Hellbound is based on the webcomic series "Jiok" (literally translated as Hell) written by Yeon Sang-Ho and illustrated by Choi Kyu-Seok (first published on August 25, 2019) via comic.naver.com/webtoon. The two authors also worked on the script of the series directed by Yeon Sang-ho. The latter is responsible for hits such as Train to Busan, Peninsula and Seoul Station, among others.
The story
Jung Jin-so, leader of the religion called "The New Truth" (Saejinrihwe), announces to the world that angels of death come from hell to kill fishermen. This religion, which is more like a sect, proclaims itself as the interpreter of God. She then affirms that these killings are the revelation of the wrath of the divine, destined to purify the world. Police are investigating this inexplicable phenomenon. Min Hey-Jin, a lawyer, stands up against the group "Hwasalchok" ("Arrowhead"), whose members blindly follow Saejinrihwe. The families of those who have been killed by the angels of death are persecuted and chaos reigns ruled by a dictator who makes everyone believe that this is God's work.
Technical fact sheet
Drama: Hellbound (English title) / Hell (literal title) Revised novelization: Jiok Director: Yeon Sang Ho Writer: Yeon Sang-Ho (webcomic & script), Choi Kyu-Seok (webcomic & script) Network: Netflix Episodes: 6 Release date: November 19, 2021 Language: Korean Country: South Korea
distribution
Yoo Ah-in : Jung Jin-so Won Jin-ah : Song So-hyun Park Jung-min : Bae Young-jae Kim Hyun-joo : Min Hey-jin Yang Ik-jun : Jin Kyung-hoon Kim Do-yoon : member Hwasalchok Kim Shin-rok : Park Jung-ja Ryoo Kyung-so : Pritre Yoo-ji Lee Re : Jin Hee-jung hellbound
Hellbound: a singular scenario
It goes without saying that watching such a drama in the current health situation can only bring us echoes and parallelisms. Beasts out of nowhere that attack for no reason and randomly. The days of AIDS, when homosexuals and heroin addicts were singled out, are not far away. "It's their fault, they looked for it." Not to mention that nowadays, a contact case causes the quarantine of all those who are around. We do not persecute them, it would be forbidden, but we want them confined. These monsters terrorize the population. They come to prove to us that in the face of adversity, an earthquake, an erupting volcano, a virus out of nothingness (uh ….), we are all in the same boat. Social status, money can do nothing against the forces of nature. But who are the monsters in this story? Those scary gorilla species with a small head or the pseudo gurus who take advantage of the situation to make money and bring down all those who get in their way? The witch hunt under the presence of an inquisitorial religion emerges, settles. Invaded. Public executions are returning en masse, as in the Middle Ages. Here it is not the kings who preside over the execution, but the VIPs, those who have money and masturbate in front of the distress of others (Squid Game, do you say hello?). 
The eternal debate on the death penalty. Free will is waning. We believe we are protected, we believe that the new leaders want the same thing as us, namely a society without robberies, murders, pedophilia (and everything). But we must not delude ourselves, what matters is to have the power. The leader of the second part says that very clearly. And if we do not agree, we must assume the consequences. (Here, echoes again). South Korea is riddled with fanatical sects. The World Mission Society, Temple of Tabernacle, Way of Grace… Hellbound plays hide and seek with this subject behind the titanic monsters.At first glance, the leaders are there and the people listen to them. But what is the worst sect nowadays? What is this cult that spreads rumors that are taken as information? What is this sect that prefers to film rather than help? What is this sect to which we are all followers whether we like it or not? This sect that has taken a place proportional to the lack of space that Covid has imposed on us? Internet, social networks.(Making papers, filling out documents these days turns out to be science fiction if you don't have a computer. Or that we don't know how to use it.) They tell anything anyhow, and we listen to them. Yes, those same social networks that drive someone to suicide. Who spout images to excess. Which shake our bearings to better manipulate us (definitely, these echoes …). The essential point of this series is not all this wealth of images that overwhelms us in the heart of a comic book. The most important thing is not what we see, but what we do not see. Imagination. The idea of what a disaster could cause in any capital if wise leaders made it their own. Questioning. The search for information to cling to. No longer having the right to think, to choose. The society that corners us. Denunciation. The judgment. 
According to Hellbound, is hell on earth? Are we our own hell? If everyone believes only what they want to believe and sees only what they want to see, what kind of bizarre and chaotic connection are we doomed to? It is undeniable that director Yeon Sang-ho likes to go to the end of a subject that could give us a feeling of déjà vu. Two minutes after watching Train to Busan we think, more zombies? We look at the teaser of Hellbound and we think, yes well, monsters, the Koreans did not invent anything. If, if, if… Think again. Maybe the subjects already existed but Yeon Sang-ho gives himself the means, mixes all the elements and genres with an incredible skill, offering us a result as huge as the monsters. These same subjects take on a whole new magnitude. An unexpected dimension, like a galaxy hidden behind the lens of a telescope. Existentialist subject? A targeted desire to bring us back to our current situation? If we follow this path, this series with ugly and moody monsters, could perhaps be telling us that the most important thing is not the situation, but what we do with it.
The actors
A little advice. Do not watch in dubbed version. You will miss a performance that perfectly matches the diversity of this series. The real voice of the actors is absolutely essential and even if Netflix has made efforts for dubbing, let it go. Nothing to see. Yoo ah in is a very charismatic actor capable of playing roles light years apart. He bursts the screen, he overflows it. He is the leader of a sect that can only be listened to. And follow. And it's scary. The announcement of such an actor in a series is synonymous with intense, deep. And it is with immense joy that we see that he is up to the task, as usual. Kim Hyun-Joo, best known in the world of Korean series, follows the pace. And all to his credit because the bar is set very high and it had to be held. It must be said that the drama can be watched like a film. First part, second part… and that each time there are elements that hook us. Kim Hyun-Joo was able to "escalate" this scenario based on these points of attention, this kind of cliffhanger placed as strategically during the episodes as furniture on the IKEA course. Park Jung-Min again stands out from his last role. As usual, he becomes someone completely different. This time, he does not grope on the stage but head-on, giving us an impression of assurance. His game is clean. He colors an almost ordinary character with his charisma and honesty. We discover him as a loving husband and father. We follow him, we sympathize, we share his destiny.
The end
If we were talking about Cliffhanger, the ending is one of the most Cliffhanger in the history of Cliffhangers! He lets us glimpse a second season. Without wanting to spoiler, the story with the baby augurs a suspense awakening a whole bunch of questions even more existential than those emerging from each scene. And the final scene… We don't talk about it, but we think about it any less. Currently, we can follow 4 dramas that have already conquered the planet on Netflix. D.P., Squid Game, My Name and Hellbound. Korean producers expect the latter to be as successful as other dramas.
