Naomi Necro
United States
I don't know what anyone's problem is with An Hyo-seop. He might be new (his debut was in 2016), but I thought he was totally great in this. I never got the impression that he was "green" like other reviewers have said, and I found him totally capable of holding his own with Park Bo-yeong. Their chemistry was killer, and I LOVED their comedy together. They're a great screen match and have great chemistry. The scene where she dreams of him accidently kissing her and she goes off on him and he turns it right back on her while everyone dances around him was *SO FUNNY*. I cried laughing. The casting was great. I could watch An Hyo-seop watch paint dry and still drool. That man is beyond gorgeous, it's almost offensive. Aside from our two leads, the plot was horrendous and had more holes than swiss cheese. It got better near the end, especially when the (spoiler alert) true villain was unveiled, but by then, the show was nearly done. I also got a bit tired of the convoluted rules of the orb and watching Park Bo-yeong die over and over again (it lost its emotional weight). I'm also super annoyed with the "2 (or 3) years later" trope that seems to be huge in Kdramas. Why the giant time skips, people?! It doesn't need to be that long. That's crazy. Anywho, looking forward to more dramas with An Hyo-seop.
Was this review helpful to you?
**Alert: spoilers ahead**This was my first introduction to Gong Yoo and I can easily understand why he's so loved. He's gorgeous, emotive, and captivating in his scenes.This series easily had one of the strongest openings I've ever watched. The first few episodes hooked me in with its OST, masterful cinematography, special effects, and script. I loved the backstory and how it explained the Goblin's origin in a way that made me think of old bedtime stories. I was curious and enamored by Goblin right away. The show isn't perfect. I wouldn't say it's "over-hyped" like some of the other reviews say, but I do feel like the show had some issues that even made me skip through a bit with the last couple of episodes. Pacing was a huge issue. It became very obvious by episode 7 or 8 that the show lacked a main antagonist. That could have easily been remedied by introducing the evil spirit a lot sooner (and with less Halloween-y makeup) and less meandering with the "will she or won't she" pull the sword out. I also had an issue with the age gap. I had the same issue in My Roommate is a Gumiho. Why must the writers use a minor to captivate the heart of our 900+-year-old protagonist? Ick, guys. I was able to suspend disbelief a little bit ONLY because I knew the RL actress was actually 26 (to Gong's 38 - which is still a bit much, but still totally acceptable and not 19yr old vs 900+). I loved the bromance and the humor that the show inserted to give moments levity. I didn't really like the Cinderella syndrome our FL had with her constant need to summon Goblin to solve her problems instead of fight back and out of her own dilemmas (even though it was always fun watching him come to her rescue or show up disoriented and caught off guard). The ending was bittersweet for me with respect to Goblin's fate, but knowing he's no longer existing purely because of his punishment tells me he'll leave with her once she's lived through her 4th life, so in that respect it was beautifully written. I was sad to finish the show, despite its issues, and am having a hard time finding something else to watch that matches even close.
Was this review helpful to you?
