My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho (2010)

This is another drama that wasn't what I expected, but neither in a good nor a bad way. It was just different than my expectations.
I started watching this show for 2 reasons – the scenario was very interesting and I heard it was very funny. And it was, until it reached episode 12 when it took a very abrupt twist from humour to drama. Of course, given the scenario I was expecting some drama in the end, it would've been unavoidable. But I didn't expect it to be of this intensity. I wasn't prepared to watch something so deep and emotionally loaded, so it caught me a bit off guard. This is probably why I cried a lot uncontrollably starting from episode 12 till the end. You get very few breathers once it hits that point. It's an almost constant depressive mood. So before you decide on watching it, be sure you can handle the drama it comes with as well, don't expect just pure humour.

To write an actual review of this show I have to split it in two – the good and the bad sides. Since it gave me too many mixed up emotions. I have to sort them in a clear way.

Good sides:
- For the first half you're going to roll on the floor laughing. I'd give the humour of this show a 20/10. The supporting roles also really spice up the show. The director and Dae Woong's aunt must be the funniest and silliest couple I've ever seen.
- There is great chemistry between the two leads
- Impressive acting. Lee Seung Gi is incredible and very expressive XD And Shin Min A is perfect for her role.
- You get to see No Min Woo :D lol whoever likes him knows why he just HAD to be mentioned on the good sides of this show (I admit it did count a bit in my decision to watch the show...)
- There's no boring moment. There are enough twists in the plot to keep you interested
- The music blows your mind. I really want to meet the composer of Fox Rain and give them a BIG HUG for composing such a beautiful creation. That really is one of the best songs I have ever heard in my life. It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.

Bad sides:
- excessive drama (this is on the bad side because I personally don't like drama at all. I'd keep it to the minimum all the time. For those who enjoy drama – by all means watch this! You're gonna love it...)
- abrupt change from humour to drama. To me it seemed too sudden. The characters kept a pretty constant behaviour for the first half, but afterwards they changed a lot in a very short time. Something just felt off.
- Throughout the show I kept feeling bad that they didn't develop Dong Ju's character on a deeper level. I think this was my biggest disappointment from the entire drama. I was incredibly thankful they kept him alive, I was really afraid they wouldn't. But besides just remaining alive, I feel they should've given him a happier life.

***SPOILER***

He had to kill his loved one and live with the regret for 1000 years, then when he finally falls in love with another girl he has to let her go, too because not only does she love someone else, but is also willing to give her life for him. After so much sufferance he still didn't meet someone to keep by his side. This really saddened me a bit. Ok, he does get closer to humans from that point on, but I felt it wasn't enough. He suffered too much, he really deserved a better ending.
- This has to do with Dong Ju's character again... throughout the show, somehow a part of me kept wanting to see Mi Ho together with Dong Ju instead of Dae Woong... Even though I didn't want them together in the end, I kept craving for some romantic scenes between them. Maybe it's because of their chemistry (they really look good together) or because No Min Woo is just too handsome to ignore... Either way, if you end up rooting for the wrong couple, you might get disappointed and feel like something's missing when the drama ends (I felt like that a bit). I actually kept feeling like something was missing throughout the entire show.

I am still giving this a 10 because overall it was a well thought-out drama. And it's only my personal view on the dramatic bits. There are lots of people who don't mind it, so I can't deduct points for that just because it affects me. ...And also because at one point in the show I begged the Universe to keep Dong Ju alive and promised I'd give this drama a 10/10 on my review if this happens... Yes, folks, I'm insane when it comes to dramas. I get too attached to them to think clearly. Anyhow, it is definitely worth watching.
Oh, and I'm only giving this a low rewatch rating because I personally couldn't bear to watch it again since it will remind me of the painful heartbreaking moments.

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The story drags on, not until very late into the series does the story start rapidly developing. The story is interesting but it presents an image of the past that isn't explained well enough and leaves you wondering. The actors though strong, have a tough time acting in sorrowful situations. It seems too forced and fake. But the music...My goodness the OST is mind blowing, the music is hypnotic and I like the show mostly because of the music. Character development, however, is quite weak in this drama. One of the characters is supposed to go through major development, but it only shows the effects of the development in the last 2 episode, a real let down. Also, one of the characters is a demon(obviously) and being a creature that's been around for a couple of centuries, you'd expect it to be dignified and mature, that was however not the case, and it bothered me. None the less, it was a nice show to watch.

Overall 8/10

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I really enjoyed watching this show and now, it's one of my favorite dramas. It was very cute and funny. I got addicted to it around the 2nd episode, I think. It also contained the right amount of drama. There are dramas that become too dragging towards the end but this one's definitely not one of them. I loved the acting so much and the soundtrack was also really good. I'd say it's inspiring and really worth watching. The best thing I liked about it though was that everything ended well. Unlike many dramas I've watched before, I didn't feel like there should have been more when the series ended, or that there was something lacking that I'm dying to see. After finishing it, I felt happy and satisfied.

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The Hong sisters well done for creating another awesome drama!

Mi Ho played by beautiful Shin Min A was just SO FRIGGIN CUTE and so innocent. I love how she was simple minded in terms of "I really really like him" and she never gave up on him and he slowly falls for her!

And man, Dong Joo aka NO MIN WOO. I am IN LOVE with him! He was just OMG he was like a bad ass who was in pain for a thousand years because he killed the love of his life. I just wanted to jump into the drama to hug him and never let him go. Did I tell you how GORGEOUS he is. ALL his airing time made me drool.

The ending of the drama was a tad disappointing, I mean that was so FAKE. Have they just decided to go cheap because it was the end of the drama?



If your into some Rom-com with a bit of fantasy mixed into it. Well here's your drama!

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At first, I doubt to watch this. I don't know why, i just don't feel like it. But when one day I decided to see it, I even barely stop. It's fun filled, romantic story!
The actors were great. They portrayed their characters well. I like Shin Min A's acting specially when she acts so innocent and happy while eating meat. Haha! So cute. Lee Seung Ki as well did a great job in the acting. I don't like him that much at first when I saw him in Shining Inheritance, but here, he's really great. The side story about his aunt and the director also gave a huge impact on the show (for me at least). Over all, the actors are really awesome! And the cameo roles, nice one!
The story has a nice plot. I guess for me it's unique since i've never seen a show with this kind of story. I even cried while watching this.
The music well matched the mood of every scene. It would really take you away.
Everything in this show is great so I gave it a 9. =)

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I really loved this drama. Here are all the reasons I loved it:

- The focus is on the couple the whole time, they are the focus
- Our female lead is a gorgeous ray of sunshine
- The male lead who slowly falls for her
- My favourite trope: fake dating™
- The couple is actually cute and dating (somewhat) throughout the whole series, instead of having to wait until the end. They canonically call each other boyfriend and girlfriend

It is so interesting to see the roles switched ahh. Lee Seung Gi who plays Dae Woong is the same actor who plays Song O-Gong in A Korean Odyssey so it’s really trippy, he seems to like dramas that involve the supernatural lol
So now he’s gone from being a monkey sage himself and being different, to now being a regular guy and his girlfriend is the different one. They also started with the supernatural character saying they could eat their love interest. And they were committed to a ‘contract’ of sorts (the geumganggo deal so that Song O’Gong must protect her, and the bead that needs to stay with Dae Woong for 100 days until Mi-Ho becomes human) and are fated by death.

I also loved all the funny moments in between, it was great. All the ‘fantasy’ scenes were classics, especially that fake wedding one and the life plan (step 1 - mate, step 2 - marry, step 3 - have a kid every year, CLEAR) lmaooo

And how whenever guys would try to hit on Mi-Ho, he would just show off his ring so obvious, it was so funny and I loved it.

Just all the points for cuteness tbh

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STORY 8.5/10 - My Girlfriend is a Gumiho is a feel-good modern fairy tale drama with a lot of twist. It is funny, romantic, heartwarming, light and VERY entertaining. This is what a romantic-comedy series should be. It is the type of drama that you would want to watch at the end of a bad day.
Despite the simplicity of its story, there were quite a few minor holes that my particular eyes did not miss. Like those times that Mi-ho would not hear, smell or feel Dae-Woong when she was still a Gumiho.

ACTING/ CAST 8/10 - The onscreen chemistry between Lee Seung Gi and Shin Min Ah is as strong as SUPER GLUE. Like they are really drawn to each other and nobody can pull them apart. They have shown beautiful romantic performances which brought me the feels. However, there's something lacking during the melodrama part. I could not feel it. I could not feel the pain, the anger, the anguish and the anxiety. I remember the scene where Mi-Ho was losing one of her tails. It should be really painful as she was having one of her 'deaths'. But, I felt nothing. I was sitting there watching her and silently telling her "Oh, it would pass". No pity for her or whatsoever. Lee Seung Gi was a great actor and when he lost Mi-Ho, he was crying. He was supposed to make the viewers feel his suffering, his anguished misery and show his state of utter emptiness and destruction.
And there I was, staring at the screen feeling nothing. NO! There's nothing wrong with me. I was not just moved by their dramatic performances.
Another one is the overacting of Min Sook and Director Ban. They could still be funny without overdoing the acting. There were times that I find it annoying.
I would like to commend the acting of No Min Woo. He was calm and collected, elegant and very proper until end. He did not show a single emotion and maintained a poker face all throughout, which really suited his character. For some reason, he reminds me of Vincent, a character from the anime Ghost Fighter.

MUSIC 10/10 - I love the music. It really sets the viewer's mood well. While washing the dishes I found myself humming the OST. It was also nice that each character has their own distinct music. Like the scene where No Min Woo appears, they only play one single song. While Min Sook and Director Ban have their own oldies songs. It was nice because the song in each scene becomes their identity.

REWATCH VALUE 5/10 - The simplicity of its story makes it quite difficult to watch. There's nothing to go back to, no minor details that I think I have missed. Maybe I would watch it again when it's raining outside and I feel cuddly and there's nothing else to watch. Maybe, I would grab a mug of hot chocolate, sit on a soft fluffy cushion, cuddle the love of my life and watch this again. Just MAYBE.

OVERALL 8.5/10 - This is definitely a good drama that I would recommend to those who just started watching Kdramas. Go watch it now!

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I never thought id write a review about this drama which I attempted watching 7yrs ago but could not even convince myself to finish the first episode. Im guessing the reason was 1. The plot seems like childish 2. Was not attracted with the male lead. But why did I give it a 10? I only learned about Lee Seung Gi after watching A Korean Odyssey - I got attracted with his soothing aura that I now find him handsome (that I think im liking him better than PBG) so right after watching AKO I knew I had to watch MGIAG, I ended up liking it even better than AKO. Yes- the plot is not technically impressive not as accurate as fantasy novels like harry potter- but every movie has its own charm and flavor. And I have to say that Gumiho made my taste buds nomo nomo nomo nomo happy. How come? 1. I must say, impact of movies depend on which time of your life you watch them - by this time I really enjoy the characters innocence - vibe- positivity - that I wont notice any flaws. 2. For some reasons hearing Woonga’s voice seeing how positive his eyes are - reminds me of my youth when I was fearless and careless- It is refreshing to watch. 3. The chemistry of the main leads- none is over powering the other - they blended well. 4. The ending *spoiler*
I like that it’s a happy ending. In this time of my life where I take a lot of pressure being an adult - it’s inspiring to see even from a movie how everything pays off well in the end regardless of all uncertainties- mistakes- waiting. Woonga’s eyes deserved to see what he did not gave up on believing to see - :)

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Okay this show was just so cute, and mostly funny like a Rom Com should be. I like Lee Seung Gi in this role and I think he does well even with the emotional parts which I wasn't sure he would be able to handle. I loved Shin Min Ah in this as the Gumiho, her ability to pull off child like and naive behavior was great.

I hated Hyo Min's character with a passion. Her character had a very unflattering (much worse than troll) nick-name from me about half way through. I am not so certain that her character had any real value to the story though, and I kinda felt (several of times) that her character could meet an untimely end and it wouldn't effect the story too much.

On a similar note No Min Woo was a little bit of a disappointment in this. I love him in "Full House Take 2" and I felt his character was so flat in this drama (that said he was gorgeous in every scene and I can see why he was cast in such a magical and unworldly role- ???)

I liked that I was in suspense up till the end but the end was also a little abrupt .... "My girlfriend is a fox...." I also hated that the "goddess" shows up in the end but doesn't really do anything.

Overall the show was fun and entertaining. I enjoyed it, but there were just some plot/story holes that I would have liked fixed.

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A long 16 episodes for so little payoff

I wanted to like this, Shin Min Ah is very entertaining. ML is kind of vanilla and frequently kinda dumb. Dr. Emo character is an absolute farce. It's a pointless character played terribly...like look at my awesome emo hair while I read this cue card with the expressiveness of a cardboard cereal box. It's a lot of dead weight for the FL to carry...maybe the comedic relief of the B couple can help.

Nope, the B couple is a total loss...no chemistry and no comedy make for a bad backup couple. In short, there's way to much baggage for Shin Min Ah to rise above mediocrity.

BTW, FL lead character is a gumiho...a mythical creature with supernatural powers. Interesting yes, turns out no...the character plays out as pretty much a naive little mermaid character (a story that is name checked in the show).

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