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Guardian: The Lonely and Great God

쓸쓸하고 찬란하神 - 도깨비 ‧ Drama ‧ 2016 - 2017
Completed
Neelshika_nissy
1 people found this review helpful
Aug 15, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 6.0

goblin

Omg !!!!! I have so much to say but ill try my best to shorten it fr u guys , i'll try my best to avoid any spoiler 😃. If you've seen the 5 stars and hv already gone to watch the show you did a great job , but if you're still here reading this review ill give you guys some 'more than satisfactorIf 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!),

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Completed
juliezac3hotmail.com
1 people found this review helpful
May 24, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 7.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 4.5

Is it just me

I really can't understand why Goblin is number one The stand out was the grim reaper and his friendship with the main lead I also loved his character and his romance I thought the female was too young and it put put me of the Drama The ending didn't make sense and was a disappointment The OST was great but overall not one of my favourites Dramas I just don't understand the hype I hope it's not just me that thinks this I liked the performance of Yook Sung jae as well The Grim Reaper was the stand out for me
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Completed
elle
1 people found this review helpful
Jan 31, 2026
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

still my fav ?

I first watched Guardian back in 2016, and even ten years later, I still love every single episode. This drama means everything to me. The acting, the music, the story-everything is so incredibly good that it's impossible to skip or get bored of it. I could rewatch it over and over again without ever getting tired.
I've watched so many K-dramas over the years, but Guardian is still my number one, and I honestly believe it always will be. If you haven't watched it yet, please give it a chance-you won't regret it. And about the age gap: don't let that stop you. This is a fantasy drama, and there's no skinship until she's an adult.
For me, this is simply the best drama ever 💕🌸

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Completed
Nailini
1 people found this review helpful
Oct 11, 2025
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 1
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Pure masochism to wish that life was like in this drama

I just rewatched Goblin for - I don't know - 15th time? Maybe more.
I hate rewatching it. At the same time I absolutely can't take my eyes off the screen.
If you are a dreamer like me and you desperately wish for a bit of romance in your dull everyday life, "Goblin" is like medicine. It delivers emotions I can't feel on daily basis. It delivers hope, that even if this life sucks, I have the possibility to relive it a few more times. The show helps me to cope with my irrational hope for fate to exist. That probably, just probably there is someone predestined for me to meet and love. I thought I experienced sometng like that, but it turned out to be more of a tragedy, than making my dreams come true. This is where I went back to my dull everyday life. And here comes "Goblin". Each tme, when I need this spark of hope. When I cry and tend to think nothing really makes any sense. I always come back to the plot. I laugh, I cry a lot. Soundtrack is usually on the top of my Spotify Wrapped every year. I am even planning to go alone to Quebec. Because this drama helped be to believe there is more to it all and maybe I still can't see it.

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Completed
tmnroses84
1 people found this review helpful
Jan 1, 2026
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.5

Truly a fateful and tragic love story that makes you reminisce on your own life

Goblin is a a story of life and love. Kim-shin and Eun-tak have this adorable chemistry that makes your heart warm.

The supporting characters have great backstories that actually add to the story. The supernatural elements and themes of fate/life are well done in a way that makes you ponder on your own life. With catchy OSTs and moments that are so humorous that makes the tragedies even more heartbreaking.

In the Goblin's search to end his life, he found his reason to live. Truly a drama for the ages.
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Completed
Miss Binge-watcher
1 people found this review helpful
Apr 16, 2026
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.5
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

A beautiful story

I watched Goblin 10 years after it first aired, and I have to say, I loved it. It won't share the 10/10 spot with Crash Landing on You, due to a few details I'm not completely happy with, but all in all it was a well-written, beautiful story.

Let me start by saying, I absolutely get why some viewers ditched the drama or are still vocal about the age gap. It isn't something we should accept as a society in real life. But let's keep in mind that it's a drama, it's fiction, and it's fantasy fiction at that. As soon as I accepted that, I finished it and enjoyed it.

In my opinion, my review is too late for writing about the story itself, so I'll just stick to the aspects that stood out to me.

1. They stretched the history of Kim Shin becoming the Goblin a bit too long and kept coming back to it too often, in my opinion. I understand they wanted the viewer to really understand where the Goblin came from, but it wasn't that complicated a history, like some of the Joseon-era, heavily political dramas out there. To me, they dedicated too much time to this, whereas they could've invested that time to flesh out other parts of the story some more.

2. I found Eun Tak to be quite irritating, but I also expected it, her being 19 and all. If I look back on my life, I also wasn't that bright with my decisions at that age. Nineteen is truly a limbo between adulthood and still being a teenager. Because of this, I understood her overly childish behaviour to be rooted in past trauma and her need for confirmation on multiple levels. Eun Tak was taking care of herself for 10 years already. Her age might have been small, but her experiences weren't. And her childish behaviour must have stemmed from feeling safe enough with Goblin to let loose a little. And childish or not, she knew how to communicate her feelings and wasn't stupidly impulsive.

3. Goblin wasn't a toxic man. Some dramas have these male leads who are bordering on abusive. Goblin wasn't that. He at least did his best to push Eun Tak away, albeit in an awkward way. Imagine living all these years, seeing everyone you came to love or appreciate die around you. Of course you'll become aloof, maybe even cold, simply to protect your own heart. Some would argue he could've been less mean to Eun Tak. But he understood his fate, and all of a sudden this girl proclaims to be his bride.

Her being part of his life meant he could finally retreat into nothingness. And then he starts to have feelings he wasn't expecting to have. He wasn't expecting to like her or want to protect her. So the struggle between wanting to leave and wanting to stay starts. He was pushing against her and against himself at the same time.

Furthermore, he also understood he's immortal and she's not. How would that even work? It's not crazy he tried to keep her at a distance. And even so, he at some point in his 900 years on earth was human too, so he experiences human emotions. Of course he doesn't know what to do with his feelings for "some little girl". Loving her unconditionally meant dying and leaving her behind. I think lots of commenters failed to see that struggle, because they stayed hung up on the age gap.

4. People were mostly raving about the bromance in this drama. Yes, it was quite endearing, but it wasn't my main reason for liking and sticking to the drama. The story itself was unique and interesting. I loved how every character had his or her own story. What I liked less was that they didn't flesh out the stories enough. The 16 episodes could've been distributed better. Also, I hated that they waited until around the 14th episode to introduce the main villain. Of course we saw him at work earlier on, but that final reveal felt very rushed. I really loved the relationship between Grim Reaper and Sunny and was sad to see they didn't get to be "more" the first time around.

5. I feel I have to properly address the age gap. First off, my 13-year-old isn't allowed to watch this one just yet. Because an age gap of 20 years isn't remotely normal and I'm absolutely not condoning it. I cringed more than a few times, especially because Eun Tak was written to have feelings for Goblin, but still was calling him Ahjussi and acting like a 16-year-old. The uniform wasn't helping either. As most have pointed out, they should've let the story start with her being in college. Maybe then we wouldn't all feel the ick. I'm glad they didn't "consummate" the relationship until she was an "adult". But even so, when you turn a legal age, you're not miraculously an adult. The actress did such a great job that the romantic parts were an uneasy watch. I wish they had her act more mature at times, it would've been less uncomfortable.

All in all, to me the story itself was quite beautiful, because it didn't feel like a fluffy romantic drama as most are. It also kept the same vibe throughout, and the consistency of the tone made me eventually like it very much. There was never a promise of a happy ending, and even though there was some gore and a hint of romance, it wasn't the main focus. At least not for me.

I think the writers tried to challenge mainstream dramas with this tale of an immortal. It made way for other dramas to follow suit. And even though they also challenged morally correct romance with this one, I think they pulled off a well-written, interesting watch. I gave it a 9.5, simply because I couldn't get behind the age gap.

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Completed
bri
1 people found this review helpful
Jan 11, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

consider me a fan

There are those who dislike Goblin and those who love it. I am, in fact, now among those who love it. There was bromance. It was funny, heartwarming, wholesome, painful, etc. it had everything I could’ve wanted along with an amazing ost and amazing cast. I know there are people who dislike the age gap, but it didn’t really bother me and honestly, if it’s not for you, no need to watch. overall, I really enjoyed watching. it wasn’t perfect, but it’s one of those that’ll stick with me for a long time
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Completed
Dev vaid
0 people found this review helpful
Jun 11, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.5
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 4.0
Goblin was a drama I was avoiding to watch for a long time and Idk the reason, But now I have watched this drama I can say I was little dumb for avoiding it this drama is best due to his it's story telling but mainly due to it's suspense making for things which I can't tell due to spoilers but I can surely say people will like it's suspense for almost every episode. Well I can say there were little things that should been done like giving characters little more screentime in episodes and explaining somethings which I didn't understand or maybe it's just me who didn't understand those things but anyway thanks for reading my review and please don't mind my english, I hope y'all have a good day. Hare Krishna

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Completed
Yuri
0 people found this review helpful
Sep 11, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 8.0

sad love ?

Omg !!!!! I have so much to say but ill try my best to shorten it fr u guys , i'll try my best to avoid any spoiler 😃. If you've seen the 5 stars and hv already gone to watch the show you did a great job , but if you're still here reading this review ill give you guys some 'more than satisfactory' points so tht u go and watch this master piece!😁
First is the storyline ! Its unique and has its own plot twists... I love how each and every characters stories get together with each other forming a beautiful complete circle! The cinematography and directing is great! I love how chronologically they have arranged all the event's of the story , all the events fall in the exact place and time where they should be in both the past and the present storyline...! The dialogues were awesome , it had a great effect causing on the mood and emotional impact! I specially love how they sometimes tried to make the dialogues poetic for some of the characters lines wherever there was a heartfelt romantic or emotional scene!
The humor in this drama is super hilarious and sometimes savage 😂! Love how they try to give us some good giggles during an emotional scene!
Now comes the characters and actors , I loved all of them so i'll give separate credits😁 :-
Goblin/kim shin - the lonely and great god who's been alone all this time , saves and helps people a lotta times,waiting for his bride so tht she can remove the sword just so he could die and lift the immortality curse upon him since the last 900 years! If theres a problem , call him , he will be always there for you all you need to do is blow a candle😉. He is loving, caring & a great warrior.
Grim reaper - became a grim reaper bcz of the sins committed in his past life , now guiding the dead to the right way , this reaper is different than the ones you've seen before. He's cold , clumsy, cute and stupid!😁 but tht doesn't stop him from being a good person and being a really good friend!
Ji eun tak - an orphan , life full of miseries until she knows shes the goblins bride ! Falls in love with the 'ajussi' 🥰 . she has a really adorable 😍smile! On a dark silent night , she comes bearing the stars in her hands singing songs of angels without wings😌.
Sunny - 'SHE IS PRETTY'💖!!! She is the most straightforward yet cool , loving person you'll ever meet ! She deserves a lot more happiness!!!
Duk hwa - one of my most fav character 😍😎!!! A chaebol heir , handsome, goblins right hand , loves his end-room-uncle and goblin uncle,loves credit cards, silly yet smart, knows each secret from the age of 6 , will call NASA if the weather seems sus !😁
President kim - the TT dancer , trustworthy, obedient,adviser.
Things I loved the utmost - kim so hyun , kim min jae ,the chemistry between all the characters, hated the villain,suspense, the bromance , friendship, humor, ost !!!🥰 overall enjoyed every bit of this show , highly recommend to anyone who has a good choice for dramas !!!!

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Completed
midori
0 people found this review helpful
Oct 6, 2025
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.5

Fanservice 10/10

Story does not suck and they managed to put in all the fanservice you need, 15/10. Only, there’s an episode where I didnt feel the chemistry so I am giving it a 9/10

My otp is the grim reaper and his queen. Best ship of the century (ofc that’s not debatable /j)

Anyway, like everyone else, enjoyed it a lot, so just watch it for feel good entertainment, happy scenes (and sometimes sad), I mean, it’s good drama with the best actors/actresses.
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Completed
Ruka Haru
0 people found this review helpful
Dec 27, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

AMAZING.

Do yourself a favor, if you are reading this and you are unsure if you want to watch this classic drama, WATCH IT. This drama is hilarious, funny, and a cute Rom-Com. Gon Yoo and Lee Dong Wook's Bromance in this show is so funny and cute! i have rewatched this drama 5 times whenever i am in a funk or need a pick me up, because it is just so cute! The actress who plays the main leading role is so adorable and i think she did an amazing job in this role and really captured the personalitly of her character. please WATCH IT you wont regret it!!
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Completed
raywskii
0 people found this review helpful
Jan 20, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 7.0

.

Chorei. Chorei muito. Tem muito coisa nesse dorama. A história dos dois casais foi muito bem trabalhada, a trilha sonora tbm é muito boa. As histórias na casa de chá me fizeram chorar um monte, a história dos protagonistas tbm, tudo.
A única coisa que eu teria a reclamar é a diferença de idade dos atores E dos personagens. Se eu nn me engano os atores tem quase 20 anos de diferença e a personagens da trama tem 19 no começo. É umas das coisas que eu só fui me importar dps de terminar pq eles tiveram um carisma tão grande na série que eu só fui perceber as idades quando comentaram.

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Guardian: The Lonely and Great God poster

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  • Score: 8.8 (scored by 166,808 users)
  • Ranked: #177
  • Popularity: #1
  • Watchers: 315,440

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