The Devil Judge

⚖ Recycled Brimstone ⚖ °8.2° °Excellent°

I AM THE POWER!

He actually pumped his fist when addressing the gala. This judge is tough. He always seems to do the right thing, he just looks very wrong as he's doing it. An old lady tearingly thanks him for his ‘just ruling’ and breaks down sobbing. The Judge holds her, but as Gaon looks on from the back end, that judge is yawning!

T👹J is a 2021 release that is rated 93 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 75-minute episodes (ep16 is 95 min). Sometimes it takes a devil to catch a devil. This is a fantasy-thriller about corruption and political wrangling. They aren't attempting real-life plausibility. If realism is important, or if one knows a lot about the judicial system and how slowly it moves, this show might be annoying. One does have to roll with the unreal elements in order to enjoy it. Therefore, this article won't attempt to explain or justify the impossible timeline nor the audacious actions depicted. If all your shirts are starched and your sneakers are 🥛⚪, this may not be the show for you.

We're post pandemic. Post insanity. Trying to live again. Cut to a politician ranting: He's discussing the country's resurgence along with judicial reform. "Judge Kang Yo Han, dubbed the “Justice Bao” of the 21st century for his ruthless decisions… will deliver, once and for all, what you've always wanted: A trial where justice stands!" Public approval of the country's judiciary is in the teens. They will be televising a trial and letting the public VOTE on the verdict.

And there he is! Right on cue! Is he a judge or a male model? He's sort of a Korean Josh Hartnett (a very good thing). He's questioned about his harshness, especially to the disadvantaged - mentally, physically, & emotionally. He says they're all merely defendants >> /criminals/. He doesn't believe in “such fickle things like good will...”

Not everyone loves him. A denizen of the cigar-smoke-filled back room has brought on Judge Kim Gaon (Park Jin Young from Our Unwritten Seoul & He Is Psychometric) to keep an eye on him. Waiting for Gaon on the first day of his new gig is pretty girlie judge, Yun Su Hyeon (Park Gyu Young from Sweet Home-8.4, Celebrity, & Dali and the Cocky Prince). She knows she was chosen for her looks, she admits, so she'll be working triply hard to prove her worth. They, along with JK, will be judges on the new show. There's no public confidence, but they learn that first day, there's plenty of animus. Early in ep1 a man tries to crash the courthouse with a stolen school bus. Our judge takes out the driver with a high level rifle while Gaon saves a little girl from being struck. They're still strangers, but they're already working together well.

Ji Sung has had mega hits like Defendant, Doctor John, & Connection. Here he's the lead, Judge Kang Yo Han - JK. I've seen him in Familiar Wife-8.5, which shocked me, it was so good. He's about as good looking as a man can get. It just comes down to personal taste. The ridiculously adorable Kim Min Jung (Man to Man-6.7, Mr. Sunshine-9) plays “Jung” Seon A, admin assistant to mega-influencer, Chm Seo. No one is like Ms Kim. She reminds me slightly of Helena Bonham Carter's Marla Singer, from Fight Club, whom Tyler Durden described as a “predator posing as a housepet". Jung is chiffon over black lace over steel. She's amazing. Her boss, Chm Seo has a big social program he's rolling out through his Social Responsibility Foundation.

Park Gyu-Young is Yoon “Su”-hyeon, Gaon's Bff. She always asks him to marry her. He declines, saying he won't ruin the friendship. Gaon's on the show, so she becomes exposed to all of the players, which leads to suspicions about JK. She starts to investigate him. They watch JK destroy an obnoxious driver one day. He literally destroyed the guy's car with a sledge hammer! Su is entirely by-the-book ~ 💯. When Gaon and JK start to bring the heat on the bad guys, she struggles because they can't do it and completely stay on the right side of the line. They are in murky territory. Corrupt governments pass so many laws that it's impossible to keep them all. They make us all criminals so they can get us whenever they want to. Gaon and JK are walking that tightrope.

Jung Eun Pyo plays the con artist who swindled Gaon's family. He has some riveting moments. Baek Hyun Jin (Happiness) plays President Heo Jung Se. Every time he's bellowing from the podium I can almost feel the flecks of spittle. He's sorta gross. To the extent there's any over-acting, it's on him. However, it looks like he's not entirely sane, and nobody else is that extra. Choi Jung Gyu (Children of Nobody, Two Weeks) is the Director and Moon Yoo Seok (Pro Bono, Miss Hammurabi) is the screenwriter. We see lots of those whom we see lots of. The list of guest stars is impressive.

The first airing is a hit! Gaon thought JK was on the take for the defendant (JU Chemicals Chairman) but the very end of the trial was a bit of a stunner. Gaon's more confused than ever. JK looks totally sus, tbf. Like a constant drip, we hear eyewitness accounts and see flashbacks of JK's former life. He wasn't wanted by his father (illegitimate) and he's done some things that appear to be criminal. We don't have the full context, but this judge is no simple guy and he's clearly not much of a rule follower. The more we see, however, the more things align in a way that's favorable to JK. Perhaps he isn't the baddie?

JK lives with his niece (Jeon Chae Eun from Way Back Love & Uncle Samsik-8.4 plays Kang Elijah), though we aren't introduced to her properly for a couple episodes. She's in a wheelchair, ever since the fire that killed her parents. She's deeply angry, and her tone is always caustic. After a bomb goes off at the Supreme Court, Gaon is injured trying to save JK, so he recuperates at JK's house. Elijah is straight-nasty to him. He's a charming guy, though, and he knows how to cook, so he gradually makes inroads with her. Gaon also looks quite a bit like her deceased father, JK's brother. JK even mentions it. Their place is a mansion. They're loaded. JK admits his father was a loan shark. “It's all about selling hope and getting it back through fear.”

This is no romance, though the dynamic between Jung and JK is steamy, along with feeling rather slimy. We see a couple of one-sided crushes. One gets sidelined just as feelings are reciprocated, and it's particularly sad. We see damaged, doomed love. It's actually beautiful in its own way. Corruption is the main theme. Gaon came in suspecting JK and saw every act through a tainted lens. At the same time, he finds himself drawn to JK and he's bonding with Elijah. He continues living at JK's even after he's recovered. It's safer there. At the end of ep2, JK shows Gaon how very corrupt the system is. Gaon cannot deny what he sees: The justice system has a total bowel blockage. Gaon has a total breakdown. “What can we do against them while adhering to all principles and procedures? As I told you, there is no justice in this world. Only a game exists. A terribly tilted one at that.” JK ain't joking!

The balance of TDJ is sorting through the drips of new information to solve not only current crimes, but 20 year old ones as well. “The rich and powerful never reflect on their actions. That's only for the poor.” The corrupt politicians are truly soulless. What the viewer doesn't know is who is working with them. Whom have they paid off? Suspicions around JK won't die, and JK will not defend himself. We'll find out why. Things get very dark before dawn.

The plot works well enough. The writing is good. The acting is outstanding. The filming is good. The feel is heavily stylized and slick ~by design~ as JK has nearly supernatural instincts and acumen. Given its tone and ambitious plot, TDJ brushes up to Big Mouth-7.4, which had me seesawing nearly the whole time wondering if it was entirely too outrageous or if it worked. I decided it worked. This works too, though it collects some chaff with the wheat. When feeling threatened, the president suggests deliberately spreading the virus to consolidate his power. Let's never forget that reality is always much stranger; 3 years after the show was made, an incident nearly as bizarre occurred in South Korea when President Yoon Suk declared martial law on 12/3/24. It only lasted for 6 hours, so the dire emergency was only in the president‘s head.

TDJ serves to remind us all: “We are all here to do our duties bestowed upon us by our people, who are sovereign. We must make sure that no one is wronged and that no one sheds tears of blood. We must also ensure those who make others cry tears of blood are rightfully punished. Is that not our duty? That's why I'm in my judge's robe. If we fail and neglect our duties someone out there will suffer. And their suffering is what breeds monsters. There is a reason why people are enraged.”



QUOTES🗣

Charm is power.

Being over-modest is no different than being arrogant.

Turning crises into opportunities is how those who move the world operate.

“I lived my entire life for revenge. Now that it's realized, I feel empty.”

No matter how much you hate this world and its people, you can't live alone. Everyone needs someone to rely on, because we're human beings.


IMHO〰🖍


📣8.3 📝8 🎭8.5 💓5 🦋5 🎨8 🎵/🔊7 🔚9 🤗6 ▪ 🌞3.5 ⚡5.8 😅2 😭5 😱3 😯3 🤢4.5 🤔6.7💤0

Shazams:
The show opens to the edgy Drop The Game, by Flume & Chet Faker

Age 16+ Language: occasionally R-rated, violence, sexual situations. Rated: 15+


Re-📺? No opposed, but notta priority.


In order of ~lite&trite~ to ~heavy&serious~ you may also like:

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Sisyphus 8 (give it 2 episodes, ep1 is confusing),
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The Cursed 8.3,
Flower of Evil 8.9,
Awaken-8.7, Light Shop-8.6,
A Shop for Killers-8.7
The Man from Nowhere 8.9,
The Wailing-8.8,
Black 9,
Sweet Home 8.4,
Oldboy-9,
Parasite-9,
Mother-8.8



⛔SPOILERS⛔

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Ouch! There's an extremely painful death. Quite a few folks meet their demise in the show's balance, but one death is a difficult pill. Gaon needed to experience loss at the hands of this cabal to be perfectly aligned with JK. They handle the grief properly.

At ep2's end JK takes Gaon to a prison visit to see the man who defrauded his family. The fraud directly led to his parents’ deaths. Another person, who appears to be mentally deficient, is serving out the criminal’s sentence!

In the end he really did topple their construct, which turned out to be a house of cards.

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I enjoyed it a lot!! at first Idk it was set in dystopian korea, so it was really strange and a very new world. plus there is almost no introduction... so it was kinda ehh?? for me. but thats the reason i was invested in the storyline. I wanna grasp what was happening and the next thing I know I was so into it. oh and plus, i really think this is like makjang for political and law related genre. sometimes it doesn't make sense and goes overboard, but thats the unique thing bout the drama. Acting was obviously amazinggggg and great i have nothing to say. anyways, i like it the storyline and all, but im not like a big big fan of makjang so thats where i cut my rating and sometimes there are few parts that were draggy and little bit boring. and thats it. but overall i enjoyed it

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One word - UNIQUE

This drama is set in the dystopian setting, where everything is just messy and frightening and does not make any sense but could be real in the real world. This drama is very unique and never seen before - to my knowledge, in any Korean dramas. However, I feel like the concept of dystopian in this drama is not enough? But I'll let it pass since the story is good. The story is interesting and exciting, the only thing that I find it undesirable is the slow burn this drama is. Kim Ga On always have distrust issues with Kang Yo Han, and while I understand his feeling but when I watched episode 15, I give up at Kim Ga On at some point because he has no trust when they're at war.

The casting for this drama is perfect. Jeon Chae-Eun can improve her acting skills, there are some scenes she acted that comes flat, but considering it's her first drama, she did a good job. Kim Min-Jung is the star of this drama I'd say. She did INCREDIBLE, if you remember/know Lee Yoo Ri got a daesang for playing a villain in Jang Bo-Ri, then I think Kim Min-Jung deserves a daesang this year. Not only she can play a psychopathic, manipulative behavior, she too can play an anti-social personality disorder without being flat af. Park Jin Young did a great job too, so does Ji Sung, I mean c'mon Ji Sung SERVES in every drama so..

I can't get over the judges outfit though lol, they look like altar boys lowkey.

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Traces of reality

A drama of peaks and troughs, in that there was a slower pace during scenes of plotting and vulgar celebrations while ordinary people suffered. The pace accelerated quickly during trials and action scenes. Excellent portrayal of threat, corruption and suffering in a dystopian world.
There were actually references to the realities of the inconsistent S.Korean laws and punishment for crimes, where, for example, sentences for GBH and sexual assault, are vastly different when they involve alcohol. Someone abusing, or causing grievous bodily harm to another person, whilst under the influence, is not deemed to be in their right mind and so gets a lesser sentence. Yet someone using drugs, who doesn't affect anyone else by doing so, gets a hugely inconsistent sentence in comparison. Drunks even get away with murder. It is farcical and sickening.
The dystopian society setting for this story is multi layered. There are the filthy rich and country's most powerful, who abuse the poor, their position and are covered in bribery and greed; the ordinary, blue collar, working, middle class who are largely unaware of, or unaffected by, the abuse of power (apathy); and the poor, who bear the brunt, as usual.
There are horrendous examples of what it might be like if the wealthy ended up with total control.
The ex-actor President figure, with his OTT cheap rhetoric, greed, nationalist diatribe against foreigners and zero conscience, was like a cross between Trump and Hitler. The types in society who latch on to that and use it as an excuse to maim and murder, are portrayed excellently. Cowards and thugs.
An excellent, amoral, mentally unhinged, inferiority complex ridden and purely evil female character, who is a great puppet master, is portrayed really well by Kim Min Jung. The times I wanted to climb into my TV and punch her!...
The whole cast were great, with neither Ji Sung nor Jin-young overacting, although there were times scenes of grief were stretched out too far, for me personally ~ but that's down to direction, not acting.
The pivotal story of a fire years before, is always in the background. Ji Sung's cold, menacing and detached character of Kang Yo Han is really good.
I honestly wasn't sure about him until a lot further into the drama.
The dynamic between Ji Sung and Jin-young's characters was brought to life by the actors, who I thought worked really well together.
There's a little romance, but I never felt sparks between Jin-young and Park Gyu-young ~ a kiss was decidedly mediocre, considering it was between 2 people that had avoided their attraction to one another for years, over fears of wrecking their friendship, and were no longer teenagers. Their chemistry as the closest of friends, however, was really good.
There was a scene where Elijah was alone with Soo-hyun on Ga-on's rooftop apartment terrace and when they left, I immediately wondered how the hell they got up there (never mind down again), with a wheelchair (no lift). That to me is lazy directing. There were several occasions the story veered a little too far away from what would actually be possible.
Overall I enjoyed this drama a lot though. It felt great when Yo-han found loop holes to exact punishment on criminals, that those he was ultimately after, were trying to protect.
The power of the media (but also the need for it to be independent), of spin and of how it is more than possible to frame someone by manipulating facts, should be watched with a huge dose of caution about the realities of such things, which are prevalent in today's societies throughout the world.
Dictatorships brainwash and control their citizens. Those of us lucky enough to live in democracies, should fight to ensure life stays that way and be thankful for it.
It also spotlights the realities of baying for blood, when it's others who will carry out and have responsibility for taking that person's life ~ regardless of why.
Some scenes are difficult to watch, but fit perfectly, are not done purely for effect and carry a heavy message, if looked at as more than just another action/thriller drama.
The OST is near perfect too.... Huckleberry Finn and more, were a genius choice.

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Finally dystopian dramas!!!

The drama deserves a high rating, although at some point the story one became too far-fetched, but I think the ending made up for it. I feel that the drama is kind of a satire that says a lot in low tones. Where there is tyranny and oppression, it will give rise to a monster seems to be the central theme for this drama, I liked how the drama gave us a visual of how it would have been in a world of live court shows where people could actively participate. I learnt a lot, like yo han used to say, 'no one is really innocent', most people who hold themselves out to be so righteous turn out to be the worst hypocrites, we shouldn't be too quick to pass judgment on people's character. Most importantly, I liked how the drama ended on a realistic note that in the end, the fight against corruption is a destination and is not something that can be achieved quickly.

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Sun-ah...

tw: mentions of rape sa Bruh... i feel like sun-ah got so downplayed at the end. it felt like they implied they all raped her when they talked to director seo before he died and then they never brought it up again...? i honestly thought after she saw the orphan she would've been the one to stop all of them and then yohan would've stopped her idk..? like i was expecting a little more.. and the fact they left GAON IN KOREA????? he has nobody left in his life ???? if yohan killing the PRESIDENT couldnt save korea from dystopia wtf was gaon gonna do... like i wish they would've all went and had the family they always wanted 😭💔

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I'm gonna miss this series

Can't believe that it's over! Two months gone- just like that! And the ride that this series carried me on! What a journey!

Story-9/10
This was an amazing story that just left me shock week after week and made me eager to see what would happen the following week. Sometimes when you think it's going to go one way- a curveball is thrown just to blow you away. And it was also so good to see that all of the bad guys got their just desserts in the end. I couldn't give it a full 10 due to these two major things- the characters of Kim Ga On and the portrayal of Yoon Soo Hyun.

Kim Ga On's character was easily persuaded by any individual once they say 'Yeah, this is what happened.' And that what annoyed me a bit. I thought that maybe, just MAYBE he wasn't that gullible (or some might say trustworthy) to believe basically what anyone says. He was a lawyer. His character needed to be more analytical as he needed to think with his brain and not with his emotions. Basic knowledge is that there are three sides to a story- the two people who are telling the story and the truth. That's just plain common sense (this also goes for his teacher, Min Jung Ho).

What also got to me (even though I cried when she died) was that they basically used the fridging trope on Yoon Soo Hyun. Fridging is the practice of killing off or hurting a minor character (yes, I know she is a main character in this series, but it still works) in order to motivate or torture a main character. And it can clearly be seen here. We don't really get any in-depth background story from her character except for she went to school with Kim Ga On and loves him and that she's a cop. We don't have any background story of her life. And because they used this trope and didn't develop her properly, I am clearly annoyed.

Acting/Cast-10/10
Everyone's acting was amazing. There were characters who I hated with a passion from the beginning to the end. Some characters I felt were even able to redeem themselves (there were two female characters who annoyed me, but in the end they changed my perspectives on them). this series makes me want to see more series that stars Ji Sung, cause his acting was phenomenal. I also felt that Park Jinyoung's acting is improving as he is taking up more series and different characters every time.

Music-10/10
The music is beautiful and top notched!

Rewatch Valu-9/10
Okay. Here what- I'm going to give this a 9. Cause there were a few things that annoy me, but this series was still excellent. So, I do want to rewatch it, but still have to gear myself to watch it again.

Overall-9.5/10
Overall, it was an excellent series that I did enjoy. And I would most definitely recommend this to other viewers.

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A must see. It amazing to watch

WOW" Dont be fooled by its name. Its like a spider web of how all the fraudulent activity within the government and conglomerate. This shows how powerful people think they are above the law and as long as they have money and stick together they can commit or cover up any crime. That is til they decide to do a virtual Court Room that the public can be the jury and vote on. The higher up wanted to make money and heighten there careers off of this, but when things take a wrong turn hell break loose and this is an example of what happens: The first case is the Minister of Justice Cha Kyung hee son was arrested for assault, battery, intoxication and more she goes nuts because charges weren't pressed, but his records showed more than 10 settlement. The people find him quilty and he flogged 30+times then put in jail. As each episode goes on to take down hugh companies that cause injustice to the people and those backing them. As Yo han is slowly tearing down those that hurt his family and Ga on families and so many others. I feel he helps Ga on more since he looks identical to his dead brother and tries to protect him. As the show goes on the big guys are getting nervous and making some mistakes. Ga on didn't like the way the Yo han handled things until he find out that the man who swindled people out of over $1 billion won and caused his parents & so many others suicides was switched out with someone else and only 130,000 was confiscated. Also Cha kyung hee husband's business was going bankrupt at the same time and was saved.. I wonder how?

Ji Sung plays Judge Kang Yo Han who was born and tossed away by his father who showed nolove and only beat him. Thankful he had his stepbrother that tryed to protect him from his dad. His father excuse was he's like me and locked him in the basement only to come out when told. I feel bad as he didnt know what he did was wrong. His emotion turn on/off especially the scene with his niece when he tries to smile and talk to her ep7/8 10+++.

Park Jin Young plays Kim Ga On the young attorney who is trying to stop the scams that killed his parents and Kang Isaac (Elijah dad and Yo han step brother & protector)

Kim Min Jung plays Jung Sa Ah who says she loves Yo han since she worked for his family, but she would steal anything shiny and blame him and he would be beaten by his dad. Until One day he tells her to jump if she likes him and she did.. She is definitely in need of psychological help and a crazy B**ch and thats being nice.

Park Gyu Young plays Yoon Soo Hyun a police office and best friend to Ga On since childhood. She proposed 5x and he reject and tells her to ask again later they as they rely on each other and he doesn't want to loose her over a misunderstanding.

Ahn nae sang played Min jung Ho who was on the Supreme court and advisor/friend of Ga on and Soo hyun. He keeps telling him that Yo han is bad and to work for him and get info to take yo han down. I think jung ho is bad.

Park Gyu Young plays Yoon Soo Hyun a police office and best friend to Ga On since childhood. She proposed 5x and he reject and tells her to ask again later they as they rely on each other and he doesn't want to loose her over a misunderstanding.

Ahn nae sang played Min jung Ho who was on the Supreme court and advisor/friend of Ga on and Soo hyun. He keeps telling him that Yo han is bad and to work for him and get info to take him down and also stirs things up between soo hyun and ga on. I dont like him i think hes bad.

**The other 4 characters: Cha Kyung Hee [Minister of Justice], Heo Jung Se [President], Min Yong Shik [Chairman], Du Man [Saram Media Group Chairman] and there wives are just as bad as them money hungry 🤬🤬

Yo han has a personal grudge against the blue house and conglomerate(animals) for using the church and convincing his brother & wife to donate everything (10+billion won) to build the Dream home, village etc projects for the poor and homeless. "NOT" its going into there own greedy pockets and going to develop there own project and sell it overseas. As he was walking away he heard screaming and ran back to the church to get his family out, but these animals just pushed, climbed and shoved each other. When he finally got in he grabs his niece from under his brother & wife and as he walked away the ceiling clasps on them and he protects her. He walks out later with his niece
back scared. Even as a child when he killed the bird in class, he saw the fear on the girls face and thought he was helping, but again was called monster to many times you become one. IF ONLY someone would have taught him right from wrong and loved him from the beginning i think 🤗 he did what he did to protect his niece its just his mind works different,
The show continues with Yo han, Ga on and Oh jin joo taking down criminals that the higher up were protecting(for money of course) thru other reason that put them in jail. There are some unnecessarily grouse killing that make you want to cringe especially when they all sit around a table and just drink, joke and laugh so sad. The president convinces the public there is a virus and they are taking care of until yohan, ga on, oh jin exposures them on live Tv to show the public how they are beating everyone old/young and even kill a grandfather. Soo hyun show up and gets shot and now Ga on is going crazy and Min jung ho convinces him that it was manipulated by Yo han. Ga on makes a mistake and Yo han is arrested and put in jail and now he tries to fix his mistake and finds out everyone close to them is taken so he goes sneak into the farm. Then a flashback we see the wives talking about going to the farm to see if there crops are growing in Dream village medical. Now Ga on is inside and video what he sees and hears and finds hwang yi yon so now he tries to sneak her out and is caught by a nurse who helps but ask him to expose the farm. Omg when all the truths come out and ( i got it right from the beginning YoHan secret.) i found the ending quite satisfying with no questions unanswered. A must watch A+ PS: have tissue available

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Ji Sung in a suit should be bottled as elixir

The Devil Judge is an intense character driven story that was let down by the plot and the melodramatic performance of Kim Min-Jung who played, Chairman Jeong, the main villain. Min-Jung's acting was just so bad I actually had secondhand embarrassment for her although one might also lay the blame at the feet of the writers.

I must say that the idea of a dystopian SK where the people vote on the guilt or innocence of the defendants was novel and the method with which the tension escalated was well-paced, however, there were too many instances where the story itself was redundant and lacking the emotional connection needed to make us sympathize with the other protagonists, namely Ga-On, Elijah, and Soo-Hyun, the stupid female cop who jumped to all sorts of conclusions without even attempting to investigate.

Overall, a great drama with a captivating male lead who owned the screen from the very first scene hence the ten stars.

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Explosive, cathartic, and thought provoking

Is the life of a murderer’s worth more than a victim’s?

If you find yourself brooding over this question, you will love this drama. Because this is just a taster of what the Devil Judge offers to the mind.

A rating of 10/10 isn’t enough to show how much I recommend it.

I initially clicked because of Ji Sung (as we do), but this gave me so much more that I anticipated. The drama ticked the boxes for a great plot, twists and acting. Even the soundtrack is wonderful to accent certain moments (Something Stronger is fire), and not to mention we got to witness a brilliantly written anti hero and female villain (which is rare). Every drama has its flaws, and the lack of development in some of the characters, particularly Kim Ga On and Yoon Soo Hyun, had become the sacrifice for top tier setting and subject.

Personally, I found that the thought provoking element ultimately makes The Devil Judge one of, if not, THE best drama I’ve seen in my years of drama indulging, and I haven’t felt like this in a long time. In an era where dramas and film are churned out like a machine, most of it doesn’t actually involve thinking anymore.

There are certain scenes that would be enough to snag DOTY alone (particularly Ep4), if not for the depth which this drama possesses. You’ll find yourself noticing the sublime details (such as the total number of trials), that shows a lot of care has gone into this.

Given the heavy parts, I have to commend the humour sprinkled in between. There are a lot of good quotes and heartbreaking, beautiful, hilarious, intense scenes that linger in your mind long after the ep is over, more than I can say here. Just to give some perspective, I’m not someone who gets emotional easily, but there were parts where my heart was physically in pain, and the sudden realizations are the ones hurt the most.

I hope this drama doesn’t get buried, because much of the philosophical questions raised couldn’t be more important today. After the final scene has ended, I still contemplated if there’s a line to be drawn when it comes to achieving justice. And…what is justice?

Paired with dark themes, undertones of hatred and compassion, room for interpretation, and silent expressions that spoke more than dialogue, it attempts to answer this question through an anti hero, all the while never providing a straight answer.

And in the end, even the title hits very differently from when you first started; for you, as the viewer, have already judged Kang Yo Han before the episode had even begun. It was bait that I was guilty of taking up until Ep2. Everything about TDJ is really quite remarkable, and shows how much kdramas have evolved.

If you’re hesitating, don’t miss out on this craft. This drama has one of THE best opening episodes I’ve ever witnessed, and it’s coming from someone who’s only seen 1 other work of Ji Sung’s in 2020 (Doctor John) so far. I like to think I’m unbiased, but the man is an acting master if I ever saw one, and this work only further emphasizes it. The entire cast was sensational in their performances, for I just about covered every possible aspect of the human emotion watching this.

From the very start, unbeknownst to the viewer, the Devil Judge asks us to put our full trust in KYH and his choices, eventually siding with him when no one else did (when that is, depends on you). Where I’ve once faltered in Ep 1, I now find it hard to let go of his character.

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