Readers are going to be getting a couple posts about Korean dramas from last year for a little bit going into this new year. I still have not heard the end of people raving about this Korean drama called Goblin or also known by it's longer title, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God. The drama was directed by Lee Eung Bok and written by Kim Eun Sook. Gong Yoo, Kim Go Eun, Lee Dong Wook, Yoon In Na, and Yook Sung Jae star as the main cast in the supernatural fantasy. Goblin's viewership rating went through the roof during it's airing time on cable from the middle of 2016 to the beginning of 2017. Then causing the drama to become a huge phenomenon in South Korea. I still remember seeing a whole lot of my male Korean friends posting pictures of themselves on Instagram with a greenish blue swords sticking out of their bodies. It looked weird to me at the time but now I know that these pictures where references to Goblin[INSERT ME LAUGHING.]. Korean guys must tune into what their girlfriends are watching.
A man has a curse placed on him in the distant past and is turned into a great God that can not die. He can only be killed if the curse is lifted from him. The only way this can happen is by pulling an invisible sword out of his body. One day he meets a girl that can not only see the sword in his chest but can also see spirits.
Goblin didn't get me hyped up until I read all the good reviews about it online. My beforehand thoughts were really nothing more than seeing Gong Yoo again after Train to Busan. The drama starts out baiting the viewer into thinking that this drama will be different from all the others and it is to a degree….. That is until the drama runs out of ways to be different. Our beginning is one for the masses respectively. All the stops are actually pulled out in the first episode. Everything from good sets to top of the line special effects. You almost forget that you're watching a Korean drama on the small screen. Remember that flashy visual aids don't make a good drama. It's the story that supports the flashy visual aids that makes a good drama. Then we move right along to the present day where the Goblin is pretty much this immortal being that hangs around a grim reaper who also happens to run into a girl who's perfect to be called his bride. The overall fantasy element of the show follows slowly behind dramas such as My Love From a Star expect for Goblin's slow pacing paired with the constant(over used) subject of death. I'm going to be one of those oddball out kind of viewers just to say that I didn't love Goblin like many people did. I did however love certain qualities about Goblin. For example the special effects when they were used effectively to brighten up the story. The story during the drama's midway ark caught my interests too because of the presence of a villain. My eyes didn't leave the screen when the villain came into the picture as he shook the drama up a bit. Some of the scripts attempts at cliffhangers was a bit overused and the foreshadowing of the final conflicted ruined the last episode for me. I could guess the ending before the drama got there while feeling nothing for the cast of good-looking guys. What bothered me most of all was the crazy amount of scenes where the "lonely" God and Grim Reaper would sit around in the house talking. These scenes felt to me like a sitcom of two good looking guys sitting around discussing life. After you get over the fact that they are obvious eye candy, these scene are annoying. Yeah, a fun chemistry is contained in these scenes but I would have enjoyed Goblin more if the script had utilized the main character in terms of having him taking down more evil in the world that could have pertained to his curse. I felt that watching Goblin was more of a chore than a luxury for me sometimes. Maybe I should dilute my brain, turning me into a mindless female who cares more about hot men and their relationships with girls younger than them then a progressive storyline.
I'm going to be the bad guy here too. I was very hollow inside while watching the acting. Nothing in this drama made me want to cry or anything. None of the cast are bad actors and actresses especially since I'm a big fan of Gong Yoo. Their performances just didn't touch me. I might be getting old or something because back in the day, I always came with tissues to wipe my eyes before watching a Korean drama. Stairway to Heaven is an old drama that will make you dive into you emotions completely. Goblin however couldn't walk on the same ground as Stairway to Heaven. Watching these character cry made me feel irritated to the point that it took something away from the show. Female viewers fell for the handsome faces. I on the other hand have higher standards for Korean drama. What was up with the age difference between the two leads? I kept wondering what was making feel uncomfortable about seeing those two together on screen. Now I know that it was the age difference(She might be of age in real life but her demeanor made he seem young.). Gong Yoo played his character like he was dealing with a child while wanting to be sexual with her at the same time. That's a bit strange to me. The extended cast did very well as cases of death that the Grim Reaper had to clean up. Grim Reaper's(Lee Dong Wook) scenes at the gates to heaven were a bit sad but that's it.
The special effects are top notch and probably the best I have seen in a long time for a Korean drama. I enjoyed that back and forth style of scenes dealing with the past and the present. Viewers get a little hint of old Korean culture during these scenes. My favorite scene from the drama was the one where the God causes a big car accident saving the female lead that he pushed away too hard.
If you want to call another Korean drama overrated, Goblin is the one. It's really not a horrible drama by any means. Goblin just doesn't live up the hype that was put on it by the masses in my opinion. I do respect everyone's different opinions though.
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