The Next Prince

THE NEXT PRINCE - 14 Episode Final Review

THE NEXT PRINCE - 14 Episode Final Review

SPOILER WARNING! --- SPOILER WARNING! ---- SPOILER WARNING!

Okay, this was a REALLY long run. Is that good or bad? I am somewhat uncertain, it depends on my current mood, the series itself, but I usually like balanced length, and this - similar like REVENGED LOVE before was really on the "too much" and I just gave it a very good rating because it was really excellent. Still it is as much as I would wish to see, tbh, given on average we have one hour per Episode and a lot of characters.

ACTING:
On the acting I think this was a very good show, beautiful, distinct characters, the good, the gray and the evil characters alike. Still I felt it was not on par with the superb acting of other series, some emotions remained very good but not top. Especially the two MC's who were supposed to carry the show, seemed a bit too much "characters" and too less "persons". Just a tad so ACTING 8/10

VISUALS:
Whee, this highly depends on your taste. It was in a fairy tale like Kingdom, some sort of modern with still a highly fantasy tough. Personally, I am not a fan of prince costume fests, but I found nothing objectively to criticize in this. There were many different places, tons of gorgeous costumes, almost perfect camera and lighting, so within the given aim of Fantasy Kingdom I find nothing lacking in terms of the lush visuals: 10/10

STORY:
Also a hard one for me to judge. See I REALLY passionately dislike Feudalism or Oligarchy in any age or form. With duties and serfs and absolutist feudal lords, even in the best sense, I just dislike that. Still, the story had many interesting plot-lines, unexpected twists, good character development arcs, thought as in other long shows, the non BL tended to overshadow the BL, which as ever you prefer may be good or bad. I usually LIKE that, for when a story is basically only about the BL, the characters tend to remain a bit two-dimensional, so for me that was a bonus, as we come to understand the MC love and the two also interesting side-couples. I had wished in the end we would have seen the two side-couples with a hint into their futures though. If I push aside with much effort my Feudalism dislike, the story itself is a good 9/10.

OVERALL:
It was a story and show worthy to watch, even though the MC, especially the older "knight", I didn't really get the vibe why to root for him as a lover so much to be honest. I understand his position in a feudal society made him act stern, but I did subtract a bit from his potential charm. On the other side the Prince made it up all the way, as a charming, lovable character. Again, I had wished to see more hints of the future of the Kingdom and side couples, but I guess that is standard in BLs. I don't think it left that much of an impression to me that I will "forever remember", but in itself it invested MUCH into displaying an entire realm with MANY places and setups, and I grow tired of BLs having basically only 3-4 places, which boosts this one a lot in my book. Weighing all the aspects, and trying not to give my preferences missed (Feudalism) too much space, I am willing to give it a solid

9/10
Recommended

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a whole mess

I was so excited, the pilot was amazing, I read the novel so I had big expectations about it (my first mistake)

The first episodes were amazing I definitely did like it, even when they changed part of the original storyline.
Then I started to see how they completely changed not just the storyline but also the characters. Why is khanin just acting like a brat and obsessed with charan??? yes, the character in the novel is a brat but he has discipline and does take the competition seriously, he's a leader and it shows you that he's definitely a good choice to be the next prince. in the series he's always complaining about learning the story of the *excuse me* NATION THAT HE'S GOING TO LEAD, LIKE HELLO????

Ramil characters was my favorite in the novel, here I hate him. he's annoying, a coward and pathetic, they completely fucked ramilpaytai storyline when they were such a good and complex couple. That made me angry and I lost interest in the series. don't want to say more bc I'll write a whole essay about it.

Jay and Calvin were there...

And the one that freaking bothers me the most is Ava, why the fuck they made her just withdrawal when she was fighting for her right to participate in the competition in all the episodes. again, IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.
Since they didn't make the groups for the competition I knew it would be weird but I didn't expect all this mess to happen.

The good things are the visuals, beautiful scenery, the orchestra is beautiful, the outfits were stunning and congrats for the improvement of zee and nunew's acting, they were great as main actors and chakri, he's the only enjoyable character.

I'm really sorry for all the fans that were waiting so long, the actors and actresses that worked so hard. it's not their fault to have a such a bad script, please don't leave aof near of the scripts anymore 😭 the original one was really good, what's the reason of asking a WRITER for a novel if you're going to change almost everything????

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Boring

This had all the ingredients for a good series: talented actors, a big budget, beautiful sets. And yet, I was bored out of my mind the whole time. Everything feels bland, flat, and far too predictable.

Even though Emmaly is a fictional country, it could still have had some history or cultural depth — instead, it's reduced to four colors and a handful of natural resources. Every scene feels the same, whether it’s a love confession, a protest, or a fight. It’s all too polished, too clean. I don’t even remember seeing any blood during the fight scenes.

And the pacing — it drags on forever. Scenes feel endless and completely lack rhythm. The NC scenes are long and very explicit, but completely devoid of passion. Honestly, the opposite would have worked much better.

That said, it’s not all bad. The acting is solid overall, the cinematography is good, and there is an actual storyline with a political idea behind it. But it’s just not enough to save a series where everything feels so surface-level.

In short, I’d say it’s more of a miss than a disaster. Not terrible, but not really worth watching either.

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Finally this on Air...

Another NuNew & Zee drama—of course, here I come! This one was a long time in the making, but it's finally on our screens. From the moment the trailer first appeared, we could tell this was a big-budget production

Alright, let’s dive into the drama…

The story follows Khanin, the crown prince and heir of the Assavadevathin royal family, and his royal bodyguard Charan Phithakthewa, whose family has served as the Assavadevathin’s royal guards for generations.

The nation of Emmaly is known for its prosperity, rich in both land and water. It’s a monarchy divided into five regions, each led by a powerful family. According to royal law, each region must send an heir to compete for the throne. The winner’s father becomes the new king of Emmaly.

When Khanin was just a baby, he was secretly taken away from Emmaly after a plot to assassinate him and his mother. Raised far from the palace by an adoptive father, he grew up believing he was an ordinary boy, completely unaware of his true royal identity.

But as the day of the royal succession draws near, Khanin is suddenly pulled back into Emmaly’s world. That’s when he learns the truth about who he really is. Yet even after discovering his identity, he has no interest in claiming the throne. The only reason he returns is to uncover who ambushed him and put both him and his adoptive father in danger.

Charan, bound by duty as a royal guard, is tasked with bringing Khanin back to the country. Once they return, Charan becomes the only person Khanin can truly trust in this unfamiliar world. As they spend more time together, their bond deepens—day by day, they grow closer. The spark between them slowly begins to turn into something deeper.

Meanwhile, the royal succession process continues. Khanin must compete against two of his cousins: Ramil and Ava. While preparing for the competition, Khanin, with Charan’s help, also investigates what really happened to his adoptive father and the attack back home.

So, what will happen next?
– Will Charan uncover the truth behind the assassination attempt on Khanin?
– Who will win the royal competition and ascend the throne of Emmaly?
– And what about Khanin and Charan’s relationship — Will the nation—and Charan’s own family—accept them, or will they face opposition?

That's pretty much the story without giving more spoilers. Now what I like and don't.

What I like:
+ As usual, the chemistry of NuNew & Zee is always so hot & flammable…
+ The amazing location. It’s really one of the highest budgets for BL…
+ The interesting family dynamic, either it’s Khanin or his cousins
+ The adorable Chakri….

What I don't like:
- Too much steamy scenes… sometimes feel like watching half p*rn instead just another BL drama…
- They make Khanin too innocent until it feels fake.

Overall…. For a drama that makes me wait a few years before I can watch, it feels just overrated.

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Failure on all fronts?

A number of things went wrong with this show making me enjoy it less and less with each episode, and although it’s not all bad it fails far too often to be considered good or even decent.

- The show tried to be too many things at once and touch on too many issues. If you’re making a 14 episodes long series you don’t have enough time for storylines of three couples, political intrigue, revenge, action, comedy and social issues. If you try to force all of that into a script, some or all elements will suffer – as they do here.

- There are too many characters – hence most of them, including Khanin and Charan, are underwritten, even one-dimensional (with Ramil and Wasin being notable exceptions), and quickly become uninteresting and boring. Also, I’m not sure the show has a main character. Is it Khanin, as the English title would suggest? But the title is misleading and makes no sense: the royal competition is to select the next king (not prince) and Khanin already is a prince when the show starts (he does not become one during the show). Furthermore, there’s plenty of POV characters and the romantic plotline of Khanin and Charan is often sidelined by unrelated events.

- Emotional bonds between characters are underdeveloped (Calvin and Jay being the obvious example, but this goes far beyond romantic relations) or are missing altogether (Khanin and Tharin have almost no connection nor contact for most of the show – a tad surprising given their situation). Also, after 14 episodes I can’t tell why Khanin and Charan became a couple nor why they fell for one another - it sort of just happened, for no reason and with no buildup.

- Both aforementioned problems are not solved nor helped by weak performances given by most of the cast – Nhing Nirut Sirijanya (king Thipokbowon) and Wit Phutharit Prombandal (Wasin) being the only exceptions. Performances of Zee and Jimmy were so bad, that they hurt the show as much as the poor writing of their characters did.

- Tonally the show is all over the place and almost every issue raised by it is either treated in a superficial way (like role of women in society and politics or environmental and social costs of maintaining economic growth) or the presentation is incomplete and unfinished (like reforming Emmaly’s political system); both these issues stem from the show trying to be too many things at the same time.

- Worldbuilding is derivative, unimaginative and unoriginal. We have heirs of clans Griffindor and Slytherin as well as a token girl armed with a bow fight in the Hunger Games for one of their fathers to become king of (South-East Asian) Wakanda; later it turns out that Griffindors are more like Lannisters from GoT. Also, the show’s fairytale world feels tailored for international viewers, with Latin alphabet and English language popping up in the weirdest places – even DNA test results, displayed to a room filled only with Emmalians, are in English. One thing I didn’t understand with that is why characters in London speak English, but characters in Emmaly don’t speak Emmalian (they speak Thai).

- There’s far more cheap glitz than actual glamour. The opulent costumes are somewhat impressive, but that’s about it when it comes to pomp. Instead of exotic royalty and fairytale aristocrats with noble visages we got commoners with tired faces; instead of London we got a Thai resort pretending to be the UK and some aerial footage; instead of a royal palace (where more than half of the interior shots were done) we got "La Chapelle", a "luxury wedding venue" with a horribly trashy look and outside shots of an English country house – with other locations being rather normal (a beach house is a beach house, Assumption University in Bangkok poses as "Morpheus School of Arts" etc.). Quite unremarkable for a show with a budget of 120 mil THB. The one place I really liked seeing were the Phuchongphisut caves – a well-chosen and skillfully filmed location.

If I was writing TNP’s script, I’d make Khanin and Ramil both main characters and the main couple. They’d start as rivals, then go to enemies, later friends and finally – boyfriends. The rivalry of their houses would drive their personal rivalry and even enmity, the realization that they’re in the same situation (as pawns in a game for power and targets for a vengeful Wasin) would get them closer, the need for understanding, support and acceptance would push them even closer. Ramil would start as an apparent supporting villain, slowly revealing his good side, while Khanin would have to discover his darker side in order to survive. Come to think about it, in a scenario like that even Daou’s "I trust you" would make sense.

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A Royal Concept with Missed Opportunities

It’s been a few weeks since I finished the series and I wanted to share my thoughts. First, I want to talk about the plot. For me, the concept is interesting because it revolves around a monarchy, which isn’t something you usually see in a BL. But the execution, or how they delivered the story, felt a bit meh. They really should have added more depth to Ramil’s story, because honestly, his arc was more interesting than the main couple’s. Early on, I actually thought Prince Rachata was the villain. And I get it, it is a good twist if the true villain is someone who has no heir. But they should have explored Ramil more. Instead of focusing only on Prince Rachata wanting to bring power back to his kingdom, it would have been better if they showed him pushing Ramil harder in training to redeem his loss in the previous royal competition, since it is a tradition. And we already know he lost that competition because Khanin’s grandfather became king. That angle could have made his final conversation with Ramil so much more powerful.

For the cinematography, some of the shots were genuinely impressive and you can tell they had the budget for certain scenes. But other moments didn’t match that quality at all. For example, the scenes where they travel to different kingdoms and the parts where Khanin is shown exploring the area feel very tight and confined. You can clearly sense that it was filmed in a studio, and it makes the world feel small instead of grand. The atmosphere doesn’t give the illusion of a large kingdom with bustling people. Instead, it looks like there are only a few extras walking around, which makes the setting feel empty and less immersive. If they had expanded those scenes or filmed in wider outdoor locations, it would have helped the story feel more alive and the world more believable.

As for the main couple, they ended up being the least interesting part of the series. There is no deeper story behind them and their relationship moves too fast. Charan is supposed to be a royal bodyguard, but his fight scenes are so underwhelming. I have watched a lot of action movies and series, so I know what good choreography looks like, and honestly, his scenes made me question whether he is really meant to be a royal guard. And their NC scene was also disappointing. A lot of people online were hyping it up, but it felt bland to me. Maybe it is because they are in love, I am not sure. I actually liked Ramil and Paytai’s NC scene more. The main couple was basically just kissing while naked and there was nothing special about it.

My favorite part of the series is the ballroom dance scene. It was so magical and the song made it even better. I have actually had that song on repeat for the past few weeks.

Overall, The Next Prince had a lot of potential, especially with its unique monarchy concept and a few standout moments like the ballroom dance scene. But the series struggled with pacing and character depth, especially when it came to the main couple. Some characters deserved more development, and some scenes felt rushed or underwhelming. Even so, there were parts I genuinely enjoyed, and I still think the story could have been something great with stronger execution.

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You have to give this series a chance

this was the first series where I saw the main characters
I really felt in love with it. I really like the story. some people maybe think it's too much I really liked it.
I don't understand the people who rate it with 2 stars for example. It's really good and finally something different.
Alot BL series are the same and this is really different. It's enjoyable to watch

I really loved the Princess and I think it's sad that she didn't got in a wlw couple for example.

The main couple is so cute and like I said I didn't knew them before watching this series

People who say only people who loved the main couple before are rating 10 stars are 100% wrong.

People who give 1-2 stars didn't even try to understand the hybe
So you definitely have to give this series a chance

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Don't read all -5 ratings reviews.

First, if you're a fan of some other BL drama currently airing and are criticizing this drama, making lame excuses, grow up. Because that's what I'm seeing most often in these so-called reviews here.

Now, turning to the drama itself: the cinematography, despite a few imperfections, is quite impressive. Visually, it's clear that real effort went into creating a rich, immersive setting. The costume design especially deserves praise, detailed, elegant, and entirely appropriate for the royal theme, enhancing the world-building effectively.

The acting, I can say, was very good, but not perfect. Some actors, I didn't feel the chemistry everyone mentioned they had, secondary couples, but it could also be a lack of collaboration that led to that feeling.

As for the storyline, there were some clear missteps that could have been avoided. The subplot involving the mines and the resulting health crisis, for instance, had great potential but wasn’t sufficiently developed (Scenes like the musical, singing in the middle of the drama weren't very good.)
The prince’s attempted assassination of the king, a pivotal moment, was rushed and underexplored, despite being a foundational element of the story. Its resolution within a single episode felt abrupt and underwhelming.

For readers of the original novel (I haven’t completed it yet), you’ll know that several important themes were left out of the adaptation. For example, the opportunity to address sex education in the kingdom, a topic of real significance, was completely overlooked.

This production represents a significant step forward in comparison to previous fantasy BLs from DMD. The overall investment in production quality is clearly higher, and the improvements are noticeable.

To close, I urge fans of other dramas to remember that not everything needs to be a rivalry. Dismissing or attacking people who enjoyed this show doesn’t make your opinion more valid, it just undermines the discourse. Constructive criticism is one thing; petty negativity is another.

Anyway, I recommend it; it's a good drama. It’s visually captivating, thematically ambitious, and offers a fresh experience, even if it didn’t reach its full potential. Enjoy! 😊

02/08/2025.

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Wasted potential

I would have rated this even lower had I watched the final two episodes. I went in with such high hopes after watching the trailer—visually grand, high production budget—but the execution was simply not it. It baffles me how Mandi channel consistently refuses to invest in good screenwriters.

The show started off promising, even compelling up to episode 7. But once we reached episode 8, the storyline began to stagnate. Dragging things out for no reason, stalling progress—it was a frustrating watch. And then Chakrii got shot… and somehow everything fell apart even further.

I didn’t even bother with episode 13 after reading the wave of disappointment on Twitter. But what crushed me most was Ava leaving the competition—the very cause she was passionately fighting for, thrown away just like that. It screamed internalised misogyny. Why would a woman who stood so strongly for women’s rights suddenly back down? It felt like a betrayal of everything her arc was building toward.

And don’t get me started on Ramilpaytai. The chemistry? Electric. The potential? Immense. But the writers simply refused to explore their backstories, motivations, or even deepen their relationship. What a waste.

NetJJ had almost no screentime—again, wasted potential. ZeeNunew’s dynamic, while cute in the beginning, became repetitive and flat as the story progressed.

Also, why do Thai BLs keep glossing over major political and emotional issues like they’re nothing? The king was clearly a tyrant, and yet Khanin forgives him in the end? Why? What was the point of the rebellion? The prince who actually fought for justice died without fanfare, without purpose. It felt hollow.

A visually rich show that had all the right ingredients but lacked the one thing that truly matters: a strong, coherent script.

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The Best Part of My Week? This Show.

I'm absolutely loving this series! I've been a huge fan of ZN since Cutie Pie, and their chemistry is just incredible. Therfore I was really looking forward to this project, especially since I'm a big fan of the prince and royalty trope. I'm so happy to say that it took me by surprise and did not disappoint me at all.

The production quality is outstanding, with super visuals, and great characters. I can't find a single thing to complain about! What I especially love is the twist of blending traditional and modern elements; it makes the story feel fresh.

Chakri is also one of the best characters. And the dynamic between Ran and Nin was so good! They are just so cute together.

What truly left me speechless were the intimate scenes. Both of the NC scenes felt incredibly real, but the final one had me genuinely gasping. It was so explicit. Maybe it's because they're a real-life couple, but the way they filmed it was on a whole other level.

EDIT: after rewatching the series, I genuinely recommend you to watch the UNCUT version. For me, this makes sometimes so much more sense and gives more input. I'm only guessing when I say, but many people might have watched the cut version and have then maybe given the series less points.

Therefore, don't let the negative comments stop you from watching this series. Decide for yourself and hopefully, it will become your comfort series too. ✨️

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Not perfect but a great story that tugs the heart.

I see lots of mean reviews on here from faceless keyboard warriers. This is not a perfect story but who wants that. Lots of great feelings, looks, family pressure and love and the happy ending we all crave. Two main characters played their parts well. Mean reviewers call Charan cardboard but I call him stoic and fighting his sense of duty over love. Love wins as it should. If you are not a fan of the two main characters than go watch somewhere else. Your comments are not only annoying but incorrect. Overall I really liked this story. Even the semi-good character actors had their moments and found love. I am here for this. Ramil's growth was amazing and that scene on the beach. Wow.

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