He was moving to the UK to get a master's degree in pollution management. Since neither you nor I invented the…
Khanin had been in the UK since he was a baby. He was in Emmaly for around 3 months. Not surprising he wanted to go back home.
So he went back to an education system where he felt comfortable and was in the process of getting his masters.
He will have more education and able to help whether or not the two of them ever wind up moving back to Emmaly.
And FWIW this was actually a more satisfying ending than the book where a decision is made to have a more democratic government run by a board in each clan.
But Khanin completely bows out of any involvement in the new government after Ava, Ramil and he help establish it
In the end they do move back to Emmaly but Charan remains an art professor and Khanin plans to open a fencing school.
I rarely comment but wow the antis are here with the negativity.. I understand it lacks some point, but nothing…
There has to be more of an agenda involved with the haters. Normal people just stop watching shows they don't like and don't make a career of posting their hate on internet discussion boards. But when I say something they get all perturbed and tell me they have a right to bitch and moan. It does make it a lot more difficult to find the few thoughtful comments about the series.
And.... I'm done... !!! oh, it was so hectic even after knowing the full story already, I still was secretly wishing…
Neither Ramil/Paytai nor Calvin/Jay had much of a role at all in the book. They invented a story for each of them because they wanted to give Jimmy/Ohm and Net/JJ an actual acting role.
None of the characters, not even Khanin and Charan got a full story arc. We leave them at the time when Charan proposes.
In all cases the characters are left with that hope for a positive future. The resolution between Ramil/Paytai is that Ramil finally steps away from evil Daddy which is the only thing he could have done to make Paytai's life better if they were going to remain as a couple. They are two broken souls who will hopefully be able to navigate the future together.
Even Khanin and Charan's story isn't fully resolved. They know they will be together forever but the plot leaves us with Khanin still pursuing his Masters in pollution control with the idea that both of them will help King Tharin with the air quality crisis in Emmaly afterwards.
They had the novel to follow but they said scrap it and made their own story.
If they followed the book Khanin and Charan would have moved back to Emmaly for him to be a fencing instructor and Charan to be an art professor.
In the series Khanin has moved to the UK to study pollution management. So there certainly is some expectation that the both of them will move back to Emmaly some day to help solve the crisis or at the very least offer consulting advice.
It was the one part of the series that I thought was more satisfying than the book.
I liked the series but thought the last episode was terrible. Khanin makes such hoopla over pollution and the…
He was moving to the UK to get a master's degree in pollution management. Since neither you nor I invented the realm of Emmaly, we don't even know if studying there was an option.
Never seen Bridgeton or The Young Royals, in fact I never even heard of the second one, but I did enjoy the series,…
I'm from the US where 100 million baht ($3 million USD) would cover the cost of one episode of TNP. Since you seem to be into Royal dramas Downton Abbey, the last episode of which aired 10 years ago, cost $1.6 million USD per episode.
I know it's cheaper to do things in Thailand but there is a limit.
I did a review of the finale below but it's very long, balanced but very long. I don't know how many people will actually want to read it but I enjoyed writing it so I don't care. Take a peek if you feel like it.
I don't post a whole lot on Reddit but when I do I post under the same name as here.
Maybe it’s because I went into this show not expecting a plot-driven series, but I actually really enjoyed it…
Never seen Bridgeton or The Young Royals, in fact I never even heard of the second one, but I did enjoy the series, probably more than most people here.
This was a pretty satisfying finale with so many feel good moments that I'm still floating on the endorphins.
What I liked
Fencing competition. Although it was a foregone conclusion that Khanin was going to win the fencing match they managed to make it somewhat suspenseful with Ramil's awful performance in the beginning and then rallying after he saw Paytai.
Khanin's humanity shines through even in battle as he lends a hand to Ramil to help him get back on his feet. Being a good human has always been more important to Khanin than winning.
Ramil/Rachata. I would have preferred if Ramil threw Rachata through a wall after he beat and lambasted him for losing the fencing match, but I'll settle for him finally standing up to his father and walking out. He's shown capacity to be a decent person despite a crap upbringing.
King's redemption I have trouble with the King's redemption plot because I read the book. In the series he was a bad leader who ran a dirty gold mine. I guess it was his punishment to die from lung cancer caused by the pollution. But he got to die in peace with Khanin's forgiveness after all the crap he put him through not to mention the thousands of his subjects who got sick and died from the pollution. It was way more than he deserved, but on the other hand he wasn't outright murdering people like he was in the book. (I guess this qualifies as a semi-criticism)
King Tharin A case of sometimes good guys finish first. Emmaly gets a king who will actually look into the pollution problem and try to solve it in addition to being more humane and egalitarian to the four clans that he leads. And he's a good dad. He will not try to control Khanin's future and make him be a prince if he doesn't want to be.
The last dance The last dance scene is kind of superfluous but it finally shows Khanin and Charan as an out couple and I'm a sucker for Zeenunew romance. Plus I love "Dancing in the Moonlight". The OST was one of the highlights of this series.
Ramil/Paytai I liked the final scene between Ramil and Paytai more than I thought I would. Ramil is remorseful for the way Paytai was treated in the palace. They are both broken and tortured after being unloved and abused by their families but somehow Paytai has managed to keep both his mental health and his humanity intact. Hopefully now that Ramil has escaped the clutches of evil daddy he will be up to the task of being the lover that Paytai deserves. They cling to each other in the sand like life preservers and we can only hope that they have finally found safety in each other. As actors Jimmy and Ohm have amazing on screen chemistry so I look forward to their own series coming up.
Calvin/Jay Not much to say about Calvin and Jay. They finally confess that they like each other, a quick peck and a hug. It was cute, but a pretty undeveloped subplot, common for a third couple in a BL. As an aside I forgot how incredibly handsome Net is after wearing all those ugly baggy Royal clothes. He looked so much more beautiful in this scene.
Khanin grows up In this episode Khanin shows enormous maturity compared to the start of the series where he was clinging to Charan for safety and later lusting after him and seducing him. He's now in love, he believes in the Emmalian custom of a kiss sealing them as a couple forever. But he's willing to wait for Charan to be ready to give him the commitment he wants, rather than whining that he isn't getting it right now. They are okay with being apart in the interim, Charan assisting King Tharin with the pollution crisis and Khanin studying pollution management in England.
The set in England was my absolute favorite of the entire series. A little bit of royalty but mostly comfy and luxurious furnishings. Could have been an HGTV renovation. It's a completely feel good scene with Thatdanai making Beef Wellington and Chakri being horrified that Khanin wants him to call him "mate" instead of Your Royal Highness. Much as I love Zeenunew, Ballchon's Chakri will forever be my MVP of the series.
The softening of Charan Over the course of this episode you see Charan opening up his heart more to Khanin even if he is not quite ready to commit. And when he shows up in London we finally get to see the same unrestrained joy that Lian had for Kuea once they became lovers in Cutie Pie. Zee got a lot of undeserved criticism for his demeanor as Charan, but you can see here it's not because he has poor acting abilities but because that was his role in the series.
And he called Thatdanai "Dad". 😉
The breakfasts, before and after The breakfast scene in the final episode was a sweet full circle moment recalling the second episode where Khanin didn't even want to sit at the table with Charan because he found him so controlling. Now they can't keep their hands off each other.
The final NC scene We also get a much more intimate and less stilted NC scene, my favorite for two reasons. First Charan initiates and he is loving, sweet and relaxed unlike the first two times. Second, this NC scene was only 9 minutes (yes I clocked it) which just goes to show you don't need 15 minutes and paint brushes to show satisfying intimacy.
Other nice touches to the NC scene, happy music "I Need Your Love", "Dancing in the Moonlight". I also love that little pearl necklace that Charan gave Khanin. You can tell that the costume department thought about the length of the chain to make sure it wouldn't get in the way.
The proposal The proposal scene is another full circle moment where Charan presents Khanin with his mother's ring, one that he first saw at the Phithakthewa mansion. Khanin has always wanted a champagne color Meenanakarin pearl, and now he has one from his forever love. From the first time I saw it I knew that ring was going to wind up on Khanin's finger.
AND a parting gift, a new OST If all of that wasn't enough in the last few minutes as Charan puts the ring on Khanin's finger we get another beautiful OST, this time a Zeenunew duet. The official MV is now out:
Advertising Lolani and IQIYI advertisements in the final episode. Yuck. Those things have annoyed me throughout this series and I cherish the few episodes when I didn't see them. Aof needs to get a new marketing department to put together better and less intrusive deals with advertisers especially now that he's becoming more of a big time producer. There's a difference between product placement and actual advertisements in the middle of the plot.
Too many flashbacks Most of the flashbacks during the fencing scene could have been eliminated in favor of more main character and side character development in the final episode. I don't know about you, but my memory isn't so bad that I can't remember things that happened 13 episodes ago. This seems to be something that I see in a lot of BL series though.
Charan's commitment issues I honestly don't understand Charan's commitment phobia after he already was intimate with Khanin and considered a mere kiss his forever bond. I love you seems a small thing to say when you've already made an implicit vow of eternal love and fidelity. It was a huge plot hole to me.
Sound engineering issues The piano music during Charan's scene with Vedish continuing through his meeting with King Tharin was way too loud and I had trouble even hearing the dialogue. Fortunately since I don't speak Thai I was looking at the subtitles anyway but it was very distracting.
The ending doesn't quite get there From Aof we know that there isn't going to be a special episode to take us through the wedding and their return to Emmaly which you do see in the book. My only complaint about that is not the lack of a wedding, but the fact that both Charan and Khanin were previously dedicated to working on the pollution issue. Khanin moved all the way to the UK just to get a masters in pollution management, and now that they're getting married all of the sudden we don't hear about their future plans to return and work on this issue.
They're getting married, not lobotomized. And the rest of their lives should surround things that are important to them. So forgetting all about the Emmalian people while in their love bubble bothered me. Yes they mentioned earlier that this was their intent, but I would have liked to see them making plans to return if we weren't going to see them back home working on the issue.
The Next prince finally ended. No doubt how much anticipation we had regarding this series due to director and…
Khanin and Charan didn't cheat on each other in the book, and they didn't break up. They always intended to reunite when Khanin moved to London, and just like the series they stayed in touch while they were apart.
Ramil wasn't a coward in the series. He was abused and traumatized. He was a victim and it took him some time to write his father off.
The only reason there were any scenes for Ramil Paytai, Calvin Jay, and Ava Mira is because they expanded their…
Oh Lord. The last thing I would ever do is watch a BL to hear NuNew speak English. I think he understands it fairly well but he certainly isn't conversational. It's really something that he and Zee need to work on if they ever hope to reach an international audience.
I don't know if anyone noticed it but there was a beautiful new OST duet with Zee and NuNew during the proposal scene. Here are the lyrics and I will give you a link the minute it is released on the platforms, or even if there is a YouTube fan cam of it. It was sung during the event, but I couldn't find a clip of just the song.
My review of the final episode will come tomorrow. It's got a few criticisms but all in all I liked it so if you're a hater of the series you can skip the first part and go straight to the criticisms. I've labeled the sections for you. 😉
Do you know, my dear? I know we'll fly beyond with no fear Right my dear I'll never fade or drift away Beside you is where I'll always stay The only one I need each day It's just you, my heart won't stray
Let me just love you as the moments fly That's all I ask, to call you mine The world may shift over time Let me hold your hand so tight Through every joy and tear we find Like the sky, I'm by your side
Do you know what makes the sky shine, Keeping it lovely up high It's when the majestic sea reflects the sky Just like you and me, side by side It's enough for me, your hand in mine
Right, my sunshine I'll never fade or drift away Beside you is where I'll always stay The only one I need each day, It's just you, my heart won't stray
Let me just love you as the moments fly That's all I ask, to call you mine The world may shift over time Let me hold your hand so tight Through every joy and tear we find Like the sky, I'm by your side
Let me just love you as the moments fly That's all I ask, to call you mine The world may shift over time Let me hold your hand so tight Through every joy and tear we find Like the sky, I'm by your side
So he went back to an education system where he felt comfortable and was in the process of getting his masters.
He will have more education and able to help whether or not the two of them ever wind up moving back to Emmaly.
And FWIW this was actually a more satisfying ending than the book where a decision is made to have a more democratic government run by a board in each clan.
But Khanin completely bows out of any involvement in the new government after Ava, Ramil and he help establish it
In the end they do move back to Emmaly but Charan remains an art professor and Khanin plans to open a fencing school.
I knew he looked familiar but I couldn't place it until I saw that picture.
I think Zee has had a long time connection with Dome. He sang his song "Last Love" at NuNew's first DreamCatcher concert.
Picture of them both together a few years ago from Dome's Insta page.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CH2ZWeQha8R/
None of the characters, not even Khanin and Charan got a full story arc. We leave them at the time when Charan proposes.
In all cases the characters are left with that hope for a positive future. The resolution between Ramil/Paytai is that Ramil finally steps away from evil Daddy which is the only thing he could have done to make Paytai's life better if they were going to remain as a couple. They are two broken souls who will hopefully be able to navigate the future together.
Even Khanin and Charan's story isn't fully resolved. They know they will be together forever but the plot leaves us with Khanin still pursuing his Masters in pollution control with the idea that both of them will help King Tharin with the air quality crisis in Emmaly afterwards.
If the majority of the world doesn't agree with you on something maybe it's you that has the problem.
In the series Khanin has moved to the UK to study pollution management. So there certainly is some expectation that the both of them will move back to Emmaly some day to help solve the crisis or at the very least offer consulting advice.
It was the one part of the series that I thought was more satisfying than the book.
I know it's cheaper to do things in Thailand but there is a limit.
I did a review of the finale below but it's very long, balanced but very long. I don't know how many people will actually want to read it but I enjoyed writing it so I don't care. Take a peek if you feel like it.
I don't post a whole lot on Reddit but when I do I post under the same name as here.
Look here and scroll down to original soundtrack to see what songs are part of the OST and who sang them.
There is one more song from the final episode that is not included yet but it will be shortly I'm sure.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Next_Prince
This was a pretty satisfying finale with so many feel good moments that I'm still floating on the endorphins.
What I liked
Fencing competition.
Although it was a foregone conclusion that Khanin was going to win the fencing match they managed to make it somewhat suspenseful with Ramil's awful performance in the beginning and then rallying after he saw Paytai.
Khanin's humanity shines through even in battle as he lends a hand to Ramil to help him get back on his feet. Being a good human has always been more important to Khanin than winning.
Ramil/Rachata.
I would have preferred if Ramil threw Rachata through a wall after he beat and lambasted him for losing the fencing match, but I'll settle for him finally standing up to his father and walking out. He's shown capacity to be a decent person despite a crap upbringing.
King's redemption
I have trouble with the King's redemption plot because I read the book. In the series he was a bad leader who ran a dirty gold mine. I guess it was his punishment to die from lung cancer caused by the pollution. But he got to die in peace with Khanin's forgiveness after all the crap he put him through not to mention the thousands of his subjects who got sick and died from the pollution. It was way more than he deserved, but on the other hand he wasn't outright murdering people like he was in the book. (I guess this qualifies as a semi-criticism)
King Tharin
A case of sometimes good guys finish first. Emmaly gets a king who will actually look into the pollution problem and try to solve it in addition to being more humane and egalitarian to the four clans that he leads. And he's a good dad. He will not try to control Khanin's future and make him be a prince if he doesn't want to be.
The last dance
The last dance scene is kind of superfluous but it finally shows Khanin and Charan as an out couple and I'm a sucker for Zeenunew romance. Plus I love "Dancing in the Moonlight". The OST was one of the highlights of this series.
Ramil/Paytai
I liked the final scene between Ramil and Paytai more than I thought I would. Ramil is remorseful for the way Paytai was treated in the palace. They are both broken and tortured after being unloved and abused by their families but somehow Paytai has managed to keep both his mental health and his humanity intact. Hopefully now that Ramil has escaped the clutches of evil daddy he will be up to the task of being the lover that Paytai deserves. They cling to each other in the sand like life preservers and we can only hope that they have finally found safety in each other. As actors Jimmy and Ohm have amazing on screen chemistry so I look forward to their own series coming up.
Calvin/Jay
Not much to say about Calvin and Jay. They finally confess that they like each other, a quick peck and a hug. It was cute, but a pretty undeveloped subplot, common for a third couple in a BL. As an aside I forgot how incredibly handsome Net is after wearing all those ugly baggy Royal clothes. He looked so much more beautiful in this scene.
Khanin grows up
In this episode Khanin shows enormous maturity compared to the start of the series where he was clinging to Charan for safety and later lusting after him and seducing him. He's now in love, he believes in the Emmalian custom of a kiss sealing them as a couple forever. But he's willing to wait for Charan to be ready to give him the commitment he wants, rather than whining that he isn't getting it right now. They are okay with being apart in the interim, Charan assisting King Tharin with the pollution crisis and Khanin studying pollution management in England.
The set in England was my absolute favorite of the entire series. A little bit of royalty but mostly comfy and luxurious furnishings. Could have been an HGTV renovation. It's a completely feel good scene with Thatdanai making Beef Wellington and Chakri being horrified that Khanin wants him to call him "mate" instead of Your Royal Highness. Much as I love Zeenunew, Ballchon's Chakri will forever be my MVP of the series.
The softening of Charan
Over the course of this episode you see Charan opening up his heart more to Khanin even if he is not quite ready to commit. And when he shows up in London we finally get to see the same unrestrained joy that Lian had for Kuea once they became lovers in Cutie Pie. Zee got a lot of undeserved criticism for his demeanor as Charan, but you can see here it's not because he has poor acting abilities but because that was his role in the series.
And he called Thatdanai "Dad". 😉
The breakfasts, before and after
The breakfast scene in the final episode was a sweet full circle moment recalling the second episode where Khanin didn't even want to sit at the table with Charan because he found him so controlling. Now they can't keep their hands off each other.
The final NC scene
We also get a much more intimate and less stilted NC scene, my favorite for two reasons. First Charan initiates and he is loving, sweet and relaxed unlike the first two times. Second, this NC scene was only 9 minutes (yes I clocked it) which just goes to show you don't need 15 minutes and paint brushes to show satisfying intimacy.
Other nice touches to the NC scene, happy music "I Need Your Love", "Dancing in the Moonlight". I also love that little pearl necklace that Charan gave Khanin. You can tell that the costume department thought about the length of the chain to make sure it wouldn't get in the way.
The proposal
The proposal scene is another full circle moment where Charan presents Khanin with his mother's ring, one that he first saw at the Phithakthewa mansion. Khanin has always wanted a champagne color Meenanakarin pearl, and now he has one from his forever love. From the first time I saw it I knew that ring was going to wind up on Khanin's finger.
AND a parting gift, a new OST
If all of that wasn't enough in the last few minutes as Charan puts the ring on Khanin's finger we get another beautiful OST, this time a Zeenunew duet. The official MV is now out:
https://youtu.be/hAzFAyUQZVQ
Advertising
Lolani and IQIYI advertisements in the final episode. Yuck. Those things have annoyed me throughout this series and I cherish the few episodes when I didn't see them. Aof needs to get a new marketing department to put together better and less intrusive deals with advertisers especially now that he's becoming more of a big time producer. There's a difference between product placement and actual advertisements in the middle of the plot.
Too many flashbacks
Most of the flashbacks during the fencing scene could have been eliminated in favor of more main character and side character development in the final episode. I don't know about you, but my memory isn't so bad that I can't remember things that happened 13 episodes ago. This seems to be something that I see in a lot of BL series though.
Charan's commitment issues
I honestly don't understand Charan's commitment phobia after he already was intimate with Khanin and considered a mere kiss his forever bond. I love you seems a small thing to say when you've already made an implicit vow of eternal love and fidelity. It was a huge plot hole to me.
Sound engineering issues
The piano music during Charan's scene with Vedish continuing through his meeting with King Tharin was way too loud and I had trouble even hearing the dialogue. Fortunately since I don't speak Thai I was looking at the subtitles anyway but it was very distracting.
The ending doesn't quite get there
From Aof we know that there isn't going to be a special episode to take us through the wedding and their return to Emmaly which you do see in the book. My only complaint about that is not the lack of a wedding, but the fact that both Charan and Khanin were previously dedicated to working on the pollution issue. Khanin moved all the way to the UK just to get a masters in pollution management, and now that they're getting married all of the sudden we don't hear about their future plans to return and work on this issue.
They're getting married, not lobotomized. And the rest of their lives should surround things that are important to them. So forgetting all about the Emmalian people while in their love bubble bothered me. Yes they mentioned earlier that this was their intent, but I would have liked to see them making plans to return if we weren't going to see them back home working on the issue.
Ramil wasn't a coward in the series. He was abused and traumatized. He was a victim and it took him some time to write his father off.
My review of the final episode will come tomorrow. It's got a few criticisms but all in all I liked it so if you're a hater of the series you can skip the first part and go straight to the criticisms. I've labeled the sections for you. 😉
Do you know, my dear?
I know we'll fly beyond with no fear
Right my dear
I'll never fade or drift away
Beside you is where I'll always stay
The only one I need each day
It's just you, my heart won't stray
Let me just love you as the moments fly
That's all I ask, to call you mine
The world may shift over time
Let me hold your hand so tight
Through every joy and tear we find
Like the sky, I'm by your side
Do you know what makes the sky shine,
Keeping it lovely up high
It's when the majestic sea reflects the sky
Just like you and me, side by side
It's enough for me, your hand in mine
Right, my sunshine
I'll never fade or drift away
Beside you is where I'll always stay
The only one I need each day,
It's just you, my heart won't stray
Let me just love you as the moments fly
That's all I ask, to call you mine
The world may shift over time
Let me hold your hand so tight
Through every joy and tear we find
Like the sky, I'm by your side
Let me just love you as the moments fly
That's all I ask, to call you mine
The world may shift over time
Let me hold your hand so tight
Through every joy and tear we find
Like the sky, I'm by your side
official MV is now out;
https://youtu.be/hAzFAyUQZVQ