Goblin (2016)

After DOTS, Goblin finally took the title of most popular drama. And it's true that everyone talks about this drama. In my opinion, that because of two things: the OST and the cinematography. The soundtrack was really good and the songs as atmospheric as they should be, creating the right mood for every scene. Then, the cinematography was amazing, with the first episode introducing breathtaking shots of battles and palaces. The great cinematography continues on to the rest of the episodes as well, aiding when the drama hit standstills. In addition the theme is very original, as the plot wasn't clearly introduced to the audience, making you curious to want to see what's the buzz about this drama. Well, the story is very fairy tale like, a man is turned into a goblin and he is waiting for centuries to find the girl who will be destined to be his "bride", which will also mean that she will be able to pull the sword out of his body and kill him. Meanwhile, a grim ripper moves into his house and he falls in love with a human. And here is where it becomes complicated, as the concepts of reincarnation and four lives are introduced. Fortunately, they are clearly explained, so one can't easily be confused. Now, about the negatives: -the duration was way too long and that led to countless flashbacks to be thrown into each episode to make it longer. -the romance was a little blunt. The performances were great, and the second romantic story was really good, with the chemistry between the couple obvious. Maybe it was the age difference of the main couple (the girl was still in school) or the fact that the girl didn't actually treat the idea of being the goblin bride seriously; more like she used it as means to survive. It got better towards the end, fortunately, but till then it was awkward. -the main story could have been better presented -the ending was weak -the advertisements were too many!! Other than that, it was an enjoyable drama (still too long though!) and the side stories were the best of it. So, 5 out of 10.

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I think, like many others so it seems, that this drama is way overrated! I usually don't drop dramas unless I really feel I'm wasting my time or fall asleep. Well, in the end I managed to watch till episode 14 or was it 15. The show didn't make me even curious about the ending so I didn't feel I was missing out on something by not watching anymore. For me, Goblin didn't succeed in living up to the expectations it created in the first episodes.

Pro's: beautiful sceneries, beautiful house, first episodes were interesting

Con's: romance was borderline pedophilia (19 years old high school girl with a 900 year old 40s looking man! Whoever ships this... think again ;)), extended running time for each episode made every episode drag on and on, lost steam after the first 3/4 episodes

I'd say a 6.5 maybe 7 (perhaps if I ever watch that last episode :D)

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the acting was perfect. the shooting angles were great. they used the music exactly where it should be. The two love stories in the story were also fascinating. the characters were handled very well. There was nothing I didn't like in this story. those who do not watch this drama will definitely feel missing. I'm so sorry that the drama is already over. You should call the goblin as the master of all Asian series. Without a doubt, goblin is the best Asian drama ever made.!!!!

oh grim reaper. oh my love At first gong yoo seemed to be the lead role, but it wasn't all. As I said, the characters were thought through to every fine detail and conveyed to us by the actors in the most accurate way. comedy and tragedy were very well done. It was a drama that I both cried and laughed a lot.

absolutely everyone should watch ... !!!!!!

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It felt like a majority of me watching this drama was just waiting for things to start happening — the pacing of it is a LOT slower than I expected, and part of that is why I never could full get into it. A lot of people have hated on the ending saying it was chaotic and rushed, but I actually found that I really enjoyed those episodes and the episodes where there were big reveals. Other than that, every one-hour episode felt twenty times as long.

The antagonist that started to be introduced near the middle of the drama was something that REALLY intrigued me, especially given the parallel storylines — but it felt like the character and tension was never really explored fully. It was solved quickly and seemed to be used more as a plot device for separating the main couple.

Speaking of the main couple — I don't think I was ever fully on board with them. The relationship always felt more familial, and age gap aside, I just didn't feel any chemistry between them. I also didn't like the secondary ship as much because the relationship just seemed to lack any content and connection aside from them being fated. Overall the arcs for both ships felt repetitive.

There are a few things that I appreciate about the ending. but other things that I don't like. I'm also a time-skip-hater, but for some reason, I didn't dislike it as much in Goblin, but I'm not sure if it has to do with me not being emotionally invested at all or if it felt more in line with the way the plot was going.

(Full disclosure: I've got some basic philosophical differences with the themes of this show, so that might have to do with me not clicking with it — more specifically, it's the idea of romantic destiny that I kind of scoff at.)

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Reaper x Sunny and the bromance overshadowed the actual plot of this story.

Full disclosure: I watched this drama because I needed to see more of Lee Dong Wook and Yoo In Na in leading roles after watching (and loving!) Touch Your Heart. I was always hesitant to watch Goblin because I've heard just how heartbreaking it was. I came in fully prepared knowing that I would cry my eyes out.

And I did... but not for the main couple. I cried for the bromance of Goblin and Reaper. I cried for the romance between Reaper and Sunny. I even cried for the souls that Reaper led to the afterlife! But, I did not cry for Goblin and his bride and even skipped some of their scenes. The main reason for that was because I could NOT relate at all with the female lead. She acted like such a child for most of the drama... which is understandable since her character was a nineteen-year-old high-schooler!!

My biggest gripe was that there was such a big difference in station between the male lead Kim Shin and the female lead Eun Tak. The ML was a powerful figure even in present-day; he literally can use magic, owns a mansion, has many people doing his bidding, and is incredibly rich. He also looks like he's in his mid-30s (no shade against Gong Yoo, just stating facts). Meanwhile, the FL was a poor, penniless high-schooler. She's 19 for most of the drama. There was SUCH an imbalance of power - in their experiences, because he's so much older than she, and in their social statuses as well. It was very disconcerting to see a romantic relationship develop between them.

On the flip side, the bromance between Goblin and Reaper was great. Their interactions with each other were one of my favourites to see. The reveal later on in the drama broke my heart.

What outshined everything was Reaper and Sunny's relationship. You knew from the moment they met that they were doomed in this lifetime. But the WHY was hidden until later and the reveal, again, was heartbreaking. But they pushed through, they accepted their fates... and they had their happy ending.

So, to summarize:

Story: It was ok. I did not care for the female lead and even the main plot of Goblin needing his bride to pull the sword from his chest was overshadowed later on by Reaper's past.

Acting/Cast: Everyone played their parts well. As much as I disliked the female lead, Go Eun did a great job playing a high schooler in my opinion. My favourite was Dong Wook. He had me laughing with his hilarious outbursts and made me cry for his conversations with the souls and his expressive eyes.

Music: They didn't have a lot of variety. The same music was played over and over again for the dramatic scenes. It wasn't my taste either.

Rewatch Value: I wouldn't watch this drama in full. Can I just get a cut of the Reaper/Sunny moments and the bromances? Lol.

Overall: An OK drama. If they had aged up the female lead, or aged down the male lead, then this drama wouldn't feel so... icky in some parts. Watch it for Reaper/Sunny, and then watch Touch Your Heart afterwards!

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Overrated...

Seeing how Goblin is considered to be one of the most popular K-dramas of all time, being the most popular drama on MDL, I had to watch it. I wonder why it's so popular since though it is good, it isn't that good. There's plenty of K-dramas that are much better than Goblin with mainstream appeal like Crash Landing On You. I think its popularity can be attributed to the age and social class difference between its ML and FL. A wealthy older man with a poor, young student. Since its a bit taboo, the drama gets controversy which gets eyeballs to this drama. It also helps serve as wish fulfillment for older men who lust after young women and young women who dream of an older man taking care of them, akin to Lolita.

Anyhow, I thought that this Kdrama was addicting and engaging though I wouldn't say that it grabbed me like Crash Landing On You. The story didn't make much sense at times and there are moments that made me scratch my head, but it's an interesting melodrama that kept my attention nevertheless. That is until the last several episodes, which were melodramatic, nonsensical and boring unfortunately.

I didn't care for the main couple (Goblin and Ji Eun Tak) to be honest. Not because of the age/class difference but rather because their story was quite boring. I prefer the relationship of the second leads (Reaper and Sunny), which was charming. Whenever there are scenes with the first leads, I would get restless and anxious for them to be over so that I could get Goblin and Grim Reaper scenes or Grim Reaper and Sunny scenes. I love the bromance between Grim Reaper and Goblin! To be honest, I ship them. I would have preferred that they got together instead. That would have made a better, far more interesting drama in my opinion.

On a side note, it's impressive that Gong Yoo starred in the one of the most popular K-drama, Goblin, and also one of the most popular Korean films, Train to Busan.

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