Goblin (2016)

Originale, straziante ma pieno di speranza.

In un mare di drama dove il motore che spinge e arresta le relazioni è la gelosia fra gli attori principali e secondari, Goblin (Guardian: the lonely and great god) spicca per la sua originalità nella trama e nella gestione delle relazioni. La gelosia farà capolino solo di striscio, e sarà men che secondaria.
Soprattutto, è la trama ad essere molto originale, decisamente diversa da qualsiasi cosa abbia mai visto.
Un invincibile generale della dinastia Goryeo viene falsamente accusato di tradimento e assassinato assieme a tutta la sua famiglia da un re geloso e sobillato. La spada che gli piantano in petto lo condanna ad essere un goblin immortale, fino a quando non incontrerà la sua sposa, l’unica che potrà estrarre la spada e liberarlo dal peso dell’immortalità. Nel frattempo, il nostro generale/goblin fa conoscenza anche di un dio della morte e di varie altre persone…
Diciamolo subito: a parte le prime scene, di un’energia pazzesca, l’azione non è il comparto principale di questa serie. Ma Gong Yoo, nei panni del generale Kim Shin, è quanto di più vigorosamente maschio si possa immaginare, senza sconfinare nei palestrati. Anche in abiti civili, Gong Yoo è un attore coi controfiocchi: espressivo il giusto, maturo e coinvolgente senza essere eccessivo.
Mai sopra le righe, sembra essere il mantra di questa produzione. Diktat a cui si uniforma anche Lee Dong Wook, nei panni del grim reaper, un tipo piuttosto impacciato e chiaramente a disagio nei rapporti interpersonali. Il suo personaggio è per certi versi un po’ tonto, e si è calato benissimo nella parte.
La giovanissima Kim Go Eun, che ha magistralmente interpretato la sposa del goblin, ha saputo mantenere alla grande il suo ruolo di collante centrale a quasi tutte le vicende.
Un nutrito stuolo di spalle è riuscito a reggere alla grande il passo di questo magnifico trio. Tutti gli attori, fino alle comparse, hanno fatto un lavoro egregio, una vera gioia per gli occhi, e spesso un colpo al cuore.
Se, specialmente all’inizio, non sono mancate situazioni divertenti, che hanno alleggerito l’atmosfera, verso la fine a prevalere è la tragedia, anche se non così definitiva come si potrebbe pensare. (Eppure, io ancora mi domando quale sarà il destino del solitario goblin.)
Ma non solo di tragedie e amori difficili o impossibili si nutre questo drama. Inserite qua e là, come perle nascoste, ci sono frasi che fanno pensare, che ci parlano per esempio di come il destino a volte ci dia una spinta, se abbiamo fortuna, ma avvisandoci che il resto della strada dobbiamo farla da soli. Ci sono momenti di altissima poesia, lettere e citazioni che rimarranno impresse per molto tempo.
Il regalo di un orologio sarà accompagnato da questo biglietto: “Per tutti i sentieri su cui cammineremo insieme, per tutti i paesaggi che vedremo insieme, con cuore timido ed emozionato, con tutte le domande e le risposte. In tutti quei momenti, ti amo.”
La storia si dipana senza eccessive vicende secondarie, forse a volte rallentando un po' troppo ma, ad essere sinceri, non saprei neppure io cosa tagliare per snellire. Alla fine, tutto è necessario e, soprattutto, originale nel concetto e nello svolgimento. Le relazioni fra gli avvenimenti di 900 anni prima e dopo sono perfettamente spiegate e bilanciate, i personaggi convergono sul palcoscenico come attirati dal magnete del destino. E se in principio Kim Shin sembrava un bambino capriccioso e la sposa una ragazzina troppo vivace, le peculiarità delle loro vite possono spiegare molte cose. Il tempo e le interazioni portano crescite caratteriali importanti.
Ora, so che da più parti si sono alzate voci di dissenso all’idea di una storia d’amore fra una ragazzina di 19 anni e un uomo di 39 (più 900). Sarei stata anch’io fra quelle voci ma, in realtà, finché la sposa era giovanissima la relazione fra i due è rimasta molto delicata, praticamente platonica. Solo più avanti, quando lei è cresciuta, è evoluto anche il loro rapporto.
E' molto ben riuscita la bromance (senza alcuna connotazione BL) fra i due protagonisti principali. La loro amicizia ha aggiunto sale e pepe alla storia.
Giustizia vuole che si parli dell’ottima cinematografia, delle ambientazioni, dei costumi, tutto molto curato e piacevole. Un discorso a parte merita la colonna sonora, impreziosita da alcune canzoni, specialmente l’opening, che non dimenticherò facilmente. Ma anche le musiche di sottofondo vantano alcune tracce molto belle, che ben sottolineano l’azione.
Questa serie mi ha stregato, sono rimasta incollata alla sedia per tre giorni di fila, imprecando quando dovevo staccarmi per fare altro. Insomma, un drama che consiglio caldamente, a meno che non si sia allergici alle lacrime, perché in questo caso le cose si metterebbero male. Come dice il saggio, prima di poter migliorare le cose devono peggiorare.
So che altri la ritengono una noiosissima fiera del cliché. Provare è l'unica strada. A me è piaciuto.

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Answers

I spent hours watching for the ending, but the story lost me. Can someone please help!
1. Why was the goblin still not dead once the sword was removed. Was he not supposed to become extinct after 900 years. ( thats what we were told many times during the episodes)
2. Why was he wondering the desert for 9 years. I thought the almighty has wiped his slate clean and he was finally dead or he can be reborn .
3. The goblin bride comes back again as a school girl, the story starts all over again. No issues about the age difference, but the character really irritated me, i wish she talked less.
I wish the story line ended after she went to the other world and left the rest to our imagination. Definately not the best.

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Beautiful and heartbreaking story

This show was amazingly beautiful to watch especially for the first time. It has a great storyline and great actors.

I really loved the second lead couple. I think they 100% outshined the main couple. I did not really enjoy the main couple in this show. I thought that the female lead being a highschool student was kind of weird. The ending was also unsatisfying to me as a person who cannot stand bad endings and usually tries to avoid them. The ending was not the worst possible as it is seen that the second lead couple do meet in their next life.

The drama was visually very satisfying and the music was amazing. I love all the soundtracks in this series. Also I enjoyed the comedy in this drama especially scenes between Deokhwa and the two male leads were absolutely hilarious. Overall its a very beautiful classic Korean drama.

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One of the best romance kdramas I've watched

Once of the best dramas I've ever watched hands down. The plot was very intricate and the characters were complex. The two main characters had amazing chemistry romantically and all the other main characters had amazing platonic chemistry with each other and the main couple also. Every single episode was very beautifully done and had me looking forward to the next one. Be prepared to laugh a lot but also cry. The soundtrack was also beautiful and added very well to the scenes it was used in. This drama will tug on your heartstrings a lot but is definitely worth the watch. I highly recommend this drama. You will not regret it.

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I can only continue walking forward

Yes it was Great watching it specially the story building and and character building was so good accurate and every single thing in this drama was super good. It make me more sure that one should never think about committing crimes such as killing or suicide. Both can be very dangerous. But the fact they all somehow resolved there 1000 year old beef and tried to be together is so cute. They didn't only focus on main lead but also support lead. I also wanted to see dok hwa getting married or having rebirth with them too. I didn't expected to have such a plot like i was thinking dok hwa is going to be someone bad but it turns out he was not. It was so cute and lovely to have them see together again.

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If you are hesitating to watch this at all, please....just throw out your reservations and watch this. Goblin has just made my favorites list. Even my husband got sucked in and loves this show. The cinematography was gorgeous, the music was amazing, the actors were perfect (Hello, Gong Yoo!), the story was heartbreakingly beautiful.

This is the first time I've watched any of the main actors except Yoo In Na. I have now officially developed a Gong Yoo crush and understand why drama fans are enamored of him. Gong Yoo as Kim Shin/ Goblin was mesmerizing. I could listen to his voice for days. Every scene he was in was a treat. Every emotion that his character had was palpable, and his smiles could light up the sky.
And Kim Go Eun as Ji Eun Tak was super cute. She had a lot of detractors and the writer got a lot of flak for making her so young. But the character and her age were perfect for this story and how it unfolded.
Lee Dong Wook as the Grim Reaper had the perfect deadpan (heh) delivery. And he may be the best male "crier" I've seen yet.

The story will make you laugh and make you cry. Not only is the love story epic, but so is the bromance between Goblin and Reaper. I've found that I'm quite fond of this fantasy genre and this has been done so well. I have hardly any criticisms of this show at all because even the flaws faded into nothing noticeable for me. It's sweet, funny, romantic, sad, tragic, beautiful...

The music was perfect and perfectly lovely. I don't always pay much attention to the music, but this show utilized it so well and chose the perfect songs. So many people loved even the intro song that they made a special recording of it to make it a full length song (Round and Round, but may also be found under Never Far Away). Beautiful by Crush was the best song in my opinion, and I believe that it was the theme song for our main couple. And Stay With Me by Chanyeol and Punch was another favorite.

Rewatch value is high - if not everything, then there are many, many favorite scenes that I'll go back to and relive the feels. :)

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Worth watching despite the flaws

I loved this drama, such a unique story!

After this drama, whenever it rains I remember Goblin and think to myself: "Oh no, is he sad again? :(" The male lead of course is my crush :D but the female lead is also sooo cute! I loved her bubbly personality and positive energy! Yes, she did act a bit childish as many people said, but I personally didn't mind it because I thought it suited her very well.

In general, it's a very cute drama and one of the best ones I have seen. Although the last few episodes could have been better, in my opinion.

[Downsides]:

1) VERY slow
I had to watch 90% of this drama at x1.5 speed due to its slow pace. Many scenes were also shot in slow motion.

2) Fillers / Repetitive Scenes
I had to skip over A LOT of flashback scenes of past memories. Honestly, they could have made this drama 8 episodes instead of 16.

3) Age Difference
There was a huge age gap between the two leads. It looked as if he was in his 40s, dating a high school student. It was a bit weird, but I had to ignore it and focus on their adorable personalities to enjoy the drama.

Despite all that, I'm glad I watched this drama and I still recommend people to watch it.
Enjoy :)

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This drama had been recommended to me quite a lot and I finally decided to give it a shot. A very cute and slow burn love story, while also having a really great found family story that goes on as well. The one downfall to such a great story - a not so great ending - so if you're looking for something that ends happy and leaves you feeling satisfied, this isn't the watch for you. While the overall story and characters make this drama so worth it, the end made it fall so flat for me and actually had me a bit disappointed and confused.

I will add - a lot of people have a problem or find it problematic about the age gap in the relationship (900+ vs 19), but if you can look past this it's a great love story about fated and destined love.

-- Spoilers Below --

Kim Shin is a goblin that has been sentenced to live out an immortal life as punishment for the many sins he committed in his first lifetime. He has a ghostly blade stuck in his chest and the only way for him to be able to die and rest peacefully is to meet his destined, Goblin's Bride, and have her pull it out. From the outside, you can tell that Kim Shin is caring, loving and kind. He loves giving out tiny miracles and helping people out, but also harbors deep trauma and sadness from his life. He has outlived everyone that he once knew and will continue to do so.

Eun Tak is a senior in high school who can see ghosts. From a young age, she has been able to see and talk to lingering ghosts, but avoids doing so after her mother dies. She runs into a grim reaper as well, but is able to make it away due to the kindness of a granny passing by. She lives her life out with ghosts pointing out and telling her that she's the Goblin's Bride. On her 19th birthday, she decides to finally make a wish after her life is in a rut. Dealing with her abusive aunt and family to being bullied in school, she needed something. After blowing out her candles, there appears Kim Shin behind her. It starts a whirlwind up and down relationship between the two, where she knows she's the Bride but Kim doesn't believe her. They slowly fall in love and begin to actually feel for one another.

Wang Yeo, or known more as Mr. Reaper, is Kim Shin's friend that he lives with. He leads people on their death journey, helping them on their way before their next life. He himself knows that to become a Grim Reaper, you have to commit a great sin, but cannot remember his past life at all, not even his own name. He eventually runs into a woman on the street and feels as though he as seen her before and begins crying. This sensation doesn't only happen the one time, but again when he see's a painting that Kim Shin had been keeping of a woman. He falls in love with Sunny, a beautiful and witty business owner, and tries to be a normal human towards her. While at some point, she grabs him and he sees her entire lifetime, learning that she was involved in his and Kim Shin's, her being the latter's sister. They learn of his real past life, that he was the King that slaughtered many, and even was the cause of death of Sunny and Kim Shin.

Every single happening in their lives happens because of an evil entity named Park Joong Hun. He caused the car crash that Kim Shin reversed to safe Eun Tak, and he causes every little happening of possible death to her after. They eventually figure out his true identity and in the climax of the show, Kim Shin pulls out the sword and banishes him. Not long after he himself is banished to a world of nothing but snow and cold. 10 years go by and Eun Tak has no recollection or memory of the Goblin, but can feel in her heart that she is mourning the loss of someone/something important to her. Her and Sunny help each other out, both dealing with their grief of losing a loved one. Eventually because of the contract they made before his passing, Eun Tak makes a wish and he comes back. It takes a while for her to regain her memory, and after that it begins a happily ever after. They get married and everything seems well...

This is where I begin my small rant on the end of this show. After they get married, Mr. Reaper is waiting on a deadly car crash that is going to kill an entire bus of kindergarteners. Before this is slotted to happen, Eun Tak drives by and waves at him before continuing on. At this moment is when he realizes that she is about to die and get her death card and that HE was the reaper she was destined to see at age 29 just like he was at 9 and 19. She ends up sacrificing her life to save the kids, due to her destiny of having to die. A couple of years after her life ends, the Reaper's punishment is over and he can reincarnate in his next life. Before this he also leads Sunny to her afterlife and reincarnation. At the end, it's shown that all 3 (Eun Tak, Mr. Reaper, and Sunny) have all reincarnated, but Kim Shin is not apart of Mr. Reaper's or Sunny's new life, but they end up together again. Him and Eun Tak meet up again in Canada when she is 19 again. It ends with them seeing each other again.
My faults with this ending is in the bigger picture, was what he did that awful to deserve this bad of a punishment? Even the Reaper, who is Wang Yeo, has his punishment ended and can move on. It's also stated several times that you have 4 lives, and they should all be on their 3rd or 4th. So Kim Shin gets to continue and live on even after they can't come back anymore. Just a sad and flat ending for all of the build up.

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Extraordinary

My favorite kdrama of all time
I have watched lots of kdramas which are really interesting but trust me on this one, Infact when I am being asked to recommend a kdrama for someone, the first kdrama that comes to my mind is "goblin", it isn't my first kdrama but somehow I can't forget it. Everything in this drama was on point, the acting skills, OST, story line, chemistry between both ML's and the second lead's.

If you're looking to watch something funny at the same time heart warming, romantic, exciting, almost realistic despite the fact that it is fantasy, you should definitely watch goblin
+ If you want to have a good cry too lol, it is worth every bit of your time.

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