Witch's Court (2017)

Been there, seen it, done it all before... and better

There’s a strange contradiction in the first part of this drama. It centres around sexual abuse and the trauma caused by it, but signally fails to reflect the distress caused from nasty situations created by the plot. In similar situations of threat and vulnerability, the abuse victims experience fear and trauma, whereas the lead characters treat it almost as a joke, particularly Ma Yi Deum, and walk away unmarked. If the viewer accepts the experience of the lead characters, which is technically where their allegiance should lie, then their only option is to belittle the experience of the “victim” characters. It is an uncomfortable marriage of the serious and the trivial, of drama and romance tropes which initially made uncomfortable viewing for me.

I’m not sure what the intention was, to lighten up a heavy topic or to show the character Ma Yi Deum in an unfavourable light so that character development was more pronounced, perhaps. If so, it did itself no favours and the overall impression was that abuse is something that a determined personality can sail through without being seriously affected. Dream on.

Having said that, the tone of the drama changed towards the mid section and I found it easier to warm to the character Ma Yi Deum. Jung Ryeo Wan did a great job and I found her convincing in the part and wonder if this was why she was chosen for “Diary of a Prosecutor/War of Prosecutors”, where she also did a great job in a far superior drama.

Heo Sung Tae as Baek Sang Ho is good in this, and when you look at his filmography you can see he knows how to pick a good drama. He’s an actor that doesn’t bask in the limelight but always turns in a good performance. He completely out-acted Joon Kang Ryul in every scene where they were together. Joon had three facial expressions and thoroughly worked them all into overtime.

The other actors got the job done and to be honest there was little to be explored in the mundane script.

Once the main theme of the drama kicked in it changed into fairly standard thriller in terms of the plot which was predictable and clunky. However there is one moment of ridiculous plotting which defies all credibility and other stupid moments that pissed me off and in the end I just got too bored and gave up. There’s only so many times you can watch this plot when there is nothing original or really engaging in the production to keep you going.

What my rating means: 7+ A watchable drama, but nothing exceptional. Good enough to qualify for the race, but finished with the pack. The sort of thing that promises more than it delivers.

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Let Me Just Say One Word...Wow!!!

Okay...so I just finished Witch's court. Since the first episode, I knew this was going to be in my top favorite K-dramas! I loved how this law drama showed many different perspectives on the cases shown in each episode. This drama did a fantastic job on the whole "this can happen to anyone" or "in order to take down the bad guy, you have to set aside your personal feelings" statement. I felt that there was a lot to learn from the victim's standpoints. This drama made me laugh, cry, and smile with each progressing episode! I loved the main leads and how good their chemistry was. I usually watch romance comedy-dramas, but even with the hint of romance in it, I ended up enjoying every moment. I want to thank the producers, directors, actors/actresses, and screenwriters for every bit of work that they put into this Korean drama. If I had any advice for someone who was debating on watching this, I would suggest going for it. I honestly do regret not watching this sooner.

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Disappointing

I have to say that I’d be lying if I told you that this kept me glued. I was disappointed (as it seems were many) with the way this drama unfolded. I too expected the whole thing to go to the heights only to watch it come crashing and then almost draw to a.complete stop for me. I was excited to see the cast members and expected (apparently) too much from the drama. HOping that it was going to end well I kept going and in the end it did do a little better but not before almost failing completely for me. I have to say that I feel like either the writer or the director let this one down. The cast seemed to do well.
The Acting was done well and the cast were stellar. I’m just sad about the storyline or the way it unfolded, this had nothing to do with the actual actors though.
Rewatch value - maybe I’ll watch it again but I feel like I’d probably drop it around episode 6 on the 2nd time around.

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Edit: I finished the series

As of right now, from watching what I have watched, I feel that the main lead is too headstrong. I have not finished the drama yet (I intend to) but it is getting kind of hard since the main protagonist is REALLY frustrating to watch. She wants to do things her way even though it might be wrong. She does not care about her clients and she lacks empathy. For example. in the first and second episode, she did not one consider the victim's mindset or how the trial would affect his life. She plays dirty to get what she wants, even if that's not what the client wants. On top of that, she LOVES to place blame on the other lead for small petty reasons such as in episode four when she said something like, "isn't this your fault too?" when talking about the perpetrator in her house. She is annoying and I do not see growth in her as of right now. who knows, maybe she'll change, but it is not looking too good for that from other reviews I have read.

Simply put, the storyline is getting kind of frustrating to follow as I do not enjoy this type of trope.

Music is not bad, but they're currently not a track that I tried to look up because it enticed me.

Edit: I have now finished the series. To be honest, I have not seen plotholes as other viewers have commented on. Perhaps I am just not observant enough. However, I honestly feel like there were too many things that happened at the right place at the right time, or that the characters were able to connect the dots too soon and whatnot. For example, how was Ma Yi Deum so quick to figure out that there was a video deleting app on the tablet she was given? Or that Nurse Choi on the island with Yi Deum's mom knew that the package delivery driver is out to get them simply because there was a "package" for the both of them? I felt like the explanation was not while guns were jumped. As for the right place and right time, how were the nurse and the mom able to escape the killers in time? I feel like those were all too convenient.

As for the main female lead, I would say that she is not as annoying or frustrating to watch, but I do see a lack of character development. However, I am actually okay with that as she is finally able to use some questionable tactics to finally get the main antagonist.

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Started great, but didn't finish great, IMO

This started out pretty great. I realized that there aren't a lot of k dramas I've watched where the female lead isn't supposed to be the more welcoming, sweet character and the male lead the surly, serious one. In this story, Ma Yi Deum is unlike any other female protagonist I've seen in a drama, so far. She's rude, gruff, impolite and willing to do anything to get the verdict she wants. At first.

I watched a clip of the second episode's ending court scene on YouTube and there was a comment saying that she was fierce and they wish she stayed that way throughout the drama. I don't quite agree, as I think it was important for her to learn to see the victims as people. However, I will say that it felt like the show let her character sort of become aimless about halfway through. As did the show, to be honest.

I enjoy procedural court dramas. I know not every one of them can be Miss Hammurabi, but it sucks that this is the second one I've seen that does a case every ep for like 5 episodes before stopping and becoming more about the season long plot. Also, like Miss Hammurabi, there was a romance between two coworkers where I felt zero chemistry. I don't think it was necessary and it added nothing to the story.

Towards the end, everything just felt all over the place. Disappointingly, they turned a strong female protagonist into a damsel.

Despite the dark subject matter, I did enjoy seeing the victims get justice. I spent most of the show just waiting for them to finally put Cho and Baek behind bars. I didn't love that the prosecutor that took over for Min defaulted to doubting victims, though. I also thought, while they got the outcome they wanted, Ma Yi Deum tactics in the second episode were cruel to the victim.

So, I enjoyed the first 6 episodes or so, but what made the show unique to me in terms of character work slowly disappeared.

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Under-rated, hidden gem, solid legal romance drama

9.5/10 is my rating. This is a 2017 South Korean Legal Romance Drama with 16, 60 minute episodes. It is alternatively known as Witch in Court.

Ma Yi-deum (Jung Ryeo-won) is an aggressive and egotistical prosecutor who has worked in multiple prosecutors' offices and is known for using whatever it takes to win. It is a challenging time for females in a man's world and she reluctantly supports a female reporter who was sexually assaulted by her boss. When Yi-deum finds out the boss lied about promoting her she feels she has nothing to lose and and tells all about what she saw him trying to do with the female journalist. This gets her an assignment in the special task force for text crimes, a job no one wants. Well no-one that is except for Yeo Jin-wook (Yoon Hyun-min) who feels passionate about defending victims of sex crimes. Although a new prosecutor he not only graduated top of his class but also has a background in psychology. The two opposites team up to use their complimentary skills to solve some tough cases. As they work together they begin to understand each other and admire each other more. Will the hate that turned to like now turn to love?
I loved this drama. It had everything, exciting cases, interesting and deep character growth and interactions. Yi-deum was edgy and had a mischievous quality about her but was very bright and cared deeply about justice. Jin-wook is the quintessential straight arrow who wants nothing more than to do the right thing the right way. Which is why the conflict he encounters around the situation with his mother is such a dilemma for his character. Spoiler alert** it was during the very last portion of the last episode when Yi-deum and Jin-wook got together in a romantic sense. I was so enjoying their interplay as a couple I regretted there was not just a bit more time spent with them as a couple. It was a very happy and overall well wrapped ending but the only very minor critique was just not getting enough of the Yi-deum and Jin-wook romance. But it is such a well written and enjoyable drama that is not a huge fail. I would watch this again and would highly recommend it to fans of this genre, of these actors, or just anyone that wants a well written, nicely paced, exciting, legal romantic drama.

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This year was the year of Law related drama. In Witch's Court you follow the story of Ma Yi Deum but also the work of a prosecutor.
The first part was a love at first sight for me. Ma Yi Deum's character is one of the best female I have seen so far in the dramaland. I was very entertained but also touched by her personnality. I also endorsed all of her choice which is very uncommon for me. She was a normal girl who lost the most important person in her life but she never gave up !

The story has flaws and some stupids part such as the lost of some document, who let important documents only in one place and without any copies.
The drama also obey to some usual "cliché" but overall you get hook quickly thank to her and Yeo Procecutor ! I have dropped some scene or accelerate some because it was just useless "bla bla" but I haven't skip one episode and I was waiting for them every weeks !

I highly recommend it to anyone who want to see a  very GOOD FEMALE LEAD !

I have also heard people not understanding her wish to win the case  no matter what is happening to the victims. Althought it might seems unethical, the job of a prosecutor is to restore the public order (by putting to jail those who commited a crime). In this sense, I endorse what she did cause it's what a prosecutor is meant to do. Obviously not in this particular way !

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Ma Yi Deum is a goddess

The plot was pretty likeable. The antagonists were too cliche. There were just corrupt mayors and officials with rapists all over the place. I understand that the leads worked in the sex crimes unit. But i wish they showed a slightly different motivations. The cliche and overused memory loss plot is found here too. Such cliches are what threw me off. But Ma Yi Deum saved the show for me. She was a beautifully written and executed character. She had her flaws. But the only made her more perfect. I loved the male lead except for one cliche. Male leads just happen to develop fighting skills out of nowhere and it absolutely baffles me. In most situations the female lead is covering behind something but in this drama she was a physically and emotionally strong character who didn't do that. Ths drama is worth watching only because of Ma Yi deum and I'm glad I completed the drama. It was pretty much worth watching. I would recommend it to most people if they can ignore the cliches and plot holes.

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Story?I've been in to crime/police drama's a lot lately and read some good reviews on the first few episodes so I decided to watch Witch's court. The first few episodes were great and I loved our main characters Ma Yi Deum and Yeo Jin Wook. I really liked the small stories inbetween and the funny interactions between some characters. I was also very curious about the main storyline and what had exactly happened in the past etc. However the more the drama progressed,  how weaker the story became. The plotholes increased and the romance between Ma Yi Deum and Yeo Jin Wook that I loved so much kinda disappeared. Everything became quite serious but it sometimes felt like I could watch these hour long episodes without important anything happening. Therefore I kinda lost interest in the main story of Ma Yi Deum and her team trying to get Cho Gap Soo convicted. I started to even sympathize with him at some point which made the ending very unsatisfying. Acting/Cast?I don't have much to say ???about the acting and cast other than that it was great. I especially liked how well Jung Ryeo Won did at portraying Ma Yi Deum as a strong woman who however did have some flaws. Furthermore I think Yoon Hyun Min really suited the character of Jin Wook. Before this drama I watched Tunnel and his character was kinda similar to this one. The same goes for Heo Sung Tae. ^^Music?I don't have anything special to remark about the music in this drama. There were only two songs that I can really remember and that were played kinda often. One was a song that ???played when Ma Yi Deum succeed (by outsmarting others) and the other, more dramatic song played during moments of dispair for Cho Gap Soo (my favourite scenes to be honest)Rewatch Value????The rewatch value isn't high on this one but I feel like I would want to 'relive' some scenes again and therefore watch some (parts of) episodes again.OverallI just finished this drama yesterday and overall I'm quite content. I might've sounded quite negative when talking about the story but the drama isn't that bad at all. Plot just isn't its strongest point so I would only recommend watching this drama whenever you want to relax and not have a very deep or complicating story that you have to think about a lot.

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Jung Ryeo Won proved to be the be all end all of this drama in her role of Ma Yi Deum.  Her portrayal of the straight-talking, tenacious and sometimes reckless prosecutor was such a defining role.  Her range and ability to make me laugh out loud as well as cry my eyes out was simply incredible.  In contrast, Yoon Hyun Min did a very good job bringing Yeo Jin Wook to life as the even-tempered, yet easily sympathetic foil to Yi Deum’s character.  Personally, I think the show could have spent more time on Jin Wook’s character arc.  The couple episodes that did capitalize on Jin Wook’s tendency to be overly vested were the best when depicting Yi Deum and Jin Wook’s opposing perspectives.  I loved watching these two butt heads.

Otherwise, the political conspiracy arc is okay, but nothing groundbreaking. The sexual offenders are very static and cliche. I was overall underwhelmed in the main antagonist. Each episode follows a pretty predictable setup week over week.

I want to recommend this because ama Yi Deum is a powerhouse of a character, but the story arc is rather disappointing ...

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