The actors did a great job. After seeing the bts footage I am even more impressed by them. They did a lot of improvisation and I think this shows how good their skills are and how good their chemistry is.
The writers did the best job out of everyone. Without them the drama wouldn't have been that good. The plot was so well written with everything just perfectly matching. The writers have found the right balance of wit and seriousness. I can't say more without spoiling everyone. You just have to watch for yourself. It is by far the best drama I have ever seen.
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This fantasy drama i know isnt perfect and its story takes on a reflective stand, sometimes choosing to dwell on moments. It may feel slow to some but i find it poetic and gave time to appreciate the people the place and their lives. Almost all scenes were so beautifully shot, the scenery is breathtaking and film like. The opening theme to the first ost Stay with me already tells you the music for this drama is equally daebak
I would never have imagined Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook in the same drama. But there must be drama gods hearing the people's prayers and hopes. The bromance of Goblin and Grim is so spot on, friendship, laughters and more. The main cast all pull their weight from Kim Go Eun whose natural beauty and calibre was suited as bright Eun Tak to Yook Sung Jae and Yoo In Na. Even its supporting cast (Samshin, Director yoo, Secretary kim, Park Joong Won) were all superb and each had commanding screenpresence and brought so much to the narration of the story.
Towards the end i love the message that humans though seemingly small and frail compared to deities and the almighty, but we can surprise you with our will that can change the course of fate. And lastly to live and love like its your last day. Its so simple but often forgotten. I'll cherish this drama. And for now there isnt a drama i can recommend that quite captures the gist, the tone, and the feels like Goblin does. Thats how unique it is.
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At the beginning I remember being quite judging towards the duration of the episodes because you can easily turn episodes with an average of 1h and 15min into a sleeping feast. To my surprise the episodes passed really quickly though - which means they structured them in a way which left me constantly entertained and/or emotionally tense. The plot by itself wasn't that complicated but the flashbacks to the Goryeo era and the foreshadowing made it more fancier. Plotholes definitely exist in this drama - especially at the end and I didn't really like their conclusion since it felt rushed.
What we all need to praise though is the amazing cinematography - it is unlike any other drama I've ever watched. First of all, at the beginning I was so stunned by everything that was presented to me that I honestly thought "how much effort did they put into this it is like a high quality movie". The special effects weren't ridiculous at all and everything harmonized so wonderfully. It keeps its well thought out quality until the end - it is seriously a nice experience. Dramas in the future will have to step up when they want to surpass this drama quality-wise.
The second best thing about this whole drama is the cast. The jokes are fresh and immensely cute at the same time. Be ready to laugh every episode. I think this drama achieved to be deeply emotional but hilarious at the same time without losing its seriousness? I am also happy that they integrated two male protagonists that harmonize the best out of all the cast members - and also built a happy trio with Sungjae's character. In addition we really need to take a moment to honor Gongyoo's acting - so incredibly good.
All in all, I would definitelly recommend watching this one since it is one of the best dramas I've ever watched. It manages to pull out fresh jokes left and right without having an overused plot. It is indeed worth the hype.
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Althoug at first look the plot seems interesting and the first episode was good, it soon starts to get boring. The main character is a rather unbearable child. The love story is hardly credible, not because of the age difference but because of her personality or attitude.
I did quit watching it, which is something I've only done a couple of times.
The best thing of the show is the two leading males, and their relationship, very amusing.
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The wait is worth it
The wait is worth it. I found Goblin incredibly slow for the first twelve-ish episodes and boring in regards to the first six or seven, but the last four episodes were so great that my initial rating transformed highly, and I'm so glad I was patient with this, instead of dropping it.However, Goblin still has things I didn't like. Like I said, the pacing is the by far the biggest problem, but there were a couple of obvious plot holes I didn't like, plus the character of the FL until she becomes more mature was very irritating at parts.
But these are no problem in the last four episodes. In fact, the last four episodes showcased the potential of the story, characters and acting abilities into action. I think the main thing I liked about Goblin was the star-studded cast and their brilliant performances as always, and the other cast members I hadn't seen before or wasn't too much of a fan of, well, guess what, Goblin changed my opinion on them too, in a more positive fashion.
Another brilliant thing I must mention is the delightful OST (although in my eyes, a little bit overplayed).
All in all, it is a very, very slow start, but the wait is worth it. Can I recommend it though for others? Only for people who can never drop a drama!
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Tearjerking is an understatement.
I postponed watching this for a while, everyone was talking so highly of it that I was scared it was not gonna reach my expectations, but oh boy. It was totally the opposite.This might be probably one of my favorites genres, but the fated trope didn't disappoint me.
I loved the speed it was going, the way emotions were portrayed, honestly a masterpiece.
I must say I'm sad we didn't get more of some side characters, but the two romances the story gives out are so well put, they made me cry more than once.
And honestly I didn't expect the happy ending, but I was so relieved.
This will probably end up taking a sweet spot in my heart cause it just got me so emotional.
The cast is amazing, they made me fall for each one of them. Gong Yoo, Kim Go-eun, Lee Dong-wook and Yoo In-na made such a spectacular performance, their tears were my tears.
The ost was great, also there's not once I skipped the opening or the credit song cause they were SO good.
I'll probably rewatch it often cause it was just way too good to be forgotten.
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A charming modern fairy tale with a fresh love story
I refused to watch Goblin for a long time, kept skipping it until it finally ended up on my "Not Interested" list. A few days ago I came across an article about it, the topic was Korean fantasies on Netflix, and this time it piqued my curiosity and I decided to give it a chance. I didn't regret it.What did I like so much about this "Goblin"? It wasn't the main character by any means, though he was a nice guy. It wasn't the chemistry between the couples, which was teased in the story of a larger-than-life fate that brings two couples together over several lifetimes, because I didn't feel that chemistry.
I'm a fan of the fantasy genre, but I wouldn't prioritize this series as fantasy because I missed it driving the main thread of the story.
And the love story was kind of weird - no strong passion or heartwarming scenes.
Finally..... Without hesitation, I rated "Goblin" a 9/10.
I wonder, I really wonder, how this series won me over. Now, as I write it, it may crystallize for me. First of all, the two main female characters were just adorable - sweet, pure, sparkling, gentle, with a fragile feminine air, though not fragile characters. The "goblin bride" was such a fresh image - a woman-child oozing energy that floods you with good feeling. Actress Kim Go Eun (the second season of "Yumi's Cells" is currently running with her) is super cute. The other lead actress whose performance I liked is Yoo In Na, who later starred with the same partner in "Touch My Heart".
The men, aside from the sole villain, were gentlemen with a history of tragic bad guys - a king and a general who endure punishment while living the lives of a goblin and an angel of death. However, the viewer sees nothing wrong with them. They are so considerate, caring, sensitive, sacrificial - every woman's dream men. There was also a cute minor character - a young boy, a third generation heir, who added spice to the story without his character actually undergoing development.
Aside from the king's uncle and the main character's aunt, the typical spiteful, ugly, morally repugnant lost Korean souls that are so stifling in any series were absent. Two cursed enemies become good friends, outgrowing loathing and revenge.
There is no shortage of humor in the crisp dialogue between all the actors.
All in all, this is a drama of pure relationships and genuine people - like a brochure of life as we would like to live it, labeled "Feel good story". There's no intrigue, no attempts at someone wanting to take someone else's man/woman away, no parents opposing the relationship - well, there's no intrigue overall, but I didn't miss it. And the ending was nice - I won't spoil if anyone hasn't watched it.
Overall, I recommend anyone who hasn't seen it and likes romantic fantasies to give it a try. It leaves a nice feeling in the heart and is watchable in one breath.
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Rating should be 9.8 instead of 8.8
Rating should be 9.8 instead of 8.8Was this review helpful to you?
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This review may contain spoilers
Engrossing (and sometimes gross) -- worth a view!
Obviously, a review a few years than useful to anybody, but here it is!I searched far and wide for the show since there are so many references to it in various reviews for other shows, and it seemed like a worthwhile effort. I ended up binge watching it (which I really try not to do) -- it sucked me in.
But, to start with, the negatives:
* The age gap thing. It was physically gross. As others have pointed out, the female lead acts very much like a teenager, a young and immature teenager, and the scenes in which the two leads are pushed together for romantic reasons were truly gross. Which is actually a credit to the acting, since in later part, when the female lead is supposedly 10 years older, the feeling disappeared. Still -- it really did make me feel gross to have the romantic scenes between a teenager and an adult.
* I may be the only one, but I did not like the secondary romance -- it made next to no sense. The two actors were wonderful -- but the internal logic of their history was nonsensical.
* The ending. There are a couple of components to my dissatisfaction with it, and they all involve lack of any actual resolution. For one -- the goblin "dies" or whatever it is he does, but then is called back -- and is still a goblin. Wasn't he supposed to die? Does this mean he never dies? And the whole thing repeats three more times?
* The "reveal" of who the grim reaper is was telegraphed so early that it was not a reveal at all.
The positives are what others have pointed out: Engaging story that, overall, holds together logically; good acting; excellent chemistry among all of the actors (not just the romantic leads) -- the wonderful bromance!; the beautiful music.
So, in the end, I am glad that I got to watch it, despite the occasional grossness.
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Not too good but also not bad
This drama is not such extraordinary kind but you won’t get disappointed for watching this because except how they executed the story everything is good enough to spend our valuable time like cinematography, background music and songs, chemistry and romance. Still why I am feeling unsatisfied is everything is easily predictable and also the ML who is 900+ years old acts like 10 years old child (may be to match the FL who is sooo bubbly), or may be because the ML is social outcast kind, if so it is still unacceptable because he was the general of his army and he was matured on that time.I must appreciate the cameraman, cinematography, choreography, music and songs, so many times I was stunned thinking that which special effect camera they are used in this drama and once again the music and songs with that situation is really heart-felting one. And one more thing what I felt disappointed is when ML disappears she went for some blind dates and she develops feelings to someone(even though he his her loved one but she didn’t knew on that time) even though she was unclear about her previous love and also she knew that she was the bride of some one whom she love very much or may be I interpreted it in a different or a wrong way may be the director intend to show that the love is that kind of magic even though you don’t have memory (about him) but you will have the same feeling with that right person.
In an over all I can only say this is good drama in all aspects but poorly executed.
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Don't lose patience and keep watching. It may kinda seem boring in first few episode
When I first started watching it was pretty boring. But I challenged myself and got through first few episodes. OMG it was so beautiful after that. When you can understand all the things it seems so awesome to you. Please if you're thinking about watching it then please watch it. It's so good. You won't regret it. And about the age difference i think it's cute. I laughed and cried with this show. There was no unwanted scene. Every episode always ends at cliffhanger. There is some awesome twists in the drama. That's all there is to say. Everyone praises the OST of this show. But I didn't found it that amazing. I mean it was okay.Was this review helpful to you?
