The Judge from Hell

I love me an unapologetically badass girlboss, especially as they're very rarely seen in k-dramas in a good light. They're usually out of control villains or bullies. Here, Justitia imparts justice the gory way and relishes in it.

The story is pretty simple, basic even I'd say, and the appeal rests on the characters and the actors' talent in giving us something to enjoy while watching them. Kang Bitna is ruthless, rude, bad-tempered, bet you wish you could act like that around people, right? It helps that she is always dressed to kill and a bit narcissistic. We forgive that in our bad girls going good.

As for Han Daon, he is a secondary character for half the show, at least in terms of screentime, but Kim Jae-young is the reason I wanted to try this drama. This is his revenge after his character's failure in Love in Contract. That's how I'd like to see it, ok?

Anyway, like I said, the story is basic, but it works because of how the characters are played and there is some classic Korean gore, in fact, quite a lot of it. The show is pretty graphic. It also becomes a bit stale for that very reason. The demonic trials are fun in the beginning, but they become repetitive and slow. She insists on replaying the murders step by step, and we see the same thing twice, in ample detail. By the second and third time I was a bit bored. So there are some pacing issues for sure. The Satan twist livens things up a bit, but then the last two episodes were a drag, whereas in the beginning the episodes would just fly by. So 14 episodes is an improvement on the classic format, but maybe 12 would've been even better.

I appreciated the reveal for the J murders, it was captivating enough, but with these supernatural k-dramas, they get their lore a bit convoluted, repetitive and/or illogical. My Demon was a mess. Angel's Last Mission also had some very questionable religious rules in place. There's always the forbidden love twist that becomes a source of tragedy, but it doesn't necessarily make sense all that much, neither does the resolution, so again, pretty unimaginative writing. Tbh, they could have made Justitia in charge of her destiny and found plenty of obstacles in their path. They are assumed to be in love with each other at some point, after some pretty acrimonious exchanges. Work on that instead of some divine, or satanic opposition. So yeah, I wish Han Daon and Kang Bitna had a better romantic progression, if any of it was needed. They could have stuck to some solid sexual tension, there was plenty of opportunity for that too.

I'll give it a four because most of it is pretty good and I think it's the first time I am watching this genre with a female lead and I kind of enjoyed the power trip. I wanted more of it.

Surprised at the high rating. The supporting actors are all very good, as is so common in Korean TV. Let's face it: Ms. Park not a great actress. In fact, she's not even a good one by Korean standards. Regarded as a star, her acting is far from stellar. It's always over the top, as though she trained for the stage, with her eye-bulging, eyebrow wagging, head snapping, hear-tossing, and yelling. It is pretty much the same schtick as one saw in Doctor Slump, but she doesn't here have the benefit of a good male lead like Park Hyung-sik opposite her for balance. This male lead here is wooden and boring. Watch this series only if desperate. A generous score of 6!

.It's a really good series, but only good Park Shin Hye really played his role perfectly It had special effects and an interesting idea and scenario, and the story was good. In these 6 episodes that were aired and I saw them, but on the other hand, the characterization of some characters was not good, and we could not sympathize with the victims of the serial killers that Qazi killed because The characterization and design of the angels and demons was weak and had few story details So far, the score is 7 Hopefully it will be better in the final 8 episodes.

But overall, the series has many positive points, such as the beautiful acting of the actors, especially Park Shin-hye, and the story idea and the captivating story line that I mentioned, and it had the design of Lu Qishan.

The reviewer who complained about the romance subplot is so off it's wild.

First of all, this show's actual genre is crime romance. It's listed as a romance. So why would they expect there not to be a romance. And the romance itself is a slow burn and is given way less screen time than the crime and horror aspects.

Second, the male lead's character arc is completely tied in with the overall plot arc and with FLs character arc, he's not just there to look pretty or make us swoon, he is very important to every aspect of the story and drives much of the action. He doesn't just pop in to be romantic, he is key to the central plot of the serial killer and is the reason why the FL even has a character arc, cause...

Third, the FL is not a judge trying to advance her career, she's a demon trying to complete a mission. She's there for one job and one job only -- to find and kill murderers to send them to hell. The ML is not distracting some story of a judge trying to become a better judge, he's making her interesting by being the key to her humanizing as a demon, which is the entire central point of her character arc. Watching a demon go around coldly killing murderer after murderer with no change would get real boring after a few eps.

It seems that reviewer just wanted a completely different story, with different characters and a different plot. Instead of looking at what story this show is trying to actually tell, and if it's doing a good job.

Which, it really is. This show has so much going for it and the romance only adds to that. The FL and ML have fantastic chemistry. The writing is very tight and knew where it was going from the start, everything connects well together and develops so organically. Good directing a great editing. All the actors are nailing their roles. It's fun at times, scary at times, moving at times. It's been my favorite drama this year.

Park Shin-hye shines in this amazing K-drama, delivering exceptional performances that truly bring her characters to life. The show captivates viewers with its impressive character development and an engaging storyline that evolves with each episode. As the plot unfolds, audiences we deeply connected to the characters, and the revenge theme is just to die for! Even non-K-drama fans are drawn in, becoming addicted to the narrative that serves what they truly deserve. The combination of Park's talent, intricate storytelling, and high production quality creates an unforgettable viewing experience that resonates long after the credits roll. The ultimate punishment is thrilling to watch!