This review may contain spoilers
Disappointed
I had been waiting for this series ever since it was announced. The hype was huge, and I’ll admit I got carried away with it too. Domundi usually delivers shows I find enjoyable — some more, some less — so I was expecting something special. Unfortunately, this turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments I’ve had in a long time.
From the very first episode, I felt something was missing: nothing truly engaging ever came through. The pacing constantly swung between rushed sequences and unnecessarily slow moments, and whenever the plot hinted at something promising, it was poorly developed, almost like a token gesture. It often felt as if the message was: “Focus only on the main couple, because they’re the real protagonists.” And yet, ironically, it was the second couple who stole the show for me.
Ramil and Paytai were, without a doubt, the best part of this series. I absolutely loved their story and followed every moment with genuine excitement, even though they were given far too little screen time. Meanwhile, the main storyline got lost in unnecessary detours and attempts to give depth to a plot that ultimately lacked logic and coherence. Even the entire tournament arc, which initially seemed to be the centerpiece, lost almost all of its value as the story went on, as if the only goal had become simply finishing the series.
The NC scenes between the main leads felt especially weak: slow, dull, and completely lacking in sensuality. They added nothing to the story and often seemed more like an obligation than a meaningful narrative choice.
The only moment that truly struck me was the march, when Jay suddenly began singing in the middle of the crowd: a powerful and moving scene. But the atmosphere was immediately broken by Khanin’s entrance. Jay is a character with great potential, and it was disappointing to see so little of him, as well as of his relationship with Calvin, which deserved much more attention.
Another major letdown was the princess. She could have added real depth and nuance to the story, yet she was reduced to little more than decoration, placed there just to fill space without any meaningful contribution to the plot.
All in all, The Next Prince felt like a wasted opportunity: a series with polished aesthetics and a capable cast, but without a coherent or engaging narrative. A real mishmash, as I once read in another review.
From the very first episode, I felt something was missing: nothing truly engaging ever came through. The pacing constantly swung between rushed sequences and unnecessarily slow moments, and whenever the plot hinted at something promising, it was poorly developed, almost like a token gesture. It often felt as if the message was: “Focus only on the main couple, because they’re the real protagonists.” And yet, ironically, it was the second couple who stole the show for me.
Ramil and Paytai were, without a doubt, the best part of this series. I absolutely loved their story and followed every moment with genuine excitement, even though they were given far too little screen time. Meanwhile, the main storyline got lost in unnecessary detours and attempts to give depth to a plot that ultimately lacked logic and coherence. Even the entire tournament arc, which initially seemed to be the centerpiece, lost almost all of its value as the story went on, as if the only goal had become simply finishing the series.
The NC scenes between the main leads felt especially weak: slow, dull, and completely lacking in sensuality. They added nothing to the story and often seemed more like an obligation than a meaningful narrative choice.
The only moment that truly struck me was the march, when Jay suddenly began singing in the middle of the crowd: a powerful and moving scene. But the atmosphere was immediately broken by Khanin’s entrance. Jay is a character with great potential, and it was disappointing to see so little of him, as well as of his relationship with Calvin, which deserved much more attention.
Another major letdown was the princess. She could have added real depth and nuance to the story, yet she was reduced to little more than decoration, placed there just to fill space without any meaningful contribution to the plot.
All in all, The Next Prince felt like a wasted opportunity: a series with polished aesthetics and a capable cast, but without a coherent or engaging narrative. A real mishmash, as I once read in another review.
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