Hi! It’s Annie!
Still in the spirit of the current strike and especially avoiding Netflix like the plague, I have yet another review of a non-recent K-Drama. This one is available on multiple streaming websites, none of which are Netflix. I have twice attempted to get into ‘Tale of the Nine Tailed’ which is a popular but not critically acclaimed fantasy K-Drama. There really seems to be a debate on whether or not the drama is good or not and people especially seem to have an issue with the romance in the first season. What people did really like, however, were the characters of Lee Yeon and Lee Rang and their brotherly relationship. Both are handsome and charming and have an almost Thor and Loki type dynamic going on; except it is so so much better. This was also an acting comeback for Kim Bum, who everyone acknowledges as being the best part of the first season. But unfortunately, beyond the scenes with Kim Bum in them, I really couldn’t get behind the first series. I would always get so bored a few episodes in, look for encouragement online, and then end up dropping it when people said that the series didn’t get much better. So, when I heard there was a second season that was almost more like a companion to the first season than a sequel and took place around the 1940s, I was all in. And you really don’t have to know anything about the first season to enjoy this one. I am very glad to say that I absolutely loved this and loving it as much as I do makes me want to go back and watch the first season even less. I’m just going to get into it! MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for BOTH seasons!!!
Summary: After an important theft, Lee Yeon follows the mysterious masked thief back in time to 1938. A time where many of his immortal god-like friends are still at the forefront of society and, most importantly, he is able to reunite with his brother, Lee Rang, who is the leader of a group of bandits and very skeptical of him. Together the brothers join forces to solve several problems in that time period and try to find out who the mysterious man in the red and white mask is. Though Lee Yeon might have bitten off more than he can chew with the explosive return of Ryu Hongjoo, who definitely has her eyes set on him.
The Wholesome:
Lee Rang- I have no idea how I’m not supposed to start with him. This is Kim Bum’s character and everyone is not kidding when they say that he’s the best part of any scene he’s in. Think of a kicked puppy turned anti-hero and you’ve got the heartbreakingly adorable and devastatingly badass Lee Rang; a character who will simultaneously rip your heart to shreds and make you swoon. And I really should have expected it from him considering that the stand-out in ‘Boys Over Flowers’ has always been Yijeong for me. Kim Bum just has this charm about him that catches your eye in every scene. It honestly doesn’t matter who else you’re supposed to be watching. Your eye will immediately find him even if he’s in the background. Every time. And he’s amazing at playing characters who seem guarded on the outside but are really just huge softies. After Lee Rang was abandoned by Lee Yeon, he found himself completely unaware of how to defend himself or the mountain he had been left on. Which results in him killing a village of people which then results in his brother being sent to take him out. When Lee Yeon does actually fight Lee Rang, the betrayal is even more cemented. Hence the enemies to brothers storyline in the first season. Lee Rang once again starts this season off skeptical of Yeon, because this is a complete redo of that character development as it takes place in the past. This is one of the reasons why I say you really don’t have to watch the first season. But needless to say, Lee Rang has had it tough and has also done some pretty deplorable things. He has serious abandonment issues and has guarded himself against the world. And we spend this entire season seeing him soften and become a guy who would drop anything to help anyone. We see him struggle over his own emotions and learn to let people in. And Kim Bum’s acting for all of this moved me to tears several times. Yes, this character is swoon worthy, sarcastic, and charming. But all you really want to do is give him a hug.
Lee Yeon- I wasn’t expecting to like this character as much as I did, but I really did end up loving him too! He has a certain jokey type of charm that catches you and won’t let you go. Both brothers are fluent in sarcasm, but while Lee Rang has a darker undertone to his, Lee Yeon is much more light hearted. The type to brush his hair out of his face before stabbing someone and make it look more like an effortless chore than an actual battle he’s struggling with. He really gives off this energy that he’s lived for a long time and he doesn’t have the energy to do this anymore. But he has a really compassionate heart that keeps him in the game and keeps people endeared to him. While many people in this drama start out suspicious of him because of past events, he refuses to give up on them. And his refusal to give on people and instead look out for them in whatever way he can is what keeps people around him. You don’t often see a main character who’s the glue that keeps people together and he certainly is. He doesn’t care about your view of what’s masculine and what’s not. He’s a caretaker, plain and simple. He takes care of everyone and really tries hard during this season to make sure that everyone is going to be taken care of before he goes back to the future. Even if that means he never gets back. Both brothers are similar in the fact that they would both deny it, but they have such big hearts. And they’re both hilarious to watch.
Brotherly Love- They’re even better together. Yeon appeals himself back to Rang by just being there for him and showing him that he’s not leaving him behind anymore. When Rang finds out that Yeon is truly willing to repair their relationship, he immediately is willing to take a bullet for his brother. More than anything else, this series is about their relationship with each other. The writers really took the criticism from people about the last season and fixed it. In the last season I know that many people didn’t enjoy that it focused on a romance that wasn’t super successful instead of giving more time to the brother story that certainly needed more time to develop. This drama is all about that brotherly story and the re-do of their repairing relationship. It also becomes, at several points, a hilarious buddy-cop type of show where they’re constantly bickering while trying to solve some mystery. They bounce really well off of each other and look so great together on screen. There’s even a gag where they need to go undercover at a hair salon so they apply for jobs there. The woman running it refuses to hire men until she sees them in the waiting room, adjusting their suit collars and cuff links and otherwise looking very attractive, and hires them on the spot. But the best part is the adorable moments where Yeon is tucking Rang into bed after Rang has already fallen asleep or just staring at Rang because he enjoys their time together. (Spoiler: Rang dies in the first season which is why this time is so precious to Yeon. And even after Rang finds out that he dies in the future; instead of feeling betrayed he also enjoys their time more. This is also why I won’t watch the first season.) The brotherly dynamics in this show are the best part and they carry the show.
Hongjoo- I LOVED this character. And everyone also seems to like her more than the female character in the first season. She’s both hilarious and badass and I wanted more from her. She runs what is essentially a brothel, and she is fiercely protective of the women who work under her. On several occasions during this drama, villains will kidnap people who work for her because they know that those people are her weakness. She will do anything to make sure they come home safe. I think we all want a boss exactly like her. Her fighting skills are probably more advanced than anyone else’s in this drama (which is saying something) and although she’s just as scheming as her two best friends (Yeon and Muyoung), she’s definitely smarter than them. She also has the ability to steal scenes. But so did Yeon and Rang. So it really did make it difficult when there was a scene with all three of them in it. Massive abandonment issues are a thing in this drama and, yes, she has them too. She just wants to be loved, which is so freaking relatable. You really feel for her and I love the way she single handedly brings her friend group back together despite all the scheming from everyone involved. Including herself. She’s the resident badass here. Need I say more?
The Romance- There was a small cute romance between Rang and a mermaid named Yeohee and it was EVERYTHING. Yeohee works at a tailor’s shop and boutique and first meets Rang when she’s fitting him for a suit. After he blushes adorably when she makes a couple of adorable comments about how cute she finds him, she decides that she wants to catch his attention. She sees him again when she’s singing at a speakeasy style place and gives him a necklace for protection which eventually results in her saving him from drowning. As he is a nine tailed fox, her saving him now inadvertently means that he owes her. Something she had no idea about when she saved him. And she uses her wishes to get him to do fun things with her that he usually wouldn’t do. When he starts falling in love with her, he is initially angry because he’s not used to the way she makes him feel. At one point the poor bean even breaks down into tears because he’s not used to the warm and tingly feelings he’s been getting around her, which is the most adorably heartbreaking scene I’ve ever seen. I still don’t know how to handle that scene, it’s just too pure and wholesome. They save each other on multiple occasions during the series and they actually have a happy ending! Despite a couple close calls; she doesn’t die! And knowing that Rang has someone to love him is actually what makes Yeon feel like he can go back to his own timeline. This is just the sweetest relationship ever and I will never stop crying about it. You can’t make me!
The Setting- The vibes here are immaculate. Everything from the nicely tailored suits, to the black and white movies that the characters go to see, to the small speakeasy on the corner. I also absolutely loved the cute little boutique shop with the mirror in the back that Yeohee worked at. All of it felt so aesthetically pleasing. I know I will be re-watching this series over and over for the characters and relationships especially, but I could honestly re-watch it for the vibes alone.
The Wearisome:
Muyoung- I called that he was the red/white mask from the moment he appeared on screen. And he never got as much character development as I wished he did. I was very very happy to see him end up as a Doctor so he could potentially start his relationship with Hongjoo, but we needed more time for him to get there. Especially after he kept his schemes going so long after the friendship was reforged. We didn’t even get enough time of him actually fully registering that who he brought back to life wasn’t really his brother. Nothing about his plot ended very clearly even though it felt like it was supposed to. He wasn’t a bad character but there were a few elements that fell flat.
Saying No- Yeon kept telling Hongjoo that he was in a relationship. He said this constantly. She still attempted to force herself on him in a couple of situations and wouldn’t really take no for an answer. And this was usually played for comedy. I’m still seeing this issue in a lot of dramas where somebody being a borderline stalker and not taking no for an answer is viewed as either romantic or comedic depending on the gender of the person doing it. It’s bad no matter who does it. This depiction of a lack of understanding for consent really needs to stop. It would have ruined her character for me if it wasn’t for the fact that I know this is still such a common problem in the writing for so many dramas around the world. It bothers me so much that this is still common.
I really don’t have much to say about this drama that’s negative. I could talk all day about how amazing it is! And I probably have already talked far too much. But if you like Thor and Loki vibes, you’ll love this. Because this is really like if Thor and Loki were better developed characters and their relationship as brothers was WAY better developed and more wholesome. This drama also has a great amount of action and fantasy and is just so aesthetically pleasing. It is absolutely one of my new favorite K-Dramas and I will probably re-watch it soon despite the fact that I just watched it. I can’t resist! I need to visit my Lee Rang again! If you haven’t seen this drama, I strongly recommend you go and watch it. Even if you didn’t like the first season at all, you’ll probably love this one!
See you across the pond!
Sincerely Annie!
Oreos & Peanut Butter 