dramayeoja

[dramayeoja]

Goblin ❣︎ 도깨비

Kim Shin, an undefeated war general, is ultimately killed by a jealous young king named Wang Yeo. After death, Shin is revived by the gods—but his revival is by no means miraculous. He becomes a 도깨비 (dokkaebi, goblin), and is cursed. He will have to pay for all the lives he took in battle by living alone in immortality, witnessing everyone he's ever loved, die. Remaining lodged in his chest is the very sword that killed him. There is only person who can see that sword, and draw from his heart so that he can finally rest in peace: his bride... whom he's yet to meet.

Things get spoilery under the cut—you've been warned! ;)

Chipper, yeah? Haha so, right off the bat, the premises of Goblin remind me of like, a much more morbid version of the legend of King Arthur. You know, a man draws a sword from stone to prove himself the greatest king in all of Britain? Yeah. Just to be clear: this is a good thing (imo). Like, I personally think this is just such a cool idea for a drama 😍

Let's jump right in. I'm gonna be honest and say that, at first, I felt a little turned off at the female lead, Eun Tak, being nineteen (in the beginning of the show), meanwhile the male lead, Shin, is 900+ years old (but physically looks to be in his thirties). It just... rubbed me weird. But hey, the Twilight series (both the books and the movies) is exactly the same—high school girl, century-old man, bananas yet somehow romantic storyline... And I loved me some Twilight as a young adult. So I mean, I have no right to judge, really. Plus, Eun Tak soon turns twenty anyway. So that's an improvement I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️ We follow her character into her late twenties, nearly thirty. So things are definitely fine by then haha! 👍

Don't let that previous bit make you think I didn't enjoy Goblin—I LOVED it. That detail is just a lil funky to me, is all. Back during my Twilight obsession days, I was nearly twenty myself, and the thought of being pursued by an older man was exciting. Hell, I mean, it still is! But now that I'm two years shy of my 30th Birthday, I feel differently sometimes. I think, LAWD get that girl away from that man, she too young for him LOL. I am definitely getting old... Enough about Twilight now, apologies! I'm only using it for the sake of conveying similarities seen in Goblin 🙏 Let's talk cast!

Kim Go Eun as Ji Eun Tak and Gong Yoo as Kim Shin

Eun Tak is a bubbly young woman with limitless energy! While still in her mother's womb, Mama Ji was involved in a hit-and-run incident which, sadly, took her life. During Mama Ji's dying moments, she prayed to anyone above that her child's life be spared. Sat on a rooftop from afar, beer in hand (lol), Shin hears her prayers, as he is a god of sorts. He appears before Mama Ji, and shows mercy to her unborn baby. Eun Tak grows up with the ability to see/speak to ghosts. Said ghosts tell her constantly that she is the goblin's bride. How do they know? A strange birthmark on the back of Eun Tak's neck tips them off. Eun Tak unfortunately was taken in by her abusive bitch of an aunt, who jabs Eun Tak every chance she gets. Her cousins are assholes. Eun Tak's aunt really only keeps her around in hopes of collecting Mama Ji's savings (intended for Eun Tak) one day. Sad, right? I mean, isn't Eun Tak being born without her mother enough as it is? Life can be so cruel 😔

Lee Dong Wook as Grim Reaper/Reaper/Wang Yeo

This is Grim Reaper (or Reaper for short), portrayed by the handsome Lee Dong Wook. His character is just this strange, not at all tech-savvy man with a constant deadpan facial expression. Said facial expression provokes so many giggles during funny moments, and drives home the longing and desperation during sad times. We learn quite a ways in that he, in his previous life (again, just in case: spoiler), was Wang Yeo G A S P ! The young king that is essentially responsible for Shin's death, as well as all the misdeeds that were done to Shin's family. Again, this is something I don't want to spoil. Well, more, anyway 😆 You gotta see it!

Yoo In Na as Kim Sun/Sunny

Kim Sun, or simply, Sunny (she loves to spell her name for people lol, S-U-N-N-Y!) is the second female lead. Yoo In Na is so gorgeous that one look at her makes you feel like such a potato hahhah. 🥔 This fact about her beauty bleeds over into the show itself—every time another character meets Sunny, the camera does this slow motion pan into her lmao. She really is that pretty! Sunny's personality comes across so odd at first... Having watched all of the episodes now, I feel the intention of Goblin's creators was to make her seem like a soul searching for something it has lost in a previous life. idk if that makes sense, but yeah. She has this way about her, like she's disconnected from others, and is sifting through the haziness to find this thing she feels she's lost.

Yook Sungjae (my BtoB bias 😍) as Yoo Deok Hwa

Sungjaeeee ahhhh 💘💘💘 I had to gush, sorry! Hehe. Meet Deok Hwa: unofficial nephew of Shin. Deok Hwa is a third-generation chaebol (heir to a family-owned corporation) and spoiled man-child, always seeking his credit card hahaha 🤣 But I love him so much. Between Gong Yoo, Lee Dong Wook, and BtoB Sungjae? Man, I'm dying over here! Deok Hwa's true identity is revealed later in the show, which if you haven't seen it yet, I won't spoil it. Just watch. But his ending sucked. Like where did he go? Everyone else's endings got tied up neatly except for his. What gives, man? 🤔 Edit: I was actually reading an online conversation about what happened to Deok Hwa online—someone jokingly said he was reincarnated as BtoB Sungjae LOL 💯

Other various comments

AMAZING OST 😍😍😍

Good pace, episodes drag at times. A little confusing in the beginning, but you get there eventually. Maybe this is just me though, viewers who are a little more keen than I will likely catch on sooner ;) My mom was a little confused as well, and actually said at one point, "This should be called the 'what-the-hell-is-going-on' show," hahaha. Like I said though, we quickly moved on from this, and loved all the things. There are actually, I think, three (?) specials that were made to aid viewers in making sure they understand the complex events and relationships clearly. I haven't watched them yet, but want to!

Quite repetitive tbh, as there are unnecessary flashbacks often. Probably for two reasons: the obvious of reminding you what's what, but also to create suspense. Typical duration of most tvN dramas seems to be about 16 episodes, so it's possible these flashbacks and things are, for lack of a better word, filler. I don't know how rigid or lax tvN is about having a drama set at 16 eps, but I get the idea this is their preference. Seeing as so many of their programs on average last that long, I feel this must be what they want. Such has the potential to affect the writing, either positively or negatively.

A continuation of the previous bullet: I think Goblin's creators oversimplified the plot at times. I'm unsure if this is due to possible pressures to meet a specific requirement(s), or what. I'd rather forgo ALL restrictions and let creativity flow, let the story be told without pressure to fill a specific amount of time, etc. but TV production is weird. And contracts are weird. tvN might not to blame for these issues, could simply be that storytelling isn't always easy, man. I'm a writer myself, it's hard! I'M being redundant now lmfao! Anyway, yeah ~

Absolutely LOVED all the scenes that were filmed on location in beautiful Québec City, Canada 🍁 Tall, romantic trees, the fall foliage, historic buildings... sigh. Now all I need is Gong Yoo chasing me and we're all set! ;D

In addition to Shin being revived, my crush on Gong Yoo has been revived as well LOL. He fine 🔥 A classic K drama crush, can't go wrong with GY👌

Gong Yoo is always stellar at doing kiseu (kiss) scenes, and in Goblin, he does not disappoint. He really goes at it 🙈 which is preferred vs. the typical person kissing a stone statue that you see so often. He even did a lift kiss with Kim Go Eun that was reminiscent of THEE Coffee Prince kiss he did with actress Yoon Eun Hye! 😍

I never saw it coming, how the sword would wind up being removed from Shin's chest. I worried what the writers were going to do, how would they approach this, and just wow. The way things turned out is such a relief. It also told me that Shin's love for Eun Tak is true. I mean, I didn't need that scene to occur for me to know that, rather it just adds extra oomph that yes, Shin really does love Eun Tak. He didn't want her to suffer knowing she was responsible for his "death," so he thought quick and used her hands WITH his hands asdfghjkl. How dumb (bc noooo now you're gonna die) and amazing he is at the same time 💜

I love how Shin made his way back to Eun Tak after passing away, it was such a powerful scene. I could really feel his struggle, and kept yelling at my TV for him to stand up lol!

Devastated that Eun Tak died 😭 I really thought as many times as she'd cheated death before, she would somehow continue cheating death again and again for the rest of her days. But no... What a selfless person, Ji Eun Tak. Her being reincarnated as Park So Min gave me some closure. Not the closure I wanted, but closure.

The relationship between Shin and Reaper is ADORABLE. Whenever they interact with each other, they just have this great dialogue. Shin pings, Reaper pongs, Reaper pings, Shin pongs. It's great 😄 I still laugh about the slow-mo scene of them returning from the market with green onions HAHAHA 😂

I love Sunny & Reaper ~ However, their history as Kim Sun & Wang Yeo in their past lives is so very sad. I don't even know where to start RE: my feelings on this 💔 imo, their ending kinda sucked. I just wasn't satisfied with them having had this complicated, tragic story, only to be reincarnated in this fashion that I ultimately found to be just... idk, disappointing 😩 Again, closure, but not the closure I wanted.

I thought Reaper, the other grim reapers, the name cards, the depiction of what happens immediately following death with the brewing of the tea, the afterlife, etc. was all very creative. We really don't know what awaits us when our time comes—it's interesting to wonder if it's anything like it is in Goblin 🍵

Can't stop thinking about Goblin, even though I'm now watching Thirty but Seventeen & Mr. Sunshine! I'm emotionally cheating lol halp.

Photo credits: tvN & AsianWiki

Yo yo! I'm sorry I took so long to watch + write up this review! It's been a long couple of weeks for me, I wasn't always able to watch when I wanted. It was maddening 😆 But I have finally watched, and feel like the most accomplished person on the planet hahaha. xoxo 💜

#goblin #도깨비 #asian dramas #korean dramas #tvn

[dramayeoja]

Where to watch Asian dramas

~~~~~ ~~~~~ "I want to watch Asian dramas, but have no idea where to start!" I got you, fam.

♡ KissAsian

kissasian{.}sh

App Store ❌ | Google Play ❌ | Roku ❌

This site is sketch (use phone or tablet to watch 👍), but amazing. Has almost all the titles you could possibly think of. Dramas, movies, even anime. Rarely have I seen uploads without Eng subs available.

♡ Viki

viki.com

App Store ✅ | Google Play ✅ | Roku (non-certified channel) ✅

Just a tip: if you watch dramas on Viki using a Roku device, there are no ads! Watching elsewhere, however, will trigger ads (they are short, though). btw: the Viki channel on Roku is a "non-certified channel." This basically means it's private (a Roku channel can be private for a number of reasons, this term really doesn't mean much), and not searchable in the Roku channel catalog. It needs to be added using a channel code. More on that below:

♡ DramaFever

dramafever.com

App Store ✅ | Google Play ✅ | Roku ✅

♡ YouTube

youtube.com

App Store ✅ | Google Play ✅ | Roku ✅

If you're feeling desperate to watch a hot-off-the-press episode of an Asian drama, YouTube can aid you in your moment of desperation lol. With a quick search, you might just get lucky and find what you're looking for—with Eng subs! However, due to copyright and such, the video might be mirrored, have muted music, things like that. So just be aware. Be sure to check the KBS World TV YouTube channel, as they have oodles of dramas available to watch (full episodes with Eng subs). No copyright infringement going on there, so no mirroring, no muted music, etc. It's a gift from the drama gods tbh 😄

♡ Kocowa

kocowa.com

App Store ✅ | Google Play ✅ | Roku ❌

♡ Netflix

netflix.com

App Store ✅ | Google Play ✅ | Roku ✅

Just search Asian dramas, and you're good to go ~

♡ Hulu

hulu.com

App Store ✅ | Google Play ✅ | Roku ✅

♡ OnDemandKorea

ondemandkorea.com

App Store ✅ | Google Play ✅ | Roku ✅

♡ AsianCrush

asiancrush.com

App Store ✅ | Google Play ✅ | Roku ✅

♡ KMTV

App Store ✅ | Google Play ✅ | Roku ✅

♡ Crunchyroll

crunchyroll.com

App Store ✅ | Google Play ✅ | Roku ✅

Crunchyroll mainly offers anime, BUT! There are plenty of dramas to pick from as well. 😎

♡ KORTV

kortv.com

App Store ✅ | Google Play ❌ | Roku ✅

♡ Vimeo

vimeo.com

App Store ✅ | Google Play ✅ | Roku ✅

Same as YouTube, aids during those desperate times 😆

♡ dailymotion

dailymotion.com

App Store ✅ | Google Play ✅ | Roku ❌

Same as YouTube and Vimeo. Surprisingly good amount of videos to pick from 👀

#asian dramas #kissasian #viki #dramafever #youtube #kocowa #netflix #hulu #ondemandkorea #asiancrush #kmtv #crunchyroll #kortv #vimeo #dailymotion

[dramayeoja]

About Time ❣︎ 어바웃타임

A young musical actress named Choi Mika possesses a special gift: she can "see clocks" on others around her—a countdown displaying the precise lifespan of a person. She could never see her own clock until one day, when she bumped into a stranger at a crosswalk. Mika was devastated to learn of her fate: less than one year left to live... She meets Lee Do Ha, president of MK Culture Company, and discovers HE stops her time! Why him?

Spoilers ARE ahead! You have been warned 😉

I'm such a sucker for dramas with a supernatural/fantasy theme, and About Time is one of those dramas. I mean, being able to see when someone will die? 🤔 Um YES!! It's just the something that's gonna make me ask why. And then, of course, watch lol.

Let's start with Mika. Her personality is exactly what you'd think of when you think "musical actress." Cute, upbeat, bubbly. If you've ever known and been around theater kids like I have, well... they're something! 😄💞 Then you have Do Ha. Typical male lead: grumpy, an ass... 🤣 Okay so he's not too bad, but he definitely isn't noticing our dear Mika immediately like we want him to! The reason for this is primarily because of his powerful fiancée, Bae Soo Bong. Soo Bong is an elegant and confident woman, sometimes too much so for her own good. Im Se Mi did a fantastic job portraying her character, as there was this underlying crazy bitch vibe going on throughout the whole series until the end when that vibe turned FULL-ON CRAZY BITCH MODE 😳 YIKES.

Sung Hee is Mika's best friend, and ohmygoodness she is so cute!! Her disapproving facial expressions have me in stitches 😆 The person most often on the receiving end of those facial expressions is Mika's little brother, Wi Jin. Wi Jin likes Sung Hee, but knows she probably views him in a brother kind of way and nothing more. But he wants more, and spends the entire duraton of About Time chasing her around like a lovesick puppy. You can tell that Sung Hee likes Wi Jin back, but she acts aloof. As most who watch probably know, Wi Jin is played by Ro Woon from male K pop group, SF9. Ro Woon has such a cute, boyish face 😍 Ah, so handsome. Step aside, Sung Hee! 😂

Mika's mother, Ra Hee, is the well-known actress Na Young Hee. She plays EVERYONE'S mother in ALL the dramas haha! And I love her ❤️ Let's show Ms. Na Young Hee some love for all of her wonderful (and usually, motherly) roles 👏 A motherly figure in addition to Mika's actual mom is Oh So Nyeo (Ms. Oh). Now, I absolutely adore this woman, and think everyone needs a Ms. Oh in their lives. The advice she gives, the way she conveys so much using only her eyes... she's great. Her character and the actress who plays her (Kim Hae Sook) are great! Mika and Do Ha communicate via eyes only a LOT as well. Acting, man. To send a message of feelings and thoughts which are scattered all across the board to us, the viewers, and to have us just understand it all with absolutely no need to speak... takes talent.

Overall, I thought About Time moved along at a good pace. To me, the beginning in particular moved at lightning speed. The intrigue of the plot, the visuals, all of it... As with most shows, not every episode is going to be action-packed—you have to build the characters and such, ya know. So, the middle was a little bit slow at times. When I say that, I really only mean a very teeny-tiny bit, barely noticable. Because character building/me being impatient when I want the leads together 😅 Ending was fantastic, couldn't keep my eyes off the screen! The writing had me all kinds of fooled—I'd be certain that a particular outcome would play out, but then things would switch up on me. Lawd!

Very emotional drama. I tend to be attracted to shows whose characters have really gritty and complicated pasts. I don't like for things to be so clean-cut and I know, I know... I'm not sure why I torture myself either! 😆 A lot of talk about death, as you should expect when the show's lead character knows when people will die. Triggers: two instances of scenes showing suicidal thoughts (it's not that intense, really, but worth mentioning).

I will never not hear CHAY MEE KAHHH in Do Ha's somewhat gravelly voice whenever I think of this drama. Same for eomma Choi's SCH-WEE-TEE and BAY-BEE ~

I envy Soo Bong's wardrobe and seu-tyle (style) so much! 💅

Am disappointed that we never got to see what happened during Sung Hee & Wi Jin's drunk night. I thought for sure we'd get a flashback, but no. Sigh 😩

I'm devastated that Do Ha's half-brother, Do San, passed away 😢 Upon "meeting" his character, I had no idea just how much I was gonna love him. I wanted to wrap him up in a blankie like a lil burrito and hug him so bad. Somehow, I sensed something was going happen to him, and was consumed with dread when my prediction materialized. 😞

Am I the only one who sensed Do San might have loved/was still in love with his sister-in-law, Hye Young? The way he looked at her was just so... so... not the way you look at someone you don't have feelings for. It was sweet. I got the idea that Hye Young's feelings were mutual... wish we'd gotten to see more of a history on them. Also, Do San leaving a business for Hye Sung when he died 😭

Good for Hye Young that she stood up to her jerk of a husband, Do Bin, as Do San had encouraged her to. F*ck you, Do Bin 🤣

Lee Sung Kyung as Choi Mika/Michaela (female lead)

• I wish I had her heart-shaped pout 👄😊

Lee Sang Yoon as Lee Do Ha (male lead)

• Handsome AF with beautiful big puppy dog eyes

• Can't get him out of my head, must Google his other dramas 😆😍

~~~

Full cast & other info:

Photo credit: tvN

One last thing: this is the first entry of my new blog, which I'm dedicating to reviewing Asian dramas. ^^ I hope you enjoyed this review, and that you enjoy future reviews from me as well ~ Please support me a lot, 감사합니다 🙏 (thank you) 💜

#about time #어바웃타임 #asian dramas #korean dramas #tvn