Not a fun watch
Soga is a bit too much of a straight edge, wet blanket type character. Since he's less of a POV character than Sakae (who's not the strongest-willed either), I found it hard to sympathize with him. With a different approach, Soga's insecurity could have been relatable, but as it stands he's just annoying. I also don't really buy that he's actually attracted to Sakae or men in general. As a result, I'm with the other viewers who ended up rooting for Mizuki (almost out of spite lol). At least his back-and-forth with Sakae was engaging. Or maybe that's just me liking drama.Overall, nothing terribly offensive… just a very mediocre miscommunication/opposites attract story with a character whose personality dragged down what could have been a passably entertaining show. If you squint, you might even see the potential in there somewhere. After all, it's admirable that Soga and Sakae both look for a better suited partner than either of their exes, but I remain unconvinced that they found that in each other. And the food aspect was nice, I guess? Speaking of which, I wish (J)BL actors were allowed to eat…
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Serviceable, I guess
Right off the bat, I’ll admit that I prefer my stories on the dramatic side. But I’m not opposed to cuter, more happy-go-lucky couples, either! I really liked My only 12 % and My School President, for example. This series missed the mark for me, though.Sure, storywise the show isn’t revolutionary, but attempts were made. I’ll even go as far as saying that I liked certain plot points, like Pepper’s “dating scandal” and how the band members had to be convinced to trust Thame again. I also found many of the side characters quite charming, chief among them Jun, Dylan, Nano and Baifern.
What brought my rating down so far were Thame and Po — both as individual characters but especially as a couple they were a total snooze fest. They had about as much chemistry as the leads in 2gether, which is to say not very much at all. It just goes to show that you can’t simply throw any two actors together, have them film a couple of kissing scenes, and hope for the best. Not to mention that when the romantic storyline is far from riveting, you at least need both romantic leads to be played by convincing actors. Est acted circles around William.
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All that glitters...
Like so many other BL series with a novel concept, The Next Prince starts off quite well, only for whatever illusion of innovation to vanish and make space for vapid nonsense-plots and romantic clichés as the story unfolds. In the show’s defense, TNP is by no means uniquely bad. Its flaws are what we’ve come to expect from many a mediocre BL. If the pairings had captured my heart, I wouldn’t have bothered to activate my neurons. Alas, they didn’t, so here we are.Initially, I wasn’t looking for super progressive politics because this kind of monarchy BL clearly isn’t the right setting for that (but it could be!). Then the protesters broke out into song. The laughably weak portrayal of rebellion almost looped back around to being funny but missed just hard enough that from then on, I wanted more (more, more). My irrational desire for serious commentary was met with criticism of the systemic abuse of power that was so comically defanged that I found myself genuinely wondering if I was watching satire. Women shouldn’t be confined to the domestic sphere and instead be allowed behind the stalls, selling snacks and charms for the prince to enjoy? Groundbreaking. Miners should continue mining but with basic safety equipment? Your grace is immeasurable. Domestic abuse is bad, actually? You don’t say!
I would say: Bring back the guillotine! But then again, this show does a perfectly good job of assassinating its characters without any outside help. Luckily, Paytai and Ramil were not /not/ entertaining and Calvin and Jay had half a spark that one time. But before addressing the most obvious disappointment character-wise, I’ll air my grievances with Khanin’s character: Did I hallucinate a likeable version of him? He was spunky in the beginning, right? Why couldn’t he have kept the backbone we were led to believe he had? Or, the show could have at least had more fun with the power Khanin had over Charan. I mean, come on! The fiery prince(ss)/ devoted bodyguard couple is as BDSM-flavored a dynamic as the one between our trauma-bonded Paytai and Ramil is.
Anyway, Ava. Look, anyone who has seen more than one BL knows that it’s exceedingly rare for them to succeed in doing anything worthwhile with their female characters. Obviously, female characters aren’t the point of BL, that’s not the fantasy. But like man, if you’re going to include women in the cast, could you try to not be quite so half-assed about it? When they announced the final participants of the fencing competition, I found myself wondering, eyes burning (from binging too many shows) (“Keep your eyes open wide”), throat dry (drinking water in between episodes really helps) (“Everyone deserves to breathe”): Is this genius? Is this an exemplary depiction of the limits that genre conventions impose on storytelling? Not really.
By the end (the last episode made a last-ditch effort), Khanin technically achieved everything he had set out to do, but it felt very unsatisfying. Not to mention that with the budget they had, mistakes such as the face of a character currently speaking being completely out of focus and a timer that doesn’t count down should have been caught. Unless you’re a massive fan of ZeeNuNew, I’d skip this regrettable waste of characters with initial potential and beautiful costumes. Don’t critique the royalty romance genre if you’re not going to do it well! That kills the enjoyment for both the viewers who like its tropes and those who would like to see them subverted.
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What a colossal waste of my time.
This show peaked when the White Van TM took its victim, because that was the last time I cared for one of the characters we’re presumably supposed to root for. Mind you, this happens in episode 3, so that’s kind of unfortunate given the show’s run-time.From that point onwards, my sympathies quickly shifted, until I found myself growing much more attached to Han Seok and Myung Hee than the protagonist. This, once again, was a very unfortunate development because Vincenzo (the show, the character) is so goddamn conservative and unimaginative. So there was no doubt in my mind that all antagonists would be gruesomely punished, regardless of the show's performative reluctance towards embracing vigilantism. The thing is, I don’t even mind my favorite characters being put through the wringer. But normally, the narrative at least allows you to feel bad for them and to experience catharsis through their suffering. In this case, it’s just a mix of disappointment and dragged-out torture, just like how Vincenzo kills his enemies.
It's hard to enjoy a show when you can't stand the titular character.
Okay, fine, so Vincenzo gets rewarded with power, money and love no matter how morally dubious his actions.
But why won't you let me revel in his misdeeds? Ah, yes, because he has to have these reoccurring bouts of remorse and feelings other than slow-motion bad-boy emotions. Man, the amount of times I had to fast-forward through the painfully boring scenes with his mother! Guess we're going the morally gray route, then. Sike! The show’s criticism of corruption is way too hackneyed for that. So, Vincenzo is “the lesser evil” and a monster who defeats other monsters to “protect” the innocents, but also an infallible strategist and action hero who is just family oriented enough to sweep his damsel in distress off her feet. I mean, I have yet to watch a K-drama with a “strong” female lead who doesn’t eventually need saving by her man… But how is this in any way a complex portrayal of anything, and not just the cookie-cutter bad-boy archetype? Do you want to have your cake, eat it or seem health conscious? Pick One!
Other things I didn’t like because why not:
Obligatory cliffhangers without satisfactory payoff at the end of most episodes.
Some storylines that overstayed their welcome.
Mostly way too many characters whose actions are so repetitive it feels like I’m watching Ground Hog Day, except without the variation on a theme. For example: How many times do we hear the plaza inhabitants say that they will fight now, as if that’s a new revelation and not an epiphany they've already had and acted upon multiple times? How many times will the antagonists despair, cobble together a plan, think they won, only to lose again and somehow both be surprised but also not? How many homoerotic pairings will we create just to make fun of them for existing and give Vincenzo the opportunity to express his deep discomfort with the mere idea of homosexuality (what kind of viewer does this even appeal to)? How many times will Cha Young get 1 nanosecond of superficial bad-assery only to instantly be outshined, called crazy or saved in the next scene? Seriously, what kind of second-screen storytelling is this?
Yes, this review is barely coherent, but the show's descent into mediocrity fried my last brain cell and sapped my will to live. I’m VERY open to a fun show with villains and antiheroes who aren’t dragged down by pesky morals, just as much as I enjoy a thoughtful exploration of why people commit selfish and evil actions. However, it seems to me that marrying these two approaches was obviously a way too ambitious goal for Vincenzo. That being said, the couple of cool characters, fun scenes, and genuinely engaging moments saved the show from being unwatchable.
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Partnes in (solving) crime
My little aromantic heart really appreciated that the slow burn between the main leads culminated in a comparatively subdued romance, but still dealt with huge emotions. Their partnership was delightful. The mystery was quite gripping too and kept me entertained until the end, even though not every twist was all that twisty.Since I focus most on the characters in the shows I watch, I must also emphasize how much I enjoyed the whole cast. Although I was at first a bit wary, when I realized how many characters were neurodivergent and/or mentally ill, because that comes with many pitfalls, I was pleasantly surprised by the rather competent portrayal of these realities.
Most importantly though, the Yoo Ryung is a lovely main character, and I'm baffled by the less than charitable comments about her in some of the other reviews. As far as I'm concerned, she's not only entertaining to watch, but also has a strong moral compass. Being a teensy bit head-strong and having a style that is maybe 1 % less attractive than that of many K-drama heroines aren't negative qualities in my book. The story also praises and rewards her all the time? So it's not even like she offends the conservative sensibilities of K-dramas?
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So, this feels like a hate crime.
I too fell into the trap of projecting my feelings onto Kaori and Fujisawa and was sorely disappointed when neither character turned out to be asexual. Instead, Kaori sometimes treats Hagiwara like a child (but at other times I was also kind of scared for her, so there are layers) and Fujisawa is abusive. Delightful. Clearly, Sei and Hagiwara were incompatible with their partners, and not just in terms of sexual needs. Still, and regardless of anyone’s sexuality, the lengths this story went to villainize the partners of our two male leads felt like a personal attack.It’s all well and good to ask for sympathy for the main characters because they’re unfulfilled. But can we agree that nobody owes anyone sex and that being in a sexless relationship is not the literal hell on earth the main characters proclaim it to be? And it bears repeating that I really could have done without the rape. Sei and Hagiwara’s mutual reassurance that they’re oh so good people was a bit much too. Is the insistence on viewing every conflict through the lens of sex not just a societal ill but also in part a problem of this genre? I don't know.
Everyone’s non-confrontational to a fault in this one -- right up until they blow up on each other. No one is really honest about their identity either. Points for realism! I would also be remiss not to mention the good acting. If only this story wasn’t so set on sex being essential to romantic relationships, it could have meaningfully expanded upon the complexities of intimacy. It’s all very frustrating because the building blocks were there, and it’s not like the show can’t do nuance at all. It’s just that the amatonormativity won out. Even for a self-proclaimed enjoyer of toxic erotic relationships like moi, Futtara Doshaburi went against one too many of my core beliefs to remain a pleasant viewing experience.
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