If your teenager is starting to get curious about K-dramas and supernatural content for teens, this is almost always the first recommendation they’ll get from the internet. Even a decade after its release, it remains the gold standard for "prestige" Korean television. It’s the show that turned high-fashion trench coats and moody walks through the fog into a personality trait for an entire generation of fans.
The "Vibe" is the Main Character
The first thing you’ll notice is that the show looks expensive. It’s basically a 16-episode mood board of fall fashion, Gothic mansions, and cinematic vistas. For a teen who lives for a specific aesthetic, this is peak viewing. The show moves between a gritty historical epic and a modern-day fairy tale with a level of visual polish that puts most Netflix originals to shame. If your kid spent any time in the "sad girl" or "dark academia" corners of social media, they’ve already seen screenshots of this show.
The Elephant in the Room: The Age Gap
We have to talk about the central romance because it’s the one thing that makes parents squint. The Goblin is a 939-year-old immortal who looks about 35. The female lead, Eun-tak, starts the series as a 19-year-old high school student.
Fans on Reddit usually defend this by pointing out that she’s technically an adult by the time the romance really kicks in, and the show frames them as "fated" souls from a past life. It’s more Twilight than Lolita, but if your family is sensitive to "creepy" age dynamics, the school uniform factor might be a dealbreaker. It’s worth asking your teen how they feel about the power dynamic, especially since the show treats her initial "bride" status with a lot of wide-eyed innocence.
Why the 14+ Rating is Real
While the show is mostly "wholesome" in terms of physical intimacy (it’s a very slow burn), the emotional weight is heavy. This isn't just a fun ghost story. The lore of the Grim Reapers is rooted in the idea that they are serving a sentence for sins committed in their past lives—specifically, suicide.
This isn't just a background detail; it’s a recurring plot point that the show handles with a lot of melancholy. If your kid is going through a tough time or is particularly sensitive to themes of self-harm and mortality, you might want to watch a few episodes together first. It’s beautiful and poetic, but it’s also a show about the inevitability of death and the pain of being left behind.
The Bromance Buffer
If the show were just the central romance, it might be too saccharine or too depressing. What saves it—and what most fans actually stick around for—is the bickering relationship between the Goblin and the Grim Reaper. They end up as reluctant roommates in a massive house, and their constant, magical petty fights provide the much-needed comic relief.
It’s a great example of how K-dramas balance genres. One minute you’re watching a historical massacre, and the next, you’re watching two supernatural beings struggle to figure out how to use a smartphone. That humor makes the 90-minute episodes feel much shorter than they actually are.
