K-Drama Review - Guardian: The Lonely and Great God aka Goblin
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This was a great K-drama that I recommend watching if you haven't already. It was such a huge hit show when it aired and I can see why. It's beautifully and epic-ly written and shot with top-notch acting and the soundtrack...omg I LOVE the soundtrack, which was the perfect accompaniment to this show. The music is so hauntingly beautiful and heartbreaking just like the story.
However, I feel like it does get a bit sloppy towards the end....the last 2.5 episodes. I don't want to give anything away, so I can't really elaborate without spoiling it, but I feel like they could've done better. It felt a bit rushed and disconnected at times and just not as great as the earlier episodes. Also, that perfect balance between epic intense feels and lighthearted comedy that was established in the earlier episodes was lacking as well towards the end.
Of course that's just my opinion and others may disagree with me, but after all the epic-ness and intense feels that were going on I wasn't sure how they were gonna carry it through and finish the show and as I was watching the final 2.5 episodes I was left feeling a bit disappointed. I feel like they were just sort of trying to fill the 16 episode quota so the last 2.5 episodes were a bit unnecessary, forced at times, and fluff-like. They should've ended it sooner, or done better.
Regardless, it is a very enjoyable watch that flows beautifully back and forth between epic intense scenes and lighthearted comedic moments with a great A storyline and B storyline...and I love the bromance between the two male leads...and that epic shot of the two at the end of episode 2...
Anywho, I don't know that I would say it's my most favorite k-drama of all time, but it's up there and there's definitely something about it that just sticks with you and lingers and haunts your soul long after you've finished watching. If you've got a free weekend to devote to this, then I suggest you take the plunge into the world of Goblin.
Wikipedia Synopsis
Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) is an immortal goblin (Dokkaebi 도깨비) and protector of souls. He lives with an amnesiac grim reaper (Jeoseung-saja 저승사자) (Lee Dong-wook). who is in charge of taking deceased souls. Together, they see the dead off into the afterlife. One day Kim Shin meets a girl, Ji Eun-tak (Kim Go-eun), who has a special ability to see ghosts,[5][6] and is destined to be his bride and return him to ashes.
DramaFever Synopsis...
Gong Yoo (Coffee Prince), Kim Go Eun (Cheese in the Trap) and Lee Dong Wook (Blade Man, My Girl) star in a supernatural romance that proves love can find its way past anything, including death. Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) is an immortal “goblin,” and has the rather honorable title of being the Protector of Souls. His roommate Wang Yeo (Lee Dong Wook) also happens to have the equally lofty, if thoroughly opposing, title of Angel of Death, and he acts as the storied grim reaper that claims souls. However, both these devilishly handsome angels have a problem: Wang Yeo has amnesia and Kim Shin wants to end his own (immortal) life. Unfortunately for goblins, the only way to defeat immortality is to marry a human bride. As fate would have it, Kim Shin encounters Ji Eun Tak (Kim Go Eun) a quirky, yet cheerful, girl who may be the answer to ending his cursed existence. Now, once responsible for protecting souls and watching them pass, Kim Shin tries to send his own soul to the afterlife. But when a slightly complicated method of suicide starts turning into true love, will our immortal goblin begin to regret his decision--where acting on that very love ultimately means the end of his life?
Adding to the drama are Kim Sun (One More Happy Ending star Yoo In Na), a sweet chicken shop owner who falls for the Angel of Death, and Yoo Duk Hwa (BtoB member and School 2015 actor Yook Sung Jae), a wealthy heir who happens to be Kim Shin’s nephew with a penchant for rebellion.
Adding to the drama are Kim Sun (One More Happy Ending star Yoo In Na), a sweet chicken shop owner who falls for the Angel of Death, and Yoo Duk Hwa (BtoB member and School 2015 actor Yook Sung Jae), a wealthy heir who happens to be Kim Shin’s nephew with a penchant for rebellion.
Also known as “Shining Goblin”, “Dokkaebi,” and simply "Goblin", Goblin: The Lonely and Great God is helmed by the director-writer team of Lee Eung Bok and Kim Eun Sook, a pairing fans will remember for their work on the massive hit Descendants of the Sun, and who also have notable credits on their respective resumes such as Dream High and Heirs.
References...
2. https://www.dramafever.com/drama/4914/Goblin%253A_The_Lonely_and_Great_God/
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FTC disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through my links.
