Goblin (2016)

It is a very good drama, but by faaaaar not one of the best.
(Truthfully speaking, lately folks on MDL just throw around the 10s, it is totally misleading.)

The best about this drama, is by a long shot, the ACTING. Superb. The male lead and the second female lead were the outstanding stars for me - you could feel their sorrow and mood and they did not overact. And the male lead had a tough part to act, because...

...the freakin' age gap! It made me cringe sometimes. I just couldn't overlook it, no matter how hard I tried. Sure, 19 and around 39 (or: 939) is not a total disaster, but it does come close to being inappropriate, especially since the female lead is written to be extremely teenagery, showing lots of little-girl-aspects.

Although the kissing scenes were really great and believable in themselves, the issue with the age just made it awkward to watch.

Anyways. The plot, not to forget, was okay, sometimes even really nice. The ending is really emotional and I liked it, because I did not expect it. (It squeezed even two tears out of me, and I am one of those viewers that never cry). The issue here is, that there were sometimes weird jumps between very, very serious topics and total slapstick. It was rather unusual and it made it sometimes difficult to follow the mood. The other thing was that in each episode there were several times that I was outright bored.
If you look at it from afar, there was not much plot going on besides the two lead couples circling around each other.

Is it a good drama? Yes. Is it a great drama? No.

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STORY: This was probably the most inventive and creative dramas/story plot I've seen in the Korean entertainment industry yet! I adore fantasy because it strikes the imagination part of the brain in a fun way and I've seen some fantasy-genre Korean dramas but they don't involve a lot of fantasy elements. Most dramas I've seen that are labeled as "fantasy" or "supernatural" usually use these elements to support a story. They were more tools to carry the story along rather than being the main focus. 'Queen In Hyun's Man' was the closest I've seen to making fantasy as the main focus point, but still lacked emphasis on the genre. This drama really made the "fantasy" element THE main focus and you see the story support the genre rather than the other way around. I'm so proud and happy for Kim Eun Sook. She did a FANTASTIC job writing this drama! The world she created was so vivid and realistic in the sense that if there were such thing as goblins and grim reapers in this world, she made the idea fit into our 'real world' construct to make it believable that they might actually exist. I thought it was unique to have the idea that there were many grim reapers, instead of just one, and that they were organized in a governmental way. The reasons for their amnesia were pretty sound and the search for the goblin's bride was pretty inventive. Kim Eun Sook could've been lazy with the why of everything and make them the most conventional reasons possible, but she definitely took great stride into creating a story that weaved in and out with every action and every decision so that almost everything had a meaning and a real reason behind them. Kim Eun Sook did a sublime job fleshing out the characters too! They definitely aren't the cookie-cutter type of characters you usually see in almost all romance Korean dramas, and I super appreciate that! It gets soooooooo unbelievably boring when I see the same type of character over and over again in every typical romance drama. Especially the male characters. They always turn out to be super mean and only to the main female character, but has a hard time expressing their feelings from their golden hearts. -__- !!

ACTING/CAST: This has been the best casting I've seen EVER! I'm not even joking! My favorite actress (for the current time) is Kim Go Eun and even though she's still young in the industry, she has AMAZING acting talents! She pulled off her character without a hitch. Same goes for Gong Yoo, who is a veteran in the entertainment industry and brings flourishes of experience from his time in the k-drama and k-movie business. Lee Dong Wook also did surprisingly well in this drama, although I still wish he was a bit more expressive. Maybe I'll get some upset comments about this, but he always seems to have this same indifferent look about him in every drama I've seen him in. But still, he did great in this drama, despite this fact. I considered Yoo In Na as a bit of a newbie in the entertainment business, but glad she got to be in this drama because I definitely see good potential to grow her acting talents and be a very talented actress. Also have to give props to Yook Sung Jae and Lee El for their great portrayals of our Gods. Lee El has really good potential to be a great actress as well and hope that after being exposed in this drama, she'll have the opportunity to be in many more dramas as well. Maybe in a lead? She's always been the side character, haha!

MUSIC: I don't really pick on the music unless it's extremely good or extremely ill-fitting. Goblin's soundtrack was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT! It fit the tone of the drama so perfectly and carried the emotional and lighthearted scenes so PERFECTLY! This is one of those rare moments where I want to download the whole track list to my phone so that I can listen to it whenever and where ever! What people don't often notice is that the music of a drama and the story is kind of like two halves of a whole. They really do have to fit well together or else the overall picture/concept of the drama becomes a little....off. But these two fit together absolutely perfectly!

OVERALL: I was going into this drama with big apprehension because the writer was Kim Eun Sook, who also wrote Descendants of the Sun, which I was absolutely bored to tears with. With the awesome cast in this drama but with Kim Eun Sook being the writer, I was worried that she would do the same thing as she did with DOTS. But I was thankfully relieved and pleasantly surprised! I know I sung praises up and down in this review for this drama, but please keep in mind that I rarely ever do this unless it demands that kind of praise. There's really only one other drama I gave a 9/10 or above and that was Liar Game (Korean version). This drama was well-directed, well-acted, and put together so well and so impressively that I really can't help say nothing but great things about it! The only reason why I gave this drama 9.5/10 instead of 10/10 is because of 'the contract' reasoning for our goblin (don't think that's a spoiler because you'd have to watch and know what the contract was) But other than that little lazy reasoning, Usually, I leave about a week to review a drama because I don't want the added hype of my own excitement to affect a review, but I'm very confidant that my thoughts and feelings for this drama will not waver for the reasons I wrote in this review, even as time passes. I would wholeheartedly watch this again and again! The cast, the story, and the music all blend and mesh together so well that it's painted the most beautiful picture I've seen yet!

NOTE: This is a somewhat slow-paced drama, so please understand that before watching. Some people don't like slow-paced because of our tendency to want instant gratification (especially with the younger folks, haha) But to be honest, this drama wouldn't have done so well if it were more fast-paced. I think being slow-paced as it is was the perfect speed for the story. If it were any faster, we'd be left with a less desirable ending and very rushed story.

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After DOTS, Goblin finally took the title of most popular drama. And it's true that everyone talks about this drama. In my opinion, that because of two things: the OST and the cinematography. The soundtrack was really good and the songs as atmospheric as they should be, creating the right mood for every scene. Then, the cinematography was amazing, with the first episode introducing breathtaking shots of battles and palaces. The great cinematography continues on to the rest of the episodes as well, aiding when the drama hit standstills. In addition the theme is very original, as the plot wasn't clearly introduced to the audience, making you curious to want to see what's the buzz about this drama. Well, the story is very fairy tale like, a man is turned into a goblin and he is waiting for centuries to find the girl who will be destined to be his "bride", which will also mean that she will be able to pull the sword out of his body and kill him. Meanwhile, a grim ripper moves into his house and he falls in love with a human. And here is where it becomes complicated, as the concepts of reincarnation and four lives are introduced. Fortunately, they are clearly explained, so one can't easily be confused. Now, about the negatives: -the duration was way too long and that led to countless flashbacks to be thrown into each episode to make it longer. -the romance was a little blunt. The performances were great, and the second romantic story was really good, with the chemistry between the couple obvious. Maybe it was the age difference of the main couple (the girl was still in school) or the fact that the girl didn't actually treat the idea of being the goblin bride seriously; more like she used it as means to survive. It got better towards the end, fortunately, but till then it was awkward. -the main story could have been better presented -the ending was weak -the advertisements were too many!! Other than that, it was an enjoyable drama (still too long though!) and the side stories were the best of it. So, 5 out of 10.

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the acting was perfect. the shooting angles were great. they used the music exactly where it should be. The two love stories in the story were also fascinating. the characters were handled very well. There was nothing I didn't like in this story. those who do not watch this drama will definitely feel missing. I'm so sorry that the drama is already over. You should call the goblin as the master of all Asian series. Without a doubt, goblin is the best Asian drama ever made.!!!!

oh grim reaper. oh my love At first gong yoo seemed to be the lead role, but it wasn't all. As I said, the characters were thought through to every fine detail and conveyed to us by the actors in the most accurate way. comedy and tragedy were very well done. It was a drama that I both cried and laughed a lot.

absolutely everyone should watch ... !!!!!!

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It felt like a majority of me watching this drama was just waiting for things to start happening — the pacing of it is a LOT slower than I expected, and part of that is why I never could full get into it. A lot of people have hated on the ending saying it was chaotic and rushed, but I actually found that I really enjoyed those episodes and the episodes where there were big reveals. Other than that, every one-hour episode felt twenty times as long.

The antagonist that started to be introduced near the middle of the drama was something that REALLY intrigued me, especially given the parallel storylines — but it felt like the character and tension was never really explored fully. It was solved quickly and seemed to be used more as a plot device for separating the main couple.

Speaking of the main couple — I don't think I was ever fully on board with them. The relationship always felt more familial, and age gap aside, I just didn't feel any chemistry between them. I also didn't like the secondary ship as much because the relationship just seemed to lack any content and connection aside from them being fated. Overall the arcs for both ships felt repetitive.

There are a few things that I appreciate about the ending. but other things that I don't like. I'm also a time-skip-hater, but for some reason, I didn't dislike it as much in Goblin, but I'm not sure if it has to do with me not being emotionally invested at all or if it felt more in line with the way the plot was going.

(Full disclosure: I've got some basic philosophical differences with the themes of this show, so that might have to do with me not clicking with it — more specifically, it's the idea of romantic destiny that I kind of scoff at.)

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Reaper x Sunny and the bromance overshadowed the actual plot of this story.

Full disclosure: I watched this drama because I needed to see more of Lee Dong Wook and Yoo In Na in leading roles after watching (and loving!) Touch Your Heart. I was always hesitant to watch Goblin because I've heard just how heartbreaking it was. I came in fully prepared knowing that I would cry my eyes out.

And I did... but not for the main couple. I cried for the bromance of Goblin and Reaper. I cried for the romance between Reaper and Sunny. I even cried for the souls that Reaper led to the afterlife! But, I did not cry for Goblin and his bride and even skipped some of their scenes. The main reason for that was because I could NOT relate at all with the female lead. She acted like such a child for most of the drama... which is understandable since her character was a nineteen-year-old high-schooler!!

My biggest gripe was that there was such a big difference in station between the male lead Kim Shin and the female lead Eun Tak. The ML was a powerful figure even in present-day; he literally can use magic, owns a mansion, has many people doing his bidding, and is incredibly rich. He also looks like he's in his mid-30s (no shade against Gong Yoo, just stating facts). Meanwhile, the FL was a poor, penniless high-schooler. She's 19 for most of the drama. There was SUCH an imbalance of power - in their experiences, because he's so much older than she, and in their social statuses as well. It was very disconcerting to see a romantic relationship develop between them.

On the flip side, the bromance between Goblin and Reaper was great. Their interactions with each other were one of my favourites to see. The reveal later on in the drama broke my heart.

What outshined everything was Reaper and Sunny's relationship. You knew from the moment they met that they were doomed in this lifetime. But the WHY was hidden until later and the reveal, again, was heartbreaking. But they pushed through, they accepted their fates... and they had their happy ending.

So, to summarize:

Story: It was ok. I did not care for the female lead and even the main plot of Goblin needing his bride to pull the sword from his chest was overshadowed later on by Reaper's past.

Acting/Cast: Everyone played their parts well. As much as I disliked the female lead, Go Eun did a great job playing a high schooler in my opinion. My favourite was Dong Wook. He had me laughing with his hilarious outbursts and made me cry for his conversations with the souls and his expressive eyes.

Music: They didn't have a lot of variety. The same music was played over and over again for the dramatic scenes. It wasn't my taste either.

Rewatch Value: I wouldn't watch this drama in full. Can I just get a cut of the Reaper/Sunny moments and the bromances? Lol.

Overall: An OK drama. If they had aged up the female lead, or aged down the male lead, then this drama wouldn't feel so... icky in some parts. Watch it for Reaper/Sunny, and then watch Touch Your Heart afterwards!

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Overrated...

Seeing how Goblin is considered to be one of the most popular K-dramas of all time, being the most popular drama on MDL, I had to watch it. I wonder why it's so popular since though it is good, it isn't that good. There's plenty of K-dramas that are much better than Goblin with mainstream appeal like Crash Landing On You. I think its popularity can be attributed to the age and social class difference between its ML and FL. A wealthy older man with a poor, young student. Since its a bit taboo, the drama gets controversy which gets eyeballs to this drama. It also helps serve as wish fulfillment for older men who lust after young women and young women who dream of an older man taking care of them, akin to Lolita.

Anyhow, I thought that this Kdrama was addicting and engaging though I wouldn't say that it grabbed me like Crash Landing On You. The story didn't make much sense at times and there are moments that made me scratch my head, but it's an interesting melodrama that kept my attention nevertheless. That is until the last several episodes, which were melodramatic, nonsensical and boring unfortunately.

I didn't care for the main couple (Goblin and Ji Eun Tak) to be honest. Not because of the age/class difference but rather because their story was quite boring. I prefer the relationship of the second leads (Reaper and Sunny), which was charming. Whenever there are scenes with the first leads, I would get restless and anxious for them to be over so that I could get Goblin and Grim Reaper scenes or Grim Reaper and Sunny scenes. I love the bromance between Grim Reaper and Goblin! To be honest, I ship them. I would have preferred that they got together instead. That would have made a better, far more interesting drama in my opinion.

On a side note, it's impressive that Gong Yoo starred in the one of the most popular K-drama, Goblin, and also one of the most popular Korean films, Train to Busan.

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I just finished watching Goblin today, It was an amazing experience. I got to know that never judge a book by it's cover. I can surely say that it is one of the best Korean drama ever, I watched till date. Definitely you wont regret watching it. I am in love with the each and every character in it. This drama consists of each and every element you are looking for whether it might be comedy, romance, action, suspense, love, emotions. Each and every scene in this drama is drawn with some feeling in it. Especially it has a lot of emotional scenes which are worth to watch it. Gong yoo has made an expectional mark in this drama with his acting skills. The writer has done really a great job, the whole drama just flows like a river by revealing the past very smoothly.

Absolutely stunning series! Get ready to laugh and cry during each episode. Best K-drama I've ever watched. It's very emotional, poignant, and hauntingly beautiful a Korean fairy tale of sorts mixed with an amalgamation of beliefs. Every lead performance and supporting performances are amazing.

I won't give any spoilers but enjoy the show for its perfect cast and their tailor made performances for their roles, the amazing ost and art work, VFX and more. This show would be a memorable experience for me to remember in my life.

Definitely go and watch this drama it's truly a work of art and perfection ❤ Must watch and highly recommendable!

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