The Next Prince

Disappointing and Disastrous

For context, I've been waiting for this drama with high anticipation ever since it was first announced. When it was confirmed to be releasing this year, I was even more excited. I haven't watched any of ZN's previous dramas (except that one horror movie they did), but I was genuinely on my way to becoming a fan purely from the hype of The Next Prince. I was so sure this would be one of my top BLs of all time.
But unfortunately… this turned out to be such a disastrous and disappointing experience for me.

PROS
1. Gorgeous visuals - It was easy to tell this was a high-budget production with all the sets, costumes, and props. It was visually extremely appealing,

2. Unique trope with a royal-political story setup.

3. Interesting characterization and storyline for the second couple. Honestly, they were the only interesting part of this show and I wish we had gotten more background info about them.

CONS
1. Weak script with shallow writing - The writing just feels really undercooked, like they can't decide what they want the genre to be. The story seemed more focused on looking good than saying anything meaningful. There were so many gorgeous shots and dramatic moments that could’ve hit harder if the script actually had any real emotional weight behind it. But nope, we got nothing,

2. Emotionless Charan aka the stoic Seme - Charan is the definition of emotionless robot. He was literally just a cardboard cutout with a handsome face and 3 other expressions. I kept waiting to see emotions from that face, but all we got was the stoic seme look with an occasional half-smile. It’s really hard to invest in a relationship when one half of the couple acts like he’s allergic to human emotions.

3. Khanin - Khanin started off so promising! He was bold, sassy, grumpy, and confident. But then suddenly, out of nowhere, he turned into this desperate, lovesick puppy, hopelessly chasing after Charan with no self-respect. Like??? What happened to the London boy had a strong personality?? Once he fell for Charan, it’s like he forgot his whole life, including his adopted father, and just zeroed in on this emotionless guard as his entire personality.

4. Fast Romance, Lazy Plot - This is probably one of the biggest problems I had with this drama. The romance between Khanin and Charan moved way too fast. I just genuinely couldn't understand why or how they were even falling for each other. Meanwhile, the main storyline about the whole royal succession thing and all the palace politics was crawling at a snail’s pace. It was such a weird imbalance. I kept thinking, “Wait… we’re already here in the romance?? But still here in the plot??”

5. Styling Choices and the message it sends - This is also one that really rubbed me the wrong way. After Khanin moved into the palace and started romantically pursuing Charan, his wardrobe suddenly did a complete 180. He went from comfy, practical clothes to ultra-feminine, hyper-stylized outfits that none of the other princes were wearing. Don't get me wrong, I’m all for gender non-conforming fashion, and I know the actor enjoys that style IRL, which is great. But I’m talking about Khanin the character, not NN. The problem is that there was no reason for the change. It felt like they were trying to visually code him as the “pretty boy uke” now that he was paired with the stoic, manly seme. It felt tropey and lazy. It felt like the costume team went, “Oh, he’s in love now, better throw some pearls and ruffles on him.” If he had always dressed that way from the start, I wouldn’t have had a problem. But this sudden shift just made his character make less sense.

6. Chemistry - Before this drama started airing, I have watched ZNN in lots of different programs and interviews. That was how I became convinced that this show would have fantastic chemistry; however, this drama had none of it. I honestly couldn’t feel the love. I wanted to. I tried. But it just wasn’t there. There was no emotional depth between Khanin and Charan. They had a few intense eye contacts, some savior moments, some dramatic palace run-ins, and fell in love, but no real development. Their storyline felt hollow, and the romance felt unearned. I didn't even want to watch their NC scenes. I had to fast-forward them because those did nothing for me. I felt nothing other than the fact that the company added spicy scenes to get more views/watchers. I didn't feel their love or feelings. It just felt like a random soft-core porno.

7. Extremely underdeveloped 3rd couple - Oof, where do I even start? I don't understand why this drama even had a third couple. They barely had a storyline together. Like, we don't know when the started liking each other, why they started liking each other..We just see them having a few moments together in the drama, and then they suddenly confess. That's it. Honestly, I would've been okay just seeing these two characters separately than seeing them as a couple. That would have made more sense.

Overall, I went into The Next Prince ready to fall in love. The budget, the visuals, the setting.. Everything about this drama screamed potential. But what we got was a half-baked story with beautiful aesthetics and no emotional depth. The characters were inconsistent, the romance was rushed, the plot was dragging, and everything felt like a checklist of BL tropes without any real feelings. Disappointing and sad is all I have to say. I initially wanted to rate this lower, but the second couple were interesting enough that I gave it a higher score than what I had initially planned.

SIDE NOTE: This is just my perspective and opinion. If you're interested in watching this, then please go ahead and do so. Don't let my review bother you :) My score also has a lot to do with the high expectations I had for this drama, so the disappointment just hit me really hard.

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The Next Prince — Spectacular to Look At, but Miscast Where It Mattered Most

There is no denying that The Next Prince is one of the most ambitious BL productions Thailand has ever made. The budget is on another level. The costumes are magnificent, the locations are breathtaking, the orchestral soundtrack gives the series a cinematic feeling, and every frame looks expensive. The production team even filmed scenes in London instead of relying on stock footage, created nearly one hundred costumes for Khanin alone, and trained the cast in fencing, archery, piano, and royal etiquette to make the fictional kingdom of Emmaly feel believable. It shows. This is probably one of the most visually impressive BLs ever produced.

But beautiful visuals can only carry a story so far.

The original novel by Ceo ft. Ennice is actually much shorter than the series. Because of that, the screenwriters had to expand the plot to fill fourteen episodes, adding political intrigue and new storylines that weren't fully developed in the source material. Unfortunately, you can feel it. The pacing often becomes uneven, with long stretches where very little actually happens. Instead of building suspense, the series sometimes feels like it's admiring its own production design.

My biggest issue, however, is the casting.

I've never really been a fan of NuNew as an actor. He's an excellent singer, and his popularity is undeniable, but acting is a different skill. Khanin is supposed to evolve from an ordinary young man into someone capable of becoming a ruler, standing against centuries of tradition while surviving political conspiracies and assassination attempts. That journey requires visible growth.

I never really saw it.

NuNew plays Khanin almost exactly the same way from beginning to end. His naturally delicate mannerisms work perfectly in lighter romances like Cutie Pie, but here they constantly reminded me that I was watching NuNew rather than a future prince. Khanin needed to become stronger, more confident, more commanding. Instead, he often remained soft-spoken and emotionally dependent, even during moments that should have established him as a leader.

The same applies to Zee Pruk.

I like Zee as an actor, but Charan never convinced me as the kingdom's most feared royal bodyguard. He's handsome, charismatic, and physically fit, but his natural elegance sometimes works against the role. When I think of an elite protector trained to kill without hesitation, I imagine someone whose presence alone makes people step back. Zee's version of Charan feels more like the perfect romantic lead than a battle-hardened royal guardian.

Ironically, that's why the supporting cast often stole the show for me.

Net, JJ, Jimmy, Ohm, and especially Kris Charintip brought a different energy whenever they appeared. They had less screen time, yet many of them felt more believable within this political world. Kris, in particular, has an undeniable charisma that made every scene she appeared in more interesting. I often found myself wishing the story would spend more time following these characters instead of returning to the main couple.

The chemistry between Zee and NuNew is still there. After several projects together, it's impossible to deny how comfortable they are with each other. Their romantic scenes feel natural, and it's easy to understand why they're one of Thailand's biggest BL pairings. But chemistry alone cannot solve a casting mismatch. A believable romance doesn't automatically create believable characters.

One aspect I genuinely appreciated was the directing. Aoftionz Kittipat Champa clearly understood the scale of the project. The action scenes are well choreographed, the political atmosphere is convincing, and the visual storytelling is among the best Thailand has produced in the BL industry. Every kingdom feels distinct, the fencing sequences are elegant, and the series often looks more like a fantasy film than a television drama.

Still, I kept asking myself the same question throughout the series.

What if the roles had been cast differently?

What if Khanin had been played by someone with a stronger commanding presence? Someone like Pond Ponlawit, Jimmy Jitaraphol, or even one of the newer actors who naturally project quiet authority. What if Charan had been portrayed by someone whose physicality immediately sold the image of an elite warrior rather than relying on the audience's affection for Zee?

I honestly believe this could have changed my entire opinion of the drama.

Final Thought

The Next Prince is a technical masterpiece. The production is extraordinary, the cinematography is stunning, the costumes are spectacular, and the amount of work invested in creating Emmaly deserves enormous respect. But for me, casting is just as important as production value. I never completely believed NuNew as a future king or Zee as the kingdom's deadliest bodyguard. Their popularity and chemistry made the romance work, but not the characters themselves. In the end, I admired The Next Prince far more than I loved it—and for a story built on emotion and destiny, that's a significant difference.

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More royal politics than romance

As someone that had been waiting for The Next Prince for nearly 3 years, I was super excited to watch it when it started airing. I thought that the sets and costuming were fantastic, and I loved the overall plot. I do think many people went into this thinking it would be a lot more romance-focused than it was, but I thought it was a great balance. While the romantic conflict was fairly predictable and repetitive, I thought that the way the romance was incorporated into the larger plot was lovely. Plus, the side characters were super fun to watch too!

Khanin (Nunew) is a fencer living in London with his father, when suddenly everything he knows is turned upside down with the arrival of Charan (Zee). Khanin learns of his royal heritage, and is told he must return to the kingdom of Emmaly to compete for the crown. With Charan as his bodyguard, Khanin makes the journey to Emmaly (with assassins pursuing him) in order to train for the royal competition. As Charan helps him train, feelings begin to develop between them, and even though a relationship between a royal and his bodyguard is seemingly impossible, Khanin is determined to make it work.

This show is definitely more focused on the royal competition, family/political issues, and Khanin's journey into royalty than it is about the relationship between Charan and Khanin. Personally, I was totally fine with this. I understand the expectations people had going in to a ZeeNunew show, but I thought that the balance was great. I especially loved that this meant there were fewer relationship issues between them, allowing us to have more happy moments with them as a couple and explore the relationships of the other characters a bit more. I was left waiting for the lesbians to get any screen time (they didn't really), but I loved Ramil and Paytai's (JimmyOhm) storyline. The third couple did feel a bit thrown in unnecessarily, but they were still entertaining. I think a lot of the hate for this show is due to slow pacing and lack of romantic conflict, but I thought it was still quite enjoyable, especially if you're aware of what this show is truly about. Watch this one for the political tension between royal families and the competition for the crown.

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What A Mess

Ok, Many of you will not agree with this review, I dont care don't read it. But I read others' reviews before I watched this and thought, how can Zee, NuNew and Jimmy get such bad reviews. So I dismissed the reviews and began watching. I almost dropped this after the 2nd episode. The more I watched the worst it got. The writers created a story, without knowing where they want to take it. So, this turned out like vegetable fried rice with a lot of good veges but still is sooo bad for you. I couldn't feel any chemistry between Zee and Nu, and the are the best shipped couple. But in this one the ship has sunk.

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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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Tasty

I came for Zee and Nu and they did not disappoint. From the start of their journey to the end they had my attention. I like how various societal issues were interwoven into the storyline. The other couples were like dessert but the main course was the prince and his body guard. Loved how much attention was given to the scenic views and the opulence of royalty. The music was also a high point and I loved the marriage proposal. It really felt like the real thing. The storyline is plausible with the obvious rivalries but it manages to maintain the essence of the plot without being campy.

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Could have been great

Let me start off by saying that this is a beautiful show, the budget was certainly there, and I appreciate them going all out. But my praise stops soon after that. The plot is fully nonsensical, the show seems to be having an identity crisis not knowing what it wants to be. The characters were paperthin, Charan especially, he was just so bland. NuNew and Zee have plenty of chemistry but nothing to do with it. The side couple has such an interesting dynamic but they have too little screen time to explore it. It is hard to explain how a show that has so much happening is still so boring.

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Some good elements and worth a watch

This drama actually ended up being better than I expected. I was turned off by the initial trailer and the caricature of European fancy that the drama seemed to be using. It ended up working a bit. It was over the top on design, but still really stunning to watch. The concept was also a decent set up with some compelling storylines, but most of them got nerfed in favor of bed scenes. Don't get me wrong, the bed scenes are very well done, but they definitely sacrifice any plot buildup to get them.

For me, Khanin's character didn't make a lot of sense in his decision making. He started off compelling and then seemed to throw away any drive to find his attackers in favor acting spoiled and putting his guard in a really bad ethical position. BLs are no stranger to icky power dynamics, but this one was really bad. He puts Charan in a horrible position ethically and professionally and doesn't seem to really care. It gives off Young Adult novel chosen one vibes. They introduce some compelling political elements, but it all just gets caked over so the tension cuts out after 5 minutes. Plus, the ending didn't make much sense. Why would he need to go back to university in the UK when everyone he cares about is in Emmaly? They don't have solid universities there? Also, the fact that his father is totally fine with waving goodbye to the son he was just reunited with? It really doesn't work at all.

I do give huge credit to Zee here. He looks like he worked insanely hard to get into peak condition and actually looked decent in the fight scenes. I think he's a solid actor and I hope to see him in more before he leaves the industry.

We even got a bit more depth to Nunew in this one, but they seem to only want to write him the same kind of characters; soft, spoiled and kind of bratty. I really hope he gets the chance to try some different writing. I'd love to see what else he can do and have him flex creatively in other types of characters. Overall, it's still a decent watch and a good showing. If you're a fan of the genre, give it a chance!

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Overated

The show and the reviews are too overated. I waited until the end of the show to watch the whole series. While the series was airing, I kept seeing revies and cuts from TIKTOK and YOUTUBE. It looks interesting and really has a great vibes. However, after watching the show, I couldn’t be happy with the storyline and ending. How could they be talking about empowering women when Princess Ava withdrew from the competition at the last second because its not safe. If we its not safe for Princess Ava, it wouldn’t be a safe competition for the others too. What about the protecting the environement and fighting to change the empire? In the end, Charan left for love? Why couldn’t he have done both? The storytelling and immersion in the story is great and all however, not the storyline itself.

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Great concepts, could've been a great show

The Next Prince has all the ingredients for a gripping royal drama. I love the modern royal setting, and there’s a great cast of characters with the potential for real depth. While the series shines in visuals and moments of strong storytelling, the writing doesn’t quite deliver on its promise.

What stands out most is the cinematography. The show looks absolutely gorgeous, with stunning sets, locations, costumes, and props. The pilot introduced Khanin’s character well and set up some great stakes. Most of the acting is solid, too. Story-wise, one of the strongest moments for me was the reveal of Wasin’s betrayal and his reasoning behind it. It was a little predictable, but it made sense and added layers to why every region was complicit in the events, making his actions more understandable. I also enjoyed the political side of the series, which gave Emmaly more realism and complexity.

The most powerful scene for me came during Ramil and Paitay’s NC moment, where Ramil, whip in hand, is about to strike but stops as he remembers his father’s abuse. That hesitation spoke volumes about his character without a single line of dialogue. That was proof for me that the series is capable of incredible storytelling.

Unfortunately, much of the writing doesn’t give its characters or conflicts the weight they deserve. For a story that’s supposed to follow Khanin, we get surprisingly little of his personal journey. After the pilot—where he meets Charan, learns the man who raised him isn’t his biological father, survives an assassination attempt, and watches his father “die”—a few episodes later, he’s dancing like none of it happened. We rarely see how these events affect him or how he struggles to adapt to his life in the palace.

Instead, the series leans heavily on Charan and Khanin’s relationship. While that focus makes sense given the popularity of the pairing, it could have been balanced with Khanin’s inner journey. Once he’s in the palace, the stakes all but vanish. He’s not fighting for his own title, but for his biological father’s. Even if he fails, nothing will really happen to him. Ironically, Ramil has more at stake than the main character.

Performance-wise, Nunew stood out as Khanin, and Zee did well with the material he was given, though I wish Charan had a bigger personal storyline. Jimmy and Ohm delivered solid performances, and I enjoyed Net and JJ despite their underdeveloped characters.

Many storylines feel rushed, underdeveloped, or abandoned entirely, but despite these flaws, I still enjoyed the series. For its production value, strong performances, and flashes of excellent storytelling, I’m giving The Next Prince a 6/10. I understand why it didn’t work for some viewers, but if you’re curious, it’s worth a try. Just don’t expect all the potential to be fulfilled.

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