Mi Compañero De Cuarto Es Un Gumiho (2021)

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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Second leads in this ruled!

Fun romance/drama/comedy with a few unexpected creepy suspense moments.

The secondary leads Jae-jin and Hye-sun killed it, completely stealing the show from the leads in this.

Unfortunately for the ML, I wish the FL had chosen the other guy. Lol. That's never a good sign. I don't know he was more down to Earth and cool. The ML was too controlling. But it still works I would say. I liked the Mountain Spirit's role in the story, and the FL was really, really good.

This show excels at nothing but does a lot of little things right that do add up. The story progresses well.

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If you're in it for the romance, go for it. If not, keep moving.

The show itself was fine. The acting, directing, and music were all great, there were a good amount of funny scenes that didn't detract from the plot, and the storyline was fine. However, the romance aspect of the plot takes up the majority of the run time and if that's not your thing than it can get quite boring after a while.

I wanted to watch it for the supernatural aspect and, while I don't mind romance, I ended up skippikg through most of the show and almost dropped it because it really hit a slump in the action/supernatural department. I wanted to finish it in case it got more exciting, however, th ending was much more lackluster than I had hoped.

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Bit too long

Interesting drama but a bit too long. I don't follow much of the k world, so maybe I don't know why the 16 episodes formula. With some exceptions, most of the dramas could have fewer episodes...


STORY - A simple story with great FL acting.
I liked the chemistry of the main couple, the acting of the secondary characters, their relationships. The struggle to become human is the main reason.

ACTING - FL was awesome,ML was good. Great chemistry and well performances by almost the entire cast.

I think that a 1000 years Gumiho should be more clever. There was a story and then almost nothing happens.

OST - can't remember very well so...

REWATCH? - there are a lot of cute or funny moments so, it is rewatchable for sure.

I don't understand why the love triangles. Is there a thing on Korea about that? Is it the dream of everyone to be involved in one?
I think, personally, the females actresses are gorgeous. But I don't understand the way they portrait beauty, as if someone looks could be the most important thing...

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Une jolie surprise !

En voilà une jolie surprise. Après « Doom at your service », que j’ai aimé mais qui m’a un peu déçue, je me suis lancée dans « My roommate is a gumiho ».

Et là, clairement j’ai été embarquée, et ce, dès le premier épisode. J’ai aimé l’histoire, avec quelques inattendus, et ce côté légende que j’aime toujours. Il y a en plus pas mal d’humour, j’avoue avoir bien souri, en plus d’avoir été touchée par moment ou même triste.

J’ai trouvé que Jang Ki Yong menait bien son rôle de renard, qui malgré ses 999 années de vie, n’a finalement toujours pas compris les humains, il en reste très maladroit, et il est du coup parfois très touchant. Peut être aurais-je quand même demandé un peu plus de relief à son personnage.

Lee Hye Ri, que je ne connaissais pas, a bien su personnaliser son personnage, et le porter de façon simple et efficace.

Leur romance est jolie et fraiche, on aimerait pouvoir aimer ainsi d’une simple évidence, malgré tous les obstacles qu’ils peuvent rencontrer.

J’ai bien aimé le couple secondaire également, et adoré Kang Han Na et son rôle : un de mes personnages favoris de ce drama.

Sincèrement, je ne m’attendais pas à ce que ce drama me plaise autant, mais se fut le cas. Mon cœur a même palpité par moment.

Alors pour tous ceux qui recherche une jolie romance, dans le fantastique, avec de l’humour, ce drama est pour vous !

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2nd Male Lead syndrome :)

First half was super hilarious - slapstick, corny, lol kinda funny. 2nd half the humour became tiresome and repeated.

Can I just say-I LOVE Jang Ki Yong, but this is the first time I was rooting for the other guy Seon-Woo to get the girl!! His character development was more interesting. At the start he was sneaky and a jerk, but after getting to know and falling in love with Lee Dam he changed, and stood up for her. He even confessed 3x times, but was bitterly rejected. I truly felt his pain and cried during those scenes :(:(:(

The love story between main leads was kind of dull. It was cute and funny before they started dating, after that it got boring and lacked chemistry. Mr Gumiho was rather clueless for a fox who has lived 999 years. And his best friend Hye Sun was equally as dull, all she did was give advice. I think the scriptwriters could have done more with their characters- some action and more magic would have been nice.

The Marble story was rather confusing. It seemed repetitive, going around in circles, like they had to drag the story for 16 episodes. I did like the supporting casts- some ppl preferred the love story of Hye Sun / Jae Jin more than the leads. Towards the end, I started skipping quite a bit. I found the last episode dull, and his comeback a bit of an anti-climax.

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great modern day fantasy romcom!

This is pretty much a chill romcom with gumiho's in present time. The storyline was pretty good and I really enjoyed the chemistry of the whole cast.

I love Jang Kiyong and he always shows great acting aside from his good looks. I'm not a big fan of Lee Hyeri's acting but she did pretty good in this series; mainly because it was a comedy filled series. I also loved Kang Hanna, she's literally so hilarious! Her character's relationship with Jaejin was just so cute too!

I watched this back in 2021 so I can't fully remember the details but overall, I enjoyed the series!

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Unwhelming

If I had to describe this drama in one word, it would be underwhelming. The premise is great and the first couple episodes are also great, it was moving fast, and then nothing happens for 13 more episodes. I'm not kidding. You could watch the first episodes and the last one and nothing in the story would change. Sure there are some comedic bits and some very minor misunderstandings but there is no actual conflict that needs to be resolved until the very last episode. And the minor issues that do occur, the female lead doesn't even know about them because the male lead is constantly treating her like a child and not telling her anything.
The female lead is great. She has a lot of charisma, is independent, and goes for what she wants. The male lead and the second male lead are 2 of the most boring characters I've ever seen. It got to a point where I was thinking, no matter which one she ends up with I don't care either way. None of them deserve this queen. Also, the fact that he is 1000 years old usually isn't an issue for me. I'm weird and I like that kind of theme but ugh they kept pressing the fact that he was old, and constantly comparing him to an old man it was so CREEPY. And it really doesn't help that he was constantly lying and withholding information from the female lead. It really gave me weird abusive vibes similar to real relationships when the man is too old and takes advantage of a young woman.

I'm guess more than anything, I'm just disappointed. I feel like with this kind of theme they had free rein to do whatever they want and instead they gave us the bare minimum.

I would not recommend unless you are very new to dramas.

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