Juvenile Justice

A crime, is a crime. Age is irrelevant.

How could a child commit a crime? How could someone so young do something so brutal?

Every case involving children or minors has the same outcome, a rehabilitation center that never manages to make much of a difference. Set in the backdrop of protests against the current juvenile act in korea, this drama attempts to toy with an important question, "Is murder less of a crime when committed by a child?"

Does everyone deserve a second chance? A free second shot?
The story, refreshingly, does not feed you the answer. All the characters are morally grey and have their own beliefs and personalities, as the viewer you are free to have your own opinion but you must remember one aspect above all.
A crime is a crime.

And that i believe is the important take away, relatively simple but so important.

as stated in episode 1, “how dare she commit a crime”

Is stealing bread because you’re starving a crime? Yes. Should everyone have access to bread? Obviously.
Should a government be held responsible when everyone doesn't have access to bread? Yes.
An oversimplification, but maybe it gets the point across.

I’ll probably come back to these random musings another day. However, a brilliant show, attempting to break the mould in an oversaturated industry.

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Interesting look into juvenile cases, doesn't shy away from having good endings or depicting things as they are, bit too passive in terms of message/moral within cases.

Judge is a great character, however her backstory is kinda lackluster and is done as a mess in terms of the final trial. Lot of power abuse, and is right far too much and doesn't really face any repercussions for her aggressive nature. Acts a lot more like a prosecutor than a judge, but I guess the title of the show acknowledges that. Great acting and chemistry between the two main judges, the Head Judge both teams are just kind of annoying for the sake of being annoying to prop up the MC.

The final arc is very messy, and really could've been done better. I don't really get the main villain of the final trial, and trying to tie the whole story towards this trial really sours things and makes it messier than it needs to be. Show takes too long with these things and for a short show you need to do better. Great overall look into juvenile cases and a refreshing concept within dramas copying the same ideas with slight changes.

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It's a shame they canceled the second season

The series moved me a lot, I was extremely emotional with the judges' story (especially in the last episode where Shim was going to visit the cemetery, that made me cry a lot). I really wanted there to be a second season, when I researched it I was sad to find out that they canceled it. These juvenile laws are absurd, they deserved to be punished more rigorously. I was angry with Judge Na, she judged the murder case of Judge Shim's son very badly, there was no justice and there were no teachings for the two murderers. The series really captivated me, I loved how Judge Shim helped those who needed it and punished those who needed it, she is incredible and perfect, I loved her so much. Judge Cha was also impeccable, I confess that I fell in love with him, I was thrilled that he found the judge who helped him as a child, and Judge Kang, he was incredible, impeccable, I was sad that he didn't enter politics, I'm sure he would have done several incredible things. The ending seemed a little confusing, too rushed, it could have had 16 episodes, I would have loved it and been interested in other new stories.
A fact that I was already forgetting: guys, how hateful is that mother of Shim's ex-husband's, what a miserable old woman, how could she have done that and gotten away with it? And that ex-husband of hers? What an imbecile man, "that's how the law is" "he was also my son", how did he accept it so easily? How could he have gone after Shim just to interfere in her life? Having gone after her to tell her not to get involved in in the case of those damn murderers?! And still letting his mother know and letting her do that stupid thing in court, in front of everyone. If I were Shim I would have punched him when he showed up at her door.

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A serious series that delves into the gray areas of justice

I was in tears regularly since the early start of the show because of how real some of the issues they delved into could be. The series explored the balance between tough love, mercy and doing what is right, providing many turns in the story that kept the audience on edge about the cases. The main lead is extremely good, and her signature subtle teary eyes while angry showed much conviction in the series, one that I could relate to. There is virtually no humour nor romance in the show, so don't expect any. It's a dark and thoughtful series and delivered almost everything I could ask for. I was just not satisfied with the endings of some cases.

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Wannabe Delinquents

On one hand, it tackled some important complexities surrounding youth crime and the justice system. But on the other hand, it felt like it was hitting the viewers over the head with its message a bit too hard. They always found a way to end up being overly preachy. I guess that's part of the overdramatization? The drama had a handful of cases but these were presented in descending order, with each one being less appealing than its predecessor. I feel conflicted about some of the cast choices, but if we were to ignore that and only focus on the characters, the situation didn't look so bright either. By episode 6, they started to inject personal stories and affairs, but it was a bit too late to have proper development when the drama was just 10 episodes. In the end, it was a watchable law drama with some notable ideas but remained average until the end.

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6 gripping juvenile cases in just 10 hours that both entertain and enrich mind and soul

"I have nothing but hatred for young offenders"
"This is just the new grim reality of juvenile crime"
With such opening lines, Juvenile Justice seems a promising drama exploring the mentality and behaviours of young offenders and how to manage them to uphold justice for the victims in today's society, and this drama did not disappoint.

Juvenile Justice tells 6 gripping juvenile cases in just 10 hours, of kids committing crimes on kids, throwing shades at the realities and inadequacies of the juvenile act and delicate balance to punish-educate vs protect young offenders, peer pressure, parental responsibilities for their children’s behaviours, domestic violence, rat race in the educational system etc.

Throw in the solid no-nonsense Kim Hye Soo, as the Judge of the Juvenile Court who has nothing but hatred for young offenders, and viewers are in for a very compelling watch that not just entertains but enriches the souls and minds. Some standout quotes for me:

“Everyone makes mistakes. What matters is after. What happens after determines who you’ll become.”
“There’s a saying - don’t steal a candle to read a Bible. It means if the ways are corrupt, the purpose is as well.”

And if only Judge Kang can think and care for his son just like Prof Park #DesignatedSurvivor60Days..

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Must watch Korean drama shedding light on the realities of issues in Korean law and society

This is one of the best Kdramas of 2022. If not THE BEST and will always be a top tier kdrama in my heart along with Mystic Pop-up Bar, Flower of Evil, and Move to Heaven. This Korean drama has amazing writing, pacing, and dialogue brought to life by top-tier acting and music we have a kdrama that sheds light on juvenile offenders, the leniency they receive, the ubiquitous repeated offenders, and other issues in law and society.

Characters

We have a cold hearted and emotionless judge, who despises juvenile offenders with the philosophy that the law is too lenient towards young offenders. Contrast to that we have her colleague, Cha Tae-Ju who is a warm hearted and has a philosophy of rehabilitation of offenders. Each with opposite ideals but the same goal: serving justice, but in their own way.

Examples of the many ways it sheds light on Korean society

My favourite episode of this kdrama were episode 3 and 4 where it focused Seo Yu-Ri's case. Seo Yu-Ri was part of a runaway gang and has a history of minor crimes including theft. But when we get to know more about her, the kdrama teaches and important lesson which is a re-occurring theme throughout the show as we see more juvenile offenders: you're a product of your environment.

This child dealt with horrific abuse from her father. But what I loved most about this story is the grandmother. She is good hearted but she discouraged her granddaughter to report the abused because "he's her father", how she tried to convince her son to stop, and when she confessed to the police that she raised her son wrong and how his father was also abusive; which led to her son continuing that cycle down her granddaughter.

I know this sound shitty of the grandma but this really touched me because this is exactly the problem with Asian society in general. Hitting your child as a form of discipline is normal (not to that extent) and it is why child abuse is so common. The sentiment of "respect your parents" and "respect your elders" is also the standard in Asia.

I've never seen a Korean drama talk about truly deep and sensitive issues about Korea like Juvenile Justice does which is why it's my favourite. It doesn't just talk about issues in Korea that everyone is okay with talking about like corruption, or beauty standards; It sheds light on genuinely critical societal issues that most don't want to talk about such as academic pressure and competition, child abuse, forced prostitution, gang violence, juveniles being unafraid of the law because of how lenient their sentences will be and fucking scary they are because not even the law is stopping them.

It's not like some other dramas about law where justice is ALWAYS served (cough, cough, While you were sleeping). It shows the reality and how the law doesn't always protect the victim and those perpetrators do get away or get extremely lenient sentences.

Conclusion

This kdrama is on the darker side of things but if you're okay with it I strongly recommend it! I finally found a kdrama to be on my top tier greatest of all time kdramas through the stories important stories it tells.

10/10

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(+) amazing performance from the cast. para pemeran utama bisa dibilang ngga punya visual 'sebunga' aktris/aktor muda yang lagi digandrungi, tapi gimana yeee jam terbang gabakal bisa boong. emang beda pemain layar lebar mah.
(+) penulisan dan penceritaannya apik tenan! hubungan dari kasus satu hingga kasus terakhir mulus banget, pengungkapan backstory para main lead juga alus. detil sebab akibat dari segala sudut pandangnya lengkap. cakep dah pokoknya, rapih.
(-) dua episode pertama udah kece dan solid abis dengan pace yang satsetsatset, tapi sayang kesananya pace udah mulai kendor jadi berasanya agak lama gitu.
(-) sinematografinya oke, tonenya juga cakep, tapi ada satu yang cukup mengganggu karna sempet kenotis; cgi waktu lagi di mobilnya keliatan banget 😭😭😭

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