missreviews

No worries! I just wish that the death was better crafted and that probably would have made me support his death for the main lead's love story. Instead, it felt like they just all went about their own way and never spoke of him again.

Anyway, I really would have loved to have seen that picnic scene. I think that would have really tied things together.

I wish they explained it better though and that they didn't cut the picnic scene with Ji Ah and Yeon's kid.

From "Mind Melt on A Bun" from Tumblr:

Apparently one way a gumiho can be human is this: "Over a period of 100 days (other versions say 1000 days or ~3 years), Kumiho must not be detected by the human they are married to. If the Gumiho fails on this quest, they will lose any chance of becoming human and will be a Gumiho for 1000 years"

So basically it implies that he's back as a gumiho but has to work on being a human.

ENDING EXPLANATION: https://mindmeltonabun-blog.tumblr.com/post/636632146816172032/tale-of-the-nine-tailed-explanation-of-lee-rangs

Not my blog.

First ep, I already feel sorry for her. She wasn't even ugly. The world is so unfair!

Is this a great drama? Thoughts? What can I expect?

If criticism is equal to hate then yes, there might have been a hate campaign in the comments. However, most of the disappointed comments, including my own have all pointed out legitimate reasons for their disappointment in the failed characterisation and redemption/sacrificial arc of Rang's character, as well as the open-ended, unexplained ending that plays on implications that have never been really explained, such as the importance of the fox bead, which has really been last minute added (as if they somehow just remembered that this was a really important part of the earlier storytelling groundwork that they had laid out but became little spoken of in the middle-end of the drama), and it really still is quite open-ended as to how it actually contributed to Yeon's reincarnation seeing as he hasn't seemed to be reincarnated, just brought back to life in a supposedly human form.

Don't get me wrong, I would have totally been for Rang's death had the execution been much more compelling. However, it really wasn't. His death would have been far more fulfilling had there been reciprocity in all of the characters' ability to lose their lives. Perhaps had there been more respect paid to his death in order to satisfy the fulfilment of the main characters' love story arc, I probably would feel a lot more satisfied in his character exit, but alas nope.

In saying that, and in writing this wall of text, my criticisms as well as others' disappointed comments shouldn't bar you from enjoying the drama as you so have enjoyed. We can still also enjoy/have enjoyed the drama even if we see its faults and feel disappointed, and voice those disappointments as criticisms.

I'll probably wait for a Soompi article for it, if, ever.

I wish this was established as opposed to leaving it open ended like that. There was no explicit groundwork that you could bounce off theories from without it just being speculation as this was never really explained or explored.

Second this! It did not make sense because they've already established that reincarnation isn't just living again as a copy paste, it's living a version of a life from birth til death. How have both Yeon and Rang reincarnated without the time jump? Also if Yeon has only been gone for 6 months, how could he and Rang have both aged? And why is it that he remained his same age, but Rang wasn't able to retain his death age?

Lee Rang deserved better. Period.

Yes and no. Mostly yes.

Let me know when you have an answer. Honestly curious.

Fair enough BUT wasn't he also doing that when he was adopting Soo Hoo into his home and creating a family with Yuri and Shin Joo? Rang having to kill Yeon was justified because it gave Rang the ability to understand life and death more profoundly, where previously, he did not care at all. In the Forest of the Starved, Yeon makes a comment saying "Why is life and death so easy for you" or something along those lines, so for me Rang killing Yeon was justified because he was able to understand the vulnerability of life.

Even when it may have been justified that Rang's death showed that he was finally putting someone else before himself, what was the purpose of that? We aren't even really sure that his sacrifice was what reincarnated Yeon, IF, at all, he was even reincarnated, seeing as he has retained his memories and his powers (??). Do we even know how he got back? It was said that Granny pulled some strings to make him reincarnated, but if that were the case then what then was the point of Rang trading his life for the fox bead? Also, in terms of reciprocity, why is it that Rang is reincarnated as a little boy, but not Yeon in another age/point in time? It just does not make sense.

I could write a whole essay, but to simplify, the story just did not make sense. Rang's death felt gratuitous. The rules of the underworld and TOTNT fantasy land were arbitrary, inconsistent and nothing is every fully explained, only implied. Was Yeon even reincarnated or did he just spend a few months in the underworld? This was never explained. We all assumed he was reincarnated but why was it so easy for him to be reincarnated, all with memories in tact, and supposedly his powers too. That did not make sense at all.

Basically, as you can tell from my comments previously, I was invested in this drama. I enjoyed it even with its faults, but the ending felt like my feelings were being exploited.

Just watch it but manage your expectations. If you're a fan of cheesy romance scenes that you should be good but be prepared to drop your logic halfway through the show. At least, personally that's what I feel and I'm still bitter lol.

So unfair #rangdeservedbetter. I would totes spam Twitter with that hashtag but alas I don't have one haha.

You're not the only one. Disappointing.

Nope, not bad at all. Are they planning a season 2 or what? Did LDW have a tight contract that stated that he needed to have finished this drama to start another project because what a mess of a finale. Seems like the prod and writing team were short on time and produced last minute work.

Feels, I swear. Yes, Rang was evil but respect for the character. He was depressed after realising he messed up and now he only got about 6 months (according to the time frame) of enjoying his newfound family all to sacrifice his life for his brother to be supposedly reincarnated, without any damage to his memories and, even his retained magical abilities.