Figgo
Florida
Side Characters Carried This Boring Drama
My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.
I normally don't watch these kinds of dramas - a drama with a fanfic type plot that appeals to teen girls - but I want to see Jang Gi Yong (장기용) in main roles. He was awesome in My Ajusshi playing a scary loan shark, but he had limited screen time. All of the main roles I've seen him in so far after that, he's played the same character type - stoic, no emotion, robotic. I don't know why he seems to be only playing these roles now, after he did so well with his character in My Ajusshi. Maybe he was afraid to be typecasted as a villain?
Acting/Cast: The promising cast is deceiving. Yes, the acting was good and the humor was good, but the story itself was so boring that the cast and their acting couldn't save it. I thought the two leads were the weakest in this area. Maybe it's more of a writing/directing issue though. The male lead was the "stoic" type which a lot of times (in badly written dramas) means that they can't convey emotions well and makes for a boring watch. It's difficult to write and portray a good stoic character, but it's not impossible (Terius Behind Me male lead, My Ajusshi male and female leads). The female lead's character building in the beginning gave me false hope - that she was going to be a distinct and unique female lead. She started out that way but by the end, I was annoyed by how she talks and acts, specifically with the male lead -- It felt too childish. The side characters were great, however, and I really just wanted to watch them. 7/10
Writing: The plot itself is pretty boring. There's not much to it. The fantasy element really didn't add much, since it became a simple cohabitation plot and a college romcom plot. There was this really annoying back and forth regarding the relationship between the two leads that made me want them to just give up on the whole human and fox love story and be with their own kind. They kept stressing how the male lead is "just an animal" as if he is literally a fox and that he's a super old man...so that made me feel weird about the leads being together romantically. He felt more like her guardian rather than a potential love interest. I also love love triangles when they're done right. This is also something that is difficult to do, but not impossible (Cheer Up, True Beauty, The King In Love). This drama had a weak love triangle, so much so that it was completely pointless for it to be included. Literally, it was only used to make the male lead jealous. It was clear that there was no way the female lead would even consider the second male lead. I actually felt bad for the second male lead and thought that he could possibly be a better match for the female lead than the male lead. Also, why make the female lead a history buff and not use it in a meaningful way for the story? So pointless... 1/10
Direction/SFX/Music: I want to blame the acting of the two leads on the direction. The music is nothing special. SFX was ok I guess. There was a stupid scene in a sauna involving ice powers for some reason...That might have been when I started really losing interest. The sauna scene in Episode 9 is a good marker for the beginning of the decline. 1/10
Entertainment Value: It was decent up until episode 9 when it first started going downhill. Then, when the red string was added in at episode 10 and the weak love triangle was created, I was just annoyed. I kept watching hoping that maybe there would be some unexpected twist. I almost dropped this drama at episode 13, but I decided to continue watching to see what would happen with the side characters. I should have dropped it though. 1/10
Overall, it was tough to give this a final rating. I ended up giving this drama a 2.5/10. I can't help but compare it with Tale of the Nine-Tailed, which I gave a 3/10. I didn't like Tale of The Nine-Tailed either, but I never considered dropping it like I did with this drama. The nine-tailed foxes in Tale of The Nine-Tailed were much more interesting characters with a certain kind of charm and with more interesting lore.
I normally don't watch these kinds of dramas - a drama with a fanfic type plot that appeals to teen girls - but I want to see Jang Gi Yong (장기용) in main roles. He was awesome in My Ajusshi playing a scary loan shark, but he had limited screen time. All of the main roles I've seen him in so far after that, he's played the same character type - stoic, no emotion, robotic. I don't know why he seems to be only playing these roles now, after he did so well with his character in My Ajusshi. Maybe he was afraid to be typecasted as a villain?
Acting/Cast: The promising cast is deceiving. Yes, the acting was good and the humor was good, but the story itself was so boring that the cast and their acting couldn't save it. I thought the two leads were the weakest in this area. Maybe it's more of a writing/directing issue though. The male lead was the "stoic" type which a lot of times (in badly written dramas) means that they can't convey emotions well and makes for a boring watch. It's difficult to write and portray a good stoic character, but it's not impossible (Terius Behind Me male lead, My Ajusshi male and female leads). The female lead's character building in the beginning gave me false hope - that she was going to be a distinct and unique female lead. She started out that way but by the end, I was annoyed by how she talks and acts, specifically with the male lead -- It felt too childish. The side characters were great, however, and I really just wanted to watch them. 7/10
Writing: The plot itself is pretty boring. There's not much to it. The fantasy element really didn't add much, since it became a simple cohabitation plot and a college romcom plot. There was this really annoying back and forth regarding the relationship between the two leads that made me want them to just give up on the whole human and fox love story and be with their own kind. They kept stressing how the male lead is "just an animal" as if he is literally a fox and that he's a super old man...so that made me feel weird about the leads being together romantically. He felt more like her guardian rather than a potential love interest. I also love love triangles when they're done right. This is also something that is difficult to do, but not impossible (Cheer Up, True Beauty, The King In Love). This drama had a weak love triangle, so much so that it was completely pointless for it to be included. Literally, it was only used to make the male lead jealous. It was clear that there was no way the female lead would even consider the second male lead. I actually felt bad for the second male lead and thought that he could possibly be a better match for the female lead than the male lead. Also, why make the female lead a history buff and not use it in a meaningful way for the story? So pointless... 1/10
Direction/SFX/Music: I want to blame the acting of the two leads on the direction. The music is nothing special. SFX was ok I guess. There was a stupid scene in a sauna involving ice powers for some reason...That might have been when I started really losing interest. The sauna scene in Episode 9 is a good marker for the beginning of the decline. 1/10
Entertainment Value: It was decent up until episode 9 when it first started going downhill. Then, when the red string was added in at episode 10 and the weak love triangle was created, I was just annoyed. I kept watching hoping that maybe there would be some unexpected twist. I almost dropped this drama at episode 13, but I decided to continue watching to see what would happen with the side characters. I should have dropped it though. 1/10
Overall, it was tough to give this a final rating. I ended up giving this drama a 2.5/10. I can't help but compare it with Tale of the Nine-Tailed, which I gave a 3/10. I didn't like Tale of The Nine-Tailed either, but I never considered dropping it like I did with this drama. The nine-tailed foxes in Tale of The Nine-Tailed were much more interesting characters with a certain kind of charm and with more interesting lore.
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