Alchemy of Souls (2022)

I would love to know where's the real plot

I have recommended this drama to every single person I've find since the first episode. I can honestly confess that AOS are my favorite drama ever. I loved the cast, the storyline and the music as well. Fantasy are not my favorite genre but that Drama have made me fell for it.

The only problem is that I was not waiting for a second season and I got upset watching 20 episodes to wait some months to see the end of the story. And where is the big and real plot of this show?

My English is pretty bad, so I can't give a properly review. I recommend it anyways.

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Beautiful and light-hearted

Overall, this is a very beautiful and well made series.

The story isn’t perfect but it has its own charm. Although it’s mostly light-hearted with little twists, it has a fair share of funny moments, friendship, fantasy, romance and heartache. It would make a good heartwarming stress reliever.

The acting is good enough, nothing to complain about. The characters act pretty reasonable, relatable and in-characters, except for some funny comic relief moments.

The music is so beautiful and emotional, especially the ending song.
The special effects (water magic, glowing swords,..) look astonishing and realistic.

I do strongly recommend it if you’re looking for a fantasy romance drama that set in the ancient time, with a not so heavy story but exciting and interesting enough to make you keep wanting for more.

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YOU WILL NOT FIND ANYTHING LIKE THIS

NO SPOILER: Come on...
The story is full of twists and turns, with multiple plots all the time, which is incredible! A negative point for this work of art (Because not everyone likes Mona Lisa) is that let's be honest: They steal too much for the protagonist, but we clean up. The scenery, graphic effects and music are very engaging and fit with the plot, we dive right into the magic of the series.

The protagonists form an inseparable duo, the way they are loyal to each other is beautiful, their complicity and the way they are willing to die for each other moves us, and little by little this loyalty turns into a believable and indestructible love story. It's a real love, that's clear to viewers. It is not something that came out of nowhere, but something that was cultivated little by little, episode after episode. At various times this duo moves us with their acts of loyalty.

There is a lot of comic relief. The secondary characters sometimes steal the show, which means that the protagonists don't take the series on their shoulders, we actually root for the others because of the true friendships that form throughout the drama: The prince and Naksu have a very fun friendship to have. See, Dan-gu and Cho-Yeon are really cute, and even the villains we love to hate. I loved the details with which they inserted So-yi into the context of the story, it was perfect, so much so that I would believe the invented story and not the true one, congratulations to the screenwriters.

There is a change of main actress between the 1st and 2nd seasons. This exchange WAS ALREADY WRITTEN BEFORE THE SERIES WAS RELEASED, but it is felt by fans as it divided many opinions. There are fans of the 1st Naksu who refuse to watch the 2nd season, fans of the 2nd season who despise the 1st Naksu, and there are fans (Like me) who understand the poetry behind the actress swap. Who even prefer one of the seasons (I prefer the 1st) but who understand the importance of the other.

I confess that the only criticism in this regard of changing actresses is that they didn't maintain the mannerisms of the first actress who was always making faces, making jokes and was extremely expressive with her body, the 2nd actress didn't bring that to the series, and I really missed that. because if they are the same "person", no matter how many times they change bodies, their way of expressing themselves will be the same. There is an explanation for this drastic change in personality, but it still ended up disappointing many fans, so watch it now with that in mind as it will help you a lot:

"REMEMBER: If the soul is Naksu's, nothing else matters. The two "Naksu" (Jung So Min and Go Youn Jung) are part of a set, without one there is NO other. One COMPLEMENTS the other. Value both ."

Why 9.00? There were some loose ends, questions that weren't answered, but nothing very substantial, nothing that would make anyone say you shouldn't watch it. At the moment it's my number 1 drama, and I know I'll watch it again, because I'm in a very serious post-drama hangover. If you have an Alquimia das Almas fanfic to recommend to me, I would greatly appreciate it.

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Good world building

The world created by drama remain consistent on rules and possibilities they themselve set on. Story was good , actors character were immersive and behave the same way a normal human being behave under given circumstances. Characters were alive and behaviour were logical and responce were within bound to the characters.
World building - 10/10
Characters chemistry - 10/10
Immersiveness in story 10/10
Overall. -. good

Personal opinion:-

What I find repulsive - love triangle thing .
The female character interaction with second male lead. ( I find annoying)

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WATCH IT NOW!

THIS IS JUST AAAAAAAAGHH! Such a good kdrama. It'll give you hope for a happy ending, but sorry to tell you, you'll need tissues. I didn't expect this to happen, i mean, at all. I really wished they had a happy ending and they will be happy together. I HATE JIN MU. I hope he isn't in season 2. I was really confused with the start, but I got it fast. This is so worth it. GO WATCH IT! I already now a spoiler and didn't expect to cry, but I did, AND SO MUCH!!!!!! As much as I know, season 2 will also have a sad ending(crying internally). I was so in love with their love and they were so cuteee. Especially the scene where Mu-Deok was drank and kissed Jung-uk and told him she likes him a lot!!!!!!! All I need to say is that this story will give u a heartbreak, but the watch IS NEEDED!!!

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Alchemy of Souls

I cried really hard watching the ending scene of Jang Uk and Mudeok, even more so knowing that Jung So Min won't be back for season 2. I really cannot accept lead changes because it ruins the emotional attachment you build after watching the character.

This is the first romance kdrama that I completed after a long long time. It isn't a perfect story by all means, but it is a very special drama to me. The connection felt between Jang Uk and Mudeok is utterly beautiful. The acting by the leads was exceptional. I love the growth both characters have shown throughout this 20 episodes.
Lee Jaewook has become an all-time favourite actor of mine. This is his best performance to date, and Jang Uk has become one of my favourite Male Leads of all time. I've always adored Jung So Min's acting and it's gratifying to see the praise she got after this show.

I had a great time watching this drama, reading the theories, the many amazing parallels this drama had. All the actors did a great job. Jang Uk, Mudeok (Naksu), Crown Prince, Seo Yul, the Queen (aka Shaman Choi), Jin Mu and all the other casts. Really great piece of work with brilliant fight scenes!

I wish the best for the casts in Season 2.

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Terrible

The Hong sisters are now on my must-not-watch list as I disliked Hotel Del Luna as much as this one. Their attempt at writing atmospheric, romantic suspense got lost in translation because the pacing was hella slow and there's barely any plot progression.. even after 12 episodes. The push and pull of the lead characters were at first endearing but after watching 13 hrs of them not moving beyond being disadvantaged and unmotivated, there's really nothing left to care about. I don't understand why the creators took the decision to just string the viewers along. Did Netflix demand a certain episode quota and is that why the already thin plot was stretched beyond the capabilities of the scriptwriters?

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How much pouty petulant can you take?

This is the first time for me to watch a quasi-historical Korean fantasy and to be honest I was totally underwhelmed. Which is a pity because there are probably some really good ones out there. There is a simplistic naivety about this one that perfectly defines the phrase, dumbed down. It starts with a script that has zero sophistication, explains even the most self evident motivation in words and never passes over an opportunity to state the obvious. It offers bland, predictable, two dimensional characters and a direction so wooden that any dynamism the actors might have produced is squashed by a requirement to stand still and spout. And just to round it out nicely the editing in the early stages is unbelievably bad, hacking off chunks of story and throwing them roughly together. But to be fair it does have a plus side in the production values—great costumes, beautiful sets/locations and credible CGI.

The rigid division between good and evil does not help. In order to create interesting tension there needs to be ambiguity and the central character, Naksu, simply doesn’t have enough real-world edge to her. Assassin? Pouty, petulant tweenager more like. And that’s the irony of it. In a story all about power, the power has been sucked out of everything: her, the story and all the characters.

It’s all far too nice with the result that nothing is too far from that bland (and to be honest, boring) middle ground. Very little light and shade, zero depth and no emotional impact. Safe, safe, safe. A let’s pretend world that has about as much tension as a teddy bears picnic.

Okay, it’s not Game of Thrones and is aimed at a totally different and much less emotionally resilient audience, but does it really have to be quite so impotent? So concerned to keep the viewer safe inside a bubble watching on from the sidelines. So scared of itself that it pulls back from every opportunity to have some balls and make an impact? Everywhere it pulls punches, particularly by not following through on the consequences of actions, either emotionally or physically.

I like Jung So Min as an actress, I thought she was very good in “Because this is my first life”, but I think she was miscast here. She lacked the necessary edge to make her character believable. The actress who plays the original form of Naksu (Go Yoon Jung), did a better job of delivering credibility to the part. Even if Naksu lost her magical power she would not have lost her attitude or her edge and this could have been an opportunity for great character development and depth. But Jung So Min’s scripted lines did nothing towards this, often being subservient when they should have been authoritative, victim when they should have been master and bland when they should have been vulnerable.

It also puzzled me why, in a world which is quasi-historical fantasy and not reality, there should be so few women occupying decision making roles. In the main it utilised boringly predictable stereotypes and missed a huge opportunity to be creative. The relationship between the M and F lead was not master/pupil but something out of a fluffy romcom with a dominant, emotionally stunted male and a petulant, subservient female. There’s nothing ostensibly wrong with writing fluffy romcom relationship dynamics, but why pretend to set it up as master/pupil and then make it unbelievable?

Ok enough, I got half way through and then had to wait for the next episode. It will be an eternal wait...

What my rating means: 5+ Meh! Don't bother, it's full of platitudes and clichés with boring characters and plots.

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INCREDIBLY UNDERRATED.

EDIT: WTF WAS EP20??? MY REVIEW BELOW IS ONLY FOR EP1-19 BECAUSe EP20 was absolutely RUBBISH that it will ruin the whole score of the drama

Plot & Scriptwriting: A+
The plot is insane, exploring a universe where too much power can influence the lives of others, teaching us to stay humble. As quoted, "With power comes great responsibilities". One simply cannot delve into the world of sorcery without there being temptation. What we can control however, is the way we respond to it. In this case, this drama showcased how good can triumph over evil for the overall betterment of society. I felt like the dialogues used in this drama was also particularly relevant in shaping characterization, which is essential as it allows us to rationalize the decisions made by every character.

Chemistry: A+
Based off a pupil-master relationship, the chemistry between Jang Uk and Mudeok shoots past the sky's limit. We get to see evidently how Mudeok is secretly dependent on Uk, how Mudeok would go to the extent of using her powers to save Uk from a soul shifter, protecting him. Similarly, Jang Uk's constant drive to push himself to his limits with the guidance of Mudeok/Naksu has enabled their chemistry to grow like that of a plant, from a seed to a beautiful plantlet. We see obvious signs of their affection towards on another, and their chemistry is amplified with their kisses and gazes. Not to forget, the way Jang Uk and Mudeok had 'telepathy' through telling the same confession to leader of Songrim by saying that they both are in love with one another demonstrates their chemistry, and it is without question that their chemistry gets an A+. Moreover, I must say the bromance between the crown prince and Jang Uk was rather endearing!

Acting: A+
The characters generally played their roles well, with micro expressions to highlight how each of them are feeling at each time. Some hits and misses but not enough to undermine the nature of the show. Extremely well-acted and strengthens the believability of the show.

Believability: B+
Some plot digressions may seem slightly odd, but not enough to undermine the crux of the story.

Music & SFX: A++++++++++++++++++++.
Crazy OST, always apt for any moment and suitable for certain context(s). Overall, it does make the whole experience of watching the drama that much better! Love the way they strategically made use of OST to instill fear at times, especially with the scenes concerning Jin Mu's malicious intents.

Editing, props, setting, atmosphere, mood/vibe: A+
Really insane editing that transports us to a whole new dimension! Props like ice stone, water (for tansu), even the dressing of each character suited the whole theme and vibe of the show! Nothing felt out of the ordinary, and I particularly liked the fact that blue was always used to depict either Mudeok, Uk and green for Yul and yellow for Danggu. Very consistent dressing and I could very easily identify which character was who, without having to rewatch certain scenes again. Everything was edited in a very chronological manner, and for scenes showcasing flashbacks, they were usually distinct from the present, illustrating different time stamps in the movie.

Impact on society/Impressions on audience: A+
This drama has taught me that greed can drive even the best of people to spiral down a hole that they can't run free from. Even the crown prince, someone of high authority, can fall short in many tasks and when opportunities arise, he highlights the way human nature is like-- that we have selfish intents, but what is in our possession is the decisions we make to mitigate them as well.

Rewatch Value: A+
Would I rewatch this? DUH. I will be rewatching this for the thrill since almost every scene glued me from start to end. No regrets starting this show from a classmate who had told me about it! Will rewatch to take note of any hints and clues in the show~

A show that piques my interest, and is comparable to kdrama 'Tomorrow'. Well done steak of a drama I must say! Can't wait for Season 2 that releases in late December 2022. :)

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A MUST WATCH!!

This is a MUST-WATCH Kdrama!! Every episode gets more and more interesting and gripping (I’ve binge-watched until Epi 18! ><.. update: now completed!)

I’m not one who fancies Korean fantasy dramas, I don’t really care for goblins/ magic etc.. I didn’t finish Goblin, Tale of the Nine Tailed, Korean Odyssey... but this one has captured my undivided attention!!! :):):)

The storyline is riveting, each episode gets better and better, and the character development is so good! It probably reminds me of The Lord of the Rings (there’s one scene where all the mages were arguing about the Ice stone, it’s like when they were arguing what to do with the One Ring).

The only small dissatisfaction I have is the FL Jung So Min. As Mudeok she is fine (which is her primary role) but as the Shadow Assassin she doesn’t quite pull it off. Even with her serious trying-to-be-ruthless expressions, mehhh, it didn’t quite cut it for me. However, she pulled it off quite well for the final episode. Every other cast member was fantastic!! I especially love the love triangles!! ?❤️

A definite on your watchlist!!

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