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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10/10 MUST READ!
I can't believe how people in the comments can't tell the difference between a mystery that still hasn't been solved—because the main killer hasn't been found. As the doctor said, Ina's uncle wasn't killed by her hand, but by someone else... There’s still a mystery surrounding the main character’s memories. And then that final puzzle piece—at the very end, a new killer appears, which could be a setup for Season 2. I truly can't believe how people can't think critically and instead just throw around nonsense. This series is a 10/10. And I sincerely ask the creators to make a continuation of this masterpiece. This series is not for those who can't grasp the artistic value behind it. Many people simply don’t know how to watch and appreciate a high-quality show like this. All respect to the director and everyone involved in creating this story and the entire series. Please, make a continuation for those who truly value this series and know how to follow and enjoy it.At the very end, there is a clear indication that the story isn’t over—unanswered mysteries remain regarding the murders and the appearance of a new puzzle and a new killer. Also, there's the matter of Ina’s memory... because, as the doctor said, she didn’t kill her uncle with her own hands. And I'm sure she didn’t kill the other male characters either—at least not most of them. Let’s not forget the fall from the building...
That’s why I kindly ask you to continue this phenomenal series, with this outstanding cast.
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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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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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sensacional
eu comecei a assistir nine puzzles porque soube que a park gyuyoung faria parte do elenco e, como era de se esperar, ela entregou muuuito no papel de vilã. é incrivel como essa mulher é capaz de se transformar completamente quando está atuando! minha atriz favorita!!quanto a série num todo, eu amei o enredo e, por ser da disney, já imaginava que seria de qualidade. o único defeito é que a ena e o hansaem não ficaram juntos 💔eles dois tinham uma química surreal, uma dinâmica muito interessante.
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Un crime bello e dark al punto giusto
Mi ha piacevolmente stupito... temevo che in 11 episodi non sarebbero riusciti a gestire la mole di indizi che ci avevano lanciato puntata per puntata... e invece esattamente come un puzzle tutto va perfettamente al suo posto... cast fantastico e ben amalgamato.. ogni attore ha interpretato perfettamente il suo ruolo depistandoci perfettamente dal vero assassino ... una profiler che mi ha ricordato tantissimo il c-drama love me if you dare che per me rimane uno dei crime cinesi piu belli che ho visto.. comunque tornando alla nostra stupenda profiler ha saputo davvero come farci immergere in questo Crime ..facendoci anche dubitare di lei ..un detective un po orso ma che in realtà episodio dopo episodio ci ha fatto innamorare del suo personaggio e della sua chimica con la profiler.. una storia che alla fine è la più standard di tutte ..la vendetta di una figlia verso una madre che pensava l'avesse abbandonata e invece è morta aspettandola ...poteva essere la solita storia vista e invece ci ha catturato e complimenti alla nostra killer ..wow rimane fedele a sé stessa e alle sue convizioni e si suicida in maniera davvero surreale per la forza fisica e mentale che deve aver avuto per restare immobile in mezzo alle fiamme..Mi è spiaciuto solo scoprire che lo zio fosse così corrotto.. avrei preferito un po di senso di colpa... anche lì sono stati bravi a depistarci..
Come ogni thriller che si rispetti si chiude ma non si chiude con un nuovo caso e un nuovo pezzo di puzzle...
Ha tutti i presupposti per una seconda stagione e bhe ...non c'è mai fine ai thriller per cui incrociamo le dita e possibilmente con lo stesso cast!!
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Crime Bem Feito, Protagonista Mal Tratada
Olha, é inegável que o drama entrega uma trama policial muito bem amarrada, com motivações coerentes e crimes que se entrelaçam sem deixar pontas soltas — algo raríssimo em produções do gênero. O roteiro é preciso como um bisturi e, honestamente, não tem nem espaço para a gente cutucar com furo de lógica ou incoerência narrativa. O gancho para uma segunda temporada, aliás, é tão gritante que parece um convite direto para a audiência grudar na tela de novo. E aceito, viu? Sem pestanejar.Agora… sobre os protagonistas: a química existe, o timing funciona, mas vamos combinar que a evolução dos personagens seguiu caminhos bem diferentes — e nem sempre por boas razões. O protagonista masculino segue reto feito trilho de trem, enquanto a personagem feminina… ah, essa caiu no clássico trope da mulher forte que vira boba por conveniência de roteiro. De “badass” a tola num piscar de olhos, e tudo isso para só resgatar sua dignidade dramática nos minutos finais. Isso não é um problema da atriz, e sim da pena frouxa do roteirista e da direção que cochilou no volante. Mas, ainda assim, valeu o passeio.
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