imanirine
This review may contain spoilers
A Mastery of Mass Manipulation (This drama has me in a chokehold like Yohan!)
This is solid. The drama doesn't pull any punches and it hits the ground running. Everything is fast-paced from the start for a reason. This drama is a Masterpiece and a shining example of what more to expect in Kdramas moving forward. A Trailblazing type of drama that is original in its genre and a blended artwork of cinematography, casting, lighting, acting, writing, directing, sound design, and pacing. This is a must-watch.
I did my research before watching this drama. I came across an article that mentioned an interview with the writer of the show who is also a former judge. His writing brought realism - scary realism - to the Dystopian alternative universe of South Korea, post-COVID.
Technically, many of the things that happened in that drama has already happened or are currently happening around the world. Like America for example, the writer said he was inspired by International government policies and politics when creating the universe and it shows! The President in the drama can be seen as a certain President that was running for the Presidental Election in 2016. (Sounds familiar?) Or the many corrupted government officials and CEOs of various conglomerates that helped fund them. Something that is definitely current in many countries.
The writer also said something else that I was impressed by: he writes characters without assigning gender. I love that. He created strong women that can be soft and fragile too. He created strong men that can vulnerable and sensitive too. Kim Gaon
was a 'Babe in The Woods'. He was thrown into a nest of vipers for the expense of someone else and instead that 'viper' turned out to be the most trustworthy person Gaon has ever known. (This story reals feel Gothic in that aspect since Gaon as the Babe in the Woods gets held hostage in the Gothic castle later, a.k.a Yohan's deary mansion in the middle of nowhere!)
The review! This drama is beautiful to look at. The camera work is flawless. The scenery, set locations, and action shots are all different from each other with different moods, colors, shadow play, and angles. I enjoyed the variety of these moments. It's a stark contrast from Gaon's small, cozy home in the poorer side of town, to the clean and immaculate office building of the Live Court, to Yohan's cold and dark mansion out in the countryside. This drama took me places and I enjoyed that!
The music is to die for, there I said it, and I won't take that back. There were moments when I was watching intensely at the screen and had to rewind to reassure myself that I wasn't just imaging the music sounding quite excellent at a very emotional or important moment. I wasn't imagining things, the music is 12/10. The OST has a song that is sweet with gentle, female vocals and an accompanying guitar to represent innocent love. Then, there's the swelling symphonies and heavy orchestra for the more chaotic moments and action scenes to rev up my heart rate because the crescendo was bittersweet since you're happy to finally breathe again, but you're upset that it's over. (Rewind button again!) Next, there's a rock guitar type of song whenever Yohan is up to his Batman acts again! Of course, with his trusty sidekick Rob- Gaon, I meant Goan. (But Yohan really referred to him as his sidekick so that's canon right?!)
The casting and acting were wonderful choices and I applaud the crew behind the camera as well as the cast in from of the camera. I loved every character and I didn't hate any character I wasn't supposed to, so this makes this drama the best drama I have seen all year. That's impressive. The women in this drama deserve a standing ovation. When the writer said that he doesn't write characters based on gender, he meant it. He truly meant it and thank you so much for that because was finally got a FEMALE VILLAIN THAT DID EVIL SO WELL! *chef's kiss*
When Seon Ah was walking down the carpet for the funeral.... that moment is seared in my brain. That is a Power Walk - the actress definitely has the legs for them. Her outfits were on point. The styling for each character fits the personality of the characters and no one looked out of place. Every detail in the visual aspects was perfect. Just as perfect as the common imagery of showing certain characters' reflections, or them looking in the mirror to represent the duality of a human being is perfect. Applause, applause, standing ovation.
(Also, the government official Cha Kyung Hee was a terrifying, powerful, cruel, horrible, and pitiful person. I nod my head at her last scene and the decision she made reflecting the proud and decisive person she was always portrayed as in the drama. A fitting end for her and a clever twist to the story.)
So is this the part where I mention the BL? Maybe.... maybe individuals that aren't aware of the writer's intention are clueless to the fact that the story is supposed to be a story of politics, crime, and love between two men. But I am aware that that was the original intention and trying to watch the drama without immediately looking for those BL moments was unnecessary because it's more or less shoved in your face within the first episode. *teehee* The tension!
Could these two characters be any more intense than that first meeting? Yes! Buckle in, because it's only the beginning.
Look, the drama starts off pretty fast-paced and continues to do so until at least episode three where Gaon finds himself in a Gothic horror romance story as the naive, yet fearless (sometimes careless) main heroine. This is why 'babe in the woods' fits him so well. I referred to him as Baby Boy quite often because he's precious and needs to be protected at all costs! (Apparently, everyone feels the same, like his childhood friend, Professor Min, his coworker, and of course Yohan.) Jinyoung's idol looks helped in the 'deer in the headlights' look of naivety and innocence. He's even beautiful when he cries, true talent because I was definitely flinching whenever he was manhandled or hurt. 'Someone save Baby Boy!' or 'Oh no, not the Baby! Don't hurt him please!' I said these phrases often and the actors Jisung and Jinyoung have an age gap of 17 (!!!) years so yeah. He's a baby.
The Devil Judge - the titular character and the drama - was a masterpiece of mass manipulation through media and the like. Some characters in this drama were playing games with other people and secrets. It was refreshing to see so many complex characters with dubious morals and corrupt ethics on-screen in one drama. The calmer, domestic and wholesome moments are between Yohan, Gaon, and Elijah. Also, the mystery behind the church fire was a clever twist and satisfying to know the whole truth. Elijah must be protected too!
The verdicts for the crimes in the show are just, unethical but just all the same. I truly enjoyed the moments where the corrupted criminals realized that the system will not let them off because Yohan is no one's friend. Especially those who are responsible for the broken system in the first place and/or benefit from it. This was cathartic to watch. Yes, I got excited at the scenes with the public flogging, castration, and electrical chair but look at it like this: an eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind.....so let me enjoy this before we all go blind! Now, the public flogging, I thought it was going to be on his butt with a long wooden paddle that I've seen in historical Korean Dramas, but that kind of flogging was acceptable too. The scene with the electric chair was more complicated since there was a scene where children were participating in something that they really couldn't truly understand and such knowledge of their actions would be very detrimental to their mental health. That moment showed the downside to such 'swift/easy justice' as Professor Min quoted in the show.
I would say watch this drama. Watch this drama and watch this drama. If you like dramas like House of Cards, Sherlock, or Law & Order - you'll love this drama for many more reasons than you were aware existed.
I did my research before watching this drama. I came across an article that mentioned an interview with the writer of the show who is also a former judge. His writing brought realism - scary realism - to the Dystopian alternative universe of South Korea, post-COVID.
Technically, many of the things that happened in that drama has already happened or are currently happening around the world. Like America for example, the writer said he was inspired by International government policies and politics when creating the universe and it shows! The President in the drama can be seen as a certain President that was running for the Presidental Election in 2016. (Sounds familiar?) Or the many corrupted government officials and CEOs of various conglomerates that helped fund them. Something that is definitely current in many countries.
The writer also said something else that I was impressed by: he writes characters without assigning gender. I love that. He created strong women that can be soft and fragile too. He created strong men that can vulnerable and sensitive too. Kim Gaon
was a 'Babe in The Woods'. He was thrown into a nest of vipers for the expense of someone else and instead that 'viper' turned out to be the most trustworthy person Gaon has ever known. (This story reals feel Gothic in that aspect since Gaon as the Babe in the Woods gets held hostage in the Gothic castle later, a.k.a Yohan's deary mansion in the middle of nowhere!)
The review! This drama is beautiful to look at. The camera work is flawless. The scenery, set locations, and action shots are all different from each other with different moods, colors, shadow play, and angles. I enjoyed the variety of these moments. It's a stark contrast from Gaon's small, cozy home in the poorer side of town, to the clean and immaculate office building of the Live Court, to Yohan's cold and dark mansion out in the countryside. This drama took me places and I enjoyed that!
The music is to die for, there I said it, and I won't take that back. There were moments when I was watching intensely at the screen and had to rewind to reassure myself that I wasn't just imaging the music sounding quite excellent at a very emotional or important moment. I wasn't imagining things, the music is 12/10. The OST has a song that is sweet with gentle, female vocals and an accompanying guitar to represent innocent love. Then, there's the swelling symphonies and heavy orchestra for the more chaotic moments and action scenes to rev up my heart rate because the crescendo was bittersweet since you're happy to finally breathe again, but you're upset that it's over. (Rewind button again!) Next, there's a rock guitar type of song whenever Yohan is up to his Batman acts again! Of course, with his trusty sidekick Rob- Gaon, I meant Goan. (But Yohan really referred to him as his sidekick so that's canon right?!)
The casting and acting were wonderful choices and I applaud the crew behind the camera as well as the cast in from of the camera. I loved every character and I didn't hate any character I wasn't supposed to, so this makes this drama the best drama I have seen all year. That's impressive. The women in this drama deserve a standing ovation. When the writer said that he doesn't write characters based on gender, he meant it. He truly meant it and thank you so much for that because was finally got a FEMALE VILLAIN THAT DID EVIL SO WELL! *chef's kiss*
When Seon Ah was walking down the carpet for the funeral.... that moment is seared in my brain. That is a Power Walk - the actress definitely has the legs for them. Her outfits were on point. The styling for each character fits the personality of the characters and no one looked out of place. Every detail in the visual aspects was perfect. Just as perfect as the common imagery of showing certain characters' reflections, or them looking in the mirror to represent the duality of a human being is perfect. Applause, applause, standing ovation.
(Also, the government official Cha Kyung Hee was a terrifying, powerful, cruel, horrible, and pitiful person. I nod my head at her last scene and the decision she made reflecting the proud and decisive person she was always portrayed as in the drama. A fitting end for her and a clever twist to the story.)
So is this the part where I mention the BL? Maybe.... maybe individuals that aren't aware of the writer's intention are clueless to the fact that the story is supposed to be a story of politics, crime, and love between two men. But I am aware that that was the original intention and trying to watch the drama without immediately looking for those BL moments was unnecessary because it's more or less shoved in your face within the first episode. *teehee* The tension!
Could these two characters be any more intense than that first meeting? Yes! Buckle in, because it's only the beginning.
Look, the drama starts off pretty fast-paced and continues to do so until at least episode three where Gaon finds himself in a Gothic horror romance story as the naive, yet fearless (sometimes careless) main heroine. This is why 'babe in the woods' fits him so well. I referred to him as Baby Boy quite often because he's precious and needs to be protected at all costs! (Apparently, everyone feels the same, like his childhood friend, Professor Min, his coworker, and of course Yohan.) Jinyoung's idol looks helped in the 'deer in the headlights' look of naivety and innocence. He's even beautiful when he cries, true talent because I was definitely flinching whenever he was manhandled or hurt. 'Someone save Baby Boy!' or 'Oh no, not the Baby! Don't hurt him please!' I said these phrases often and the actors Jisung and Jinyoung have an age gap of 17 (!!!) years so yeah. He's a baby.
The Devil Judge - the titular character and the drama - was a masterpiece of mass manipulation through media and the like. Some characters in this drama were playing games with other people and secrets. It was refreshing to see so many complex characters with dubious morals and corrupt ethics on-screen in one drama. The calmer, domestic and wholesome moments are between Yohan, Gaon, and Elijah. Also, the mystery behind the church fire was a clever twist and satisfying to know the whole truth. Elijah must be protected too!
The verdicts for the crimes in the show are just, unethical but just all the same. I truly enjoyed the moments where the corrupted criminals realized that the system will not let them off because Yohan is no one's friend. Especially those who are responsible for the broken system in the first place and/or benefit from it. This was cathartic to watch. Yes, I got excited at the scenes with the public flogging, castration, and electrical chair but look at it like this: an eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind.....so let me enjoy this before we all go blind! Now, the public flogging, I thought it was going to be on his butt with a long wooden paddle that I've seen in historical Korean Dramas, but that kind of flogging was acceptable too. The scene with the electric chair was more complicated since there was a scene where children were participating in something that they really couldn't truly understand and such knowledge of their actions would be very detrimental to their mental health. That moment showed the downside to such 'swift/easy justice' as Professor Min quoted in the show.
I would say watch this drama. Watch this drama and watch this drama. If you like dramas like House of Cards, Sherlock, or Law & Order - you'll love this drama for many more reasons than you were aware existed.
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