My Girlfriend is a Gumiho 내여자친구는구미호

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho is a great Korean drama that melds three of my favorite genres together: comedy, romance, and fantasy. My Girlfriend is a Gumiho stars Lee Seung Gi as Cha Dae Woong and Shin Min Ah as Gu Mi Ho.

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho is about a gumiho, a nine-tailed fox, who falls in love with Cha Dae Woong, an action school student. Mi Ho, the gumiho, gives Dae Woong her valuable fox bead, in order to save his life. Because he is the one who freed her from a painting that served as her prison for 500 years, she felt like she should return the favor. Out of fear, Dae Woong lives with Mi Ho and feeds her while the bead remains in his body until he is fully healed. Over time Dae Woong falls in love with Mi Ho, but remains unaware of it for a while. On the other hand, Mi Ho had a crush on Dae Woong early on and had no problems with admitting it to the world.

This video is an example of Mi Ho being open about her feelings for Dae Woong.

Trust

One of the important themes in this Korean drama is trust. Mi Ho gave her precious fox bead to Cha Dae Woong and must trust that he will keep it safe. If he even kisses another girl, the bead will become damaged and hurt Mi Ho. Both Mi Ho and Dae Woong must trust each other in order for their love to survive, especially because others are trying to break them up. Can they continue to trust each other? If the trust is broken, can it be repaired?

Sacrifice

Sacrifice is another major theme in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. Just how much are you willing to sacrifice for the one you love? What can you give up in order to be with the person you love? Is it better to give up being with the person you love if it means that they can survive? Cha Dae Woong and Gu Mi Ho are both faced with these questions.

Perseverance

Another theme in My Girlfriend is a Gumiho is perseverance. The love between Dae Woong and Mi Ho is put to the test throughout the drama. Both must persevere through their obstacles. At numerous times, it wouldn't be surprising for someone to give up on making the relationship work. By being able to push through the problems together, it proves that their love is true and even strengthens that love.

Spoiler (Highlight to read)

Something else that I really liked about My Girlfriend is a Gumiho is that Mi Ho did not return to Dae Woong as a human. Instead, she was a one tailed fox. I thought that she was adorable as a gumiho and I would have been sad to see her become a human.

In conclusion, without giving too much away, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho is a good Korean drama that has the right amount of comedy to lighten up the more serious moments and shows how trust, sacrifice, and perseverance is important to love. I plan on watching this cute drama again in the future, and I would highly recommend it to others.

Check out My Girlfriend is a Gumiho Merchandise!
Check out My Girlfriend is a Gumiho OST!

City Hunter 시티헌터

[Genre: action, romance, suspense]
{Korean}

I finished watching City Hunter and I loved it! I was hooked from the beginning. I really love it when a drama can get my interest instantly. This action drama deals with many themes, such as betrayal, revenge, justice, truth, and love.

Usually when you think of betrayal, you imagine a close friend or family member betraying you. But, City Hunter handles a different type of betrayal. The betrayal of your own country. Jin Pyo (Kim Sang Jung) was the only survivor of the “Wipeout Mission” that was supposed to kill the 21 special agents for the sake of hiding a government secret. Apparently the five high ranking government officials who made this decision had never heard of the adage “the truth always comes out.”

Jin Pyo was not only betrayed by his own country, but he also had to watch his best friend die protecting him. I can only imagine the pain, anger, and confusion he must have felt. Can you really blame him for having a lust for revenge?

Jin Pyo steals his best friend's baby boy and trains him hard to become a fighter. Despite Lee Yoon Sung's harsh upbringing, he is a caring and playful man who can't stand by while someone is being wronged. Even in the Golden Triangle, where Jin Pyo raised him, he saved a stranger's life. This stranger was Bae Sik Joong. Sik Joong is allowed to stay with Yoon Sung as long as he works as a cook.

This drama also presents two different types of revenge: blood shed and no blood shed. I believe that Yoon Sung's form of revenge is acceptable, because he exposed crimes that the politicians committed. Jin Pyo's idea of revenge, on the other hand, is unacceptable, because it involves murder.

I was very impressed with Lee Min Ho's acting, as were many others. I don't feel like any other actor could have portrayed Yoon Sung better than him. You can tell that he put a lot of effort into understanding his character and expressing the emotions properly and at the right times. I was also impressed with Lee Min Ho, because he performed most of the action scenes. He was even injured during the filming of City Hunter and still insisted on not using a stunt double. I admire his dedication, but I hope he realizes to not push himself too much. I would hate to see him seriously hurt himself.

Lee Min Ho's Car Accident
Lee Min Ho Continues Filming Despite Shoulder Injury
Lee Min Ho Interview Part 1
Lee Min Ho Interview Part 2

Lee Min Ho wasn't the only good actor, though! Kim Sang Jung was also great. Throughout the drama I would have mixed feelings of like and dislike for him. I was even worried about him being capable of killing Yoon Sung. I could tell that Yoon Sung wouldn't kill Jin Pyo, but I wasn't so positive about Jin Pyo. I felt like he truly loved his son, but I also think his lust for revenge was so strong it could overwhelm those feelings. Jin Pyo's face expressions were slight, but you could tell in multiple scenes by that small change that he did care about his son.

Spoiler
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I cried when Jin Pyo died, because I felt so bad for him. He was the most tragic character in City Hunter. I would have liked it if he lived, but he would have ended up in jail. In a way, I feel like it was fitting for him to die. From this scene where he confesses to everything to clear his son's name, I no longer have a single doubt in my mind that he truly loved Yoon Sung. I feel like that was his gift to him. He knew that Yoon Sung wanted to live a normal, happy life with the people he loves.

Another thing that made this korean drama good was the plot. There were many twists in City Hunter and it wasn't predictable. I absolutely love it when a drama can surprise me. The plot also seemed well thought out. The only part I didn't like was the ending.

Spoiler Warning
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I didn't like the ending, because you're left unsure of whether or not Kim Na Na and Lee Yoon Sung are together or not. I would have been happier if they hugged each other at the airport, but they kept their distance and merely smiled. It makes little sense. Then it makes even less sense when they show Lee Yoon Sung driving at night alone. Honestly, I didn't even realize the car scene was part of the ending; I thought it was part of the recap. I also wanted to see what would happen with Yoon Sung and the President. I am very disappointed with the ending, especially since every episode was so amazing. The ending completely flopped in my opinion. I really think there could have been a better ending.

As for the City Hunter OST, I enjoyed it much more than the Secret Garden OST. The songs I liked in particular were Sad Run, Middle Point Symphony, It's Alright, So Goodbye, Suddenly, and Red Water.

Overall, I think City Hunter was a really good drama and I plan on watching it again in the future.

If you want to purchase some City Hunter merchandise, check out my Squidoo Lens on City Hunter. I will be adding more things to it later, but so far I have some Lee Min Ho posters and calendars.

Note: If you are posting a comment with a spoiler please give a warning beforehand.

Secret Garden 시크릿 가든

[Genre: romance, melodrama, fantasy]

{Korean}

Recently, I have finished watching Secret Garden and loved it. It's definitely a drama I would watch again. I thought that the acting was superb, Hyun Bin (Kim Joo Won) and Ha Ji Won (Gil Ra Im) in particular. They both did a great job as acting as the other during the soul swaps. I really could see Gil Ra Im's personality in Kim Joo Won and vice versa. Even the other actors did a very good job, but I was mostly impressed with the leads.

In addition to the acting, I enjoyed the plot. I don't want to give too much away in case you haven't seen it yet, but one of the things I liked is how Kim Joo Won got to experience his mother looking down upon him when he was in Gil Ra Im's body. I feel like the body switching was necessary, because Kim Joo Won was a jerk in the beginning. How likely would it be that he would change if he didn't experience a bit of what Gil Ra Im does?

As for the Secret Garden OST, I wasn't too crazy about it like some people were, but I did like a few songs. For example, I like the song That Man by Hyun Bin. The Baek Ji Young version is mediocre, in my opinion. Hyun Bin does it so much better.

Spoiler Warning
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One thing that disappointed me about the drama was that Han Tae Sun and Oska didn't end up together. I was hoping that Oska would turn out bisexual and choose to be with Han Tae Sun. I would really love to see a Korean drama that has a gay couple in it. Even if it was two females, I would like to see it. I have nothing wrong with straight romances, but some gay romance would be a nice change at times. To me love is love, so I don't mind either way.

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Is Glory Jane Good?

I watched the first episode of Glory Jane, but I didn't really feel that into it. I didn't like how the majority of the episode was a flashback explaining the rivalry between the two men. Because I felt a bit bored, I decided to try out a different drama, City Hunter. I've heard so many good things about City Hunter, and I finally got the time to watch it. I had been planning on trying it a while ago. I was hooked instantly! I am on episode 3 right now. Who knows if I will ever try out the 2nd episode of Glory Jane. If you have watched Glory Jane, can you tell me if it becomes more interesting?

Note: Please don't post any spoilers.