My Roommate Is a Gumiho

I chose this drama because of the comedy
genre but to be honest it disappointed me a
bit on that front. The comedy scenes were
good but they kind of died off after the first
few episodes. The drama also had a mystery
in it (which I liked) but after the first half, it
was almost pure romance genre mixed with
only a few comedy scenes.

I loved both the main leads! Woo Yeo was so
cute when he got all flustered and his shy
smiles and blushing were adorable! I liked
Dam's personality, especially how she wasn't
afraid to say what she thinks, and how she
didn't care of rumors or what other people
think of her. Jae Jin and Hye Sun were to die
for, I loved them both as separate characters
and a couple they were so swoon-worthy! 🥺

The only thing bugging me was the ending.
The whole last episode was rushed a lot,
Woo Yeo disappearing, Hye Sun having her
blue bead (that felt like a deus ex machina
given the fact that we have never seen nor
heard about it before), Jae Jin getting the
army letter... What I hated the most was
making two new couples in the last fifteen
minutes – Soo Kyeong & Seok, and Dan &
Seo Woo (Seon Woo's sister), that felt so
much rushed! Yes, they had some chemistry
together and some scenes in the episodes
beforehand but still! It could at least have
been established in the previous episodes
instead of the last one with no room to grow
properly and leaving almost zero impact.

My final rating for this k-drama is 8/10.

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One of the best dramas of 2021, and one of my favorites! Watched it for the 2nd time and I still can't get over Kiyong and Hyeri. They got strong chemistry together, and were both physically, emotionally and verbally perfect to portray the original characters from the webtoon itself. Kang Hanna's role here as Hyesun was savage and funny at the same time because of her dumbness. I also loved her chemistry with Kim Dowan. I'm glad Bae In Hyuk is getting more recognition from this drama. He is truly effective as a second male lead. The SMLS (Second Male Lead Syndrome) Sunwoo gave us left an impact even to this day. Hope he gets a happy ending in S2 (if possible since the webtoon already has). Kudos to the production team and writers for making this drama a hit, as obvious in the storyline, cinematography, setting, CGI effects, costume, musical score, and especially the OST. You will learn a lot from this drama since it not only focuses on romance only, but also on fantasy, supernatural, family, friendship, food, history and culture. I highly recommend this to those who have watched dramas with similar genres (webtoon-based, rom-com, or fantasy such as Goblin, The Tale of the Nine Tailed etc.). All free episodes are now available and streaming on Netflix. Enjoy watching! :)

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Upon watching it again, I loved it even more!

I found this story very interesting, a fantasy with serious parts that wasn't too melodramatic. I found myself smiling a lot throughout, because most of the characters were well-written and extremely likeable.
STORY: It’s been done before, but this one was easy to watch without too much angst. I especially loved the development of the friendships and the relationships, Jang Ki Yong and Hyeri had wonderful chemistry, as did Kan Han Na and Kim Do Wan. I scored down because of the constant use of drunkenness (their livers would have been pickled already!)
ACTING: Jang Ki Yong as Shin Woo Yeo was very good, going from being almost an automaton to developing a deep and abiding love. Though he, at times, had some borderline control tendencies, it was kind of understandable because he didn't know how to be human. He was very effective in playing someone so old and jaded, you could feel his loneliness and his feeling that continuing to live was just pointless. Hyeri is just gorgeous and her hairstyle really suited her. Her character was kind of the girl next door, someone that you are just automatically drawn to and want to be friends with. Her bubbly personality and lovely smile were the perfect foil for his aloofness. At the beginning, I thought that I was going to absolutely hate Kim Do Wan as Do Jae Jin - he was just such a pitiful, immature, sad sack. However, when paired with the excellent Kang Han Na as Yang Hye Sun, the second lead couple was very funny, and the actors brought naivete and innocence without stupidity, which I appreciated. They were such polar opposites, and watching them grow and mature together was great to watch. I have to say that Bae In Hyuk as Gyu Sun Woo grew a lot throughout this show. He started out as a complete jerk, but I found myself rooting for him as the episodes unfolded. He cared so much for Lee Dam and was able to learn from his mistakes. I had moments of SLS, wondering if there was any way he could win the girl. I could also appreciate the love/hate relationship between Shin Woo Yeo and Yang Hye Sun – their storyline developing into a lasting friendship was seamless and very touching.
SET DESIGN/COSTUMES/CINEMATOGRAPHY: His house was just beautiful and the college had some very interesting room setups. I loved the use of light and dark, the scenes with him were darker, conveying his loneliness. Her scenes were bright with color, and that really suited her personality.
OST: Good, and I especially loved the haunting song by Jeong Sewoon.
RE-WATCH: Totally!! Upon this rewatch, I had forgotten how wonderful the romantic chemistry was between the leads.
OVERALL: It was definitely worth a watch for me (I don’t like stuff too heavy, so this was right up my alley). This moved up from me liking it a lot to loving it!

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Well executed show hobbled by a lack of direction

Crosswalk cliche score - 4 - did manage to squeeze in a bit of a twist, but couldn't stay away from this trope

Little sib score - 6 - Dam's bro was dull but Kim Do-Yeon was fantastic as Sun Woo's little sister. She barely appeared as the show wore on though.

Power coat score - 9 - Woo Yeo may not be the most dynamic character, but the dude had a sweet collection of threads.

Product placement score - 1 - Subway, ewww. They even centered an entire episode around it. Ick ick ick.

Cameo score - 10 - Ko Gyung-Po is nice and Jung So-Min is even better (although a few more speaking lines would have been nice). But Oh Jung Se's appearance is sublime. It's brief but magical.

Overall, I enjoyed the show but it's a sugary snack of a show rather than a memorable, must-rewatch powerhouse. Hyeri nails Lee Dam's impulsive and positive character. Jang Ki-Yong certainly sell the weariness of a near 1,000 year old creature and seems to be having a nice arc to the character in the first half. But unfortunately, the writing lets down and it's back to Boringville for Woo-Yeo. And that's the main problem with the show. It progresses sharply in the first half, but it struggles to set up any lasting tension. Obstacles arise, but none seem particularly threatening and, soon enough, are easily dispatched.

I think that the impression that secondary couples are usually better than the primary is very often incorrect. But IN THIS SHOW? Kang Ha-Na and Kim Do-Wan are heavenly. Every moment they are together on screen is a joy. Very likely the best secondary couple of any show I have seen.

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The destiny of your own making.

What a pleasant surprise - well done tropes, little fun changes to established often used plotlines and themes, the variety of the characters with vibrant personalities and experiences. No unnecessary additional murder mystery that drags the whole plot, no family drama no one cares about. It has exactly all that romantic comedy needs and nothing else. And that’s perfect.

And what does romantic comedy need? First and foremost: romance. Whenever we are talking about leads, second main leads or just supporting characters, they serve and deliver. Shin Woo Yeo and Lee Dam gave me a perfect example of fighting against all odds, defying destiny. I especially loved how they used the red string of fate in the drama (not only in context of leads) - be it to add more angst and internal (and external) conflict, give closure to certain plotlines, or expand on presented themes. Probably the best use of red string I have seen in dramas for ages.

Usually I really dislike the “innocent, inexperienced, pure female lead”, but here I cannot even be mad about it, because it was fitting the context, and while she was inexperienced in love, she was not naive in terms of other relationships. They did not make her dumb in all areas to show how little she knows about love, and that is something we usually don’t see. I truly appreciate the variety of experiences presented depending on the characters. Some were experienced in both love and casual dating, some were inexperienced in one, but more experienced in the other, some were inexperienced in both. That’s why female leads “innocence” (for the lack of better term) was not that annoying, and did not stand out too much - she was just one type of many we witnessed.

Then we had Shin Woo Yeo and I adore how imperfect he was. The boy had flaws, major ones. He got jealous and not in a cute way. He was egocentric in his thinking, made many mistakes trying to find an easy and quick way out of complex situations, his communication skills could left a lot to desire and even when he was literally told straight to his attractive face what someone expects and what would hurt them, he confidently more often than not made the wrong choice. All that made him much more interested character.

Then we have the recycled trash Gye Sun Woo - cannot believe, with what he did, I still somehow ended up liking him by the end. This ain’t your loyal puppy second male lead. He would for sure fit the cold main lead who turns soft by the female lead role more. And it’s so refreshing to see this trope being placed into the role of simping over a female lead with no choice of getting her - it’s like reliving your youth with Gu Jun Pyo getting what he deserves. All that said, even though I would never get on this ship, I also love how there was in fact great chemistry between Sun Woo and Lee Dam - maybe in a different drama life this could work.

All I can say about Yang Hye Sun and Do Jae Jin is that they were the most adorable characters ever. The fact I love both Kim Do Wan and Kang Han Na made it even easier to adore the characters they played. They were kind of a reverse version of the main leads, but not a complete copy just switched. Do Jae Jin, while innocent, was not inexperienced. Yang Hye Sun while experienced in love and the heartbreak that comes with it, was still open to romance and innocent. While they mirrored the “one more experience than the other” dynamic of Shin Woo Yeo and Lee Dam, their different personalities led them to completely different choices and attitudes.

Then we have a whole cast of well written supporting characters with their tiny twists. Choi Soo Kyung was for sure the comedic relief, but her character was also established to be extremely smart. Younger siblings of the leads were not the annoying teens, you could see the family bond even through the bickering. Jung Suk almost had no screen time, but still did not feel like a filler character - be it his friendship with Lee Dam or connection with Soo Kyung, even if not many, his scenes were also fun to watch.

Not all characters were as well written though. We could not escape dumb bullies who gossip, because they have no other thing to do and have low self-esteem. There are just some things in k-dramas you cannot avoid.

Plot wise, I appreciate how long they did not fully explain how the male lead can turn into a human. Not that I’ve put a lot of mental power to try to figure it out myself, I was just taking whatever they were showing with little neurons firing in my brain - but that tiny mystery had solid pacing that I was curious "how it works", without being annoyed how long it takes to get the answers. All the plots got proper closure, some expanded and explored more than others, but the ratio of how much we see of each point was well balanced, without random slide quests overshadowing the main story.

The acting was mostly great. I enjoyed how the actors were able to present many instinctively viewed as contradictory traits and made me feel like the characters still made sense. Shin Woo Yeo was not interested in humans and love, yet he was still a rather warm person even at the beginning of the story. Lee Dam was innocent and inexperienced in love, but strong and assertive in her relationships, Yang Hye Sun had that sophisticated air around her, when she was in fact on the little dummy side, Do Jae Jin was highly emotional, but at the same time emotionally strong. It’s really not that easy to present characters like that without making the audience feel like their personalities change to whatever the story needs to at any given time.

In terms of production value or soundtrack - all adequate to the story they tried to tell, but not mind blowing in any way. Do not remember one song nor any scene that was especially visually stunning.

Overall, for sure one of the better rom-coms in recent years. Why? Because it did not try to be more than that. It did not try to blend 643857485 different genres jumping from one theme to another. The story was simple, but told in an engaging manner, the characters were easy to love, the romance was romancing.

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Second leads in this ruled!

Fun romance/drama/comedy with a few unexpected creepy suspense moments.

The secondary leads Jae-jin and Hye-sun killed it, completely stealing the show from the leads in this.

Unfortunately for the ML, I wish the FL had chosen the other guy. Lol. That's never a good sign. I don't know he was more down to Earth and cool. The ML was too controlling. But it still works I would say. I liked the Mountain Spirit's role in the story, and the FL was really, really good.

This show excels at nothing but does a lot of little things right that do add up. The story progresses well.

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If you're in it for the romance, go for it. If not, keep moving.

The show itself was fine. The acting, directing, and music were all great, there were a good amount of funny scenes that didn't detract from the plot, and the storyline was fine. However, the romance aspect of the plot takes up the majority of the run time and if that's not your thing than it can get quite boring after a while.

I wanted to watch it for the supernatural aspect and, while I don't mind romance, I ended up skippikg through most of the show and almost dropped it because it really hit a slump in the action/supernatural department. I wanted to finish it in case it got more exciting, however, th ending was much more lackluster than I had hoped.

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Bit too long

Interesting drama but a bit too long. I don't follow much of the k world, so maybe I don't know why the 16 episodes formula. With some exceptions, most of the dramas could have fewer episodes...


STORY - A simple story with great FL acting.
I liked the chemistry of the main couple, the acting of the secondary characters, their relationships. The struggle to become human is the main reason.

ACTING - FL was awesome,ML was good. Great chemistry and well performances by almost the entire cast.

I think that a 1000 years Gumiho should be more clever. There was a story and then almost nothing happens.

OST - can't remember very well so...

REWATCH? - there are a lot of cute or funny moments so, it is rewatchable for sure.

I don't understand why the love triangles. Is there a thing on Korea about that? Is it the dream of everyone to be involved in one?
I think, personally, the females actresses are gorgeous. But I don't understand the way they portrait beauty, as if someone looks could be the most important thing...

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2nd Male Lead syndrome :)

First half was super hilarious - slapstick, corny, lol kinda funny. 2nd half the humour became tiresome and repeated.

Can I just say-I LOVE Jang Ki Yong, but this is the first time I was rooting for the other guy Seon-Woo to get the girl!! His character development was more interesting. At the start he was sneaky and a jerk, but after getting to know and falling in love with Lee Dam he changed, and stood up for her. He even confessed 3x times, but was bitterly rejected. I truly felt his pain and cried during those scenes :(:(:(

The love story between main leads was kind of dull. It was cute and funny before they started dating, after that it got boring and lacked chemistry. Mr Gumiho was rather clueless for a fox who has lived 999 years. And his best friend Hye Sun was equally as dull, all she did was give advice. I think the scriptwriters could have done more with their characters- some action and more magic would have been nice.

The Marble story was rather confusing. It seemed repetitive, going around in circles, like they had to drag the story for 16 episodes. I did like the supporting casts- some ppl preferred the love story of Hye Sun / Jae Jin more than the leads. Towards the end, I started skipping quite a bit. I found the last episode dull, and his comeback a bit of an anti-climax.

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great modern day fantasy romcom!

This is pretty much a chill romcom with gumiho's in present time. The storyline was pretty good and I really enjoyed the chemistry of the whole cast.

I love Jang Kiyong and he always shows great acting aside from his good looks. I'm not a big fan of Lee Hyeri's acting but she did pretty good in this series; mainly because it was a comedy filled series. I also loved Kang Hanna, she's literally so hilarious! Her character's relationship with Jaejin was just so cute too!

I watched this back in 2021 so I can't fully remember the details but overall, I enjoyed the series!

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