The Judge from Hell (2024)

Enjoyed The Novelty But Can’t Recommend

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

I was immediately excited to watch this because it’s a Park Shin Hye (박신혜) drama. Also, she’d be playing a completely different type of character than I’m used to seeing. I was so interested in this idea because I think Park Shin Hye is a pretty bad actress (not the worst, but she’s down there) and I really want to see her improve. She was the lead female in the first K-drama I’ve ever watched (The Heirs), so there’s a sense of nostalgia when I watch her.

Acting/Cast: I am happy to say Park Shin Hye killed it (pun intended). Her character was by far the most entertaining aspect of this drama. I already knew she could do action, which is a huge thing for me. So, I figured that was a big reason why she got this role. She did great with the action as well as the acting. Her sidekick was also a well-acted character. I liked who they cast to play Bael. That was a nice surprise. My biggest issue in this category is the male lead. I don’t remember ever seeing him in anything else, so, unfortunately, I can only gauge his acting off this drama alone. It was terrible. I could not tell at all how he was feeling by looking at his face except for when he was literally crying. He looked like he was daydreaming, honestly. He had zero chemistry with Park Shin Hye’s character. It was a bit cringey. He wasn’t half-bad in the beginning though…what went wrong? 5/10

Writing: It’s all over the place. I feel like this drama switches the plot on us multiple times. Characters are introduced and done away with quickly. Things happen that don’t make any sense. The lore doesn’t even make sense. Characters change their minds suddenly to suit the direction in which the writers decide to take the plot. I think what people like about this drama is the revenge aspect. It’s brutal revenge, as well. Park Shin Hye’s character doesn’t do things by the books (unlike most K-dramas), but instead tortures and kills the murderers. In K-drama world, she’s only allowed to get away with this as a female lead because she is already evil and it’s her job as a demon. Loop holes… Anyway, the male lead is a cop and a human, so he can’t take revenge in this way because it would make him “evil”. So basically he just ends up taking a backseat for the duration of the drama. If he doesn’t physically do it, even though he’s not stopping someone else from doing it, he’s still good. What a cop out… (I’m usually not this punny. I swear.) He’s just there to watch along with us I guess. I usually like revenge type plots, but I didn’t feel this one was very satisfying. Especially, the judgments on the murderers who weren’t part of the main storyline. I don’t know these people. I haven’t had enough time to emotionally connect with their victims. I don’t want to see them get tortured. Honestly, even if I was able to emotionally connect…I still don’t like seeing that stuff. I think the revenge in The Glory was really satisfying because she outsmarted them and got them to destroy themselves and each other. And in Revenge of Others (another satisfying revenge drama), the vigilante tortured perpetrators because the law was letting them get away scot-free. He also wasn’t killing them afterward, so they had a chance to repent or be punished by the law as well. Plus, the drama allowed us to fully connect with the victims before enacting revenge. In The Judge From Hell, I also really didn’t like something that happened near the end. I can’t say too much but… we watch revenge dramas because we want a feeling of justice being carried out, wrongs being righted, and we root for the victims and underdogs. There was a victim in this story (this person wasn’t “good”, but still a victim) that was robbed of that and there was really no reason for it. It’s like they just threw it in there because the writers wanted as much death as possible or something. I was a little perturbed during the last couple episodes because of this. 1.5/10

Direction/SFX/Music: Scene cuts felt jarring at times, but I realized it was just the style. They would jump ahead and then backtrack to show the events leading up. The special effects are well done and the soundtrack, although it wasn't quite my style, is distinct and adds personality to the drama. 8/10

Entertainment Value: Now that I’m thinking about it, this drama really has Tale of the Nine-Tailed vibes. The plot is all over the place, it has interesting characters that bring a sort of charm to the drama, one lead is great while the other is terrible, and there is no chemistry between the leads. For me, this drama was a lot more fun to watch though. I never felt like dropping it. Although, I did get annoyed toward the end.
6/10

Overall, I gave this drama a 5/10. It felt like going to an amusement park and buying an overpriced, not-so-great souvenir. It was a fun time and the souvenir’s purpose, although underwhelming, is just to help us remember the good memories we had that day. I definitely would not recommend this if you want to watch a good romance and/or you dislike violence and gore. However, I would recommend it if you like watching Park Shin Hye. It’s the best acting I’ve seen from her.

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Beautifully written storyline!!

I loved the storyline honestly, alot of people said some things were pathetic but that is their opinion. I love the fact that even after Kang Bin na started to feel more human-like they did not falter her judgements towards the criminals. And ofcourse she is a demon, her main task was to kill the sinners, no matter how.

The chemistry between Bin na and Daon however did feel slightly forced, they looked cute together. It was perfect when they were secretly falling for eachother but in the last episode it felt a bit forced and awkward.

However both the actors gave their best. Executed their roles perfectly and no one else would have fit better than them!!

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I wouldn't say it's the best kdrama of the year but it's a really good one

Story: I think the entire punish the sinner thing is dumb. But the rest of the stories and the rest of the plot was good. There were a few moments I felt like were rushed. Bael felt forced. But overall it was good. It felt like they wanted to put and do a lot of things but didn't have the time for it.

Acting: Everyone did a great job and Park Shin Hye was incredible! She delivered the emotions and the charisma of the character perfectly. Also Kim Jae Young did an incredible job. Their chemistry together was insane. They really complement eo.
I do have a problem but it's not with the acting as much as it's with the casting. Many of the actors looked like their characters' real self. What I mean is that I could tell if they were a bad guy or a guy that did bad things out of fear. Like no surprises but it's not because the story is lacking but just because I get what they are from their looks.

Directing: Good! The ferris wheel scene was so beautiful.

Editing: The image of the broken leg and finger was so fake it hurts. The flying from the slap or just flying in general was so bad. I felt like I could see the wires (but Idk if it's editing or smt they should've fixed when filming), same with the falling of the cliff.

Choreography: Fun. I enjoyed the fight scenes. The actors sold it and it's impressive to watch the bts.

Overall it's good.

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Interesting blend of thriller/mystery with fantasy plus romance

Disclaimer: I started to watch this drama because of the catchy title and the female lead being Park Shin Hye (whom have a lot popular works previously).

Story: was certainly an interesting blend of crime solving with fantasy elements. Each mini arcs were interesting, the criminals depicted in the drama were certainly rotten to the core (in my opinion) so it was super refreshing (for me) to see how the female lead take matters in her own hands to ensure the criminals gets what they deserved. I also thought the drama was quite nicely written to piece all the mini arcs into a bigger puzzle that focus on the female and male leads' choice and how their choices affect their lives. It was also great to see that this drama had some romance element as well, which makes the drama slightly more light-hearted to watch.

Cast: As always, Park Shin Hye delivers her character perfectly, and this time it was a demon (Kang Bit Na / Justitia). Her acting was amazing, whether it was action scenes or emotional scenes. I didn't expect she will not be able to deliver her character perfectly. It's my first time watching a drama from the male lead (Kim Jae Young) and I was quite impressed with his acting. I also thought the chemistry between Shin Hye and Jae Young was quite good. The acting of the supporting casts were good as well. In fact, their casting was really good (whether its the supporting casts or the guest roles)... In fact, I wasn't expecting Shin Sung Rok to take a guest role in this drama.

OST: I personally liked the most from Sunmi - Crossroad. I always felt a little emotional when the song appears during the drama (especially when its the emotional scenes between the male and female lead).

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my style of drama

i love this!!!! give me 10 more!!!!

this is how u make a show about demons (all shade to my demon). she was truly demonic and did demonic deeds. the premise was also good. it was very satisfactory to see the criminals get punished. the gore was good too. sometimes the violence was too graphic but still it was good.
THE ROMANCE. this is what i want from dramas. the way do-an is slightly interested in her in the beginning then he hates her, to following her to expose her and in turn actually liking her and understanding her. bit-na becoming his source of comfort and her becoming so WEAK for him. perfect. the angst? amazing. wish we could have had more but still im happy.
park shin-hye absolutely rocked this role. her expressions and fits were amazing. 10/10 performance.
i don't know if a season 2 would work well though. one of the main reasons this was fun was because there were 2 chases happening, bit-na with the criminals and do-an trying to prove its bit-na whose doing it. it wouldn't be fun now that do-an will have to protect her instead of arresting her

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brainrot drama of 2024.

i fear none of the things I've written in comments before or the words i can write in this review will ever be enough to describe just how spectacular this drama is.

watch it, feel it, go crazy over it and have a brainrot. that's it. give the writer their flowers for writing this drama as their debut work. and kisses to everybody involved in making this masterpiece of the year. (its def my fav drama atp)

i usually dont pay much attention to the OSTs but oh boy! the OSTs in this drama have me on a chokehold just like the drama.

and while the show did leave a few things unanswered (like what happened to the og bitna and what did justitia choose in the end), the curiosity and disappointment over it does not outweigh my love for the drama so it's a 10/10.

my kang bitna and han daon, I'll miss you guys sm <33 watching it while it was airing was torture but enjoyed it nonetheless (got a bit sadistic over there but i guess thats what i get for letting tjfh mess with my brain ?)

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AN INSANE KDRAMA but

Here's my rant about *The Judge From Hell* since EVERYONE seems to love it:

- Why didn’t Mando just say that Arong asked him to keep an eye on Bitna’s outbursts and not just hint that “maybe she’ll betray us”?
- How is it that the place where Bitna was murdered can be rented so easily? Or is it because it’s in an amusement park that nobody heard anything?
- Where was the cleaning staff when Bitna got caught by Daon?
- If Justitia dies or turns human, then who’s going to be the judge in hell?
- If demons age, does that mean there’s a “before” and “after” version of them?
- Are Justitia, Gremory, and Paimon titles or names? Like, if one of them is missing or dead, who takes over their job?
- How does Bael know about Bitna’s verdict but somehow doesn’t know which demons have turned “human” (i.e., developed emotions)?
- HOW DID DAON EVEN FIND THE PLACE WHERE BITNA GOT STABBED?!

IF YOU WANT TO FREE PEOPLE FROM "POVERTY," YOU SHOULD GO AFTER ACTUAL POOR PEOPLE WHO MIGHT PREFER TO BE DEAD RATHER THAN ALIVE! (Take *ML Death’s Game* or *The 8 Show* as an example—they would definitely choose death over having to live another day!!) BECAUSE SERIOUSLY, YOU KILLED A BUNCH OF MIDDLE-CLASS PEOPLE?! (Daon’s family even has a house, and the single parent lady is literally having an apartments!)

Honestly, the whole storyline with the detective and killer is not well thought out.
*The sudden change in tension between Daon and Donghoon feels weird and rushed.
*HOW CAN A DETECTIVE RELY ON A JOURNALIST?!
*All the detective ever does is wait for results!

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PSH, I apologize for not being familiar with your game

I'm loathe to ever say that any one actor "carried" a drama, because I believe that everyone contributes to the general success (or otherwise) of a show, but I must confess that Park Shin Hye's portrayal of Justitia/Bitna is the main reason why I finished this drama.

Justitia is irreverent and brash and sassy, and I thought PSH did really well in bringing the character to life and making her so fun to watch. This is my first time watching this actress and I know she gets a lot of flak for her acting, but I was impressed here.

Somehow though, I think the writers had too much fun make Bitna as crazy as possible and playing up those judgment scenes because the rest of the drama is absolutely chaotic.

First of all, the worldbuilding and lore are just laughable, to be honest. If you're going to adapt real-world religions and mythologies and change up stuff, at least put some care into it and have some internal logic. What do you mean Gabriel came all the way to rescue Justitia from Hell (her original home BTW) because she's suddenly a good person, when said angel didn't rescue Daon (was brought back by Bael) or the human Kang Bitna, who we never hear about again? Justitia is a DEMON and moreover the personification of justice. She shouldn't have to abide by human rules of good or bad. Also, Satan rebelling against Lucifer...? There were no other demonic names to use? And if Justitia was saved for being "good", which happened because she was becoming more human, why were other demons who were becoming human then being punished for doing the same? Mando can become a Christian, then later become Buddhist? To me, the writers were just doing whatever here, but I am open to any explanations.

Then when it comes to the plot, there were so many head-scratchers. Here are a few:

- Arong stopped chasing demons to become a full-time fan girl? Moreover, she was surrounded by demons who were practically human: Mando, the clean-up crew, etc, and she did nothing.

- What was the point in Bael asking Justitia to free J and send him directly to Hell? What would it have mattered to Bael in any case which murderers Justitia allowed to be punished by the law versus punished in her usual way? Also Justitia is apparently Bael's chosen successor but he sent an assassin after her?

- What was the point of the redevelopment plot if it played such an important role in finding the Kylum? All they did was mention it a few times until J revealed that it was where the Kylum landed.

- Speaking of the Kylum and Satan, both ended up being dispatched so easily, I can't believe they were set up as some kind of Big Bad and J the HUMAN serial killer ended up being so much more threatening (at least according to the drama's logic).

- I'm still wondering why any of the criminals' cases had to even make it to court before Justitia dealt with them in her own court? Once she knew who they were, she could have gone after them before their cases made it to trial and it wouldn't have mattered. Or she could have properly sentenced them then either have them broken out of jail or get them before they get to the prison like she did for the DID faker.

Also, you will never see shoddier police work and legal justice work in Kdramaland than in this drama. Honestly if you're hoping for some proper legal/cop drama action, think again.

I was also not a fan of the romance; I completely skipped their dating montage. I think the drama could have worked without it; I much preferred the flirty-hostile banter they had in the first few episodes. I really couldn't see what they liked about each other; all the FL did was look into the ML's eyes and her heart started beating. I'm not even sure at what point the ML fell in love. Not good enough. I think a slow, subtle attraction that came from them teaming up with each other would have worked better, and maybe they get together at the end or the drama leaves it open-ended.

As for what I did like about the drama, I liked Justitia's character development in realizing that justice could be achieved in other ways. I think the drama did an okay job exploring what true justice means using the FL and ML as foils, but IMO they could have done more. Also, the side characters were really good, especially the victims' families. They brought me to tears quite a few times.

KJY did good as Daon, but his character was downgraded to a puppy as the show went on. He's supposed to be the straight man to Justitia's insanity, but he was kind of overshadowed by her dominant personality. I don't think he was utilized as well as he could have been, but then again it's not really his show.

Criticisms with the story aside, the show really was an entertaining ride thanks to Justitia, even though it kind of petered out in the last few episodes. At least I'll keep hearing the word "Gehennaaaa" ringing in my brain for the next few weeks.

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Park ShinHye? Demoness? Yaaassss!

The story is overall quite simple with a demon coming to earth to punish sinners aka murderers by using her powers, because she punished the wrong person in hell. Objectively stating, the thing that really attracted me to this show was how it avoided all the story cliches. Generally, the role of a mythical being is played by the ML but here it is our FL and I also liked that instead of a lawyer it is a judge. Pretty great and unique.

The story started out great with a lot of devil and blood, the romance is also very well developed. Instead of them just finding heavenly love at first sight I loved how they let there love blossom slowly. Believe it or not this show has only 1 proper kiss scene and that is at the end. And I am not complaining it was awesome. It had its own beauty. While we are on the topic. I loved the ML too. He was a sweetheart instead of the normal stoic ones we get. Now that I think of it no one was stoic in this series. Is it what I think it is? A breath of fresh air.

The story was rather short with only 14 episodes, but I still thing it could’ve done better. Till the time the story reached the end it had quite a few strands loose. Like the angel went to hell to save a ‘good’ demon. Or that the one will die curse was a lie. The writers dug the hole so deep that they themselves didn’t know how to get out. But that is just my opinion.

Even with a few strands loose this story was awesome. It was engaging, charming, a little bit confusing but it had kept me on my toes till the end.I admire them for it. I do wish the ending episode would’ve more couple moments but we all wish for things. Tbh my main issue was only with the somewhat childish ending but at least they didn’t use the cliche where the dead ML comes back to life at the last 0.25 millisecond of the last episode.

I still think adding the one will die curse was unnecessary, they could’ve just made it simpler, but come on you have to agree nothing was more satisfying then watch Bitna beating everything out of those monsters. I do think she was not portrayed to be demonic enough, she had more of a vigilante vibes then a devil from hell vibes but I digress.

Oh and one last thing I must appreciate. The AD PLACEMENT! Future dramas take inspiration! that is how you place ads in between. You put them subtly instead of pushing it in our faces!

In the end. Yes I loved it, you willl too. Yes, I will forever love this ship. Yes, I didn’t appreciate the ML enough in this summary. I hate Bael too.

Will watch it again

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