Fantasy drama “Guardian” enjoys unprecedented popularity

Scenes from "Guardian" / Courtesy of tvN

By Park Jin-hai

The fantasy romance, "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God," starring actor Gong Yoo, continues to top TV viewer ratings and enjoys immense popularity.

Aided by fresh story material, solid plot, movie-like visual effects, star actors and most of all the touching and romantic lines that are characteristic of writer Kim Eun-sook, tvN's new show has topped the list of buzzworthy dramas for three straight weeks since its Dec. 2 debut. Kim previously wrote the megahit drama "Descendants of the Sun."

As soon as "Guardian," the story of a goblin, debuted, it topped the buzzworthy TV drama chart, surpassing that of Descendants of the Sun, according to the Good Data Corporation.

The goblin, played by Gong, is under a spell to live an eternal life and meets a human bride played by Kim Go-eun.

Guardian has been showing viewership growth.

The sixth episode of Guardian, posted a record 12.9 percent viewership rate Saturday, which is the third best record for a cable channel.

So far, the highest record for a cable channel has been "Reply 1988," which garnered an average 19.6 percent and a peak 21.6 percent viewership, followed by "Signal" with an average viewership of 13.4 percent and a peak 15 percent.

Given that the television series has just started, experts say that it is only a matter of time before the drama breaks more records.

"The drama is a huge success. Its popularity is reflected in a record-high TV commercial price for the drama," said culture critic Ha jae-geun.

Kim In-yook's poem "The Physics of Love" which were included in the lines of Gong's character in the drama, has gained renewed attention. Kim's 2012 poetry book has been republished and became an instant bestseller.

The original sound tracks including singer Crush's "Beautiful" beat the local music charts as well.

Critics point out the depth of perspective looking at life of the goblin that bears a bloody sword in his chest and has been given eternal life as punishment, immerses the audience into the fantasy story. Only the goblin's bride can pull out the sword and make him rest in peace. The twist and complexity of life and death make the story more interesting, critics say.

"The writer has been boasting an outstanding job, freely crossing the boundaries from epic to modern, western and oriental, past and present lives, and comedy and tragedy. It proves the writer's depth on how to look at life," said another culture critic Jung Duk-hyun.

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