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K-Drama Review: Tale of the Nine-Tailed
May. 14th, 2021 11:31 amTale of the Nine-Tailed is Korean Twilight, and I truly mean that as a compliment.
(Honestly, look at this promo photo and tell me they're NOT leaning into being compared to Twilight.)
Tale of the Nine-Tailed is about Lee Yeong (Lee Dong Wook), a nine-tailed fox and former mountain god who gave up his godhood in order to get his dead girlfriend reincarnated. Now working for Taluipa (Kim Jung Nan), the gatekeeper of life and death, Lee Yeong is tasked with punishing supernatural creatures who hurt humans. He comes under the radar of Nam Ji Ah (Jo Bo Ah), the producer of a reality show about urban myths. Nam Ji Ah’s parents disappeared over twenty years ago, and she’s never forgotten that there’s more to the world than meets the eye. Nam Ji Ah and Lee Yeong find that, together, they may have the answers to uncover a mystery, and even fight destiny before it repeats itself.
(I thought those were tattoos on his fingers, but they're really thin rings, and honestly, all the product placement jewelry they dress him in is very good. Also, Granny Gatekeeper is another fave character--this is a stacked cast!)
I decided to watch this one because Lee Dong Work is the male lead, and I enjoyed him a bunch as the Grim Reaper in Goblin. I didn’t really know anything about it going in, so I was pleasantly surprised by this drama. It surprised me with smart story moves, a compelling cast of characters, and a willingness to tell a darker, moodier story than I’ve come to expect from kdramas. I really do mean that calling it Korean Twilight is a compliment—this is a show that is, willingly, dark and mysterious, exploring the dark underbelly of getting mixed up with supernatural creatures when you’re only human. I genuinely think fans of the Twilight Saga, past and present, will be tickled by how this show shares many superficial similarities to Twilight, including a gangly red-headed protagonist having to defend his mortal girlfriend, as well as enjoying the many ways it's different.
(Real talk, one of the only real weaknesses of this kdrama were these extensions they put Lee Dong Wook in for flashbacks. I get what they're going for here--foxes have multi-colored hair, that's neat--but...dang, they look kinda rough.)
The biggest strength of this show was how often it didn't rely on the easy way out, plot-wise. This show, specifically, centers its themes around that very conflict. All of the supernatural characters are old enough that their lives are recorded in fairy tales, the stuff of legends; and, it seems, every tragedy of their lives is destined to repeat itself, with the characters playing the same roles, every time. Lee Yeong's determination to be re-united with his dead lover, and for them to both live long enough to enjoy it, drives the theme of defying destiny, of outsmarting fate and evil. The drama is still very, very genre-fied, but its characters are refreshing in the ways they react to their circumstances. One of my favorite little things was how often characters actually communicate with each other. Drama derived from miscommunication is a personal pet peeve, so even though it didn't always fix things, the fact that the characters tried was very, very good. The plot and its mysteries were also very satisfying and well-plotted--looking back, none of the reveals or plot turns felt poorly justified. They stick the landing, too; the ending, IMO, felt well-justified and earned.
(Kim Bum really excels at the physical acting for this role; he's good at finding angles for the camera that make his face look very sharp.)
Perhaps the best example of how this show manages to stand out is the character of Lee Rang (Kim Bum), Lee Yeong's younger, half-fox brother. Lee Rang is set up as a villain: he seems interested in nothing but destruction, at first, and he slinks around the first few episodes of the drama, exuding a much more feral, fox-like air than his older brother. However, this quickly comes at odds with how Lee Yeong treats him--Lee Yeong, who is tasked with bringing evil creatures to justice, seems to treat his younger brother not as a threat, but as a spoiled brat, in need of growing up. I hesitate to spoil much more, but Lee Rang's character is, absolutely, one of the best parts of the drama. If you enjoy complex anti-heroes, themes of found family, and redemption arcs that are actually satisfying, woof, you'll love this. (Lee Rang has even gotten his own semi-spinoff; Tale of the Nine-Tailed: An Unfinished Story is a series of three minisodes were released late last year, focused around what Lee Rang was doing before and during the events of the original drama.)
This show really hits well in terms of having an interesting, well-rounded main cast, compelling characters, and story beats that satisfy--but now we've got to highlight the soundtrack. It's great! It's very rock-heavy--at certain points, western fans will be put in mind of Teen Wolf or other CW joints--but that is paired with an excellent OST composed with a full orchestra. Composer Hong Dae Sung absolutely blew it out of the park with certain musical stings. I think the music is what helps this show's moodiness really fully gel into something amazing. The musical sting linked above becomes strongly associated with the way the show's characters will re-gain the upper hand in a conflict at the absolute last moment--towards the end of the drama, every time I heard this sting, I broke out in a big grin. It's just that good.
Tale of the Nine-Tailed is a pretty great show. Is it for everyone? Nah, but if the ways I described it excite you, then yes, it's absolutely for you. The show's clever, putting new twists on the gritty supernatural romance, while still feeling true to what makes supernatural romance so appealing. To legally watch this show in the US, you need to subscribe to one of the paid tears of Viki, or to use a VPN to access international versions of Netflix, but it's well worth it.
If you're interested in trigger warnings for this show, look out for these TW. Throughout the drama: violence, murder, non-gory onscreen corpses, suicide, discussions of past abuse, animal abuse, zombie-like creatures, blood. Briefly depicted in some episodes: cannibalism, child endangerment, child death, discussions of childhood sexual assault, depictions of ghosts, death, funeral homes, car accidents.
(Honestly, look at this promo photo and tell me they're NOT leaning into being compared to Twilight.)
Tale of the Nine-Tailed is about Lee Yeong (Lee Dong Wook), a nine-tailed fox and former mountain god who gave up his godhood in order to get his dead girlfriend reincarnated. Now working for Taluipa (Kim Jung Nan), the gatekeeper of life and death, Lee Yeong is tasked with punishing supernatural creatures who hurt humans. He comes under the radar of Nam Ji Ah (Jo Bo Ah), the producer of a reality show about urban myths. Nam Ji Ah’s parents disappeared over twenty years ago, and she’s never forgotten that there’s more to the world than meets the eye. Nam Ji Ah and Lee Yeong find that, together, they may have the answers to uncover a mystery, and even fight destiny before it repeats itself.
(I thought those were tattoos on his fingers, but they're really thin rings, and honestly, all the product placement jewelry they dress him in is very good. Also, Granny Gatekeeper is another fave character--this is a stacked cast!)
I decided to watch this one because Lee Dong Work is the male lead, and I enjoyed him a bunch as the Grim Reaper in Goblin. I didn’t really know anything about it going in, so I was pleasantly surprised by this drama. It surprised me with smart story moves, a compelling cast of characters, and a willingness to tell a darker, moodier story than I’ve come to expect from kdramas. I really do mean that calling it Korean Twilight is a compliment—this is a show that is, willingly, dark and mysterious, exploring the dark underbelly of getting mixed up with supernatural creatures when you’re only human. I genuinely think fans of the Twilight Saga, past and present, will be tickled by how this show shares many superficial similarities to Twilight, including a gangly red-headed protagonist having to defend his mortal girlfriend, as well as enjoying the many ways it's different.
(Real talk, one of the only real weaknesses of this kdrama were these extensions they put Lee Dong Wook in for flashbacks. I get what they're going for here--foxes have multi-colored hair, that's neat--but...dang, they look kinda rough.)
The biggest strength of this show was how often it didn't rely on the easy way out, plot-wise. This show, specifically, centers its themes around that very conflict. All of the supernatural characters are old enough that their lives are recorded in fairy tales, the stuff of legends; and, it seems, every tragedy of their lives is destined to repeat itself, with the characters playing the same roles, every time. Lee Yeong's determination to be re-united with his dead lover, and for them to both live long enough to enjoy it, drives the theme of defying destiny, of outsmarting fate and evil. The drama is still very, very genre-fied, but its characters are refreshing in the ways they react to their circumstances. One of my favorite little things was how often characters actually communicate with each other. Drama derived from miscommunication is a personal pet peeve, so even though it didn't always fix things, the fact that the characters tried was very, very good. The plot and its mysteries were also very satisfying and well-plotted--looking back, none of the reveals or plot turns felt poorly justified. They stick the landing, too; the ending, IMO, felt well-justified and earned.
(Kim Bum really excels at the physical acting for this role; he's good at finding angles for the camera that make his face look very sharp.)
Perhaps the best example of how this show manages to stand out is the character of Lee Rang (Kim Bum), Lee Yeong's younger, half-fox brother. Lee Rang is set up as a villain: he seems interested in nothing but destruction, at first, and he slinks around the first few episodes of the drama, exuding a much more feral, fox-like air than his older brother. However, this quickly comes at odds with how Lee Yeong treats him--Lee Yeong, who is tasked with bringing evil creatures to justice, seems to treat his younger brother not as a threat, but as a spoiled brat, in need of growing up. I hesitate to spoil much more, but Lee Rang's character is, absolutely, one of the best parts of the drama. If you enjoy complex anti-heroes, themes of found family, and redemption arcs that are actually satisfying, woof, you'll love this. (Lee Rang has even gotten his own semi-spinoff; Tale of the Nine-Tailed: An Unfinished Story is a series of three minisodes were released late last year, focused around what Lee Rang was doing before and during the events of the original drama.)
This show really hits well in terms of having an interesting, well-rounded main cast, compelling characters, and story beats that satisfy--but now we've got to highlight the soundtrack. It's great! It's very rock-heavy--at certain points, western fans will be put in mind of Teen Wolf or other CW joints--but that is paired with an excellent OST composed with a full orchestra. Composer Hong Dae Sung absolutely blew it out of the park with certain musical stings. I think the music is what helps this show's moodiness really fully gel into something amazing. The musical sting linked above becomes strongly associated with the way the show's characters will re-gain the upper hand in a conflict at the absolute last moment--towards the end of the drama, every time I heard this sting, I broke out in a big grin. It's just that good.
Tale of the Nine-Tailed is a pretty great show. Is it for everyone? Nah, but if the ways I described it excite you, then yes, it's absolutely for you. The show's clever, putting new twists on the gritty supernatural romance, while still feeling true to what makes supernatural romance so appealing. To legally watch this show in the US, you need to subscribe to one of the paid tears of Viki, or to use a VPN to access international versions of Netflix, but it's well worth it.
If you're interested in trigger warnings for this show, look out for these TW. Throughout the drama: violence, murder, non-gory onscreen corpses, suicide, discussions of past abuse, animal abuse, zombie-like creatures, blood. Briefly depicted in some episodes: cannibalism, child endangerment, child death, discussions of childhood sexual assault, depictions of ghosts, death, funeral homes, car accidents.
