Mi Compañero De Cuarto Es Un Gumiho (2021)

Mostly fresh and fun—but the main OTP bored me

I understand why people like this. It is easy to recommend for those who like forced cohabitation/school romcoms with bits of fantasy.

I enjoyed nearly all of the various relationships and interactions in this series (the friends, the two sets of siblings, the secondary and tertiary OTPs). I liked the production as a whole (the colors are nice, the animations are funny) and didn't mind the paper-thin fantasy. Our leads Jang Ki Yong (as Shin Woo Yeon) and Lee Hyeri (as Lee Dam) also make one good-looking pair.

However, as the show progressed, the main OTP (and their issues) bored me. So much so that somewhere from the middle of the drama until the end I was fast-forwarding most of their angsty/contemplative/sugary moments and just wanted to see everyone else instead.

I'm sure a lot of people loved their swoony moments the way the writer intended them to be. But it just didn't work for me. Woo Yeon was written way too calm, passive, and dull for my tastes. He ruminated by his window too much and he kept Dam in the dark a lot of times. I only looked forward to his moments with our ditzy ex-gumiho Hye Sun (played by Kang Han Na) because he comes alive every time with their petty arguments.

As for Lee Hyeri herself, I liked her in the little bit I've seen her in the reality shows before (We Got Married bits and House on Wheels premiere). Her brand of comedy here is rarely seen in dramaland nowadays. She reminds me a bit of the (slightly) embarrassing FLs in older kdramas like Lee Da Hae in My Girl and Kim Sun Ah. I liked her here but I hope she chooses more diverse projects after this so she won't be typecast.

Anyway, all the supporting characters and their story arcs were fun and interesting so I'll probably rewatch this for them. I'll just be fast-forwarding through the scenes of the OTP.

Leer más

Cute and fluffy, with a side of Gumiho

I am pleasantly surprised at how thoroughly I enjoy this drama. This was a perfect cute, fluffy, and light-hearted drama. I was literally smiling and giddy for almost the entire drama. I even LOLed at some scenes. I previously watched Touch Your Heart which was kind of a struggle to get through and surprisingly, a few of the side characters of Touch Your Heart showed up in My Roommate is Gumiho. But unlike Touch Your Heart, MRIG does the light-hearted, fluffy drama theme so much better.
I loved the relationship between the two main leads but I especially liked the female lead. I absolutely adored Hae-sun in this drama though. Initially. I thought she was going to turn into a villain later on because secretly she was in love with Sir the entire time. But I'm so glad that wasn't the case. I loved her love-hate friendship that she had with Sir. They both aren't good at being honest and nice to each other so they expressed their love for each other through their banter. I also loved that she was completely willing to protect and support Lee Dan every time she needed it. I'm glad she was paired with Jae-jin, I didn't expect it but they're a sweet couple to watch. I would've loved to see the Mountain Spirit in the last episode while they were tying things up but it's okay. I still loved the wrapping up of the final episode.
I really did feel bad for Seon-woo though. Even though he was a mega-jerk at the start of the drama, I still found myself liking him and if Sir wasn't in the picture, I really wouldn't have minded if Seon-woo and Lee-Dan got together. Of course, that would turn this drama into an entirely different drama.
Anyways, I'm really glad I decided to give this drama a try instead of skipping it. Maybe one day, I'll come back and re-watch it just for the laughs.

Leer más

A fun drama that didn’t take itself too seriously.

I started this show because I’ve become a big fan of the female lead, Lee Hye Ri. I loved her acting and her character in Reply 1988 so I was looking forward to seeing what she brought to this new character, Lee Dam, and I wasn’t disappointed. My girl can act and she’s funny as hell. She plays the goofy heroine extremely well and I was here for all of it in this show.

This was the first show that I saw Jang Ki Yong front and center and holy shit, this man is beautiful! He plays the loner immortal role really well too. Seeing him bring Shin Woo Yeo to life was a delight and a half. I loved seeing him fall in love with Lee Dam, even when he didn’t know and understand that was what was happening to him. Lee Dam was the perfect match for him and I completely adored their romance.

This story was complex and it was full of baloney but holy cow was it a lot of fun. I laughed, I smiled, and I cried throughout much of this show and through it all, I was entertained as hell. I loved the friendship between Shin Woo Yeo and Yang Hye Sun. The way that they both tried to live as humans and how often they got everything so wrong made me laugh so much. Their chemistry was fun and seeing them interact with all of the young college students, when they were hundreds of years old just made this show all the more fun. I also really loved the friendship between Lee Dam and her crew. They were so ride or die for each other and every single time that they got drunk together or fought together had me cracking the hell up.

Lee Dam was my kind of character. Someone I wanted to be and someone that I wanted to be besties with. She was a lot of fun but her moral compass was screwed on tight in the right direction. She was weird and she made no apologies for that. She liked what she liked and to hell with what anyone else had to say about it. She was also extremely loyal to those that she loved and to those that loved her. She was honest and just an all-around great person and I adored the hell out of her.

The second lead was someone that I had never heard about until this show and though I liked his character well enough, I wasn’t rooting for him to win Lee Dam. I did feel bad for him though because he had it bad for her and no matter what he did to win her over, she would not be swayed from Eoreushin. Even when outside forces did whatever they could to help his cause, she would not be moved. When we first met the second lead, I didn’t care for him and he really grew on me the more episodes that I watched. In the end, my heart really hurt for him and I wished him well. I hope he’s happy, wherever he is now. Haha.

The story started off strong and though there were times when things moved at a weird pace, I enjoyed every single episode. I enjoyed the main romance, the secondary romance, and I supported the hell out of all of Lee Dam’s loved ones. I was rooting for everyone and everything to work out in the end and I wasn’t disappointed. The beginning started off strong and I respected that since a lot of books and dramas have that weird beginning hump that you have to slog through to get to all of the good bits. The cast was delightful and the acting was great. Overall, this was a fun drama that didn’t take itself too seriously and I have every confidence that you’ll like this drama if you give it a chance.

Leer más

A must watch drama even for people who don't like fantasy

I was quite hesitant to watch this drama as I don't usually enjoy fantasy dramas, but I am very glad I decided to give this a try. I really liked the story line, it isn't overly complicated, it keeps you interrested but doesn't overwhelm you with too many elements at the same time.

The cast was an amazing pick. Everyone from the leads to the support characters fit their roles so well, the acting was amazing. I really liked the chemistry between the characters (not only the leads, also the chemistry with the second lead, the second lead couple and the friendships).

This drama combined fantasy, romance and humor so well. You can relate to the characters, the drama is easy to watch and I am pretty sure the show can make anyone laugh!

Overall an amazing drama that I will definitely rewatch in the future!

Leer más

Fun watch, feel-good drama

It was a fun watch, feel-good drama. I loved the editing, it was hilarious. The characters were hilarious. I love their relationships with each other, especially Woo-yeo and Hye-sun's (platonic) relationship. They're just like siblings.

Honestly, my only problem was that I didn't really feel the chemistry between Woo-yeo and Dam. Sure, I liked them together but they didn't exactly *click* for me. I was really into their relationship in the first few episodes, but my interest in them dwindled down as the episodes went by. But, Jae-jin and Hye-sun's relationship honestly makes up for it.

And, if you're looking for a light watch, this one's for you.

Leer más

This is definitely one of the most cute korean drama I've watched
It was smooth , light , funny ,
And no uneeded separations for shallow reasons
The plot was great and solid
All the characters were going parallel
Everything got solved

I liked really that the ML didn't get involved in love triangle with the 2nd fl, which was really great

And there were no childhood's love which was fabulous from my opinion

I loved the 2nd fl's character and how she was funny and clumsy
She made me laugh a lot
I loved do jae jin character a lot also

I liked that the 1st Fl got a strong character
The romance was really amazing
I enjoyed every minute although i wasn't in a drama mood for a long time

The only thing that bothered me was the love triangle with sun woo

The accident scene got me shocked

Highly recommended 🥰❤️

Leer más

Entertaining with great acting

Plot: There’s nothing too deep about the story. A gumiho who wanted to be a human but lost interest after his experience with his first love and found another reason to be human again. The comedy side is more on the acting of female lead and her friends and then some with the female gumiho-turned-human. They made the series interesting and funny. If you want something light but can still bring out emotions, you should watch this. It’s more focused on young love & college life/friendship.

Acting: I love Lee Dam, Hye Sun & Jae Jin ‘s acting. The rest were good enough.

Music: I love most of the bgm and sound effects. They were perfect for every scene but what stood out the most is when they have this background music when Lee dam was zoning out appreciating Sir’s handsomeness. I find it very funny. Haha!

Rewatch value: All the cute and funny scenes of both couples., although the chemistry wasn’t exactly fire, their actions made it convincing. The ending of other side characters were cute too.

Overall: For a romantic comedy with fantasy elements, I think it’s really good. Just don’t expect any depth when it comes to other elements such as family or life itself but I really love Lee Dam’s character and the way they executed the main lead’s good relationship despite their differences. It’s normal for them to fight or have a misunderstanding but it didn’t last too long. They communicated well, observed and understand each other’s actions. Although it was full of cliché scenes, it was still done well and in a hilarious way. 8-8.5 for me.

Leer más

Love triangle done right

As weird as it may sound, I think one of my favorite things about this show was its score. All the instrumental songs were just so good and added an extra layer of emotion to the show.

Also, Hye Ri's facial expressions ranked high up. I think "scared" was my favorite, exasperated and mischievous being close behind. This was my first time seeing her work, and I very much look forward to watching more of her stuff.

The love triangle deserves an honorable mention, I think. Never before have I low-key rooted for both guys to get the girl. Typically I can't care less about the guy that's the proverbial third wheel, but here I just felt so sad every time either Woo Yeo or Seon Woo got upset over Dam.

I really liked that Dam and Woo Yeo had pretty honest, open communication. Sometimes, it took them a little bit to get there, but in the end honesty always prevailed.

Also, I really led the development of the second couple. Hye Sun was so jaded when it came to men and relationships, and Jae Jin was a patented sweetheart. I feel like they complement each other well, and I liked the slow burn with them. It felt appropriate given their bad experiences with love in the past. They were adorable together.

Lastly, I really loved Dam's relationship with her BFFs Jae Jin and Soo Kyung and her younger brother.

Doom at your Service still remains my top favorite fantasy k-drama, but this one was really good too. A lot lighter and fluffier by comparison, but still great.

Leer más

Overall, a nice romcom

Ok, my main problem with this is i think Lee Dam should have ended up with Sun, the second lead. To me he was a better fit. Shin living 999 years and not updating himself to the times, was Irritating. Her constantly calling him Sir, putting up with how he treated her, all without smacking him and giving him 'This is the 22nd century'. Sun really did care and i think he was deserved better treatment. Her constant back and forth with Sun, i felt bad for him. I know she told him early on 'No', but when it continued she should have established ground rules like she did with Shin. i think Shin needed the other fox as his girlfriend, they had more in common. Granted Dam did need to teach him humanity, she could. But at times she was just to complacent and let people walk over her. And why does every single female walking /sitting alone get approached by lecherous men ans have to be saved? If i was younger and prettier, I'd be afraid to go anywhere eithout a group of friends along. I mean is this the culture Korea has or story? Why does the girl have to be saved, why can't she have a heavy bag to hit with and a whistle and pepper spray?

Leer más

A cotton candy drama to the broken heart

What will I say of this piece of sugar with honey? This drama came to make your heart flutter and give you the false hope of being in love with a supernatural rich, sexy, and handsome fox. It's the perfect call to the ones who don't wanna suffer or get angry. It's the cotton candy of 2021 Dramaland.

I'll start with the amazing performance of our stars. Lee Hye Ri is a pearl and to see her on the screen it's always fun and different. Lee Dam was an amazing character, and for me was the gold of this show. I love strong female leads and the ones who don't follow the pattern of the suffering lady. This totally matches with Shin Woo Yeo's personality. I was afraid that he could be the kind of male lead always rigid and with the overprotected speech, but his personality was pretty good and solid, and Jang Ki Yong keeps impressing me with his skills. The chemistry between these two was incredible, and I forgot that Hye Ri had a boyfriend many times watching the bts.

Other highlight was my cute couple Hye Sun and Jae Jin. My gosh, these two kill it! Kang Ha Na was amazing in "Start-Up", but now I could see even more how good she is, and I hope that she gets another drama soon as the female lead. Hye Sun was so fun and light, and I laugh a lot at her foolishness. Her friendship with Woo Yeo was also an amazing thing and I loved to see them together fighting all the time. Kim Do Wan is a baby and this character was made for him. I created the fanfic inside my head since "Start-Up", so this was my dream coming true. Bae In Hyuk is another baby since "Kiss Goblin", but this character was just terrible and I felt nauseated every time that I saw that moron sunbae appearing.

Amazing things said, I will point some not-so-good stuff. The first episode was very interesting, and I was excited to see the main plot developing, and the way how they do the waiting part was incredible, but... The waiting never ended. I thought all the problems that the drama presented were very superficial and sometimes even illogical. Episode 12 was the lowest point for me and give me the feeling of "Why this is a problem? If is a problem, why was solutioned so fast?" and this kind of thought. It wasn't terrible, it was just frustrating if you are a person who is used to watch many dramas.

I will put this one as a pretty good one (★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★) because I really think that an initiating drama addicted will think this incredible, and a more experienced will find it at least fun and well done. I hope the best to the actors and I will highly recommend this one to my friends who are entering now in Dramaland.

Leer más

A Highly Enjoyable Fantasy.

I am surprised by how this drama turned out to be one of my guilty pleasure favorites. As usual, I had begun it as a 'palate cleanser' following my disastrous experience with 'Hello Monster'. However, I ended up binging the entire thing within two days.

The major advantage that My Roommate is a Gumiho has is it's compact nature of storytelling and a pacing that is 'passable' enough to keep viewers who are inquisitive glued to their screens.

Starting right off the bat with the introduction of the history of a male Gumiho, Shin Woo Yeong, we are taken to present day Seoul with him. Having given up all hopes of becoming a human and now living in an apathetic state of mind following the demise of a person whom he hoped would help him become one, he plods his way around… until an accidental encounter with a college student, Lee Dam, ends up with him losing his beloved marble to her.
Dam, a history student, is beyond terrified of her newfound supernatural being. The gumiho offers her an agreement: cohabit with him until he figures out a way to get the marble out of her… Unbeknownst to her, he has plans of his own.

I loved the performance of the whole cast. Personally, I like Lee Hye Ri in comedic roles as it comes off as more natural. Lee Dam is a character I madly respect. Never seen Jang Ki Young before, but I will surely check out his prior works. He portrayed the 'alive and empathetic, but I'm dead inside' feature of the fox convincingly. Aside from the leads, supporting characters like Hye-sun and Jae-jin stole my attention several times.

I loved the process of how the gumiho and the human slowly began falling for each other. The drama focussed enough on the two of them within the first eight episodes, taking ample time for their relationship to slowly develop into something real. They had a valid reason to fall in love, as Lee Dam herself mentioned. Yes, there were times I wanted to beat up certain characters for their decisions, but I admire the effort that the cast and crew put in to invoke such emotions.
Also the distinction between the 'fox' and 'human' along with their power imbalance was interesting to watch.

Another admirable aspect of this drama is it's beauty. Every scene, particularly some of the ones shot at night were breathtaking, coupled with the scenery and lighting. I was not particularly impressed by the soundtrack, though I do like a couple of tracks.

One negative aspect of this drama was the pacing during the final episodes. The 'supposed' second lead took up a lot of screentime. I did not like this due to another factor that may be a bit of a spoiler. Considering that, a lot of his scenes could've been fast forwarded without much focus.
Another hiccup was the mythical background. I had seen 'My Girlfriend is a Gumiho' right before this, and despite having Disney heavy characters and a much lighter atmosphere, the background was solid enough to make the plot threads and outcomes plausible.

This did not seem to be the case for MRIAG. Although, I can see that some effort was put forth, the story was focussed more on character development and their decisions.
One character in particular supported the entire fictional aspect of the storyline and manipulated it to an unbelievable extent. No proper explanation was given for it's actions.

Despite these issues, this drama is certainly intensely enjoyable. I will certainly be going back to it sometime in the future.

Leer más