Reviews

Is there someone you secretly love?

If you don't have time to read the whole thing, skip to the end where the conclusions are :)

To My Beloved Thief introduces us to Hong Eun-jo, born from the secret relationship between a nobleman and a slave. She has experienced firsthand the hardships of ordinary people, especially after her father fell ill. By day, Eun-jo works as a doctor, but by night she assumes the identity of Hong Gil-dong, a thief who steals from corrupt officials to distribute the loot among the needy. Gil-dong's exploits pique the interest of Prince Yi Yeol, an investigative enthusiast intrigued by the mystery of the righteous thief, though most of the palace officials don't take him seriously. In the course of his search, Yi Yeol meets Eun-jo and falls in love at first sight. However, when they switch bodies, the secrets they were trying to hide are at risk of being exposed.

The drama presents a plot very similar to that of Moon River (which aired in 2025), but although Moon River had more episodes, I enjoyed the development here more than in Moon River. It has a formula that captivates you: a fantastic body swap, very well developed, with fair and charming characters who care for each other. With only a few boring moments, the series also touches on themes of healing, family, and unity, which provided some good moments. It's a good historical drama in my opinion, and when we saw them in the future, realizing that their love transcended eras and the reason for the swap, it was truly moving. The series also includes good moments of tension typical of historical dramas, which kept me on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next. A very good story, with a few minor flaws. Overall, I give the story an 8.5/10; a very good job.

The drama makes use of a large number of characters, from the charming villagers to the corrupt ministers, which makes the drama even more captivating, as all these characters... They contribute something to the story, and let's not forget the chemistry between the protagonists, which was excellent.

Here is my analysis of the main characters:

Hong Eun-jo/Hong Gil-dong (Nam Ji-hyun): Born to a yangban father and a commoner mother, she was legally classified as a commoner through her maternal line. Her father valued her and raised her personally, which allowed her to grow up with a good character and education. After the family fell into poverty and her father became ill, Enzu became the pillar of the family, working as a healer in the Huimin district. Witnessing the exploitation and abuse suffered by the lower classes, she secretly used the food and medicine of the powerful to help the sick and weak, earning her the nickname "Good Girl" among the people.

Honestly, Nam Ji-hyun did an incredible job as Eun-jo, conveying her love for her patients and her desire to protect the needy and return what was rightfully theirs. When she played the prince, she also did a great job managing the character's seriousness, making it clear when she was playing him and when he was playing her. Her performance was excellent.

Prince Dowol/Yi Yeol (Moon Sang-min): With his imposing appearance and dignified bearing, he possesses an air befitting his status, but he deliberately presents himself as a carefree and idle individual, long considered someone who does nothing. As a child, his exceptional intelligence awakened in the late king the desire to usurp the position of crown prince, leading his half-brother to advise him to conceal his talents to protect his mother. Since then, Dowol chose to conceal his abilities, living a seemingly quiet life. In reality, however, he is resourceful and frequently participates in investigations at the Bureau of Research and Statistics, achieving numerous successes. His confident yet humorous demeanor is his unique charm.

Moon Sang-min was perfectly cast as the charismatic and mischievous prince. I truly enjoyed watching him, and just like with Nam Ji-hyun, I could tell when he was being himself or when he was being herself. He did a fantastic job.

Im Jae-yi (Hong Min-gi): Son of Im Sa-hyeong, the Chief Censor. He has lived under his father's control for many years, accustomed to suppressing his own will and obeying his orders.

I found his character very detestable; his bad attitudes weren't justified in my opinion, and his acting was okay, nothing remarkable.

Shin Hae-rim (Han So-eun): Born into a prestigious family, she is Im Jae-yi's fiancée and the queen's niece.

I found her character to have a very kind personality, and the actress's acting was good as well.

Overall, I give the acting an 8.5/10; it was good.

The OST was good but not particularly noteworthy for me. One song I definitely loved was "Loving You," so I give it an 8.0/10.


Would I watch it again? Maybe, but I'm not sure, as it didn't reach the point where I'd say, "I definitely have to watch it again." But this isn't a bad thing; I simply enjoyed watching it, and I don't think I need to watch it many times. So, I give it a 7.5/10.


In short, "To My Beloved Thief" is a historical drama that uses a fantastical element—body swapping—and develops it in an excellent way that never gets boring. The drama also blends romance with tense situations that keep you on the edge of your seat. It also includes reflections on life, family relationships, and service to others. Overall, I give it an 8.5/10. They did very well.


THANKS FOR READING

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Third time watching and:

It's truly a gem. I don't understand how I can still love this series five years after it came out...
But hear me out : the soundtrack *chef kiss*, the actors are good and their performances are varied YES, i admit, sometimes cliché !
And yes, it's disturbing, it's pure violence, simple revenge, the typical mafia cliché. And there's some scenes quite funny who makes you forget.. just for a few minutes. And then suddenly, a BIG punch in the face, the fun stops completely.
For me, it works; the final episode still makes my stomach churn in 2026.
But DAMN, the journey to get there, I experienced the story so intensely that I felt a void and thought, "OK, so what happens now?" What happens once all that's over?

I can explain this feeling but guys... just tried it.

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It’s bad. It’s fun. I kept watching.

This is one of those dramas you watch against your better judgment, fully aware you’re stepping into toxic territory, and somehow you still keep going. It’s a compact little chaos machine built on domestic violence, criminal schemes, and emotional manipulation, and the wild part is how watchable it becomes once you surrender to the mess. The show doesn’t bother pretending anyone here is emotionally stable. The older woman is stuck choosing between an abusive husband who treats her like a punching bag and her son’s friend—a smooth-talking manipulator running an illegal gambling scam who ropes her in because she’s a pushover with a heartbeat. It’s not romance; it’s a study in terrible decisions layered on top of worse ones.

The dynamic between her and the son’s friend is the kind of moral sinkhole you can’t climb out of. He’s charismatic in that dangerous way where you know he’s bad news but you still lean in, and she’s written like someone who keeps mistaking red flags for invitations. Their entire relationship feels like a slow-motion car crash, and the drama milks that imbalance for every drop of tension. And just when you think the writers have exhausted their supply of questionable choices, they toss in a BL angle like it’s seasoning—because of course they do. At this point, subtlety has packed its bags and left the country.

The thing is, it’s trashy in that addictive, rubber‑necking way. You know it’s bad, you know it’s ethically bankrupt, but you’re curious enough to keep watching because the absurdity becomes its own entertainment. Thankfully it’s short; any longer and we’d need emotional hazard pay. But for a quick hit of “I can’t believe I’m watching this,” it delivers exactly the brand of chaotic fun it promises.

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A series with potential but zero development

In my opinion, this series had everything to be one of the best currently airing. It presented a unique plot with themes of suspense, action, and romance mixed within an environment of trafficking and corruption. However, it was the complete opposite. Its development was minimal; at times, it was unclear what was actually happening. You can tell the production team doesn't know how to handle the story when, out of an episode of around 20 minutes, practically 9 minutes are dedicated to the opening and closing credits. And what about that ending? I expected at least a decent conclusion, but they couldn't even manage that.

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A drama I respected more than I felt

This drama is undeniably well-crafted. The cinematography is polished, the visuals are intentional, and the acting holds its ground without slipping. On a technical level, everything is exactly where it should be.

But even with all that craftsmanship, the connection never formed for me.

From the early episodes onward, I kept waiting for that internal shift — a spark, a pull, something that would make the story feel like more than a beautifully assembled experience. Instead, I found myself admiring the work while feeling completely untouched by it. It’s the multi‑million‑dollar house effect: flawless finishes, elegant design, nothing to critique… yet no sense of belonging.

By episode seven, the realization settled quietly. The narrative had already laid out its trajectory in the first episode, and without emotional stakes, the journey felt predetermined. Not frustrating, not disappointing — just distant. Continuing would have turned that distance into fatigue, and I didn’t want to force myself through something that wasn’t meeting me emotionally.

Despite that disconnect, I still gave it a decent grade. The effort is visible, the production is strong, and the respect for craft is clear. It simply didn’t reach me, and that’s enough of a reason for me to bow out.

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A perfect RomCom with perfect cast

at first I'll talk about the cast i think i can write a whole paragraph about how amazing both of them were at their roles!! iu ofc would have done great we all knew. her character was funny, a bit cringe at times but never irritating which i usually find this type of characters. she reminded me of her character in hotel del luna. and byeon woo seok OH MY GOD he was chef's kiss 🤌 all the scenes charming, romantic, comedy, emotional (oh my god how he cried- even tho i didn't cry but he did amazing) he played all the roles so so fantastically i was in aww!! the one who choose the cast deserves a kiss on their forehead! the chemistry between them was super duper... the story itself including the palace politics was not thaaaat wonderful but everything other than that including camera work, character development, the overall presentation was splendid... it shows their meticulous hard work... kudos for everyone associated with this wonderful drama... it definitely deserves a higher rating!!

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IF I NEED REPENTANCE IMMA GO TO CHURCH, IMMA READ THE BIBLE.

It’s as if the screenwriter—who, for the most part, has a brilliant mind—is secretly a recovering addict who had it together for the first 15.5 episodes, only to suffer a full-blown relapse for the finale. It feels like they went on a week-long, 24-hour-a-day meth, crack, and every other brain-frying drug binge where they lost all common sense, sanity, and sense of self and self-respect.

​But seriously, WHO LET THIS GET TO PRODUCTION?

​Was the entire production team on a shared, drug-induced bender together and just happened to accidentally press "send to network"? Did nobody read the script for Episode 16 and ask, "Wait, does this make any logical sense?"

​How do you fumble a show this badly?!

​The sheer volume of plot holes is mind-boggling, and the time incongruencies are absolutely sickening. To spend 15 hours building an absolutely magnificent corporate thriller with some of the best character dynamics on television, only to throw it all in a blender and serve us a lazy, moralizing "coma dream of repentance."

IF I NEED REPENTANCE IMMA GO TO CHURCH, IMMA READ THE BIBLE. This an insult to the viewers' intelligence. I am judging all reviews with anything less than 4 (off of the strength of the 15 other episodes).

​The first 15 episodes are a flawless 10/10. Then Episode 16 happens, and I am sitting here feeling like I am literally going to hurl. Episode 16 is the drunk uncle who ruins the family get together and makes what was a good memory one you would rather not remember.

​If anyone tries to defend this ending, I can never trust their taste in television again.
If you do however still have the inclination to watch this, do yourself a favour: watch up to about Episode 15.5, pretend the screen went black, and make up your own ending. It will be infinitely better than the garbage fire they broadcast.

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Saying that last goodbye.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to watch this just because of the title. However, after the introduction of his first client, I was all in.

All his clients’ stories were heartwarming. several brought me to tears, especially his last client. By the end of his last client’s story I was sobbing.

I loved the cast. I thought adding the brother in law to his staff added a nice touch. The mom so loving and supportive.

I’m going to say it was a unique drama and I am glad I watched Phantom Lawyer. I think it’s one of those heartwarming rewatchable dramas so I probably will rewatch it again at some point.

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It has several big narrative failures, but oh my god it has so many brilliant scenes..

If we want to be real, then there is really a lot to criticize here. Sure this is fiction, but the prison depicted here is unreal even for a very far removed parallel universe. I guess I should be more forgiving, since it's just an unusual setting, I've seen worse in my drama history. Though I have to say it's not just that prison life is unrealistic or poorly researched, but also many aspects of it are only shown at a very surface level.

Ultimately the leads have incredible chemistry & their emotional -non fan service- scenes are incredible. The drama basically doesn't have an OST, there is only one piano melody with multiple variations, but oh man, every scene that has that track on is fantastic. Portrayed emotion wise this show matches up against some of the best Korean dramas, such as Tangerines, Goblin, Reply 88 quite well.

Some extraordinarily talented folks worked on this show. Outside of some writing woes -see below- pretty much every aspect of the show is top tier. The cinematographer is a genius. I literally cannot name an Asian drama that matches up to the photography excellence that can be seen here. Like Goblin is visually more impressive, but it's mostly set design, not photography, seriously I'm super impressed. The acting effort from everyone -including pretty much the whole supporting cast- is also super good.

So in the headline I mentioned narrative failures. The big one is that the dating starts out of nowhere, it's like a flipped switch. I understand that sometimes horny adults can hook up after just 5 minutes, but the dialog immediately shifts to implying the strongest of bonds. Then various characters in the show stop behaving like themselves from one episode to another. Dee???
Of course I cannot even shit on the writer here properly, since the dialog in some of the scenes is ridiculously good. There are so many great conversations, such as the one about aliens and or posing..

Considering the subject matter it's hard to not mention Orange is the New Black. It's clear to me that the writer has seen that shows & took inspiration from it. However everything from the plot that gives this show value is totally different from Orange & conversely the strongest points of of the American shows are either missing or muted here.

I watched the full cut version, so there were many sex scenes. This is my 3rd Thai GL so far & sex is for sure the worse here. It's not just over abundant with too long scenes, but the graphical depictions were sad. Implying and not showing or blurring out is better than whatever this was. Soft porn might be required to make a GL a financial success. I can accept that, all I'm saying is that this is really really awful at that. Not that I mind too much, I'm perfectly capable of using the FF button & I'm not the target audience for this and has not impacted my opinion of this drama.

Rating this is difficult, because I know objectively the flaws are very significant, but at the same everything else is 10/10. This is surely the most interesting Thai drama I have ever seen. (and I have dropped & then not reviewed at least 10 lakorns) For sure it's been a very memorable experience & I can totally see myself coming back to it eventually.

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Top-Notch 2026 BL Drama. Daebak!

Proposal Prosecutor is hands down the best BL of 2026, and I'm just a rookie fan still figuring out this whole drama obsession. Let me gush properly. Within 172 chapters, the drama packed everything into just 10 episodes, each under 20 minutes. That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, right? But the director pulled off a miracle. Nothing felt cut or rushed. Every emotional beat, every turning point landed with perfect timing. They respected the source material while making it purely cinematic.

And the cast? Absolute chef kissed perfection. Their acting is so raw and real. Every glance, every whisper, every tear wrecked me. But can we talk about the steamy scenes? It just wow! Brave, bold and wicked. It tamed the novel's sultriness so well. They were hot, tasteful, and full of longing, not just thrown in for fan service. The chemistry between the leads burned so bright I had to look away sometimes. They didn't just act those moments, they lived them.

I really hope this drama sweeps every award this season. Best Drama, Best Actor, Best Couple, Best Kiss, you name it. They earned it all. But honestly, 10 episodes felt like a cruel tease. It ended perfectly at chapter 172, and now I'm desperately praying for a Season 2 to continue from chapter 173 onward. The story has so much more to give. Please, producers, make it happen. This masterpiece deserves a 2nd season so badly.

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