Nine Puzzles Review: A Very Satisfying Kdrama in Every Way!

Nine Puzzles Review: When high school student I-na finds her uncle murdered in their home after coming back from school, she never realised that in spite of being the sole witness, she would be perceived as the suspect. 10 years later, she is working as a criminal profiler and gets tasked to work with the detective who was on her uncle’s case. However, this awkward pairing might just help them solve the biggest case in both of their lives.

-No Spoilers-

Nine Puzzles Review

Detectives being haunted by their past unsolved cases is nothing new in the media. In fact, it’s one of the most frequently used tropes in crime thrillers these days because it gives the haunted detective something to work towards. Kim Da-mi and Son Suk-ku star in Kdrama Nine Puzzles, a story that is both haunting and disturbing and grips you in suspense from its first episode.

Kim Han-saem’s doubts about I-na seem unfounded… but are they? Han-saem is meticulous and desperately tries to follow the facts and his instincts. Meanwhile, I-na is an oddball among her colleagues and is almost nonchalant to the naked eye. However, her past drives her more than she lets on and forms the basis of her obsessive need to find the truth and gives her her killer instincts.

The series might feel a bit overwhelming at first, but when it finally comes to an end, it grips you with so many emotions. It’s not only a very engaging thriller that keeps you on edge with its well-done twists and turns, it also does a fantastic job of bringing forth emotions in ways that you won’t be able to understand at first. Every character is part of a grand conspiracy that comes together in the end.

Even the perpetrator, who is supposed to be some monster, comes out having so much emotion behind them that you can’t help but feel for their trauma. That’s another big part of the series – trauma and how it controls our lives. Both the perpetrator and I-na are people tied by one thread that goes back several years. It rules their lives in many different ways, and although the perpetrator takes it a bit too far, you can’t help but sympathise with them.

I really enjoyed the overall vibe of the show; it holds on to its cards close to its chest until necessary, and then they open up one after another. The last two episodes are moving and shift from the thrill of the first 9 episodes to something deeper. The shift turned out to be a welcome change and moved me more than I could’ve imagined. The world-building is excellent and lives up to the hype of the show.

Kim Da-mi and Son Suk-ku, as the protagonists, are both fantastic. Both start out a bit odd, even annoying sometimes, but somehow turn out to be such complex individuals. It’s hard not to root for them and feel for their issues. I did not expect Park Gyu-young to have such a major role in the drama, but she turns out to be the best performer in this show out of all of them. She plays her character with a nuance that will shift your expectations about her character in a matter of minutes.

Also Read: Nine Puzzles Ending Explained: Who is the Killer? Is I-na Able to Apprehend Them?

I found the friendship between I-na and Han-saum endearing, and it blossoms from the first few episodes drastically. You wouldn’t be able to guess how close they get by episode 11 because at first, I found these two to be very illogical and annoying. However, they subverted my expectations and left me feeling fond of them.

Another thing that I found interesting is the crimes and how they are linked to one another. Although you do get an inkling of what’s going on, Jang-ho’s involvement comes out of left field (at least for me), and I was pleasantly surprised by how the series made me hate the victims! The setup is great, and the series sets it up to win, creating such a thrilling atmosphere. The lighter, more emotional moments give context to the characters in a very understated way, which I really liked.

Final Thoughts

Nine Puzzles has been a very satisfying watch from start to end. Although I am not a fan of the release schedule, I can guarantee that those who will binge all 11 episodes will find themselves engrossed. The series looks great, is acted extremely well and has a story that is not only thrilling but also surprisingly emotional. All in all, this one’s a must-watch.

Also Read: Hyper Knife Review: A Shocking Disappointment With So Much Potential