I’ve watched hundreds of Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Thai dramas but I’ve never seen one with such diverse reviews. One reviewer tears it apart while another raves about how great it is. So I didn’t really know what to expect when I watched it. But I can honestly say I understand both the love and hate for this drama. You really get pulled in both directions. I’ll try to explain my thoughts on why I think this happened. There’s slight spoilers but no names are given and most situations are alluded to so that you kind of know where it’s going but not who, how , or when. So it doesn’t really spoil too much.

Why some hated it:
Throughout the drama it’s repeated numerous times that one of the main leads will sacrifice themselves to save the other one. So everyone expected an ending like Goblin, Gu Family Book, or A Korean Odyssey. And let’s be honest, this type of drama usually ends with an open or sad ending. So when the drama took an unexpected turn and let the main leads have their happy ending but killed someone else off (that was quite popular), a lot of people were understandably upset. And I honestly felt their pain. Not only was a popular character killed off but the ending for the main leads seemed too good to be true for a lot of those drama lovers that like sad (or open) but realistic endings. That paired along with some inconsistencies in the plot was upsetting for many viewers.

Why Some Loved it:
There is a sacrifice but it’s not who you would expect it to be. But I have to say, having a villainous type of character have a change of heart to the point of sacrificing themselves for someone else shows tremendous character growth and it really touched my heart. I was sad, then happy, then angry, then very touched all in the span of a few minutes. This unexpected twist along with a happy ending for the main leads sent us all on a very emotional journey. Some loved it, some hated it, and some were just very touched and enjoyed the ride (like me). Even though there were some unexplained situations with the plot leaving some confused, the character growth in this drama along with some great acting saved this drama and made it worth watching in my opinion.

Story:
He’s a nine tailed fox and powerful mountain god that has become quite jaded with the world. His first love was a human that sacrificed herself to save him. Since foxes mate for life he’s tormented by her death and pays a high price to have her reincarnated. After 600 years she is reincarnated but does not remember him. Instead, she is obsessed with finding out what happened to her parents on the night they disappeared. But this isn’t just about their love story. It’s much more than that. This is about the battle between evil and good. It’s about how much we are willing to sacrifice to protect innocent people from an evil threat. It’s about breaking the rules to do the right thing. And it’s about how family has each other’s backs. I like that this drama had a little bit of everything. There was horror, comedy, romance, fantasy, mystery, and suspense.

Cinematography:
The fight scenes were well executed. And when the male lead leaps off of a rooftop to save the female lead, it was well done and very realistic. They put a lot into the production of this drama and it shows. From the costumes, to the scenery, to the action scenes, it was all top notch.

Acting:
This is one of those rare dramas where I don’t have a complaint about one of the actors. Usually someone is a little wooden and stiff or someone is a little over the top and over does it, but not this drama. Everyone did a great job, especially the main characters. Lee Dong Wook somehow pulled off being powerful and godlike one moment then a sweet ice cream loving puppy the next moment so well. I loved the complexity of his character. Jo Bo Ah had me rooting for her sassy, courageous, and super clever character too.

Overall thoughts:
The acting is great, the romance is decent, there’s lots of character growth with some really great side characters and it was really touching. But my main complaint is that while it starts out with some really riveting episodes in the beginning, it soon starts to falter. By episode four I found myself getting irritated at being repeatedly teased with snippets of the past but not being given enough information to know what’s going on. Several episodes seemed to consist mostly of hints at hidden identities and past secrets with lots of mysterious new characters being introduced. It got repetitive and confusing. Fortunately, by episode 8 everything comes together and the action picks up considerably. Also, in two different scenes where the female lead is standing in pouring rain, her hair stays perfectly dry. I was disappointed at their lack of attention to detail in some scenes like this. And there were some minor inconsistencies with the plot. But if you can get through those few episodes and you’re okay with the unexpected happily ever after fairytale ending, then you’ll like it. It’s not the best drama I’ve ever seen but it’s not a bad one either. But it touched me and I’m glad I watched it.