Tale of the Nine-Tailed Fox 1938 is the long-awaited and highly anticipated sequel to the 2020 series, Tale of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Following the adventures of gumiho, or nine-tailed fox, Lee Yeon ( Lee Dong Wook), the series uproots the modern setting to a time-travelling experience during the Japanese occupation. Lee Yeon and Koo Shin-joo (Hwang Hee) chase after a mysterious masked being that has stolen the Samdocheon Guardian Stone, a gem that maintains the barrier between the living and the dead. Stuck in 1938 until they can recover the stone, they encounter old friends, the former mountain deity and wealthy socialite Ryu Hong Joo ( Kim So Yeon), a hostile former friend and guardian spirit, Cheon Moo Young ( Ryu Kyung Soo) and Lee Yeon's younger brother, Lee Rang ( Kim Bum). Can Lee Yeon travel back to the future while saving the past from malicious entities, or will history be doomed to repeat itself?


The same screenwriter wrote The Tale of the Nine-Tailed Fox, the first series, Han Woo Ri, and the series is s directed by
Kang Shin-hyo and Jo Nam-hyung. By far, the sequel takes a more whimsical approach than the first season regarding the fantasy element. The decision for Jo Bo Ah to not return ( aside from a brief cameo) in the second series, probably caused a major rut in the works of the original direction of writing for the drama and led Woo Ri to try and come up with a plot that could work. In some ways, this did grant the series some golden opportunities to venture out from the heavy romance for Lee Yeon in season one to a more dynamic explanation of his character and platonic relationships and the action at heart.


This gave the series a lot of advantages to being revamped from a fantasy romance into a fantasy action-comedy. The comic relief is certainly a lot more present in the series. Refreshingly rather than relying on cheap gags for comic relief, the series offers more witty jabs and self-awareness towards its previous shortcomings ( with Lee Yeon's encounters with his lovesick past self and, of course, Lee Rang's violent tendencies being primary sources for some laughs). There are certainly some darker moments in the storyline, including the subplots revolving around the Japanese Army and the intentions of Moo Young. However, rather than being heavily dominated by this theme, the sequel is a lot more easygoing in some regards.



The acting in the series was good. Lee Dong Wook and Kim Bum did not disappoint as the main leads and offered fairly stellar performances. However, a surprising performance came through Kim So Yeon's performance as Ryu Hong Joo. So Yeon showed a fairly flirty yet complex edge to the character, which truly helped bring the character to life. There were admittedly a few corny performances in the series, yet, they could sometimes be ignored with the direction of the writing.


With this in mind, viewers should be surprised that one driving element of season two ( similar to its predecessor) came through the bromance and fraternal bond between Lee Rang and Lee Yeon. After the bittersweet conclusion for the brothers in season one, the return of Rang and Yeon's tragicomic bond was a gold mine for writing opportunities, and the series took it to its full advantage. Lee Rang is still caught up in his hatred and secret admiration for his brother; while armed with the knowledge of the future, Lee Yeon tries to spend more time with him and play a brotherly role in his life.


With this being said, there does come a more decisive issue with Lee Rang's romance with half-mermaid Jang Yeo Hee (Woo Hyun Jin). On the one hand, seeing an antihero character such as Lee Rang fall in love was quite sweet. On the other hand, while fairly well-paced, the romantic element show did feel somewhat contrived, with Yeo Hee falling nearly head over heels with Lee Rang at first sight to give the season its '' romantic couple''. The show's focus on this relationship was fairly driven, though it did not entirely overshadow the main plot either.


New character introductions helped the show to go a long way. Ryu Hong Joo was a new main character for the series, which offered a starkly different personality from Lee Rang and Lee Yeon. Headstrong, playful and surprisingly more complex than her first appearance would suggest, Hong Joo's past with Lee Yeon helps to drive a major part of the series. She is a very morally ambiguous character, neither truly playing the role of hero nor villain, instead being more driven by her personal goals and motives. Similarly, Moo Young acts as a frenemy character in the series. He goes way back with Hong Joo and Lee Yeon, though as viewers find out, his grudge against Lee Yeon is very personal. When trying to tie up loose ends with Moo Young's storyline, the series felt rushed, but it was still fairly entertaining.


Other subplot characters include nefarious Kato Ryuhei ( Ha Do Gwon), a man determined to bring down the local Korean deities and gain power and status, and Seon Woo Eun Ho ( Kim Yong Ji). Kim Yong Ji, the actress of Yu-Ri from season one, returns to play the reporter under Sunwoo Ilbo, Seon Woo Eun Ho. The character's striking resemblance to Yu-Ri is noted even by Lee Yeon ( ironically commenting they are lazy with faces in the birth cycle). It would have been interesting ( irony or not) to have touched upon the reincarnation cycle lore from season one a little more, but Eun Ho was still a fairly interesting character. Perhaps the only major weakness of her character came from needing more screen time, meaning some of her more interesting plot moments were cut short.


The execution was good for the most part. The storyline played more episodic than season one, often giving more opportunities to focus on specific areas or characters than a jetstream narrative. My one complaint came through this often, feeling as though the series lacked a greater sense of direction until the final part of the series. As a result, some story elements ( including the ending) needed to be more timely.


The cinematography was fairly nice. The sets were impressive, and the costume design was a major highlight of the series. The OST included some good tracks, such as "Kiss The Rain" by Thama and "Wind Song" (바람의 노래) by Kei.




Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938 offered a great sequel to the original series and exceeded expectations. Learning from some of the previous season's past mistakes, the drama provided a more entertaining watch than season one, with an intriguing storyline, a good balance of themes, beautiful costumes and sets, and characters. With news of a season three on its way, it will be interesting to see where the series is taken, and what adventure Lee Yeon will be on next. Overall a good and entertaining watch.