Honestly... I went back and forth about whether or not I should actually watch this drama but I kept seeing it's name mentioned in articles related to Asian dramas or list of dramas to watch or something near to that, so I thought... let's give it a shot and see what happens.
Let me tell you, this show had me on the edge of my seat for the two days I took to watch it, Now I'm sorry I didn't watch it months ago when I first saw it. The plot, the actors, the settings, the music... everything was on point. I started crying and laughing from as early as episode one. That right there is a good indication of whether or not a drama will be good. If it can have you in tears within the first hour that more than says something.
I see and hear people complaining about the age gap between the male and female leads and I really don't see anything wrong with it. Maybe it's because I live in the west where most persons are considered to be adults by age 18. At the start of the series the female lead is 19 and in my country I had friends who were married at that age. In the drama nothing serious happened until the female lead was 20, which is the age of an adult in South Korea and the kisses didn't get steamy and heavy until she was a lot older.
All in all this drama is a must watch. You won't regret it.
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Also, I was quite surprised with the characters. In spite of the hate that the main couple receives because of their 12 year difference, I kind of get where the writer was going. Also I didn't find the relationship between the 2 awkward, and I loved the fact that Eun Tak acted as her age and didn't try to be more mature, despite of what she has gone through in her life. I was a big fan of her character and her positive and brave personality, the fact that she didn't hide her feelings for the Goblin was quite fresh and helped in avoiding not needed drama to the series.
In my case, I love the Grim Reaper the most. Also his character is the most interesting one in whole bunch. Lee Dong Wook is such a talented actor, especially when it comes to emotional scenes, he has one of the best crying faces in the industry. I love the complex story that surrounded his character and how he comes in term with it.
Goblin is really a beautiful drama. It deals with reincarnation, a theme that is not really used, and if it is, usually is some kind of subplot. It's interesting to see how souls can recognize each other, and how there stories can tangle up again and again. It will make you curious of your own world, our world, and make you think of moments that maybe you felt and instant connection with someone. It may be fantasy but who really knows, reality is that we ourselves don't know the mysteries that are attached to life and death or what is beyond it.
I recommend you to watch this drama with an open heart, ready to be surprised and question it. Truth is we all like some miracles in our life, and this drama is good in that aspect, it is full of miracles and topics that weren't discussed before.
So enjoy the ride and let it make you fall in love with it and its characters!
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The story is interesting and keeps you wondering about what's gonna happen next.
I will probably watch another drama of GY but I do not think that I'll watch one of KGE dramas. I have watched Train to Busan and he is very talented.
while watching there is one thing might irritate you that is the great age difference betw Goblin & ET.
That love things in the edge of being a pedapholie
Goblin is a man who is over 900 yrs old but looks like a man who is in his late 30's early 40's while ET is only 19 yrs old and a high schooler. She is inlove with a man who is at the age of her dad / can be easily have / had kids at her age.
And if we think of the era he comes from he possibly might have concubines, wives and a couple of kids.
They are good match physically but in this drama, it was over the border. I do ship them but not on this drama, they can easily be bf / gf as KGE likes elderly guys and GY likes younger girls.
I was more interested in Sunny and Grim Reaper couple. they were a fantastic couple.
There were a lot of product placements, from stuff toys, to TBS White Musk Perfume, which I end up buying and now using a room spray as the perfume is that much crap, the watches he wore, canon camera which is worth over £2000 this is with only a small lens.
I only find the Canon placement irritating I thought it was related with the upcoming scenes as they have openly showed us, like poking someone's eye. it was that obvious.
I really enjoyed the Canada scenes, and a couple of Korea Seoul scenes but that's it.
I want to see Yoo In Na, LDW, Yook Sung Jae, & Lee El in one drama. I will not go back & rewatch this drama. It was one shot for me, I will forget about it within few months.
If it was not KGE as a leading lady, and if there were less flashbacks, less repetitions it would be an excellent drama
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It is a very realistic drama, while having fantasy elements(with great special effects) which makes it x100 times better. It has great life stories. And what I mean by life is that it has friendship, family, and great love. It talks about being a human, it talks about learning to love yourself and others. It is funny, it is sad, it is beautiful and every moment of it shines. It is just one the best stories I have ever seen and I wish everyone would get to see this.
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Story: The story line was spectacular, the idea in itself was original. I've never watched anything remotely close to Goblin's story line. The way everything was timed and spaced was perfect, I never felt like there was a moment of boredom. The plot, the poems, the scenes, the cinematography, my god, the cinematography was pure bliss. It really shows the amount of work and thinking that went into this production. Even the ending, - I won't go into detail with that, as not to spoil it for the people who haven't watched it yet - this was one of the very few dramas that wrapped up the ending very well. Even though it was bittersweet, it just felt right and made total sense. There wasn't anything that was over the top or thrown in together just to satisfy the audience even though it makes no sense whatsoever. There was Romance, Comedy and Suspense weaved in together perfectly. Cheers to the writer and producer.
Acting/Cast: I've read a few comments here and there while the drama was still airing. Some people found the relationship between the Goblin and Eun Tak disturbing because of the large age gap (939 years), but if you think about it, it wouldn't have made sense for them to just meet for the first time when she was older. He's been living for the past 900 years, so his bride was bound to be born sometime throughout his lifetime and she is bound to be much younger than him. Also, the production team limited the relationship between the Goblin and the younger Eun Tak to cutesy and adorable moments. There was nothing immoral about it. So if anyone is hesitating to watch this drama because of this issue then fear not. I felt like the cast did an amazing job. Each actor and actress portrayed their characters in a way that made me laugh and cry with them. I felt each person's sorrow and pain. Even the chemistry between them was amazing. The Bromance between the Goblin and the Grim Reaper was mind blowing. I feel like if it weren't for this specific cast, the story line wouldn't have been portrayed as seamlessly as it had been. SO, Cheers to the cast as well.
Music: The OST was superb. You won't be able to prevent yourself from repeatedly playing the songs on a loop. Whenever I was waiting for the next episode to air, I would just play the OST and reminisce on the previous scenes.
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This drama now holds a special place in my heart! It may even be my new #1 fav drama, especially since it's in the supernatural/fantasy/romance genre, which is my fav! The drama gave me great feelings, especially from the characters (and I must say that this drama has the BEST freaking bromance ever!!!). I'd watch BTS of Goblin with Lee Dong Wook and Gong Yoo and they were just an amazing pair. Adding Sung Jae to the mix made it even better. Hahahaha xD The 3 were a riot! ???
I laughed and I was happy. I cried and I felt pain. There was never a dull moment watching this drama, each episode better than the previous. I never skipped an episode, nor did I fast forward anything. Everything about this drama was absolutely stunning. ? The plot (which was somewhat heartbreaking yet beautiful), the characters and their personalities, to the amazing cinematography(which look like it took you to a whole new world), even down the the music (OST). ?
I loved the main characters so much. My ships ??~ It's funny cos at one point, I shipped the Goblin and the Reaper! Hahahaha xD Those two kill me!
Kim Go Eun as Ji Eun Tak was so adorable and smart. I loved how enthusiastic her character was. She's been thru so much and she was still able to smile and be optimistically cheerful and always helped people even when she's going thru stuff. She has such a kind soul. Yoo In Na as Sunny was awesome. She was sassy, beautiful and radiant, like the Sun! ^^ Yook Sung Jae as Yoo Deok Hwa made the whole bromance better. Hahahaha xD I love how they'd tease him sometimes and he'd get mad and frustrated. Hahahaha xD His character was a blessing to the drama, not gonna lie.
I loved how all their lives were intertwined with each other and the twist that came with it all.
There were certain things that would happen that you would not expect and you're just like, @#$%! Lol
I loved the beautiful, breathtaking, heartwarming, heartbreaking, sizzling hot chemistry between the couples. Most complain about the age difference. Who gives AF? They're all adults so it doesn't matter. I didn't think about that when I was watching the drama. The chemistry was there and it was just perfect! ???? I was enjoying it too much to care. lol~
The soundtrack is just wonderful to listen to and very catchy. I don't know how they do it but it's just amazing. OMG! Some of the songs gave me feels and not just because of the scenes they'd play it with, but if you actually listen to some of the songs, it resonated something within you. ???
I waited for this drama patiently and with high hopes and I was not disappointed one bit. My expectations were exceeded. ?????
Were there any flaws? Cos if there were I can't think of a single thing At least to me there wasn't any. A perfect 10/10! I commend the writers for doing such an excellent job with this drama!
The rewatch value is EXTREMELY high for me, because best believe I will download every single episode and rewatch it again and I will definitely download the entire soundtrack and listen to it on repeat. Goblin is a must watch~ You will not regret it! :') ? If you do decide to give this drama a shot, I truly hope you enjoy watching! ^^
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There has been a long time since a drama moved me in such a way like this one. It is a touching and sincere love story and have the one thing I love the most about romance, it being drama, movie or book. Goblin has “great love”. For the ones who doesn’t know, “great love” is that genuine love that the person is capable of sacrificing everything for the other one, without selfishness or jealousy or greed. It is just pure love and it is great. Many love stories try this line but few achieve it, Goblin does.
If you are reading this, you probable already read de description on the top of the page, it is terrible so let me tell you. This drama is the story of a goblin, a darned creature, who was crushed to walk on earth forever and see all his loved ones die. The only person capable of ending this curse, so he can go to ashes, is his bride. So he goes on waiting for the bride to appear. That’s all you need to know.
It is beautifully made, the tempo of all drama is well done, none of it gets boring, in the end of each episode you will die wanting more. For the drama veterans, it don’t have almost any clichés of Korean dramas, no second league guy, no annoying girl, no mother in low or and to me it fells new and refreshing. It has one thing that is cliché but this one is to you to find out.
And the acting, I can say that Goblin revived a lot of carriers and impulse new ones, for sure. Gong Yoo as Kim Shin was a gift to me, it had been such a long time I watched and loved a drama with him. I love Coffee Prince, and I love him on Coffee Prince. So to me watch him doing so good as the Goblin makes me really pound. Kim Go Eum was a nice surprise, I watched some episodes of Cheese in a Trap, but I didn’t finished it so I couldn’t tell mush of her background, in Goblin she is refreshing and funny and a strong female lead, you can relate to her and both of them together is explosive .
In the beginning I thought the age difference between the characters would make it a little weird, not because the Goblin has more than 900 years, but Gong Yoo is in this late 30’s and Ji Eum Tak is in high school. She even calls him “ajushi”, but you buy it and you buy their love, by the way, she is over eighteen.
For the second roles, Lee Dong Wook as the Grim Reaper was other acting as was really happy to see revived, he was not long gone like Gong Yoo but the last few years I was happier watching him in Roommate than in a drama, and it is sad. But he did so well in Goblin that I hope the next drama he does are the same incredible. Yoo In Na, Sunny, did also an amazing job, I don’t know if I’m being mean but seems like In Na has a face of a mean lead but do so much well as second one, not saying she is not talented but she did so well in this character that I want to see her do it again.
One very important point I have to talk about is the Grim Reaper and Sunny story line. Technically is the second story line but it is so well treated here that it feels like main one. The two story lines need each other to be excellent and neither of them feels less because of it. It is something really hard to do in story telling. So applause to the Globin team for archiving it.
About the sound track, “Never far Away” is my favorite music high now. I listen to it 5 or 6 times a day. So it is enough to say I love it and if someone say it is not good, they are crazy. The rest of the songs too, are amazing.
And about the end, it is something very important to me in a drama. It can break or make the drama for me. There was so many drama that went down on ranking to me because of bad ending, I was afraid this one would too. It didn’t. The end is not fairytale, it is not necessary happy… it is beater sweet I would say, but it is as much of beautifully made as the rest of the drama. And now if I think about it, for the entire drama there was clues of the end, you just don’t realize it.
So, you may be wondering why my score was 9,5 and not a 10 if I liked it so much. Well, even if it was an amazing drama, there were some questions and inexplicable aspects that this drama didn’t answer. Things that I found out in the internet but it was the drama that had to give me it, but how it was nothing major I just took 0,5 a point.
Overall Goblin is a jewel, worth of watching at least one time or three or four. I’m for sure coming back and watching it again.
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This review may contain spoilers
What's the hype?
Another one that didn't enchant me.I've been stalling on this for ages, finally after getting back into kdrama gave this a watch and I am not in love. Yet? I dont know....10 eps in, probably not.
Gong Yoo isnt enough to keep me going, the Reaper I find more annoying than interesting, the "bromance" as some reviewers call it is not something I see at all, mainly because the reaper seems particularly lifeless to me. Didn't like the actors looks in this either, sinister in his suit, too boyband-like without. (Might be my hatred of korean forehead hiding mushroom haircut tho, dunno)
I don't mind the age gap between the leads but I have to second another reviewer's view that they seem more like father/daughter than a romantic prospect. Can't really get into it.
Later when they kiss I felt really weirded out tbh, almost like watching siblings kiss. The whole thing is just so rushed, like, she meets him, declares her love and just like that, bc she is the bride of the goblin suddenly he loves her and she loves him, this dude she barely knows, just met and has not a single thing in common with? What?
She's a pretty girl, that actress, but smiling and waving at her "lover" like a 7yo kid is just way too nope for me.
The music was engaging so far, I especially like the score/instrumental parts.
The plot itself could've given way to so much more than we got delivered. It was all very inconsistent to me, there are parts throughout almost every episode so far that bored me into playing with my phone instead of watching while others held my interest like a thriller. This might have benefited from not trying to be funny and comedic all the time but instead focusing on the dramatic/sad parts of eternal life and everyday death. The scenes whenever Reaper picked up souls were all really heartbreaking, how average people are ripped out of life, just like that...or how a fallen cyclist can cause that much damage....ouch! Instead the drama seems to focus on establishing and selling a romance that is anaemic and forced at best.
And for me, that's really all there is to this. I found myself most attentive during the parts that played in the past (the manipulative magistrate, the sister and the mislead king, all these were more interesting to me than Reaper and Sunny), and I will stop watching after ep 10 because I am bored. So bored.
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Everything about Goblin is set so right that you can never regret watching and rewatching and rewatching it again.
Story- one of the best fantasy stories you will ever come across. It is not only beautifully set, but moves forward with a wonderful pace, blending both past and present stories together. The story of Goblin is such that you want never want it to end. The funny moments will have you in splits and the sad one will rip your heart into pieces.
Acting- tremendous. Every actor is on spot with their acting but Kim Go Eun is particularly brilliant. Her playing a teenager and a mature character is so well put that you will actual believe there's a time gap.
Music- OH MY GOD. I have each track of Goblin and I listen to it almost always. The music adds more value to the show.
Rewatch value--I've already seen it over 7 times. No matter what show I watch, I always end up going back to this one.
Overall- without even thinking about it, go watch it and you won't ever regret.
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