Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938: Episodes 11-12 (Final)
by DaebakGrits
This finale has everything: body swapping, hypnotism, damsels in distress, necromancy, gun fights, explosives, inspirational quotes, redemption arcs, and boss battles to end all boss battles. In other words, Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 went out with a bang — literally and figuratively — and it’s going to be hard to say goodbye to these delightfully fun and wacky characters.
EPISODES 11-12
We ended last week’s penultimate episodes with Nyudo swapping his old-man body for Yeon’s much more sleek and spry physique. While the upgrade is obvious from an aesthetics perspective, this also gave Nyudo the opportunity to spy on Hong-joo and Moo-young and wait for an opening to steal the crystal.
At the same time, Yeon learns that there is a fifth Shinigami, and the last thing he wants is for the remaining anime villains to regroup and gain the upper hand while he and his fellow mountain gods are weakened and feuding among themselves. Thinking on his feet, Yeon convinces Yuki and Oogama that it wouldn’t be wise for them to appear before their boss with only one treasure in hand. Nope, instead they should totally try and take out the Joseon gods and steal the crystal so their leader won’t be angry over their lackluster performance.
Yuki and Oogama agree that his plan sounds like a good idea, so they seek out Hong-joo and Moo-young. Naturally, when the two teams converge, a fight ensues. Yuki’s freezing superpower — timed with a surprise attack from Nyudo-in-disguise — quickly gives the Shinigami the upper hand, but when Moo-young reveals his flame abilities, Yuki convinces Nyudo that he should swap Yeon’s body for the one with more fire power.
Yeon, who’d been hiding and biding his time for the perfect moment to reclaim his body, jumps into the smoke just as Nyudo uses his power to swap with Moo-young. Once Yeon is back in the driver’s seat of his own skin, Yeon summons a bolt of lightning and disintegrates Nyudo in an instant. (What, Yeon, you couldn’t conjure more lightning to end Yuki and Oogama, too? Or would that have been too easy?)
Yuki and Oogama scamper off, and the battered and bruised mountain gods take a moment to rest and commiserate, but their fight against the Shinigami isn’t over. There’s still the matter of their pesky leader SATORI (Seo Young-joo), who tries to keep them under his spell — but his illusions are no match for Yeon’s wits. When Yeon realizes that he and his fellow mountain gods are still in the hotel and not, in fact, recuperating at Myoyeongak as Satori’s illusion would have them believe, they exit Satori’s spell and come face-to-face with Satori and the rest of the Shinigami.
Of course, this latest villain has another trick up his sleeve, and quick flashbacks reveal that he’d already hypnotized the mountain gods the previous day when he’d been disguised as a hypnotist’s assistant. At the count of three, he orders Yeon to hand over the magical artifacts and has Moo-young and Hong-joo commence choking each other to death.
Once again, our heroes are in quite the predicament, but — as always — Yeon’s cunning and magical fox abilities come in handy. Lest we forgot from Season 1, Yeon also has the ability to mindf**k people, and while he was trapped in Nyudo’s body, he hypnotized Yuki and Oogama so that they would attack whatever opponent Yeon was facing when he said the magic word three times. On command, Yuki freezes Satori, and Yeon orders Oogama and Yuki to carry Satori up to the hotel’s roof, where they should all jump off together.
Admittedly, I find this turnabout a wee bit convenient, especially since all previous scenes indicated Nyudo retained the powers of whatever body he was possessing. After all, he was able to summon Yeon’s sword, and he wanted to swap bodies with Moo-young to gain his pyrokinetic abilities. So it doesn’t make sense that Yeon would still be able to hypnotize the Shinigami in Nyudo’s body. Whatever, I’ll roll with it. *shrugs*
With the Battle of Bando Hotel behind them, our heroes try to rest up as much as they can before D-day — the day of the eclipse and Eun-ho’s wedding. This includes Rang, who successfully cured Yeo-hee and prevented her from becoming a zombie. But sadly, his little mermaid is not safely out of harm’s way just yet. Kato has finally realized that Yeon is not only powerful but extremely crafty and sharp, meaning throwing a series of goons at Yeon isn’t going to work unless he comes up with an equally clever scheme to back Yeon into a corner. And to do that, Kato needs hostages. (You can probably see where this is going now.)
Poor Yeo-hee is taken by (not dead) Yuki while on a date with Rang, which nearly breaks him, as feelings of being useless and “not good enough” to protect his loved ones resurface. Yeo-hee isn’t the only one in distress, though, because Oogama (also not dead because — let’s be real here — Yeon was pretty dumb to think that jumping off a mere four-story building would kill such strong demons) takes Hong-joo’s eternally loyal puppy YOO JAE-YOO (Han Gun-yoo) hostage, too.
Why does Kato need two hostages? Well, he issues a challenge to Rang and Hong-joo: the first one to deliver the magical artifacts to him will have their loved one returned safely. If Kato actually expects to sow discord and have Rang and Hong-joo to go head-to-head, he is sorely mistaken, because neither Rang nor Hong-joo jump to play his game. However, as a stall tactic to keep the pair distracted and away from his wedding with Eun-ho, it’s fairly effective — especially since Yeon has a curfew that’s less forgiving than Cinderella’s.
Even so, Yeon rallies the troops and concocts a plan that has everyone working together to not only ruin Kato’s wedding (and kill the high-ranking Japanese general in attendance) but to also rescue Yeo-hee and Jae-yoo — with hopefully enough time leftover for him to catch his ride back to the future. It isn’t long before Rang’s gang and Shin-joo’s canine footmen locate our villains’ prison hideout, and so Rang and Hong-joo team up to rescue their loved ones. Meanwhile, Yeon, Eun-ho, and Hong-joo’s girls sneak into Bando Hotel to hide weapons and bombs around the wedding venue.
Rang and Hong-joo locate Yeo-hee first. She’s safe and sound because Jae-yoo put up a fight and destroyed one of the serum vials that Yuki and Oogama were going to inject into their bloodstreams. Unfortunately, there was still one vial left, and after injecting the serum into Jae-yoo, Oogama tied him to a tree — bait for Hong-joo, who immediately rushes to his rescue and releases him from his bonds.
The serum makes Jae-yoo go crazy and attack Hong-joo, but she refuses to fight back. She just holds him and pats his head lovingly when he bites her shoulder, and the familiar way she comforts him helps him momentarily come to his senses — long enough for him to fatally wound himself in order to avoid attacking her further. Not going to lie, this scene had me near tears, and I’m a bit resentful that their relationship wasn’t featured more prominently in previous episodes.
At the prison, Rang is fighting both Yuki and Oogama, and he’s not faring well. Physically, their combined strength overpowers him, but it’s the psychological beatdown that he’s taking that’s doing the most damage. While Yuki inflicts pain on Yeo-hee, Oogama and Yuki belittle Rang’s abilities, and when they compare him to Yeon, they find him lacking. Rang seemingly succumbs to his fate as the helplessness sinks in, and he asks Yeo-hee to look away so she won’t see him die. But then he remembers Yeon’s words.
Before they split ways and went off to fight their separate battles, Yeon told Rang that their father once claimed Rang had the potential to be more powerful than Yeon. Although at the time Rang assumed that his big brother was just blowing smoke up his ass, Yeon’s encouragement — plus Rang’s desire to save his woman — unlocks Rang’s true power. Both of his eyes glow golden, and Rang easily takes out Oogama and Yuki in a fantastical display of strength. Of course, that triumphant display of power leaves Rang too weak to face his next opponent: the also not dead (but extremely banged up) Satori.
The final Shinigami isn’t much of a threat, though, because that’s the moment 1938 Yeon decides to make a cameo appearance and cut down Satori with a single slash of his sword. As it turns out, a well-timed letter present-day Yeon sent to his past self contained the knowledge that Ah-eum would be reborn. This gave 1938 Yeon the sudden desire to listen to the rest of the advice written in the letter — namely, be a better brother to Rang, ya dumbass. Not only does Yeon come to Rang’s rescue, but he also makes a pitstop to give Hong-joo a special flower that will save Jae-yoo. Yay! He lives! (Another mighty convenient plot point but, again, *shrugs*).
Back at Bando Hotel, everyone important has gathered for Kato and Eun-ho’s wedding, and as Kato walks his bride down the aisle, she looks about as thrilled as any other woman about to marry the demon who killed her sister. But — surprise! — that isn’t Eun-ho at Kato’s side. It’s Yeon in disguise, and after making a brief speech to the gathered guests, he reveals his true identity, whips out a shotgun, and gets the unorthodox post-wedding reception started.
The real Eun-ho has a shootout with the Japanese soldiers and makes it her mission to hunt down and take out the general, much to her father’s eternal disappointment. So what does her father do when his only remaining daughter choses her country over her family? He shoots at Eun-ho and wins the award for shittiest father. Thankfully, the bullet only grazes Eun-ho, but unfortunately for her father, he’s the one caught standing over the dead general’s body with a gun in his hand, so the remaining Japanese soldiers naturally assume he’s the assassin and spray him with bullets. A bit overkill, but you won’t see me crying over his demise.
Meanwhile, in the main hall, the final showdown between Yeon and Kato goes down. At first, Kato, a Japanese mountain god way too far from home, appears to get the upper hand and uses a Darth Vader-like chokehold on Yeon. But then, Yeon smiles and — spoiler alert! — takes great pleasure in revealing the future date of Japan’s surrender in World War II. Yeon’s strength grows, his eyes glow golden, lightning cackles, and — BAM! — Yeon unleashes his full nine-tailed fox persona and rises into the air.
In response, Kato starts summoning all of his power, too, and grows a pair of wings made of black magic. It’s like they’re two video game characters channeling their most powerful special move, readying for a K.O. At the same time, they unleash their attacks, converging in the middle, and it’s Yeon who remains standing! (Not that any of us were truly concerned. He’s ridiculously overpowered, but that’s part of Yeon’s charm.)
With the clock nearing midnight seven o’clock, Yeon and Shin-joo make a hasty exit so they don’t miss their window to return to the future. A line of Japanese soldiers are waiting for them outside the hotel, and Shin-joo’s getaway car isn’t cranking. Although the soldiers don’t pose much of a threat to Yeon, he doesn’t exactly have a ton of minutes to spare. And that’s when Moo-young jumps in to save the day!
Now, you might be thinking, where has Moo-young been all this time? Well, presumably dead. You see, what had happened was, Moo-young stole the golden ruler from Yeon, and apparently that’s all he really needed to revive his brother — or who he assumed was his brother. In a reveal that shocked absolutely no one, the being Moo-young unleashed upon the world was not his big brother. Instead, the original mountain god was awakened, and his first order of business was to kill Moo-young with a tiny boop to the forehead. The next thing he did was steal Taluipa’s thousand-mile eyes, and after that, well, who knows what happened to him (because the writers must be saving that juicy storyline for a possible third season).
When Moo-young makes his unnecessarily delayed reappearance — that’s totally for the audience’s benefit because it makes zero sense from an actual strategic standpoint — we flash back to Yeon finding Moo-young’s body. He’s absolutely distraught, and his tears cause the big dipper mark on his forearm to glow and summon the baby god of fortune. He’s cautioned against using his wish now because he will become lost once again, but Yeon declares that he will find his own way in the future.
Thus, Moo-young is revived — and completely baffled that Yeon would be so forgiving and kind-hearted after, you know, all the crappy things he’s done to Yeon in the recent past. Yeon is all about forgiving and forgetting, though, and he bids Moo-young a brief goodbye before driving off, a happy smile on his face as he watches Moo-young charbroil the Japanese soldiers in the rearview mirror.
Although Yeon is eager to return to the future, he hesitates when he’s actually poised to open the door because he hasn’t bid Rang a proper goodbye. Thankfully, Rang had the same thought and arrives at the last possible moment. Seeing the two brothers cry as they bid farewell to each other damn near killed me, and while I can’t say for certain if this version of their reconciliation surpassed their bromance in Season 1, it hurts double-time knowing Yeon had this fleeting opportunity to make amends with Rang (again) but presumably the future he’s returning to will remain the same as he left it. And sure enough, when Yeon returns to the future, he has a happy reunion with Jia — but there’s no sign of Rang or the other mountain gods.
Instead, we get a short montage of their lives in 1938 after Yeon left, but the more we see of 1938, the less it makes sense that the future remains unchanged. For starters, Yeon’s time in the past expedited his reconciliation with Rang, and we see Rang’s affection for future Yeon carrying over to 1938 Yeon, who is going through detox and steadily building an affectionate rapport with Rang. Even if one argues that Rang is destined to die at a set point in time, regardless of how long he and Yeon have been on good terms, there’s still the matter of Moo-young and Hong-joo.
Moo-young has made a conscious decision to become the person Hong-joo remembers him being, and he has decided to pursue his former dream of becoming a doctor. Hong-joo has also resolved to embrace her role as mountain god and protect the people, and we see her team up with Moo-young and 1938 Yeon to assassinate the newest Japanese general. Ignoring the impact their superhero team-up would have on actual historical events, it’s still hard to imagine that their strengthened friendship wouldn’t have carried over into the events of Season 1. The villain from Season 1 was pretty strong, but surely Yeon would have been able to defeat him faster — and possibly without Rang’s death — if he’d had Moo-young and Hong-joo at his side, right?
Overall, I really enjoyed these final episodes, but the lingering questions I have about the timeline and the MIA original mountain god prevent me from feeling completely satisfied. I want answers, so I really hope tvN announces that they’ve greenlit a Season 3 soon. And if a third season becomes the final season, then I sincerely wish it ends with an extended montage of an alternate version of the future where all of our characters from this season — including Rang and his mermaid — are living their best lives in the modern times.
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Tags: Ahn Gil-kang, Ha Do-kwon, Hwang Hee, Kim Bum, Kim Jung-nan, Kim So-yeon, Kim Soo-jin, Kim Yong-ji, Lee Dong-wook, Ryu Kyung-soo, Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938
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1 jerrykuvira
June 13, 2023 at 5:11 AM
Had Yeo-hee actually died like died for real, I'd query TOT9T1938, asking them just one question. Was there no way they could figure out a future for Rang where he is happy? Like is it too hard a future to conceive for Rang.
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lapislazulii
June 13, 2023 at 3:47 PM
Same!! I literally had my pitchfork & tears ready during that scene where I thought for sure they were going to kill off Yeo-hee and that would be what triggered Rang's powers.
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jerrykuvira
June 13, 2023 at 4:48 PM
"Pitchfork and tears"😂😂😂. Seems like you're more determined to tear the writer apart than I am.
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2 miso
June 13, 2023 at 5:52 AM
So many convenient powers and plot contrivances cropped up but I'm not complaining one bit because it meant every character I cared about stayed alive. I think the strangest plot point was the OG Mountain God just standing around watching as Yeon goes back to his own time. I know it's set-up for a potential Season 3 but it felt sort of silly to watch that story go nowhere.
My favourite part though were the 3 mountain gods forming a supernatural avengers-like team. Don't even care that it makes no sense with historical context. It's fun. That's my abiding takeaway from this season - it was so much fun! One of the few instances where Season 2 was far superior to Season 1.
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Blue (@mayhemf)
June 13, 2023 at 6:09 AM
If they wanted to make even a bit sense they could have awakened the Mountain god but made him not fully restored. We would have assumed he would become powerful over the course of time, eventually. Nope, they made him stand by and watch Yeon leave with the stone.
May be he is learning time travel and will travel to the future in season 3! 😅
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miso
June 13, 2023 at 9:11 AM
So true. They could have set-up mountain god as a looming threat instead of including Moo-young's murder, Taluipa's eyes, etc. all in the last episode only for the big bad to go nowhere.
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SummerMoon
June 13, 2023 at 6:23 PM
I was a little confused about this actually. Taluipa said if the original mountain god gets revived now, he's only an empty shell, that's why she allowed it? This was during her conversation with Yeon when he found out how MY was actually reviving and told her they can get hurt too. If he's really an empty shell, how is it possible he's so powerful already? And 1 poke on the forehead is enough to kill MY. Another poke on the forehead is enough to steal Taluipa's all seeing eyes.
All in all DON'T MAKE US WAIT TOO LONG FOR SEASON 3 PLEASE 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
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Eazal
June 13, 2023 at 12:53 PM
A Mountain God that could kill another Mountain God with a touch and blind Taluipa in the same way, that just watches Yeon go away without doing anything... it just didn't make any sense.
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lapislazulii
June 13, 2023 at 3:49 PM
I agree wholeheartedly! This was a rare instance where I was actually hoping for some random plot device that would magically save the day, and I'm glad that everyone I cared about did stay alive in the end. Fun is indeed the best way to describe it, it was super fun to watch!
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3 Blue (@mayhemf)
June 13, 2023 at 5:56 AM
I had great fun with this show. Was it logical - hell, no! But it was fun, fun and a lot of fun.
MY should have been left dead as it would have been more impactful. That character arc made more sense. Bringing him back alive kinda negated all the feels.
Also, Jindo. I thought he would die too.
I like my good guys not to die, but sometimes it makes sense and has more impact.
Also, I needed a catalog of Gumiho powers! because he apparently can do everything.. even hypnosis!! like, where did that come from?
Also, the Satori boss was bland. He just looked like a kid playing dress up. The other mercenaries def had more personality.
Also, was I the only one stressed about Yeon waiting till the last second to enter the portal? what if their watch a second slow?
Anyway... Hyun Joo was great till the end. Would love to see a spin off with her as the lead.
And I am ready for Season 3..
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Blue (@mayhemf)
June 13, 2023 at 6:12 AM
Thanks for the recaps @daebakgrit! It was fun watching with you and other beanies.
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DaebakGrits
June 13, 2023 at 7:27 AM
Thanks, @mayhemf! I had fun watching this with everyone, too! It was a nice palate cleanser after Kokdu. lol
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Seon-ha
June 13, 2023 at 3:00 PM
I’m not here to start a fight (worst way to start this, Seon-ha)…but I think that this drama and Kokdu could battle it out for “who had the most plot holes,” and I don’t know who would win.
And yet folks are way more inclined to forgive Tale 1938. I’m truly curious about this.
I see that Tale 1938 looks (and probably was) more expensive. It had many more awesome action scenes. But, if I had to guess…what it did to receive the grace of the viewers that Kokdu did not, was live up to its pre-hyped genre expectations. It delivered on what folks thought they were going to see.
To reiterate, I, in no way, think that Kokdu was a better drama. I just note that the community has clearly recognized that neither of these shows really hung together, plot-wise.
I wonder if anyone else who’s seen both of these dramas has other thoughts on this? @daebakgrits? Maybe you and I are the only two who made it through Kokdu :)
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DaebakGrits
June 13, 2023 at 7:52 PM
I guess this is my time to shine, @attiton. lol. Both certainly have their plot holes, but the biggest difference between the two was that TotNT 1938 was just -- to put it simply -- way more fun to watch, and I think that was largely due to the cast more than the writing or special effects. You could tell the actors and actresses were enoying themselves and having fun with their roles, and their energy was contagious. I can't vouch for all the Beanies, but when I love a set of characters and start rooting for them, I don't care as much about logic. I just want them to have a happy ending, and if that means things fall into place a little too neatly without much explaination, then so be it.
Kokdu, however, was very dull. Kim Jung-hyun was pretty dang amusing as Kokdu (so many great facial expressions!), but he did not have much support in either the cast or the writing to make the drama fun. It also didn't help matters that it was far too long at sixteen 80-minute episodes (compared to TotNT 1938's twelve 70-minute episodes). Honestly, I probably would have liked Kokdu a lot more if they'd shortened it and replaced the lead actress. Although, to be fair to Im Soo-hyang, her character was so poorly written I'm not sure any actress could have salvaged that particular role.
Gikata
June 13, 2023 at 11:11 PM
As another 3K survivor - pretty sure there were a few more! - I can attest that the difference between the two shows is very simple - KKOKDU was so ridiculous it was BAD, while TOTNT38 was ridiculous in a good way, mainly by never taking itself too seriously. It was a pure fanservice for the fans of original, and it was great at it - so great, actually, that many people, me included, ended up loving sequel much more than the said original. Hardly anyone watched this drama for the plot - of course we weren't disappointed by the lack of it)))
Seon-ha
June 14, 2023 at 5:41 AM
Over-long and joyless also sounds like an apt description of my career 🤨
No seriously, you’ve hit the nail on the head there, @daebakgrits, as always. There was little joy. (Also, I want to mention as an aside that agree with you heartily about the Jindo here in Tale 1938. Moar plz.)
And, @gikata, I very much agree that Kokdu was bad. You also agree that it had no fun whatsoever (it didn't). But it also sounds like you had hoped Kokdu would have a stronger plot whereas you didn’t need that from Tale 1938?
I wonder if the notion of unmet expectations might still hold a little water.
4 Kurama
June 13, 2023 at 6:00 AM
There were so many plot holes, a real field of moles!
Moo-young was a very gifted god but completely lost it when his brother died. He didn't try to understand how and why his brother tried to kill, didn't thank Yeon to save him... No he decided to take revenge and kill Yeon. When he learned that he played by another god, he just decided to become doctor. Yeon was a great friend like a brother and he had no issue to kill him but the big villain can go free...
I was surprised we didn't get Hong-Joo's reaction about Mu-Young's death, so his comeback wasn't really a surprise.
Lee Rang was treated like a kid during the whole show. Fortunately, Kim Bum was looking great with this haircut and these suits. I could have liked the love story, sadly the actress's acting didn't work for me. I don't understand why they chose a rookie.
Hong-Joo was definitely the best character : strong, wise, funny, caring and great outfits and make-up. So where she is in the present? They have a strong friendship but no trace of them in the present. (But why didn't she kill Yuki?!? How many times did Yuki try to kill them for them to letting her go?)
I would like to know what were the powers of Lee Yeon, they seems to be very variable according to the situation.
So the big baddie? What was his role? Why did he let Yeon leave with the stone?
This drama was great for the eyes! The actors looked great 😍
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Eazal
June 13, 2023 at 12:57 PM
I can only agree about Rang and his love story with the expressionless half mermaid. Never felt the chemistry, never felt the love, a perfect case of miscast.
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5 SummerMoon
June 13, 2023 at 6:19 AM
After episode 11, episode 12 was ... ... meh. I felt so let down after all that crazy ride from episode 1, and that's how it ends.
First 30 mins of episode 12, I was just bored. I wished I could watch on 2x speed. The so called best Japanese demons were crap. Kato's powers was a huge letdown. Akira was just a demon who was much less powerful than his sister. HJ reduced to a mess? Rang became a full fledge nine tail fox? Yeon can do sewing and embroidery? The mermaid reduced to ... a gasping fish? I have so many things to nitpick. So what about that original mountain god that makes him so powerful that he can take away Taluipa's all seeing eyes? That goodbye between Rang and Yeon definitely took more than 2 minutes that they had left before the portal close. What happened to the other 2 mountain gods in 2023? Where are they?
The only good thing to me in the last episode was the 3 roomies endearing bromance. I'm just that disappointed 😞
Still, I'll happily rewatch episode 1 to 10. Just not the last 2.
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6 StacyB
June 13, 2023 at 6:48 AM
Personally I am fully satisfied by the ending except for lacking of explanation why after Lee Yeon’s time travel and how many people and their fates he have changed for better, it won’t affect future. I need more info about that and I want him to find Hong Joo in future and Moo Yeong and together with Moon Bear to have dinner and soju. I am surprised to see here that some are questioning Lee Yeon’s power to hypnotize. Have you guys watched other supernatural shows? Besides for me its super clear that if you can erase memories (which means to compel people to forget smth), then you can compel people to do something. If Lee Yeon didn’t use this power in S1 this doesn’t mean he doesn’t have this power. Lee Yeon didn’t use power of thunder as well but it was shown in S1 that he can control thunder and rain. So everything is logical with Lee Yeon. What is not logical, is how half blooded fox can become fox just when he decides to accept his fox’s half. What’s further? He will suddenly become nine tailed fox with 9 tails? It was said in S1 that you can have 1 tail per 100 years. Or maybe he’s obtain the power of mountain god just because he wants (read: for fan service)? I hope writer won’t go further with creating ooc further. Anyway, I am waiting for S3 and hope there will be no love lines at all. Scene like in S2 ending is ok, but not more. But all actors did great. I became Kim So Yeon’s fan after her portrayal of Hong Joo. I hope we will have her in S3 if it will be confirmed.
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redfox
June 13, 2023 at 7:21 AM
yes fan service. Rang got powers like tinkerbell. everyone wished for it.
the only thing we didnt ser inthis episode is foxes cross-dressing.
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StacyB
June 13, 2023 at 7:39 AM
I'd like to have a little bit more logic lmao, so for me it was like you said "tinkerbell". It was done for his fans so they can be happy that this time their fave was treated well. And for that they have sacrifieced their own legends and what they have told us in S1. But it's fantasy drama, where everything can happen lmao.
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ccorpse13
June 13, 2023 at 10:09 AM
Comment was deleted
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7 Wayward Sister
June 13, 2023 at 7:00 AM
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8 Wayward Sister
June 13, 2023 at 7:05 AM
Loved this drama so much ❤️ Hope to see Lee Yeon again on screen
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9 Gikata
June 13, 2023 at 7:14 AM
Until Season 3 happens to refute it, I'm going with alternate timeline explanation. And you certainly WON'T see me complaining over "every good guy lives" all around happy ending, even if it means total eclipse of the logic, time travel rules and whatever)))
But man, did they go full genre salad with that finale - xianxia-like CGI battles mid-air, people dying and being resurrected on the spot left and right, Rang doing willpower (or power of love?) level up in the best anime fashion, body snatching for everyone (that's what happened to MY's bro, right? the real one was long dead and only the shell with OG mountain god parasite remained), huge explosions only resulting in some suits and furniture ruined while no one alive was harmed as if it's a silly cartoon, all is forgiven and forgotten between friends, Eunho going full noir gangsta on her wedding guests, hypnosis galore, patriotic avengers trio apparently determined to liberate Joseon faster and more effectively this time around (and something tells me they have a chance), multiple examples of unrequited love geometry melo (I'm fine with Hongjoo riding into sunset with BOTH her suitors, why not?), even family comedy "Meet foxy in-laws" as 38!Yeon starts his rehab with lecturing poor Yeohee about what a great gumiho family she's marrying into for 12 times in a row to Rang's VERY understandable annoyance... From storytelling standpoint it was a hot mess, but I couldn't care less))) Thank you for healing a bit my battered heart, show! The fact that we have no idea how things will go from now on for these characters is kinda thrilling - after all, future IS supposed to be unknown and full of possibilities.
OG mountain god (apparently he sucks so much that no face or name were given to him lol) is all over the place, but it's both easy to wait for him to be properly explored in Season 3 or ignore him altogether if it never arrives. Gotta love the show's consistency in making ALL its main villains mountain gods-themed - actual, former, foreign or wannabe - there's an epic irony somewhere in there. Will we ever get the full story of daddy gumiho tho? He is the real enigma of the series!
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10 in_my_veins
June 13, 2023 at 7:31 AM
The entire Season was fantabulous so did the ending. I have discovered another side of actor Lee Dong Wook. His action scenes were awesome. Another side which I have confirmed he’s pro in is his comic acting. He’s very relatable. One of the best features of Lee Yeon I cherish is his sense of humor. And LDW acts it perfectly.
One of my favorite scene was Lee Yeon giving up on wish he has got from Goddess of fortune in order to revive Moo Yeong. And he did it without hesitation. That’s Lee Yeon, my favorite ideals hero. Can’t wait for his further adventures. Hopefully, we will get to see his friend in Season 3 as well, if it will be confirmed. And gosh, give us the story of his parents!
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Blue (@mayhemf)
June 13, 2023 at 2:03 PM
He plays cheeky role very well!!
He really looked this part and it was great watching him in this role.
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11 jerrykuvira
June 13, 2023 at 8:36 AM
I couldn't care any less for Moo-young. I basically stopped worrying . I just wished Moo-young's actions to revive his brother kept Moo-young dead, like which consistently self-serving know-it-all and no-listening-to-reason individual who doesn't want to use his head and look beyond his grief doesn't get that epiphany at last whilst knocking at death's door. In my country, we'd react along the words :""What the eyes is searching for is what the eye has now seen". Your eyes are clear now and you have calmed down, right? You're okay now that you've seen what you're looking for. I believe you are happy now."
And, Yeon always talked about Moo-young facing the consequences of his putting the team in constant danger but not once did we Moo-young pay for his stupid theatricals in the hands of Yeon or Hong-joo. Even if Yeon wanted to be more forgiving owing to his guilt over Ho-young's death, I expected Hong-joo to just give him one very good well-landed punch, with the promise of worse of that should he ever try to do those things he did ever again. He freaking put everyone his friends cared for in danger every single time: Yeon, his brother and, Hong-joo, Myoyeongak. As someone who prided in Myoyeongak as it were her life, Hong-joo never dealt him any punishment and it is a bit of a stretch to conceive in my head.
Here's what 2023 me would have told 1938 me. I'd tell 1938 everything Moo-young has done in this timeline so he'll get a very good beating or at least one nice punch from 1938 me. I can't believe he did all those things he did and they just swept everything under the rug, like it never happened.
Now that was one hell of a cameo Mr. Lee Dong-wook as Yeon 1938. I'm freaking satisfied that Yeon thought to bring back 1938 Yeon so he can be with Rang. Why wait till the future to meet when the location of 1938 is known and Rang won't have to be left alone after feeling warmth of family for a month. And if it is true that Rang discarded his banditry without discarding his bandit gang then, Yeon really rubbed off on him. 2023 Yeon forcing 1938 out of Manchuria was one good decision. Plus, he needs to detox for whatever drama happened in season 1. I didn't watch 1 at all, and I guess their wellbeing in 1938 is going to affect 202... in a way.
I didn't see the trio in the future and it was a bit scary. What the hell happened? Hong-joo and Kim So-yeon had better be back, very much safe and in good hands. And talking about Kim So-yeon, I have absolutely nothing to say except for showers upon showers of praises for her role in TOT9T. Hong-joo was played and portrayed to perfection in her capable hands. In the moment we got introduced to her character in episode 1-2, some viewer might have to worry/actually worried about her character being creepy due to her obsession over Yeon. But she gave us the confidence that no, that's not going to happen. She would show the obsession without veering into the line of creepy. Trust...
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jerrykuvira
June 13, 2023 at 8:41 AM
...me, I miss the times when she called Yeon "cha-gi" and Rang brother-in-law. I'm chuckling as I write this last sentence cause Rang's shuddering reaction at being called Brother-in-law immediately popped into my head.
And please, her outfits are to die for. Her makeup...it perfectly understood the assignment.
I like Ha Do-kwon. But I wasn't pleased to see him in villain category cause that means I'll have to watch his ass get kicked at the end of the show. Well, at least TOT9T didn't exactly make their final fight lean majorly towards Yeon.
KatoHa Do-kwon landed some very nice punches too so I'm good.And the CGI for 11 and 12 was way better than last week's. I strained my sight a lot to watch last 9&10 cause it was just too low. If they saved budget for the finale week, I see why they did so cause they freaking delivered on perfectly lighted visually stunning cinematography this finale week.
About the mountain god who's likely Season 3's foe, I'll keep my comments for season 3.
I hope I do not come off as complaining about the series cause I really enjoyed watching this one irrespective of how Moo-young was handled. There's is just so much to love about the show. I'm going to miss the camaraderie between 2023Yeon, Moo-young and Hong-joo. And the bromance between Rang and 2023 Yeon. And Rang taking care of 1938 in detox/rehab is 🤭😂.
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SnuggyBeans?
June 13, 2023 at 6:27 PM
Are you Nigerian by any chance ?
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jerrykuvira
June 13, 2023 at 11:08 PM
Comment was deleted
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jerrykuvira
June 13, 2023 at 11:12 PM
Yes. I'm Nigerian.
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SnuggyBeans?
June 14, 2023 at 4:57 AM
Okay Thanks. I was wondering cause I found myself being able to translate the “saying” in Yoruba.
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Gikata
June 13, 2023 at 11:33 PM
I assume writers intended Mooyoung's decision to become a traveling doctor to be his way to atone for his many misdeeds, but it would've been better if they bothered to include a line or two addressing his remorse directly instead of letting it look like he simply wanted to follow his childhood dream. Then again, some folks always got away easily in this story (I'm looking at you, Season1 Yeon!), nothing new here. I've even joked under one of the previous recaps that the main criteria for becoming a mountain god in the show must be a habit of avoiding taking responsibility for one's mess)))
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jerrykuvira
June 13, 2023 at 11:45 PM
Exactly. He showed no remorse in words, nor did Hong-joo and Yeon hold him accountable, in words. But, we suddenly see him paying...penance?
What if Rang had died in the process? What if Myoyeongak's staffs had died in the process? Would Hong-joo and Yeon still act that way? There's no way I'm suspending my brain/belief for this particular plot point cause it is the most insensible part of the finale for me.
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Gikata
June 14, 2023 at 1:21 AM
As I've said, it's a recurring flaw in the show's writing that goes way back to Season1 and will very likely continue in Season3 if that one's ever made. Not sure if it's the case of "blue and orange morality" trope due to characters in question not being humans and thus caring very little about insignificant things like collateral damage (esp among mortal extras) or just "they're the good guys so we should let it slide". I guess it's probably the latter, but for my own patience I'm leaning more into former explanation - after all, fae folk, no matter what country's folklore they belong to, have always been infamous for their cruel self-centered nature and super nasty sense of humor. Which is what we're getting here in spades, perfectly befitting the horror tag among genres. Just don't fall 100% for it when drama tries to presents these guys as some noble heroes cause they are not))) Maybe trying Season1 - at least on FF, it does have its moment - will help you to get used to TOTNT's trademark skewed morals vibe and rolling with it?^^
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12 Seon-ha
June 13, 2023 at 9:00 AM
What I’m most excited to learn from this drama is that when one is revived by the Baby Fortune God, the creaky pleather jacket you’ve been wearing for a while now gets replaced by a nice, sleek, grey number that will make no egregious noise as you die the next time.
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13 Bunny Sonaki
June 13, 2023 at 9:01 AM
Lee Rang remains my favourite character ro the end. The scene where he cries after future Yeon returns back melts my heart. He is so relatable even when he acts like a bad boy. I loved Hong-ju too. The way she protects everyone till the end and refuses to give up on them impresses me. I wish we had met her sooner, a true hetoine indeed. Actually I hoped both future and past Yeon stayed in the past timeline. Also, I wished past Yeon would take the decision to pack and come to protect Rang not because he heard Ji-ah gets reincarnated again.
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14 shinayame
June 13, 2023 at 9:22 AM
Honestly, this episode was half deus ex machina and half hand-wavy convenience, but do I care? No. Not a bit. It was BRILLIANT, and I loved it so much I'm a little angry they didn't give the first season this treatment.
Does it completely destroy any illusion of continuity from the first season at all? Yes. Is that going to keep me from crossing my fingers and toes for season three? Hell no.
I'm going to wait, and in the meantime I'm going to think about Hong Joo being her badass self in the 21st century with all the magnificent fashion we can offer her and Moo Young being that wandering hobo who is actually a genius doctor and heals wounded deer and people by the side of the highway and Rang's henchmen running around in legally obtained Nikes, revolutionising Korea's food delivery service.
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15 Zoriza
June 13, 2023 at 11:28 AM
I was waiting for this drama for so long and was afraid that it wouldn’t be as interesting as first season. But it has surprised me, it was really a fun ride. Lee Dong Wook was even better then in season 1, showing more depth to his character, bringing even more humors and action, of course, action was amazing. I loved the balance of humor, drama, action, fantasy and beautiful scenery. The last episode was pure joy, maximized by various climaxes. The chemistry between characters, especially Lee Yeon with everyone breathing around was awesome. I have enjoyed every line except for Rang’s love line which looked extra in the overall flow of story. Maybe because I wasn’t invested into their chemistry and the actress was too average to create one. Bromance of Yeon and Rang, Yeong and Goo Sin Joo, friendship of gods and awesome character Hong Joo, decadent beauty of opium Lee Yeon, and Lee Yeon himself, I will be missing all of them.
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16 Lavandanna
June 13, 2023 at 12:56 PM
This drama was such fun. Many good words was said, I will add that I have enjoyed that we had character development of our main lead Lee Yeon, who started to cherish other relationships as much as he cherishes the love of his life. The way he was risking not to get back home and fought for everyone’s in 1938 safety was seriously cool. And as a hero, he has overcome everything and come back to Ji Ah. I hope that next season if it will ever happen, Lee Rang will show development and stop being so selfish and possessive when it comes to Lee Yeon. Will stop being jealous that Lee Yeon loves Ji Ah and they will somehow become friends. We had a glimpse of this in Season 1, but I want more.
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17 minnie
June 13, 2023 at 1:04 PM
Thank you, writer-nim, for giving us a proper ending! Although there a certainly stories to be told (Changes to the original storyline in S1, Taluipa's 1000 mile eyes, original mountain god, etc.), loose ends were wrapped up in the last two episodes.
Although I did not expect it to be (S1 was good, but not outstanding), this is one of my favourite dramas of the year so far. One reason I love k-dramas so much is that they are very often centered on friendship (not on when the ML/FL will score with the FL), and this drama was a beautiful tale of friendship.
The set and costumes/make-up were gorgeous. I loved the chemistry between the cast, especially between Lee Rang and Lee Yeon and the three Mountain Gods.
I am looking forward to season 3!
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18 Eazal
June 13, 2023 at 1:19 PM
I had so much fun while watching, and didn't care much about all the plot holes, because I was having so much fun, but even so: 1938 Yeon made it from Manchuria to Seoul in one hour (I guess another gumiho power is teleporting) and already figuring out what the problem with JaeYoo and bringing the antidote; 2023 Yeon not killing all Shinigami at once; Yeon not checking Shinigami were really dead; the fact that we were never really knew if Eun Ho was also a gumiho and if she was really YuRi or not.
Still, and even if I know that time travelling was used here as a plot device, the fact that Yeon and Rang have solved their problems in 1938 makes whole season 1 totally unnecessary as Rang would no longer have the need to take revenge over his brother, making one of my favourite episodes in dramaland never taking place (episode 9 and Rang realising what it meant that Yeon sword never missed a target).
I always thought that somehow Rang would forget 2023 Yeon, and would only regain his memories when he reincarnated. That would make sense to me, because time travel has rules!!!!!
Anyway, I could get over all this, but I just can't understand why Mountain god who could kill or blind Taluipa with a single touch of his finger just watch steadily how Yeon crossed back to 2023. If this means I will have another season for distracting foxes, I'm all in, although KB posted on his IG a farewell to Rang that made me think he might not be in that third season.
One last word for Hong Joo. I loved her. Someone please get her a drama of her own!!!
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redfox
June 13, 2023 at 1:30 PM
If Rang is not in the 3rd season There is no point making it.
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Eazal
June 13, 2023 at 1:37 PM
I know!!! But maybe KB was just creating a drama situation!
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redfox
June 14, 2023 at 3:01 AM
I really hope so. but also, he needs true agency and influence if he returns. Rang is not a friggin baby and he has to have chances to be in charge of stuff. I actually felt that being a gang leader was well suited. He is a charismatic leader given a chance. if he returns in s3, then he cannot just be a baby brother being saved by others.
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19 Mrs Buckwheat
June 13, 2023 at 7:09 PM
Ok, so the last episode was a lot and left more questions than answers but what a joy this show was to watch every week.
Standing ovation for the main actors who brought these characters to life, each in their own way fleshed out the characters to add nuance and depth to the roles.
LDW - he looked so effortless as Yeon and the bromance with Rang was one of the key highlights of the show for me. I dropped season 1 as I didn't buy the romance with Jia but this season was vastly improved with removing his love line and adding the character of Hong-joo.
What a breath of fresh air Hong-joo's character was, a kick ass, strong independent woman. Special shout out to her stylist for costumes and makeup which were sublime.
I also want to mention the actor who played the sub leader of Rang's bandit gang, he was awesome and stole many scenes with his fantastic comedic acting.
I will miss these characters and I can see myself re-watching the show again, especially episode 7 which was pure genius.
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20 sakuradaydream
June 13, 2023 at 9:15 PM
The more i think about the timeline the more confusing it gets but I guess it just boils down to our own interpretations?
My interpretation: TOTNT 1938 is not a prequel to TOTNT S1, just a fun side story that takes place after events of S1, seeing how S2EP1 explained S1EP16 & S2EP12 showed Yeon reuniting with Jia + 1938 Taluipa did say that things that occur in the past won't change the future so it could be a "whatever happens in 1938 stays in 1938" thing. (again idk the logic behind it, the space-time continuum would like to have a word please)
I don't think its intended to link to S1 seeing that the new characters didn't exist then & it would not make any sense.
Aside from that, I actually had fun with this season! I prefer it to S1 in terms of storyline and character portrayal especially with Yeon & Rang.
Yeon finally found his charisma and stopped constantly crying over how he'll save Jia & I loved seeing Kim Bum onscreen as Rang again! His visuals was top tier. (still mad that they killed him off in S1 tho) I rolled my eyes throughout these last few eps with the crazy amount of plot contrivances & armor. I would've preferred if some characters did get killed off.
Don't get me started on how pathetic they made the boss of the Shinigamis look I was SO disappointed cuz I went in thinking he was gonna be a badass.
Personally, I don't think this show needs a third season. For starters its not good to keep milking the fame & dragging on shows that already did well. It would just turn sour. This was a fun spinoff but knowing when the right time to stop would benefit them greatly.
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21 panshel
June 14, 2023 at 2:13 AM
I loved everything about this season. The complaints that everyone had, I had none.
-Moo-young: I loved the mountain gods' friendship and understood Moo-young's misguided desire to kill Yeon, but I was probably forgiving because Ryu Kyung-soo was charismatic. The whole cast was chock-full of charisma and screen presence, but especially Kim So-yeon, Ryu Kyung-soo, and Kim Yong-ji.
-The romance: I loved the romance and thought that Rang and Yeo-hee had very sweet chemistry. I loved how affectionate she was, such as always giving him hugs and expressing how much she wanted to marry him.
-Yeo-hee: Her character was so cute tho, and she reversed the damsel in distress trope by rescuing and protecting Rang.
-The zombies: I know that zombies are cliché, but the episodes at the hotel were thrilling.
The bromance between our gumiho brothers is of course the heart and soul of this drama. I cried as Rang sobbed not to forget him and apologized for breaking their promise, and I wished that Yeon had finished saying his "saranghae" before leaving. Rang is my favorite tsundere, and all I cared about was a happy ending for him.
I love our Myoyeongak found family including Yeon, Rang, Hong-joo, our bromance x2 Shin-joo and Mi-yeon, Jae-yoo (thank God puppy survived!), and the gisaengs (of whom Kook-hee would be dead had Rang discovered what she tried to do). I wondered where 1938 Shin-joo went.
I was so immersed in our fantasy world-building for six weeks straight, and the costumes of this time period were simply gorgeous.
Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 may not have been perfect, but it was perfect to me. Thank you for coming into my life at a time that I needed it.
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22 amfalulawatching
June 14, 2023 at 5:54 AM
This was lots of fun with some very sparkly performances, beautiful costumes and sets that seemed to be filmed in a visually thoughtful way. I really didn’t pay much attention to the plot holes or care that it was an unrealistic setting, I just accepted it as part of the fantasy. There were a few episodes where that hour long episode length was an issue for me (as it almost always is). I’m not sure why shows don’t stick to 45 minutes. I really did find those zombies had too much screen time. Kim So Yeon was fabulous in her role which was one of the more interesting female characters I’ve seen in a while, and it was so nice to see an actress in her 40’s play this role. The romance didn’t do much for me, but I’ve always had the feeling that Kim Beom does not favor romantic roles. The mermaid really was written in a very flat way, she didn’t have much to do. I would have wanted to know more about her as a mermaid (or half mermaid). Well, unto the 3rd season (maybe, I hope). This was a more memorable watch then the 1st season. Both shows exceled in creating some really memorable, durable characters. I’m so glad the puppy lived---I don’t think I could have handled his demise. I hope we see in a season 3!
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23 perfect stranger
June 14, 2023 at 1:06 PM
I didn't pay too much attention to the plot holes and treated this show as fan service to season one. LDW has got lots of awesome action scenes and different lines (friendship, brotherhood, his god's responsibilities, character's developement and redeem), KB has got huge unbeliavable and sometimes weirdly written fan service ended with happy ending with very average female character (and actress), KSY was fabulous in her own uniques way creating cool synergy with LDW and RKS. Everything else it's just a writing. I love the pace and our main leads' charisma especially LDW and KSY. I'm glad that in Korea their duo (and trio with RKS) was the most popular line in S2, overcoming bromance a lot. Koreans are craving for their spin off and I believe that it could be very good move. Maybe that's why actor KB has bid farewell to his character. Because obviously he had just Rang's own fan base and majority where watching for three gods interactions whuch has resulted in various votings, buzzworthy and popularity ratings. Personally, I'd love to see S3 focused on three or maybe four gods.
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24 Jingbee
June 14, 2023 at 4:12 PM
Started this with low expectations because of S1(which I dropped) and thus ended up enjoying this S2, indeed.
The multiple bromances are the highlights to me, plus the FL. I hope she also joins S3, along with Rang and Moo Young.
I am pretty sure the resurrected mountain god did not just stand there, he also jumped to 2023 LY and SJ, after all that was what Taluipa was warning them about, i.e the stones/treasures be in the same timeline. With apologies to Jo Bo-ah but she also just cameos in S3. The weakest writing for this show overall for both S1 and S2 are the love angles.
Oh, 1 tiny wee bit thing, I may be just OCD but amidst all the plot holes and lapses which I forgave, what stuck with me is that Jindo's shirt remained flawless white, despite being kicked to the ground, and getting bloodied. That took me out of the rather good scene with Hong Joo at the forest. LoL.
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25 djf
June 15, 2023 at 9:31 AM
Nice ending with open for season three. I have my fingers crossed.
My highlights...
-Rang getting the power of the nine-tail
-Showdown b/w Yeon & Kato
-Mountain god mythology
-Little mermaid survived. I thought she was going to be deadmeat.
-Paw during the montage
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26 finalparadox
June 19, 2023 at 4:45 PM
I approached both seasons with no expectations and had a great time! Rang continues to be my favorite character and I really hope we see him again if there is another season. The bromance was still the best part and sometimes I'd even fast forward some seasons to see the brothers interact.
I'm still trying to figure out how the timeline works and my best guess is an alternate universe (gumiho-verse?)? Little bit too much of deux ex machina in the finale as well. And like last season, the romance the weakest point (looking at you mermaid plotline).
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27 Dawn Wallant
January 13, 2024 at 1:21 PM
I hope there is a Season 3 (sequel to Season 1). Great show! Love all the characters as well as the traditional stories and mythical culture of Josean and Hanguk. Thank you for this wonderful series!
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