I almost dropped this drama. But I’m glad I stuck around.
A young woman accidentally swallows a magic bead that could turn a 999-year-old nine-tailed fox into a human — and now he must stick close by her.
My Roommate is a Gumiho is a romance fantasy k-drama about a college student, Lee Dam, who accidentally swallowed the precious fox bead of Shin Woo-yeo, a 999-year-old male gumiho who is on his way to becoming a human. In order to keep the bead safe and prevent Dam from dying, Woo-yeo suggests living together.
THE FIRST IMPRESSION:
I am very much into good visual effects and I was impressed by the show’s visuals and cinematography so I thought this one is worth watching. The first episode had this mysterious, suspense vibe to it which is fitting for a folklore theme. It kind of reminded me of Goblin. But as I got to the next episodes, it felt like something was… lacking.
I almost stopped watching.
I started getting bored and uninterested as I watched on, but for some reason, I still kept on watching (lol). I’m not quite sure but I think it’s because of the amazing visuals and transitions. (I learned from my little experience with video editing that there are techniques to keep audience retention). Anyway, at first I wasn’t feeling any chemistry between the main actors and some scenes looked flat and forced. I was also a bit annoyed by some of Hyeri’s comedic scenes in the first few episodes.
And then there’s Sun-woo, the second male lead played by Bae In-hyuk. Sorry to all his fans, but the bad boy character doesn’t suit him. 🙁 Also, this “bad boy turned good” scenario didn’t help since the story itself kind of already pushed his character to the side since the beginning.
THE SAVIORS OF THE SHOW
But thanks to these characters who added chemistry and humor to the show when the main characters were still figuring out their feelings for each other lol.
Kim Do-wan was Kang Han-na’s love interest in the show and I kind of had a bit of a hard time processing their love team because of their very different roles in Start Up, especially Kang Han-na (lol)
And then it finally got interesting.
I think that for most part in the earlier episodes, the lack of chemistry was killing the viewing experience. The actors aren’t necessarily bad, it’s just that they’re kind of “disconnected” with each other. But eventually they were able to get past that awkward stage and that’s when the show started to be more enjoyable.
CONCLUSION:
Just like most romance dramas where it takes half of the series for the main characters to become a couple, My Roommate is a Gumiho was like a slow cooked meal that took some patience for me to start appreciating what it has to offer. It kind of started as bland, not really because of the slow romance build up but mostly due to lack of chemistry. But as it progressed and the ingredients started mixing well together, it became an enjoyable dish. You can tell the actors worked hard and tried to make up for what they lacked in the beginning. The plot twist at the final episode was like a secret ingredient that brings surprise after tasting and at the same time ties the whole story together. In the end, I was relieved that I gave it many chances and stuck around. 🙂
P.S. I watched the whole series twice (I skipped many parts in the first episodes though)
RATING: 8/10
What are your thoughts about this drama? Let me know in the comments!
