Reviews

a dragging last episode

Sad to say I am not satisfied with this ending. There might‘ve been conclusions but also still waay too many loose strings. - Cool, we won the competition. yay. I do not really feel happy about that. It made the most sense but other than that. Eh. Since none of the contesants really get anything out of it just made this so… *sound of letting air out of a ballon*- We all (people in the series, definitely not me) have suddenly forgiven all the kings wrong doings? Sure, sure, sure.- In the fencing match I thought Ramil might purposely loose or forfeit to show he‘s no longer following his fathers orders. I would‘ve loved to see more about him and Paytai. Their conclusion was fine but left me with questions and wanting more.- Sad to see Ava just sitting there. She was my favourite to win the competition. - I totally forgot about Calvin and Jay. It felt really odd to have their conclusion in the midst of all the other things. At first I was like: ah yee, their story needs an ending…. but when it was happening I wished they didn‘t get one but instead a spinoff series. Because in this series they weren‘t relevant at all for the main plot. Their story would be worthy of its own series.- some scenes felt too long. The one where they leave the balcony felt weirdly long. And Khanin and Charans final kiss was definitely too long. Don‘t get me wrong I love a good kiss (& the kiss was good) but so long I wanted to tell them to get a room and walk away from the scene. I even watched on 1.25x speed and it was still too long.- Getting engaged? Really? That feels so soon. I have no idea how much time has passed. That engagement just felt like creating the grounds for a special episode in which they get married. Would love to see a royal emmalian wedding but grrrr I wished it would‘ve happened differently.

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Phew

Phew, wow. Not only is this a pure filler episode, but the first 10 minutes are a cold-blooded repetition of previous episodes—unnecessary info or recycled edits. The format is blatantly taken from HP4 and The Hunger Games; I’m still waiting to see a fresh take on any of it.It’s either the stupid part (old people and CGI) or the running-archery segment (the babies). At least the babies look good—costumes and colors-wise: green and black. Unlike the ugly yellow "old clapping" segment.Well. Bravo.An infodump through and through. The final shots are embarrassing. (For one, you either ensure the king’s safety or act like a lovey-dovey gum wrapper stuck to your adoptive son—doing both just cancels each other out.)Oh, I almost forgot: the CGI is ugly. Sticking it on castle is a crime.Nice take on main leads and another crime - fake-suggested death.Phew.0/10P.S. Besides. Sort your priorities. U were more concerned about youur shot servant than shot princess heir. WE were supposed to freak out, NOT the actors.

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last ep was garbage, I Jun couldn't stand…

last ep was garbage, I Jun couldn't stand up to Do Gyeong, knowing full-well he was manipulating him. but when he finally found his voice it was to push both his ex & Ha Ram away?!? going a step further & hurting Ha Ram by breaking off their dating arrangement. cause he's a coward that can't stand-up for himself & rather run away from his feelings?? **************************& after the way he treated Ha Ram, Ha Ram still running after him, caring for him, worrying about & supporting him... sorry but this unrealistic! there No one this magnanimous, where someone steps all over ur heart, disregards ur feelings & u still care for them as much as Ha Ram cared for I Jun at the end - yeah not buying it. just cause ur hurting it doesn't excuse u hurting others! so sorry but this was cute up until a point & I Jun for sure not worth all the trouble or of someone like Ha Ram. this was a one off & a never again!

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Do Gyeong know exactly how to play I Jun,…

Do Gyeong know exactly how to play I Jun, who on his part (i get that getting ghosted like that) had so many unanswered questions... so he had to meet up with Do Gyeong, even if he knew he was just trying to "kiss & make-up" so he could get the project. *******************************************************************************************************************************but I Jun is more or less dating Ha Ram, he doesn't want to tell him that Do Gyeong is the ex, that broke his heart - i get it. but pushing him away & then getting mad at him is unfair. same with standing there like a mute moron, that can't defended himself & needs a knight in shining armor?!? when he had NO problem slapping & hitting Ha Ram, when he was trying to woo him aggressively at the start. call b.s on how this ep turned out - Ha Ram deserves better!

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A Mess of CGI, Wasted Potential, and Too Many Storylines

*A Mess of CGI, Wasted Potential, and Too Many Storylines (and I sincerely hope Khanin is ok after that brutal encounter)*If you’ve seen Word of Honor, you probably remember that ridiculous scene toward the end—two episodes before the finale—where the CGI went completely off the rails. The hand looked unnaturally small, and the head was inflated like a balloon. I had hoped human kind would learn from that kind of failure. But apparently not. The Next Prince just proved we’re still making the same mistakes.There’s a dancing scene somewhere in the last episode. At first, I thought the odd perspective was intentional due to the height difference between the characters. But no. If the issue is that the actors have drastically different heights, maybe you should have cast people with similar statures instead of slapping high heels on one of them and relying on bad CGI and characters who are not at the same line, not even looking at each other, when speaking to fix it. I honestly thought the CGI was only used for buildings destroyment (of good taste and historical ideals) or blurred backgrounds (suggestion copyright issues). But no—some genius decided it was a great idea to use CGI on people. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.When they danced, I still had hope. But then came a romantic scene at night, and they did it again. His head compared to his hand? No words. None. (So he either suffers really bad attac of anorexia or the editor, cameramen and director are all blind. Maybe both - just my perspective.)Let’s be honest—it’s not the worst series ever. It's just not the best. (Or good. It is just boring in expensive clothes with a few good ideas or veins with potential cut very short.) It's just that all the wait and all the hype built up around it made people believe one thing, but they are not blind nor stupid to not see the reality now. The final execution just didn’t deliver. The fans hoped for something meaningful, but what we got was a shallow mess.I saw potential in the couple dynamics, the characters, and some of the setup. But what I didn’t see was proper work on the set or consistency with the characters. I could write pages about the problematic parts of this series, but what I won’t do is turn a blind eye to the fact that the storytelling was completely messed up, which is the worst crime.And let me clarify one more thing: unlike some reviewers, I’m not a fan of the book. I already knew the book wasn’t good when I read the first few pages. So I had no delusions that the series would be some masterpiece. I wasn’t hyped because of the book or because they kept postponing the series or because ZNN in it. I saw it as a learning opportunity—something that had the potential to become something better. But what we got was a jumble of themes with no depth and an unflattering presentation.Inspirations or Imitations?I clearly recognized some inspirations: Harry Potter (Triwizard Tournament vibes), The Hunger Games, Game of Thrones, Not Me, Princess Diaries and even KinnPorsche. Then there are newer series in the BL genre or royal-setting dramas. And yes, I saw what they were trying to do with social issues—perhaps taking notes from Not Me, which I’m also not a huge fan of—but Not Me at least gave social issues the proper framing and justice. (You know why? Because they didn't inject into social issues royal fetish material maybe?)Let’s be real: After watching this, not production vise, but story vise I appreciate Cutie Pie still more. A BL fantasy involving an arranged marriage between two guys is (was) daring and refreshing, nothin like GMMTV would dare to do. But dressing up Nunew like Elsa or Princess Fiona in every scene isn’t bold—it’s tacky. This is royal-BL-fetish material with bad CGI, cringe moments, and blurry visuals that are supposed to look expensive. We have the source material to evolve beyond clichés, so why haven’t we?The Problem Isn’t Just the Story—It’s the ExecutionDon’t expect me to praise the production just because it had a budget. If you don’t know how to handle close-ups, lighting, or focus, all that money is wasted. Worse still, you had great potential in the couples and character dynamics—and you trashed it.Some characters seemed to be introduced as part of girl–girl couples… and then nothing. Either they were forgotten or never developed, likely due to fear or indecisiveness. Others started strong—secondary or complementary couples—and were completely abandoned. The emotional arcs went nowhere. I don’t want to watch everyone crying. That’s not acting, thats not proper closure for a character or a couple, that’s lazy writing.If it were up to me, I would have cut the couples down. Two at most. If you want to explore more, fine—make spin-offs. But don’t throw four half-baked couples into 14 episodes and expect the audience to care.And please: don’t insert social issues just to check a box, especially if your production team can’t handle them with the respect they deserve.What Were You Even Trying to Be?Was this a musical? A social issue drama? A royal BL? All of it? None of it? It felt like someone threw glitter, angst, and budget at the screen and hoped for the best. But the result was empty packaging.Side Couples? A Total Waste.Some stories had real potential, but instead of developing them, you made them distractions. The second couple could’ve been amazing, but you ruined that arc too. There were even hints of inspiration from KinnPorsche's VegasPete, but you dropped the ball. Hard.You created potentially toxic but interesting dynamics—and then didn’t follow through. The third or fourth couple? Unnecessary. The almost-girl-couple? Completely wasted. If you didn’t intend to develop them, why include them at all?Too Many Couples, Too Little Time14 episodes. Four couples. Way too much. Who cares what the adults were up to? No one asked for their backstory. This is not a Chinese palace drama. Don’t pad your runtime with things no one cares about.You fragmented the focus. The result? Shallow issues and undeveloped plots. It’s not terrible, but it’s not even close to good. It’s a “fan service” series that only hardcore fans will find enjoyable.A Few Positives…?To be fair, the production (at times) looks better than most Mandee shows. People complained about wooden acting of Zee, but I don't read this as wooden acting, maybe stoic character, yes. Even wooden, if you wish. I’ll take subtle over over-the-top melodrama any day. The main actor wasn’t bad—his performance was shaped by his partner and probably the company’s direction.Still, there were moments of great acting. But the writing and directing undermined those efforts. The crying scenes? Pointless. The whole show made me want to either scream or laugh from disbelief.And those filler episodes? Torture. I knew they were filler before they even started. They were empty, dull, and wasted everyone's time.Closing ThoughtsI didn’t even finish reviewing episodes 4, 5 and 10(?). I got stuck at the singing scene in episode 4—which felt out of place and earned criticism elsewhere too. Bollywood? Musical? Why was it even there? I coumplained about that a lot in here, the second part focused on other aspects of that episode, but alas. RL happened.Honestly, I don’t feel motivated to finish reviewing the rest. It feels pointless to put effort into something that clearly lacked it from the creators. But maybe I’ll finish it for closure. Or maybe not. Not everything needs to be finished, right?Final AdviceTry to change the the good boys for bad and try recast and properly work with Zee as we know he is a great actor. Recast him from wooden positions (cause i can't stand the whining of Nunews fans who haven't see Zee acting with Saint how Zee is wooden; no, he isn't, you cast him wrong, typecast him or not work witth him at all).And for newcomers: If you're a new viewer, go ahead and watch it—but take the best parts and forget the rest. I hoped this would be a meaningful, groundbreaking series. Instead, it ended up being... just another series. A “whatever” kind of show.And that’s a shame. But if it is what it is, then you can't do anything about it, if it is just a “whatever” material, right? Paws up who seen the scene with the fly at the proposal scene and found it distracting? 🐾https://x.com/AssezPetra/status/1951707912046268831https://x.com/AssezPetra/status/1951706858953076934https://x.com/AssezPetra/status/1951697946224800179

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A Mess of CGI, Wasted Potential, and Too Many Storylines

*A Mess of CGI, Wasted Potential, and Too Many Storylines (and I sincerely hope Khanin is ok after that brutal encounter)*If you’ve seen Word of Honor, you probably remember that ridiculous scene toward the end—two episodes before the finale—where the CGI went completely off the rails. The hand looked unnaturally small, and the head was inflated like a balloon. I had hoped human kind would learn from that kind of failure. But apparently not. The Next Prince just proved we’re still making the same mistakes.There’s a dancing scene somewhere in the last episode. At first, I thought the odd perspective was intentional due to the height difference between the characters. But no. If the issue is that the actors have drastically different heights, maybe you should have cast people with similar statures instead of slapping high heels on one of them and relying on bad CGI and characters who are not at the same line, not even looking at each other, when speaking to fix it. I honestly thought the CGI was only used for buildings destroyment (of good taste and historical ideals) or blurred backgrounds (suggestion copyright issues). But no—some genius decided it was a great idea to use CGI on people. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.When they danced, I still had hope. But then came a romantic scene at night, and they did it again. His head compared to his hand? No words. None. (So he either suffers really bad attac of anorexia or the editor, cameramen and director are all blind. Maybe both - just my perspective.)Let’s be honest—it’s not the worst series ever. It's just not the best. (Or good. It is just boring in expensive clothes with a few good ideas or veins with potential cut very short.) It's just that all the wait and all the hype built up around it made people believe one thing, but they are not blind nor stupid to not see the reality now. The final execution just didn’t deliver. The fans hoped for something meaningful, but what we got was a shallow mess.I saw potential in the couple dynamics, the characters, and some of the setup. But what I didn’t see was proper work on the set or consistency with the characters. I could write pages about the problematic parts of this series, but what I won’t do is turn a blind eye to the fact that the storytelling was completely messed up, which is the worst crime.And let me clarify one more thing: unlike some reviewers, I’m not a fan of the book. I already knew the book wasn’t good when I read the first few pages. So I had no delusions that the series would be some masterpiece. I wasn’t hyped because of the book or because they kept postponing the series or because ZNN in it. I saw it as a learning opportunity—something that had the potential to become something better. But what we got was a jumble of themes with no depth and an unflattering presentation.Inspirations or Imitations?I clearly recognized some inspirations: Harry Potter (Triwizard Tournament vibes), The Hunger Games, Game of Thrones, Not Me, Princess Diaries and even KinnPorsche. Then there are newer series in the BL genre or royal-setting dramas. And yes, I saw what they were trying to do with social issues—perhaps taking notes from Not Me, which I’m also not a huge fan of—but Not Me at least gave social issues the proper framing and justice. (You know why? Because they didn't inject into social issues royal fetish material maybe?)Let’s be real: After watching this, not production vise, but story vise I appreciate Cutie Pie still more. A BL fantasy involving an arranged marriage between two guys is (was) daring and refreshing, nothin like GMMTV would dare to do. But dressing up Nunew like Elsa or Princess Fiona in every scene isn’t bold—it’s tacky. This is royal-BL-fetish material with bad CGI, cringe moments, and blurry visuals that are supposed to look expensive. We have the source material to evolve beyond clichés, so why haven’t we?The Problem Isn’t Just the Story—It’s the ExecutionDon’t expect me to praise the production just because it had a budget. If you don’t know how to handle close-ups, lighting, or focus, all that money is wasted. Worse still, you had great potential in the couples and character dynamics—and you trashed it.Some characters seemed to be introduced as part of girl–girl couples… and then nothing. Either they were forgotten or never developed, likely due to fear or indecisiveness. Others started strong—secondary or complementary couples—and were completely abandoned. The emotional arcs went nowhere. I don’t want to watch everyone crying. That’s not acting, thats not proper closure for a character or a couple, that’s lazy writing.If it were up to me, I would have cut the couples down. Two at most. If you want to explore more, fine—make spin-offs. But don’t throw four half-baked couples into 14 episodes and expect the audience to care.And please: don’t insert social issues just to check a box, especially if your production team can’t handle them with the respect they deserve.What Were You Even Trying to Be?Was this a musical? A social issue drama? A royal BL? All of it? None of it? It felt like someone threw glitter, angst, and budget at the screen and hoped for the best. But the result was empty packaging.Side Couples? A Total Waste.Some stories had real potential, but instead of developing them, you made them distractions. The second couple could’ve been amazing, but you ruined that arc too. There were even hints of inspiration from KinnPorsche's VegasPete, but you dropped the ball. Hard.You created potentially toxic but interesting dynamics—and then didn’t follow through. The third or fourth couple? Unnecessary. The almost-girl-couple? Completely wasted. If you didn’t intend to develop them, why include them at all?Too Many Couples, Too Little Time14 episodes. Four couples. Way too much. Who cares what the adults were up to? No one asked for their backstory. This is not a Chinese palace drama. Don’t pad your runtime with things no one cares about.You fragmented the focus. The result? Shallow issues and undeveloped plots. It’s not terrible, but it’s not even close to good. It’s a “fan service” series that only hardcore fans will find enjoyable.A Few Positives…?To be fair, the production (at times) looks better than most Mandee shows. People complained about wooden acting of Zee, but I don't read this as wooden acting, maybe stoic character, yes. Even wooden, if you wish. I’ll take subtle over over-the-top melodrama any day. The main actor wasn’t bad—his performance was shaped by his partner and probably the company’s direction.Still, there were moments of great acting. But the writing and directing undermined those efforts. The crying scenes? Pointless. The whole show made me want to either scream or laugh from disbelief.And those filler episodes? Torture. I knew they were filler before they even started. They were empty, dull, and wasted everyone's time.Closing ThoughtsI didn’t even finish reviewing episodes 4, 5 and 10(?). I got stuck at the singing scene in episode 4—which felt out of place and earned criticism elsewhere too. Bollywood? Musical? Why was it even there? I coumplained about that a lot in here, the second part focused on other aspects of that episode, but alas. RL happened.Honestly, I don’t feel motivated to finish reviewing the rest. It feels pointless to put effort into something that clearly lacked it from the creators. But maybe I’ll finish it for closure. Or maybe not. Not everything needs to be finished, right?Final AdviceTry to change the the good boys for bad and try recast and properly work with Zee as we know he is a great actor. Recast him from wooden positions (cause i can't stand the whining of Nunews fans who haven't see Zee acting with Saint how Zee is wooden; no, he isn't, you cast him wrong, typecast him or not work witth him at all).And for newcomers: If you're a new viewer, go ahead and watch it—but take the best parts and forget the rest. I hoped this would be a meaningful, groundbreaking series. Instead, it ended up being... just another series. A “whatever” kind of show.And that’s a shame. But if it is what it is, then you can't do anything about it, if it is just a “whatever” material, right? Paws up who seen the scene with the fly at the proposal scene and found it distracting? 🐾https://x.com/AssezPetra/status/1951707912046268831https://x.com/AssezPetra/status/1951706858953076934https://x.com/AssezPetra/status/1951697946224800179

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