Potato the cutie

Thank you for the lovely wishes for my exam, it would honestly need a miracle for me to pass this one with my mental health still intact lol, I'll definitely try to update you on my journey as I venture further into this plot, right after I get back into it.
I unfortunately haven't watched any of the last 4 or so episodes so currently sitting on episode 10, I was however, spoiled a little for what happens in them by the comments on here, but it genuinely doesn't change how I feel about this series, I might be of the unpopular opinion that tragedies in fiction while unnecessary in certain plots, are still portraying a beautiful part that is ultimately inseparable from life itself, you'll find that spoilers are often for me like the hook reeling in the fish so you're right about me going in already searching for the minor details and hidden messages, a habit I've had and never seemed to grow out of is to never get into something without at least watching the trailer, and this proved to be the right call for this series because oh my god the things you can miss if you so much as blink.

Truly there aren't enough words to describe what I feel while watching this series or listening to its BGM, pair that with my brain as it reads all your thoughts as you pour them out onto your keyboard and I have now forever lost a piece of me to this series, honestly don't save me, I'm right where I want to be, so don't be sorry for my academic life as it takes another hit, there's something far more important happening to me right now, my life is being changed for the better 😆

Please forgive how disjointed and all over the place my own ramblings are, I'm really trying to get my brain to cooperate but chemical formulas are threatening to spill out instead of coherent thoughts, so I'll have to do with whatever it strings together, and thank you again for sharing your brilliant brain with all of us, it genuinely deserves to be heard and admired 🤍

So I don't know how to put this, but I kid you not your comments on here were what made me start this series, and I have to thank you for setting me on this journey because quite frankly this series didn't just climb up my list of favourite shows, it barged in demanding to be on top and I couldn't even stop it if I tried.
See I'm not usually one to get into things once they go viral, especially shows that have been basically overtaking my feed, if it's not outright forced upon me by someone else I usually put off getting into them untill the hype dies down because the general consensus on them are often in my opinion still very fresh and highly influenced by what I would call "the heat of the moment", but once in a while I try to test the waters and just browse the comments and reviews on them to get a feel on the vibes they bring to the table, and the first comment that popped up for me on here was yours, and quite honestly I don't even remember what episode it was about, but I really had no plans of starting anything at that time because of my infamous mile long plan-to-watch list, silently glaring at me from the side as I add more to it (mentally but not physically since that would be too much commitment) so picture this, a sleep deprived potato, lounging on the couch with her back to the material of her upcoming deadly exam, loading this page for the first time, and suddenly I get hit with one of the best thought out and written comments of this year, and I just couldn't get this show off my mind because someone had just painted this ethereal picture in my head, and now we're here.
This is now the second CBL this month that has had me on a chokehold, not to mention with yet again another insane OST playlist that had instantly been added to my playlist, not even a minute into it and I was already looking up the BGM, now I'm writing this reply to what has become my most anticipated commentary of the week from any viewer on this page because I really needed to let you know that you are the reason why my mornings for the past week or so have been beginning with one of ZELIA's masterpieces, so thank you and I apologise for the lengthy rant in advance, but I couldn't let this worm wiggle in my brain any longer lol.
Hope you have a nice day/afternoon/evening 🤍

Hmmm I wonder if the uncertain future of this series and it's abrupt ending has anything to do with the recent detainment of all these danmei writers 🤔
It would make sense as to why this series basically went from being fast paced with slightly wonky editing to a bunch of chopped up scenes strung together by the fans' undying hope, if the news is proven then I can see why the production company and the actors are being a lot more cautious, especially with HCX being allegedly involved in that recent scandal.

I noticed you mentioned the bit about this being a lost in translation moment of the whole senseless thing and I honestly never thought of it that way but thank you for pointing it out, it could be that the writer meant for it being a dulled senses case rather than a completely without senses one, so thank you for the insight 🤍

You're very welcome, and thank you for replying 🤍

You're absolutely welcome 🤍

Oh I absolutely agree, the logic of adding this scene of her indulging in it while having no senses is laughable, but as I said, I believe they added this bit for the slapstick comedy effect, regardless of reason or logic 😅
Edit: I just went back to look at the scene the other replier mentioned and yup, that is absolutely an oversight by the writer but like you mentioned, writing a flawless senseless person isn't really achievable i guess 🤷‍♀️

Lol ok so, I saw your comment and couldn't help but reply to offer a little bit of - probably unnecessary - insight
In Asian culture, snacking on seeds and nuts is not necessarily for the enjoyment of the taste, but rather the fun in the repetitive motion of cracking the seeds or shells open, also this tidbit specifically is supposed to reference nosy or background folks who when they have nothing better to do they observe the crowd and give unsolicited commentary, you could basically say it's similar to when western movies whip out the popcorn when something is going down as slapstick comedy.
I hope this gives you some more context here and I apologise if I come off incomprehensible but my brain isn't very cooperative right now 😅

I'm sorry if I sound hateful to you but that is definitely not my intention here, I'm sure these actors are working hard and I genuinely wish them all the best, but I don't think having a different opinion is an issue here.
To first reply to your first comment, does the age gap bother me so much? No not really, but do I find it a bit weird? yes absolutely, and it's not about the age itself here, it's about the differences in mental states/experience between a very young adult who has barely had the time to actually discover themselves and a much older man who is presumably well established in both his life and career, having said that, I do think that both Nunew and Zee are a little lacking in skills and that they could improve on some aspects a bit more, does that make them any less talented? No! Nunew is a great musician and a very talented young man and the same goes for zee, I don't know if you're confusing constructive criticism with hate, but commenting on someone's skills isn't hate, and while you and many others might enjoy their acting, some of us just don't enjoy it as much, and that's totally ok, it doesn't mean I'm hating on someone just because I have a different opinion to your or someone else's opinion, it might sound very subjective to you but I'm trying to be as objective as possible here, and that's coming from someone who really likes Nunew's music and has enjoyed watching Zee on other shows, so if you love this series and are genuinely enjoying it, more power to you, I genuinely hope your watching continues to be joyful, I just hope you'll be a little less hurtful when engaging with someone else in the future, because calling someone bitter and a hater just because they're sharing their own thoughts is not the way to go about this, hope you have a good day.

Oh no not at all, I haven't really done anything worth thanking but thank you for the kind words🤍🤍
having different opinions doesn't mean I have to be mean about it, I feel like people have become a little more prone to getting upset over opposing opinions because of cancel culture lately, so some people might take it a bit personally when someone questions their logic, and I can see how someone a little more on the defensive side might take your comment as a jab at them, but otherwise, i don't see anything wrong with what you said above.
Thank you for replying to me btw and hope your week goes great too 🤍

Yeah, the visuals definitely take the stage more each day while the plot reclines back in its seat like it's not the producers' business to focus on the story more instead of the anesthetics 😅

Oh no it's totally fine lol, I was just a little confused at first 😂🤍

While I do support constructive criticism and highly encourage it, I can see how some commenters could have worded their dislike for some of the characters or the actor's abilities a bit better, I personally haven't stumbled upon any downright hateful comments so far, but I can't pretend like there isn't any unfortunately, so I can see your point of view, especially if you're someone who's really enjoying this series, unfortunately we can't control how some people express their less than pleasant thoughts and I apologize if you've encountered anyone like that, while I might not be enjoying it as much, I wouldn't dream of hating on someone for something *I* personally have issues with, so yes, your comment and thoughts on this are very much valid, even if some might not agree with this. I hope your future viewing are much more pleasant 🤍

I'm not entirely sure but I think some elements of it are CGI (e.g. the overall looks and exterior design of some of the castles and sometimes the projections and holograms) while the sets like the throne room or the halls where we see the characters lounge in are real and built by the company.
I could be wrong so feel free to correct me but yeah, as far as I can tell a lot of the sets seem legit.
Edit: I think I might have realized why you thought it was AI generated 😂 I didn't mean the sets were AI in my original comment, I was just making a comparison to that situation, I meant that as more of a figure of speech thing not that it's actually AI yk, I apologize if my comment was a bit confusing. 😅

Totally agree, I'm honestly waiting for a few more episodes to come out to decide whether this is worth the watch or if it's just another butchering of these webtoons, hopefully it's the former 😂

Honestly the wording makes me think of the saying "wet behind the ears" and now I can't not think of the ML as this immature wide-eyed intern at one of those techy companies we see in dramas instead of the "tough" personality he's supposed to sport, but yeah, very weird wording 😅
honestly I'm just here for the twins and chaeyeon 😂

Agreed, cuz genuinely wtf? 😂

Ironically enough, this was adapted from a web novel that sets its plot in a very western world, with all that it entails of the nobility and royalty that we're used to seeing when we hear the words "duke" or "marquis", they changed A LOT about this, from costuming to names, I genuinely couldn't recognize it at first if it weren't for the title and the original web novel being cited under the synopsis, if you look it up you'll see the glaring difference in style and setting 😅

Someone once commented something similar somewhere else but I feel like it very much applies here too. This series feels like an extremely beautiful art piece you stumble upon while scrolling, but then you find out its AI generated and it loses all the sentimental value it might have had, worse yet, you start seeing the inconsistencies and the oddly fitting details and you no longer find it as appealing. One issue I have with Thai BLs is that the actors aren't just actors, they're essentially a product deal for a pairing manufactured by an entertainment company and advertised to hell and back. All these series as of late have become nothing more than fanservice and eye-candy packaged in a barely plausible plot to appeal to the masses, Thai shows are no longer about the enjoyment of the plot, the acting, the setting, it's all about the commercialisation of a pairing that really works in theory and is very liked by fans, irregardless of how well this pairing actually works in practice, a prime example of this is Zee and Nunew. I personally have always found them very very jarring, especially with the age gap considering they were put together when Nunew was around 18 and Zee was almost 30, and while the age thing is arguable, the difference in mental states and life experiences is quite gapping. Nunew has this tendency to overexaggerate his acting to a point it no longer feels realistic but rather like a child playing pretend and throwing a tantrum, don't get me wrong this guy is insanely talented, just not in the acting department, which brings me to my next point, Zee has genuinely regressed since his days in Why r u, and no, this isn't about him pairing up better with either saint or nenew, it genuinely feels like he's no longer trying to put in effort, I honestly can't tell why but it's very unfortunate, his acting as of late feels very wooden.
The main issue I have with this series so far (besides the lack of progression of this nonexistent plot) is that it's trying to take itself way too seriously, while also trying to maintain a sense of light-heartedness and teenage-romance appeal, the problem is they don't know when to have serious mode on and when to turn it off, like we're almost half way through this series, and absolutely nothing has happened in the last 3-4 episodes, yet you can see that they're really trying to give you this sense of graveness, but without anything actually being at stakes, like maybe make the king threaten Khanin with his adoptive father's safety if he doesn't do well in the competition, or make Charan at risk of being killed or eliminated if he gets too close to Khanin, there's just so much they can do but they aren't and it's very frustrating. Now after this really long rant, you might think that I'm gonna drop this series, but surprisingly enough, I'm not, and honestly I would have of it weren't for the setting. I'm an extreme sucker for fairytales and royal-esque stories, so I'll continue watching solely for this, and the fabulous soundtrack of course.
On a side note, I'm really enjoying the much darker Jimmy in here, this guy's role really fits him like a glove.

Indeed, and as I've mentioned before, I feel like TNP's strongest point is not the plot, but rather the setting itself with its royalty/fairytale-y scenery and aspects, for me personally I find it very reminiscent of older Disney movies such as the Princess Diaries and the likes, so if anything, little me would have thrived on this series 😂🤍