Naver Writer Frankly Discusses Strengths and Weaknesses of Fantasy Dramas Legend of the Blue Sea and Goblin

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• agree 100% with this writer. Goblin to me is 100x better than LOTBS.

  • LOBTS sounds like a lobster. XD

    • Hahaha my thoughts exactly!

  • Not that much.
    Goblin is better than DotS.

    • @Comrade: that's what you think! I love Dots. I will enjoy goblin too. Bu it's too early to say that goblin is the best since we have only seen 2 eps so far. If the rest is good like the first 2, I'm still gonna love both. Hope u keep in mind that everyone have different taste and opinion. Just because it's not to ur taste doesn't mean it's bad.

  • I don't agree tbh. I don't like both but LOTBS is better goblin. everyone with two eyes can see it. The naver article writter was bias nothing more to see here folks.

    coming from someone who didn't enjoy both

• Very interesting comparisons! I'm on Goblin's ship so far.

• Yay! Love the commentaries on goblin. It's true though. I refrained from watching DOTS, it was so cringe worthy and cheesy in the first place. But goblin seems like coming from some other writer,no? Though I have watched parts of lovers in Prague..and it was sensible and charming..at least from what I've seen..so who knows,maybe it's wrong to rate the writer from DOTS and heirs alone?

  • BTW wish there was a translated version available of that article.Want to read it so bad.

    • You're right. We do aknowledge KES's great instinct - it's as if every other drama is written by another person. The writer's City Hall and On Air are on a different level but Lovers in Prague could have done without the almost crazy second lead (I like the actor a lot that's why I endured the stupid story).
      The first two episodes of her dramas are always impressive. Even in Heirs, the story seemed interesting enough. And then she decided to write the rest of the series under the coconut tree drinking lots of margaritas and mojitos...

• Goblin....no doubt

• I must agree with them. Goblin is really great for now. But the problem often is to maintain the story until the end. In DOTS, the korea part was not bad but less interesting. I really hope that Goblin will be able to maintain a good story all along.

  For LOTBS, I didn't watch the episodes 3 and 4 yet, but the 1 and 2 were beautiful but without a story to tell, just a funny and graceful mermaid...

• Never understood the huge buzz about YFAS, apart from Jun Ji Hyun's charisma and talent for the comedy, which certainly made it entertaining. Now it is more or less the same with LOTBS, she and Lee Min Ho make the thing watchable, but that's all.
  On the other side, I acknowledge that Kim Eun Sook is a writer to keep an eye on. I hated Heirs but loved Secret Garden, she has good ideas sometimes :) And of course, the cast of Goblin is stellar, so it is not a surprise that people are loving it.

  • Agree with you., heirs is cringing worthy and get praised just 'because'. Goblin definitely have it all from good looks, good acting and good script ^^

  • I totally agree ,Goblin is better and morever Gong Yoon is far better actor than Lee Minho who I think is only a normal actor who people support by his looks. I read a lot of bad comments about idols actings and I don't think his were better,I only liked City Hunter and not to rewatch it several times.

  • Yes! I never understood the hype over YFAS either. I tried watching it twice because of all the hype, but I could not get past more than a few episodes. Same with LOTBS. It feels like a show used for killing time, with no deeper meaning.

• Goblin is too sophisticated but has awkward transition and over the top appearance (all the time) also immature with awkward acting heroine, it seems to be superficial and hard to watch while blue sea is easily enjoyable because they play it good as the character driven drama.

  blue sea is better after each episode and ep 3 of goblin is not better than ep 1, at this point, I'll give my vote to blue sea, Goblin looked pretty but awkward and over the top, blue sea is more natural.

  • *ep 2 to 1 in goblin

    • I disagree

  • I disagree as well. LOTBS is a very pretty drama, but it is shallow and without much substance. If you took away all JJH's fish-out-of-water antics, what you're left with can be condensed into a two episode drama. The plot's meandering. OTOH the pilot episode of Goblin had more story and plot twists than the entire episodes of LOTBS so far. My fear is will Goblin continue to keep up its momentum until the end of the drama?

    I wonder if LOTBS will continue to climb in ratings. I personally don't see the chemistry between JJH and LMH though I'm sure a lot of people will disagree. I feel the drama is trying too hard to sell the modern day romance. And my personal peeve with the writer of YFAS is that the second lead female is always a bitch and is underutilized. The writer sidelined Yoo In Na after making her play the deceptive best friend and is doing the same thing with Shin Hye Sun's character in this drama. I'm hoping for some more originality in the writing.

• I love LOTBS ep 6 VERY MUCH. I actually think LOTBS has a more meaningful narratives than the writer's prior hit YfAS. I love those JJH scenes with hospital patients and surviving family of the malpractice victim. In YfAS, it's just thriller + romance combined. Although the directing of YfAS was pretty good IMO, the plot is nothing more than entertaining and that's all. But I feel more related to LOTBS' plot and interesting while some viewers whined about no chemistry between JJH and LMH in addition to less impressive performance on JJH's part, I love JJH in LOTBS more than in her buzzed drama YfAS and I still think she has better chemistry with LMH than with KSH. I love how the narratives of the Joeson era and how it was filmed so far. It all reminds me of how I fell in love with Kdrama bcos of Faith and LMH brings back all his charm in historical setting. This is me, perhaps against the majority of readers of this blog.

  Way for me to watch Goblin yet. In general, the main cast are a lackluster selling point for me to watch this drama. They are not my cup of tea on screen and the teasers don't help either. But I enjoyed quite a few KES' dramas in the past including My 2016 fave DotS. So I'll just get on a streaming site and watch Goblin. I don't really have to love the OTP to pieces in order to have fun watching experience as long as the screenplay and the directing are good.

  • Actually i don't like goblin cast either but i enjoyed it a lot very amusing and fun i did not like LOTBS i just don't like the mermaid thing

  • Agree that LOTBS was definitely better. I liked watching the mermaid grow in a few months that took the alien almost 400 years to grow and understand humans on a human level. Goblin is just another zombie show, entertaining for those who liked it and junk for the rest of us.

• We get it koala Lotbs is not your cup of tea but please enough with the comparisons and your criticism is now getting Tiring.
  I enjoy your blog and it is your opinion and all but sometimes you don't know when to stop, sorry if i sound rude but i love watching dramas when it is not pit against each other.

  • I agree with u!

    • Koala - feel free to comment, compare and criticise - always enjoyable to read your views even if not always in agreement :)

  • @margret - why read & even comment here when u r tired of it? I enjoy Ms Koala's blog, and she won't listen to u anyways ???

• I still think ppl like a drama mostly b/c their fave is in the cast. To this point, I just prefer LOBTS to Goblin even I haven't watched Goblin yet. LOL..Goblin's main leads are a lackluster selling point to me as a viewer. But I'll watch it for KES' sake. Cheesy or not, I don't care since quite a few of her dramas are very entertaining and I enjoyed the watching experience.

  • Then what's the whole point of your comment?? You don't even watch it so what are you basing your opinion on?? Lackluster leads, Gong Yoo is lackluster compared to Lee Min Ho, I take it?? Ahem, Ahem!

    • Chill! That's just my opinion. We don't have to both like apple right. It's my personal freedom and taste to prefer orange to apple. LOL..So your charming prince GY is a turn off to me on screen. Why can't I comment? This thread also mentioned LMH's drama. Your overreact!

  • I'm your opposite then. My biggest reason not to watch LOTBS is because the main leads are not appealing for me. Especially LMH.and after reading the comments and review i don't regret it thou.

    • Agreed. Not a fan of LHM's acting. And, yes I have dropped LOBS even though JJH is quite funny here, but I feel she is acting pretty much the same as her last role.

    • *correction: LMH

  • Is it Gong Too or Lee dong wook that are lacklustre or Yu na and Go eun, I don't quite get you. Pls if u don't know them don't call them lacklustre pls

    • *Gong Yoo

  • You GY's fangirls may calm down. Don't be so worked up b/c somebody like me isn't head over heels for your fave. LOL...Not everyone is about YG. OK. Specifically he looks so much like my uncle. Hahahahaha

  • BTW, what's the point to compare these two dramas anyway. It's like comparing apple to orange. LOL..Also who's the heck this Navar guy? Is he a godfather of drama critic or what? Academy award judge? LOL...I just don't give dang sh*t to his analysis whatever that's obviously personal opinions. So drama fans just enjoy your faves' dramas and respect other fans' preference. I don't have to like the same actor, the same drama, the same writer, at all time.