Drama Digest
Ban Sook, a 160-year-old goblin, is desperate to turn human, and when he brings up his wish with his mentor, he comes to know that he will have to adopt a human appearance and kiss other humans ten times. Ban Sook assumes that this task will be easy, confident in his handsomeness and charm.
However, he is thrown in for a loop when he slowly realizes that every time he kisses a human, a new human emotion forms within him. Ban Sook soon discovers that as he gains new human emotions, the complications in his pursuit of becoming a human begin to augment.
What will happen when Ban Sook meets Oh Yeon Ah, an unyielding woman who immediately disapproves of him when she witnesses him and her best friend kissing, soon after she sees him kissing someone unfamiliar and ends up falling for her? Watch this series to find out how the story plays out.
The Feel-Good Part
If you are looking for a k-drama that is light-hearted, easy on your emotions and leaves you feeling like you bit into a sugary sweet candy, for the most part, Kiss Goblin is your perfect candidate. The screenwriters use various quintessential k-drama tropes and elements to present a series to you that condenses mythology, romance, comedy, and mystery into a 144-minute watch. There are plotlines like the exciting forced-proximity-caused-by-cohabitation trope that leads to some adorable moments between the lead pair, the looming threat of an exorcist, and an exciting backdrop-based on Korean fables, all of which keep the viewer engrossed throughout the series.
The Disappointing Factor
Often, a 12-minute episodic length can prove to be a challenge when a series tackles as many themes as Kiss Goblin does, and that is precisely the case here. The series features Ban Sook kissing ten women, and except for Yeon Ah, very little information is available with regards to them. What led to the goblin choosing these women? What are their stories? The viewer is bound to notice the squandered potential in reducing all these women to stepping stones to Yeon-Ah, who is the materialization of his objective. The part involving the exorcist was unnecessary and just muddled the other elements up.
In-Depth Analysis
Kiss Goblin has decent production value and good direction that use some archetypal elements of Korean dramas to churn out a story that is easy and quick to watch. It is the k-drama equivalent of comfort food, the kind of content you take to watching when you do not want to worry too much about complicated storylines and subplots. It strikes the right balance of the cheesiness that accompanies romantic comedies and wholesome gestures of love that warm your heart.
However, the time constraint of this show works as a hindrance, with none of the elements explored adequately enough to leave a lasting impression. The story falters by the sixth episode, and the screenwriting could have been better.
Star Power
Kiss Goblin’s star cast delivers animated performances that lift your mood. Bae In Hyuk deserves appreciation for his endearing performance and boyish charm that manage to draw every viewer’s attention.
Overall Opinion
If you are looking for a light-hearted k-drama that leaves you feeling giddy, this series should be your pick.
