There is not much depth to the story and to be honest I didn’t care much for any of the characters. For a man who has lived for 900+ years, Kim Shin has about as much maturity as a 16 year old boy. Moreover, the lead pair is terribly mismatched. A younger looking actor might’ve been better suited. If this were real life, I would go so far as to think that Ji Eun Tak was a vulnerable girl who loves goblin only because he is someone that pays attention to her and takes care of her. Not exactly the best reasons to love someone.
That said, not all is bad with the show. I enjoyed watching the second pair as well as Deok Hwa. I was never a fan of Yoo In Na in her previous work but I think she did a good job here. As did Lee Dong Wook and Sung Jae.
Music was pleasant to listen to. I especially like “Stay with Me”.
The best part of the show was the cinematography. Maybe I have a bit of a soft corner since Quebec is my home province. But I must say, they did a wonderful job shooting around the Chateau Frontenac and surroundings. The Goryeo scenes were good too.
Rewatch value is none since the first watch was painful enough. For such thin plot line, what was the need to have 1.5 hour episodes? Tighter editing or fewer episodes might have made the show a bit more bearable.
Watch if you’re curious like I was, because of the hype. But I would not recommend it.
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it’s creative and best to watch in free time
I got amazed by the main song and the cast. it’s perfectly mixture of talent and taste. The story line is amazing and each caracter has its own way of expressing themselves. it’s worth watching if I see it 2 time. drama is very well plotted and the main attracting part is the goblin who amazed with its acting skills and talent. my favourite character is gramp reaper. the red scarf is also very famous 😜. There is class in this drama. it all depend on the writer how he or she wrote the strong and how it makes the empact on the views.Was this review helpful to you?
For you question why you should watch it? Here are my reasons :
If we talk about casting- though I'm new to this, I do Google a lot- I don't think their couldn't be any better then this.
Gong Yoo did an amazing job. I watched his movie 'Train to Busan' and one could say it hands down that he is an amazing actor, who knows how to do his job. And God his smile....Killer!!!
I loved the 19 year old, over enthusiastic Ji Eun Tak who was portrayed by Kim Go Eun. The way we get to see how her character grew throughout the series was a treat.
I love Lee Dong Wook as the Grim Reaper. I probably have a crush on the character and the way Lee Dong Wook showed his emotions in it, was amazing. I totally get it why he wanted this character so much.
Sunny was my favorite. She was strong and I'm probably never going to see a chicken shop owner the same way. Yoo In Na, changed that for all of us.
Duk-Hwa played by Yook Sung Jae was so cute and such an 'rich heir'
The story line was perfect in it's own. The fact that it was a fantasy drama, it lives up the name with romance, comedy and mystery.
'The lady in red', 'The king', 'How Duk-Hwa knew stuffs' there are questions that will make sure you stick by the TV screen.
And then there is the 'Bromance' The fling between Goblin & Grim Reaper will make you love them so hard. They are funny and cheesy and you are going to love every second of it. The scene where they walk together from the tunnel and the music going on the background, I laughed so hard.
Goblin and his bride - Eun Tak is second in the cute couple. They're cuteness will make you cheeks hurt.
The story between Sunny and Grim Reaper is a little sad compared to the other. But the beginning was full of fluff and sweet stuffs.
Each and every song in this drama is perfect with the story. They will stuck in your head for days and you will be forced to play them over and over again. I'm doing this my self - while re-watching the show for the second time. Especially loved 'Winter is coming' it is just a wonderful piece to listen too.
In short..
The songs were perfect. The cast was perfect. The story was incredible. And everything about it ...will make you fall in love with it.
So if you are one of those people out there, who haven't seen it yet, I would like to tell you....WATCH IT.
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Absolutely worth watching.
While there are other masterpieces that may be a cut above, this show is a masterpiece in itself. The story is beautiful, moving and intense, with a superlative screenplay that continuously and well blends moments of hilarity with sad moments, as is customary in K-dramas. My partner and I were glued to the screen from the first to the last second, crying and laughing and living with the leads. Leads who are over the top: theirs is certainly among the most beautiful love stories told in k-dramas. And both Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun are more than up to the task and incredibly adorable and comfortable, despite the obvious age difference between them. Well described and defined supporting roles: The Grim Reaper and Sunny are for me one of the most beautiful and touching supporting couples seen so far (154 k-dramas completed). The rest of the cast is well assorted and the soundtrack is definitely up to par. It's a show that has seen a huge investment commercially, but well spent, truly well spent. Absolutely worth watching.Was this review helpful to you?
The story is certainly intriguing in that it keeps you wondering how all the conundrums could ever be rectified; the story portrays a veritable railing agains the Gods if you will. The characters are in a perpetual dance of push and pull with fate and destiny, while watching I always got the mental image of puppets dangling on strings pulled by a kind of sadistic puppet master; what makes the drama interesting is the gradual growth and self awareness of the characters which allows each one to make some decisions which do not appear to be orchestrated by the 'puppet master'.
There is a strong sense of doing good deeds and being kind, especially with regard to goblin, and also with goblin's bride when she makes the ultimate sacrifice. I got the sense that this 'goodness' eventually positively impacted their destiny.
I love the casting, especially with regard to the goblin, the grim reaper and Sunny. Whenever these three were on screen, together or individually, it was absolute magic!
I'm sure I don't need to expound on the genius that is Gong Yoo, he has an uncanny ability to portray his characters so sympathetically, realistically and humanly; he imbued goblin with such pathos, simultaneously making goblin vulnerable, eternally sad yet strong and hopeful all at the same time, he is truly gifted as an actor.
The grim reaper is an absolute revelation, Lee Dong Wook took this character to levels that I feel only he could take it, he seemed made for this role. His sadness is less hopeful than goblin's, he is always resigned to his unhappy fate, while being oblivious at the same time because of his lack of memories. He is the character that shows the most emotional growth in the drama.
Sunny has the appearance of someone without much depth, and yet she turns out to be very perceptive and emotionally intelligent. She seems to already have some knowledge deep down in her psyche even though she's not aware of it in the beginning. she is complex and many layered.
Eun Tak portrays her youth in a cute, bubbly manner and she is a ray of light for the other characters. she does portray some maturity at the end of the drama but I'm never really convinced as I keep seeing the school girl in her.
The story of the goblin and the goblin's bride is a beautiful concept, Gong Yoo plays his role to perfection but in my opinion the writing of the goblin's bride as a young girl really threw me off and I was never able to see the two of them as a convincing romantic pairing. I kept wondering why the goblin's bride couldn't be the same age group as Sunny, writing her as a young girl didn't serve any dramatic purpose and actually took away from the feeling of intense fated love that they were supposed to portray.
Sunny and the grim reaper on the other hand were very well matched, their trajectory was realistic, mature and deeply felt. The fact that their story was so slow in progressing actually added to the depth of their storyline and I found myself wishing they had more screen time.
The goblin and the grim reaper had one of the best bromances I've seen in a long time, their interactions were entertaining, usually goofy and yet still managed to convey their growing strong bond of friendship in a very believable way. I really enjoyed seeing them together, especially when they teamed up to achieve a common goal.
Special mention to Deok Hwa for his perfect comedic timing and refreshing 'irritating little brother vibe'
So overall, I highly recommend this drama, it might seem to drag and go around in circles in some places, but it is definitely well worth the watch.
PS: all the cast have a prodigious amount of beautiful coats!
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The idea as a theme of the story is good, unique and different. But it's actually a spider web to trap me to go inside and watch it. I personally dislike the relationship between male and female lead after episode 3. It's damn annoying to see this girl. I have 0 patience with this kind of girl. Matrealistic, selfish and demanding. All of characteristics that I don't like. The bromance is sweet and funny so it has saved the story in general. Some scenes are still questionable, even the male lead character changed so abruptly from a great war general to a silly childish guy after meeting a teenage girl for a few days.
The beginning of the plot is so slow with so many flashbacks and unnecessary scenes. Second lead female is redundant (which is a pity) from eps 1-10, like she got so little scenes in the drama besides those flashbacks and sitting in the empty shop. I would say this drama will be very good if its only about 6 - 8 episodes. There are too many fillers in the drama (which is understandable) probably to get more money from advertisements to cover big budget.
Music ????
Music is good. I admit it. I like all the songs in this drama. It's very catchy and refreshing.
Cinematography
It is good. Editing team is expert in this. It has cinematography like movie. The color is solid, the background, houses, shooting venue, fashion style, everything is nice. I can tell that it has a big production budget.
Acting is okay. I can relate. It's not making me feel weird. Just some characters written by the writer that makes me feel strange.
Overall, i know this is a good drama, i mean most of the aspects are good. But sadly, i appreciate movie and drama based on the story and character development. Since the story is not good enough for me, the drama has big flaw in my eyes. Sorry, i had higher expectation after i watched 1st episode that i became so disappointed with the rest of the episodes. Especially the middle ones.
But i would recommend this drama for u to watch if u don't mind of the strange romance that feels forceful for me, this is a drama for u.
ohh i need to mention it again, i hate the female lead character, ok.
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I'm not sure if I can call this a flaw. I know a lot of viewers love this sort of thing and there's nothing wrong with preferring the lighthearted and none-too-heavy in terms of plot. I know it can be a great stress reliever as well. I prefer my dramas more on the plot heavy side though; even the most romantic stories I like have about '50 percent of something-else-going-on-other-than-the-romance.' But for what it's worth, Goblin is extremely successful as a rom-com. I just happen to be more interested in the supernatural or dramatic parts of it. For me, the most interesting scenes where when Eun Tak had to deal with the ghosts she could see, when Grim Reaper had to transport the dead one drama at a time and when a deity or god would pop up in the story to mess with the characters. Overall, Goblin was an adorable little show but it could have been much bigger.
I loved the world that it introduced me to. A world where Grim Reapers would meet and convene on their deadly assignments, where Goblins could make gold out of nothing and where special people (like Eun Tak) could help the dead get over their unfinished business. I wish there could have been more of that. Was the Goblin (the main character) the only Goblin in the world? Were there others like him? There were moments where I wanted to see more of what made a Goblin special (and how they were able to tie this Korean fantasy creature to a modern day adaptation) and what he could do to make people's lives more magical. While his telekinetic fight scenes with Reaper were adorable, I kind of wished to see his powers put to better use. I wanted his 'Goblin persona' to make the story more interesting. This drama offers a tantalizing glimpse of a supernatural world in the modern age but there is so very little of it :(
Now the chemistry between the OTP was fine. I felt that they had their best moments in the last two episodes (where the drama really made it worthwhile and where I finally got the Gong Yu hype!) but the earlier episodes (all 14 to be exact) were somewhat boring for me because the development of their relationship consisted mostly of:
Goblin: 'Oh can she see the sword in my chest?', 'Will she pull it out?' 'Oh, I need her to get it out of me', 'Oh, I don't want her to pull it out now!'
Eun Tak; 'Am I the Goblin's Bride?' 'Oh, I won't pull the sword out for some reason' 'Oh, I want to pull it out but he won't let me', 'Oh, now I know what will happen if it gets pulled out I'm never going to do it- how could he ask me to!'
That's basically what their relationship dynamic was like for most of the show. I much preferred Grim Reaper and Sunny's dynamic because it touched on the difficulties of a Reaper/human relationship better. The Reaper's past was also more intriguing because it explained why he was doomed to such a fate. In the Goblin's (aka Kim Shin) case, the immortal life he was given was meant to be a reward but it played out more like a punishment. This made no sense to me because in the very first* episode, his past life as a noble warlord was established. He was betrayed, he committed no crime whatsoever...so every time the gods would make things difficult for him...every time the story would make him suffer...these consequences didn't really fit in with the logic of reward-punishment the story was trying to make. The character was blameless so the suffering he went through had no basis and felt hollow to me.
Other Things I Took Note Off:
Gong Yu wasn't the best actor but his charisma as a leading man was appealing. I didn't get it until the very last episodes (this is where the romantic angle finally worked out for me and the OTP moments became squee worthy); I just wish it happened sooner ;0
I liked the actress playing Eun Tak. But the problem I had was that the director told her to act too childlike. I get that the whole 'naive and innocent' candy girl is a staple in these dramas...but her version was too exaggerated and went way beyond the trope. I've watched (and appreciated) plenty of other candy girls before but Eun Tak was a little too much for me at times. She was a 19/20 year old woman and she played it like she was 13, squealing over a bag she got as a present, jumping up and down the bed and hugging her stuffed toys, crying in the bed while it rained outside...the last time I saw this peculiar behavior was in the Hollywood action movie Taken, where Liam Neeson's daughter "Kimmy" acted like a 7 year old kid instead of as a teenager/young woman. In hindsight, perhaps it was a good thing that the OTP moments came at the later episodes, as it was only then that Eun Tak started acting normally -_-
Lee Dong Wok may be the best actor here. He was definitely the best crier. He brought so much depth to the flawed but intriguing Reaper, who easily became my favorite character. The way he expressed emotions seemed extremely heartfelt.
Now, I don't have that much familiarity with Yoo In Na; the only other time I've seen her was in My Love From the Stars where she played a similar supporting character. But her Sunny is very likable -the no-nonsense types female leads usually are.
One thing Goblin excels in is that it had some of the best special effects I've seen in any drama. Viewers can feast their eyes on some of the most beautiful landscapes abroad and in Korea. The fight scenes, exploding cars, etc., all were great to look at. The historical parts were done well, too.
The OST is nice to hear but like plenty of other Korean dramas, when you pause to really listen to the English parts in the lyrics- they don't make much sense. "Never go my way...never quite some day..." what?! XD
Overall, Goblin was a good show but it wasn't great. I think viewers who don't mind extremely light (as in, 'hardly nothing ever happens but we are all so cute anyway!') plots would appreciate this the most. I'm glad I watched this; I feel like I can understand the hype more although I can't participate in it as much as I would like.
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A MASTERPIECE
If u could erase ur memory and watch a drama again this woukd ve it perfection in every order combines whit humour and passion into one drama words cannot describe how incredible this drama is only put a 9 because i didn't like the ending besides that it was very good a tearful yet humorous drama it was amazingWas this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
when i catch you writer...
Now I understand why it's everyone's favorite.I'm already someone who cries easily while watching dramas, and I did cry a few times while watching this one too, but especially in episode 13 and the final episode, I cried non-stop. Let's not meet the writer, if possible. 😊
I thought it would be like the usual 2016 K-dramas, but it hit me in ways I never expected. At least they could have made one couple properly happy. Even if I try to interpret the ending as happy, it doesn't work. IT WASN'T ENOUGH FOR ME, IT WASN'T ENOUGH. Especially Grim Reaper and Sunny... Was happiness really forbidden for them? Okay, they were happy in the end, but THE MAN WAITED UNTIL THE WOMAN TURNED 68 AND DIED.
Kim Shin... He was probably the real sinner here; otherwise, I can't find another explanation for why they left him alone for over 1,000 years. He literally bore all the pain. The writer probably thought even happiness was too much for him.
Is it possible that the Twenty-Five Twenty-One writer took inspiration from this drama for their "not properly reuniting" ending? Just asking...
I got really mad because I cried so much, but it was so beautiful. It felt like I was watching a 40-episode drama instead of 16. I eagerly moved on to each episode, and the acting was so good. It's been a long time since I've seen a duo cry so well (and I cried twice as much along with them).
The songs, acting, cast, story... It was perfect in every way. I will definitely watch it again and again.
P.S.: I'm going to make my mom knit that red scarf. 😸
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I personally love dramas about supernatural creatures in our time. I love seeing how different creatures live and how they use their powers (if they have any)in our everyday life etc. but to me, this drama doesn't live up to its hype.
I think the acting, the senaries, the music and the overall plot is great, but i feel like this drama is very dragged. There's a lot of repetitive scenes and other unnecessary scenes where i find myself being so bored that i almost fall asleep, at one point i actually fell asleep watching this drama. I usually like dramas that are more on the shorter side and although this drama is 16 (or technically 16,5) episodes long, each episode is around 1 hour and 20 minutes and i'm sorry for saying this, but that is toooo long. The thing is, the episodes are just very unnecessarily long. They could've easily told the same story in 16 episodes where each episode were 1 hour long, without all the unnecessary scenes. If they had done that, i think this drama would've been right up my alley, but unfortunately they didn't.
I'll probably finish this drama at some point soon (i'm currently on episode 13, it's taking me a long time to watch this) but i can already tell that it's not a drama i'll rewatch.
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The story was full of plot holes, and in a conversation I had, no one could explain the plot holes, and said I should just enjoy it for what it is. But how am I suppose to enjoy a drama that could have explain everything in 3 episodes but dragged out?
This is a drama that stirs up my intellect more than anything else.
The music for this drama was kind of blah, with all the hype, I thought they would have more than 1 piece I like. For majority dramas I watch, the music would be so good that I would replay the parts with the music I like, but for this drama I only like 1 song they had, and it wasn't good enough for a replay
The main couple were awkward and boring, maybe for people who likes extremely slow dramas. The chemistry between them is a little and awkward, like a woman falling in love with a stalker because she has psychological problems which hasn't been solved, and will love anyone who gives them any kind of attention. Or like a man who needs a needy woman to feel better about himself. Within a few episodes in, I could already predict the majority of the story line for the main couple.
Overall, their relationship can be summarize by a daughter-father relationship with romance.
The only redeeming thing about this drama is the supporting characters, they had a lot more chemistry, and their story line is more interesting with unpredictable outcome.
I would never re-watch this drama for the main couple, maybe for the side couple but probably not.
I wouldn't recommend anyone to watch this, but if someone really wants to, than skip the parts with the main couple, their relationship is really repetitive and can be explain by a girl having a daddy problem, while the man having relationship problems with women.
The most disappointing drama i watch in 2017, way over hyped. I think people who enjoy this probably just enjoy watching a dramatic fantasy romance and not like me, who tend to overthink and find plot holes.
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Story:
The story is basically a great idea! A Goblin who needs his bride to be redeemed. His bride being a High School girl, that he once saved, who sees ghosts. Wait, what?! An ancient guy and a High School girl? Oooooookay....I thought, well, maybe they just meet once while she's in High School and then they meet years later to fall in love. Well, no. That's not what happens. The story is reaaaaaaallllllyyyyyy slow paced and at some point it was just dragging on and on and on and on, and I thought to myself: "MOVE! FORWARD!" But that did not happen until the last two or so episodes. Meeh -.- The only thing that made this slow story better is the story line between the Grim Reaper and Sunny. I would have loved to have THEM as the main couple and tell THEIR story rather than the Goblin's story.
Acting/Cast:
I haven't watched any drama with Gong Yoo or Lee Dong Wook before, wo I was open to anything that might come along the way. They both acted fantastically but I was just SO IRRITATED with Gong Yoo's role. He was constantly going on my nerves acting like a spoiled little child. Some scenes, especially in the beginning were really funny and I got some weird glances from my husband because I burst out in laughter several times. But after some time the Goblin became really annoying.
The Grim Reaper on the other hand had a lot of depth and he was a fascinating character through and through.
Now on to the girls, I watched Kim Go Eun in "Cheese in the Trap" and Yoo In Na in "My love from another star" and I liked both of them. Here they also did a pretty alright job. But due to this slow paced story I couldn't enjoy their acting much.
A huge praise goes to Yook Sung Jae, he was hilarious and so damn cute! Also, I would have loved to see more scenes with Kim So Hyun and Kim Min Jae - THEY LOOK SO FREAKING GOOD TOGETHER! Can they please get a drama where they are the OTP!?!?
Music:
Now that's the amazing part of the drama - the music. Alsways spot on and so so beautiful! Together with the scenery - WOW!
Rewatch Value:
I would give a 0 if I could. Will never rewatch this.
Overall:
It could have been amazing! Unfortunately, it wasn't. Not at all.
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