yviitree
This review may contain spoilers
I wanted to give this a 10 after finishing it but now that I thought about it a bit I just couldn't. Goblin left me with so many weird feelings... the last couple of episodes are very emotional and it's just a bit too much to process right away. The fact that the show ends with the Goblin being immortal for real without any means to eventually die made me incredibly sad. Yeah, the girl gets reborn and finds him again and has four lives left...but what happens after that? Everyone else is either dead or alive without any memory of him - this thought left me absolutely depressed after finishing the last episode. There are also lots of other things that don't really get explained well or at all so that was pretty dissatisfying, too. What makes this show great is the beautiful cinematography, the great acting and awesome mix of drama, intensity, comedy, supernatural and historical and even philosophical elements and of course the bromance.
However, the romance was kind of weird...at first there were a lot of fake 'I love yous' which somehow turned into real ones yet this process of falling in love is only comprehensible considering the Goblin because Eun Tak brings so much light and joy and variety into his so far loooooong and kind of dull immortal life, plus she's his destiny and only chance of finally dying (which is why it's even more sad that he had to become immortal for real in order to be with her again). From her point of view...well, he's tall and handsome and basically invincible, sweet and funny and oh, rich... however, there's no real visible or emotionally tangible development of her romantic feelings for him. The kissing scenes are cute but there is no real chemistry, however, things change after he comes back to life and she is 10 years older and obviously more mature. Up from that point the romance becomes tangible, realistic and beautiful and, sadly, also heartbreaking. It's too bad that that period is very short and Eun Tak actually returns to him as a high school student....
As mentioned before, the bromance was amazing and I absolutely loved the dynamic between the Goblin and the Grim Reaper and the development of their friendship as well as the story of their shared fate. Deok Hwa (what happened to him in the end? I was a very frustrated that he kind of got left behind in the last couple of episodes) was also great and there were so many funny moments between those guys that lightened up the otherwise kind of heavy mood this drama mostly conveyed.
As for the secondary couple Sunny and the Grim Reaper...I think their story was a much more relatable and deep love story but for some reason I did not really like Sunny as a character and also felt that there was no real chemistry between them which made their love story kind of a wasted potential.
Overall, as for the acting, I really loved how the Goblin was portrayed although I found it strange how he behaved like a silly love-struck teenager when he began falling for Eun Tak but maybe that was to emphasize that it truly was his first love in over 900 years? I mostly loved how human and how (emotionally) well connected to humanity the Goblin seemed despite being a sort of demi god. I'm not sure what exactly it is but he kind of gives off this calm and serene aura that just makes you feel comfortable just looking at him.
The Grim Reaper was also great and became more lively and loveable with every episode despite his past mistakes.
Looking at Eun Tak not as a part of the main couple but as a character by herself, I thought the acting was brilliant especially the difference between her bubbly high school personality (ok, it is debatable how realistic this is in her situation but it seems a typical thing in k-dramas that poor girls beaten by life remain cheerful and optimistic...), after the Goblin died and she became depressed and after he came back and she seemed way more mature and down to earth even in her 'bubbly moments'.
Soooo, all in all, despite the huge plot holes, actually tragic ending and plain weird romance, this was still one of the best dramas I have ever watched because it made me become so extremely emotionally invested (seriously, I actually had to write this review in order to be able to process my emotions about this!). It's a bit sad that it stayed so much on the surface of philosophical aspects like the whole fate question, death/immortality, true worth of life in itself etc. because in the end, it makes kind of hard to summarize what Goblin was all about. But still, even this weird mix was great and very enjoyable to watch so I can recomment it without any doubts!
However, the romance was kind of weird...at first there were a lot of fake 'I love yous' which somehow turned into real ones yet this process of falling in love is only comprehensible considering the Goblin because Eun Tak brings so much light and joy and variety into his so far loooooong and kind of dull immortal life, plus she's his destiny and only chance of finally dying (which is why it's even more sad that he had to become immortal for real in order to be with her again). From her point of view...well, he's tall and handsome and basically invincible, sweet and funny and oh, rich... however, there's no real visible or emotionally tangible development of her romantic feelings for him. The kissing scenes are cute but there is no real chemistry, however, things change after he comes back to life and she is 10 years older and obviously more mature. Up from that point the romance becomes tangible, realistic and beautiful and, sadly, also heartbreaking. It's too bad that that period is very short and Eun Tak actually returns to him as a high school student....
As mentioned before, the bromance was amazing and I absolutely loved the dynamic between the Goblin and the Grim Reaper and the development of their friendship as well as the story of their shared fate. Deok Hwa (what happened to him in the end? I was a very frustrated that he kind of got left behind in the last couple of episodes) was also great and there were so many funny moments between those guys that lightened up the otherwise kind of heavy mood this drama mostly conveyed.
As for the secondary couple Sunny and the Grim Reaper...I think their story was a much more relatable and deep love story but for some reason I did not really like Sunny as a character and also felt that there was no real chemistry between them which made their love story kind of a wasted potential.
Overall, as for the acting, I really loved how the Goblin was portrayed although I found it strange how he behaved like a silly love-struck teenager when he began falling for Eun Tak but maybe that was to emphasize that it truly was his first love in over 900 years? I mostly loved how human and how (emotionally) well connected to humanity the Goblin seemed despite being a sort of demi god. I'm not sure what exactly it is but he kind of gives off this calm and serene aura that just makes you feel comfortable just looking at him.
The Grim Reaper was also great and became more lively and loveable with every episode despite his past mistakes.
Looking at Eun Tak not as a part of the main couple but as a character by herself, I thought the acting was brilliant especially the difference between her bubbly high school personality (ok, it is debatable how realistic this is in her situation but it seems a typical thing in k-dramas that poor girls beaten by life remain cheerful and optimistic...), after the Goblin died and she became depressed and after he came back and she seemed way more mature and down to earth even in her 'bubbly moments'.
Soooo, all in all, despite the huge plot holes, actually tragic ending and plain weird romance, this was still one of the best dramas I have ever watched because it made me become so extremely emotionally invested (seriously, I actually had to write this review in order to be able to process my emotions about this!). It's a bit sad that it stayed so much on the surface of philosophical aspects like the whole fate question, death/immortality, true worth of life in itself etc. because in the end, it makes kind of hard to summarize what Goblin was all about. But still, even this weird mix was great and very enjoyable to watch so I can recomment it without any doubts!
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