Anyone familiar with that Goblin Kdrama? If you are, then you must have noticed that super cute plush toy – Mr. Buckwheat! Curious if there’s a crochet pattern for that? Check out this post and get the free amigurumi pattern from My ARTpetite!

During this quarantine, it’s impossible not to get hooked on Kdramas. People have found ways to deal with the boredom from trying to stay safe and having to stay at home most of the time. And while Korean dramas are already popular here in the Philippines, it has reached a new level of appreciation during these Covid19 pandemic.

I wasn’t really a big fan of Kdramas. I preferred the Mexican or Spanish ones as the stories were more relatable. When I was in my twenties, I watched a Kdrama – “Lovers in Paris”, and gained a new perspective about Asian soap opera. Curious, I looked into ‘Memories of Bali” and decided that I liked Korean dramas! It became very popular here in the Philippines and a lot of shows were featured here via local TV stations. But I never watched any more because of, you know, life.

But now that people are choosing to stay at home because of the Corona virus. Suddenly, there’s time to watch all these amazing Korean dramas! And of course, while watching one, it’s also the perfect time to crochet!

Anyway, I have heard about the Kdrama Goblin before as it was recommended to me by a friend. The full title is “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God”. The show is a bit controversial as the heroine is a high schooler while the main male protagonist was in his mid-thirties. And it IS a love story. A great one, really!

Review Sans Spoilers: Guardian: The Lonely and Great God

Kim Shin, a great warrior, was punished by the Almighty with immortality so that he can pay for all the people he killed during his lifetime. The only way to end his life and for him to attain peace is to have the Goblin’s bride extract the invisible sword from his chest. Now, the Goblin’s bride happens to be a 19-year old girl who is still a senior high school student.

Like many of its viewers, I was also bothered by the heroine’s young age and wondered why the famed South Korean writer, Kim Eun-Sook, made her to be so young in the story. This was actually the reason why I put off watching this show for the longest time. For Kdrama fanatics, you might know that this writer has created some of the best drama tv shows in their country including ‘Descendants of the Sun’ and ‘Lovers in Paris’.

Well, I haven’t watched that many Kdramas, but according to critics, this is one of the best there is. In my opinion, the story is not that original. There have been numerous movies made with this kind of theme. A supernatural, an immortal, an alien (there are variations!) somehow suffers on Earth among humans but comes to find love. And although this story is not original, the things that make this particular one new and interesting were the little magical things added by the writer. The heartwarming dialogues, the quirky music, even the beautiful portrayal of the actors made the show a whole new experience for its viewers.

Nevertheless, here are some points worth mentioning.

Age Gap Issue: After reading other reviews, I discovered that a lot of viewers felt very uncomfortable with the age gap between the two main characters. I wondered why she had to be a high school student in particular. She could be a twenty-five year old girl and it wouldn’t have made any difference to the story. It was quite hard to get with the romantic mood if you get stuck thinking of how old she is. The high school uniform was really not helping too! I found the scenes where she’s NOT wearing a uniform much easier to watch. The show was a success but I feel that it could have reached out to more viewers if she was not a minor.

Goblin’s Punishment: I thought that the punishment given to the Goblin was way too much – more than his sin. In fact, the king committed a graver sin than the Goblin and yet it was he that suffered much. Of course, the Grim Reaper also led a miserable life but eventually, he found some solace. The Goblin had to live for 936 years and when he finally found his bride? Well, let’s just say that it was not the ending everybody was expecting.

And what WAS the crime that Kim Shin committed? The King says it’s treason because Kim Shin made him look bad. With every victory won by his general, the King got more and more jealous because he thought that the people loved Kim Shin more than they love him and now thought of him as a god. And so the King wants him dead. This I understand.

But what about the punishment from the Almighty? Immortality and pain for all the people he killed? Was that all that was mentioned in the show or did I miss something? Because to me, Kim Shin was a brave and loyal general who fought for his country and his King. It was a time of war and he only killed his country’s enemies. I really don’t understand why the Almighty thought he had to be punished for doing his duty. This brings me to my next point.

The Almighty: In Greek Mythology, it was emphasized how the gods often meddled and played with the lives of the humans for their whim and entertainment. In this story, its not much different. Even in the movie ‘Constantine’, Keanu Reeves tells Rachel Weisz that God is a child playing with all of us. I kind of got the same impression with the Almighty in Goblin.

There is a scene here where he and the woman in red nonchalantly talk about Kim Shin and the Grim Reaper. They were amused about putting them in the same house and they anticipate the result of their doing. Did the writer want to convey that the Almighty was, in fact, immature and that he lacks good judgement? If you’ve seen the show and have some ideas about this, do let me know in the comments section!

To sum up my review, I found the show ‘Guardian: The Lonely and Great God’ truly worth watching. The lesson I learned from the story is that real love is patient. Love transcends death and time is not important when it comes to love.

Mr. Buckwheat Free Pattern

There was a plush toy that Eun-Tak, the main female protagonist keeps by her side all the time. She named the toy “Mr. Buckwheat” and if you found him too cute like I did, you might want to make an amigurumi version of the toy. You can find the written pattern in her website. I’m sorry but I’m not allowed to copy paste it in here. But I will attach the link and you can go and visit the website.

Click on this link to see her FREE Pattern: MyARTpetite’s Mr. Buckwheat from Goblin Kdrama

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And here is the Mr. Buckwheat amigurumi I made! As you can see he is really so cute! Happy hooking!