Was this review helpful to you?
STORY:
Warning: The beginning of this show is really bloody….might be off putting if you are looking for a lighthearted tale. Goblin is many things but it is NOT FLUFFY NOR IS IT CUTE! The Goblin or Kim Shin is played to PERFECTION by Gong Yoo (yes….adding him to my oppa list). Kim Shin becomes a goblin after he is betrayed by the king and the people mourn his death. He waits for a goblin bride who can remove the magic sword and let him leave mortality…..nine hundred years later (and a lot of good deeds) he meets up with Ji Eun Tak (well done by Kim Go Eun) a graduating high school senior (and orphan), becomes room mates with a grim reaper (HOLY COW – Lee Dong Wook rocked it) and Deok Hwa (Yook Sung Jae…so funny), the latest member of a family who has taken care of the goblin for the last 900 years.
Throw in a funny business owner named Sunny, a mother earth type god, and the big boss god who sometimes comes in the form of a butterfly, and well…..magic……just magic. Some have issues with the age gap between the ML & FL. I think the issue lies in the fact that she is graduating from high school when she meets the goblin and that is a bit much for a few folks. The show steers clear from becoming inappropriate. Perhaps it would have been easier for some if she had already graduated…..but I’m not quite convinced. (However, that weirdness does keep this from being a perfect 10 in my book.)
CHARACTERS:
I can’t say too much about these characters without spilling the beans with some spoilers. Please know that I am just skimming the surface here.
Kim Shin (Gong Yoo): All the broody goodness I love in my male leads and super hilarious to boot. Kim Shin will either make you laugh or cry or sigh, but you won’t be bored….however, just know that the grim reaper will do the EXACT SAME THING! Either way, Gong Yoo….I just can’t imaging ANYONE else playing this part……and the relationship between the grim reaper and the goblin….OUT OF THIS WORLD CRAZY GOOD!
Ji Eun Tak (Kim Go Eun): Her character was all over the place and in a good way. Just when you thought she would be too miserable to deal with….she turns into someone funny, running circles around the goblin and the grim reaper. Her character could have been too sad and too depressing but Kim Go Eun keeps her hilarious and appealing for all 16 episodes.
Sunny & Grim Reaper: Holy cow were these two characters the best in the entire world. Again, avoiding spoilers, I will only say: funny, scary, intense, sad, touching, sweet, heart-wrenching. WATCH THE SHOW JUST FOR THESE TWO!!!!
MUSIC:
I will admit that I am tempted to download the theme song because of the last couple of minutes of episode 2 (WASN’T THAT SO COOL!!!). The music was not repeated to the point of annoying and again…that main song….love it!
REWATCH VALUE:
Oh yeah….I could watch this over and over and over ESPECIALLY THE BROMANCE SCENES…..and there are lots and lots of YouTube videos showing them over and over because they are SOOOOOOOO AWESOME.
Should you watch this? Um Yeah. If all my caps didn’t convince you then…….well, just saying.
Was this review helpful to you?
Heart warming story
Ok so.. is one of my first reviews. First which will.be better organized at least. I have watched this drama few years back, but is still on my mind. One of my korean work colleagues recommended it to me, besides Master's Sun.Story
I do not find the story really original, because I have seen many movies and dramas, plus I read many books. But is not cliché either. Somewhere in between, maybe? It starts well, develops in a realistic pace and does not have a rushed ending.
Acting/Cast.
Quite well done with the casting.
I was not really fond of any of the actors at first, cause I never seen anything with them by that time. Goblin was like my second kdrama seen, I think hahaha. But! They captivated me with their character performance and I watched more of their works. In specially the ML. He gave so much emotion 😍
Music
Amazing 😍😍😍
Re-watch? Most definitely!
I highly recommend it to everyone who likes a supernatural romance story, with a realistic development despite the supernatural. If you like also stuff like destiny and fate... Go for it!
I do not talk much about the story or characters, because i do not want to spoil someone's own experience, impression and understanding of the characters. But I must say that Goblin and Death r like LOL... they did make me laugh few times... and I do not laugh easy at all when watching movies or series 😂
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Victims of Domestic Abuse do not Watch!!
Let me preface this by saying that every single actor in this was on point. The writing was stellar, the characters had depth and flaws galore. They were so human and, at times, painfully so. I enjoyed the music and the pacing of the show was, as most others have commented on, slow but it was not to the point where it bored me. The complicated relationships between the sisters, the mothers and the dissection of family dynamics was very enjoyable to me as well as the romance aspect. There was a point though where I started caring less about the main character and growing more and more frustrated with her and her victim mentality. I really enjoy Park Min Young's acting and she played this character really, really well so this isn't a commentary on that. However the character arc and development of Hae Won was the most frustrating thing and in the end I can't say I felt good about how it ended or that I even liked her at all the way I did at the beginning. This has mostly to do with the ending episode and how she dealt with finding out the truth about her mother, aunt, and father. Also the way the show dealt with victims, sufferers of mental illness, and other subjects-- I was not about it. It almost seemed to glorify it in a way? Or twist it so it seemed like the victims fault. If you get to the end of this please, let me know what you think.The following contains major spoilers and TW for mentions of domestic abuse.
I did like Hae Won's inability to forgive Kim Bo Young at first. I thought and still believe that it was justified. Kim Bo Young was in the wrong and should have apologized outright instead of saying it was just a 'mistake' it was truly a betrayal and the fact that the friend tried to turn it around as if she was the victim was ridiculous. That mistake was a monumental one which lead to Hae Won being made out to be a pariah in school. Hae Won was clearly depressed and needed therapy but I know that Korea and mental health is a touchy subject so I'll leave it at that. But Bo Young couldn't just apologize and own up to her mistake and on top of that we later come to find out that she believes herself to have been slighted by Hae Won...
However, the longer that conflict was drawn out I started to get a little... annoyed with the way these two resolved conflict in their interpersonal relationships. Hae Won especially began to seem cruel, cold, selfish, and unforgiving...unnecessarily so. A little hypocritical as well.
THE BIG ISSUE with Hae Won:
The way she dealt with finding out what happened between her father, mother, and aunt. I found myself thinking "guess she'd rather have been raised by her abusive father who killed her aunt (Shim Myung Yeo) and mother than the other way around." Was this fair of me to think? Probably not. I realize that she had been lied to, kept in the dark since that incident but when has she ever been forthright with her own secrets, trauma, and life? I never saw her have a conversation with anyone except Eun Sub about the way she was feeling or the things she was going through. So why does she get to expect that out of others? Her mother was so in the wrong, I get that, but she was a victim of domestic abuse and the drama, at least to me, tried to pin the blame on her. AS if she was at fault for being abused. "Why didn't you leave?" "I felt sorry for him." Anyone thinking that this means that she consented to being physical abused, please don't believe that anymore. This is how abuse works, it's insidious and it messes with your self views. A lot of abused people stay with their abuser for various reasons, that doesn't mean that the victim is not a victim anymore.
Further, the fact that, to my understanding, Korea would have locked up the Aunt for x amount of years for defending her own safety and the safety of a beloved sisters knocks me tf out. That man was swinging away at them, threatening them with violence and death and yet the mother was locked up for seven years and the sister felt guilty over killing the man. THEN add on top of all of that, after years and years of unresolved trauma and living in misery, when Hae Won finds out the truth instead of acting like a compassionate human being she basically tells her aunt that she's dead to her. For an accident. A mistake. Like a true mistake that disrupted all happiness for Shim Myung Yeo and she's been paying for it ever since but Hae Won takes that truth and does what with it? Acts like a total brat.
I would love, love someone to discuss this with me either in agreement or disagreement (respectfully) because I am completely blown away by how much this drama got me angry and upset by the end. What kind of commentary is that? What are we supposed to take away from this?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
what even is this???
I need someone to explain this to me, like I'm three, because I just don't understand how this not only got approved, but filmed and aired.Who thought this was a good idea?
To be clear, i don't blame Mew or Gulf for this mess. They're actors, doing their jobs, and doing them pretty well in spite of the terrible writing, bad direction and awful editing.
I want to start with something positive. But there's nothing really positive to start with. This whole series is a mess.
THE PLOT: It's been seven years since Tharn and Type got together. They're now sharing an apartment and, after his brother announces his engagement, Tharn decides he wants to marry Type.
Type does not want to get married, for reasons which are valid but which Tharn completely ignores.
Type is working for a boss that seems to hate him (we never find out why, not really), which is causing him a lot of stress as his boss just piles the work on - even work that Type is not supposed to be doing as part of his job - and it's putting a strain on their relationship.
That's basically it for about eight episodes, then things take a hard right and suddenly Type has left to go stay with his parents and become a monk.
THE PROBLEMS: Tharn is lost in his own world. Type and he barely communicate about things, especially important things, and Tharn becomes so obsessed with having what his brother has (an engagement and a wedding) that he doesn't listen to Type at all and completely dismisses Type's very reasonable fears and objections. Tharn's wanting to get married appears to come out of nowhere to Type, and to us as well. Tharn never seems to consider actually talking about why Type doesn't want to get married and makes it all about him.
Cir and Phu just confuse me. Cir acts like a five year old and Phu acts like a combination of his brother/father/guardian. How am I meant to believe these two are a couple?
Fiat and Leo also confuse me. It's obvious from the first episode that Leo is in love with Fiat, and if he'd just have said something the worst of this story's problems could have been avoided (Fiat acting like a little stalker, and Type kidnapping and threatening Fiat) but Fiat, who is probably the most realistic character out of them all (eh, he's still a teenager and lacks emotional maturity and does stupid things - sounds about right), could try and take a hint. Hint: best friends don't let you lay all over them. Next to them, yes, but not full body contact all over them.
Techno, who I rather liked in S1, has been ramped up to eleven and gone from funny and charming to obnoxious and annoying.
a bit like the sound effects that are overused to the point to stupidity through the story.
The Doc and Champ had a rather sweet relationship, which was nice, but sadly their screen time was limited because the writer clearly wanted to focus on the other couples.
let's not even get started on the female characters. It's a Thai BL so it won't end well.
S1 had it's problems, but at least it was a cohesive story and every episode felt necessary. Half the episodes in S2 feel like filler as things rinse and repeat (Type gets in trouble with his boss, Tharn and Type have an argument, Tharn does something romantic and they make up, start again) and nothing changes until the last three episodes or so, when the pair of them finally learn to communicate a little better (which shouldn't have taken seven years.)
Was this review helpful to you?
Brilliant
No other Wuxia can compare to this in my opinion. The sheer breadth and depth of the story make for a viewing pleasure that holds the audience captive through 60 episodes and this is firstly thanks to the superb casting of Chen Feiyu as the ML. He is an anti-hero character who is supremely confident, intelligent, and powerful and I will never forget how fully immersed he was in such a dark character considering how unobtrusive he is in real life.Can we talk about the beautiful cinematography and the immaculate fight choreography that will have your heart in your mouth even knowing he’s the hero doesn’t mean his opponents just roll over to play dead? He wins despite many odds because of his tenacity and unwillingness to succumb to what some call his lowly fate.
The FL is a pocket-size bundle of joy who made me smile whenever she came on the screen. The character of Sang Sang is one that was built incrementally until we see her come into her own. I also liked the height difference between her and Feiyu. So adorable. Anyway, this is one to rewatch.
Was this review helpful to you?
3 reasons to watch this series
I have one principle when I start watching a series: I don't expect anything, so at least I won't be disappointed. Then I give it three or four episodes to decide whether to watch it to the end or not, which usually takes at least an hour or so. This time it didn't even take ten minutes, because the total runtime is 70 minutes for 30 episodes. Was I disappointed? No, I was surprised.There are three reasons to watch this series: 1. Junior, 2. Kad, and 3. it's fun. It's fun because many of the things that make 'normal', i.e. longer, Thai series so hard to watch sometimes are simply not possible when there's less than 3 minutes per episode: no staring at each other for 10 minutes, no endless crying scenes (there are actually none at all!), no distracting side couples, no shrieking bl-fans, even the ex-girlfriend isn't toxic, and she doesn't get more than 2 minutes of screentime.
I won't spoil the plot, there isn't much to spoil anyway. The episodes display short scenes about two roommates who are different from each other, but there isn't the worn-out hater to lover trope. There are just 30 glimpses of two boys getting closer, and I find it surprising how well they are being characterized. Junior and Kad have a fantastic chemistry, and they obviously enjoy the opportunity to show their talent as comedians.
Cinematography is also surprisingly good for a tiktok series, as is the soundtrack.
The series is now available at youtube with English subtitles, all episodes put together without any commercial breaks, and if you have 70 minutes to spare, and if you want good, light entertainment, and if you like Junior and Kad, then this is exactly right for you.
Was this review helpful to you?
A sweet slice of life
This is a really special 2-part short film that has a much more realistic feel to it than we're used to, yet remains in the BL genre.Nobody is rich, the mother looks like a real person, and the setting is really beautiful without relying on the usual wealth and glamour - the director uses the natural setting to its best advantage.
The pacing is really good, managing friends to lovers in such a short span without feeling rushed or unnatural. The relationship is fluffy without being saccharine, and the chemistry between the two leads develops and feels real. The script is good, and a character's description of what it feels like to want someone is age appropriate and avoids the silly cliches like a kiss on the cheek is something shocking - these two want to touch each other, and the confused character is just the right amount of hesitant. Realistic dramatic tensions are not given overblown weight, and resolve in a natural way - it's refreshing.
The acting is superb - Mon has always been good, but Oak is really good in this and seems to improve with every project. And again, Mon performs the main theme.
I will certainly watch this again, and I'm looking forward to the next project.
Was this review helpful to you?
Ts suchs ass
Honestly, the actions weren't even needed in the first place, JUST WHOSE IDEAS WAS THIS? this feels like a slap in the face to fans (like me) who have spent years emotionally invested in the story. It’s like the people behind the adaptation read a Wikipedia summary of ORV and thought, “hell yea ts tuff, let’s throw some monsters in there and call it a day.” The soul of the original is gone. Don’t even get me started on the pacing, they butcher the story structure so badly that important arcs are erased???? It feels like they tried to Frankenstein the entire first few volumes into a watchable product and just hoped we wouldn’t notice. But we noticed cus wtf!???AND LMAO the CGI suchs, like actually, like PS2 cutscene levels of bad and in a story where the entire world is falling apart, that matters. It’s supposed to feel terrifying and mythic, but instead it’s just... cheesy? Idk, and emotionally? It’s dead inside. They ripped out the internal narration, the constellation dialogue, the deep moral dilemmas all the stuff that made ORV different, and they replaced it with generic hero tropes and forced drama. It reeks of trying to please the general public instead of respecting the source material or the fans who carried this story for years. In the end, it’s not just a bad adaptation it’s a complete misrepresentation. It doesn’t just “suck.” It’s a hollow, corporate husk of something that once had heart, and the worst part is they think slapping on a familiar title is enough to make us like it. It’s not. It’s infuriating. I FUCKING HATE THIS.Was this review helpful to you?
Also, can I just say how much I want one of those translator ear pieces? Those were really cool.
Was this review helpful to you?
Now, after watching season one and patiently waiting for season two to be release soon. I regret judging the series from someone else's point of view because I really enjoyed watching it. It was hilarious, cute, and it had me going "WTF" from the first episode to the last. The original name of the series "What The *uck" really suits the show because the are lot of WTF moments that would leave you speechless. You know, the one that gets your fan-girl/boy heart melting down to the one that have you crying with tears.
Anyways, apart from that, the casting and music choice for this series was well thought out because everyone played their part perfectly. It was interesting to watch the relationship growth between the main couple and side couples. With every hug, fluff and kiss, my heart is at peace. I'm very happy to have given this series a try. The slow build and the cliffhanger at the end of the season is all worth it knowing season two is coming.
Please go try it out for yourself because you too will be going... WTF.
Was this review helpful to you?
Watch this show!
My first k-drama, and one I revisit periodically. The storyline is original - a man destined to continue living to atone for crimes in his past. I'd like to address the age difference - I can see why some people really had a problem with it, especially since she spent so much time in a high school uniform. However, the chemistry between Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun was amazing. When watching Gong Yoo - his loneliness was almost palpable and was heartbreaking to see. Kim Go Eun was able to vacillate back and forth between her pitiful life and her vivacity as she gets to know Kim Shin (Yoo) better. The secondary love story between Lee Dong Wook and Eu In Na was lovely as well. There was a lot of humor (like when he told her his name was Kim Woo Bin!), but such sadness as well. The scenery is just beautiful when they are in Canada. The music is absolutely perfect. Each song fit perfectly where it was used and there was a haunting quality about a number of the songs. These songs are easily recognizable when you hear them outside of the show. But I think the thing that I love best about this show is the friendships between the characters, especially between Goblin and Reaper. If you look up the word Bromance in the dictionary, you should find their pictures there - what started out as hate, moved to grudging respect, and then finally brotherly love. Their scenes never failed to make me laugh. This is one of the few shows that I have watched multiple times, and have enjoyed it just as much each time.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Ok so i loved the story it was interested near the last two episode i was somewhat shock... i made a hypothesis in the beginning that all three boys know they were dating her but just pretended they didn’t and they choose to share so they don’t lose her but it turns out... Ya’ll know if you already watched it okay so here’s where the SPOILER is going to come! if this doesn’t make sense that means you didn’t watch it yet, come back and read this after you watch it! So at the end when she said “Why? You think you’ll be different?” Is actually dark to me because she wasn’t talking to gunwoo when she was saying that! She was talking to us viewer! That somewhat creeped me out lol but i still can’t be disgusted or angry with her! Cause knowing me i would’ve done that too... but i felt like i would’ve feel guilty from the beginning.. Anyways the ending and the whole story surprised me, more than feeling weird out or any negative emotions i actually felt amazed. Yeah that’s it i thought it was a great drama with beautiful casts. Was this review helpful to you?
Trash
I have no words left. Worst adaptation ever wait, no it’s not even close to an adaptation. It’s just a trash ugh. When the live action first was announced, I was so happy but the moment I saw the cast I lost the spark in my eyes it was DISASTER worse than my life tbh. I hoped atleast the plot would stay same but they changed everything. It just keep getting worse and worse. It’s completely different movie not our ORV.Please don’t waste your time watching it. Read the novel and manhwa. I genuinely hope this movie flops and disappears into the thin air. If you watch this movie this will be the worst experience ever in your life. Sorry my English is not good. Thank you!!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Spoilers ahead about the Manhwa and the adaptation
After finishing Heesu in class 2 I think it was clear that the creators of this adaptation wanted to have the BL audience that were fans of the Manhwa without saying that they only took inspiration and without really wanting to commit to display the relationship between them until 5 min till the end feel like we were in the early KBL days with censorship.Clear example of this Chanyoung bisexuality was erased in the show and he was such a supportive friend to Hessu helping them getting together with Jiyu there was nothing romantic between them.
They completely changed the narrative and even changed the relationships between the characters my main grip with this is that they decided to adapt a BL manhwa where the romance was the focus of the story and decided to add a lot of unnecessary storylines to make things more complicated for the couple to get together because if they was not obstacles they would have to show them early being a couple and showing affection and I think they wanted to avoid this so the couple only got together in ep 10 last minute showing really minimal affection and I feel the same with the fact that Seungwon moms exists but we did not see them as a couple in the adaption same for their classmate who has a girlfriend they exist as a queer characters but the show do not want to make them visible.
If they wanted to make a serie that concentrate on coming out and the pain of being in the closet they could have done this as an orignal story but they decided to capitalized on this Manhwa because it was popular and made a completely lackluster serie even if they wanted to make this like an ensemble work the screen time for both couple was certainly not equal if they do this and people defend it they are going to keep picking BLs Manhwa and do this making it palatable for the GP which is really unfortunate when KBL come so far Lost in The Big City being the latest example of the evolution of the genre.
Was this review helpful to you?
