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My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox (2010)
My Girlfriend is a Nine-Tailed Fox
내 여자친구는 구미호 / My Girlfriend is a Gumiho
(Aug – Sept 2010)
who’s in it
Lee Seunggi (Shining Inheritance)
Shin MinAh (A Love to Kill)
No MinWoo (Pasta)
Park SooJin (Boys Over Flowers)
what’s it about
If a siren is that of the sea, a gumiho, or nine-tailed fox, is a siren of the mountain, a fabled creature that can manifest as a beautiful woman in order to seduce men. What is her purpose in life? To eat their hearts, or livers…or all parts, depending on which time period you’re looking at during the evolution of the K-myth. But what if it’s all a misunderstanding? A warping of the truth when the tale was passed down through the ages? What if a gumiho is merely a victim of slander and defamation by jealous village women back in the day? Anyhow, Lee Seunggi, a college student who aspires to be a motion picture action star, is about to find out just how much of the gumiho legend is fact…and fiction. When he foolishly releases Shin MinAh from her papyrus prison at a Buddhist temple, he finds his life at the mercy of her whims. With no other choice but to keep her by his side, Lee Seunggi is in a fight to keep his liver...and perhaps, his heart?
Also, No MinWoo is a young mysterious man lurking around…and on a hunt, or so it appears.
director
Boo SungChul
screenwriter(s)
Hong MiRan, Hong JungEun
commitment
16 episodes
network
SBS
first impressions
To begin, let me just say, I had really really been looking forward to this one ever since it was announced. These are my reasons: ONE, I think Lee Seunggi is just all kinds of adorable. TWO, I’ve enjoyed almost all of the dramas written by Hong MiRan and Hong JungEun, writers who have a clever way of wiggling and twirling a seemingly simple story into something completely unexpected and untrodden. They truly have a gift of nurturing a seed of an idea into something truly wonderful. In fact, You’re Beautiful and Couple or Trouble are two of my all time favorites. Last, but not least, THREE, the idea of using a fantastical mythological creature who wants to eat her boyfriend’s liver as the central romantic conflict is…simply too horror film carnivorously strange to ignore! How could you not be curious? With these three solid reasons, I had very little doubt this one would end up being a must-watch for me.
After the first couple of episodes…
ONE, I still think Lee Seunggi is all kinds of ten thousand ways adorable. His hyper-narcissistic-but-good-guy character suited him perfectly, for we all know that a large part of Lee Seunggi’s innate charm is the fact that he comes across as an average nice-guy-who-happens-to-be-hot, and so he complements Shin MinAh’s scary slash innocent charm very well.
TWO, as with previous dramas by Hong and Hong, the intricacies within Nine-Tailed aren’t exactly what I’d expected when I’d first heard the premise, but a corkscrew take on an old convention. The worlds they build are often based in reality but over that basic setting, a transparent film of unique details are placed to create a completely new feel. This one, for example, feels like some weird mock-horror-romantic-fantasy genre—and I love it! Credit to the art director for making this work and not feel too comic-booky. Also, the H & H dramas often spend a great deal of time picking and prodding at the knot between the main characters, which I soooo appreciate in a kdrama. My favorite parts of dramas are always the details within characters so I love the ones that spend more time with the people than plot tricks. Sure, we have some distractions here too, a fancy little set-up about a boy and a supernatural ‘monster’ of sorts, which will be delightful because it is so different, yes, but when we get down to business, this one feels like it’s a winner not only because of all that packaging but because it’s clear the story is really about both characters and their respective journeys to become “human,” and not only in the literal sense.
And THREE, I very much like this particular knot holding Lee Seunggi and Shin MinAh to one another, the “knot” being the main misunderstanding set up between the two leads…I can see the inherent symbolism in it (again, layer upon layer of meaning for every thing set and said), and oddly enough, the use of imminent death as a bargaining chip between the two leads…is kind of sweetly romantic, in a really morbid kind of way! She literally holds his fate in her hands, or more accurately, in her almost-kisses! Well, I guess love is a matter of life and death...for some. Besides, love is inexplicable, and these days, it seems the inexplicable supernatural love is the raging trend. If a bat can find love, why not a fox?
So excited about this one. There have been some great dramas so far this year but I wonder if this is the one that could end up at the top of the class when the year comes to a close...omg! When 2010 ends in only four months from now! Where has the year gone?
(first impressions originally posted August 19, 2010)
wildcard
Shin MinAh is so perfectly cast as this contradiction of fox and innocence that it’s surprising to learn she was not the first choice. Shin SeKyung was originally set to star...and personally speaking, I do not approve of that particular almost-casting. This drama would not have been the same with the younger actress. Shin MinAh brings pure joy to this role. You know a character really belongs to an actress when it is impossible to imagine anyone else playing the part.
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