K-drama Review: Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 (2023)

Image: Prime

Title: Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938
Director: Kang Shin-Hyo
Writer: Han Woo-ri
Number of episodes: 12 episodes
Release date: May 6-June 11 2023


Four months after Lee Rang's death, Lee Yeon receives the power of the nine-tailed fox again, on the condition that Lee Rang be reincarnated. An uninvited guest slips in during the lunar eclipse and steals the guardian stone created by the King of the Dead to protect the boundary between the Worlds of the Living and Dead, then disappears "into the cabinet"


***


Yeay, after Alchemy of Souls, I think Tale of the Nine-Tailed is the next series that I really adore. Well, I should admit that the first season is full of a romantic side between Lee Yeon (Lee Dong-Wook) and Nam Ji-a (Jo Bo-Ah). But, this second season, is more about the brothership between Yeon and Rang (Kim Beom) and the friendship between Yeon, Hong-joo (Kim So-Yeon) and Mu-young (Ryoo Kyung-Soo).


The Story


Because of an unexpected case, Lee Yeon should travel back in time to the year 1938. There, Yeon meets Ryu Hong-Joo, Yeon's long best friend. Well, just like Yeon, Hong-joo was once a guardian spirit of a mountain in the West. Now, in 1938, Hong-Joo is the owner of Myeoyangak--the best high-end restaurant in the capital city of Gyeongseong. 


Another unexpected thing is, Lee Yeon also meets his younger brother, Lee Rang. What's happened in the present makes Lee Yeon try his best to cherish every moment with Rang. He wants to be the best hyung for him. Yeah, it's like paying the price for everything that he couldn't do at the present time.


Meanwhile, there is Cheon Mu-Young, another friend of Lee Yeon and Hong-Joo. He used to be a guardian spirit of a mountain in the east. Sadly, a hurtful event made Mu-Young despise Lee Yeon so much. This incident also made Mu-Young try to seek revenge on Lee Yeon.


Aside from the conflict between Yeon and his two best friends, we also meet another conflict about the independence movement from the Japanese colonization. There were Sunwoo Eun-Ho (Kim Yong-Jin), Snail Bride (Kim Soo-Jin), and grandfather from Afterlife Immigration Office, Hyun Ui-Ong (Ahn Kil-Kang). Therefore, these 12 episodes are really compact and interesting. I really love this season a lot.


The Opinion


So, this season has made me smile a lot. Since we lost Lee Rang in the first season, the second season showed the brotherhood between Lee Yeon and Lee Rang. Of course, with everything that happened, Lee Yeon wants to take advantage of the remaining time that he has with Lee Rang. He knows that Rang won't be coming back at the present time, but in those short moments, Lee Yeon wants to make up for everything. I really love when Lee Yeon without any hesitation always said, "Don't mess with my dongsaeng!", "If something happened to my dongsaeng, you will pay the price." and else.


I couldn't help but smile when Lee Yeon always takes care of Rang, even though Rang sometimes feels annoyed by it. Ahh, I love their bond has become deeper from several events that happened in 1938.


Then, in my opinion, this opinion is war more comedic than the first season. The first episode made me laugh so hard, moreover when Lee Yeon meet Hong-Joo again for the first time. Their battle scene is really hilarious. As the drama progress, a lot of comedic scenes have been executed well in this drama. Good job, PD-nim!


In some interviews, Dong-wook and Beom said that this series will unleash more of the urban legend, including the legend from outside Korea. Well, compared to the first season, this season has brought more urban legends and ghosts from all over Korea. Sadly, as someone who couldn't watch a horror movie, I definitely muted the sound from episode 6 when watched it. I couldn't stand the horror vibe, let alone from the Korean movie--I have a big trauma about watching a Korean horror movie.

 

Anyway, I almost forget that indeed there is a romantic story here. In this season, we gotta meet with the cute story between Lee Rang and the mermaid lady, Jang Yeo-Hee (Woo Hyun-Jin). Their story is not too much but still cute. I laughed so hard when Yeon said something like, "How dare you bring seafood to our family line." That's so funny. Thankfully, Yeon is very supportive of Rang's relationship. At first, Rang maybe looks so cold, but he becomes warmer once Yeo-hee is always on his side when he needs the most. Aww, melting. 


Conclusion


Very well, I know that there will be a next instalment for this series. I mean, how about that origin mountain spirit that has been awakened? Also, the hint at the end of the episodes when Yeon come back to the Joseon dynasty. So, I am more than excited to wait for the next season to come. Ahh, seriously. I love this series so much. I love how Dong-wook and Beom can make the brotherhood between Yeon and Rang felt so real. 


8.5 out of 10 stars from me.


Sincerely, 
Ra

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