The Lonely and Great God – Goblin
Let us begin with this beautiful quote from Goblin, “If you catch a falling maple leaf, you’ll fall in love with the person you’re walking with.” – Eun-Tak. Like this quote, I fell in love with Goblin, right from the beginning when the intro music starts. Everything about Goblin is interesting, be it the soundtrack, cast, storyline or its conclusion. I can easily recommend this show to anybody who loves a great Romance with elements of fantasy, supernatural and comedy. Goblin – The Lonely and Great God, is a pure masterpiece and I blindly recommend it for anybody who loves a little bit of romance and comedy with a fusion of supernatural and fantasy.
Synopsis: Shot in South Korea and Canada, this story revolves around Kim Shin (Goblin), who was once a “Goryeo Dynasty (918 AD)” general, framed as a traitor and killed. Because of a curse, he turned out to be an immortal Goblin. A goblin, living on earth for more than 900 years, yet, he is very gentle and kind to people like the original title suggest. In one of the scenes, Kim Shin says, “I once thought considered my endless life a reward. In the end, it’s a punishment”. Indeed, what he said makes sense, since he had been living an immortal life due to a curse and in order to put an end to that curse, he must meet a “Goblin’s Bride”, who can end Goblin’s painful immortality by putting an end to this curse. A young girl, Ji Eun-Tak, with a capability of seeing ghosts, is born under strange circumstances where her death has been delayed and her soul has been marked as missing. Due to her special abilities, she can see what others cannot see and is considered to be Goblin’s bride. Will she be able to end the Goblin’s curse? You need to find that out.
There are few more important characters, a “Grim Reaper”, a “Creator”, a “Princess”, and this list goes on with more weird characters. What are they doing in this world? That is for you to find out.
My five reasons why you should watch this show:
1- Melodious and Rhapsodic Soundtrack: It generally never happens with me, but this series has such an impressive soundtrack, that you won’t just enjoy, but memorize it eventually. After the series is over, you are most likely to search for the original soundtrack online. One of the best intro songs of recent times, “Round and Round (Never Far Away)” by Heize is phenomenal. Not just the intro, but also the number during the closing credits, “Stay with me” by Exo’s Park Chanyeol, absolutely beautiful and catchy. The background score is equally impressive that once the show is over, you sure can recognize the scene while playing the OST.
2- A Fashion catalogue in itself: Honestly, I have never seen any show or a movie which is so fashionable. I can say easily that in every single scene, there is a change of dress. The male actors have given sweaters a new place in my heart. This Korean drama is not just about a good storyline or acting, but also a total package which seriously sparked fashion trends. Many prominent news agencies reported a sales boost of brands such as Fedora Hats, Lanvin, Lancôme etc. Because of this beautiful series, not just fashion accessories’ sales were boosted, but also it also contributed towards a serious economic boost as most of the shooting locations became hotspots for tourists as per “The Korean Times”, which is something rare.
3- Thought-provoking: If you love supernatural and fantasy genre, then this is a show you must watch. Doesn’t matter if you do not love romantic stories or comedy, this series is likely to keep you hooked for the fantasy and supernatural elements it has. Imagine, you are living with a grim-reaper and a god, what would you do? You certainly would shout at top of your voice and fear no one. This show also stimulates your thoughts to think about the ones who die, where do they go? Who do they go? Are they happy or sad? Are the grim-reapers cruel? You will be able to see all this in this well crafter and thought provoking show.
4: The cast: I have seen many shows and movies, there is always something missing or the other. This show has brilliantly placed the cast where they actually fit perfectly well. Those scary expression of grim-reaper and mysterious eyes of the Goblin, the innocence of a bubbly school girl, a compelling looking lady in red and the list goes on and on. Not just they look beautiful placed in their respective roles, but also know how to act brilliantly. The timing of dialogues and comedy is so interesting and timed that no one can ignore the expression they intend to fill in their audience.
5: Timings: The directors (all three of them) are well aligned and understand the importance of emotions. A show is a failure when they try to push emotions. Be it comedy or emotional scene, one has to actually feel it before expressing through their eyes or lips. This show has built the characters in a way that you can relate with them as you know them personally. The emotional scenes can certainly give you chills if not tears (which I doubt, someone keeps on cutting onions all the time during the show). The timing of comedy is so good that actors don’t even have to push hard to really bring a smile to the viewers. A scene of a New Year celebration, where a Goblin, a young girl and a Grim-Reaper plans to eat but to cook a great meal, green onions are missing. Now imagine, how a Goblin and a Grim-Reaper will assist this young girl buying a grocery?
Well, all I can say is, the show is a must watch for anyone who adores a good romance, comedy or fantasy. Watch it and let me know in the comments how much would you rate it? Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, is a masterpiece that is available on Netflix. Watch it and prepare your next bucket list for shopping. Confused? Find out yourself once you finish this beautiful 16 episode Korean drama. See you next time! 🙂