My Demon and Goblin: a comparative analysis

After browsing through Netflix's gallery of K-dramas, I stumbled upon 'My Demon.' This show, starring Song Kang and Kim Yoo-Jung, is a fantasy romance-thriller drama where Yoo-Jung portrays the role of a CEO, while Song Kang takes on the character of a demon. The series explores the interplay between gods and humans, a theme well-received in the K-drama realm, with a significant part of its popularity attributed to k-dramas like 'Guardian: The Lonely and Great God’(popularly known as Goblin), Tale of Nine tailed and ‘Hotel Deluna.’ 

Through the entirety of 2023, I mostly watched romance and comedy based dramas so I was very eager to try this one. While watching the two dramas, my mind was quick to draw the parallels and differences between My demon and Goblin.

Female leads

In Goblin, Kim Go-eun craftily played the character of Ji Eun-tak. The show’s narrative unfolds with the character of Eun-tak, a bubbly and pliant high-schooler who is constantly mistreated by her aunt’s family. Despite her tragic situation, she holds her heart onto her sleeves. However, when her situation gets too tough for her to handle, she desperately seeks help from God which leads her to meet the Goblin.

In contrast to this, in ‘My Demon’ Kim Yoo Jung plays the character of Do Do-Hee, an heiress of a conglomerate. She is feisty, confident and undaunted. Unlike Eun-tak, she does not look forward to seeking help from anyone(even God) and solely relies on her intellect and skills. 

While the female leads exhibit distinct and contrasting personalities, intriguingly, there exist subtle threads of similarity that weave through their characters. A  paramount similarity between both the female leads would be that both of them were orphans navigating the complexities of life without the anchor of a family. They were shown to be resilient, facing each challenge head-on, showcasing a remarkable ability to navigate adversity with unwavering strength.

Similar Plot

Well, all those K-drama fans reading this would surely know what I am talking about. Fans not just in India but around the globe shared a sense of Deja-vu when they watched the initial episodes of My Demon. “I saw My demon till episode 7-8 and I knew exactly how it was going to end” commented a K-drama fan on a instagram reel. Another one said “all K-dramas look so similar these days.”

Lovers separating in their past lives by tragic events only to be reuniting in a different timeline with elements of fantasy, drama, and romance interspersed in the plot. Sounds familiar right? Well, that was the plot of both ‘My Demon’ and ‘Goblin.’ Both the K-dramas had a similar storyline where the story centred around the romance between a supernatural being and a human. In ‘Goblin’, Gong Yoo played the role of an immortal being who was cursed to live on Earth until his bride pulls out the sword lodged in his chest whereas in ‘My Demon,’ the demon is bound to a contract with a human woman, needing her positive energy to survive. Both of these K-dramas ultimately move on the similar lines of supernatural beings meeting their female counterparts and fighting against their destiny. 

Cinematography and Visual style

As a journalism student myself, I cannot stop myself from understanding and identifying the cinematography in movies and series. So, how can I miss the cinematography in a K-drama? Cinematography, picturesque locations  and visual style are among the many reasons for the popularity of K-dramas in the world. Or should I call it the aesthetics of a K-drama as per the Gen Z language?

Coming to the visual style of Goblin, it leans towards a picturesque and whimsical style. The colour palette of Goblin consists of warm tones associating itself with the themes of love, hope and destiny. In comparison, My demon has a more muted and atmospheric visual style. It also takes the help of shadows and darker lighting to create a sense of mystery and tension, especially in scenes involving the demon. The colour palette of My demon includes cooler and subtle colours. 

The disappearing scene

This was the major Deja-vu moment for me. Without even second guessing, I knew where I had seen it before. Interestingly, I found out during my research that both the shows share the same cinematographer, Park Sung Yong. And that kind of explains the similarities for fans like me. However, the disappearing scenes in both the dramas serve distinctive purposes. 

The disappearing scene in ‘Goblin’ works as the plot device and adds a new layer to the overall narrative of the story. In the scene, Goblin/Kim Shin Kim Shin disappears in a flash of light whenever he pulls out the sword from his chest, leaving his loved ones behind. This disappearing act becomes the converging point in the plot wherein the removal of the sword would mean the ending of the immortality of Kim Shin. So, when his bride Eun Tak touches the sword, Kim Shin disappears completely, signifying the potential ending of his immortality and the uncertainty it brings.

However, in My demon, a full episode was centred around the concept of disappearing. Initially, the demon ‘disappears’ out of Do Do-Hee’s ‘life’ to protect her from his demonic power, leaving her lonely and in despair. This particular scene highlights the internal conflict within Gu Won. He is a demon who craves freedom, yet he is willing to sacrifice everything for the woman he loves. In the next scene, he appears yet again to save his wife from the villain. However, this time, he finally ‘disappears’ as a consequence of breaking one of the rules(saving someone’s life). It signifies the fragility of life and love, forcing the characters to confront the possibility of losing everything they hold dear. 

Final thoughts

Goblin, which was released many years ago, gained massive popularity in the K-drama world as it was ahead of its time. Fast forward to now, when the K-drama world already has a plethora of successful dramas in the Fantasy genre, My demon proves to be nothing but a big disappointment for K-dramas fans around the globe. The K-drama fails to bring anything new to the already existing successful genre, making it seem like a copy and paste of other dramas like Goblin.