A Tale In Another Language

A Tale In Another Language

Anna Alfred

When thinking back to shows or movies previously watched, what foreign language shows come to mind? Maybe you haven’t watched any, or perhaps, the last one you’ve seen was due to being in a foreign language class. Are you looking for a new show to watch, despite it not being in English? 

The Tail of the Ninetailed Fox, is a modern Korean drama, originating around many folklore creatures and stories; the main folklore creature of course being a gumiho (a fancy way of saying nine tailed fox). Being an immortal fox, Lee Yeon’s story dates back 600 years when he was the mountain spirit of Baekdudaegan. 

Disguised in the body of a human, Lee Yeon finds himself falling in love with Ah-Eum, a rebelling princess from the nearest village. After her tragic death, Lee Yeon swears to her soul that he will search for her reincarnated soul, giving her a one of a kind fox bead as her mark when she is reborn again. 

Leaving the mountain behind, Lee Yeon gave up his position as the mountain spirit in order to find Ah-Eum once again. Meanwhile, his half brother, Lee Rang was also left behind and unprotected. As Lee Yeon was no longer protecting the mountain, humans had set fire and destruction in the mountain and it’s creatures; causing Rang to leave his home. 

Absolutely infuriated with humans, Rang decides to get revenge and kill all humans, even innocent ones. The After-life judges, after viewing Rang’s behavior, decided to punish Rang with death. Who would follow out those orders though? None other than his half brother, Lee Yeon.

Yeon swung his sword across Rang’s body, leaving Rang wounded and on the brink of death, but somehow, he survived due to the aid of a mysterious man. Since then, Rang had developed a deep hatred against his brother, wanting nothing more than the same feelings of betrayal to be inflicted upon Yeon. 

Following his promise from before, Yeon gave the rest of his life up to serve the After-life judges in exchange for Ah-Eum’s reincarnation. Centuries passed and Yeon had encountered many look-alikes of Ah-Eum, however none had possessed the fox-bead he had given her in her final moments.

Later on, Yeon comes across another woman, Ji-Ah. Ji-ah resembles Ah-eum but does not seem to be her reincarnation at first. Because of this resemblance, Yeon had actually saved Ji-Ah from a car accident when she was at a very young age. At the scene of the crash, her parents were considered missing as no bodies were found. 

Now twenty years later, Ji-Ah is still on the hunt for her parents, still believing they are alive. Yeon being the only lead she has in finding them sticks around and aids her. After another minor accident, it is revealed that Ji-Ah is Ah-Eum’s reincarnation as the glowing fox bead appears on her. Yeon swore to protect her, and help her find her parents; however the two end up suffering bigger problems as they realize they would once again fall into the same fate they did 600 years ago.

This show is for anyone that enjoys thrillers, romance and adventure. If you have a weaker heart, I wouldn’t recommend this as there are many gory and gruesome scenes that unfold throughout the story. Keeping you on the edge of your seat, I would greatly recommend this to anyone who does not mind reading subtitles. Despite the language barrier, this show was absolutely well put together and very interesting. It was also very fun to learn about the different Korean folk lores on my own time in order to better understand each character involved, such as the Snail Bride and Imoogi. 


I would rate this a 5/5 gnomes!