Kobold (2016)

This drama had been recommended to me quite a lot and I finally decided to give it a shot. A very cute and slow burn love story, while also having a really great found family story that goes on as well. The one downfall to such a great story - a not so great ending - so if you're looking for something that ends happy and leaves you feeling satisfied, this isn't the watch for you. While the overall story and characters make this drama so worth it, the end made it fall so flat for me and actually had me a bit disappointed and confused.

I will add - a lot of people have a problem or find it problematic about the age gap in the relationship (900+ vs 19), but if you can look past this it's a great love story about fated and destined love.

-- Spoilers Below --

Kim Shin is a goblin that has been sentenced to live out an immortal life as punishment for the many sins he committed in his first lifetime. He has a ghostly blade stuck in his chest and the only way for him to be able to die and rest peacefully is to meet his destined, Goblin's Bride, and have her pull it out. From the outside, you can tell that Kim Shin is caring, loving and kind. He loves giving out tiny miracles and helping people out, but also harbors deep trauma and sadness from his life. He has outlived everyone that he once knew and will continue to do so.

Eun Tak is a senior in high school who can see ghosts. From a young age, she has been able to see and talk to lingering ghosts, but avoids doing so after her mother dies. She runs into a grim reaper as well, but is able to make it away due to the kindness of a granny passing by. She lives her life out with ghosts pointing out and telling her that she's the Goblin's Bride. On her 19th birthday, she decides to finally make a wish after her life is in a rut. Dealing with her abusive aunt and family to being bullied in school, she needed something. After blowing out her candles, there appears Kim Shin behind her. It starts a whirlwind up and down relationship between the two, where she knows she's the Bride but Kim doesn't believe her. They slowly fall in love and begin to actually feel for one another.

Wang Yeo, or known more as Mr. Reaper, is Kim Shin's friend that he lives with. He leads people on their death journey, helping them on their way before their next life. He himself knows that to become a Grim Reaper, you have to commit a great sin, but cannot remember his past life at all, not even his own name. He eventually runs into a woman on the street and feels as though he as seen her before and begins crying. This sensation doesn't only happen the one time, but again when he see's a painting that Kim Shin had been keeping of a woman. He falls in love with Sunny, a beautiful and witty business owner, and tries to be a normal human towards her. While at some point, she grabs him and he sees her entire lifetime, learning that she was involved in his and Kim Shin's, her being the latter's sister. They learn of his real past life, that he was the King that slaughtered many, and even was the cause of death of Sunny and Kim Shin.

Every single happening in their lives happens because of an evil entity named Park Joong Hun. He caused the car crash that Kim Shin reversed to safe Eun Tak, and he causes every little happening of possible death to her after. They eventually figure out his true identity and in the climax of the show, Kim Shin pulls out the sword and banishes him. Not long after he himself is banished to a world of nothing but snow and cold. 10 years go by and Eun Tak has no recollection or memory of the Goblin, but can feel in her heart that she is mourning the loss of someone/something important to her. Her and Sunny help each other out, both dealing with their grief of losing a loved one. Eventually because of the contract they made before his passing, Eun Tak makes a wish and he comes back. It takes a while for her to regain her memory, and after that it begins a happily ever after. They get married and everything seems well...

This is where I begin my small rant on the end of this show. After they get married, Mr. Reaper is waiting on a deadly car crash that is going to kill an entire bus of kindergarteners. Before this is slotted to happen, Eun Tak drives by and waves at him before continuing on. At this moment is when he realizes that she is about to die and get her death card and that HE was the reaper she was destined to see at age 29 just like he was at 9 and 19. She ends up sacrificing her life to save the kids, due to her destiny of having to die. A couple of years after her life ends, the Reaper's punishment is over and he can reincarnate in his next life. Before this he also leads Sunny to her afterlife and reincarnation. At the end, it's shown that all 3 (Eun Tak, Mr. Reaper, and Sunny) have all reincarnated, but Kim Shin is not apart of Mr. Reaper's or Sunny's new life, but they end up together again. Him and Eun Tak meet up again in Canada when she is 19 again. It ends with them seeing each other again.
My faults with this ending is in the bigger picture, was what he did that awful to deserve this bad of a punishment? Even the Reaper, who is Wang Yeo, has his punishment ended and can move on. It's also stated several times that you have 4 lives, and they should all be on their 3rd or 4th. So Kim Shin gets to continue and live on even after they can't come back anymore. Just a sad and flat ending for all of the build up.

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