Title: Tale of the Nine Tailed
Language: Korean
Genres: Thriller, Horror, Romance, Fantasy
Synopsis (from MyDramaList): The mythical nine-tailed fox, or gumiho, Lee Yeon had to settle in the city many centuries ago. Able to transform into human form, he eradicates supernatural beings that threaten the mortal world. His real aim is to find the reincarnation of his lost first love. The talented television producer Nam Ji A works on a show that features urban myths. In the past, her parents were involved in a mysterious car accident and disappeared, and she suspects that Lee Yeon might be connected with this accident. The half-brother to Lee Yeon is the captivating Lee Rang. Despite being half-human himself, he harbors a deep-seated contempt for all people. For sport, he will unleash his seductive prowess upon his human-du-jour by promising to grant them their wishes, only to trick them into paying a hefty price for their earthly desires.
My Review
I always love a good fantasy story, especially when it’s inspired by folklore or mythology from other countries. The different tales about Nine-tailed foxes have always been of interest to me too.
My personal opinion is that Lee Dong Wook did an excellent job in his role as Lee Yeon, the nine-tailed fox. He really nailed the arrogance of an immoral entity that knows he is powerful as well as handsome. At the same time, he was also a hopeless romantic who spend 600 years waiting for his first love to be reborn.
Lee Dong Wook and Jo Bo Ah have amazing chemistry together and their hardships had me in tears more than once. Kim Bum was also fantastic as Lee Rang, Yeon younger half brother. He played a villainous role to a T, while also being vulnerable and caring, like how he can’t ignore the cries of a dog being abused.
There’s a scene that sticks out in my mind where Yeon and Ji-a are walking in the rain sharing an umbrella when Yeon tells Ji-a that he doesn’t like to get wet because “it messes up my fur.” I don’t know why this stuck in my mind so much, but it did. I was hoping that there would be a scene where he would go full fox mode but sadly that didn’t happen.
There was also a thing or two that I don’t think the writers really thought all the way through. I don’t want to mention what exactly they were as they would be major spoilers. The ending also left me with a lot of questions. Thankfully there are sequel series so maybe I will get answers there.
Overall, I think the Tale of the Nine-Tailed was a solid 4 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed it and I’d recommend it to those who like romance with a good dash of fantasy and mystery thrown in.
Thanks for reading!