Guardian: The Lonely and Great God

쓸쓸하고 찬란하神 - 도깨비 ‧ Drama ‧ 2016 - 2017
Completed
Two Steps From Heaven
14 people found this review helpful
Nov 5, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Exceptional

Guardian: The Lonely and Great God aka Goblin is exceptional in all aspects. Be it writing, directing, atmosphere, acting, ambiance, and even wardrobe. Nothing was left to chance and with a story this fantastical and emotional, it could easily have careened into fluff and cliche; however, the actors all brought their A-game which made every second captivating and beautiful.

Special shout out to Gong Yoo who gave a brilliant performance; likewise, the wardrobe director who made his character stunningly gorgeous. Similarly, his hair did some heavy lifting and deserves an award.

If you're looking for an emotional and heartrending series then do not miss this. I absolutely recommend it to those looking for a mature and beautiful story.

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Completed
wonhwa
150 people found this review helpful
Feb 13, 2017
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 9
Overall 6.0
Story 6.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 3.0
This review may contain spoilers
Somewhere inside Goblin, buried under a mound of PPL and tears, is a good show trying to get out. The first two episodes suggest what might have been, deftly mixing intense action and off-beat humor in a dark world filled with ominous reapers, wounded goblins, ghost-seeing teenagers and cabbage-wielding grannies. The stage seems set for a life and death clash of epic proportions. Alas, it soon becomes apparent that the writer forgot to include an antagonist. The goblin-reaper face-off devolves into a chummy bromance, leaving “fate” to play the role of spoiler. Unfortunately, it’s hard to fight disembodied destiny. Whole episodes are spent weeping in pretty scenery and eating Subway sandwiches. The talented cast tries to up the urgency, but with nothing tangible to battle, the pacing slows to a crawl. The extended episode lengths and the director’s tendency to linger a little too long on every moment exacerbate the problem. Even the romance falters on the uncomfortable age gap between the protagonists.

Every so often. interesting ideas pop up about guilt, redemption, and the role of kindness in a cosmos more random than rewarding. Alas, the fickle gods that rule this universe stay above the fray. A drama that actually allowed its characters to take them on rather than simply lamenting their cruelty could have been powerful indeed.

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Completed
kdramabinger
16 people found this review helpful
Jul 16, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
The only word that could come to describe this show would be PERFECTION.

Everything about Goblin is set so right that you can never regret watching and rewatching and rewatching it again.

Story- one of the best fantasy stories you will ever come across. It is not only beautifully set, but moves forward with a wonderful pace, blending both past and present stories together. The story of Goblin is such that you want never want it to end. The funny moments will have you in splits and the sad one will rip your heart into pieces.

Acting- tremendous. Every actor is on spot with their acting but Kim Go Eun is particularly brilliant. Her playing a teenager and a mature character is so well put that you will actual believe there's a time gap.

Music- OH MY GOD. I have each track of Goblin and I listen to it almost always. The music adds more value to the show.

Rewatch value--I've already seen it over 7 times. No matter what show I watch, I always end up going back to this one.

Overall- without even thinking about it, go watch it and you won't ever regret.

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Completed
NanaHoshi
16 people found this review helpful
Apr 22, 2017
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 8.5
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 10
Rewatch Value 5.0
So first of all, I think this drama is really overrated. I really liked it but the drama got some flaws that are hard to just overlook.

Story:
I liked the story. It was actually pretty interesting and different in a way. Some would say that the age gap between the 2 main character is hard to overlook but it was okay for me. What I mean is I wasn't really paying attention to that part as the drama is based around something fictional, the age gap is just a part of that. I like the relation between the two main characters but also with the second couple. The bromance was also a very good part of that drama. I just wish Deok Hwa played a bigger part of the drama. Usually, there are some characters that I don't like in a drama, like a big villain but I just liked every characters here. And also, I enjoyed everything regarding the Grim Reapers organization and especially the Grim Reaper (Lee Dong Wook).

Acting/Cast:
They all did a great job and I think they all suited their role. Gong Yu as always is a very good actor. I was also very surprised by Lee Dong Wook, if was just perfect as the Grim Reaper. Also, Kim Go Eun is a good actress (that I saw in Cheese in the Trap before) but rather than feeling sad with her when she cried (near the end) I was just impressed. I usually don't like the cryings in dramas also so seeing Lee Dong Wook always with teary eyes/crying was kind of hard for me but he did a good job! I also often find the main female lead annoying but she was okay.

Music:
I think Goblin wouldn't have been that great without this OST. Seriously, the music in the drama was just perfect. All the songs were just beautiful. If the music wasn't that good, I think I would have rated the drama 7.5 instead of 8.5.

Rewatch value:
I would probably not rewatch it, or I would skip some parts. The episodes are unnecessarily long.

So why do I think Goblin is overrated?
- There are tons of flashbacks and they are ALWAYS the SAME!!! That was SOOOO annoying! I hate when they do that in dramas. Like they would put the same flashback twice in the same episode and in almost episode... And for what? We didn't forget that happened so why? This is why the episodes are long but it is just long of flashback I think... It could have been maybe 10 minutes shorter if it wasn't for that...
- Then, that wouldn't really affect the rating but it kind of annoyed me to some point.. The product placement here it just too strong. So we can see it everywhere and in every drama but usually it's more subtle than that. They were literally saying: eat SUBWAY and your life will be better. (or something like that). I understand that they needed money to have that good quality in the scenes but come on...
- Then I feel like the story/plot could have been better used... It is kind of a waste of the characters I think. And I wanted to know more about the deities.

So yeah, I'm happy I watched it but I wished the realization of the drama and the use of the characters would have been better handled. When I finished the drama I had a bitter feeling. I enjoyed it and really liked it but I felt like the potential was a bit wasted. So I think there are many more stuff to talk about regarding that drama but I'll just stop here :)

Anyways, Goblin is a drama that need to be seen ! :)

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Completed
Day Dream Drama
16 people found this review helpful
Feb 12, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

If you're a die-hard romantic, you simply can't afford to miss this one!

You won't believe how much I'm in love with this series! From the heart-touching soundtrack to the captivating storyline inspired by folklore, everything about it is a perfect balance. The chemistry between the leads is off the charts, and the rest of the cast is equally amazing. The narrative is so beautiful that it never lets you lose interest for a second. And don't even get me started on the bromance between Goblin and The Grim Reaper - it's pure entertainment! Plus, Deuk Hwa's character is just too cute for words. Gong Yoo's charm and wit will leave you swooning, and the female lead and Deok Hwa are absolutely adorable together. The narrative and the poetic elements of the show are so enchanting that they'll make you want to fall in love and believe in magic all over again. If you're a die-hard romantic, you simply can't afford to miss this one!

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Completed
Incognito
16 people found this review helpful
Sep 18, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
I wanted to leave a review while the show is still fresh in my mind. I just want to say exactly what I felt. This show is downright one of the most beautiful things you'll ever see. From the casting, to the cinematography, to the writing, everything is sheer perfection. It's kind of EPIC. You can feel the beautiful way the creator sees the world, with its particular touch of darkness. It will hurt you, and make you laugh, even in the midst of your pain, like the Grim Reaper in that one scene, you'll not have a choice. Rating the show the highest possible rating wasn’t even up for debate. The thing about a good story is that you can have a massive budget and top rated actors but if you have a stale, unworthy story and half boiled characters, it just doesn't work. The value of this show is that every character is so deep, so believable, so REAL, you can't help getting lost in them. Few minor gripes I have was that Duek Hwa and Jung Hae In should have had better storylines. Second, toward the end the amnesia bit dragged a bit for me. (Minor spoiler) Even the whole finding love in past lives instead of present was again a bit typical for a show of this caliber. What you can do in a next life you can do in this one, for this reason the last two or three episodes in places it got a bit boring for me. Still, I'm happy to have seen this show, I've never quite seen anything like it. All in all, bravo!

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Completed
Folza
16 people found this review helpful
Oct 27, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

I am in tears

I can’t elaborate enough on how Good and brilliant this drama is. The story is original and keeps the viewers hooked. The characters!!! There was none I found annoying or intolerable. I loved the characters and the bond and relationships they’ve had with each other. There were moments I’d be laughing out loud and then there were moments where I had tears coming out of my eyes.
The soundtrack is too darn good. Brilliant drama. Brilliant cast and acting.
This one is definitely becoming one of my favourites.
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Completed
Aghassi524
16 people found this review helpful
Apr 21, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10
Oh my Goblin... I've always been a Gong Yoo stan since his Coffee Prince days, so there's no way I'm letting this show go without me watching it. Before I met oppa Ji Chang Wook, because of Gong Yoo's hiatus in the drama land, my heart got swayed, but he will always remain as my first love. LOL. Obviously, he's the main reason I watched this show. And to add icing to the cake, the writer is Kim Eun Sook! I personally believe she's one of the best rom-com writers out there.

What I love most about this drama is their comedic antics especially between goblin and the grim reaper. Their chemistry is on point, even much better than the chemistry between goblin and his bride. Sadly, for me, GY and Kim Go Eun didn't have that much chemistry. But don't get me wrong, their acting is good. It's just that they don't have that vibrant chemistry. Lee Dong Wook and Yoo In Na's chemistry is even better than them! So love their love story.<3

Some say, the series went downhill after ep 14 and the ending was forced and I somewhat, quite agree. But I also don't know how to end it any other way that would satisfy the viewers, so I have accepted the ending as good enough.

Rewatch Value - If I will watch this again, I will only watch this because of goblin and grim reaper. And Sung Jae, too! lol

P.S. This drama has one of the best soundtracks ever! I Will Go to You Like the First Snow lyrics is so heartbreaking.
I also love how the writer added a poetic touch to the script.:)

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Completed
nfabjoy
16 people found this review helpful
Feb 20, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 8.0

Uncomfortable at first but a truly emotional resonant drama

I give it a begrudging overall 9/10 .

I just want to start of by saying that Goblin is a really sad drama . I just want to put that out there because all the top comments and reviews out there on the World Wide Web rave on in a fan girl manner that you would think it’s Boys Over Flowers . I was misled and the sadness genuinely caught me off guard. It’s SAD.

Now that’s out of the way - let me address why I give it a begrudging 9/10.

Goblin did not convince me at all that it is a perfect show. It’s age gap and high school lead was really uncomfortable for me to fathom .Why did they have to make her into a high school kid though ? And though Gong Yoo is hot and all ; he really looked considerably older than his female lead and that was just uncomfortable. But that’s an internal personal bias and has nothing to do with the plot unraveling . Creep factor aside - this was a really original story with an interesting and dare I say new premise. I admired how the writers stayed true to their intentions and you could tell they never fell off but kept focused . It had great quotes too and I loved the deity aspect of the show - it gave it a divine elegance.

However - This is a tricky review to write because as a romantic drama - it ticks all the right boxes . Great sweeping love declaration scenes ? Yes . In fact they are touching. Angst ? Yes - sure to cry like a baby . Great supporting leads with equally engaging angsty story lines ? Yes , yes and yes. Great romantic kissing scenes ? Yes.But nooo. It’s not a 10 . The plot was not tight enough . It was repetitive using the same set ups over and over again that it actually wasted time in setting up other important relationships such as the supporting leads relationship progression and the reincarnated relationships that were discovered along the line. Kudos though to the plot twists which were very much appreciated. Sure to keep a viewer tuning in.

It also had time in its 16 episodes with rich story to insert a villain which I thought was deft. I also liked the way they handled the past informing the present and the notion of reincarnation and it’s supporting motifs. The romances were also lovely. Emotional resonance was very strong too. I cried like a baby in Ep 13 which is one of the best moments in tv history . The last episode was so poignantly sad too. Comedy was also very well done .

The acting and cast were unblemished . Gong Yoo was so funny and melancholy at the same time . The Grim Reaper was gorgeous and grim at the same time and the female leads were assertive , spunky yet passionate in the same this show
The soundtrack is quite possibly one of the best of the best and does much to bolster the ratings . I loved every song and my standouts were Beautiful Life , Hush ( Goblin lullaby, the second leads song I miss You , I Will Go To You Like the First Snow, oh my word - I’m listing the whole sound track ! That’s how good it is !

The fashion was off the charts! Deok Hwa’s coats and suits , Grim Reaper’s cozy oversized sweaters and Goblin’s coats were amazing! Sunny’s outfits are worthy of a Pinterest board alone.

Rewatch value is quite strong once I get over the creep factor . Souls are apparently immortal and ageless right ? So we will stick with that and suck it up ...

As for the OVERALL - don’t waste anymore time and go ahead and watch it ! If there’s anything this show convinced me of other than a sad love of a lonely and great god Is that it’s definitely one of those shows you need to have under your belt for posterity reasons . Also ,If you loved My Love From the Star , you will surely find this pleasant too. If you like some supernatural and super sadness then this one is for you .

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Completed
Aayushiiii
16 people found this review helpful
Oct 9, 2020
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

This is a Masterpiece!

Can't even put in words how much this series has affected me. It is a Masterpiece. The Ost, the editing, the storyline, the chemistry, the acting every single thing is just awesome!! Every character had it own story and the actors did a marvelous job to inact it.
The continuous bashful comments by the Goblin and the Grim reaper are savage. It never misses an opportunity to make you laugh till the very end and I was laughing my ass off throughout. Not only comedy, it is full of romance and drama. The lines are beautiful and everything connects so well ( things said in past connects later to a thing happening in present) Just WOW❤️
A moment i felt goosebumps and in another I was crying (literally a lot) and in next i was laughing like anything, its that level.
I recommend this to everyone who loves Kdrama ( even if you don't you'll after watching this🔥)

A Classic of all time❤️

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Completed
sambart
118 people found this review helpful
Nov 9, 2018
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 6
Overall 3.0
Story 2.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 1.0
This review may contain spoilers
My review will be short and sweet with a link to my very extend review at the bottom if you wish to do some extra curricular reading!

The Good:
1) Reaper and Goblin's Bromance
2) Soni and Reaper's Relationship
3) The theme song
4) The cinematography
5) The locations shot in

And that is ALL!

The UGLY:

1) 60% of the episodes are completely plotless.
2) The last 5 or so episodes are completely rushed with about 6 major plot points in each of them
3) The cringey, over-obvious product placement
4) EunDak is the worst character ever. She's so selfish and so stupid and she gets so lazy once the boys take her in.
5) Eun Dak and Goblin's relationship should NOT be romantic. It would've been much better as a Father/Daughter realtionship
6) The editing was rough in a lot of parts
7) Deok Hwa's character was so undeveloped and so underused. he deserved better!
8) The lack of relationship and character development for all of them actually
9) The ending is an absolute mess. Why did the not all die so they could start over again?!
10) So many scenes felt half done. I feel like so much was either not filmed or just simply edited out and I feel like I was missing whole chunks of scenes that were needed.
11) The over the top ridiculousness such as the SnowBoard accident, and the Goblin pushing EunDak and causing massive problems in the car park scene. Those scenes were so stupid. Those scenes were far beyond being able to suspend disbelief.
12) Completely ruining Soni and Reaper's personality and all their charm in their new life in the final episode.
13) Rushing through the final. Those last 15 or so minutes DESERVED and entire episode. Not the rush through that it got.

The excessive overhype this show gets. It's really not that good.
If you really want my Essay-long review of this show, check it out here: http://sambart93.tumblr.com/post/179925136539/dokkaebi-goblin-its-not-bad-but-its-not-good

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Completed
Zahra
13 people found this review helpful
Dec 25, 2024
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10
Rewatch Value 9.0

One of its kind

I love love looooved this one, never got around to watch it when it first aired, but man was i missing out.. i dont usually tend to enjoy the very hyped up dramas and this one was, so i kinda intentionally stayed away from it for years, but its sooo worth the hype, to storyline is unique, the ost is just it.

It just hit all the spots for me and reminded me of why i fell in love with kdramas in the first place over 15 years ago when it wasn`t "in" . This one is truly a masterpice, and a reminder of how good and unique kdramas used to be.
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Guardian: The Lonely and Great God poster

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  • Score: 8.8 (scored by 152,309 users)
  • Ranked: #178
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  • Watchers: 288,155

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