This review may contain spoilers
⚠️ Warning: Fans might not like this. - Episode 1
⚠️ Warning: Fans might not like this.
What follows is a critical assessment of the first episode of The Next Prince. If you're a die-hard fan or expecting praise, consider this your fair notice.
Read on at your own risk.
*Episode 1*
1. It isn't a good idea to start a big series with montages of this type.
2. This really doesn’t help the audience immerse themselves in the story, right? Throwing a bunch of scenes without actually emotionally connecting people to it—no matter if what you're showing makes sense or not—doesn't work.
3. Just throw in faces of overly hormonal girls who are gonna end up with whom, before they realise they are not connected to character A in the first place. Mix gently, do not tilt, or spiders are gonna fall off of it.
4. Action scenes… that are pointless, where the most action comes from the cameraman (kudos to the cameraman, though) and the editor. Not even gonna refer to the boring modern fencing stuff. From a dramatic perspective, it is done badly.
5. Well, for such a long wait and for such an expensive drama, why not mention they did a poor job cutting the filler takes on the compass? The same goes for tension/mystery—they really tried hard, but you can learn to do that correctly only if not every answer you have for everything is a comic relief… (this one is a stab at all Thai series, not only The Next Prince.)
6. Overdramatize. Just close your eyes and stretch it as much as possible. Because that is a solution. Poor audience waiting for years for such a result. The first episode is a failure—maybe because of the obviously big production. Nothing about it is done smartly to make you want to continue watching, sadly. It is still as bland as Mandee Channel gets with their latest projects. So Cutie Pie still stands as their best series of all they’ve made.
7. A bunch of tropes thrown into the same spot—unfortunately in this case all in episode one, in the first half—will not make your series good. On the contrary. (Don’t get me wrong, by the way—without a doubt, there are gonna be many fans who will make sure this series doesn't drown. Unfortunately for all the parties involved—the company, the fans, and the series with these actors.)
8. Doing promo in such an obvious way for the food you sell elsewhere in the first episode is also not the brightest idea. Why not invite Engfa to chew it for you there? Would drag more people to watch it anyway.
9. I can’t say I am impressed with you using the training stick to get your actors to even get close for the first kiss on screen in this series either. I always feel bad seeing it in series. I wonder why you used it here, if it is such a big project.
10. You do not know how to work with a pause. Learn it—then you don’t have to overuse filler (and crap).
11. Even if I omit everything I said—which I won’t—for a first episode it is incredibly stuffed. Too stuffed for it to ever shine.
12. Oh, and in the next lifetime, can you please stop blurring the paintings and backgrounds and be more mindful about angles? You’ve learned how to move the camera—bravo—but don’t make goblins out of humans, thank you.
If it is done for 14-year-old girls, it can still hold some power, I guess. At least for some of them. If we compare it with other Thai BL series, it ranks somewhere around the worse end of the middle in quality.
I sincerely hope I will be able to give praise from now on, but as I doubt it, I guess there are only going to be a few points here and there this story can collect in the 4? months to follow. And as I have it on good authority, even the original work is bad… Well, that’s that. Still, pity the wait.
approx: 3/10
*Episode 2*
Ahhh, finally, I finished watching episode two. 😫
In Episode 1, I honestly didn’t think the series could survive on 3.5 potentially decent minutes—especially when both scenes were copy-pasted from other films. One from underage romance tropes, the other from adult real-life dramas—randomly stitched together.
I doubted the series could make it.
What I didn’t doubt is humanity’s endless need for therapy (and for good taste), but let’s talk about that another time.
Now, in Episode 2… they’ve shown that they might still have the potential to return to the level the company had in 2022. Overall, if you survive the first ~25 minutes (you are a hero), you will finally land somewhere… better. (Namely, the first 4 minutes are just plain horrible—only looking good visually in terms of production. Sadly, they messed up the first segment of the plane scene logically; it could have been good and nice, instead of just… nice. And don’t get me started on the idiotic fight scenes again.)
There’s more to work with here. That said, the main issues remain:
a) Characters are still not emotionally connecting to the audience. Instead of building those bridges, the story just skips ahead without foundation.
b) It’s still bland and boring.
c) It’s still illogical.
d) It is still indigestible—the toxic level of unnecessary overdramatization.
e) Characters do illogical things, and the narrative just pushes them together for the sake of pushing them together—disregarding how human beings actually act in such situations (if the situations ever happened like that).
f) The main narrative between the two leads is unwatchable and unengaging. (Though Jimmy… you managed to mess up his parts too, but we are glad to see him back.)
But: redeeming qualities are back—finally—in the form of the sweet side narrative! Looking for a needle in a haystack, it is, but finally, at least that. We got there. Yay, I guess?
In conclusion:
Unlike Episode 1, Episode 2 actually offered something interesting. And for me, interesting > well-done or beautiful. So yes, I’m improving the rating based on this episode.
And I suggest you pay close attention to what I’m saying.
I didn’t blame the actors for most of the issues in Episode 1—because much of it likely wasn’t their fault. They were either directed to act that way or were working with what they were given.
However, I won’t turn a blind eye to the shortcomings of such an expensive project that took so long to execute. It’s in my best interest for future episodes to at least meet Episode 2’s standard—or go beyond it.
Still, it’s not to my disadvantage if the series continues to decline—because either way, it becomes a learning material for me.
So no—I’m not afraid of giving lower or higher ratings, depending on the quality I see.
Again, I benefit either way.
And I do appreciate the rational, heartfelt feedback some of you have provided.
Thank you for that.
Pain N°1: This is probably going to be considered one of the better or best series of this year.
Why?
A1: Production.
A2: Fanbase.
A3: Lack of better projects.
Does it make this series one of the best? No.
Is it going to be enough? Yes.
In the department of kink and preferences, is it going to stand out (royal topic)? I fear yes, it will—and for quite some time.
Is it going to be trash from hindsight once better projects with this kink/preference/topic come out? I don’t predict so.
approx 7/10
*Episode 3*
In episode three, we repeatedly run into the same problems we've had since episode one.
Pain No. 2: The very degrading CGI everywhere is overwhelmingly annoying. It is indeed starting to become part of the bigger problem of this series. That high production value and choice of actors — that sheen — often mask what is essentially still a cheap, predictable, tropey, hollow political drama that tries to resemble Western royal dramas, without the socio-cultural weight, seriousness, and taste in design (or in drama).
The plot relies too heavily on bits and pieces of fan-service tropes and clichés, calculating drama rather than earning emotional arcs. Attempts at gravitas buckle under the weight of melodramatic scenes. Yet, where the real drama stands and could have a serious adult impact, we conveniently (and probably in tune with attention-lacking and memory-less writers, audience, and readers) skip it.
Shortcuts are our strengths, so mix Khanin’s non-existent royal awakening with a little spicy scene, while making the political intrigue meaningless.
Pain No. 3: Nunew's new colour. I just remembered my disagreement with this choice from before, when I saw him standing beside the ugly yellow curtain. EVERYTHING HERE is ugly yellow-orange. I would change my colour immediately after this scene back to the original.
Pain No. 4: Difference between a flag and a crest, please? Anyways, really? Not even trying to hide the roots of this?
Pain No. 5: Where cheapness again shows its horns is in the editing and camera work. This abundantly expensive project is supposed to be visually striking, and while I can't complain about the camera work in general or the wide shots, it embarrassingly struggles with close-ups and details.
+1* for the scenes and acting this time, -4* for... well, the design.
Side Dish: I must say, I’ve reflected on how people tend to criticize Zee’s performances and perceive him as someone who acts woodenly. On the other hand, NuNew is often admired for his expressive abilities. Well, we’ll discuss that later.
As someone who can recognize these nuances, I can confirm that Zee is often typecast into cold, reserved, unapproachable, aloof, stiff, and “wooden” (adult) roles—especially since working with Domundi. I understand that younger audiences, or those who aren’t particularly interested in acting, might interpret these as signs of stiffness or poor acting in general—whether they think it’s because he can’t act better (which he can) or because he’s being chosen for these roles precisely because the creators know he can’t act anything else better. I have seen him do more, so it’s either intentional or there’s another issue we won’t solve here and now by talking about it. However, I’ve seen some of his performances, and in terms of expression—he is actually very expressive. Personally, I don’t consider him a wooden actor at all. But let’s dissect this:
Facial Expression (Mimicry)
Zee is not stiff in this department. He is very expressive, particularly through his eyes.
Gestures and Physical Expression
Here, I could agree more—Zee can appear stiff. But really, this might just be due to his height. Many tall people who grew quickly tend to be more aware of their surroundings and therefore may not move as smoothly. Another factor that doesn’t help with elegance and smoothness in movement is… well, weightlifting and all the heavy training stuff. Just saying.
Intonation and Voice Work
Monotonous or unconvincing intonation... the delivery sometimes sounds like memorized text without genuine emotion. This is 50/50. I struggle with this issue in almost every actor from Thailand. They tend to be either overly emotional or entirely flat—both extremes are problematic. So yes, you might accuse Zee of that, and I could say the same about NuNew. Just because they’re on opposite ends of the spectrum doesn’t mean it isn’t the same issue. In fact, this applies to every Thai series... every actor. Send me examples of older Thai actors you think are strong in voice expression—I’ll thank you later.
Reacting to Other Actors
Because he appears wooden in other aspects, Zee often comes across as calm, composed, and attentive to others’ performances. So I’d say he reacts well and listens actively—or at least appears to do so. For this specific role, and his type of roles with NuNew in general, that works quite well.
Role Context and Direction
Here lies the greatest sin: poor direction, weak scripts, and characters that lack conflict and depth—roles pushed onto him rather than chosen (all are just possible examples)—are more to blame than any lack of acting skill. If a character isn’t well-developed or is designed only to make others look better, the actor isn’t given much to work with. In short, there might be a problem in the way he is being directed.
For these reasons, I don’t view Zee’s performances as stiff or wooden. But depending on what you focus on when evaluating acting, you might interpret it differently.
On the other hand, the widespread admiration for NuNew—while I understand your appreciation and acknowledge his likable personality in today’s Thai entertainment scene—isn’t, in my opinion, solid proof of high-quality or non-wooden acting. The fact that he’s often cast in feminine, tearful, hysterical, or overly emotional roles (which almost always end in crying as a form of - non+intentional - manipulation) speaks more to the limited imagination of the creators than to his actual range. Again—typecasting. The fact that one actor repeatedly gets a certain type of role and another gets a different type (and yes, these two are complementary together) doesn’t reflect their talent—or lack thereof—but instead reveals the uncreative thinking of creators obsessed with preserving the formula for financial success. It says nothing about what these actors are truly capable of.
That being said, I’m not criticizing NuNew the singer, the person—or even NuNew the performer, not here, not yet. But I do suggest that you stop crying along with him (God knows every Thai model trained for three months to act is a professional weeper—because it works, especially with... well, large audiences), and start to see behind the veil: is all this actually a sign of good acting? Is the crying even necessary? Or is it just something redundant done to cover other shortcomings with loud, hysterical, and over-the-top bouts of petulance/stubbornness?
approx 8/10
*Episode 4: Part One*
OK, side note, and I can't stress this enough. There is not a universe where you can promote this series as not a musical and not make it look incredibly cheap starting an episode like this. You can either promote it as a musical—or a heavily music-influenced movie/series, where you search specifically for those reasons a singer as MML—or you don't do this at all.
⚠️ok, because limits, the rest goes to review for the episode, maybe i will clean this all up after final episode, who knows ⚠️
*Episode 4: Part Two*
aprox ?/10
current avr: 6/10
What follows is a critical assessment of the first episode of The Next Prince. If you're a die-hard fan or expecting praise, consider this your fair notice.
Read on at your own risk.
*Episode 1*
1. It isn't a good idea to start a big series with montages of this type.
2. This really doesn’t help the audience immerse themselves in the story, right? Throwing a bunch of scenes without actually emotionally connecting people to it—no matter if what you're showing makes sense or not—doesn't work.
3. Just throw in faces of overly hormonal girls who are gonna end up with whom, before they realise they are not connected to character A in the first place. Mix gently, do not tilt, or spiders are gonna fall off of it.
4. Action scenes… that are pointless, where the most action comes from the cameraman (kudos to the cameraman, though) and the editor. Not even gonna refer to the boring modern fencing stuff. From a dramatic perspective, it is done badly.
5. Well, for such a long wait and for such an expensive drama, why not mention they did a poor job cutting the filler takes on the compass? The same goes for tension/mystery—they really tried hard, but you can learn to do that correctly only if not every answer you have for everything is a comic relief… (this one is a stab at all Thai series, not only The Next Prince.)
6. Overdramatize. Just close your eyes and stretch it as much as possible. Because that is a solution. Poor audience waiting for years for such a result. The first episode is a failure—maybe because of the obviously big production. Nothing about it is done smartly to make you want to continue watching, sadly. It is still as bland as Mandee Channel gets with their latest projects. So Cutie Pie still stands as their best series of all they’ve made.
7. A bunch of tropes thrown into the same spot—unfortunately in this case all in episode one, in the first half—will not make your series good. On the contrary. (Don’t get me wrong, by the way—without a doubt, there are gonna be many fans who will make sure this series doesn't drown. Unfortunately for all the parties involved—the company, the fans, and the series with these actors.)
8. Doing promo in such an obvious way for the food you sell elsewhere in the first episode is also not the brightest idea. Why not invite Engfa to chew it for you there? Would drag more people to watch it anyway.
9. I can’t say I am impressed with you using the training stick to get your actors to even get close for the first kiss on screen in this series either. I always feel bad seeing it in series. I wonder why you used it here, if it is such a big project.
10. You do not know how to work with a pause. Learn it—then you don’t have to overuse filler (and crap).
11. Even if I omit everything I said—which I won’t—for a first episode it is incredibly stuffed. Too stuffed for it to ever shine.
12. Oh, and in the next lifetime, can you please stop blurring the paintings and backgrounds and be more mindful about angles? You’ve learned how to move the camera—bravo—but don’t make goblins out of humans, thank you.
If it is done for 14-year-old girls, it can still hold some power, I guess. At least for some of them. If we compare it with other Thai BL series, it ranks somewhere around the worse end of the middle in quality.
I sincerely hope I will be able to give praise from now on, but as I doubt it, I guess there are only going to be a few points here and there this story can collect in the 4? months to follow. And as I have it on good authority, even the original work is bad… Well, that’s that. Still, pity the wait.
approx: 3/10
*Episode 2*
Ahhh, finally, I finished watching episode two. 😫
In Episode 1, I honestly didn’t think the series could survive on 3.5 potentially decent minutes—especially when both scenes were copy-pasted from other films. One from underage romance tropes, the other from adult real-life dramas—randomly stitched together.
I doubted the series could make it.
What I didn’t doubt is humanity’s endless need for therapy (and for good taste), but let’s talk about that another time.
Now, in Episode 2… they’ve shown that they might still have the potential to return to the level the company had in 2022. Overall, if you survive the first ~25 minutes (you are a hero), you will finally land somewhere… better. (Namely, the first 4 minutes are just plain horrible—only looking good visually in terms of production. Sadly, they messed up the first segment of the plane scene logically; it could have been good and nice, instead of just… nice. And don’t get me started on the idiotic fight scenes again.)
There’s more to work with here. That said, the main issues remain:
a) Characters are still not emotionally connecting to the audience. Instead of building those bridges, the story just skips ahead without foundation.
b) It’s still bland and boring.
c) It’s still illogical.
d) It is still indigestible—the toxic level of unnecessary overdramatization.
e) Characters do illogical things, and the narrative just pushes them together for the sake of pushing them together—disregarding how human beings actually act in such situations (if the situations ever happened like that).
f) The main narrative between the two leads is unwatchable and unengaging. (Though Jimmy… you managed to mess up his parts too, but we are glad to see him back.)
But: redeeming qualities are back—finally—in the form of the sweet side narrative! Looking for a needle in a haystack, it is, but finally, at least that. We got there. Yay, I guess?
In conclusion:
Unlike Episode 1, Episode 2 actually offered something interesting. And for me, interesting > well-done or beautiful. So yes, I’m improving the rating based on this episode.
And I suggest you pay close attention to what I’m saying.
I didn’t blame the actors for most of the issues in Episode 1—because much of it likely wasn’t their fault. They were either directed to act that way or were working with what they were given.
However, I won’t turn a blind eye to the shortcomings of such an expensive project that took so long to execute. It’s in my best interest for future episodes to at least meet Episode 2’s standard—or go beyond it.
Still, it’s not to my disadvantage if the series continues to decline—because either way, it becomes a learning material for me.
So no—I’m not afraid of giving lower or higher ratings, depending on the quality I see.
Again, I benefit either way.
And I do appreciate the rational, heartfelt feedback some of you have provided.
Thank you for that.
Pain N°1: This is probably going to be considered one of the better or best series of this year.
Why?
A1: Production.
A2: Fanbase.
A3: Lack of better projects.
Does it make this series one of the best? No.
Is it going to be enough? Yes.
In the department of kink and preferences, is it going to stand out (royal topic)? I fear yes, it will—and for quite some time.
Is it going to be trash from hindsight once better projects with this kink/preference/topic come out? I don’t predict so.
approx 7/10
*Episode 3*
In episode three, we repeatedly run into the same problems we've had since episode one.
Pain No. 2: The very degrading CGI everywhere is overwhelmingly annoying. It is indeed starting to become part of the bigger problem of this series. That high production value and choice of actors — that sheen — often mask what is essentially still a cheap, predictable, tropey, hollow political drama that tries to resemble Western royal dramas, without the socio-cultural weight, seriousness, and taste in design (or in drama).
The plot relies too heavily on bits and pieces of fan-service tropes and clichés, calculating drama rather than earning emotional arcs. Attempts at gravitas buckle under the weight of melodramatic scenes. Yet, where the real drama stands and could have a serious adult impact, we conveniently (and probably in tune with attention-lacking and memory-less writers, audience, and readers) skip it.
Shortcuts are our strengths, so mix Khanin’s non-existent royal awakening with a little spicy scene, while making the political intrigue meaningless.
Pain No. 3: Nunew's new colour. I just remembered my disagreement with this choice from before, when I saw him standing beside the ugly yellow curtain. EVERYTHING HERE is ugly yellow-orange. I would change my colour immediately after this scene back to the original.
Pain No. 4: Difference between a flag and a crest, please? Anyways, really? Not even trying to hide the roots of this?
Pain No. 5: Where cheapness again shows its horns is in the editing and camera work. This abundantly expensive project is supposed to be visually striking, and while I can't complain about the camera work in general or the wide shots, it embarrassingly struggles with close-ups and details.
+1* for the scenes and acting this time, -4* for... well, the design.
Side Dish: I must say, I’ve reflected on how people tend to criticize Zee’s performances and perceive him as someone who acts woodenly. On the other hand, NuNew is often admired for his expressive abilities. Well, we’ll discuss that later.
As someone who can recognize these nuances, I can confirm that Zee is often typecast into cold, reserved, unapproachable, aloof, stiff, and “wooden” (adult) roles—especially since working with Domundi. I understand that younger audiences, or those who aren’t particularly interested in acting, might interpret these as signs of stiffness or poor acting in general—whether they think it’s because he can’t act better (which he can) or because he’s being chosen for these roles precisely because the creators know he can’t act anything else better. I have seen him do more, so it’s either intentional or there’s another issue we won’t solve here and now by talking about it. However, I’ve seen some of his performances, and in terms of expression—he is actually very expressive. Personally, I don’t consider him a wooden actor at all. But let’s dissect this:
Facial Expression (Mimicry)
Zee is not stiff in this department. He is very expressive, particularly through his eyes.
Gestures and Physical Expression
Here, I could agree more—Zee can appear stiff. But really, this might just be due to his height. Many tall people who grew quickly tend to be more aware of their surroundings and therefore may not move as smoothly. Another factor that doesn’t help with elegance and smoothness in movement is… well, weightlifting and all the heavy training stuff. Just saying.
Intonation and Voice Work
Monotonous or unconvincing intonation... the delivery sometimes sounds like memorized text without genuine emotion. This is 50/50. I struggle with this issue in almost every actor from Thailand. They tend to be either overly emotional or entirely flat—both extremes are problematic. So yes, you might accuse Zee of that, and I could say the same about NuNew. Just because they’re on opposite ends of the spectrum doesn’t mean it isn’t the same issue. In fact, this applies to every Thai series... every actor. Send me examples of older Thai actors you think are strong in voice expression—I’ll thank you later.
Reacting to Other Actors
Because he appears wooden in other aspects, Zee often comes across as calm, composed, and attentive to others’ performances. So I’d say he reacts well and listens actively—or at least appears to do so. For this specific role, and his type of roles with NuNew in general, that works quite well.
Role Context and Direction
Here lies the greatest sin: poor direction, weak scripts, and characters that lack conflict and depth—roles pushed onto him rather than chosen (all are just possible examples)—are more to blame than any lack of acting skill. If a character isn’t well-developed or is designed only to make others look better, the actor isn’t given much to work with. In short, there might be a problem in the way he is being directed.
For these reasons, I don’t view Zee’s performances as stiff or wooden. But depending on what you focus on when evaluating acting, you might interpret it differently.
On the other hand, the widespread admiration for NuNew—while I understand your appreciation and acknowledge his likable personality in today’s Thai entertainment scene—isn’t, in my opinion, solid proof of high-quality or non-wooden acting. The fact that he’s often cast in feminine, tearful, hysterical, or overly emotional roles (which almost always end in crying as a form of - non+intentional - manipulation) speaks more to the limited imagination of the creators than to his actual range. Again—typecasting. The fact that one actor repeatedly gets a certain type of role and another gets a different type (and yes, these two are complementary together) doesn’t reflect their talent—or lack thereof—but instead reveals the uncreative thinking of creators obsessed with preserving the formula for financial success. It says nothing about what these actors are truly capable of.
That being said, I’m not criticizing NuNew the singer, the person—or even NuNew the performer, not here, not yet. But I do suggest that you stop crying along with him (God knows every Thai model trained for three months to act is a professional weeper—because it works, especially with... well, large audiences), and start to see behind the veil: is all this actually a sign of good acting? Is the crying even necessary? Or is it just something redundant done to cover other shortcomings with loud, hysterical, and over-the-top bouts of petulance/stubbornness?
approx 8/10
*Episode 4: Part One*
OK, side note, and I can't stress this enough. There is not a universe where you can promote this series as not a musical and not make it look incredibly cheap starting an episode like this. You can either promote it as a musical—or a heavily music-influenced movie/series, where you search specifically for those reasons a singer as MML—or you don't do this at all.
⚠️ok, because limits, the rest goes to review for the episode, maybe i will clean this all up after final episode, who knows ⚠️
*Episode 4: Part Two*
aprox ?/10
current avr: 6/10
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