Guardian: The Lonely and Great God

Cause and Effect

Ok, everything that needs to be said has been said about Goblin so this is just me throwing my hat into the ring...
- Gong Yoo & Kim Go-Eun have ZERO chemistry together, like NADA! So, if you are expecting an epic love story you aren't going to get it with these two. In reality, he is actually 12 years older than her, but that's still no excuse. I think that they were cast because they are magnificent actors that are really serious about their craft and this shows in their succinct and selective CV's. But they are so busy concentrating on their acting that they kind of forgot to be human! But I don't think there was much choice of actors at the time. They needed this level of acting to pull off the concept of the show.
Gong Yoo is acting like he's bipolar. One minute he is the war-torn philosopical general from a bygone age the next he's a goofy kid.
Kim Go-Eun, I just find this actress annoying...in everything. Here she is just a 19 yrs old hyperactive schoolgirl and then convincingly a 29 yrs old woman ...I mean kudos for pulling it off, but still no...
Basically, she's looking for a father figure and he behaves like one towards her.
-Lee Dong-wook & Yoo In-na on the other hand do have chemistry and even went on to star in another series 'Touch Your Heart' based on this chemistry. Sadly, nothing I've seen them in after Goblin has been as good. It really did bring out their best performances and you can't imagine anyone else in their parts, but still they are doing better in their careers than the main leads. I think this show set the bar too high!
The couple I ship is:
-Gong Yoo & Lee Dong-wook who win the award for best chemistry in Gobin :) They must have had a great time filming it together. I love their witty repartee.
- I have to give a special mention to Lee El, aka Red Halmoni, as she has also been in 2 of my favourite Kdramas: 'Black' & ' A Korean Odyssey'. Both made after 'Goblin' (talk about typecasting!) Anyway, she totally rocks in this!
-There are quite a lot of similarities between 'Goblin' & 'A Korean Odyssey'.
1. Both female leads can see ghosts.
2. Both female leads end up being sacrificed in the end.
3. Both female leads will only end up with the male lead through reincarnation.
4. One of the leads gets amnesia towards the end, but this is just a plot device to recap and fall in love with their love story all over again. But, not to worry they usually recover their memories within 1 episode!
-Another similarity I noticed was between 'My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho' when Gu Mi-ho starts crying it rains. There is a direct link between supernatural beings & the weather, must be in the mythology somewhere. I find this really poetic.
-Strangely, I get a 'Friends' vibe off the series. It is so knowing, like post-modern playing off the supernatural that makes it such a unique concept, which is not easily achieved. It also makes for such great comedy. There are so many funny scenes. that are just gems. Example: When main couple go to the cinema and goblin is terrified watching 'Train to Busan' a film he starred in just before Goblin!
-However the real star of the show isn't the actors, it is the hauntingly, instantly catchy OST. One of the best, if not the best I've ever heard. It really moved me and was utilised like an actor. Powerful stuff music!

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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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I loved it! BUT

So as everyone else i had enough of hearing about goblin even when it literally has been 6 years since it was made, and it's always either people HATE it or completely worship it! I was confused but i knew what to expect
So i watched it, put all those opinions behind my back and gave it my all attention
First of all let's just say that what i can remember the most and appreciated the most is kim go-eun acting and what made me laugh the most is Lee dong-wook and of course who i completely fell in love with was gong yoo, surprised? I don't think so!
Yoo in-na was so refreshing, her character was the most shocking to me, i loved how she was bold and shy less which i wish we can see more of it in kdramas, she was everything the show needed to make it more fun and light hearted yet she was a huge part of the heartbreaking drama.
The visual effects were as expected not good at all! But we could just turn eye on that
Is goblin a Masterpiece? No.
Is it the closest kdrama of being a masterpiece? Yes.
It's not perfect cuz it lacks so many things and at a point you'd feel like omg how is it that long? And the flashbacks are TOO MANY this to me was hands down the worst thing about this show! I just saw the scene you don't have to flashback to it like it happened 5 episodes ago???
The cinematography was dreamy like. I loved the winter feeling of it, at a point the show was just too much to take and the plot is already predictable so it really didn't need to be that long, i think the director really thought it was mysterious of like.. we were sitting blindly waiting to know what will happen!

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Best epic fantasy drama

Okay, there's pure biasness in this review cos I'm a huge Goo Yoo fan! This drama is pure epic fantasy with so much fun and ab-lib moments that is sooo enjoyable! The best squad for Goo Yoo, Kim Go-Eun and Lee Dong Wook who are still good friends in this time and age, that's why this drama is so precious! Although the age gap btw ML and FL but it's a fantasy so don't take it too hard, they have great chemistry and Kim Go-Eun was so young and pure which I find it cute!

I'll rewatch it every winter with Quebec as the background (the cty which I visited and misses), listening to the OST gives back so much memories!

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it is not tv it is art

i was so reluctant to watch this. then as I started it, I couldn’t stop. i never wanted to let them go.
the loneliness of every single character in this drama was overwhelming and saddening. the way they found each other and the long connection with each other was really satisfying. the friendship they developed was quickly formed into a family. something they all desperately needed.
that is why it hurt so much as they found out their true identities. the bromance was funny and tragic and in the end eternal forgiveness.
the performance of the actors was amazing. it was so real I cried and I laughed with them. it was outstanding in showing emotional performances.
the grim reaper was my personal favorite. he cried so much and you could feel his pain, his shame, his love and his loneliness. he was so funny and silly.
the chemistry between all of them was great. i believe that was the main reason why this drama was so amazing.
the main couple was a perfect match. I’m glad they waited with the more intimate scenes until they were the same age. she was just perfect for this role. her innocence and openness was such a contrast to his aloofness.
i loved the happy ending. all the couples found each other again and looked to be happy.
i hated the music. it was aweful.
the entire drama was art. the cinematic, the acting and the story. i was fascinated because every scene was impressive.
not a boring minute throughout the entire drama.
i miss them. i miss their little family. for me it could have continued because now I’m asking myself what happened after the 4th reincarnation? was a way found for them to stay together?
all in all, if you expect a fluff piece with only romance, this is not it
this is deep and thoughtful perfection of a romantic story.

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Goblin, a drama that brilliantly blends fantasy, romance, and humor.

Overall, this drama is excellent and the one that most moved me throughout the entire drama. Before talking about the characters, I'd like to talk about the title Goblin. First of all, when you say Goblin, you always think of a green-skinned creature, small in stature, and long ears. However, in the drama, this isn't the case at all, and it's completely reimagined. I love the addition of multiple mythologies into one drama (the Goblin, the Reaper, and a human who sees ghosts), which makes the story cohesive, offbeat, funny, touching, and, above all, very interesting!

Regarding the characters, the duo Shin and Eun Tak, played by Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun, is one of the drama's biggest strengths. Actor Gong Yoo is SENSATIONAL and is one of my favorites, both as an actor and in the drama. Besides, the twelve-year age gap between the two actors/actress didn't bother me either. I really like the second couple duo, the Reaper and Sunny, played by Lee Dong Woo and Yoo in Na. Otherwise, I became attached to the other characters, namely Deok Hwa (Sung Jae), Sam Sin (Lee El) and the Queen of Goryeo/Sin's sister (Kim So Hyun). Regarding the OST, I love "Stay With Me" and they perfectly match the atmosphere of the drama. Everything you need to definitely love it! In short, it's an excellent drama that deserves its popularity worldwide.

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worth the time and the tears

I heard about this drama since its airing time (thanks to the famous ost by chanyeol and punch), so its been on my watchlist since then. I have been postponing it because I knew it was a good one and that I need to be in certain circumstances in order to see it, and Im glad i did.
I started this in September 2025 on tv (yes mbc 4) I wanted to revive the tradition (the first kdrama Ive ever sen was on tv on the same channel) espiecially now that I graduated and I had no job so when I saw the teaser of it on tv I thought maybe this is the best time, I had the most fun sitting in front of tv 1 hour a day at a specific time every day while a looot going on my life at the time to the point i missed the last 3 eps (which are like 6 on tv) and had to finich em on december 22nd.
anyways as a story i was a little bit weird abt it as a muslim but i still enjoyed it and loved the interpretations of everything.
the love story was immaculate, the found family is exactly what i mean when i say i like a found family trope and episode 15 made me bawl my eyes out, sth only kdramas from 2015/2016 can do, i cried until I fell asleep and I had to finish the rest of the episodes the next day.
I would highly recommend this k drama 10/10 ❤️❤️

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