A review of the K-drama Guardian: The Great and Lonely God (aka Goblin) starring Gong Yoo and Kim Go-Eun
Surprisingly, I avoided this K-drama for a long time, even after hearing so many good things. I don’t know if it was the title or the premise, but I wasn’t sure if I would like it. Upon finally giving this drama a view, I regretted waiting so long and instantly found a new favorite.
The chemistry between all of the members of the cast, the beautiful sets and locations, as well as the immense range of emotions in the storyline has made this a fantastic show to watch. This is one of those rare shows that sucked me in instantly – from the very first hauntingly beautiful tones of the title music. I never thought that I was much of a fantasy gal, but this show proved me wrong.
Story (8/10)
This story, admittedly, I was not drawn to initially. I never thought I would be interested in or like a show that fell into more of a fantasy genre. Once I discovered how much I liked it, a whole new world of dramas opened up for me.
This is the tale of a 939-year-old goblin, Kim Shin, who was cursed to live an eternal life watching his loved ones perish over and over. His torment can only be broken when he finds the goblin’s bride who can pull the sword from his torso and release him from the curse. We follow the story of Kim Shin and Ji Eun-Tak, a girl who Kim Shin saved when she was still in her mother’s womb, and who many say is the goblin’s bride.
The story was fabulous and kept me engaged each and every episode. There was drama, romance, comedy, fantasy, and some action all wrapped into one story. On top of the great narrative, there are many scene locations that are breathtaking and the OST is rich, melodic, and haunting making this drama beautiful on several levels.
The only thing that gave me a little bit of pause and the reason that I gave the story an 8 out of 10 is that I did find the age gap between the characters at the beginning of the story to be a bit uncomfortable. While nothing inappropriate was going on, it just came off a bit weird at first, but as there is a time jump in the story later on, this was only for a small portion of the drama.
Characters (10/10)
The characters in this show were fabulous! Not only were they written amazingly with deep stories and complex personalities and emotions, but they were played by excellent actors and actresses. Gong Yoo (Kim Shin), Kim Go-Eun (Ji Eun-Tak), Lee Dong-Wook (Grim Reaper), and Yoo In-Na (Sunny) played our main and secondary leads and they didn’t disappoint.
Gong Yoo played the distinguished, powerful, and intelligent goblin exceptionally. You really did feel like he possessed the wisdom of 900+ years on the earth and could see the strength of his power behind his controlled demeanor.
Kim Go-Eun brought the bright and cheerful personality of Ji Eun-Tak to life. You felt for her every time something horrible happened, but couldn’t help but smile at her positive attitude even in those situations.
Lee Dong-Wook, one of my favorite actors, really made the audience fall in love with a Grim Reaper. He played the dry humor, serious personality, and work ethic so well that every time I imagine a Grim Reaper now, he is the first thing that pops into my mind.
And lastly, but certainly not least, Yoo In-Na did a phenomenal job of making a character shine that didn’t get a lot of screen time. A complex and deeply emotional character, she had me rooting so hard for her happiness.
Every single one of these characters was written to perfection. The way they played off of each other and the chemistry, not only between the couples but between the friends too, was brilliant. I can’t praise them enough – 10 out of 10 for sure!
Binge-ability (9/10)
Absolutely this is a K-drama that sucks you in and you don’t want to stop watching. The only reason that this gets a 9 and not a 10 is that there are some times the emotions you feel are so strong you have to take a break to recover. But your recovery doesn’t take long and you feel yourself wanting to get back to it sooner rather than later. And that’s what I call binge-able content!
Repeatability (8/10)
This is a drama that I know I’ll watch again. It may not be something that I automatically gravitate to because of the intense emotions, but I know that I will revisit it again in the future.
TOTAL 35 out of 40 Delicious Cupcakes!
This drama is a great watch and it falls higher on my list but it’s not the absolute top. For me, the intensity of the angst and the roller coaster of emotions probably shifted this down a little bit, only because of my tastes and preferences, but it is still an amazing drama that I would recommend to all.
Where to Watch Guardian: The Great and Lonely God (aka Goblin)
If you want to give this K-drama a watch, you can watch it on viki.com with a subscription.
