My Roommate Is a Gumiho (2021)

I almost did not watch this one as my run-ins with dramas with Gumiho's were mostly forgettable but good thing I did. Though I doubt that Jang Ki Yong and Lee Hye Ri will be winning any Oscars anytime soon, for this drama, their acting chops were enough to convey the aloof writer/professor and the eager student. Putting aside that one is a mythical fox and the other is the host of its magical bead, this drama mainly imparts what it is to be a human: a complex entity that can't be entirely understood despite centuries of learning and studying human behavior. Because what it means to be human, is not being perfect, not having all the answers in the universe, and though there are many that are bad, there's also many that are good. That suffering through life isn't necessarily a bad thing, but we just learn to adapt and know when to make sacrifices, and hopefully still have the desire to live despite failures.

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Two years later, still one of the best dramas.

It's been over 2 years since I've first watched this drama and I've rewatched it a few times as well. I was never a fan of FANTASY dramas so I was skeptical at first... very skeptical.

But yes, I was clearly wrong. The first episode was a breath of fresh air. Impeccable acting with a lot of comedy. The drama was greatly written and really captivating from the first minutes.
Later on, it showed a beautiful story that made me feel many emotions at once. It was funny, beautiful, sad... all you could think of.

STORYLINE : a fantasy romance not overdone, easy to watch even for non-fantasy fans who find mystical stuff a little too much like me.

ACTING : perfect, both main leads and supporting cast. but huge appreciation towards HYERI, she is one of the BEST ACTRESSes I've ever seen. She has an amazing charm and beautiful acting skills. I highly recommend checking other dramas with her.

OST : quite nice, but tbh I don't remember any that really stayed in my mind.

I can't wait to see both leads in new projects!

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Well written drama

This is my third drama talking about gomiho and this was the best. At first i found oreshin hh a little cold and with no expressions but it was a gumiho role and by time the actor got more different interactions and feelings to express. I loved hye sun, her presence made shin woo yeo's world more interesting, loved their bickering hh. Hye Ri was stunning, lee dam seemed true, funny, honest.. Finally loved that red thread but it took me a while hhh Ah and the final, thank you for giving us an after he become a human scenes, cause most of the dramas cut and let you wanting more.
A really warm good made fantasy rom com...

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My greatest companion throughout my self-quarantine!

When I first heard that I was tested positive for Covid and had to basically distance myself from everyone in my family, I was a little stressed out. I needed something light and fluffy to watch, something that could make me forget about all the bad things I had in my mind. My Roommate is a Gumiho is the first ongoing drama I watched in a very long time. I stopped watching ongoing dramas, but I knew I had to start watching one again for My Roommate is a Gumiho.

I wasn’t really interested on watching this drama, but as I saw my brother laughing out loud and getting invested in this drama, I had to start watching it too. So I started this right away on my first day of self-quarantine. And, it CLEARLY succeeds in making me laugh out loud! I watched this as I eat, as I rest, I just binged this drama all day long. The first 8 episodes were just epic and funny and everything nice! I just loved every characters here, from the famous Lee Dam and Mr Gumiho, Hye Sun, Jae Jin and Soo Kyung.

The 8 episodes were completed so fast, and I had to wait for more episodes. That’s when I decided to watch Reply 1988 as well, since I’m just so so so in love with Hyeri’s incredibly natural acting. Watching Reply 1988 with all the famous actors like Ryu Jun Yeol and Park Bo Gum acting with Hyeri made it seem like Jang Ki Yong’s acting wasn’t that great. I continued watching Episode 11-14, and my interest in this drama slowly died down, there were no longer much funny scenes, and Jang Ki Yong’s acting was a little too stiff for my taste. This wasn’t what I signed up for! What kept me going was the side characters being more interesting than the main couple. Jang Ki Yong and Hyeri had excellent chemistry, they look like a great couple indeed, but compared to the lively Hyeri being so natural in her acting, the flat Jang Ki Yong’s acting doesn’t look that good, let alone the fact that he had to look a little sick for the storyline in some episodes. The two female bullies, Da Young and Seo Jin’s acting was not so great either, but it doesn’t really bother me since they were not the main roles.

The cameos here were terrific! Those who watched Reply 1988 would be so thrilled watching this drama. And the other cameos were great as well! Many famous actors and actresses appeared in this drama, and it was interesting finding them here!

I really hoped for a nice ending, and I definitely got one! I finished Episode 15-16 yesterday and today, and it finally picked up my spirits back! Putting Kang Hanna, Kim Do Wan and Park Kyung Hye as important characters is a really excellent decision! Choi Woo Sung and Weki Meki’s Doyeon were great support characters as well! They made the drama even better and the scenes a lot funnier and entertaining. The funny scenes came back, and all the fluffiness came back. Thank God I was so used to tvN making a whole new conflict last minute! The last episode made up for the few boring episodes and to sum up, this drama was a great watch! The OSTs were super great as well! Overall, a 9/10, truly recommended! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Cute and fluffy fantasy romcom

I love how this was a really light watch. It's fun and enjoyable. No need to think a lot and every episode just makes you happy. Although it has a fantasy element, it was not that serious and somehow I was reminded of the classic "My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho" with their uncannily similar titles. It has the same feel to it and I really loved that series too.

Hyeri aces this role. She just have this natural comedic vibe in her. She's not afraid to make silly facial expressions and she does not try hard in making those faces. Jang Ki Yong played his gumiho role who is 999 years old really well too. He acted like a grandpa lol. Both of them made this dynamic work and they exude really awesome chemistry together. I just naturally smile with them in their moments together.

I like the other casts too. With Dam's friends and Hye Sun in the mix, it makes it more enjoyable and Dam is a really relatable character too. Cohabitation hijinks is a cliche that I'm on board with. I rarely get SLS and this one was not an exception. I was team gumiho all the way. And although Sun Woo did not get a chance (and couldn't understand when the FL says she doesn't have feelings for him), I think the actor played his character really well. It also helps that he's cute. I hope to see more of him in his future projects.

Overall, I'll definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to enjoy a cute romcom.

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The journey is worth the time

I liked this drama. I really liked it. But if you're looking for a unique story, this may not be the best place for you. Gumiho follows the same trends as most interspecies romances, from the trigger that pulls the characters together to the overly-predictable "plot twists" towards the end that make you wonder how far they have to go to pad the runtime. But there is one thing that Gumiho has that a lot of its predecessors are lacking: a unique mood.

While on paper there isn't much that Gumiho does new, it does present its plot and characters in a unique way. The melodrama is forgotten in favour of a bright, colourful world of comedy, charms and ridiculous moments. The solemn, isolated otherworldly creature is still present in the ML, but he meets his match in Lee Dam, a bright college student who has no qualms about closing the gap between them. Both the actress and character have this infectious happiness about them that draws you to them in much the same way she does Shin Woo Yeo and I found myself binging the episodes without ever intending to.

Gumiho doesn't just have good leads, though. A lot of the characters are unique, with stories and interests of their own. For me, Yang Hye Na really stole the show with her over-the-top yet very genuine personality. In most stories, she would be turned into an antagonist who is either at odds with the main couple or trying to tear them apart. But no. She's amazing. Despite her apparent lack of interest in SWY, she helps him watch over LD and gives him all the advice in the world to help him become human before his time is up. The relationship that she instead forms with Do Jae Jin, LD's friend, is silly and wholesome and everything you could want in a side couple. We don't see much of LD's brother Dan, but what we do see shows the same world building - he's a character that only shows up now and then and is never deeply delved into, but we see he had an interest in archery. That may not sound like much, but there are so many dramas out there that are so focused on making their characters do the thing that they want them to do that they forget to give them hobbies and interests, which are so integral to understanding a character. There's even a sibling duo found in the second love interest and his sister (Gye Sun Woo and Gye Seo Woo) that feels strangely fantastical yet totally believable. Props to the team for that. Really, I couldn't have asked for more.

The show has its faults, though, which mostly come in the form of the writing further into the show. As soon as the main couple comes together - in the same episode, in fact - they're suddenly bombarded with 101 reasons they can't be together, reasons which were not really present at any time before that, and they're all the plot twists that you've heard before with interspecies dramas. This is where my binging turned to watching every few days. Conflicts need to exist in a story for it to continue moving forward, but the conflicts they used were so arbitrary and the writing surrounding them so bland that I started losing interest. Everything else outside of those issues was still enjoyable and I liked it, but with the central focus being so unoriginal I found that even the acting suffered and it was hard to press 'play.' They even introduced the dreaded love triangle that is totally one-sided and is just there to slow our main couple's relationship down.

Putting that aside, I do really think that this drama is immensely enjoyable. It's creative and fun, most of the characters have amazing dynamics together and the team took the time to make them feel real. The biggest problem is the endgame conflicts, but if you go into it prepared and steel your heart from some disappointing, eye-rolling developments, you'll be just fine. Don't let the weak ending deter you - the journey up to it is worth your time.

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An ok drama

Overall: It was a good cute drama with interesting dynamic between the two leads. It was emotional and funny. Even though it was by no means one of the best, it was quite enjoyable to watch.

Plot: Somewhat predictable. It's what you would expect from a story based on a folktale creature. It will go just the way you expect it to go. But that being said, it was good watch overall.

Pace: A bit slow for my taste.
Romance: Cute. Fantastic guy, bubbly average girl dynamic. Rich established guy, average college girl dynamic. Mythical creature, average human dynamic.

Comedy: Good. There were a fair bit of comedic scenes that sometimes looked forced. But overall there were some naturally funny moments that kept the show from getting stale.

Music: Average. Nothing memorable. The music felt like it was just there to fill the silence. It wasn't bad, but it also didn't seem to add anything to the drama.

Cast and Acting: I think the main characters were cast perfectly. The ML looked just like a fox who was clueless to human emotions. The FL looked average in a charming way.

Quality: The production quality was ok. It wasn't top notch quality but it was still good. The CG in some parts was too obvious but it wasn't too bad. The only thing I didn't like is the product placements seemed too brazen.

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