“My Roommate Is A Gumiho” Episode 1 And 2 Review- A Silly Feel-Good Introduction

Published Categorized as Kdrama Reviews
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“My Roommate Is A Gumiho” has premiered last week and its already gaining attention.

The fantasy romance drama is about a 22-year-old college student named Lee Dam (played by Girl’s Day’s Hyeri) who winds up moving in together with a 999-year-old male gumiho (a mythological nine-tailed fox) named Shin Woo Yeo (played by Jang Ki Yong), he is determined to become human.

The drama has been on everyone’s radar and has already premiered to promising ratings. After my friend insisted I watch it, I did and I am here to discuss my thoughts on it.

Note: this will be a spoiler review of the said episodes in the title. This is a subjective review.

The premise

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Thus far, “My Roommate Is A Gumiho” is as classical of a kdrama fantasy tale as they come, hitting every beat you’d expect but at a slightly faster pace.

I wouldn’t say I was surprised by anything aside from how quickly Lee Dam just accepts her fate, there is almost no push and pull and she comes to accept it rather quickly to move in with this mysterious hot gumiho. But we’re suspending our beliefs so its okay.

Fantasy romance kdramas usually do extremely well internationally and I expect this one to be a huge hit among the international fanbase. It is the hallmark of everything international kdrama fans love about fantasy kdramas. A typical easy to digest fantasy story of the dreamy capable man and a damsel in distress who needs a saving but also somehow ends up freeing him. Its been done so many times and every single time, it works wonders on the audience.

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As soon as the drama progressed, things got pretty silly, silly but fan, so I decided to just enjoy the ride rather than wait for something that will likely blow my mind, I’ve seen enough fantasy kdramas to know how it goes.

Screenwriters Baek Sun-Woo and Choi Bo-Rim are working on this drama, both have collaborated many times in the past so I expect synergy and consistency to a degree.

I am more on the fence with this one. I don’t have high expectations or any expectations that this will blow me away. The premiere isn’t anything to go by but it does bring an introduction that sort of lets you know how it’ll progress.

Judging by what both screenwriters worked on in the past, I don’t expect them to experiment much. If they did, I’d be more than happy to be have been proven wrong. I am always on the lookout for anything that’s remotely fresh.

I believe his lover in the past had the same face as the heroine in the present. This particular point will be disappointing if proven to be true because this has been done at least 50 times already.

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Also, this is just something I noticed. The gumiho character this time is wayyy nicer than the average kdrama lead with such characterizations. They’re often dicks especially at the start, but he’s just flawless in almost everything he does. I was surprised by just how welcoming he was considering he shut people off. This could also be because he recognizes her face as his past lover who died. It could be that he knows how to take the bead off but is delaying it to enjoy her company. I also suspect the only he can take it out is by killing her or seriously causing damage in some way.

I have a feeling that “My Roommate Is A Gumiho” is not going to be a drama I obsess over weekly but rather something to watch to have fun and fangirl over the visuals. It wouldn’t be something I take seriously.

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I say this as well because it is currently streaming on iQiyi, a Chinese video platform, and since they also invested in it [its co-produced by them], I don’t think the production team will experiment much but rather deliver on the familiar-but-lovable fantasy kdrama promise. Something easy to digest, profit-proof and palatable, led by hot actors who share great chemistry, easy to market and easy to sell [the rights].

16 episodes are a lot, with this fast pace I wonder if the screenwriters will back track or not.

Pairing Jang Ki Yong and Hyeri

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First things first, can we please discuss how dreamy Jang Ki Yong looks? It’s been a while and gosh darn it, I missed him so much. His face is the work of angels and he’s just such a beautiful man that you can’t help but be mesmerized by him.

I mean if people tell me they’ll watch just to look at his face, I can’t be that judgmental because I get it. At times when I was watching the premiere, I wasn’t even concentrating on anything but his face. I would pause to enjoy the visuals too. Has he become more handsome guys? Am I missing something?

And if you’ve probably been looking forward to this drama and following the news cycle then you’ve probably heard people gossiping about how close Jang Ki Yong and Hyeri appear to be. They seem close enough that some people started asking questions.

That’s not the point of this, the point is that they were cast well. I wouldn’t have expected it but Jang Ki Yong and Hyeri make a good pair. Their chemistry is off the charts and you can tell they’re close and enjoy each other’s company.

This is good news for us because we’ll get to see another great on-screen couple. Their characters ‘romance’ is moving at what you’d consider a faster-than-average pace and I am here for it. If they progress too fast, I wonder how the screenwriters plan on handling 16 episodes.

Hyeri’s acting

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It’s always been the case that every time Hyeri comes back with a drama I see people debate her acting skills. She is not bad in my opinion but suitable only for certain roles, not every role out there.

Her role in “My Roommate Is A Gumiho” seems right up her alley and something she’s more than capable of handling. I’ve seen some complain about how it feels that Hyeri is always playing the same character, I see the angle they’re coming from and I have to agree with it. I can’t tell the difference between the characters she’s played thus far when looking at clips of her past dramas.

This isn’t necessarily going to be something that hinders the show. I think she’s suitable for this role and will do well as the bubbly character who is in a dilemma.

If she ends up interacting with actress Kang Ha Na then we have a sort of a showdown. Kang Ha Na is not only criminally underrated but hella charismatic and a great actress. If they have confrontation this could put Hyeri’s acting capabilities on full display.

I just hope that this time Kang Ha Na gets the proper attention she deserves. I have a feeling her character is lying about becoming human. I can’t wait to see her romance her former “Start-up” co-star Kim Do Wan.

So these are my thoughts on “My Roommate Is A Gumiho”, so what about you guys? did you like the episodes? let me know what you thought in the comment section below.

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By Jass K.

Hi, I am Jass k. I discuss some of the hottest currently airing kdramas on this site in form of reviews an/or recaps, join me in the discussion~

3 comments

  1. Yes, it is super easy to watch and very understandable plot, without unnecessary headache. If this is a Chinese co-production than 16 episodes should not be a problem, they know how to handle dozens of episodes story-wise while keeping the pace. It has all “right” ingredients for a rom-com: funny female lead, love triangle, great second leads, great acting. The story where to go – they need to retrieve the Marble, so what’s not to like?

  2. This is a nice drama – good writing and approach despite the story being not new. Well written, the plot and dialogues are understandable and not confusing the audience. There is a development in each episode, something is always happening but it is not too overloaded with some hidden, unnecessary and heavy sub context, so the story is not stalled and this is what keeps my interest going. Plus great acting from all of them and especially the main lead – he interacts well with everyone, his acting is really good. Delight to watch.

  3. This is delightful to watch, very nice, smart and skilful production. Very good writing and acting. It’ s been a while I did not skips scenes or even episodes in kdamas and this is the case – for the time being I watched every single dialogue.

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