This review may contain spoilers
An Epic Premise, a Forgettable Romance
The concept of Goblin is undeniably fun. You have a goblin who has lived for over 900 years and cannot die, a grim reaper burdened with eternal punishment for his past sins, and a "goblin's bride" who can see ghosts and seems to have outlived the fate originally written for her. On paper, it's a fascinating setup filled with mystery, fantasy, and emotional potential. The show deserves credit for creating such unique characters and an intriguing world.
Unfortunately, after the first few episodes, the story started to lose its momentum for me.
The female lead accidentally summons the goblin and gets pulled into his life. She keeps summoning him, discovers his powers, and that's where I expected the story to really take off. Instead, it slows down considerably. A lot of the plot revolves around her living with the male lead, which raised a bigger question for me: why does everyone act like that's completely normal?
What disappointed me most was the lack of a strong central conflict. It often felt like nothing particularly important was happening. Episode after episode was filled with everyday interactions, and while some viewers may enjoy this approach, I found myself getting increasingly bored.
The goblin himself felt like a missed opportunity. Here's a man who has lived for almost a thousand years, possesses immense power, and has witnessed centuries of history. Yet the story rarely explores any of that in a meaningful way. Instead, his character seems to revolve almost entirely around falling in love with a teenager. For someone with such an epic backstory, it felt like an incredible waste of a potentially fascinating character.
As for the romance, I simply couldn't buy the chemistry between the goblin and his bride. I tried, but the age gap was far too visible for me to see them as a convincing romantic pair. Every romantic scene reminded me of the imbalance rather than making me root for them. Ironically, the second lead couple ended up carrying the romance aspect of the show for me. Their story had much stronger chemistry, and the longing, heartbreak, and connection from their shared past felt far more emotionally compelling than the main romance.
That's ultimately how I felt while watching the drama. I didn't go into it intending to be critical, and I can absolutely see why so many people love it. The cinematography, soundtrack, and fantasy elements are all impressive. But these issues stood out too much for me to ignore. Considering how popular *Goblin* is, I kept waiting for it to click with me and it never quite did.
Unfortunately, after the first few episodes, the story started to lose its momentum for me.
The female lead accidentally summons the goblin and gets pulled into his life. She keeps summoning him, discovers his powers, and that's where I expected the story to really take off. Instead, it slows down considerably. A lot of the plot revolves around her living with the male lead, which raised a bigger question for me: why does everyone act like that's completely normal?
What disappointed me most was the lack of a strong central conflict. It often felt like nothing particularly important was happening. Episode after episode was filled with everyday interactions, and while some viewers may enjoy this approach, I found myself getting increasingly bored.
The goblin himself felt like a missed opportunity. Here's a man who has lived for almost a thousand years, possesses immense power, and has witnessed centuries of history. Yet the story rarely explores any of that in a meaningful way. Instead, his character seems to revolve almost entirely around falling in love with a teenager. For someone with such an epic backstory, it felt like an incredible waste of a potentially fascinating character.
As for the romance, I simply couldn't buy the chemistry between the goblin and his bride. I tried, but the age gap was far too visible for me to see them as a convincing romantic pair. Every romantic scene reminded me of the imbalance rather than making me root for them. Ironically, the second lead couple ended up carrying the romance aspect of the show for me. Their story had much stronger chemistry, and the longing, heartbreak, and connection from their shared past felt far more emotionally compelling than the main romance.
That's ultimately how I felt while watching the drama. I didn't go into it intending to be critical, and I can absolutely see why so many people love it. The cinematography, soundtrack, and fantasy elements are all impressive. But these issues stood out too much for me to ignore. Considering how popular *Goblin* is, I kept waiting for it to click with me and it never quite did.
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