The Judge from Hell (2024)

UPDATE: Started strong, but fizzled out.

Original review after 4 episodes: I wish Disney listed it as ongoing. At least where I am however many episodes are up, look like they that's all there is. I thought it was complete and watched the four released episodes in a night and was left so mad at myself, because I wanted more. And now I have to wait until November to see it all play out. 😭

Honestly though, it is good. The main female character reminds me of Sim Eun-Seok from Juvenille Justice or Koo Ryeon from Tomorrow, but at an unhinged level. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about how it would be. I hadn't thought much of Park Shin-Hye as an actress. It isn't that I thought she was bad, it just didn't seem like she had a lot of range based on what I'd seen her in. Apparently that was the writing or direction, because she has shown much more range in these first four episodes than I can really recall from most of the dramas I'd seen her in previously.

I can't wait to see where this goes. I do worry a littttle bit that it might try to do too much. Like I see threads for different plots it could follow popping up and like...if it tries to grab all of them I think it will end up more a knot than a braid. Not my best metaphor, but my point still stands.

Side note, I do feel like spider guy should cut her a little slack. I mean, the guy confessed to killing three people. How was she supposed to know that was more of a childhood guilt thing than an actual confession? She's not psychic, she's just a demon sent to torture and kill murderers and there was a guy in front of her telling her he was a murderer.
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UPDATE: after the first like 7 episodes of supernatural revenge it fizzled out into a forced romance. Whole subplots seemed like they were dropped and the world building was lacking.

A-rong's whole purpose of being a demon punishing demons who fall in love came up once when she killed that random demon from the demon support group. But the group never comes back and her purpose quickly fades to the background in favor of the romance. She went from having her own purpose to apparently just tagging along as Justitia's underling. Man-do's whole thing about him attending church was never expanded on. A high-level angel who apparently was able to just peace out on his heavenly responsibilities to babysit a detective, though mainly in the form of vague warnings. The ultimate evil was scrunched pretty easily once they tracked him down. Honestly, her peer and co-second-to-Bael seemed more threatening than Lucifer in the end. Bael's character confused me entirely since it seemed like he wanted her to fail. I thought it would end up being the big twist/villain situation (since Lucifer was a little underwhelming) that Bael set her up because he was her worried her "I'm the demon of all demons" attitude meant she might try to challenge him and he wanted to basically smack her down before she rebelled. But, no it kind of went nowhere and ended with him being like "I'm glad you're my successor and would be disappointed to lose you". Her being a serial killer leaving bodies of criminals the justice system didn't punish branded with "hell" just kind of get dropped from the plot.

I liked the parts where she made the killers suffer the same fates as their victims. It was not only kind of satisfying (though I personally liked the psychological aspect of them having to feel what their victims did more than the just-straight-beating them up), especially the stalker who almost drove his ex to take her own life, but it really showed off how talented an actress she is when given the right scene. Honestly, I would have preferred to drop the romance and have it be more like Youth Justice where each episode is a different case and then her balancing being a human judge and demon judge to give them justice. Maybe still keep her paired up with a detective to balance the justice vs. vengeance aspect.

As for the romance...I mean, I don't get it. He was drawn to her first from their first trial but then was pretty quickly against her and only following her in the hopes of taking her down and proving her a killer. He wasn't even like trying to be nice to get the information, he made his suspicion 100% clear. He also accused her of killing the other demon after she had basically stepped in to save his life from being killed by that demon. And lectures her about like "oh, just 'cause you're a demon, you think you get to demon things". So, other than his looks, I'm not sure what she saw in him to become so obsessed with him that she was basically ready to risk everything to keep him around. And then he goes from being all "killing killers is bad and makes you bad" to "kill this killer for me" in less than 24 hours. And he then transitioned from capable cop a bit over his head in a supernatural situation to just kind of being a damsel in distress.

I feel like it tried to so much from the start and then had to let things go. Like, if they dropped the whole Lucifer thing and all the moments of Man-do going to church, that would have given them time to establish the romance more.

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Thrilling Fantasy Drama with a Hint of Romance

Is it bad that this is the first drama I've ever brought myself to watch with Park Shin Hye? Although I have to say I'm glad because I don't think any of her past dramas probably live up to her acting in this role.

This is a fantasy drama about Judge Kang Bitna, or technically, Justicia, who is literally a judge from Hell that ended up in Kang Bitna's body to serve a sentence after accidentally making the wrong judgement in a trial. Her mission: to kill and send 10 murderers to Hell within one year, otherwise, she'll end up paying with her own life. It makes it easier that her occupation is a Judge, so she ends up giving murderers light sentences to be able to kill them right after. There are themes of belief, Christianity, God, Demons, and Angels, so if these are things you believe might trigger you, best to not watch. This show revolves a lot around morals along with law and justice. She believes justice is served with these murderer's lives when she sends them to Hell, so of course there's a character that believes in the law and legal punishment - here comes in detective Han Daon. He's the first human to discover her secret of being a demon, and simply won't let her get away with these killings. Both have such different beliefs and yet continue to be drawn to one another. Every episode is thrilling as we get to watch Justicia serve payback to these criminals the way we believe they deserve. Heads up, there is gore and violence so if you can't stomach scenes with blood, don't watch! Park Shin Hye plays an absolutely hilariously sassy badass who kicks these criminals' ass and looks pretty while doing it. This drama also has that hint of comedy you need to break the tension after serious and heavy scenes, as well as that hint of romance subplot that are somehow always better than actual romance dramas. Detective Daon clings right to her side, one of the more amusing parts of the show, making the supposedly emotionless demon fall for him - which by the way, this is something that apparently goes against demon law (talk about forbidden love). This is my first time watching Kim Jaeyoung act, and he's great at playing this handsome detective who's serious yet silly whenever he's around Kang Bitna. I'm personally really enjoying the premise, and rooting for their romance even though it may not have a happy ending. Definitely give it a watch if you want something exciting with a fantasy setting and that dash of romance!

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Spectacular

Hands down, one of greatest dramas made in the last few years.
It's probably in my top 3 favourite dramas I've seen this year and it's totally deserved the hype.

I liked the story and the pace, it's very satisfying specially the punishments, I found myself agreeing with Justitia most of the time, I don't care if they didn't go to jail if the criminals were tortured, died painfully and went to hell, that's is more satisfying than staying behind bars for a few years.

I also have to applaud the acting, PSH shines here, and I have to say I'm impressed she improved BIG TIME, the rest of the cast was also amazing but I only mentioned PSH as she was -for me- slightly over hyped as an actress specially in her old dramas, I liked her generally but let's say I wouldn't exactly jump at the any chance of watching anything if I knew she is in it, nevertheless, here she was amazing, she nailed her role.

I don't think I hated anything about the drama, the only thing that I slightly didn't like was that it was very predictable, I expected almost everything and every secret, yet I didn't feel bored watching it it was still entertaining.
I also loved how they didn't dwell on the crimes, only took the time to show the whole punishment instead and equally focused on Justitia story as well as the crimes and punishments.

I would recommend it if you like the genre. It's done very well.

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Many unwanted elements.

This my first ever review from this profile and I especially wanted it to be "The Judge from Hell" since I followed this drama while on air every week.

Note: This review is not to discourage anyone from watching this drama . Personally I gave this a try since I liked PSH's Dr.Slump and this was airing at that time.

First ,I would like the summarize what I liked about this drama first before my critics or ranting:

1. Park Shin Hye acting - Imho she pretty much carries this drama with her performance. Considering that she got majority of screen time, I would argue that she justified her role and hooked me into watching this drama.

2. First 8 Episodes - Keeping aside the fantasy setting, the first 8 episodes were really interesting, which shows ruthless or how much evil the each criminals were and how they were punished, which was really satisfying to be honest.

3. I really liked the Music in this Drama, though it was a bit dramatic at times.

Now onto the my rants:
As mentioned in the tittle "Many unwanted elements" :

1. The Romance plot was very forced. There were no hints that the ML is interested in the FL for 8 or so episodes then suddenly push a dire situation on to the leads to force Romance. Forcing romance like this is not the best option to bring emotional changes to a character.

2. I am sorry to say this but the ML went on from being persistent cop to a Damsel in distress in the later half of the show. They made his character slow witted just so the FL can save him from dire situation and force the romance plot.

3. The Criminals shown in the first 8 episodes even with limited screen time were more interesting than the main villain of the Drama, who I found very weak whatsoever he did.

4. The plot was all over the place during the last 4 episodes and there were too many plot conveniences just to conclude on a happy note. But I would rather have bittersweet or sad ending with no loose ends.

5. Apart from 1 or 2, the supporting cast was not memorable along with the ML.

That pretty much wraps up my review or rant about this Drama which pretty easily engaged me with its initial episodes and let me down at the end.
Personally I would rate 8/10 for the first 8 episodes and 5.5/10 for 9-14 episodes.

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Best 2024 thriller k drama

Okay its worth it to watch it ...so go for it I won't give a spoiler if it's a happy ending or sad ending....but I was so satisfied to wach this drama drama ..I would like to watch the season 2 as well with same cast
The male is so damm hot and I can't even take my eyes off ...I would love to him in more dramas like this ...the chamestry between the female lead and male lead was so good like they don't have that much romentic secens in this dramas but they look so good together so this didn't need any High intimate sences like other k dramas ... it was fun to watch and the female lead was so good like if there would demon..the demon definitely would be like her. I just loved this drama a lot

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Park Shin Hye SLAYED this role

The plot was pretty refreshing with a strong, witty FL an ABSOLUTE DIVA. Also I lowkey enjoyed the “actual court” scenes because those criminals deserved every bit of it.
20 min into the drama and I already knew Park Shin Hye is going to EAT THIS ROLE UP. She’s truly a classic S-class actress. >_<
I love the open ending, depending on each individual’s moral and opinion everyone can have their own satisfying ending.
The chemistry between the leads is wholesome, although ML’s presence was kind of underwhelming at times but still loved his character and most importantly Kim Jae Young did a great job playing Han Da On (his mischievous smiles and teary eyes meltssss you T-T)

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A Riveting Blend of Justice and Supernatural Forces

The Judge From Hell is an enthralling Korean drama that redefines the supernatural legal genre, delivering a spellbinding mix of courtroom drama, eerie suspense, and moral introspection. At its center is Park Shin-Hye, who shines in her transformative role as a demon judge seeking justice beyond human comprehension.

Set as if it's a mockery of the current Korean justice system, Park Shin-Hye’s character, an enigmatic judge with demonic powers, emerges as a relentless force balancing the scales of justice. Her duality—a merciless arbiter of punishment and a vulnerable soul burdened by her past—creates a compelling narrative anchor. The drama explores themes of redemption, vengeance, and the blurred line between good and evil.

Park Shin-Hye delivers a career-defining performance, embodying the judge’s inner turmoil and steely resolve with magnetic intensity. Her transformation scenes, where her demonic powers manifest, are breathtaking and highlight her versatility as an actress. The supporting cast complements her well, particularly her demonic teams and the lead detective who pursues her, who add layers of moral complexity and emotional depth to the story.

Visually, the drama is a masterpiece. Dark, brooding cinematography and meticulous production design transport viewers to a hauntingly beautiful world. The special effects, especially during her own trial confrontations, are both chilling and visually stunning. The soundtrack further elevates the atmosphere, blending haunting melodies with pulse-pounding beats.

However, the series does have minor flaws. Some subplots involving secondary characters feel rushed or underdeveloped, and a few episodes in the middle stretch could have been tighter in pacing. Nonetheless, the climactic episodes more than make up for these shortcomings, delivering a thrilling and emotionally satisfying conclusion.

The Judge From Hell is a bold and imaginative drama that captivates from start to finish. Park Shin-Hye’s mesmerizing performance and the show’s unique premise make it a must-watch for fans of supernatural and legal dramas alike. It’s a haunting reminder that justice doesn’t always come from above—it can rise from the depths of hell itself.

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