The Judge from Hell

Falling for Demons Again – Judge from Hell Had Me Hooked!

Damn, I absolutely loved it! Why do I always end up falling for demons, whether it’s Guwon or Kang Bitna? 😅 This drama had me hooked from the start. My adrenaline spiked every time she punished sinners in the exact way they killed their victims—it really made them realize how painful their actions were.
The male lead also did his part so well. Even though he didn’t do anything “cute” in the drama, I still found him adorable—just like the female lead. Their dynamic worked perfectly.
That cliffhanger ending though! Totally unexpected, and now I can’t stop wishing for a Season 2. Fingers crossed they give us one! 🙏✨

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whats with that ending?

first of all, i wouldnt say i didnt enjoy this drama. it was interesting, and kept getting me hooked during the episodes, curious by justitia and police trying to catch the serial killer but ngl i at first, stopped watching it for a few weeks after the first episode. having justitia to kill the murderers while the police wanted to catch them, made me feel a little bit weird (?) even tho i knew it was justitia' job lol (and the fact that police didnt know the person who was killing them)

the romance wasnt bad nor good. it was okay, i wouldnt say it was unnecessary but neither necessary as some people here says. it wouldve worked any way.

i wanna talk about the ending because even tho i dont hate open endings, this was pretty open to me and i didnt like it at all, at least i wanted to see what was her choice. if she would take bael' place as his heir or lucifer' offer idk i wouldve like that.

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Overall average

Hi, romance enjoyer here. If you consider watching this show and count on a good combination of romance and thriller/action you are going to probably be disappointed. Show is very emotional, but these emotions usually include grief, pain and suffering more than love. Actors give great performances, however show lacks logic when it comes to reasoning of certain behaviours. I have seen shows with romance that also focus more on action/drama, like for example Healer or Mask and they were in my opinion better when it comes to combining plot with love, this one left me wanting something more, sadly.

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If you are not focused just on the romance, it is a great supernatural series

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2024 South Korean Dark Fantasy, Action Legal thriller. With 14, 60-73 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then a review

Synopsis

Judge Kang Bit-na (Park Shin-hye) is mysteriously stanbed to death in a park and erroneously winds up before Hell’s judge, Justitia (Oh Na-ra). Justitia does not like humans nor does she feel any empathy for the murder victim who was before her by accident so she sends her to hell. This angers Bael (Shin Sun-rok), a major demon who is essentially second in charge of Hell. To punish her, Bael forces her to inhabit Kang Bit-na’s body and identify ten evil amd remorseless sinners who do not get full punishment through the justice system and send them to hell. eternal punishment. She only has one year or her existence will be snuffed out by Bael. During the course of serving as a human judge, Justitia/Bit-na encounter Han Da-on (Kim Jae-young) a violent crimes detective, who becomes suspicious of the judge when he notices many of those who appear before her meet an early demise.

Review

This was a fresh take on sins and judgements and the role of supernatural characters such as demons and angels.  It reminded me of a book series I read by Piers Anthony "Incarnations of Immortality" where every role, God, Satan, Grim Reaper were just jobs.  I found the Hell's judgement aspect of this series very interesting.  Who wouldn't like to think that those truly evil among us might experience an "eye for an eye" type punishment.   It was entertaining throughout.  Well-acted.  And ended reasonably well.  I might watch it again and highly recommend it to fans of the genre.  It's not as strong in terms of the romance but very strong as a supernatural drama. 

Spoilers

Like so many others my main critique was with the romance element.  I did not dislike that it had a romance running through it felt like an afterthought in many ways. It would have felt more integrated if the ending had not been so nebulous.  Does she love him enough to stay behind and be human or not?  I thought the chemistry was fine between the leads but it was just hard, in general, to envision someone so strongly enamored with justice being okay with a partner that is essentially a serial killer.  She was just doing her job and wasn't going after anyone that did not deserve it, but the absolute joy she exhibited in carrying out the brutal and grisly punishments was disturbing.  It was like a serial killer that found a sanctioned purpose for what they already enjoyed doing. The main guy was so good that pairing him with someone who could kill anyone in that manner was just a hard match up to buy. 

It also made no sense why she would be offered the chance to essentially send 10 to hell in exchange for becoming human.  What did it benefit hell to grant her such a thing?  She would have had to carry out her job whether or not she was rewarded.

They seemed to leave it open for there to be another season.  It ended, they were together, but it could be only temporary (three years and she is on her last year when it ends) depending on whether or not she decides to become human.  I don't like nebulous ending.  I know streaming platforms like to do that so they have the option of additional seasons if it is popular.  But it breaks what is great about South Korean shows where you know generally there will be one season.  And there isn't this open-ended decision about future seasons or not. 

#TheJudgeFromHell. #ParkShinHye #OhNaRa #ShinSunRok #KimJaeYoung

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Blockbuster Start, Slightly Lackluster Finale (still one of 2024's Best)

Supernatural merging with modern world, short length drama, one case per episode tying up to a larger storyline - these are the reasons why I started this drama. Right from the start it had me completely hooked, and the first 10 episodes were so captivating that I came on MDL weekly to discuss various theories with others. These engaging discussions made it one of the standout dramas in 2024 for me, but unfortunately, the ending didn’t quite meet my great expectations. Here’s the breakdown:

➥ BEST PARTS
✦ Story & Pace: I like crisp, engaging story telling - & this had different cases per episode while tying it to a larger story involving the main & recurring support casts. (Think: Tomorrow, Move To Heaven, Signal etc)
✦ Acting:
(1) Kang Bitna/Justicia: Park Shin Hye is usually in damsel-in-distress roles, but here she’s a savage + showing vulnerability as her character grows humane. Applauding her acting—more roles like this for her, please!
(2) Han Daon: First time seeing him, and I’m wondering why I’m only discovering this gem now! Handsome & acted with conviction. Hoping he gets the popularity he deserves (like Byeon Woo Seok overnight)—excited for his future projects!
(3) Mando, Arong, Landlady, Police Officers: Often seen in support roles, they delivered perfection even in limited screentime. Especially Kim In Kwon—been a fan since Mr Queen, what a talent.

➥ What Could Have Been Better:
The Finale Episodes 11-14:
The initial 10 episodes had set the bar so high, the scale so massive with its action, mystery that when it came to unfold in the last finale episodes - I was expecting epic battles, emotional rollercoasters, that doubt that will they have a happy ending or not? While it was good and fell into place - it felt underwhelming to the point that what was meant to be blockbuster turned out to be lackluster.

Example: Bael's forced punishments, Justicia vs Satan Battle, Gabriel's Sacrifice*, etc. felt a bit flat & rushed. Also, they did not completely reveal the fate of human Kang Bitna (did she escape Hell or no?)

➥ Overall:
The shortcomings are due to the fact that my expectations were sky-high. Otherwise this drama is great - I am definitely adding it to my Wall of Fame, and I think it is one of the best dramas of 2024. Highly Recommend to BINGE - it is a short one with mystery, action, comedy and romance - so worth the time.

P.S.: Those who know PSH would be familiar with her fish face kissing scenes. I think the ML brought on the wild side - cause that kiss in finale was ROARRRR! FIREEEE!!!!!

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One of the best K-drama so far

Where do I start? This drama kept me engage the entire time. From the cases to the killings to the judgments, it was a masterpiece. Every thing about this drama was spot on. I loved how Justisia judged based on her law and not the law of the land because we all know that the law of the land does very little justice. She punished those who needed to be punished and I loved that for her. I also loved that despite falling in love with a human, she kept to herself. She was just as cunning as the sinners. Of course, when it comes to who Satan was, it was subtle in showing us who it was but it wasn't super obvious as well. It kept me guessing among the Jung family. I mean, that Assemblyman was suspicious along with his sons. So it was interesting to keep guessing among who the Jung men were.

Let's get started with the casts.
Park Shin Hye - Justisa and Kang Bit Na: wow, is all I can. She did an AMAZING job. This is by far her best performance since she started acting at a young age. She usually plays the same character, but she showcased her range with this one. I have always been a fan of hers, but she needs to play more roles like this. The badass woman who can defend herself. Of course, she is without faults. In the beginning, she was arrogant and rude, but she eventually started to understand humans and at the end, she did what she had promised the family. Her character arc was amazing. I enjoyed her smirk and fighting.

Kim Jae Young - Han Da On: Okay, not going to lie, I have never seen any of his dramas, but I thought that he was an awesome job. He was annoying at first, wanting to catch Kang Bit Na and use human laws against her, but once he joined forces with her, he started to understand that sometimes you can't use human laws on evil. I loved how with his eyes and tears, he can move the audience and the cold hearted Kang Bit Na. He went through a lot at a young age and he again lost the one who raised him and care for him, but he still wanted to be on the side of justice. His character arc was also amazing. He grew from being a one sided officer to understanding that the law may not always be on their side but he hopes that the law can at least mend the hearts of the victims.

Kim In Kwon - Mando: he is the funniest character of the entire drama. He was really put in a dilemma and he did what he can. I have always thought that he was a perfect match to Park Shin Hye. She had been driving him crazy since 2009 (if you know what I mean). Despite the fact that he was conflicted when it came to religion, being a demon himself, he was always loyal to Kang Bit Na. He went along with her shenanigans all the while trying to protect her the best he can.

Kim Ah Young - Arong: oh boy. Where to start with her. When we first met her, she was already suspicious to me. But she played her part so well. I understand that she wanted to do anything in her power to help Justista but betraying her idol was the most ridiculous thing she can do. I mean, Justitia has already told her to leave Han Da On alone, but she just couldn't trust her idol, so she went behind her back and got her almost killed. However, I did like that they made her realize what she did was wrong and stood by Justitia side as a loyal friend.

All of the guests did an AMAZING job. They were the perfect psychopath. They played their part very well and I can see that they have range to play someone who can come off as nice but is truly evil. They all deserve medals for their part in the drama. Some of them, especially the multiple personalities actor, outshined the main casts. I mean, they were just so awesome.

So, my rating. It started off as a 10, but I took 1.5 stars out because of the second part of episodes 14. I loved how she ended up dying, and then brought back to punish Jung Tae Gyu. However, she should have been sent back to Hell to punish the sinners and murders in Hell. After learning from what she had learned in the human world, she should have used that to rightfully punish the murders and not act like she did in the episode 1, but no, she asked Bael for three years and he willingly gave it to her. I love a happy ending, but I feel that for this drama, there shouldn't be a happy ending. This is not a fairytale drama.

The thing that I loved most about episode 14 is that it circled back to episode 1 when she told the kids about justice. That was a nice touch to the drama. However, I did not like the open end ending with the choice of either staying as a human by punishing 10 more sinners or going straight to hell. I wished she wouldn't even have that chance. I loved her but as I have stated, this wasn't a fairytale drama. It was a dark drama that has romance (which I still didn't agree with). Overall, I don't mind rewatching this again.

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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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Park Shin Hye's Best Role So Far!!

From the way she acted as Kang Bitna, you could see that she was enjoying this so much. It was different from all her previous roles; an anti-hero character with supernatural power as its main theme. I am amazed when I found out that she did the stunt by herself (wow). She perfectly brought the character to life.

As for the storyline, this drama actually reminded me of an old anime called "Hell Girl". It's the same premise with different characterization of the female lead. Some people might find this drama uncomfortable due to the amount of violence and brutality, but as a fan of crime thriller, this is VERY SATISFYING HELL YEAH!!! And I am enjoying every bit of the comedy, especially the devils vs church people lmao.

Lastly, if i could be honest. Not really a fan of the romance. Kind of ruining the charisma of Kang Bitna's character. But, I also understand that that was needed for her character development. Also, since Han Da On's cute, I will give it a YES!

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