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Since our last roundup of Kdrama superpowers, we’d like to continue the examination of supernatural and fantasy elements in Korean dramas. This time, we want to take a look at the made-up, non-human characters that have cropped up. From vampires, mythical beast gumiho, to folklore creatures and aliens, we present to you a series of articles delving into these special characters that are just as lovable as their human counterparts.
The first appearance of non-human characters in modern day Korean dramas is a mythical beast called gumiho, or nine-tailed-fox, who comes from age-old oral myths and legends. A gumiho is a fox that has lived 1000 years and can shape-shift into human forms. They subside on eating human livers or hearts. gumihos will usually appear as beautiful women who set out to seduce boys for their organs, but their stories are often romanticized to portray falling in love with humans. As such, you’ll see these common themes within all Kdramas that feature the gumiho.
Since 2004, gumiho has made an appearance in a drama every few years without fail. At first, the depictions of gumiho had a mysterious, serious, and rather dark undertone. Over the years, however, the tone shifted to become increasingly lighthearted, comedic, and even lovable. Although, given how successful My Girlfriend Is a Nine-tailed Fox and Gu Family Book have been, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to bring fresh new angles to this non-human character, which may explain the lack of gumiho dramas in the last few years. In any case, let’s take a look at the list of gumiho Kdramas to date.
Forbidden Love (2004)
This is a story about how the guminho clan tries to coexist with humans in peace, without the latter knowing much about their existence. But the equilibrium is disturbed and their secret is revealed when a human detective chases to solve an atrocious serial murder, where the victims have their organs removed. Can the two races continue to reside in peace and who’s the culprit? This intense drama is a blend of thrilling darkness and heart throbbing romance.
Grudge: The Revolt of Gumiho (2006)
In the Joseon Dynasty, a gumiho is betrayed by her husband and unable to transform into human form. She goes on the run with their half-human, half-fox daughter and meets a single father with his sick daughter suffering from a mysterious disease that can only be cured by feeding her the liver of a same aged girl. While initially scheming against the guminhos, the father ends up falling in love with the guminho mother, which causes jealousy from his own daughter. And so, friendship and love are put to test in this eerie drama.
My Girlfriend Is a Nine-tailed Fox (2010)
Turning the initial horror factors way down, this drama is an adorable, lighthearted rom-com with a heart-wrenching twist of fate. An ordinary human boy accidentally releases a sealed gumiho, who then begins to follow him around. Once he realizes her true identity, he provides food and shelter for her out of fear. But soon, guminho and the boy fall in love, as they try to accomplish her 100 day mission to become a human forever. The drama is full of cuteness and awesome chemistry that you won’t be able to resist.
Gu Family Book (2011)
This fusion martial arts action and historical sageuk drama is about a half man-half gumiho who is searching for a centuries-old book that contains the secret to becoming human. In the process, he learns to control his beastly transformations, uncover the secrets of his birth and his parents’ wrongful deaths, and fall in love with a human girl who initially disguised herself as a boy. It’s got a bit of everything to keep you hooked — action, revenge, drama, romance, and of course, comedy.
The Thousandth Man (2013)
This is a fantasy drama about a gumiho who is in search of becoming human after eating 1000 human male livers. But the rule is that she can’t just eat any liver, she has to get the men to fall in love with her first. So, after consuming 999 male livers, she desperately looks for the last liver of the male who truly loves her, in a mere three months of time. If she fails, she will vanish. But luck strikes as she meets a man who resembles her past lover on the flight back to Korea, and kicks off a whirlwind love story.
While a number of dramas have been dedicated to bringing gumiho to life, it’s still one of the few, if not the only mythical beasts that appear in Kdramas. I for one, would love to see a more diverse range of mythical beasts from the Eastern and Western culture such as dragons, pheonix, to werewolves and even unicorns. Imagine the intensity of a crime drama with a villain capable of rebirth like a phoenix, or the melodrama of a doomed romance between a human and a werewolf — you get the point.
Tell us in the comments section below what mythical beasts you think would make for a captivating Kdrama, and tune in here for the roundup discussing a few different types of folklore creatures.
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