Tale of the Nine-Tailed (2020)

From a fantasy to a flop

SPOILERS AHEAD

This was the biggest disappointment for me as a drama this year.
I was so excited to watch this and for the first few episodes, I rushed home, settled down and switched it on. The mythology, the characters, the little twists, and the ease into this fantastical world made this exciting. Then we hit episode 4-5, and instalove set in and the story went downhill.
The fantastical world? Brief flashes of what felt like the outside of the Narnia closet.
The mythology? Delegated to artifacts and uninteresting backstories read aloud by the characters.
The characters? I went from loving detective, whip-smart Ji-Ah to not caring if she died and wishing she'd just not appear on screen. Also, close to 1000 people die, no self-sacrifice, but your bf gets into trouble and it's a gun to the head? She ended up being incredibly selfish and whiny, I want my parents back, I want this, I want that.
The charisma of the stars was drowned by the constant weeping and lamentations put into every episode. This went from drama to DRAMA.
I wanted so bad to explore the fox-side of Yeon, instead we get one scene where we see fiery tails and they never appear again. He was the Guardian of the Mountain. Cool story bro, but uh, yeah, never really explored what the hell that entailed except for I guard the mountain and yadda yadda, next.
I read a prediction blog of how this would end, and had the writer's followed suit, and made Yeon king of hell and Ji-Ah the administration lady, I woulda given it an extra half star. This person managed to outshine the writer's ending with their own prediction. How I wanted it to end like they guessed! Instead, Yeon's human and whining about human shit (but then he's not human? Wtf, I dunno.) Rang dies and gets reincarnated, like nah, it's fine, wasn't enjoying the family of four, let's ruin that.
The more I write, the angrier I get, this had so much untapped potential and given a clever writer, this could have been my new favourite kdrama. But alas, another drama lost to damsel cliches, unnecessary filler, and weak endings.

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This drama had huge potential. Right from the start, it was an interesting watch that viewers would easily get hook by the mystery of the unknown world. However, I just can't seem to feel the main leads' chemistry, leading me to frustrations over their undying wish to save each other. Sometimes, I even wish to see the two of them die because their lovey dovey scenes didn't work to me. That part of the plot ruined the drama for me. For the thriller and action parts, it was interesting and for most part, I've enjoyed it. For the characters, I really liked Nam Ji Ah in the beginning but as the story unfolds, I grew to dislike her for being a nuisance for almost everyone. I also have to admit, my favorite part was when every time the Imoogi comes out of her, Jo Bo Ah nailed it. Everything else was okay, I can overlook minor issues along the way. However, here comes the ending. Lee Rang was already happy and contented but why did they choose to kill his character? I thought they would do something about it. It frustrates me just by thinking that when one main character dies, everyone would do anything but when a side character dies unnecessarily, it's okay for all. I mean for other cases, it would be okay for me too but that was sudden and felt unnecessary. I'd rather choose an ending where the leads got to reincarnate and meet again or a cliffhanger, because I've already prepared myself at the beginning. Anyways, I have mixed feelings with this drama. Maybe people who are only after the action, thrillers or legends, would enjoy this, but I will not recommend it openly to friends who would want to watch a drama of the same genre.

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Lee Dong Wook and Bo Ah smashed it. Not to forget Kim Bum's comeback!

I might be crazy here to right review when there are only 4episodes out. (thats when i started watching the drama were only 4 episodes out). But if you have watched Goblin you would understand why I'm being this way. Goblin was one of my favourite drama not only because of main lead actors but also because of Lee Dong Wook. So for this drama I won't explain the scenario anyway cause it's already written in the description of this drama.
Well I don't care about the ending but wait .... mmm.... I do want happy ending :)

Story (9.5) as of 14 episodes (edit 16 episodes)
I have watched some of the dramas on this tale of mountain fox / nine tailed fox. But this story was nicely dealt. In the modern age where CG are highly appreciated and graphic really are awesome in this drama, which added beauty of the portraying method of story. There were also dramas in Japanese which were also on the fox spirit / or similar type. But none was on par with this one. I'm also a graphic designer so for me there wasn't much more needed in graphics to add.

Acting (9.5)
You know if you are a fan of some artist you simply will give higher rating to that drama or if not rating then you will happily watch that till the end. Same is the case. But here is one this both the leads are flawless. Both are great are portraying their specific character. As to talk about Kim Bum I really waited for him soo long to have a main lead role, and my guy did really a great job. I hope he is casted as a main lead in more dramas. (Lots of love to him). There is also another character of YooRi which was done by Kim Yong Ji, as far as I remember she always has these type of roles The King: Eternal Monarch, I think she is great at showing this cool and cute side of her. She did well in it too.

Music (8.0) edit* I like its new ost, it fits the scenes. (9.0)
Well to talk about the OSTs of this drama I wasn't much into them. If you are considering DOTS type OSTs then it may give you a -ve point. Well its unto ones taste or depends on the mood, to me it was just okay. Apart from the OSTs, the background music was great that's why I gave 8.5 to this section. (edit* New ost was good I changed it to 9.0 now.)

Rewatch value (8.5)
As there aren't many episodes out there nothing can be said that if we can really watch it again and again. If this drama has Goblin type ending then I would say I will Rewatch it again maybe in the future. (edit* its upto how you wanted the ending but for me I will watch it again in future).

Conclusion
Actually I have watched over 500 drama that consists of Japanese / Chinese / Korean, and due to COVID19 thing to me there aren't many dramas, whom that I can watch or should desperately wait for the next episodes. To this drama I can say that I will desperately wait for the next week episodes. If you are Goblin fan or fan of fantasy and thriller plus romance type dramas then you should go for it. I think there won't there be anyone who hate or dislikes Lee Dong Wook. He has that such a charm. So if you love him that's a win win situation and if in case you dislikes him I will force you to watch it. Its worth it. There is a +point of KimBum, we all love him right?
Thanks for reading. Take care of yourself and your surroundings.

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Lacks a cohesive plot and a consistent tone, but nice to watch for action, visuals and characters.

A nine-tailed fox, Lee Yeon, (Lee Dong Wook), strives to protect humans from supernatural threats while searching for the reincarnation of his lost love. When he crosses paths with a PD (Jo Bo Ah) who looks the same as his first love, he gets lovestruck with her, but also confused with her real identity.

Going into this drama, I was surprised by the horror element. There are numerous scenes when I genuinely felt creeped out… that I took a break watching and complete it because season 2 was announced. Apparently, the two seasons are separate stories, so it wasn’t necessary to complete it, but anyway, I’m glad to have watched it as there are many enjoyable elements from this drama.

First, the characters are exciting and well-written. Ji Ah being knowledgeable on Korean folklore and her grit make her to be on equal footing with the immortals around her, which is rare to see in fantasy dramas. Lee Yeon is the perfect balance of sass and arrogance and playfulness. Lee Dong Wook played him so genuinely that he disappears into a playful, arrogant fox. I like Lee Rang and his sinister quirks, but I feel his backstory gets overshadowed by too many happenings in the story.
Which brings me to what I think are lacking from TONT1, is a cohesive plot & a consistent tone. There are many unfinished subplots and whiplashing scenes that it’s hard to get into the vibe. Regardless, it’s nice to watch for action, visuals and characters.

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Wtf did I just watch?

LR's sacrifice made no sense whatsoever. The dude had just found himself and happiness and then all of that was taken in a nanosecond. Why tf would you build such a beautiful character to just destroy him without a proper scene? His death was so short. Even NJA's friend had a drawn out death ( and she didn't even die) and you're telling me that the writer's couldn't have waited until Rang got to say his farewells? I'm not here to saw that Rang wasn't a POS at the beginning however, his character gradually grew into someone beautiful and selfless. Moving from Rang, why couldn't NJA be sacrificed? I mean...she'd be reincarnated either way. Why did so many innocent civilians have to die for LY's love? This brings me to the Granny, ummm....she was such a beautiful character until the writer's made her deviate from her strict laws and values. She didn’t save her OWN son, why would she save Yeon? I get that she doesn't want history to repeat itself but why did the writer's make her seem so strong and full of integrity if she was gonna throw all that away to save not only Yeon but Ji Ah, the girl she tried to kill two episodes back? Make that make sense to me please. I totally enjoyed the drama up until it started going into the two digit episodes and it can be a fun drama if you overlook all the loopholes and unexplained plot twists. By the way, what was that ending with Yeon? Did he lie about losing his powers? Or does he only get his powers back during the night? And how did Rang get reincarnated as his younger self who is around (9-11) if he died a few months back? I ain't no guardian for the underworld but i don't think that's how reincarnation works. Anywho, it's a fun fantasy drama to watch, very comedic. Awful ending but it was somewhat fun nonetheless. That's to me anyways.

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Meh....Lee Dong Wook does a bunch of stuff in cosplay sometimes and not enough.

This is only for the Lee Dong Wook fans out there....watch it.
Absorb LDW like cocoa butter on freshly washed skin and slip yourself into those fuzzy socks some random cousin gave ya for Christmas some years ago.
See him cosplay whatever he was supposed to be and forget the disappointment of not seeing him swinging around 9 actual tails.
Write fanfics about a love triangle including his live-in veterinarian butler minion that looks like a fresher but, water down version of Gong Yoo.

The story hooks you in then forgets what it's supposed to be about.

Weakest links and total wastes of time:
1)The villain,
2)Main chick's parents and everything involving them after the first 5 or so episodes.
3)Main Boss God!!!!! Like WTF
4) LDW hair as in Gumiho mode.... I said what, I said!
5)The whole half thought-out universe of "gods and minor deities" they just threw on the wall and hoped would stick or the viewers would be to enthralled by LDW licking things and saying "MMmmm" to care.

The Strongest point:
LDW ability to commit to the character when nothing and everything starts making complete 0, zero, sense, his cute minion and puppy boy.

Don't watch this mess.

They could've made it awesome if they went complete camp af with it and didn't try to take itself seriously. There were some promising hints of this in the first two episodes but then they forgot what dram they had planned. Or maybe there was no plan because that's how'll you feel as soon as the "big bad" is revealed.

Disappointed. I want my time back.

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As someone who absolutely loves traditional folklore and a fan of the Gu Family Book, I was pumped for this drama to come out. Unfortunately, my high hopes were dashed over the progression of this drama.

The main plotline of this drama is promising with the modern day introduction showing a beautiful Lee Yeon with his red umbrella and his intense fight scene with a rogue fox. The colors are shot vibrantly, the story begins promisingly, and the cinematography, although somewhat cheesy at times, is well done. Entering stage left is the spunky and stubborn Ji Ah with her camera and sharp eyes to figure out mysteries. She captured my interest the moment she fell of the building to test Lee Yeon, and I thought that was it. Maybe my biggest mistake. Instead of character development, Ji Ah basically said take it back now ya'll, and her character disintegrated into a hopeless and clueless damsel in distress. The love story fell sadly short in this drama, the romance was flatter than a slippery banana peel, and I couldn't make myself care about these second-chance lovers. Since the majority of the screen time is devoted to the love-dovey couple, my interest faded in and out, and I felt the strong points in the drama were ignored.

However, it's not all bad. The secondary characters save the day. Specifically Ki Bum's character, who was the knight in shining armor to the bleak storyline that was unfolding before me. The revenge/redemption plot line between the two brothers kept me watching, and I honestly would have watched a sixteen episode series of just their adventures. His character is done an injustice by the end though, and it was the only moment in the drama where a felt something. Kim Bum did a great job being the villain and the devoted brother, and I am so happy it was something to keep me distracted from the rest of the bland chaos.

I feel there a plot holes in this drama as well, and so much missed potential it hurts. There were some twists that were meant to be interesting, but just came off as confusing. The sacrifice trope gets over milked too, and ended up losing any meaning by the end for the two leads. The acting isn't necessarily bad here, but I feel that there were some actors/scenes that were missing that certain spark that pulls me in. I can't say I felt much about this drama other than awe at Ki Bum's acting, and eternal frustration at the strange ending. The OST was really good though, and I love the dark ending song.

All in all, a drama with a lot of potential but one that missed its mark. There are cute moments, and I would watch just for the two brothers storyline. However, this is definitely not a groundbreaking drama.

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This drama is like sticking a needle into a balloon

You expect it to pop, but instead the air fizzles out. Sadly deflating like a bouncy castle at the end of a birthday party.

It had an exceptionally strong start, with me at the edge of my seat at the beginning of the first episode. It was creepy, it was atmospheric; the manic laughter of the not-main-character's-parents ringing in my ears long after the first episode was over. It seemed like the perfect start to what I was sure was going to be a wonderful drama. Sadly, this is the only good thing I have to say about this train-wreck.

There were some fantastical characters/creatures that were genuinely intruiguing and that I would have loved to know more about. Especially in the earlier episodes. Of course, the drama writers and creators recognized this and therefore decided to have as little screen-time for them as was possible without removing them completely from the story. Instead we are supposed to care for the main couple were one is a pedophile and the other is about as interesting as a mildly funny rock; quickly forgotten about once you've left it behind. Obviously one of these is a lot worse than the other, but I truly am trying to care equally about them here.

As the episodes dragged on, they went from wonderful to okay to is it over soon or am I going to have to break my rule about dropping dramas. The side characters were infinitely more interesting than the main ones. Had clearer motives, better character development, intruiguing pasts and more chemistry with each other than the main characters could even dream of replecating. (This goes for all side characters as the main ones were the only ones I genuinely didn't care about).

Tale of the Nine Tailed isn't beyond redemption but there are several things that could have made it the masterpiece I hoped for after the first episode was over. The villain was a lot scarier when we didn't know who or what he was. When the only thing we could see were the consequences of his evil-doings. Playing a little switcheroo and having literally any of the side characters be the main one would have also greatly improved this drama. (And by any I mean Rang or Yuri or both).

Watching this isn't a mistake, as the first episodes are genuinely worth the watch. However, once you start feeling bored you might as well drop it immediatly. Trust me, it isn't going to get any better.

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This drama is about a nine-tailed fox and human girl love. In this drama, the nine-tailed fox has been waiting for his love for 600 years who he killed with his own hand earlier. So, why did he kill his love? if you wanna know then I recommend you to watch this drama.

This is the first drama that presented side characters so beautifully, they didn't look or felt less. I love their brotherhood, it is so amazingly shown. I wished for some time if I had a bro like Rang for some time. Besides,Shin Joo's greatfulness amazed me most of the time.

I love Korean fictional dramas, they are funny, and are eye-catching. But, I feel like something is missing. How can so powerful fox be so helpless? And why, whenever any problem arises, there is no way to solve it? Like they are just dragging. I felt bore at the end but Last Episode was amazing I Thought that nine Tailed fox became human but he also have his powers.

Finally, to anyone who is going to watch this, make sure to read or at least know some of the folklore. The story is really really enjoyable and interesting with knowing why and how the event in the story happens.

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Lee Rang is the show stealer.

●This drama gives a vibe of goblin with how one travel towards afterlife. With mythical creatures living alongside humans its gives a perfect entertainment of romantic fantasy. I really liked the names of each episode and all the tiny tales within it representing it.
●Story- amazing story, firstly I thought it was about two brothers but then it changed to something more intriguing with evil from the past showing to present. The strong plot-line and script is excellent, it didn’t have kdrama cliche which is refreshing.
●Acting- everyone was doing great. Lee-dong-wook as lee yeon was absolutely eye candy.
Jo-bo-ah as ji ah was pretty as well as excellent with all the expressions.
Kim bum as lee rang is my favourite of all. Not to mention he is just wow and I desperately cried over him. Portraying negativity with a charm, i can't hate him i just loved him over and over with each episode.
Lee-tae-ri as terry, ouch he acted so well. I couldn’t hate him he is so cute. He needs more work with anger vibe overall was good.
The kid was so cute and i wish him to be as cute as he is when he grows up, he really lights up the drama.
●Music- it was ok but the one that stayed is “Nell- blue moon”
And “Monsta x- I’ll be therre”
●Rewatch- fanatsy stories are my favourite and with this excellent cast ofcourse yes.

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why even bother making a second season

Jia is the problem, period. The most selfish character. She caused the entire problem. Rang should of never died. At first her and Yeon's romance was sweet even though he watched her grow up, in essence falling in love with a child. Pervvy but I overlooked that part. Eventually I actually wanted Jia to just DIE! Rang was the best and truly most humble of them all. His family is what was worth saving, not Jia and her parents. The side plots with Granny and her husband was nice as well the cook and her mate from The Snail Bride. Imoogi was in Jia because she wanted to save her dad in the beginning. It was her choice and she should of felt the consequences, not poor rang which she was pleased when his life was worth taking to bring Yeon back. Yeon and Kia totally disgusted me by the end of the show. Plot is stale and over now. No point in even making a season 2 or 3.

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