Korean title : 쓸쓸하고 찬란하神-도깨비
Other title : Goblin: The Lonely and Great God / Guardian: The Lonely and Great God
16 episodes
Aired on tvN from 2016 Dec to 2017 Jan
- Gong Yoo as Kim Shin
- Kim Go Eun as Ji Eun Tak
- Lee Dong Wook as Wang Yeo
- Yoo In Na as Kim Sun / Sunny
- Yook Sung Jae as Yoo Duk Hwa
- Lee El as Samshin Granny
- Kim Sung Kyum as President Yoo Shin Woo
- Jo Woo Jin as Secretary Kim Soo Bok
Production credits :
- Production company: Hwa and Dam Pictures
- Director: Lee Eung Bok; Yoon Jong Ho (ep 3-16)
- Screenwriter: Kim Eun Sook
Notes :
- I mentioned that I would watch this drama in my review of Touch your heart, in which Yoo In Na and Lee Dong Wook were reunited as the romantic leads. Park Kyung Hye who is a ghost here would become one of their coworkers in Touch your heart.
- This drama was huge, from what I gathered, so I had high expectations.
- The screenwriter also wrote Secret garden (and A Millionaire's first love, which is a real blast from the past!). I don't see many similarities except for the fantasy aspects. She also wrote The Heirs!
- I have watched episode 8 weeks ago and I don't feel like picking it up so it's a DNF but I may resume watching at some point. It's the first time I felt that way. Usually when I DNF, it's definitive. OK, when I came back to this draft, I had tried to pick it up again and still didn't feel like going through it all so after episode 9, I jumped straight to the final episode.
Review : DNF
Title : Straightforward. Maybe too much? I make fun of titles but I wish this drama had a more poetic name that would better reflect the feel of the drama. But it's ok and recognizable enough.
Boy : He's a goblin. I tried to look up what it means in Korean folkore but didn't find much. Anyway, here is what I got from the drama. He was once a mortal but was resurrected after his violent death as an immortal being with powers such as teleportation. When we met him, he's hundreds years-old and waiting for the one person who can put an end to his life. I actually don't remember much about him or his personality.
Girl : Spunky high schooler with a terrible homelife. Oh, and she sees ghosts. And she should have died. And she is the one who is supposed to end Boy's life. I like her, she acts cute and she is also really fierce, determined in adversity.
Other boy : He's a grim reaper. He's resigned but when there is a perspective of something more, he doesn't quite know what to do and how to act. There are hints of a backstory which could develop his character but I didn't get it in the episodes I've watched.
Other girl : She runs a coffee place. Of all 4 main characters, she's the one I understood the least. She is human with no supernatural powers... I think? But I think she acts weird? Again, there are hints of a backstory but when I stopped watching, it had not been explored.
Plot / relationships : Here is my main gripe with the drama. I didn't get the plot. It's at the same time simple and convoluted. There was not enough momentum for me. As for the relationships, the most interesting one was the "friendship" between Boy and Other Boy. As for the romance, there were many moments that were very romantic, and the actors sell it for the most part... but "destined love" is not my favourite trope.
Theme : death. I don't have a "theme" bullet point so I've added it just for this drama. I don't agree with how death is presented but it's an interesting theme to explore.
Clichés : Hundreds years-old and teenager in love. Star-crossed lovers.
Funny? Surprisingly yes. I am impressed by how they managed to get the tone right and how successful they are at both the tragic/poignant and the funny/light-hearted.
Music : Do I really need to talk about the OST? I feel like it's iconic. Stay with me and Round and round are so so good and go so well with the atmosphere of the drama.
Bonus : Goblin has the best cinematography I've ever seen in a drama. The production value and the special effects are amazing.
Bottom line : I feel bad DNF-ing this drama because I'm a completist, because it has a lot of impressively well-done things going for it (tone, music, atmosphere), and because it is so well-liked. But as objectively good Goblin may be, it is not the drama for me. It also felt to me a bit too self-conscious, too enamoured of itself, like a collection of striking scenes that don't add up to a satisfying whole. Anyway, I applaud the ambition but it's a DNF.
