The Lonely Shining Goblin

The Lonely Shining Goblin

7/10

The Lonely Shining Goblin

Genre:                                     Episodes: 16                          Year: 2017

Romance

Melodrama

Fantasy

Synopsis:

In Goryeo, General Kim Shin is unbeatable in battle. His skill gives rise to vicious rumour, and in a state of jealousy and fear, the young king orders Shin executed as a traitor. At his death, Shin is cursed to become a Goblin- a magical being with immortal life fated to watch his loved ones die. It is said that only the Goblin’s Bride can end his curse. In the present day, the Goblin lives with a Reaper- a soul cursed due to the heavy sins of their life, but with no memory of what those sins were. The two meet Ji Eun Tak, a young girl that escaped death as a child, who claims to be the Goblin’s Bride.

Cast:

Gong Yoo (Kim Shin)

Kim Go Eun (Ji Eun Tak)

Lee Dong Wook (Reaper)

Yoo In Na (Sunny)

Yook Sung Jae (Yoo Deok Hwa)

Kim Byung Chul (Park Joon Hoon)

Kim So Hyun (Kim Sun)

Kim Min Jae (Wang Yeo)

Lee El (Birth Grandmother)

General Thoughts:

This is kind of a weird drama, in that I don’t really want to talk about it that much. Like…I enjoyed it (didn’t love it, but I mostly enjoyed it), but I’m kind of content to let it just slide by without saying much about it. But, you know, I'm going to write a long-ass review anyway.

I don't really want to talk about you right now, mate

Like most dramas there were good parts and not so good parts, and thankfully ‘Goblin’ managed to avoid having any sections that were completely unbearable. It got off to a wicked start where EVERYONE DIED. Which does sound kind of depressing and macabre, but at the same time it set the stage brilliantly.

Between this and that other drama, Goryeo seems like a sh*t time to be alive

We want to see how our Goblin will live now that everyone he loves is dead, but we also want to see what events led up to that opening scene. Things get twister with the introduction of the Goblin’s Bride and the Reaper, and sets us up for what looked like a thick, juicy story. Unfortunately, after Episode 1 the pace of the show slowed right down and we focused a lot more on Eun Tak than the Goblin. As cute as their scenes were, and much as I enjoyed the banter they exchanged, I was never quite on the same wavelength as the romance. With Eun Tak being so determined to be the Goblin’s bride, it was hard to pinpoint the time when she actually started falling for him for real. Suddenly she was just very, very in love with him, and I was a little confused how she got there.

Do you love him because he's the Goblin, or do you not care that he's the Goblin because you love him?

It was an acceptable development cuz they are our main couple, but I did feel a bit disconnected from the love-line. Unlike that other love-line which I totally connected with. Sunny and the Reaper were a really interesting pair, and their story was riveting. I didn’t mind at all when the show took the focus off of the main romance (‘should I pull out the sword or not?’) to focus on the reincarnation story. Not only was the past aspect of their romance intriguing, but their present day romance was just too funny- Reaper’s despair at not being a regular man with a name and a business card was always good value.

So cutely awkward

I liked that Sunny wasn’t exactly like Kim Sun. Sure, she was the reincarnated soul, but she still seemed like a distinct person all on her own, which was nice as Reaper himself had lost his memories of his life and also seemed like a slightly different version of himself- like this is who he was when he didn’t have an evil advisor whispering in his ear from birth.

So majestic, our Reaper of Death

The whole progression of Reaper and Sunny’s story was just brilliant- everything seemed to come at the right time. The humour, heart, and sadness all came in the right dose at the right moment, and made for a really addictive story. Similarly, the smaller side-stories really hit the right note for me as well. The small ghost stories, death stories, and miracle stories around Eun Tak, the Reaper and the Goblin were often just as (if not more) touching than the main story. It was interesting how the show dealt with death- often it was a relief or a reuniting rather than something horrifically sad. It fit in well with the thoughtful, melancholy vibe of the series and gave the show a very unique, distinct feeling. While I’ve seen lots of series and movies that deal with the idea of death and afterlife and reincarnations, I think ‘Goblin’ has been the most thoughtful and well-planned. There were rules for both death and reincarnation, and even when those rules were bent it made total sense and the show was clear and quick to explain why the rules were able to be broken at that time. The show also didn’t overuse rule breaking. Originally I was a bit worried, as some shows that include deities in its set-up tend to use them as a bit of a get-out-of-jail-free card, but ‘Goblin’ didn’t. There was no magical way that prevented Kim Shin from dying, he just got summoned back when Eun Tak blew out a candle and made a sincere wish- something that we’ve already seen is a rule of this fantasy world. There was also no magic way to save Eun Tak. If I could have something magical, I wish that the drama would magic in more screen time for Sungjae.

My love for you knows no limits

What Was Great:

Acting:

The acting really made up for the less riveting aspects of the story. While I might not have been on the same page as the two lead actors romance-wise, I did at least believe there was a romance. I was just confused as to how it came about. Gong Yoo in particular smashed it- there were multiple shots of nothing but Gong Yoo’s face for several minutes, and even in those long, drawn-out passages I never doubted his sincerity.

It was pretty to watch even if real people never actually behave that way

Kim Go Eun delivered a strong performance herself, but it was obvious that she wasn’t as seasoned as those around her. While her happy scenes were very cute, they could come off a tad forced- but I believed her completely in the more dramatic moments, which is more important anyway. In particular, she really sold her grief during the scene of the Goblin’s death. It couldn’t have been an easy scene as it was quite long in comparison to other scenes and all she did was cry really hard- and she performed it brilliantly.

We have a new contender for the saddest sad-face

I’ve always liked Yoo In Na as an actress and she was no disappointment. It was nice to see her turn her energy into a likeable character as I’ve mostly seen her play slightly nasty second leads. Sure, she always adds a layer of humanity to her characters, but it was nice to see her in a role where her confidence was used to make her loveable. She had brilliant chemistry with Lee Dong Wook, and her responses to his hilarious oddball character were just flawless. Lee Dong Wook himself was phenomenal. I’ve never actually seen him in anything else, but he blew me away here. I was so connected to the Reaper as a character, and felt every snippet of emotion he did. And Lee Dong Wook had to do a lot of crying for this role. A lot. But it never became over-used or annoying. Often I find continually weepy characters irritating- but Reaper was just even more endearing due to his tears. He never seemed to be crying simply for the sake of tears, and always seemed to have a different reason to cry. Each new scene brought new conflicts to the character, and Lee Dong Wook brought forth each new emotion with such perfect anguish. He never overplayed his role either in the comedy or the melo, but hit that sweet-spot right in the middle.

The Reaper:

Lee Dong Wook’s acting was indeed superb, but it’s not the only reason Reaper was such a success. He’s just a fantastic character. Out of all the characters we had, Reaper really had the most development by far.

'I love you and I'm totally sorry that I killed you and your entire family in your past life.'

He went from an emotionless robot who was so disconnected from everything around him to a man that so yearned for love that the memories of his past life were tearing him up. His relationship with Sunny was so adorable yet heart-breaking, and he really became a character that was impossible to not love.

I love this magical, immortal bromance. So. Much.

He was earnest and sincere and his relationships with the other characters were just so genuine. Reaper developed a sweet little friendship with Eun Tak, but it was his bromance with Goblin that was the absolute killer. Even though everyone loves a good bromance, this was definitely a cut above the rest. It wasn’t a friendship based solely on proximity and skinship (though who doesn’t love a boy-cuddle?) but on understanding and emotional investment. The two men were both more-or-less immortal, and so the only people they could really confide in about their long lives and mortal girlfriends was each other. It was a sort of begrudging friendship, but that just made it even better as it was obvious that the men had really come to care for one another. They were so opposed to it, but after spending so much time around each other, they couldn’t help but care. Just like us.

CGI:

CGI isn’t something that comes along in your every-day K-Drama, and when it does it tends to be a little bit shoddy. But ‘Goblin’ didn’t hold back. When they went CGI they meant it, and it was awesome. It really helped to hammer in the fact that the Goblin was special when you could see a glowing sword skewering him or he sinks an entire ship solo. It was badass. It was like watching a full-budget Hollywood movie it was that good.

Oooooooo it seems so real

Soundtrack:

I can appreciate a good soundtrack in a drama, but every now and then a soundtrack comes along that makes me think ‘yeah, this is what an A-Grade soundtrack is’. This was one of those dramas. The last soundtrack I loved this much would have to be ‘My Love from the Stars’, and ‘Goblin’ comes at a close second. The music was thoughtful and carried an air of wistfulness that was lovely to listen to. It enhanced every scene and fitted with the director’s style perfectly.

Now imagine the really sweet soundtrack while looking at the picture

The director tended to love these small lingering moments, and the soundtrack really helped to capitalise and beautify these moments. Again, it was something that seemed more like movie quality than drama quality.

What Wasn’t:

Unanswered Mythology Questions:

Hmkay. This was a bit of a bummer. What I look for most in a good fantasy drama is a mythology that holds up from start to end. For the most part the mythology of the show was pretty flawless- it was only right at the end that I was a touch confused. I loved that Eun Tak died at the end.

I was actually totally prepared for a sad ending

It was a weirdly satisfying sort of conclusion for her character with just the right amount of heartache. I loved the whole situation- how it came about, Reaper’s commentary, and of course the way it was filmed. But my favourite thing about Eun Tak’s death is that she chose it herself. She’s spent her whole life dodging death, but then stops right in its path to save a bus of children. On paper it sounds kind of cliche, but in the drama it was poetic and beautiful. The only issue was- what does this mean for our Goblin? I mean, it was all nice to have Eun Tak leave him to go be reincarnated and that she could hold on to all her memories of him, and it was nice to think that the two had three more (hopefully long) lifetimes ahead of them to be happy and in love. But then- what happens when Eun Tak lives her fourth life? There’s no reincarnation after that, so does Goblin just go back to being lonely and immortal forever? If so, that kind of defeats the whole point of the show. Not to mention that it's bloody depressing to think that he has to watch his bride die a total of four times and then spend years and years waiting for her to be reincarnated. 

So, um...what does Goblin do when Eun Tak's four lifetimes are up?

So Slow:

No drama needs episodes that are over an hour long. I’ll allow up to an hour and ten minutes, but beyond that you’re just pushing it. Most of the reason I could keep back-to-backing the episodes was that a whole episode's worth of excitement often came in the last 10 minutes, and I NEEDED to know what happened next (even if it did take 500 years to tell me).

I don't want to be rude, but can you guys get in some real danger or something?

The length of ‘Goblin’s episodes had me thinking back to ‘Answer Me 1994’- it’s all interesting stuff, but my attention span only lasts so long. And you’ve only got so much story to tell. There were times when ‘Goblin’ was starting to feel a bit too drawn out, and I was figuring out the twists before the drama arrived there. The characters and acting kept the series engaging enough, but it could have been truly addictive if everything had happened just a little bit quicker. Sure, the lingering moments were melancholy and sweet- but after 6 or 7 episodes I kind of just wanted the story to get on with it. I kind of wish that the drama had either introduced the ghost villain earlier (because my goodness that was exciting- a BAD GUY!!) or spent more time fleshing out the Goryeo relationships. I won’t lie, a little part of that desire is just wanting to see more of Kim So Hyun and Kim Min Jae- because they are fabulous, and they were fabulous together.

Re-watch?

Unlikely. I loved Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook so I might revisit if K-Dramaland seems to be running dry on bromance. But otherwise I’ll probably avoid a re-watch. Yet another drawback of having episodes that go past that hour mark.

Worth a watch but I won't bust my guns to go there again