Onedine

Why would he always think the same when things are changing? People who never change their minds are no better than people who change because they learn from mistakes. I don't know what people want from positive characters who have their own bright values in life. Ga On tries to stick to his principles, because who will he be without them? Another man with no soul, no morals, who will look at the death innocent people as a necessary loss. Ga On hoped for a long time that Yo Han had a conscience after all. However, it turned out that Yo Han included the dying of innocents in his plans, because the result is more important to him than the lives of individuals.

1. Star Judge
2. The Hunt and the Hunter
3. Chamber/Room of Secrets
4. Yohan's Cross
5. Scissor hands
6. Achilles heel
7. Dreams Come True
8. Resistance
9. Batman and Robin
10. Frankenstein
11. Macbeth
12. I Wish You Were Lonely
13. Hunger Game
14. The King of the Frogs
15. Medea
16. -unknown-

Books that appear in the drama:
Jane Goodall "A Reason for Hope"
Emily Bronte "The Hill of Storms"
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe "Faust"
Hannah Arendt "Eichmann of Jerusalem"
Fyodor Dostoevsky "Crime and Punishment"
W. Somerset Maugham "The Moon and Sixpence"
Arundhati Roy "God of Small Things"
Friedrich Nietzsche "Beyond Good and Evil"
https://twitter.com/breadboreum/status/1411417685301227522

Yo Han is not just an anti-hero, he is pure evil because he poisons people with his way of thinking. The drama doesn't show him as an anti-hero who has villain methods, but does something good nonetheless. I know what anti-heroes are. Yo Han wanted an innocent death to get people to side with him. The old man who died was just that. Please do not write after the drama that there was no indication that Yo Han was a murderer who would sacrifice almost anyone in the name of his philosophy of life. The drama consistently showed that Yo Han pursues the goal by sacrificing even his loved ones. I know that Yo Han's motifs are more attractive to viewers, hence it follows that so many people prefer his character. But these are the intentions of the drama makers. The drama shows how easily ordinary people take the side of evil when they think they are doing the right thing. People choose their own leaders, but they don't always show the truth about themselves. Yo Han is another "savior" of society, who gets the worst out of people. He is a "trap", not a solution to problems. Because Yo Han creates new problems by giving people the opportunity to be executioner by voting. The drama shows that when it comes to judging, giving everyone the right to vote is the wrong solution. Some people just don't qualify to judge others. How many of those people who voted themselves could have been criminals? It is quite possible that there were. How many of them were minors? How many of them were just too stupid to give them a chance to make decisions? Therefore, the live court is not a good solution.

It's been a long time since I saw such a different interpretation among viewers as in this drama. In Korea, people are outraged at the killing (...) in the previous episode. Foreign fans commenting largely seem to be enjoying the death of a positive character. In Korea, articles have been written about how Yo Han's methods are destructive to the morality of ordinary people. In English I see comments that he should almost be worshiped because he is great. After episode 14, I thought the English-speaking viewers would finally notice that both the foundation and Yo Han were on the same level of evil. Nothing of that. People still defend him, just as some idols who go to jail for various crimes are defended on the internet. Some people absolutely want to see morally evil characters as their representation, and they consider good characters naive, boring, and generally that they should die.

1. Star Judge
2. The Hunt and the Hunter
3. Chamber/Room of Secrets
4. Yohan's Cross
5. Scissorhands
6. Achilles heel
7. Dreams Come True
8. Resistance
9. Batman and Robin
10. Frankenstein
11. Macbeth
12. I Wish You Were Lonely
13. Hunger Game
14. The King of the Frogs
15. -unknown-
16. -unknown-

Synopsis of #TheDevilJudgeEp14: The King of the Frogs

Gaon lost his reason for living after losing Soohyun. Yohan is the one who restores Gaon's life purpose.
Gaon and Yohan start to prepare a trial to punish Jookchang, but for some reasons, although they are working together,
it seems that each of them has different thoughts from each other. Indeed, will Yohan and Gaon be able to hold the trial smoothly?

*"The King of The Frogs" is a literal trans but it's likely referring to Aesop Fables "The Frogs Who Desired A King".
https://twitter.com/dainty922/status/1426588538892472320

Synopsis, Ep.14 The King of the Frogs

At what point will we find out what Soo Hyun discovered in a conversation with a witness to the fire? At the end of the 14th or 15th episode ? I feel it will be quite a shock for the viewers. How the drama portrays Yo Han is a big achievement for the script. Probably many viewers are still convinced that he does something good for people. The drama shows more and more clearly that the live court is a masquerade by Yo Han, who literally took over the consciences of the viewers. The perversity of his actions is on par with Machiavelli.

I do not think that what is shown on the screen is inconsistent with what some people write about the original concept. It's just that the drama has not fully shown Yo Han's behavior yet, because it is supposed to be a "twist" near the end of the drama. I don't think Yo Han's "revenge" is what it seems. There are 4 episodes left until the end of the drama. They will not only focus on destroying the foundation, but will show the whole truth about Yo Han. But even the drama tells: "Yo Han is the killer, the main villain of the drama" some people will say that drama "did him dirty". If the viewer is on Yo Han's side, he won't want to see all the "red flags" the drama shows from the very beginning. I don't think this approach is the writer's fault. The drama shows Yo Han as a character to be avoided who brings misfortune to the people next to him. "K" warned Ga On about what could happen to him if he sided with Yo Han. "K", who probably knew the most about the dark side of Yo Han's life. It cannot be just because everyone is prejudiced against him. 4 people (they knew him well) thought he would be capable of murder: his father, Elijah, Sun Ah, Young Ok. Throughout the drama, Yo Han talks about himself as a person who wants to have power, who does not care about others. These are not empty words. Everything we know about him is not in words : "victim of a cruel father", "a loner because people don't understand him", a man who wants "the revenge he deserves." When he says something is a "game", he is serious. When he says "I'm the abyss," he says seriously. When he said, "I am the authority," in the first episode, he defined his aspirations. If someone refuses to accept what Yo Han says, he will never understand his character. He doesn't say things because they sound fun. They define his character. Yo Han does cannot be closed in a box with the words: "a loner who only wants to avenge his family, who could find happiness if only people understood him, who only wants good for people" is a misunderstanding of the comlicated evil character. To say that Yo Han is a positive character is to diminish the actor's talent, who perfectly captures a character who has many shades of darkness.

" i wonder what the production team was thinking?

In my opinion, they'll show the whole ugly truth about Yo Han at the very end. Probably in the flashacks. They will make viewers aware that they have been deceived. Likewise, people are deceived by beautiful "prophets of the present", "beautiful words", in real life.

It is clear from the first episode that Yo Han is the "devil" who does everything to his goals and everyone is his pawns. He and Ga On are opponents and this is shown in the last scene of the first episode. To see Yo Han as he is, the viewer must listen to what Yo Han says ("I'm a abbys") and stop seeing him as a victim of a difficult childhood. Yes, he had a terrible childhood, but he did and does immoral and bad things. But if someone justifies evil in the name of revenge, he will not see Yo Han as an evil character. This drama strongly divides viewers in the opinion of the characters, because it touches on very strong issues. It literally reflects the views of viewers on topics that divide people: what is evil, what is good, where is the moral line, beyond which you lose your humanity.

I think that the drama intentionally shows the plot in a way that makes it easier to empathize with Yo Han's situations and stand by his side. That's why there are scenes with his nightmares, his desire to have two important people in life (Elijah, Ga On), etc. And some scenes are delayed for a long time. What was Yo Han's relationship with Isaac shortly before the fire? What is Yo Han going to do with the power he will win when he destroys all the important people in power in the country? The foundation has over 90% of support, the live court the same. When the foundation is liquidated, the live court will be the only force that really counts, whose results really depend on Yo Han's one-sided decisions. When only one person has real power, it is a dictatorship. I think at the end of the drama, the viewers will be made aware by some events that they have been manipulated. This will show how easy it is to deceive people with lies. Just as it is easy to deceive the viewer, so is it in real life, with politicians, celebrities, etc.

I wonder if the drama can end with a victory for evil. I don't mean the evil represented by the current foundation, the president (they surely will be destroyed by Yo Han), but that the "live court" will still exist, even if there are other judges in it. Because according to the drama's writer, this "court" is wrong, and the community that supports it has been "seduced" by false idea that they have power by voting online. I can imagine the drama ending as the court continues to function and causes a spiral of uncontrolled violence that suits whoever comes to power. A hell on earth started by Yo Han.

"But what is the true purpose of this drama, other than the unique verdicts and trials of most legal dramas?

"Ji Sung (Yo Han): “However, at times, we cause each other confusion and pain. And as long as we are in this world, we are bound to live in this confusion. Despite this, humanity is precious. And that message, when conveyed through a dystopian future, holds more meaning and leaves a stronger impression on more viewers. Devil Judge exists in a dystopian world to deliver the significance that we must cherish the beauty of mankind instead of overlooking it.”

"Ji Sung hopes that the drama can serve as a warning about the possibility of such a dystopian future. “As an adult currently living in this world, I want to give the kids a beautiful future where hopes and dreams come true. I hope we won’t face such a dystopian future like in the show.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2021/08/03/ji-sung-discusses-his-drama-career-and-character-in-devil-judge

The writer took inspiration from many classic novels, legends, etc. Also from Grimm's "Beauty and the Beast". Besides, it seems to me that also from Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Dorian, the main character, hid his true face of a bad man. It was only after his death that it was obvious what a bad man he was and all his evil appeared in his portrait.

"He plays the telegenic judge Kang Yo-han in the Devil Judge, which is set in Korea in a dystopian future. In the drama, Yo-han presides over court cases that are televised and voted on by the public, much like current idol singing contests. While viewers in the drama applaud the show for bringing justice to the corrupt rich and powerful, there are obvious flaws to such a system. The public is easily influenced and some of Yo-han’s sentences are cruel. Also, he has an agenda that’s based on his own past trauma. While creating the complex character Ji Sung focused on Yo-han’s back story, “I trained myself to constantly visualize Yo-han’s life,” said Ji Sung. “I did my best to understand his life and create the kind of emotions he would have felt in his life. Even if I couldn’t understand him, I accepted him wholly. Throughout production, all I thought about was the life of Yo-han. And it made me wonder about the kind of justice he needed. Could a world with a legal system like the one in Devil Judge actually come to be? It’s possible. Some aspects of letting the public decide the fate of others already exist. “It is possible in real life and so I felt uneasy when I read the script,” said Ji Sung. “On top of that, I questioned myself if I could fully understand my role as Kang Yo-han. And there were also times when I felt uncomfortable with trusting my character during some scenes because there were moments when I struggled to grasp Yo-han’s thoughts and behavior.” The mysterious Yo-han makes some seemingly inexplicable decisions during the course of the drama, but if they seem hard to believe, it’s noteworthy that the drama’s writer is a former judge. “If our writer, Moon You-suk, wasn’t a former judge, my character might not even exist in this show,” said Ji Sung, with a laugh. “But I hope that our future will be nothing like that in Devil Judge. I hope that the generation who take their first steps into our world will see nothing but a positive future full of hopes and dreams.” Ji Sung has a theory as to why dystopian plots are so popular. “I believe the world we live in is important because it’s a place for everyone, not just myself,” he said. “However, at times, we cause each other confusion and pain. And as long as we are in this world, we are bound to live in this confusion. Despite this, humanity is precious. And that message, when conveyed through a dystopian future, holds more meaning and leaves a stronger impression on more viewers. Devil Judge exists in a dystopian world to deliver the significance that we must cherish the beauty of mankind instead of overlooking it.” Ji Sung hopes that the drama can serve as a warning about the possibility of such a dystopian future. “As an adult currently living in this world, I want to give the kids a beautiful future where hopes and dreams come true. I hope we won’t face such a dystopian future like in the show.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2021/08/03/ji-sung-discusses-his-drama-career-and-character-in-devil-judge

Ga On found a home in the Kang family, but Soo Hyun is the most important for him. He built a relationship with her almost all his life. If Yo Han weren't Ga On's "abyss", he would still be close to him and Elijah. He left their house to save his soul. Yo Han is Mephistopheles (the devil in Goethe's "Faust"), he tempts people to give their souls to the "evil". Yo Han is as Mephistopheles and at the same time is a combination of Batman and the Joker. This is mentioned in the interviews.

I think this "hero" is in the sense of "hope for the better without sacrificing one's humanity", not in the sense of a hero who has answers for everything and can fix everything. This drama does not feature characters that are easy to judge, easy to like, and always loveable. In "The devil judge" characters, even those on the "good" side, are imperfect, sometimes selfish, they often make mistakes, so in many cases it is difficult to accept their decisions. They are very human. That's why the drama is good.

Ep.12
VIU has corrected the wrong subtitles. Ga On called Soo Hyun. They made a fatal mistake because that is an important difference.
https://twitter.com/myjinyoungonly/status/1424941369156509699