"Bingo" - A Bridal Mask Review PART 1

[This plot will be devided into 4 parts. The reason is, this drama has 28 episodes and we are afraid it will be to long (even longer than Heartstrings) The Conclusion will be found at part 4.]

Originalname:	각시탈 | Gaksital
Also known as:	-
Release Date:	30. May - 6. September 2012
Director:	Yun Seong Sik
Writer:	Huh Young Man (comic), Yoo Hyun Mi
Cast:	Joo Won, Jin Se Yeon, Park Gi-Woong, Shin Hyun-Joon

Plot

This drama play during the period of Japanese occupancy in South Korea; A young but ambitioned detective, Kang To, swore himself to catch a revolutionary called “Bridal Mask” because of the mask he’s wearing.

For that he needs Mok Dan, circus artist and the daughter of another revolutionary, whom Bridal Mask has already saved two times before.

He finds out where she lives at the moment (Thank you, traitor!) and beats the shit out of her in the Japanese police department’s torture chamber. Afterwards he drags her down a public street and even wanting to shoot her. (Why am I describing this plot point? Don’t worry, you’ll know  soon enough...)

But our snow white Zorro saves the day as he rides on his horse to the rescue of the damsel in distress and drops her off in the woods still bleeding (Our hero everybody!)

But that’s okay since he rides to a tree to reveal that he’s... Kang To’s mentally disabled brother, Kang Sang?! (th- that is the BEST. SUPERHERO. DISGUISE. EVERRRR!!!!!!! Ha! Take that, Batman, Superman!)

Because Kang To gets rescued one time by the Bridal Mask (there is this one “colleague” which wants Kang To dead and spins an intrigue), he gets accused for working with the Bridal Mask together. To show his loyalty towards the emperor and Japan he has to catch Bridal Mask and Mok Dan’s father.

Anyway. He gets in pressure because he lost his bait and arrests all the man from his village (except his brother) and Bridal Mask takes hostages. He would let them free if Kang To lets the arrested free. In the chase Bridal Mask saves Kang To again from an assassin’s attack. But before he can find out who Bridal Mask is he gets knocked out. (But for a short time he believes Bridal Mask is his brother because the only one who loves him and would protect him would be his brother)

When he finds out that Mok Dan is the girl who he loved as a little boy he goes to his best friend Shuiji at the club and asks him what he should do. Kang To doesn’t know his best friend is in love with Esther/ Mok Dan (seriously this girl has more names as my pet cat at the time I was an Otaku). When Kang To talks about killing Mok Dan anyway Shuiji hits him and tells him he should go home. At home he lays next to his brother, who pretends he is sleeping, and tells him what happened. He cries and says that he would like to become like his mother wants him to be. (Seems like the lost son found his way home...)

Meanwhile the circus discuss how they can kill Kang To. So, the other day they try to kill him and accidently he shoots Mok Dan down. (Mmmm whatcha say, Mmm that you only meant well? Well of course you did...)

But Kang To saves her and keeps her captive in the hospital. While we have some love triangle scenes in the hospital with Shunji, Mok Dan and Kang To, Shunji’s brother has enlightenment. He goes to Kang To’s house and tells Kang Sang that he should quit the games. He ends up accidently shooting the mother and Kang Sang wants REVENGE. So he dresses up as Bridal Mask and follows Shunji’s brother. But Kang To is there to save the day and shoots Bridal Mask. Kang Sang reveals himself to his brother and dies. Kang To finds his mother dead and, well, we all knew what comes here, the typical scream of our main character is deeply hurt. It is meant to give the viewer at least a shiver... here...it kind of backfired. Really, I laughed my ass off. I mean... that face! *Bwahahahaha*

Awesome, right? xD

Well, of course, after everything was explained to him by Alfred (Not his Name...but let’s be honest, that’s what character he is playing...) he wants REVENGE...wait, when did this become Batman?

He dresses up like Bridal Mask and kills Shunji’s brother. Shunji sees this and swears REVENGE on Bridal Mask and manages to toss him off a cliff.

So, everybody thinks that Bridal mask is dead, but Kang To is safe and sound in a hospital bed.

He decides to become Bridal Mask and wants to gain the Police Offices trust to have it easier, so he changes his name into Sato Hiroshi.

Shunji on the other hand, to follow his fathers will and becomes a superintendent after Mok Dan dumped him (You know, from an elementary school teacher to a superintendent!)

So the new chess peaces are set for round two...

“Country Chick” - My Tutor Friend Review

Originalname:	동갑내기 과외하기 | Donggabnaegi Gwawoehagi
Also known as:	-
Release Date:	7. February 2003
Director:	Kim Kyeong Hyeong
Writer:	Choi Soo Wan, Park Yeon Sun
Producer:	Jang Yeong Kwon

Cast:

Kim Ha Neul, Kwon Sang Woo

Plot

Su Wan’s broke so she has to tutor a high school student called Ji Hoon, who ‘s 21 years old. (Is that even possible? Can you fail that many times?)

He’s a difficult student and he’d rather have fights than study. (I know how you feel, buddy…)

Su Wan ignores that and just sits down to fill the hours (that’s the business spirit, go for it!) All that changes when Ji Hoon suddenly appears in his room bleeding from a fight he had before. She fixes him up but the police arrive anyway and his rich father has to get him out. His dad wants him to study abroad but he doesn’t want to and says that he’ll raise his mark above 50 in the next midterm test.

Which he does. And Su Wan has to dance on her school festival, since that was her promise if he gets above 50 points. But Ji Hoon isn’t pleased at all. (Since he was jealous of all the male attention she got)

He asks her for a date on Sunday, but she’s already going to an orphanage with her study group and her boyfriend.

Ji Hoon cockblocks them, but doesn’t succeed full through. But Soo Wan gets dumped anyway, so it doesn’t matter. So she calls Ji Hoon to talk about her broken heart and he gets her home. And there’s this kind of beautiful scene… O my god, Korea you’re disgusting!!

Well the last day of the tutor lessons arrives and they go parasailing, Ji Hoon tells her he likes her and she crash-lands because of that. She pretends she didn’t hear it. On the evening they both go to an amusement park and meets up with her friend and highschoolzones Ji Hoon (That’s enough, no more tumblr for you Demochild!)

In the end it all resolves in an utterly weird kidnapping/chasing-scene, which ends rather surpsingly…

Conclusion

It’s an average comedy romance. I mean, after the first few minutes you know the whole story. But it was really funny. I mean when she just thinks he bluffs and acts the stubborn rebellious kid and then she finds out that’s his real self and she acts all “please don’t kill me”-nice.

The main actors were good. They were funny to watch and they did a good job. Kwon Sang Woo was good but Demochild and I have to say he hadn’t to do much. I mean, he had only to look great into the camera and to act like a brat. And afterwards.. yeah, it’s like he grew up (finally agelike).

Kim Ha Neul was also good. She was the typical feisty lady and that’s what she acted like.But the supporting roles weren’t that good, but they did their jobs. Don’t understand me wrong, half of the funny jokes came from those guys!

Overall, it was a nice comedy romance, so if you have time why not check it out.

“You’ve fallen for me” – A Heartstrings Review

Originalname:	넌 내게 반했어 | Neon Naege Banhaesseo
Also known as:	You've Fallen for Me
Release Date:	29. June - 18. August 2011
Director:	Pyo Min-Soo
Writer:	Lee Myung-Sook
Cast:	Park Shin Hye, Jung Yong Hwa, Song Chang Ui, So E-Hyun, Woo Ri, Kang Min Hyuk

Plot

At the beginning we get to know our main characters Kyu Won and Lee Shin. Kyu Won is a bright girl and a highly skilled gayageum player. She lives with her grandfather and studies in the traditional music department. Lee Shin is the vocalist of the popular campus band “The Stupid”. He is a cold and refined young man, while being a highly skilled guitarist. He studies at the same university as Kyu Won but in the applied music department. The two haven’t much in common but because the teacher of the traditional music department lies sick in the hospital, Kyu Won decides to collect money for the hospital fee. To earn more money, she asks “The Stupid” if they could perform at this event. They agreed, but because of a family incident Lee Shin didn’t appear and Kyu Won had to sing instead of him. Of course the audience was disappointed because the handsome vocalist didn’t perform but it wasn’t all too bad. The event was a great success and Kyu Won caught the attention of a musical director who also majored at this university and was called back to plan something for the 100^th anniversary of the university. At the same evening Kyu Won wanted to bring the money to the sick professor but the professor already passed away. The next day, Lee Shin wants to apologize and to give back the money which she paid him to go on stage but she refuses and says that she isn’t that disappointed because she knew he would act that way and that he shouldn’t think too much of himself because he can’t catch her heart with his lyrics although he looks great. Of course he couldn’t leave it like that and so they bet: who can reach the audience’s heart can order the loser around for one month.

The big day has arrived. “The Stupid” performs without singing (this was a task) and then “Windflowers” where Kyu Won is the leader. For a moment it looks like she could win but a string of her gayageum breaks. So she loses.
So for thenext time, she will be his slave. One day Lee Shin calls her and orders her to attend a class for him because he’s busy. He goes to his father (who he never met) and takes guitar lessons. So, Kyu Won has to write an excuse for this class although she didn’t take it. After Lee Shin returns, he gives a “concert” and debuts his new song, which attaches Kyu Won in a way. After the performance Kyu Won tells Lee Shin about the homework, but the next day the professor isn’t satisfied and so they have to clean up the drama club’s dressing room. Of course Lee Shin teases her but suddenly the light goes off and when the light turns on again their faces are very close. To avoid to talk with her about this, he orders her again. Afterwards, when she wants to return the keys to Lee Shin, she meets the director and he tells her about an audition. (You remember? The university will celebrate soon its 100^th anniversary) So she decides to participate with her band there. At the end the “Windflowers” achieves to be in the performance group of the festival (but Kyu Won has to be an actress and not an musician) so are “The Stupid”, Hee Joo (she’s the chairman’s daughter and the love interest of “The Stupid”’s drummer; she achieved it only with their help) and Ki Young (a new guy who was brought by the director with an enormous voice). Lee Shin wants to decline to be part of the festival but when the professor o the dance department steps in, he stays. Kyu Won recognises this tension and concluded that he must be in love with her.

So the training begins and it doesn’t start well for Kyu Won because everyone believes Kyu Won got that place because she has a relationship with the director. After she got involved in a girl fight she considers resigning because she thinks she causes the troubles. The director doesn’t want her to leave so he tells Lee Shin (he found out that Kyu Won is Lee Shin’s slave) to bring her back. So Kyu Won (did she silently fell in love?) comes back but she lacks one trainings lesson so she gets again bullied. The director has enough. He shows the troublemaker what can happen in the showbiz although you have talent and that gives the girls to think about how they behaved and about their thoughts. Kyu Won decides to work harder and not to cause any problems. She gets also support from the dance professor and in the next lesson she could catch up. After training Kyu Won was about to go home but she is picked up by the director who saw her how pitiful she walked because of the aches. On the way home they see Lee Shin how he puts a necklace around the dance professor’s neck and kisses her. Kyu Won feels something that she never felt before and it hurts. (Oh, I don’t know… hmmm… MAYBE YOUR HEART, IDIOT!!)

The next day, Kyu Won wants to talk with Lee Shin about his feelings towards the professor, but he was already rejected so he becomes mad and fires her as a slave. But then, he recognizes that he somehow misses her and buys her coffee (she had always to buy him coffee and at the beginning she wrote notes like “with a lot of spit”) with a similar note and leaves it there where she has always to deliver to. So she thanks him and he orders her to clean up the messy band room and she gladly do it.

The next day Kyu Won sees how Lee Shin gets again rejected by the professor (he sees how the professor embraces the director) and she feels sorry for him. So she tries him to cheer him up but he doesn’t want to listen to her. Lee Shin is very heartbroken now. He decides he will no more like somebody and tells this also Kyu Won.

Days passes again (in the meantime, Kyu Won got almost kicked out of the performance) the last day of her slavery arrives and her last task is to find the necklace Lee Shin threw away to forget the professor. Kyu Won finds the lost necklace and wants to give it Lee Shin. She finds out that his father passed away and she can imagine how sad he is at the moment. She looks for him and when she finally finds him he is in the arms of the professor who found him a little bit before. In this moment, Kyu Won realizes that she has feelings for him and is really hurt, that he lies in the professor’s arms and not in her’s.

The next day, she doesn’t go to school, saying she is sick. She makes up her mind and decides to give up on Lee Shin. This she says the next day too Lee Shin when she gives him the necklace back. But unfortunately for Kyu Won she has to work with Lee Shin again because for the finale of festival Lee Shin should arrange a song modern and traditional music mixed.

At the same time Kyu Won is also practising for an audition for the lead female role of the musical. Anyway, one evening after practising with “The Stupid”, she goes out with them and her friends and comes home late (she ate, drunk, sang karaoke and puked) and her grandfather finds out about the audition. He locks her up in her room so that she can’t participate on this audition, but Lee Shin (with the help of his little sister) helps her to break out and she participates on the audition. Sadly, the role goes to Hee Joo, the daughter of the chairman. But the next day the journals were all covered up with Kyu Won’s performance. Hee Joo’s mother gets a little bit worried about her daughter’s role and wants that Kyu Won disappears.

Because Lee Shin has to learn a lot about traditional music he has to follow Kyu Won to a performance in an elderly house. After the performance Kyu Won gets drunk and on the way home she confesses that she still likes him and it isn’t easy for her to be around him.

The next day is Kyu Won’s birthday and “Windflowers” and “The Stupid” celebrate it after the practise. Lee Shin feels a little bit sorry because during the day he teased her about she got drunk and the work he gave her to do. When he wishes her “Happy Birthday” she trips, falls down the stairs and has to go to the hospital. Lee Shin goes visit her often. Suddenly her friends sneak her out and let some fireworks explode.  But a deputy appears and they have to run away. Lee Shin takes Kyu Won who sits in wheel chair and they lose the others. After a while Lee Shin orders her to not give up liking him. She asks him what this means. He didn’t know the answer and she leaves upset.

The director is planning a MT und luckily Kyu Won gets out of hospital in time so she can go with. In the bus Lee Shin sits next to Kyu Won. At the market (because both are very stubborn) they get separated. When he realises that she isn’t behind him, he starts to worry and is looking for her. He finds her then, buying a watermelon. When they come back, the evening program starts. When it’s about “Windflowers” to start, Lee Shin holds Kyu Won back because he doesn’t want that her injury gets worse. After the evening program Kyu Won should bring the watermelon and Lee Shin follows her. She tramps and hurts her ankle. Lee Shin helps her. In the night both can’t sleep. Lee Shin finds her in the stage room and they’re talking about wishing on shooting stars. He asks about her wish but Kyu Won won’t tell. But Lee Shin tells his wish: He hopes that Kyu Won can someday like him again.

Back home they’re giving it a try. At first secretly but they were seen by the three biggest gossip spreaders. So they decide to go official. Of course every woman is against. The three gossip spreaders start an action. Lee Shin firstly didn’t want to do against it but when Kyu Won goes away upset he tells them to stop it. Later he calls her to the club where he performs and sings her a song and afterwards he kisses her in front of his audience.

One day the musical crew has to perform suddenly  but the director couldn’t find Hee Joo. So Kyu Won has to step in because she is her understudy. The sponsors get really excited and Hee Joo’s mother gets more worried. With the help of Tae Joon (what’s his job anyway? Is he the vice president? Or only a president of a department? Who is this guy?) she spreads a rumour. Then they even manipulated both that they meet in a hotel where they get caught on picture. It looks like they have an affair.  The director sees it immediately through when she appears in the hotel and brings her back. Lee Shin sees the two and first he gets it wrong.

The next day when the pictures were spread out Lee Shin drags Kyu Won out for her sake. In the meantime the director tries to set things right. When even the chairman is against her, the director quits. The whole day Kyu Won couldn’t look on her phone but when Lee Shin has to go to toilet she calls her best friend and gets to know about the director’s quitting. She wants to go back and save the director but Lee Shin begs her not to go (he even threats her he would break up with her – WHAT?) She stays.

The next morning its official that the director resigned and Kyu Won realises that it is because of her. Also when she and Lee Shin are on the way to practise Tae Joon tells her that she won’t be an understudy anymore and kicks her out. She gets really sad and wants to be alone. Lee Shin who went at first to practise but then it was cancelled because Tae Joon changed and messed up the piece, sings a song for Kyu Won through the boxes to cheer her up.

Suddenly the sponsors want to withdraw and so the chairman wants the director back. The director comes only under conditions back – Kyu Won is understudy again. So the cast starts practising again.

But on the practise weekend the festival gets cancelled because Hee Joo won’t be able to sing because of an injury in her throat and her mother wants for god’s sake that her daughter is on stage and not Kyu Won. So the crew decides (after trying to convince the chairman again) to perform this show anyway. The performance day arrives and when the lead actress should come out everybody is surprised. Not Kyu Won is on the stage, Hee Joo is. Kyu Won called her before the performance to come over. Hee Joo is acting and dancing and when it comes to the singing part Kyu Won dubs her. (Did I mentioned that it’s finally out that Hee Joo has an injury in her throat and the director knows about it?)

After the performance “The Stupid” and “Windflowers” get the chance to make a studio album with Kyu Won singing. But her grandfather gets to know this and forbids her. She has to concentrate on gayageum playing. On the same day when she can make the album she has a competition. At first she decides to participate on the competition but Lee Shin appears before her performance and asks her again what she wants. Kyu Won then decides to make the album. At the studio Kyu Won sings pretty well but Lee Shin has problems with his wrist because Kyu Won tripped over her skirt and when Lee Shin tried do catch her, he fell on the ground. So the studio decides to not make the album but take Kyu Won under a contract. Lee Shin hides his injury but through his part time job he couldn’t hold his guitar because of the pain and Kyu Won suddenly realizes that this injury is more serious then Lee Shin told her. She wants to cancel her trip to UK. When Lee Shin gets to know about it he breaks up with her so she can go to UK to a musical school, but he says to her that he doesn’t want to wait for her.

A year passes, Lee Shin had his wrist surgery and can play guitar again; Kyu Won came back from UK and is a famous musical star; the director and the professor got married and are back from USA. For a new project the director wants to work again with Kyu Won and Lee Shin but Lee Shin doesn’t want. When Kyu Won asks him if it’s because of her, he denied and orders her not to call him anymore. She got drunk and her best friend calls Lee Shin to pick her up but he calls instead her father (nice try Eun Bo, best friend of Kyu Won).

Through the director Kyu Won gets to know that he had a surgery but didn’t want her to know. Upset she goes to Lee Shin and tells him that he is really a jerk and that she really tried to hate him the past year and now she can say that she hates him. He is really hurt. Both then go for a walk at the places they were together before and they are looking back. Suddenly they meet each other. Lee Shin goes towards her, embraces her; he says that he missed her and that he loves her and finally the kiss (of course Kyu Won responded with “Me too”).

Conclusion

 I have to say, I started to watch this drama half a year ago. After five episodes I stopped because it was really boring. I mean you know the story about the girl is at first the slave of the boy and suddenly the boy falls in love with the girl and so on and so on. But because I’m bored, I decided to watch it till the end and I was surprised. The story became more interesting. I mean all the intrigues at the school caused by Tae Joon and Hee Joo’s mother. It was really good. I liked it. And the story how they come together was also very good. Really cute. They’re sitting in the darkness and talking about shooting stars.

You may imagine why I started watching this drama. I looked for another drama with Jung Yonghwa and when I saw Park Shinhye was also starring, I thought: “Yay, finally a happy ending for Shinwoo and Go Minyeo!” In “You’re beautiful” I was cheering for this two.

For the rest of the cast I can say they did a good job. Especially I liked Minhyuk who played the drummer. He was really funny and cute. Who I didn’t like was Lee Shin’s little sister. She was just annoying.

The music was also really good. I liked it that they mixed traditional music with modern music. So I get to know a little bit of the Korean culture. And I have to say I liked it.

What I also didn’t like was the length of the drama. I don’t know why, but for this story 15 episodes are too long. I think 10 episodes would have been enough. There are a lot of side stories which were really short and didn’t help the main story at all like the story about Lee Shin’s mother and her relationships. I think it wasn’t necessary. Or the last thing with the wrist. This wasn’t necessary, too. Or the movement of Lee Shin’s family in Kyu Won’s neighbourhood, too.

But all in all I like this drama. I can recommend it. But at the beginning you have to fight it through, afterwards it will go easier.

I’m so sorry. I know the review is too long. I couldn’t shorten it anymore >.<

“Someone got attacked again!”-Attack on the Pin-Up Boys

Originalname:	꽃미남 연쇄 테러사건 | Kkotminam Yeonchae Tereosakeon
Also known as:	-
Release Date:	26. July 2007
Director:	Lee Kwon
Writer:	Park Yeon Sun
Producer:	Han Se Min, Kim Yong Min

Cast:

Super Junior

Plot

We start as Dong Hae and Kim Kibum talk to each other. And afterwards we see a mysterious attacker throwing pixels (Shit, you say?) at Sung Min, Han Geng and Ye Sung, who are all the school’s favourite… something?

So, of course the other SuJu members Kangin, Siwon, and Hee Chul want to be covered in pixels too, because it would raise their publicity. (Don’t you have any E.L.F.s here in this world?)

Siwon fakes an attack but is discovered by Kibum and so the attacker is yet to strike another guy. Afterwards it’s just Kangin and Hee Chul battling for publicity and PANDAAAA!!

Dong Hae eventually figures out that it’s Kibum (As if I give a crap by now…) and Dong Hae asks to be covered in pixels too. So he gets his publicity and the others live happily ever after too.

Conclusion

What can I say? I’m afraid if I’m too harsh, the whole E.L.F.’s are going to kill me… So, the movie isn’t that good but it’s funny. I mean, when do you have the chance to see Super Junior pixeled?

The story-line was very simple built and like you see, there was quite nothing of a plot. It was really simple constructed. It’s just a movie where you can watch Super Junior how awesome and funny they can be. It just doesn’t work for me. I mean, if that’s the case, then why spend all the money for a movie; just go make a music video or make variety shows!

This movie is no better than “Crossroads”, but at least “Crossroads” had a better plot. Throwing shit at famous people? Seriously, who wrote the script? A pre-schooler?

So, if you want to watch it, fine by me. I had a good insanity laugh watching this, but if you’ll excuse me; I’m goingto watch SuJu music videos.

"Dating is never easy..." - A Chilling Romance review

Originalname:	오싹한 연애 | Ossakhan Yeonae
Also known as:	Spellbound (International English title) / Eerie Romance (literal title)
Release Date:	1. December 2011
Director:	Hwang In Ho
Writer:	Hwang In Ho
Producer:	Ahn Young Jin, Ahn Sang Hoon, Lee Won Tae

Cast:

Son Ye Jin, Lee Min Ki

Plot

One day, while performing magic on the street, Jo Goo notices a woman (Yeo Ri) in the audience. He follows her and asks her if she wants to take part in his show.

One year later his show is a big success. Yeo Ri performs as the ghost in the show, however no one knows that she actually can see ghosts.

Jo Goo finally manages to get her go drinking with the crew. And... let’s just say... it ends with her ripping his cloths off.

After a while he discovers her secret of being able to see ghosts.

He figures out that she has trouble with dates and decides to help her and introduces her to someone. It would’ve worked out for those two, if it weren’t for a certain ghost. (GHOOOOOOST!!)

Afterwards, they get to know each other better and even go on dates, which leads to pointless shirt ripping again and sharing the same bed!

(Insert pointless subplot with returning girlfriend from France here.)

So, they’re together now. (Yeah, I don’t really have a clue...) and after a weird dance , they sleep together. (Wow, that was...sudden...)

But evil ghost doesn’t want them to be happy and wants to kill Jo Goo off. It all reaches it’s climax at the show and Yeo Ri nearly drowning and Jo Goo floating.

But Yeo Ri gives the ghost back what’s hers and gets free and Jo Goo falls down and is unconscious.

Yeo Ri wants to leave to Oslo and we have that airport scene. But...she...gets on the plane???(WTF? IT’S ROMANCE/COMEDY!!) Oh, I guess she didn’t get on the plane after all and creepy ghost is on the plane. She tries to sneak off but is caught by Jo Goo and they kiss and creepy ghost is watching them. THE END!!!

Conclusion

Firstly, it’s really fun to watch. I mean, for Yeo Ri it was the first time having a boyfriend and she acted sometimes really unsure but then very confident, too. That lead to some funny scenes. Also Jo Goo’s brother was funny, how he wanted to give advices to his younger brother about love. But it looked like he has no clue about what he is saying. Here: A big compliment to the cast. They did a great job.

One thing, that wasn’t so good, was the time that tells us what’s happening. I know it’s a movie and you have only 90min to use. So it happened that they made huge jumps like suddenly they’re together. I asked myself: “What? How did this happen?”, and then I went a scene backwards but there wasn’t any clue. Or the fact that Jo Goo had another girlfriend  before Yeo Ri. That girlfriend went to France, came back, caught them how they slept together in the tent. What happened to her? Did Jo Goo broke up with her? It’s never explained in the movie. And that’s not all. There were other scenes that just felt weird or unexplained. For me it looked like that the whole story was made for a drama but they had to make a movie out of it for whatever reason.

"My friend Mi Ho, a cute Gumiho..."- A My Girlfriend is a Gumiho Review

Originalname:	내 여자친구는 구미호 | Nae Yeochineun Gumiho
Also known as:	My Girlfriend Is A Nine-Tailed Fox
Release Date:	11. August - 30. September 2010
Director:	Boo Sung Chul
Writer:	Hong Mi Ran, Hong Jeong Eun
Cast:	Lee Seung Gi, Shin Min Ah, No Min Woo, Park Soo Jin

Plot

At the very beginning of this drama we get introduced to Dae Woong and his dazzling, beautiful girlfriend Mi Ho. Yet he is afraid her, we’ll soon get to know why…

So we figure out that she’s a nine-tailed fox (Gumiho) and that Dae Woong was the one who freed her from a picture she got banned in. He got scared of her and ran away, falling down a cliff and breaking a lot of bones. To save him Mi Ho gives him her bead, so it can heal him.

In the next morning Dae Woong tries to get rid of her because he thinks she’s insane.  He manages to do so by saying; if she really is a Gumiho she should just follow him. She tells him that she’ll find him, take the bead out of him and kill him. Dae Woong gets into the bus without thinking much about her threat.

But they meet again in the Action Schools gym and as promised she shows him her nine tails and takes the bead. Dae Woong falls into a coma, when she decides that she won’t kill him yet and gives it back to him.

In the mean time we get to know our third main character - Park Dong Joo. He gets called by the monk from the temple, where the Gumiho was banned. Park Dong Joo is actually a goblin, but to can live with the humans he is hidden as a vet. When he sees that the Gumiho isn’t in the picture, the chasing starts. When he meets Mi Ho for the first time, she reminds him of Kil Dal, a love interest he had a long time ago. But she asked him to kill her in order to save the life of her beloved human. And this is what he does.

After the first disappearance of Mi Ho, she gets to know that there’s a way to become human. So since Dae Woong wants her bead back, because he isn’t yet fully healed and in order to play in the action movie he’s participating in, he needs to. So both agree on a love contract: He would get the bead for hundred days and she would be his girlfriend during that time. Which is what Dong Joo told her to do, leaving out a little detail. When the bead absorbs all of the human chi within Dae Woong, he dies.

So, while Dae Woong and Mi Ho keep up that couple game, with Dae Woong slowly realising that he actually really likes Mi Ho, Dong Joo, being now good friends with Mi Ho, tries to prepare her for Dae Woongs death.

So, after a lot of meat - I mean – time, Eun Hye In (who does appear in the previous episodes as Dae Woongs Noona and love interest but is just plain unnerving to talk about) finds out that Mi Ho is a Gumiho and forces her to be her stunt double in order to get the role she always wanted. But being afraid of Mi Ho and angry at Dae Woong, because he doesn’t realise in which danger he has brought himself, she kisses him. This causes Mi Ho to run wild and nearly attacking her, if Dae Woong wouldn’t have stepped in. However, she loses her ring in the process.

Mi Ho, being afraid of herself, thinks that Eun Hye In is right with her being a monster. So the Gumiho thinks the only way to become a human is to be independent from Dae Woong. She starts to work so she can buy her own food. This starts to scare Dae Woong since he really began to like her. He thinks her behaviour is the result of he has lost her couple ring which she gave him to look after. So he searches for the ring. But for the moment he can’t find it, so he tries to cheer Mi Ho up with going somewhere she likes or with beef. But she rejects his offers kindly. On the day when her fake human identity, which Dong Joo created for her, has her birthday, after the birthday party with Dong Joo she goes to the place she always wanted to go with Dae Woong. Coincidently, Dae Woong is also there and has finally found the ring. He tells her, in very drama manner, not to go and then they fall into each other’s arms. In the evening, she tells him everything and he sings a song for her and kisses her afterwards. He tells her that he’s in love with her and she finally tells him that she’ll become human.

But their luck can’t hold long, as Mi Ho discovers that Dae Woong must die in order for her to become human. So she tries to kill herself with Dong Joos dagger. Of course Dong Joo can’t let that happen, since he already lost his first love like that. He tells Eun Hye In that Dae Woong will die when the 100 days are over, hoping that he’ll want to break all bonds with Mi Ho, so he and Mi Ho can go to Japan and never return again.

But Dae Woong manages to return in time and tells her to take the bead away from him right now. So, on the 50^th day, she takes out the bead. Nobody knows what’ll happen now.

But as she continuous dying, though Dong Joo telling Dae Woong that this is bad, he makes the decision, which Dong Joo told him to do, he breaks up with her. (Seriously, why do they even keep listening to this guy!!)

After returning from his shooting in China, he finds Mi Ho, who’s preparing  to get married to Dong Joo, and after he stalked her awhile, she shows him that her tails are still disappearing, meaning that she’s still dying. So his sacrifice was useless in the end. He tells her that she should give him the bead so they can finish what they started. To which she agrees.

Dong Joo eventually finds out that she had never planned to live with him as half human, but to die instead. She asks him to return the bead to Dae Woong so that he’ll have his full lifespan back, which he does. But he has a change of heart afterwards and tells Dae Woong, why she gave the bead to him.

At the airport, where Dong Joo and Mi Ho wait the plane to Japan, Dong Joo finally made the decision to let her go. Dae Woong arrives in the right moment (AGAIN!) and the embrace each other and go home, leaving Dong Joo alone.

At the last day, Dae Woong and Mi Ho try to revive some happy memories, but everything they want to do, they can’t, because it is tomorrow. Like watching the fountain or meeting their friends. This is the first time where we can see that Mi Ho really doesn’t want to die. However, they have some happy time with the fireworks and end up in the Action Schools Gym. Where Dae Woong tells her, that he’s more afraid of her dying, then he was back at that time when she showed him her tails. She closes his eyes and tells him to think of it as a dream and disappears.

Some time passes and we see Dae Woong became a famous actor what he always wanted. He gives interviews because of his movie debut and also autographs. At once Dong Joo appears and tells him that Mi Ho can come back “when the sky goes crazy”. It happens that on this day there will be a solar eclipse - the sky is going crazy. At the time when the moon is covering the sun, Dae Woong gets a phone call. It’s Mi Ho. He runs through the whole area searching for her. When the moon is uncovering the sun, the call ends. Resigned, Dae Woong sits on the stair. But then he sees her. She’s standing in her white dress at the bottom of the stairs and smile at him. He runs towards her and embraces her.

In the evening they’re on the balcony, celebrating her return. But Dae Woong is curious if she is human or a Gumiho. She reveals that she has still one tail left. So that means she is a fox.

Conclusion

We love this drama. It has comedy, it has romance, it has tragedy and above all: it has drama. It’s like they looked up the word “drama” in the dictionary and blew it up into this huge Drama. And the finale was just great. It was a constant rollercoaster of feelings. I cried two times and I never cried two times in an episode before. What was really clever, they turned the whole main and second love interest thing. The second love interest makes a character development too and the main love interest seems more generous.
I also think the Drama was sponsored by a meat factory because meat had a big part in it. You really want to eat meat when you’re watching the Drama. With that said, let’s go to the actors.

Lee Seung Ki who played Dae Woong was great. Actually, I never loved the main love interest, but I could really feel for him here. It did make the whole love triangle more plausible. You may ask why he was great, it’s because he played well. At the beginning Dae Woong was a spoiled brat. But he grew through his love for Mi Ho. And this whole aspect was portrayed very well. There were also some very funny scenes in which he imagines how he could escape from Mi Ho when they are at the gym the first time. When he imagines it, it seemed very easy and very cool, but as soon as he tried it, it didn’t work that well. And Mi Ho was only standing in the middle of the gym and staring at him.

Shin Min Ah played Mi Ho. She is soo cute (insert auntie voice here). I also liked her very much. She was able to act as a child who experiences a whole new word. But she could also act well when the child decided to grew up and become more independent. Her character seemed also to mature through love and she also did that portrayal very well. The absolute cutest scene with her was when she was in the park with Dae Woong and she shouted: “I like you so, so, so, so, so, so, so much!” Or when she ate meat, she danced because of happiness.

No Min Woo played Dong Joo. He’s hot! The eye candy of the Drama! And he played the role of the second love interest very well. Even though, as I stated in the beginning, it wasn’t the very typical second love interest character. I liked how you could never know what he was thinking at the moment. And just at the end you realised that he truly did love her. His backstory is never fully explained and that is very sad. I’m sure they could’ve put it in somewhere. You really feel sorry for him since he loses the woman he loves a second time. But I really like how the Sam Shin Grandmother asks him: “What is better: ‘I’m sorry’ or ‘Thank you’?” And from the look of his face, he would choose ‘Thank you’, which means, that he had a better relationship with her this time.

And now for something totally out of the plot: IT HAS JEREMY FROM A.N.JELL (You’re beautiful) IN IT!!!! You see him in the last episode when Eun Hye In is working with him. She wants to ask him out and practises the moves Mi Ho has taught her. This pairing is totally weird…

Anyway, since I guess you’re still reading this boring extremely long review, that does the Drama no justice: What are you doing? Go watch it!!