This unique story grabs the audience right from the first episode. It really has what it takes to be one of the best of 2024. While this year has been promising for K-dramas, many have disappointed us. But "The Judge from Hell" turned out to be an unexpected surprise.
What I love most about this drama is how the male lead's character and development are tied to the female character. From the moment he enters a scene, all the women aren’t just watching him in awe with comments like, "Wow, he's so handsome!" He’s not just there to be eye candy. His role isn’t just a romantic subplot for the female lead to revolve around; it’s actually one of the foundations of the story. His journey is what drives Kang Bitna’s transformation.

This show doesn’t just promise a romantic story; it offers a sweet and satisfying love within a beautifully crafted crime narrative. The female lead isn’t just a judge; she’s like a devil. Her goal is to complete her duties and send criminals to hell, ultimately knowing she might end up there herself. However, Kang Bitna’s story and her love for Han Do-on help her become more human. If she stayed completely unchanged and untransformed, it would make the story pretty boring for us. The show has many positive aspects, starting with its impressive plot, which can be a challenge for fantasy dramas. The storyline is overall satisfying. The direction is quite good, giving us entertaining, thrilling, and emotional moments.


Park Shin Hye plays her role really well, and Kim Jae Young is a new face for me; I haven’t seen him before, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on him from now on.

The way criminals are punished for their crimes definitely got us all really excited, and it was quite satisfying.

However, I want to mention a couple of negative points about the show. First, I couldn’t really connect with the serial killer’s backstory; the reasons behind the killings weren’t very strong. Yes, we saw some of the victims’ stories, but the overall narrative felt a bit weak, with not many details.

Another issue is the music. Specifically, the “Gehenna” sound effect that plays after Kang Bitna kills the criminals really disrupted the atmosphere. I don’t think it was necessary at all.


This will contain a bit of a spoiler.

Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations for the ending. For me, whether it was a happy or sad conclusion didn’t really matter because the overall story already gave us a sense of closure. I wouldn’t have been disappointed if Kang Bitna completed her mission and returned to hell. For those who are about to watch, enjoy!