Production? Top-notch: The filming/directing is incredibly good, and the music is excellent as well.
Acting? Phenomenal: I'm almost at a loss for words to even describe this. The main male lead did an outstanding job with the role he was given, and both the chemistry and the tension between him and the actress who plays his wife were literally palpable.
Relationships? Refreshing: There is a little bit of romance, but aside from a minor kind-of-sort-of thing going on with a side couple, the main part you see is actually between characters who are already married and have a child (plus some flashbacks of theirs, which are serious and/or sweet, not cheesy at all), which is honestly a breath of fresh air.
Plot? Utterly gripping: It's a crime thriller at the top of its game. (And, as such, there are a few trigger warnings: Blood, wounds, drowning, psychological stuff, personality disorders, genuinely scary serial killer, etc.; however, none of it is gratuitous-- I don't really like violent media all that much, but I was able to watch this just fine.) Both of the main pillars of the story-- the crime thread as well as the character/interpersonal thread-- were so compelling that I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and marathoned the entire show as fast as I possibly could.
This is not only the best K-drama I've ever seen, it's one of the best shows I've seen of any kind. It's a masterpiece-- and if you haven't already seen it, you need to, right now.
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Granted, for the first few (fairly graphic-- well, if you can call it that when it's puppets, LOL) minutes I was basically saying to myself "What the heck is this??" (Even after having been somewhat prepared from all the enthusiastic reviews I read about it.) However, by the time the delicously devious (and wonderfully snarky) Guǐ Niǎo and 'voice of reason' Rèn Wú Fēng appear, I definitely became interested... and by episode 2, I was well and truly hooked!
Seriously, it's like the best possible combination of eastern-fantasy tropes (though with a few good twists, of course-- this series is Urobuchi's doing, after all!), the crazy-awesome-OTT-ness of wuxia films, surprisingly excellent special effects, *gorgeous* (...and occasionally spectacularly exploding...) puppets-- which actually work amazingly well as characters, to my genuine (and pleasant!) surprise-- both interesting and hilariously awesome dialogue (due to some self-awareness and general snark, sold even more by great voicework), and absolutely awesome music. Plus, smug little Guǐ Niǎo is just so much fun, and Rèn Wú Fēng is downright fantastic (his continual facepalming in either the foreground or background never gets old, LOL, and he turns out to be just plain awesome in every respect later on as well).
This was easily one of the most genuinely, unabashedly entertaining things I've seen all year, and I can't wait for Season 2!
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Not only an excellent BL, but also just an excellent show (of any type)!
Khemjira is not only my favorite BL of the year (EDIT: thought about it some more, and I'll actually go even further and say that it's currently my favorite BL of all time), it's also my absolute favorite 2025 show of ANY kind, period.I watched it along with a few other shows week-by-week while they were airing, and while those other shows were certainly good and enjoyable, THIS series made me so obsessed that nothing else could even come close to comparing. (Every week I was actually counting down the days to its Saturday airtime, I was that excited to watch each new episode!) Everything about this series is top-tier incredible in every respect. Just to name a few:
The very careful, respectful, and 100%-serious treatment of its mix of various real-life Thai Buddhist religious beliefs, local regional rural folklore, shamanism, and etc. as well as a few real historical events (and just great world-building in general); not shying away from showing societal problems realistically/as they are, instead of idealistically/how things should be; gorgeous, immersive production that clearly spared no expense; lovely music (both vocal OST's - with equally-lovely lyrics - as well as instrumental scoring) that appropriately complements each scene; casting that is so perfect it's *unreal*; excellent, natural acting; a refreshingly deep story (that also deftly avoids clichés); absolutely magnificent pacing (not a single second of any episode is wasted! {I mean, except for perhaps the occasional product placement, LOL, but obviously that's par for the course for these dramas, and honestly most of the time it's way less intrusive here than I've seen in a lot of other works}); characters who are given space to breathe so that they feel like real, fleshed-out people (AND who have 100%-consistent characterizations, for once!); relationship development (and intimacy) for both couples that is both very realistic to and perfectly aligned with all of said established characterizations; superbly depicts the deep, abiding love to be found in (good) family, true friendships, and found-family/community; AND even has that all-important final piece: a *completely* satisfying ending!!
I really cannot overstate how fantastic this series is, not only as a romance (which, as mentioned, is fulfilled very satisfyingly for both couples), but also just as a genuinely excellent story as a whole.
(Now, for those who are on the fence because of the show's horror elements, I'll note that most of the series' more traditionally scary-type stuff is really front-loaded into the first episode, so if you can get past episode 1, it actually does get way less scary from there! I mean, obviously there are still other scary/life-threatening/etc. bits scattered throughout the episodes afterwards as well, LOL, it's just that, from episode 2 on, it's definitely not constant at all; a lot of the runtime of the show is just intriguing story and really good character work instead of scares.)
TL;DR: Khemjira is fantastic; it's clearly a labor of love from every single person involved; and it's one of the only-very-few-masterpieces I've given a full 10/10 rating. Absolutely recommended!
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