Goblin (2016)

Goblin was massively hyped on multiple platforms across the internet, but failed to meet my high expectations.  It was a good series, no doubt, but somehow I just expected more out of it.  

Even though the story could have been improved at the beginning a lot as I was very close about giving up on Goblin, I am happy I managed to get through the first few episodes as this series improved a lot when it was nearing the end. Acting of the cast was up to standards, however I found the age difference between Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) and Ji Eun Tak (Kim Go Eun) bothersome and somehow found the secondary love couple more interesting; Grim Reaper (Lee Dong Wook) and Sunny (Yoo In Na). Goblin's Music was top notch. Enjoyed it very much with these beautiful songs out there.

Now you can disregard my rewatch value ranking as I am absolutely not fan of rewatching series, cause the story is spoiled once you know most of it already.

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Goblin. Goblin. Goblin. Everyones known drama Goblin. Bet there is no person who has not heard that title. Grew my curiosity as well, began it, and couldnt really see what people would brag about this drama so much. So i thought to myself its just me. The romance was a bit weird to me at first the age gap would make me kinda uncomfortable since Ji Eun Tak would act a bit childish even tho she was a 19 year old woman. She was so demanding and clingy and the way she would talk annoyed me a lot. And as a person who doesnt enjoy comedy dramas the first episodes were i guess i should say, boring. I found myself skipping scenes a lot . Yet i didnt drop it. Thankfully. Even tho i thought about it a lot. When the story began getting explained and when things finally got more serious i realised why people love this drama. Its way more deep than it seems in the first approximentally 8-9 episodes. And it turned out that even the funny awkward moments this couple went through, had a very huge impact on them once seperated. The music is obviously the best and it only makes things more emotional just how it should. The ending was kinda sad to me because Goblin doesnt age and hes still immortal which means hes gonna witness Eun Taks death again and again and if she actually has 4 lives there will be a moment where she wont be able to be born again and that is one hella sad thought i just had. I am happy i didnt drop it even tho I'll definitely never watch it again. It was a nice story considering I love historical dramas. If there weren't that many unnecessary scenes I would have had a better opinion on this drama.

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Personally, I was expecting to fall in love with this drama but that sadly didn't happen.

The production, score, and acting were SO well done and the backstory in the first episode made me very excited to watch this drama. But, I could not get behind the main couple. Firstly, the age gap b/w the ML + FL was so vast that it made it hard to believe their relationship would ever work. I felt like the FL lacked most appealing qualities - since she was young for most of the drama, she came off as very whiny + immature which was a weird contrast w/ the ML who is much older than her (not to say he was incredibly mature, but there's def a difference in how the FL + ML handle situations). I found the chemistry lacking and honestly just didn't care about their story line once I reached episode 8 (as far as the relationship goes; however, the background of the life of the ML and the lore was interesting). The secondary couple was MUCH more interesting and I really focused on their parts - the chemistry was there and it was much more believable that they would be together. I must say, the relationship between the two male leads was SO good - well acted + the friendship was incredible. Don't recommend beyond watching it for than the production.

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This was my first introduction to Gong Yoo and I can easily understand why he's so loved. He's gorgeous, emotive, and captivating in his scenes.

This series easily had one of the strongest openings I've ever watched. The first few episodes hooked me in with its OST, masterful cinematography, special effects, and script. I loved the backstory and how it explained the Goblin's origin in a way that made me think of old bedtime stories, or even a Guillermo del Toro opener. I was curious and enamored by Goblin right away.

The show isn't perfect. I wouldn't say it's "over-hyped" like some of the other reviews say, but I do feel like the show had some issues that even made me skip through a bit with the last couple of episodes.

The pacing was a huge issue. It became very obvious by episode 7 or 8 that the show lacked its main antagonist. That could have easily been remedied by introducing the evil spirit a lot sooner (and with less Halloween-y makeup) and less meandering with the "will she or won't she" pull the sword out. I also had an issue with the age gap. I had the same issue in My Roommate is a Gumiho. Why must the writers use a minor to captivate the heart of our 900+year-old protagonist? Ick, guys. Even making her college-age at their intro would have been a whole lot better (maybe mid-20s?). Her maturity level and the school uniform constantly gave me the creeps whenever he looked at her in a romantic way (although, I'll give the series credit that they waited until she was technically legal until he made any physical move on her...but still, ick! 900 vs just-legal. What is this, a Pornhub storyline?)

I was able to suspend disbelief a little bit ONLY because I knew the RL actress was actually 26 (to Gong's 38 - which is still a bit much, but still totally acceptable and not 19yr old vs 900+).

Kim Byung Chul bothered me a lot. His character, Park Joong Hun, was ultra campy in both appearance and behavior as an evil spirit. I assumed it was due to poor writing (which came as a surprise because the writing was excellent up until then). He was a lot more sinister in his introduction as he whispers into the king's ear. He seemed formidable and insidious.

I loved the bromance and the humor that the show inserted to give moments levity. I didn't really like the Cinderella syndrome our FL had with her constant need to summon Goblin to solve her problems instead of fight back and out of her own dilemmas (even though it was always fun watching him come to her rescue or show up disoriented and caught off guard).

The ending was bittersweet for me with respect to Goblin's fate, but knowing he's no longer existing purely because of his punishment tells me he'll leave with her once she's lived through her 4th life, so in that respect it was beautifully written.

Despite its issues, I was sad to finish the show. I'm having a hard time finding something else to watch that matches even close.

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"Every second in this Drama Shined" (areum-dabke-nan) Beautifully & Brilliantly"
Once in a very long while, the stars align to create truly transcendent art on screen. "Goblin" is an example of this, as the maturation of talented writer Kim Eun-Sook blends with nuanced directing, breathtaking cinematography and the formidable acting skills of Gong Yoo and the rest of the stellar cast.

This is great art and great television, regardless of the country of origin. That is not to minimize the South Korean expertise that created it, but simply to avoid the sometimes- backhanded compliment of "great...for a KDrama." It's just great TV, full stop.

I've watched KDramas for about a decade, and this one is the best I've seen. Highly recommended, not just for drama fans, but for all fans of quality cinematic art around the world.

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Goblin is actually a melo fantasy drama that disguised itself on the surface as a funny/hilarious drama. Despite the drama ends with a happy notes to all the characters, the ‘happy ending’ leave a bitter taste in my mouth tbh. Kim Eun Sook made Shin such a sad, pitiful and full of misery as a character. All he ever did from the beginning right until the end is waiting and waiting. He waited 900 years for his bride, he then waited another 9 years in coldness and nothingness yearning and trying to get back to her, and at the end, he waited another 60++ lonely years waiting for her to be reborn again. What kind of lonely and sad fate is that? There’s nothing cool or poetic about it. The writer just want to make the ending more ~dramatic~ but it turned flat instead.

But despite the bittersweet ending, I love the drama as a whole. It did have its flaws and questionable plot line like Eun Tak being a 19 years old high school student but the drama as a whole is hilarious and has amazing cinematography consistently throughout. It was beautifully shot in all angles but I do feel it is so slow sometimes. I still cant believe that this is the same writer who wrote the disappointing 'The Heirs’ and the embarrassing 'Descendant of the Sun’. I just cant believe that the same writer is capable of writing such a good drama like this. Her usual style of writing which focuses on pop-culture references (Eun Tak asking Grim Reaper to name himself Park Bo Gum which means 'Precious Sword’ to tease Shin was brilliant), amazing bromance between the male leads and interesting 2nd leads’ love story can be seen in this drama but somehow she has upped her game when she wrote Goblin – its like she has matured in her writing style which is very surprising and unexpected.

I thought Gong Yoo did an excellent job as Kim Shin. His loneliness, sadness, sad smiles and happiness can be felt when you see him on screen. I understood Shin’s loneliness and desperation clearly and all of this thanks to Gong Yoo amazing portrayal. Many people have complain with Kim Go Eun as Eun Tak but I really like her. If other actress is playing this role, I would definitely find them annoying but Go Eun played this role naturally. Her crying scenes are amazing and as usual, she always play all of her movies/dramas’ characters differently each and everytime. Whatever wrong decision or bad acting Lee Dong Wook made in the past (ehem Hotel King ehem Blade Man) is redeemed in this drama. I feel like I cry with him everytime he looks at Sunny and all the sadness he feels inside. I don’t know he has it in him so I’m mildly surprise. And what can I say about Yoo In Na? She just look extremely gorgeous in this drama. Her hair flip, lips, and everything just look totally beautiful and her monologue when she is writing the letter to the radio shattered me. Sung Jae as Yoo Deok Hwa (reference to Andy Lau and Infernal Affairs) is just hilarious. He’s my fave character in the show and he got the best scenes in the whole drama hands down. I’m so proud of him!

Generally, I just dislike this whole next life/reincarnation thingie. It made people didn’t live their live to the fullest with the hope of meeting each other again in their next life. Its your own life, you can control it so throw all of it out of the window and be happy. You don’t have to live a lonely life longing for each other and hope that your next life will be better – I’m looking at you Wang Yeo and Sunny. But despite that, I found its interesting how their love starts. While Shin and Eun Tak rely heavily on destiny (her as his bride) and memory, Wang Yeo and Sunny will fall in love with each other at first sight each and everytime. No matter which life times, they just attracted at each other without any reasons at all – that 'one look’ sealed all the deals for them.

What I find most interesting while watching this drama is that the ability of it to made me shed tears many times. I just randomly shed tears at random scenes or at random script. I cried a lot watching episodes 15 & 16 which is crazy lol. I shed tears at the blind man and his dog, the soldier and his wife and at other random scenes. And the scene of Wang Yeo meeting Sunny after 9 years, Sunny’s letter or when Eun Tak remembering back all her memories, all of it made me cry like a baby. I certainly didn’t expect all of this. Due to this fact alone, I give the drama 8/10. The drama has its flaws (King & Queen underdeveloped relationship, everyone reincarnated with the same face, everything still look the same even after 100++ years has passed & etc…) but the good feelings it gave is unforgettable and as much as I hate to admit it, the script has many magic lines and it just worked in the right scene and at the right time.

The OSTs hasn’t impressed me much truthfully. But I totally love Crush’s Beautiful, Urban Zakapa’s Wish & Han Soo Ji’s Round & Round. Beautiful & Wish are melancholy beautiful (with awesome lyrics) and upon watching the MVs after the drama ended, I just realized how the drama has so many sad scenes. :(

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If this were 100% less pedo it would be a 10.

This drama gets MASSIVELY great reviews and for good reason, it's incredibly well done with a compelling story and great acting. It is, however, at its core a story about a super old dude in love with a minor at various stages of her life. In some of those stages she's for sure an adult...but in most of them she's a minor. I'm gonna be honest, I found it super hard to enjoy the really fun story this show depicts because I was so completely cringed out by the pedo aspects in probably 10/16 of the episodes. If you can get past that part, it's a really great watch.

I wouldn't be able to rewatch this ever, because the pedo thing is super icky and I think I can only make myself overlook it the one time.

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The last episode

This Kdrama is good, sorta, I just feel like some parts were unnecessary. For a quick example, why did the main character have to die just to be reborn looking exactly the same? it did not really change the story, in my opinion. I feel like they just had an extra 30 min for the last episode, and did not know what to add, so they just threw that idea. Also, the reaper and sunny relationship was lowkey annoying to watch. it felt endless to me.
This k drama did make me shed a tear when Eun Tak pulled out the sword from Kim Shin if I have to be honest, and the cinematography was very visually pleasing
The song slaps though, I still listen to it,

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UMA LENDA QUE VAI TE MARCAR COM CERTEZA

No começo foi meio empurrado, e confesso que pensei que o povo estava dando valor demais a essa série. Estava errada. Comecei e ter um interesse mais profundo próximo do episodio 8, e daí para frente não teve mais volta. Achei extremamente interessante a forma como os personagens se chamavam pelo papel deles, e não pelos nomes: Trabalho-de-meio-período, Tio-do-final-do-corredor, etc.

Achei interessante a forma como no início os dois nitidamente não se gostam. Não é como se eles se odiassem nem nada assim, só não se gostam mesmo. A impressão que dá é que o Goblin pensa "Sério que eu esperei 900 anos por essa garota?" hahahaha. É bonito ver como a relação deles vai se desenvolvendo aos poucos, não dá para dizer com certeza quando eles começam a se amar. O casal secundário começou bem, mas depois perdi um pouco o interesse neles. Ri várias vezes, e me emocionei. O final foi angustiante, triste e lindo ao mesmo tempo. É aquele tipo de dorama que te dá vontade esquecer e ver tudo de novo. As músicas são perfeitas, pouquíssimos doramas tiveram esse efeito em mim, as músicas são perfeitas, lindas demais (exceto "Beautiful" essa eu não gostei). Algumas pontas ficaram soltas, é verdade, mas não muitas. Indico com certeza.

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Any one out there who is hesitating on whether or not to watch this drama... just go ahead and do it. It is more than worth the 23 hours of entertainment.

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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Goblin (2016)

A constant in the standard K-Drama diet and it's very easy to see why. An emotionally compelling story. Stunning and visually appealing cinematography. An OST that's still highly regarded in today's time and complements the screenplay perfectly. The cast have a clear chemistry with one another and do justice to their characters and the writing.

So, what's wrong?

Let me preface this with, I have zero, absolutely zero issues with actor or character age gaps whether physical or theoretical. Chemistry and acting chops over everything. If you can sell sand to a beach, I'm in. But something was off with the main "couple" in this show. The male lead and female lead just didn't click for me. They gave off a father/daughter dynamic as opposed to romantic interests. And as hard as the show pushed this relationship I just wasn't convinced. K-Drama fans love buying up fairytale romances so that's exactly what Goblin sold--- alongside those product placements, amirite?

I'm also very much in the opinion that the best parts of the show were the Goblin-Reaper (male leads) relationship and banter. Scenes that included those two generally meant a good time for the viewers and was strong enough to magnify any other characters in the scene. The show also went through a lot of "not much is happening" sequences and with the romantic aspects being more of the bittersweet, ill-fated variety there wasn't much left in the tank in terms of substance.

And as much as an emotionally-charged cluster bomb the ending sequences were, I thought it was both fine and fitting for all of the characters and especially for Mr. Goblin--- Guardian, the lonely and great god.

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There are some things you need to know before giving this drama a go - it's slow paced but not really - confusing right? What I mean is that the loveline itself is progressing rather normally, except that you don't have the typical love-rival that tends to get on your nerves or gives you second-lead syndrome. Its slowness comes in the developing of the story, as the conflict appears pretty late. But, if you were to ask me, I kind of enjoyed the way it was structured, it gave me time to process everything and really immerse myself in the plot.

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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