This review may contain spoilers
who is the next killer is it .........?
this movie is really fascinating. The story is very well developed. The cast is awesome , some of them have literally transformed themselves for the role if we look at their previous worksIn simplified way we can connect the dots like this nearly more than a decade ago according to the present line of the story , A girl got seperated with her mother in an amusement park 🎢 later she ( the girl ) went to an orphanage thinking her mother abonded her . later she ( the girl ) finds out that her mother never abonded her but she ( the girls mother ) is been waiting for her at their restaurant.
A boy used to work at her( the girl ) mother's restaurant .
[ kim represent kim da mi ]
Now in present the story goes like ... on a rainy night kim da mi's ( not character name but actress real name ) uncle was murdered with a sharp object when she was returning to her home from school , her uncle was murdered but police suspects kim as the killer because after her uncle's death she is going to inherit all his property .
as the story progresses kim becomes a profiler , but a police officer [ Male Lead ] suspects her as the prime suspects in her uncle's death even after 9 years have passed from the uncle's death .
The story moves even more further as kim use to receive puzzle pieces for every murder that is happening. In the begining no one believes that it is a serial killing cases but as the murders begins to connect the dots with each other and to the puzzle pieces . Now every one goes on finding for that serial killer and this is what happens in the present line of the story
( past )
The boy who used to work at the girls mother's restaurant after her ( the girls mother's )death goes on finding her daughter ( the girl ) .
( present )
As the killing goes the totally number of killings of serial murder are tend to be 9 as she( kim ) is to be receive 9 puzzle pieces to complete the whole puzzle because each puzzle tells a different story connected to one city building. All the serial killings are some how connected to one city building .
( few observations )
In the meanwhile kim is seeking psychiatric treatment because of the murder of her uncle as she forgets everything that happened that night .The male lead begans to believe that kim is not the murderer.
The psychiatric and kim developes a very good relationship . The male lead and kim began to investigate about the serial killings and the puzzles
( present story line )
As the story progress in the present timeline
they find out very shocking thing about one city Building , the girl , her uncle , the boy , the killer and the psychiatric doctor
story behind dots
[ one city building ]
The place where one city building was built , once there was seojin dinner and to occupy that land they have killed the land lord of that land
[ the boy ]
the boy who used to work at the girl's mother's restaurant after her ( girl's mother's ) death he goes on finding the girl and tells her ( girl ) about her mother .
[ the girl ]
they found out that the girl has changed her name and she is someone who is very near to kim
{ connecting the dots and these stories }
the place i.e.,, seojin dinner where the one city building was built is actually the restaurant of the girl's mother . the landowner who was murdered is the mother of the girl and the boy who told her about her mother's cause of death is the captain of the regional investigation team where kim and male lead works .
And the most shocking thing is that the psychiatric doctor i.e.., none other than the girl i.e..,, dr. lee
and kims uncle and victims of the serial killing are the people somehow connected to the dr.lee's mother death . as it tells dr.lee is the serial killer .
the dots of the victim of the serial killing connects..,,
1. first murder is the death of an journalist who covered the truth of the story behind the one city
building
2. kim's uncle : He is bribed to stay out of the murder of dr.lee's mother and the fire accident
3. the bar owner girl : For money she tried to deceive dr.lee's mother even after she is the one who helped her
4. the contractor: he is the one who is actual reason behind the fire accident and the murder of her mother
5. the builder : he went to all means even hiring contract agencies to build one city building
6. the one who actually is on site tobuild the one city building
7, 8, and 9 : the assembly man , the owner , and the culprit .
[ the last episode killer explanation ]
as the story ends in the last episode we see that another piece of puzzle appears even though dr.lee commits sucide atan amusement park by setting fire on herself.
while dr lee dies she says to kim that why they kill people so that some people can live on that place ?
at that moment we can say she was somewhat effected by her question .
so my conclusion on the that the last murder is that it is made by none other than kim . If it's true then we can expect a sequal to the story ......
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This review may contain spoilers
A Promising Start That Loses Its Spark
The music and visuals? Pretty solid — they definitely knew how to set the mood. Acting? Not bad, not great — just okay. Everyone showed up, remembered their lines, and looked serious when needed.Now, about the mystery… well, it started strong but slowly turned into a “guess-the-next-cliché” game. I found myself predicting twists before they even finished the dramatic zoom-ins. And let’s talk about that very original idea of a genius detective getting psychiatric sessions from the killer — wait a minute… hasn’t Hannibal already done that? Maybe the writers watched it on a weekend binge and thought, “Hey, let’s just do that.”
Still, it’s not unwatchable. If you’re out of good series and just want something to pass the time, this might do the trick. Just don’t expect to be blown away. Here’s hoping season two comes back with some fresh brains (pun intended) and plot twists that actually twist.
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Kim Da-mi shines with a nuanced performance, portraying a criminal profiler marked by her own past. Opposite her, Son Suk-gu delivers a solid and restrained performance, bringing humanity and complexity to his character. The chemistry between them isn’t explosive, but it’s tense, adding to the suspense in their interactions.
One of the drama’s greatest achievements is how it balances the crime investigation with the development of interpersonal relationships filled with distrust, trauma, and secrets. The tension is constant—not only because of the central mystery but also through silences, glances, and dialogues full of double meanings.
Nine Puzzles is not just a story about murders—it’s an emotional puzzle where every character hides key pieces. Highly recommended.
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Bloody brilliant!!!!
what a great drama! Storyline was perfection, not a minute of “padding” which I’m sorry to say can be the case for a lot of Asian dramas; every scene was relevant to the story, acting was superb especially ML and FL although tbh everyone involved played their parts beautifully. Perfect ending, nicely moving us into what i hope will be the first of many seasons. Well done everyone - especially the screenwriter.Was this review helpful to you?
Nine Puzzles – My Brain Still Hurts (In a Good Way) ??
This drama had more twists than a curly fries factory. Each episode left me staring at the screen like, “Wait… WHAT just happened?” Pure crime-thriller gold.Dami? She carried the whole show on her shoulders and still managed to look cool doing it. The male lead? 10/10 intense stares and broody vibes. Their acting? Chef’s kiss. 👏
Now, about that romance... or whatever that almost was. They gave us hints, then hit the brakes hard — probably because the age gap had us all slightly uncomfortable. 😅
The ending though? Bit of a letdown. Like someone dropped the last puzzle piece under the couch and just gave up. Still good, just could’ve been great.
⭐ Final thoughts: Watch it for the thrill, not the feels. And maybe don’t expect the puzzle to come together perfectly.
8/10 – would recommend… with a warning label: “May cause confusion and mild emotional damage.”
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Captivating On Every Level
This show sucked me in from the start. The noir feel, the classical music, the lighting. Brilliant cold open and then these gorgeous opening credits roll. I think this drama may have my favourite intro. Stunning visuals set to a gorgeous instrumental piece. And they jump right to it, making sure that Yun I Na and Kim Han Saem’s characters intersect before too long and letting their dynamics and the actors chemistry just bring the show to life. The show moves at a quick clip, and while there are twist a plenty, the plot never gets bogged down or convoluted. Highly recommended if you enjoy crime thrillers.Was this review helpful to you?
You won’t get it at first… but then it clicks.
If you're expecting mind-blowing, earth-shattering, scream-into-the-void kind of twists—yeah no, this ain't that. BUT! It does deliver the kind of twist that makes your brain quietly go 🧠💡 click and suddenly everything makes sense. And honestly? That’s even better sometimes.Actually I only gave this show a shot because the entire internet was losing its mind over it. People were saying the plot was insane, the twists were wild, and everyone was super sus. So I was like: "Ok bet let’s see what’s up." And turns out... the society was RIGHT. 🔥
What I really loved was how the director doesn’t drag things out or over-explain stuff. It’s straight to the point—every action has a reason, and every moment has weight. No unnecessary drama, just tight, smart storytelling. We love a drama that respects our attention span 🙌
ALSO THE CAMEOS??? HELLO???
Hwang Jungmin, Lee Sungmin, Park Sungwoong??? This ain't a drama, it's a film festival at this point. A+ acting lineup, no crumbs left. That’s top-tier drama behavior.
AND KIM DAMI??? Girl you were so bokem coded I legit couldn’t see anyone else as Yoon Ena. You ATE. You devoured. You became her. Obsessed.
Also Son Sukku??? Bro was fine as hell but like... did you shower at all while solving that case 😭 love you tho king 💅
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Personally, I've always been a look out for a drama that matches Stranger (S1) - the best drama I've watched. Nine Puzzles might not 100% hit the spot but it does provide some relief to the itch!
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Amazing crimi drama that you drawn you in
Finally, a great crime drama that will draw you into the story from the first moment. I love the storytelling and how, with each episode, we get closer to the truth of who the villain is and the reasons behind it. Also, the dynamic between the leads is fantastic. I like how their relationship develops throughout the show.The production, cinematography, and acting are amazing. I hope to see Kim Dan Min in more projects, as all her dramas are great.
It is a drama that will keep you hooked the whole time. I tried to guess who the killer was until the end… I love that they did not make it obvious, as in most dramas you know after a few episodes. Also, the suspense was great, as you never knew what was going to happen next. Oh, and the last scene made me smile. I hope we get a second season.
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It was the best suspense thriller drama out there
It was the best suspense thriller drama I experienced in 2025🔥. Every actor in this drama portrayed their characters exceptionally well🫡, especially Kim Dami, Son Suk Ku, and Park Gyu Young. Each episode is filled with twists and turns that keep you on your toes 🤌🏻🔥 and yeah i definitely recommend it to the thriller suspense lovers ໒꒰ྀི∩ › ·̮ ɞ̴̶̷ ∩꒱ྀི১Was this review helpful to you?
Professionally done excellent triller, psychodrama, rom com and healing story
Everything is top notch,except one thing: I think it is distasteful and artistically grossly cheesy to show scenes of murder / murdered people in great detail, repeatedly. TMI TMI TMI.
Just say what they looked like dead, or just show the blood all over, or someone throwing up in disgust...
Do NOT show us what it really looks like and HOW it became that way, we the people are not forensic experts. Leave it to american movies to show shocking, meaningless, scandalous, distracting, dumb details like that. Bc kdramas do not do such dumb scenes, and that is WHY we watch kdramas only. BE SOPHISTICATED
Other than this complaint, imo the drama is stellar.
The acting is stellar except FL.
The ML is an excellent minute detail actor and it is worth rewatching just to see him. There are other numerous characters represented by excellent actors. I would say practically everyine in this kdrama is acting super well. Except perhaps FL.
Although ML is so grumpy and not well dressed, the character (and the actor) is very cute bc he is GENUINE. The ML character is honest. We do not know why, we just find him that way. Druggingly honest. I am not sure how he managed to stay honest in his line of work.... how come nobody killed him yet for exposing stuff??? But - he is honest, warm, good person underneath a very grumpy cold isolated exterior.
The small detail of taking off the hat and showing hair is super effective to emphasize his good looks and his softness underneath being grumpy. The fact that the hair is slightly curly and messy is actually cute.
The contrast of the straight "lid" hat and his curvey soft hair is an amazing "trick" to showcase his good looks and softness, you get the sneak peek of what is behind the front wall... The front wall is so high and so tough....
The lid hat on and off is like a metaphor when he feels safe to come out of his shell and be real himself and be vulnerable. That is why FL doesnt let him take the hat off, bc then she is gonna fall in and jump on him :) and get beat up since his defense wall is very high and very tough. But she is waiting ... im ambush, camouflaged... taming him very very very slowly....
ML is fun to watch bc he has soooo many shades of emotion. There is no actor and character, there is just this PERSON, this detective, who is ALIVE on that screen. It is like watching a real person live their life. There is no "acting". The actor IS that person. totally convincingly.
I think the actor is the same actor from Oh My Venus?Hm no he is not :) my bad. They just look alike.... I have not seen him in any role before. Or maybe I have, but I thought it was So Ji Bin :) to me they really look alike.
In any case, ML acting is so convincing, it is clearly a unique person in this drama. Wow great actor!!!!
how that actor acts is waaaaay beyond good looks, he acts FOR REAL, there is not the smallest shade of doubt that actor IS that detective. Excellent excellent acting. The icing on the cake is that he is cute.
FL on the other hand was - hey this is Itewon Class chick!!! here again!!! same face, SAME ACTING, SAME PERSONALITY....
FL is cute but one dimensional in her acting, she does NOT show a range of emotion at all, her response in 99% of ALL situations is a surprised snide look.... one version of "poker face" just a little bit more animated than the poker face..... AND THE SAME FACE SHE SHOWED IN ITEWON CLASS... so it is boring to watch her except for mostly eye candy.
Seriously what is up with female leads, most of them can NOT act. WTF WHY????
I did not recognize the actress from Itewon class but as soon as I saw that acting, I KNEW it was her, it is THE SAME ACTING, 100% THE SAME PERSON...... the Itewon Class chick showed up in this kdrama as one of the participants...
COMMON!!!!!!!!!! ***** ACT ***** AND BE A DIFFERENT CHARACTER EVERY TIME!!!!!
Luckily FL script is super smart so that is fun to watch how she figures out various crimes and people. It is also filmed sometimes in a very creative way, so we "see" her thought process. That is all fun.
And please get those bangs out of her eyes so that WE CAN SEE HER better, she has pretty and shiny eyes
Luckily the script is slightly different, the Itewon Class chick in that kdrama was taming someone who was also protected by super afwul head style - his own moronic haircut - but in that kdrama, ML was closed off and shut down totally, he could not "take off" his bad hairdo, he was always under that ARMOR.
In this kdrama, Itewon chick is at least trying to tame a guy who has heart and even sometimes shows it.
The script is amazing, it is sooo riveting, you never know who is betraying whom...
I might have one idea though. After ep 8, I am starting to suspect that the orphan boy who was the subject of doctor's seminar talk is the culprit and he is the Captain :) After the start of ep 9, I am sure it is not the captain, he had a mother. But I still suspect the killer is that orphan boy. And perhaps the captain accidentally put the fire under his truck or something like that... And, who is the orphan boy? The new recruit or the two police bosses... ?
Overall, this is a really well done kdrama that is extremely interesting.
Oh one detail - in this kdrama, UNLIKE ALL OTHER KDRAMAS, the FL is chasing the ML who is a typical single guy .... how she is roping him in is remarkable LOL Omg she is sneaky and clever!!! that dude is totally roped in and he doesnt even realize it yet.... She got him!!!!!
And yeah that is the same plot of Itewon class... they took this actress bc she can act a chick patiently trying to rope in a guy who has NO DESIRE WHATSOEVER to date.
But it is the typical american plot... bc in the USA men NEVER court ladies, the men expect to be courted by women and their p#### pride kissed up. I think the USA has a shortage of men, plus many are gay, so finding a single guy worth attention is like looking for buried gold... ALmost mission impossible...
So the rom com reminds me of the USA, where stuff like that is normal,
rather than what is shown in kdramas, where TWO male leads chase one FL. That puts S Korea as the leader of testosterone and real men out there..
The USA us super short on testosterone. THe men are just .... very few and very weak and not masculine at all, they are all silver spoon men who wait for women to compete with other women and win them and fall into their lap. An american male is a lost cause already. CONSUMERISM made men go extinct in the USA...
The ML detective is a very closed off male who has not been interested in romance ... for at least 10 years and probably more..... so FL tricking him, baiting him, ORDERING HIM, movng on LOL with the suitcase and humidifier LOL sleeping there, eating there, ... and in general taking charge to tame him is totally endearing and hillarious. The drama does not make it into comedy but it is tragicomic and also endearing, they are helping each heal from trauma, and she is very gentle with him, so they never really clash, they keep moving forward. Excellent couple communication.
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Revenge
The story is about a killer who always gives a puzzle when someone dies. All of the murderer actually connected to each other, which make the main character think about what's the correlation between all the victims. It's really interesting to see how the story is going and the background about how it all began in the past.Was this review helpful to you?
