A Terrifying Cohabitation (2021)

A show with clear strengths and weaknesses both taking turns overtaking eachother per episode.

My Roommate is a Gumiho is quite the predictable show. You can figure out the ending after a couple episodes and even the lessons it's trying to teach you are quite... shallow may not be the right word but it's so simple. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing it does mean that what will define the quality of the show is in it's execution above all else. Which was lacking, at times.

The first episode was great. Awesome setup for the rest of the story.

Then the second and to a lesser extent third episode came and the writers decided to add in terrible comedy. Like, I get that comedy/humour is subjective but this is that typical ''We're playing funny music and even though nothing funny has happened yet we want you to know it's funny and it's going to be funny''. More drama's do this. It's a cheap trick to lure you into a false sense of comedy, like setting the mood similar to the ''now sad music plays and we want you to know what's going on is sad'. It's like dividing parts of the episode into sections that scream some forced inclusion of comedy rather than letting the viewers themselves decide whether something is funny or sad. Except that seriously just went on for half the episodes if not longer. The female lead making over the top faces or eating disgustingly on purpose. I'm sorry it just doesn't work whatsoever. Luckily the show tones down on this a lot after the first couple of episodes because holy hell I was on the verge of quitting the show right there.

With that out of the way the rest of the show was a mixed bag but it did have more positive moments than negative moments as the show went on.
BY FAR the biggest strength of this show is in the two leads. But for me that's also where part of the weakness was.
Allow me to elaborate on the strengths.

The lead's relationship progressed quite nicely. Yeah some predictable breakup/misunderstandings we've all seen a hundred times before happened but I think what truly made it greater than the show itself is the way the female lead was written.
Most of the reviews mention the realism of the female lead and I would have to agree.
Have you ever watched a relationship in a kdrama and got really annoyed that the characters weren't talking?
Yeah, that doesn't really happen in this one. Conflicts are resolved incredibly quickly in a natural way; ''hey, this is going on and I want to know why/what's going on''.
Very refreshing. This is by far the greatest strength of the show. The female lead was in character untill the very end and because of this the show was a lot more enjoyable to watch.

I didn't however really feel the chemistry between the two leads, I felt it a lot more with the second leads.
Chemistry, however, is subjective. I think many people will be able to feel it and therefore enjoy their relationship a lot more. While I think the feeling of love was acted well by both leads I didn't feel a spark. It felt like they were desperately trying to create that chemistry and the acting certainly wasn't at fault it just... I just didn't feel it, you know? Ultimately just a subjective observation that will be different for other people.

Regarding the story it was quite bare bones. Though it didn't have to be very detailed to begin with. The whole gumiho plot wasn't really explored at all. It just existed because that's what the show was about. Perhaps It's just my lack of knowledge of gumiho's and for koreans it will all make sense but I would've liked a bit more exposition and world building.

Lastly, there's an age gap. The male lead is about a thousand years old but his character is in his thirties while the female lead is early to mid twenties? Do with that information as you will. Age gaps quite literally never bother me if it's between two consenting adults because I've got better things to do than spend my time judging why people should or shouldn't love based on some arbitrary reasoning. The reason I bring it up is simply because many people do care. So be warned/informed.

Some smaller things about the show;

Soundtrack was non existant. Nothing memorable to the point where I can't even remember a single melody despite finishing the show only 10 minutes ago.

Production quality was up to standards. Mind you I've got 0 experience about directing or cinematography but if nothing stands out as poor to me then I will consider it a job well done.

TLDR: Average show. Strengths are in it's characters and relationships while it's flaws lie in the very mixed comedy, non existant world building and barebones predictable plot .

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This movie reminded me of a forgotten story of my life. No, there was no bead, no romantic happy ending, but there were a lot of strange events and coincidences. At that time I lived in the city of Gomel in Belarus, and since I was 18 I lived alone – my parents gave me a small two-room apartment and sent me to self-sufficiency. After school, I graduated from accounting courses, but since it was not possible to get a job without work experience, I worked in a store as a salesman. After working for about 8 months, I realized that I definitely needed to get a higher education and move to another level of my life, gathering all my courage and knowledge, I passed the exams and entered the Polytechnic University. I am an active and open person, it was easy and fun for me to study, I really had to quit my job and devote myself to studying. But since no one canceled my self-sufficiency, from the first year I worked part-time by writing essays, reports, term papers for classmates and other students, typing translations of texts in general, I spun as best I could. I even liked it. When there was no money at all, I came to my parents to eat and then went to my place.
Once in one of these periods, we can say not very successful in financial terms (there were no current orders) I was returning home by trolleybus. Tired after a school day and parents' moralizing (I had to stop by to eat with them) I was riding in a half-empty trolleybus, suddenly it braked sharply, my hand fell off the handrail and I flew forward by inertia. I was almost falling when a young man caught me and helped me up. I was very surprised because I did not remember that someone was standing next to me. He asked if I could be escorted home, I refused (I have never been deprived of male attention, height 171 cm, weight 52 kg, long legs, oriental cut of playful eyes, not a big snub nose, rather plump lips and long hair). But at that time I was not interested in men at all, I played sports, hung out at discos, well, most of my life was occupied by studying.
The next day I ran into him again in the trolleybus, I was going to the university for classes, he gave me a seat (it's quite difficult to stand on 10 cm stilettos when the trolleybus constantly slows down sharply). A few days later I met him again, he spoke first, said it was probably fate that we constantly encounter him, and offered to take a walk in the park.
The park in our city is very beautiful, I like to walk around it and I agreed.
We were walking, he was always telling us something, some stories, and life events. I was very surprised how such a young-looking man of about 30 no more, can know and experience so much. How does he know so many subtleties and historical facts, it was not convenient to ask him about it and I just decided that he was probably a historian.
The manner of his conversation, vocabulary and use of words that had long been out of use were very surprising and did not correlate with his appearance in any way. During the walk, he asked me for permission to take my hand and we walked hand in hand for a while. He wouldn't stop telling his stories, and I'm a grateful listener.
After our walk together, I returned home completely exhausted, usually I walk around the park as if I am energized, there are very picturesque and atmospheric places there, but that time I barely made it home. I didn't let him take me home, he put me on a trolleybus and I left.
A few days later he called me on my mobile phone, I was very surprised, because in those years mobile communication was just beginning to appear and it was not so easy to find out a personal mobile phone number. He called and said that he was waiting for me downstairs and that I would go down (my apartment is on the 4th floor of a 5-storey building without an elevator) I went out and we walked and chatted for about 2 hours again. This happened several times, our walks became regular and it did not please me at all, because every time after them I came squeezed out like a lemon, as if all the energy had been sucked out. Usually, I always had enough energy to hang out at the disco all night on Sunday, and go to classes at the university in the morning. Such a relationship was beginning to tire me, I didn't feel any special sympathy for him, although judging by the looks of the other girls in the park, he was very attractive (about 180 tall, maybe a little taller, slender but muscular, toned physique, blond blond, pleasant appearance). And I started ignoring his calls. A couple of weeks later I saw him at the University! He introduced himself as a substitute safety teacher and lectured with us. To say that I was scared then is to say nothing!!! He sought my attention after classes, we walked in the garden of the university and talked. After he started lecturing with us, he started calling me every day at 7 a.m. and waking me up at the university)))) He kept asking me if I was getting tired, how I was feeling, and so on. I really wanted to break off this relationship, but I was constantly scared that I would have to take a test to him, and if I broke off this relationship before the session, then I would not pass the session, and it was still almost a month and a half before it.
And a couple of weeks before the start of the session, I then fell ill (although I usually do not get sick during this period, and in general I endured all acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory infections on my feet, 2-3 days of a runny nose and everything went away), and then I was so bad that I thought I would not survive, there was no strength, the temperature was under 40, I just lay in bed for almost a day, I didn't even have the strength to get up to drink water. He called in the evening and asked why I was not in class, I said that I was very ill, I had no strength and a very high temperature, he asked if I had medications, and where did I get them from if I had never had such a condition before and I did not have the strength to walk to the pharmacy. We ended the conversation and I fell asleep. I woke up in the morning, I no longer had a fever, I felt much more cheerful, and next to my bed I had antipyretic and effervescent vitamins. How and who brought them to me, I did not remember and still do not remember. But after that day, this young man didn't bother me. He also left the university, when I came to class, they told me that our main teacher would take the test. I never met him again, although sometimes it seemed to me that someone was watching me. Here's a real-life story.

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Sweet, cute, & funny

This is a light fluffy romcom with very little angst or melodrama. If you’re looking for something simple and easy to watch that doesn’t make you think too much and has a cute romance, then you’ll love this drama. But if you’re looking for something with an intriguing storyline or a spicy sexy romance with lots of skinship, then this is not the drama for you.

All of the actors in this drama did a great job. They made me laugh, they made me angry, and they made me cry. The acting was way above average. I give top marks to their acting.

The romance is a bit of a slow burn in the beginning but once they get together they are very cute. This isn’t a spicy romance with lots of skinship. It’s more of a sweet cute type of romance. There are several steamy kiss scenes and a very brief bedroom scene towards the end, but for the most part, there isn’t a lot of physical touching between the main leads. As a Gumiho he craves a humans energy and fears he will harm her if he touches her too much so for a good part of the drama they refrain from touching each other. They are very sweet together and have great chemistry. But I was left wishing they had more romantic moments between them. I took a half star off because the romance left me wishing there were was a little more to it.

The storyline was what I had the biggest issue with. The first few episodes were interesting but after that I found it getting a little slow. It took forever for the main leads to get together and there wasn’t much to the storyline other than their romance. So I took a star off for the slow start that almost made me drop it (I’m glad I didn’t.)

The storyline is a bit simple and mainly revolves around the male lead wanting to become a human and his romance with the female lead. A deity called “the mountain spirit” or the “old man” shows up a few times, and there’s an evil spirit that briefly creates chaos, but they only seem to appear when they’re needed to move the story along. The evil spirit just gives up and disappears without an explanation. And the deity is given no backstory as to who he is or why he does the things he does. So I took another star off for the lack of depth in the storyline and it’s side characters.

Even though there were several things I didn’t like, there’s still a lot of things I did like about this drama. The comedy is really good. There aren’t any evil antagonists trying to cause problems for the main leads. And there are no mean family members trying to break up the main leads either. There’s no love triangles or second leads causing misunderstandings. And I also like that’s it’s not full of angst and melodrama. And I loved the fact that they didn’t have any breakups, time jumps, or lengthy separations.

Overall I’d say this is a decent drama that’s worth watching. It isn’t a masterpiece but it’s cute, sweet, and funny. I wish the storyline and side characters had more depth. And it does start off a bit slow. But the main leads are cute together and it’s got some great comedy. It’s definitely worth watching.

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Underwhelming

It had some cute moments, however I felt that the whole series was carried on the shoulders of the FL. Although I didn't find her very attractive but she was so refreshingly honest, full of energy and true to herself that I was forced to like her.

The ML is just another beautiful face who had two expressions, one without smile and one with smile. And a lot of camera focus was given to the moment he would slowly smile as if he was blessing the world with a boon. It was good he could finally smile freely in the last two episodes. He could not emote the conflict well so I was not moved to tears either. Nothing charismatic in his get up to suggest he was a gumiho except for the tails appearing here and there.

The second ML was much more charismatic with wider range of acting. Too bad the poor guy was made to suffer so much.

The second couple was initially a welcome sight after the series "Start up". However I felt they did not suit each other at all and had no chemistry. The guy was for sure sweet but there is a limit to how much you could cry at the drop of a hat. The second girl has so much personality and she deserves an awesome drama with a strong ML. I hope to see her in such a project soon.

Overall a very underwhelming experience.

Kisses were ok.

I really like the fact that the FL, Hyeri is open about dating in real life and is very well supported by her boyfriend. She appears to be a lovely caring person in behind the scenes clips.

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Light and fluffy

8.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean Comedic Romantic Fantasy drama with 16, 70 minute episodes. An alternate title is “Frightening Cohabitation”.

Shin Woo-yeo (Jang Ki-yong) has lived for nearly 1000 years and his ultimate hope is to become human. He believes that he must draw energy from humans to turn his Fox head from red to blue. Lee Dam (Lee Hye-ri) accidentally swallows the a fox bead which is normally a death sentence. To guard the bead while coming up with a way to remove it, Woo-yeo asks Lee Dam to move in with him. Lee Dam is not your typical girl having relatively little interest in romantic pursuits. Lee Dam’s indifference actually attracts notorious ladies man Gye Sun-woo (Bae In-Hyuk) who originally pursues Lee Dam as a bet with his friends that he cannot get her to date him. His feelings for this unique girl quickly changes to genuine romantic interest. Things are complicated when dealing with humans especially for a Fox that has limited his interactions so he relies heavily on the advice of a Fox turned human, Yang Hye-sun (Kang Han-na). Ha-ha us nit scholar level in book knowledge but she is an expert in interpersonal relationships.She is Goddess level beautiful and portrays a cold haughtiness that hides a honest and genuine heart. Do Jae-Jin (Kim Do-wan) is one of Lee Dam’s best friends and he has been burned in many relationships. Hye-sun surprises herself by becoming attracted to the sweet and thoughtful Jae-Jin.

I liked this show a lot. The romance between the leads was heartwarming and believable, Although, it lacked depth and complexity which could be a good thing if you want light fluff. Ther was no true villain which often adds depth to the story. There was very little comedy despite it being categorized as a comedy frequently. There was a bit of a leap for me how easily the female lead moved from thinking of the Fox as an old soul to being romantically interested in him. I thought perhaps, at one point, she would give sun-woo a chance and that would have added a bit if a bump in the road of the romance. I also thought they could have shown the lead turn into a Gumiho more. It was really a pretty direct march on the road for their romance and there was some missed opportunity for additional depth and character development. iI thought it was very good just not great as the story was a bit too simplistic.

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I chose this drama because of the comedy
genre but to be honest it disappointed me a
bit on that front. The comedy scenes were
good but they kind of died off after the first
few episodes. The drama also had a mystery
in it (which I liked) but after the first half, it
was almost pure romance genre mixed with
only a few comedy scenes.

I loved both the main leads! Woo Yeo was so
cute when he got all flustered and his shy
smiles and blushing were adorable! I liked
Dam's personality, especially how she wasn't
afraid to say what she thinks, and how she
didn't care of rumors or what other people
think of her. Jae Jin and Hye Sun were to die
for, I loved them both as separate characters
and a couple they were so swoon-worthy! 🥺

The only thing bugging me was the ending.
The whole last episode was rushed a lot,
Woo Yeo disappearing, Hye Sun having her
blue bead (that felt like a deus ex machina
given the fact that we have never seen nor
heard about it before), Jae Jin getting the
army letter... What I hated the most was
making two new couples in the last fifteen
minutes – Soo Kyeong & Seok, and Dan &
Seo Woo (Seon Woo's sister), that felt so
much rushed! Yes, they had some chemistry
together and some scenes in the episodes
beforehand but still! It could at least have
been established in the previous episodes
instead of the last one with no room to grow
properly and leaving almost zero impact.

My final rating for this k-drama is 8/10.

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One of the best dramas of 2021, and one of my favorites! Watched it for the 2nd time and I still can't get over Kiyong and Hyeri. They got strong chemistry together, and were both physically, emotionally and verbally perfect to portray the original characters from the webtoon itself. Kang Hanna's role here as Hyesun was savage and funny at the same time because of her dumbness. I also loved her chemistry with Kim Dowan. I'm glad Bae In Hyuk is getting more recognition from this drama. He is truly effective as a second male lead. The SMLS (Second Male Lead Syndrome) Sunwoo gave us left an impact even to this day. Hope he gets a happy ending in S2 (if possible since the webtoon already has). Kudos to the production team and writers for making this drama a hit, as obvious in the storyline, cinematography, setting, CGI effects, costume, musical score, and especially the OST. You will learn a lot from this drama since it not only focuses on romance only, but also on fantasy, supernatural, family, friendship, food, history and culture. I highly recommend this to those who have watched dramas with similar genres (webtoon-based, rom-com, or fantasy such as Goblin, The Tale of the Nine Tailed etc.). All free episodes are now available and streaming on Netflix. Enjoy watching! :)

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Upon watching it again, I loved it even more!

I found this story very interesting, a fantasy with serious parts that wasn't too melodramatic. I found myself smiling a lot throughout, because most of the characters were well-written and extremely likeable.
STORY: It’s been done before, but this one was easy to watch without too much angst. I especially loved the development of the friendships and the relationships, Jang Ki Yong and Hyeri had wonderful chemistry, as did Kan Han Na and Kim Do Wan. I scored down because of the constant use of drunkenness (their livers would have been pickled already!)
ACTING: Jang Ki Yong as Shin Woo Yeo was very good, going from being almost an automaton to developing a deep and abiding love. Though he, at times, had some borderline control tendencies, it was kind of understandable because he didn't know how to be human. He was very effective in playing someone so old and jaded, you could feel his loneliness and his feeling that continuing to live was just pointless. Hyeri is just gorgeous and her hairstyle really suited her. Her character was kind of the girl next door, someone that you are just automatically drawn to and want to be friends with. Her bubbly personality and lovely smile were the perfect foil for his aloofness. At the beginning, I thought that I was going to absolutely hate Kim Do Wan as Do Jae Jin - he was just such a pitiful, immature, sad sack. However, when paired with the excellent Kang Han Na as Yang Hye Sun, the second lead couple was very funny, and the actors brought naivete and innocence without stupidity, which I appreciated. They were such polar opposites, and watching them grow and mature together was great to watch. I have to say that Bae In Hyuk as Gyu Sun Woo grew a lot throughout this show. He started out as a complete jerk, but I found myself rooting for him as the episodes unfolded. He cared so much for Lee Dam and was able to learn from his mistakes. I had moments of SLS, wondering if there was any way he could win the girl. I could also appreciate the love/hate relationship between Shin Woo Yeo and Yang Hye Sun – their storyline developing into a lasting friendship was seamless and very touching.
SET DESIGN/COSTUMES/CINEMATOGRAPHY: His house was just beautiful and the college had some very interesting room setups. I loved the use of light and dark, the scenes with him were darker, conveying his loneliness. Her scenes were bright with color, and that really suited her personality.
OST: Good, and I especially loved the haunting song by Jeong Sewoon.
RE-WATCH: Totally!! Upon this rewatch, I had forgotten how wonderful the romantic chemistry was between the leads.
OVERALL: It was definitely worth a watch for me (I don’t like stuff too heavy, so this was right up my alley). This moved up from me liking it a lot to loving it!

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Well executed show hobbled by a lack of direction

Crosswalk cliche score - 4 - did manage to squeeze in a bit of a twist, but couldn't stay away from this trope

Little sib score - 6 - Dam's bro was dull but Kim Do-Yeon was fantastic as Sun Woo's little sister. She barely appeared as the show wore on though.

Power coat score - 9 - Woo Yeo may not be the most dynamic character, but the dude had a sweet collection of threads.

Product placement score - 1 - Subway, ewww. They even centered an entire episode around it. Ick ick ick.

Cameo score - 10 - Ko Gyung-Po is nice and Jung So-Min is even better (although a few more speaking lines would have been nice). But Oh Jung Se's appearance is sublime. It's brief but magical.

Overall, I enjoyed the show but it's a sugary snack of a show rather than a memorable, must-rewatch powerhouse. Hyeri nails Lee Dam's impulsive and positive character. Jang Ki-Yong certainly sell the weariness of a near 1,000 year old creature and seems to be having a nice arc to the character in the first half. But unfortunately, the writing lets down and it's back to Boringville for Woo-Yeo. And that's the main problem with the show. It progresses sharply in the first half, but it struggles to set up any lasting tension. Obstacles arise, but none seem particularly threatening and, soon enough, are easily dispatched.

I think that the impression that secondary couples are usually better than the primary is very often incorrect. But IN THIS SHOW? Kang Ha-Na and Kim Do-Wan are heavenly. Every moment they are together on screen is a joy. Very likely the best secondary couple of any show I have seen.

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Good but not perfect.

The first half I totally understood the hype. It was a refreshing story with a very refreshing FL, one who isn't afraid to enjoy eating and doesn't do it in a dainty, feminine way and one who doesn't bother with short skirts, high heels and perfect makeup. In short, she is everything that I've been dying to see in a Kdrama FL.
Watching the two leads get to know, respect and then love each other was a delight and they both felt very rounded to me. But then the last third of the drama came, with its inevitable dragging and unnecessary drama...
And why did they suddenly move the focus from the two main couples to new couples that you didn't really know as a viewer and didn't particularly care about???
The producers realised that it should have had only 14 episodes instead of 16 and they still didn't change it. That for me is drama negligence.
I still loved it overall, but it could have been a masterpiece and in the end it wasn't.

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