Tale of the Nine-Tailed (2020) Review: A Fox in Seoul

Is Tale of the Nine-Tailed worth watching?

Yes. Tale of the Nine-Tailed is a confident, good-looking urban fantasy that gives Korean folklore a modern, action-friendly polish, and its cast makes the mythology easy to buy into. Lee Dong-wook brings effortless star power to the lead, while Kim Bum’s resentful half-brother supplies the show’s most affecting storyline. The reservation is that the second half grows heavy with lore and melodrama, and the central romance is more predictable than the sibling drama around it.

What is Tale of the Nine-Tailed about?

Lee Yeon (Lee Dong-wook) is a gumiho, the nine-tailed fox of Korean legend. He was once the guardian spirit of a mountain, but he gave up that status long ago and now lives in modern Seoul, tracking down supernatural creatures that slip into the human world. For centuries he has been waiting for one person: the reincarnation of the woman he lost.

Nam Ji-ah (Jo Bo-ah) is a producer of a television show about urban legends, and she has chased rumours of the supernatural since childhood for reasons of her own. When she finally corners Lee Yeon, he recognises something in her, and the encounter pulls both of them into an old curse. Complicating everything is Lee Rang (Kim Bum), Lee Yeon’s half-brother, a fox who resents him bitterly and has little patience for humans.

Tale of the Nine-Tailed was written by Han Woo-ri and first broadcast in South Korea in 2020. It is in Korean and is widely available on Netflix and other services. This review covers the original series, a single complete season of 16 episodes.

Folklore with a contemporary gloss

The show’s greatest pleasure is how it transplants traditional myth into present-day Seoul. Creatures from Korean legend turn up in apartments, office buildings and back alleys, and the series has fun imagining how they would get by in the modern world. The production values are strong for a broadcast drama, with sleek action choreography and a stylish colour palette that gives the fantasy a comic-book sheen.

It also takes its sources seriously. The idea of the gumiho as a figure of danger, longing and transformation gives the show a melancholy undertone, and its interest in the afterlife and reincarnation adds a layer of fate to even the lighter episodes.

The brothers steal the show

Lee Dong-wook is ideally cast as Lee Yeon, poised, dry and devoted, with a gift for making even the most portentous dialogue sound natural. Jo Bo-ah matches him as Ji-ah, a heroine with genuine curiosity and nerve rather than simply an object of eternal love. Their chemistry is warm, if never quite surprising.

The real emotional pull, though, comes from Kim Bum. Lee Rang is spiteful, mischievous and plainly hurt, and Kim plays him with a volatile charm that makes every scene between the brothers crackle. The slow excavation of what went wrong between them gives the series a depth the romance alone would not have.

Where the lore weighs it down

As the season goes on, the story leans harder on backstory, prophecy and centuries-old grudges. The balance between monster-of-the-week adventure and serialised mythology tips towards the latter, and some episodes are heavy on explanation and slow on momentum. The villain’s scheme becomes increasingly convoluted, and the last stretch pushes the melodrama further than the lighter early episodes prepare you for.

Who should watch Tale of the Nine-Tailed?

It is a strong pick for fans of fantasy and folklore-inspired K-dramas, and for anyone who enjoys romance with an action edge. Sixteen hour-long episodes make it a standard K-drama commitment. There is some violence, frightening creature scenes and themes of death and reincarnation, but it is broadly suitable for older teenagers. A period-set follow-up, Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938, continues the brothers’ story for anyone who wants more.

Worth watching next:

• Goblin, the defining Korean fantasy romance about an immortal waiting centuries for the right person.
• The Uncanny Counter for another team of supernatural hunters chasing spirits through modern Korea, with more humour.

The verdict

Tale of the Nine-Tailed is polished, atmospheric and fun, a folklore fantasy that works best when it lets Lee Dong-wook and Kim Bum spar as estranged brothers. Its mythology becomes overwrought and the romance follows a familiar path, but the style and the performances make it well worth the trip.

Rating: 4/5