Goblin (2016)

Almost paradise but not perfect!

19-year-old girl Eun Tak does her best to survive her monotonous life with her aunt and cousins. One day, she blows out her birthday candle and accidentally summons a goblin. Not just any goblin, but a world-weary 900-year-old immortal Goblin named Kim Shin, for whom she is fated to remove the magical sword from his chest and finally let him rest in peace, or else death will come to her instead. Kim Shin wanted to end his immortal life but in order to do that, he had to give up his only love and then he had to end his life to save her. Now, how can this end happily?

At it’s core, Goblin is a high-stake romance with unsolved past conflicts that centers around death, reincarnation, grief, and forgiveness. Not only it's hilariously charming, it’s also painfully soul-crushing. Watching each scene feels truly magical and for me it is thanks to the God-tier OSTs that are played in the scenes so flawlessly, it amplifies all the emotional beats. Other aspects are also top-notch: acting, characterizations, camera work and cinematography. My favorite part is, of course, all the bromance moments between Kim Shin and Grim Reaper, their funnies and their long-lasting bond. They gave fresh comedies that I love to rewatch and laugh again.

That said, I'll always be a little bitter that they wrote Ji Eun Tak as a high-schooler who wears her school uniform with her freaking bowtie most of the time! I never understand and I feel really bad about it. Plus, Kim Shin is just a very immature rude jerk at first. I see Goblin and Eun Tak as friends more than lovers. This is why romance is not my main enjoyment watching this drama, and while the chemistry between Sunny and Grim Reaper is unmatched, they deserve more couple moments! It’s a bit waste of potential and frustrating to watch them meet and part ways repetitively just for exchanging biodata and unrevealing a tiny bit of mystery. Regardless, I recommend Goblin to anyone as plot is uncomplicated and you’ll be amazed by the beauty of it.

Dec 2023, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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Breathtaking Love Story About Letting Go of the Past

Ever since I began really getting into K-Dramas, the one series that has eluded me is this one. It wasn’t in the US region, and I’d heard so many things about it that I kept trying to figure out a way to watch it. Fortunately, moving to Taiwan put me in a different Netflix region, and I almost missed it again, because it’s under the title, “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.”

My expectations for this series were surpassed in every way. I was slightly worried that the reputation of the series would somehow come up short. It didn’t. This is one of the most charming and transcendent love stories I have ever seen. It’s light, beautiful, and full of laughter and tears. In short, it’s full of Life. And perhaps that is why it has touched the hearts of so many.

The four leads of this series are all captivating and you scarcely want to blink for fear of missing something whenever any of them are on screen. Gong Yoo (Kim Shin) has the smoothest, most soft-spoken, and calming voice I think I have ever heard. He reminded me of Cary Grant, one of history's most romantic and effortless actors. He has such charm that he doesn’t have to do much to be in awe of his performance.

I haven’t seen Kim Go Eun in many things, but this is easily the most vivacious and endearing role that I have seen her in. She plays Ji Eun Tak to perfection. She has such a lovely smile and bubbly personality that you can easily see why Kim Shin is so taken with her. Despite her hardships, she simply oozes Life itself.

Lee Dong Wook, the grim reaper with a past, plays the very heartbroken and wounded soul who somehow senses that he’s done something terrible in his past. I’ve seen this talented actor in several series now. As good as Gong Yoo is at acting with his eyes, Lee Dong Wook shows us every ounce of pain that his character is going through. We feel it. We eventually know of the horrendous things he’s done, but in the end, all we want is for him to let go of the pain.

Finally, we have Yoo In Na, an actress I have only seen one other time in “Touch Your Heart.” She is such a charmer with that incredible smile of hers and her very youthful expressions. Only Yoo In Na can take a somewhat conceited character and make her likable and pleasing. She did the same in “Touch Your Heart” and it’s obviously something she’s a master at doing. In many ways, she’s a character who’s torn between the Goblin and the Reaper, and we somehow sense that she knows this. Perhaps that it also why, despite the pain of the past, she’s the strongest of the three because she’s actually able to let go.

While this is an absolutely endearing love story, the series’ power is its message of forgiveness. Everyone carries baggage around, holding on to the painful experiences of the past with the weights of guilt and shame for the things we’ve done. For the Goblin, this is represented by the sword. For Sunny, it’s the ring. And for the Grim Reaper, it’s his hat. And the glue that binds them, with the wisdom of living a free and carefree life, is Ji Eun Tak.

How long must people continue to suffer before we let ourselves and others off the hook? Punishment does not come from anyone or anything except for ourselves. So, how long will you continue to carry the burden? Release lies in the wisdom and power of forgiveness, which is the process of letting go. Leave all of your burdens behind.

The music of this series mirrors the series itself with light piano pieces and soft songs that always seem to mirror the story, the characters, and even the environment. I loved how part of the series was filmed in Quebec, obviously during the fall season when the scenery is at its most captivating.

The series doesn’t miss a beat with some outrageously hilarious moments. One of my favorites was when the Goblin and the Reaper are trying to figure out how to use a cell phone and the camera that goes with it. Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook had me laughing so hard during that scene! It was priceless.

Korean performers are masters of emotion. The tears that were shed were so powerful and convincing by all four actors, that it had you really feeling those moments of sadness and pain. That is what separates Korean actors from so many others: they make you FEEL it! When Ji Eun Tak loses the Goblin, and she begins to wail uncontrollably on the rooftop, you can’t help but feel her pain and despair. The same happens for the Goblin in the last episode. But alas, all is not lost. No one goes away forever, and that is another aspect of the story that is truly beautiful and what made that final scene so epic.

Goblin is easily one of the best series I’ve ever seen, and at some point, I will certainly wish to sit down and watch it again. Goblin is like sitting at home under a warm blanket, drinking a cup of hot coffee in front of a fireplace while the autumn leaves fall outside in the crisp air with the reminder to enjoy Life and each moment.

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i love the chemistry between the main leads sooooooo much
i hope they make another drama with same cast
specially dong wook & in na
all about the story was amazing the romance parts was brilliant i love it except
the religious part about god & angels i felt it was really disgracing my mind
and the END as usual

*if the writer was controlling destiny and God's behavior y he didn't make the goblin's bride immortal as him
*y he didn't make his friend & his sister remembered him
*y he insists till the end to torture & punish him for something wasn't his fault
ommo that's really bothered me alot

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Enjoyable and Light

A lot of drama bite off more than they can chew when tackling plots and after binge watching show after show that couldn't neatly tie their story lines together, Goblin was a happy surprise. Goblin focuses one two couples and their epic stories of growth, tragedy, and just daily life. The plot itself is rather simple and thin, but still enjoyable. The show is full of cute and funny scenes that will keep you watching. Keep in mind, the show feels more like a slice of life rather than a supernatural adventure, so if you're out for some magical battles, Goblin isn't the show to watch.

An issue that prevented me from fully immersing myself in the story was the main protagonists' love story. There is no real build up to help you understand why Eun Tak and Kim Shin fall in love. They both need something from on another, whether it's to end an immortal life or just have the support of someone, but it's not enough to help solidify why they eventually fall in love. There's something lacking in their budding romance leaving it awkward and strange until you simply decide to accept it for what it is and keep watching.

Overall, having simple story lines to follow allowed Goblin's pacing to breath leaving a ton of space for a lot of the funny moments I mentioned earlier. And, like many other dramas, the flashbacks are overused. Couple of ticks on the fast forward button and you've got a light and enjoyable drama.

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A hugh miss from the story to the execution

Since the drama received so much love from the people watching it, maybe I went into with too high an expactation. Nevertheless, I'll try to be as objective as possible, despite the fact that this is still a subjective opinion of a person.
Personally, I find the romanticism of most scenes too cheesy and long. It's not because I dislike the type in general as I'm a regular consumer of kdrama and I quite like the time the show gives for the audience to process the emotions. However, the age gap lead to a large portion of the scene being unused because they can't physically do anything to lovey dovey as it's not appropriate. In the end, I didn't find myself emotionally attached and invested into the character.

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We are Korean Gobolin

Gobolin could have been shortened to a 8 episode story. There was a lot of fluff and misunderstandings which end up extending the runtime a lot.
The best part of the show was the ghosts stories. Some of the characters/world building was pretty inconsistent but the show doesnt really take itself too seriously anyway so its fine. Its mostly a fun watch with some emotional highs and lows. The forshadowing and symbolism throughout the show is pretty well done. Dalkom coffee and subway making their return in this show as well.

Sometimes the way the scenes were cut were a bit disorienting wtih them having several cuts in a row for a pretty simple conversation. The music and ost in the show is pretty solid. Really enjoyed the music especially with dramatic scenes.
The slice of life story contains other elements like mystery, romance and manage to blend them well into the show. The only complaint is that there was a lot of unecessary things that happen due to lack of communication.
Some characters actions are also very convenient for the story and are essentially just to advance the plot. The lore of the story is also somewhat inconsistent/doesnt really make sense. Characters being inconsistent to their lore was probably for irony purposes, but was kinda silly.
The acting was very good overall, carrying a lot of the emotional scenes. Especially when the show itself is mostly humour. +1
If the show ended at episode 14, it would have been peak. -1
Because of the scene where they threw out a plate of food because someone put too much spice on it. -1
Ghost stories epic. +1
Dramatic scenes were dramatic, sad scenes were sad, funny scenes were funny.
Good stuff. Very enjoyable.
Overall, Gobolin.

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Watch it for the Bromance!

Top notch cast - check
Great music - check
Dramatic (and very well made) background story - check
Bromance - check
Secondary couple - :)
Chemistry between main leads - :(


Started watching for Gong Yoo, who is daebak as always but

*SPOILER AHEAD*

halfway through the series the plot becomes an endless loop of 'when will the sword be taken out'
i was hoping this will be resolved soon but no, it seems to become the main couple's only obstacle and issue

as the main couple circles endlessly around the sword - the second couple gains steam with the ring! the meeting on the bridge! the grim reaper trying enter dating scene!
honestly i continued watching for the second couple instead since the main couple seems to lack spark.
as the series continued, the plot thickens around the second couple and i became so invested in them that i started to skip all the scenes containing the main couple

tried rewatching and found that even the bromance between the goblin and the grim reaper is still more entertaining than the goblin and the bride :(

conclusion: watch it for the second couple beautifully tragic story and the super fun bromance!

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This is a good show overall!

I watched this after a really long time, because I tend to ignore shows that are more hyped!

The concept is fantastic, nothing original, but good. The whole romance story was weird as hell in the first half. I mean, the girl is 18 and the Goblin is 900+ but even if we don't care about that because this is a fantasy, his real age is around 30+ or something. The chemistry between Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun in the first was more like a dad and daughter, and when the romance started for real it was even more weird, because she always called him "Ahjussi". After the 9 years time skip, it was much, it was like two adults. I feel they should've start with Eun Tak as an adult already.

Also, like with many other Kdrama, especially with fantasy, the plot was all over the place. I hate when characters don't speak up and say what they want to say.

Some of the problems they had to face were solved pretty easily. When he finally dies, I thought he might get a second chance to live a normal life, but no. He came back as a Goblin again. Why? Makes zero sense. If they bring him back as a Goblin, at least let them live together till she dies in old age.

She spent 9 years "waiting" for him, she even wrote a note for herself, yet in all these years she never mentioned it or moved on? Come on now. Only 2 people remembered him, so she should've moved on. Especially, because Sunny never said a single thing. She watched her friend suffering, even had to take pills for her heart, yet she didn't do anything. This whole amnesia plot was messed up. The way they brought him back is even worse! In 9 years, she never blew out a candle? Who believes that? It's not like she lived alone. No one ever bought her a cake in 9 years?

The most frustrating part of the story is probably the fact that they killed her in the finale, so they can have like a 2 minute long scene at the end as a child again. What the heck?

At least the story with Sunny and the Reaper was better.

The bromance was funny as hell, and there were so many good things on the show, it's just frustrating, because with a little more focus on the writing, this show could've been perfect.

Even with all the problems, I think I will rewatch it once or twice.

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Sometimes it's slow-paced and uneventful, sometime it's so good it's the best Kdrama ever

It's hard to wrap it up in a few words. But i would say this is probably the longest buildup i have ever seen.
It has 16 episodes, and the actions and dramatic parts start at around ep.11 12. Before that it was about character building and bonding (those memories will be used effectively against us later).


The fantasy romance story is intriguing. It has good plot twists and back story. Although the pacing is sometimes a bit slow, overall it sends meaningful messages of love, hate, afterlife, regret, loneliness and forgiveness. It can break your heart and also make you smile

The acting is good, nothing to complain about. The chemistry between the second lead couple is so good at all time. At the beginning the main couple feels a bit lacking, near the end it gets a lot better. But the best chemistry has to be the bromance between Goblin and Grim Reaper!
The characters are well built and developed, relatable and make reasonable decisions. But mostly they are madly driven by love.

The music is so beautiful and sad, wished they had kept the ending song till the end though. The special effects feel natural (the glowing sword and the power of grim reaper), but the flying moments were a bit off.

The atmosphere changes so fast. One moment it's fluff and romantic (with a little too many staring-straight-at-each-other-for-a-century), and a second later it's heart wrenching and full of dramas and actions. It's was well-balanced, i just wished it was more consistent.

Overall, i would recommend this series if you are looking for a romance story sets in the present, with wholesome bromance, fantasy elements and a tragic backstory from a past life, which would now affect the choices and emotions of the characters.

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Complicated

I liked this show. I came to care most for its characters because the actors made them lovable, unlike the story itself, which is sloppy and muddled in its lore.

This is a fantasy romance, which are usually up my alley. However, this one could have been better had the story stuck to its own rules. What ensues are quite a lot of plot holes and overly dramatic performances. I suppose the writers are hoping you will overlook its many flaws and focus on the romance between our MCs. That is fine for some. I like my dramas to be a little better thought out and organized.

A lot is going on here. We have a young, high school aged girl who is lonely and looking to belong. We have a god/guardian who has been living in immortality since a tragedy caused him to be what he is. He is searching for his bride as she will have the power to end his long existence and give him peace. Enter grim reapers with complicated backstories and gods playing with human lives, and the story becomes a complicated mess because it doesn't stick to its own rules. Some things are never really explained and it leaves you with a lot of questions. Above all this, it's still highly entertaining and I am a sucker for a good romance, even though the first episodes exasperated me to no end. Our goblin likes to play games with the girl and their silly banter runs the gamut from idiocy to deep tenderness, once the nonsense between them is cleared away and Mr. Goblin realizes he is in love,

What makes this drama watchable despite its flaws are the beautiful actors that make up this ensemble. They are wholly believable, in the moment and completely invested in their characters. No one does this better than Gong Yoo, our handsome goblin. His expressive eyes make you feel every emotion emanating from within. His despair is our despair, his joy makes us feel warm. (Because of this ability to give himself completely to his role, Gong Yoo has won the top spot in my list of best actors in South Korea. He is also, in my opinion, the most breathtakingly beautiful man I have ever set eyes on.) There are some downright hilarious moments and clear messages of friendship, compassion, loyalty and forgiveness. The soundtrack is amazing. The songs range from typical pop pieces to some very different sounds which fit the drama perfectly. I would watch this again just to relive the dreamy spark of Gong Yoo's eyes.

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I expected a lot....

I expected a lot of this drama.. In fact, the FL is one of my favorite actresses, discovered her in the movie Tune in for love and Kdrama The king eternal monarch.
She was still pretty good in Goblin, but it was so boring.... a lot of flashbacks, a plot twist kind of dull...I do not understand the hype AT ALL.
The story didn't make any sense for me.. how is a "God" acting like a child and in love with a woman that is 20 years younger than him...
I was so blocked by the age gap.. for me it was huge and physically he looked very old, right? Bref. I had issues finishing it, it was very difficult for me. I hoped that next episode will be better, but I ended up skipping it..
I finally dropped it and I feel so at ease now.
You can try if you want but for me, it is a NO.

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who hasnt heard of goblin? if u r here, then chances r u have already heard of all the hype and the positive stuff about it, time for the other side of the coin review,

goblin starts out with a fantasy story that is really damn good, first episodes takes a while so u scroll down to find goblin's episodes r actually 90 minutes long, okay so thats a fancy sneaky way to advertise a 24 episode show being 16 longish episodes,


acting is great , nearly every actor/actress feels perfect for the role except for the little important main lead actress Kim Go-Eun, she feels so wrong casted on so many levels, something just feels off from first time u see her on the screen, 12 years difference between her and gong yoo just adds oil to the chemistry on fire already.., every other single relationship between the characters is perfect, the chemistry is just amazing inbetween the rest of the cast


execution: this drama was amazingly executed but it suffers horribly from the most common trend korea does, IT DRAGS THE HECK OUT, if u thought 90 minutes can be tolerable at first 5 episodes w8 till u reach some filler episodes around 12~ holly molly how can there be literally Many filler scenes in such a drama?

overall: this drama is well written, it drags Alot,if u can get over that and Kim Go-Eun, its enjoyable

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