Review notes were previously posted on Letterboxd, on a private list with watched K-dramas. I deleted the list so will publish the notes here.
The Devil Judge (2021)
Watched 26 - 29 April 2022 — 16 episodes (DRAMACOOL)
*Broadcasted by South Korean cable television channel tvN, clearly having the better productions. The production values are great and I immediately noticed the great and often slick photography. Also the set design of Ji Sung’s mansion is beautiful.
*I was intrigued by the story and overall I really enjoyed watching the show, only during episode 4 my attention slackened. Maybe it was the lack of romance for Ji Sung (I had so enjoyed the main romance in the previously watched Doctor John), or the fact that Ji Sung’s character (The Devil Judge) is an ambiguous one — to say the least — and I had a hard time rooting for him. But in the end the viewer sympathises with him, despite the cruel and questionable things he has done.
*Ji Sung looks soooo good, both in casual clothes and dressed to the nines in a well-tailored suit, with different hair styles (I like the nonchalant look best with the hair almost in his eyes). He is supercool and I love the way he moves and walks. His performance is also very convincing and magnetic.
*Kim Min-jung’s character is deliciously bad but she did get a bit irritating. She had some funny moments as well, though.
*The President character was so over the top and a complete moron. I would have preferred his villainous character to be more vicious and not completely pathetic.
*Jinyoung is good as the righteous judge and I liked his relationship with Park Gyu-young. As this was the only romance in the series, why did they let her die?!??
*Too bad Ji Sung didn’t have a love interest, but I was glad with his happy ending with his niece Elijah.
*Other characters I liked: Jeon Chae-eun as Elijah, Kim Jae-kyung as the female judge (I had a very brief moment where I was fantasising about a possible romance between her and Ji Sung but had to let the idea go very quickly since it wasn’t going to happen) and Park Hyoung-soo as the good lawyer (he played the bad brother in Crash Landing on You).
*Cool OST.
*Loved the ending where Ji Sung and Jinyoung see each other one last time and it made me emotional.