because of her and he opened up his heart to his lost dream of family and love because of her


another point I really loved was the friendships, the 2FL was not a jealous evil character that was desperately in love with the ML, they were friends, they were siblings and they were each other's home.
Hye Sun is confident, poised, elegant but kinda sloppy and though her relationship with Woo Yeo felt like tom and jerry she cared for him and she ended up becoming friends with lee dam as well~

Jae Jin is the soft naive uwu type of character, he again was like a brother to lee dam, he always protected her and sometimes he needed the protection and again it's great to not only see the FL have friends but to see normal male characters that love and respect the fl in a non romantic way is always welcome (special shoutout to sunbae Jung Suk who was also a great normal friend to lee dam)

Sun Woo was the cute type of typical jerk ml but he was kidna overboard by the end, but he was still cute, I hope to see more of the actor~

I did also love lee dam's friendship with Soo Kyung but I'm kinda sad they made her too comedic even more than lee dam.



another great part of this drama was the comedy, I've not laughed this much since Birthcare Center, it was exactly my type~ like the drama never tried to take itself seriously, it was a fantasy after all there was no need for life threatening "I love you but you'll keep getting chased by the truck of doom cuz of our love" randomness.
it did have the star cross lovers that started too soon and took too much time, but as a long term webtoon it did need more than one conflict so I forgive them

also, my FAVORITE part was the no past connection! I think this is the 1st romcom, and fantasy with no past 1st love fate bs. and that made their love so much more endearing.
they met, had a accidental tie down, lived together, saw each other's true selves and they fell in love, how normal and sweet is that?❤❤❤❤
in the webtoon they seemed to imply a lee dam's brother x sunwoo's sister and I think that'd be hilarious and sad for them to make the 2ml her brother in law xD

I didn't like some of the guys' reactions, their possessiveness, their tears, their clingyness, or the way jaejin x hyesun happened and also the way lee dam felt the need to apologize while Woo Yeo stayed quiet as if she needed to apologize, but overall the perfection of lee dam and the cuteness of Woo Yeo smiling when he didn't go through the writers "we can't be together" brooding mood, everything was perfect~

tbh I hated all of the breakups and near deaths, I wish it was more like 49 days (minus the ending) where they had to collect tears of love
so like they could've done more things to make him feel human. I was more touched at Hye Sun's tears over Woo Yeo's return than anything
though I was happy with the subtle change in his personality, like he got more carefree and dorky and my girl lee dam was always rational about it

I like the ost enough and I actually rewatched some scenes for my article so I'll say I'll rewatch lee dam's hilarious comedies and the cute dates ;p

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The Nine-Tailed Fox Tale With A Romantic Twist…

Admittedly whilst the quality of these fantasy dramas are often variable upon screenwriting ,‘ My Roommate Is A Gumiho’ surprisingly hits most of the marks by portraying well-rounded characters, strong chemistry between the main leads and an intriguing premise which felt enjoyable and surprisingly heartfelt for viewers.

Taken from the eponymous webcomic and adapted by screenwriters Baek Sun Woo and Choi Bo Rim , " My Roommate Is A Gumiho” revolves around Shin Woo Yeo( Jung Ki Yong)- an ancient nine-tailed fox ( Gumiho) who yearns to be human. Woo Yeo must turn his fox bead marble blue before reaching his 999th year, otherwise he will never be able to attain this possibility of becoming mortal . However, nothing ever runs smoothly for supernatural beings in K-dramas. When young and feisty university student Lee Dam (Hyeri) swallows his bead, Woo Yeo soon finds himself battling between his desires and a new obstacle of affections for Lee Dam…

Starting off his performance on a slightly lacklustre note, Jang Ki Young soon proved his talents to animate the sagacious and mysterious onscreen persona as Shin Woo Yeo to life through his surprisingly heart-rendering scenes of Woo Yeo’s complex past and sweet interactions with Lee Dam.

It is surprising how underrated Lee Hyeri’s acting talents are by truly delivering a resonant performance as headstrong Lee Dam. Lee Dam ( as a character) is arguably an evidently "down-to-earth heroine" than a lot of K-drama female leads out there- deadpan expressions, shamelessly honest comments and straightforward priorities ( not least the fact that she was more worried about not being able to eat fried chicken again with the bead) helping to epitomise this.

However to be more brutally honest with Lee Dam’s characterisation, it was evident to see some nuanced problems here also. This didn’t mean her sentience as a character was non-existent. Early on in the series, Lee Dam established she was no pushover when calling out the sexist remarks of second male lead Gye Sun Woo ( Bae In Hyuk)’s friendship group upon her body. She comments defiantly that she is a human being; ” not an object" in a moment which truly brought forward the taboo issue of misogyny in South-Korea . ( Kudos as well for screenwriters Baek Sun Woo and Choi Bo Rim for having addressed this issues overtly than burying them under the carpet also.)

In addition to this the screenwriters also used the opportunity to explore more with her interactions outside of romances alone, with her two best friends; Do Jae Jin( Kim Do Wan) and Choi Soo Kyung( Park Kyung Hye) . The " best friends" archetype in K-dramas is often used to present “animosity”( either through love triangles, lies or relationships) or as “unnecessary” ( they are used to fill-in time or for comical relief). At times, the duo were manipulated into both roles in order to heighten drama, however, they was something oddly sweet here ; they genuinely cared about Lee Dam.

However, the biggest problem occurred sometimes in between this development of " comical" and " serious" Lee Dam scenes, there was a opportunity to use this time to sketch-out more about Lee Dam’s sense of identity . Admittedly , this also fuelled more tedious interactions between our main leads in the beginning as we had little to truly grasp ( as viewers) about their characters.

Arguably, however, it this was necessary to foreground who are characters were as individuals and to get to know one another first. This seemed to remain evident in later episodes with a more fortified pairing feeling refreshing, gradual and healthy-both for the characters, and the logic of the plot without having to define Woo Yeo merely as the ‘ supernatural and inhuman’ character of the series for angst and tension. Although some viewers have risen red flags about the “ improper” relationship between Woo Yeo and Lee Dam’s addressed name to him ( “ Elder/ Sir”) in Korean, there was undeniably something well-matched about the chemistry between these two characters. The storyline could’ve presented Woo Yeo as a “ callous” or “ disruptive” towards Lee Dam, but the male lead was fairly respectful towards our female lead and likewise with Lee Dam towards Woo Yeo. Their relationship was undeniably slow-burning but built upon gradual mutual respect and symbiotic feelings, rather than the stereotypical causes which often reduced the main pairing in fantasy dramas being there “ for the sake of plot”.

The supporting leads were in a similar boat. Second female lead Yang Hye Sun ( Kang Ha Na) was an absolute delight with her wholesome friendship with our male main lead . There was initial fear that perhaps Hye Sun would go down the stereotypical ” female animosity” route due to her close-knit relationship with Woo Yeo ( due to her established " vixen-style and mischievous ”personality). However, thankfully the show allowed Hye Sun to steer clear of this route. Instead Hye Sun is paired together with an unusual side character which you won’t see coming . Now, without spoilers ( to either the drama or the webtoon), there is a particular reason why the storyline paired these two polar opposites together, however, first-time viewers will possibly feel disconcerted with this pairing choice due to the more ” comical" approach taken on at first. (Although admittedly there are some surprisingly heartfelt moments between these two also.)

Our second male lead Gye Sun Woo ( Bae In Hyuk) was a little bit of a curve ball. Bae In Hyuk was undeniably delightful as our main lead. However although the series did attempt to present Sun Woo as the “ forlorn lover with unrequited feelings” towards Lee Dam, lacking character growth and missed opportunities to use Sun Woo’s egotism in order to explore more about his backstory, truly derived from the screenwriters’ intended desire of presenting him as this sentient individual rather than merely a story writing trope.

On a more positive note the ending was fairly well-matched for the series and did leave a sense of completion towards the overall events of the drama.

So aside from the seeming abundance of high ratings for this series giving it “10/10”, is “ My Roommate Is A Gumiho” actually that good? Well, the drama undeniably has its flaws in parts. Whilst it hits the mark with good acting, prominent messages and brilliant relationship chemistry between our leads, the fresh spins upon tropes are sometimes mismatched against more tiresome cliches particularly with later storyline developments, slower pacing in parts and evidently the character development of Sun Woo. On the other hand, “ My Roommate Is A Gumiho” was an entertaining watch with chemistry which sparked alive onscreen and will definitely win the heart of any avid romance fan.

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MRIAG is like Dam's fav food; chicken - full of flavour, sweet but also spicy, and addictive!

When I say I want to watch a romcom that doesn't annoy or bore me, THIS is what I mean! My Roommate Is a Gumiho has everything I could want and more in a romcom.

If you like light-hearted dramas with a sprinkle of intensity, you'll probably enjoy this. It's a stereotypical one, meaning there are some predictable cliché scenes, but that did not stop me from loving every second of this gem! I have to also mention the editing, I mean come on, it's just too good! From the funny sound effects to the scene of Dam dancing on meat while singing about her love for it. Overall, the plot is well written, has good pacing and nothing seems rushed.

The chemistry and interactions between the characters, specifically Dam, Woo Yeo, Hye Sun and Jae Jin (including Soo Kyung, although she's not part of the main cast), are the best. For me, that's one of the most important aspects of a drama and they chose the cast really well! They're all perfect for their roles. Lee Dam, in particular, has become one of my favourite characters in dramaland, she's so hilarious without even trying and I just love her wacky personality. It's been a while since I've seen a female lead so refreshingly honest and straightforward, it's awesome. Aside from the main couple, who I swoon over whenever they appear on my screen, the side couple was really sweet too!

I thoroughly enjoyed this, binging a whole 14 episodes in one sitting. Yes, I know, I have no life. I just happened to not be busy that day lol. The plot may not be very unique, but it sure entertained me and I've seen many romcoms. MRIAG's an easy watch, with it's light and funny charms being something you'll look forward to in each episode.

No doubt the best fantasy romcom I've watched this year.

Warning: Ki Yong's smile will melt your heart.

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Not so bad but not great.

Fresh from seeing Episode 16 which I skipped a lot of scenes, I am still glad that I managed to finish this show. So let me get straight to my thoughts:

STORY
Nothing extraordinary. It is ok but the storyline is not something memorable or could be classified as classic that would tickle my memory in the coming years. The story is straightforward, light, and comical, sometimes raunchy due to the romantic scenes of the leads.

CHARACTERS
I have to say that my fave couple is the the second pair. They are really cute and funny together, especially their banters, misunderstandings, and the idioms!

I like the male lead gumiho in the first few episodes but his stalking tendency threw me off. It was a red flag. I am probably one of the viewers who do not feel comfortable or approve them dating secretly at the same time as they are student-professor. He should’ve not done that. After he became a professor, I lost interest. And even got away without any repercussions. He just quitted and she dropped out to date openly.

Lee Dam, there are times that I felt like watching Reply 1988 Deok Sun in this show. Nothing really new impressed me with her acting since I’ve seen Hyeri do these antics in her Reply role. Sometimes I even think she doesn’t act her age. I get confused if she’s really a university student or a high schooler by her behavior. Sometimes I don’t find it cute anymore. Her younger brother (the real high schooler in the show) is even more responsible and mature than her (academics, house work).

I like the friendship dynamics in this show. It was really funny and entertaining. One rant I’d say is how they cheapened the marble in the latter part of the show that could be tossed here and there. It was well presented in the earlier part, how it’s fragile and couldn’t be passed on easily. But it went meh later on that I lost interest.

OST
“Door (Your Moon)” by Jeong Sewoon should land in your playlist. It’s the best song of this show.

Overall, if you are looking for a light romantic comedy, sure watch this but don’t expect too much with the plot since it’s nothing that interesting. I enjoyed and stayed till the end because of the second lead couple, if it weren’t for them, I’d probably have dropped this. To be honest, I got roped in watching this after seeing Kang Ha Na and Kim Do Hwan’s chemistry in Start-up, and not really for JKY and Hyeri.

REWATCH VALUE
Will I rewatch this? Not even a hottie nine-tailed fox like Jang Ki Yong would make me. Moving on to other shows quickly. Or should I just wait on his possible next project with Song Hye Kyo?

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Cool Vibe with Boring Tropes

I have been sitting on this review for ages! While I liked the premise, the show only kept my attention because I didn't want it to be my first DNF in Kdrama land.

❤ Lee Dam annoyed me to no end. I can't tell if it was the way the actress portrayed her or the character herself that turned me off. I couldn't understand why this ancient being would be fascinated with a college girl. It certainly gave off some Goblin-esque vibes (another romance I didn't particularly love).

❤ The best part of this series is the frenemies relationship between Shin Woo Yeo and Yang Hye Sun. The two actors had chemistry and energy whether they were verbally sparring or staring coolly at each other. I'm glad their relationship never veered toward romance, but their interactions certainly showed the lack of chemistry between Woo Yeo and Lee Dam.

❤ SAVE ME FROM UNNECEESARY LOVE TRAINGLES! Why was Sun Woo even an option for Lee Dam? It's obvious from the very beginning he means nothing to her. Watching him constantly being thrust between her and Woo Yeo just slowed down the main lead's romance.

❤ The vibe and atmosphere was beautiful, particularly some of the set pieces. I wish the story had entranced me as much as the way it was shot.

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wasn't really all that

this drama had AMAZING castings totally loved it but the main couple is so boring to me im sawry hanna and dowan / jaejin & hyesun were more interesting. shin wooyeo they didnt even bother to let him have a personality and i get the whole "its bc he's inhumane" thing that's why he doesnt rlly feel anything but damn they couldn't have made him more boring. and how lee dam fell for him it was v much giving stockholm syndrome. lawls but its fine i guess . i skipped a lot of scenes w the main couple n i wish they would've thrown the gumiho story out the window and went w coming of age or something . honorable mention : bae inhyuk my babe u did amazing , doyeon my gf love u

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Boring teen angst drama with limited fantasy elements.

This drama had an amazing cast with lots of fun bits...what it did not have, however, was any real depth of story beyond your typical high school love story. In fact, SO MUCH of the drama's time is consumed with the ins and outs of college life social drama. I would have liked it 10 times better if they focused more on the supernatural and way way way less on the cringe interactions between what were basically shallow teenagers. It's also the first Kdrama I've watched where parents/adults were essentially written out of the story for convenience purposes. They never mention the female lead's father, and her mother is flown in for all of 5 seconds to catch her living with the dude, approve, and then vanish forever. They didn't actually need the mother for anything more than setting up the reason behind the female lead's invulnerability to memory wipe.

Apart from the shallow, trite, and boring teenager 1st world problems dominant script, the story of the Gumiho itself (both of them) was so brief and barely got touched on at all. That was a huge disappointment to me. they basically had 2-3 short flashback scenes they would play frequently throughout the show and it made their whole history more like an afterthought than a plot point. The whole Gumiho thing in general is treated like an afterthought, TBH. The evil Gumiho that threatens them early on is dealt with so quickly, having served its purpose to set up the future calamity the male lead would face....except he didn't. Like make up your mind, does the failure of hitting your 1000yr ECD to turn human turn you evil, or does it make you dissipate. Why even have the evil Gumiho as a plot point if you're gonna abandon it later on in favor of dissipation?

The actors did a relatively good job with such a poorly contrived plot. They were bright when they needed to be, and dark when they needed to be. There are tiny tiny bits of comedy interspersed throughout, which is a shame cause those actors did comedy really well when it was available to them, there should have been more of that and less of this back and forth bickering/gossiping teenagers BS. The writers also drop a lot when it comes to fleshing out the characters' personalities. Like the female lead who is supposed to be heavily into history and has it as a major but never gets the chance to showcase it, always having to act a silly, a bit dumb, and either lovesick or sulky...never smart or knowledgeable.

All in all, super disappointed in this drama. The subject was interesting enough, but the writing was too weak to make it anything special. Definitely would not recommend watching again.

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I'm happy it ended

If I'm happy it ended, it must not have been that great.

It started off well, it made me laugh out loud in real life, which is rare, so I thought this would be a good one. It wasn't, but it wasn't bad also. Probably some chewing gum for the brain since it's hard to be left with anything that's remotely mind tickling.

The best part is how strong the female characters are. The worse part is the lack of a compelling story and the boredom of the main couple.

It was great they have communication and the woman isn't a scared little kitty, she has thoughts and wishes and voices them clearly. On the other hand, even the male lead's voice is boring and lack some sort of personality. Being old and supernatural isn't a personality. He wasn't even that supernatural, we hardly saw magic in action except for the first episodes.
Sometimes, when they were together, I didn't know if what irked me was him acting old or the way she seemed to be infantilised when next to him. We didn't even get a surprising return, he was gone and then he just appeared back again as if he had gone to the convenience store. There was no build up, she just wakes up, he's there and we don't even see her run to him. Nothing.

The side characters had more life and more conflict. It was a shame some of those stories weren't developed.

To sum it up, it was ok but it wasn't good.

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Wonderful Story

At first I did not know if I would enjoy this drama but I was wrong. it is a wonderful drama and I fell in loved with it since the first episode. I love the way the relationship started and kept forming. The lead female character (Lee Dam) captivates you with her smile and comedic expressions and attitude. The lead male character (Shin Woo Yeo) just hypnotizes you with his looks and compose face expression. The rest of the characters bring this drama into a complete story. Her friends (Do Jae Jin and Choi Soo Kyung ) who are supportive of her and stay by her side all the time. The young men (Gye Sun Woo) who can't understand why she does not like him, as handsome and popular as he is. The female Gumiho (Yang Hye Sun) who is "Sir" (Shin Woo Yeo) friend and becomes a friend to "Lee Dam" and helps her to understand what is "Sir" going thru. I love how "Lee Dam" stay true to her character the whole drama. She is independent, strong minded, and does not let the other characters change her mind. The ending was great. We get to know what happens with the other characters not just the lead couple. The actors performance was great and I give 2 thumps up to the writer and the director.

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