I had my reservations on watching this drama at first but, oh boy am I glad that I resisted. I was hooked since the first episode and never did it fail to surprise me as the story progresses.
This is one drama that doesn't have love triangle storyline, no forced or guilty feeling romance (which is rare for korean dramas not to have, and that's what I like about this drama). What you will see are just sweet and even funny romance scenes.
The cinematography and music are simply perfect. And the chemistry among all the cast is also great.
For those who have not seen this drama, what are you waiting for?
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1) Cinderella complex - the female lead was frustratingly dependent on the male lead. Didn’t see any good character development in her.
2) Awkward chemistry - no build up to the romance. Portrayal of the gap in itself was really awkward.
3) Extremely slow - gave up watching in the middle of the show with how little the progress was on the story.
The music and cinematography were good but those factors weren’t even enough to save this show.
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It's not an issue of plot, it's more an issue with the main female protagonist for me. She comes across as an immature, whiny girl. I found her character completely annoying and entirely unrealistic when it comes to pairing her with a 700+ year old war general. It wasn't an issue of AGE for me, but rather, how her character was written. For example, in Cinderella and the Four Knights (a lovely watch, by the way), the main female protagonist is sweet, innocent, and overall, happy and good-natured. Even though both female characters in Cinderella and the Four Knights and Goblin had similar "Cinderella" circumstances, the writers executed their characterization very differently. Ultimately, while I recognize that the writer for Goblin was trying to get a happy, innocent girl despite her unfortunate circumstances, in comparison, I think Cinderella and the Four Knights female MC was so much better. She was someone I could respect, root-for, and empathize with - I just couldn't feel any of those things for the MC of Goblin.
I really couldn't move past the female MC in Goblin because of her characteristics that I mentioned above. And it really sucks because I really liked the other aspects of this drama. The Goblin has such an interesting story and history. The Grim Reaper was entertaining to watch. The interactions between the Goblin and the Grim Reaper were HILARIOUS. I also really enjoy Gong Yoo's acting and he's extremely attractive, which is a plus! But I just couldn't get over the insta-love and unrealistic romance between the girl and the Goblin.
Again, I'm really bummed and I really really REALLY had hoped that I would like this drama on the second try, but I guess it just wasn't in the cards.
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Scenes will have you laughing and crying uncontrollably, leaving you with a melancholic feeling once the show ends. I would definitely recommend this show, not only for the amazing cinematography but also for the well-sequenced soundtrack. A fairy-tale never to be forgotten. ??
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The plot is so creative
The songs are to love even to put in itunes!
The actors are amazing!!! ;-; grim reaper is so handsome
The quality of the serie is very good!
Gotta love it gotta rewatch over and over again!!!
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just 8 years late...
After 8 years, I finally sat down to watch Goblin, one of the most popular k-dramas ever. Did it live up to the hype? did it fall flat? Down below I break down what I liked about the show and what I liked less.What I liked
- Lee Dong Wook with his slutty trenchcoat and funny hat 10/10.
- The show probably has the most recognizable soundtrack around. Hits different.
- All of the friendships in the show, probably the best part of the show tbh. Specially the dynamic between the goblin & grim reaper.
- I loved the character of Sunny, kinda obsessed.
- Loved the themes of death, god, immortality etc. Genuinely interesting
- The overall pacing is slow, but at least it's even which is the most important thing for me.
What I couldn't wrap my head around
- Ok, let's just get it over with and talk about the main romantic couple...it just didn't work for me at all. I normally don't mind age gapes that much, however, the main female lead acts more like a 12 year old than a 19 year old. I like Kim Go eun as an actor and she does a good job here as well, but it's more about how the character is written. I don't get why they didn't just age her up? Go Eun was like 24-25 during filming, there was no reason for her to be 19. They could just have made her a university student and written her in a more mature way and the plot would still make sense. Because of this, the main couple just have 0 chemistry, they act more like very fond siblings.
- Some of the editing and camerawork was a bit iffy at times, not a huge issue for me though.
- The ending seemed a bit rushed.
To be honest, this was a pretty difficult show for me to score, so I settled for an 8/10, even though I was planning on giving it a 7.5/10 first. Goblin for me is a show with a lot of great aspects that do a lot of heavy lifting for the show, but also some critical downsides. I did enjoy this show overall and felt emotionally invested in the characters. Do I get why this is one of the most popular k-dramas ever? yeah I can see it. Is it one of the best k-dramas in terms of entertainment and quality? No, absolutely not. Does it live up to the hype for me? Unfortunately, I can't say that it does, but it's still a steller k-drama.
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Despite the episodes being very long (which it didn't feel like), it really was enjoyable.
The low rewatch value is due to the fact that the episodes are 1hr and 30mins long, but this should not refrain you from watching it. I think it is a must-see.
I would rate the cast as 12/10... but you know it doesn't work like that.
It was really fun to recognise the references made about actual kdrama actors and even some kpop groups ^_^
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Definate Re watch.
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It did start out a little slow, but by episode 3 there were so many twists and turns and it just makes you want more....
I enjoyed every single bit of it, and is quite different from your typical dramas, maybe cus there's a magical kind of element to it?
I would definitely recommend and watch again!
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