Alchemy of Souls (2022)

Absolutely fantastic and I usually don't watch romance/fantasy shows

So I finished this show today after like a million weeks atp (jokes on me it was only 2 weeks or so). This is my second time writing a review on anything so please bear with me here. I'll try to keep it as short as possible and in chronological order of the ratings (first story, then acting/cast etc). I will give a few points of my own before the "overall" mark.

Story: The story is very engaging and mysterious(?) as in "i need to know what happens next and how it unfolds". The story is compelling and stays consistent to the end. I can't wait for the next season. The reveals of identities could be shocking but also make you say "ha, I KNEW it". The writers really outdid themselves on this one. I want to read the novel now..

Acting/Cast: Perfect. That is all I can say. I can't imagine anyone else play the characters other than their actor, excellent choice!. Especially Lee Jae Wook and Jung So Min delivered a splendid performance. No one, not even mild support characters or guest roles butchered their roles as far as I can see.

Music: I love the music here, the OST and everything was fantastic, zero complains. The song that plays at the end of the episodes is in my spotify playlist now. The music usually matched with the scene on screen I just don't remember too much other than the few sang songs because I was too into the story and visuals to pay too much attention to what wasn't sang but nothing threw me off so there is that.

Characters: A big and strong part of the show are the characters. There are so many different personalities, goals and "quirks" which make them unique and either likable or unlikable to the viewer. You will definitely find someone you like and someone you disklike in this show.

Romance: Let me say this first; I am not a huge romance fan or like at all so it's a miracle I even watched something with a romance tag on it BUT my mom put the show on and I liked it so much that I had to watch it, by the early stages I was rooting so hard for Mu-deok and Jang Uk, it was unreal. If even someone like me, who isn't into romance but more into the thriller/horror/action genre was rooting FOR the romance to finally happen, you did something right. Also, you most likely will find a pairing to your liking, be it our main couple Jang Uk/Mu-deok, the old love Park Jin and Kim (these two are hilarious) or even something outside the pairings like Yul/Mu-deok. It's all there.

Visuals/Production: BREATHTAKING HOLY SHIT. One of the best produced kdrama or show in generall. The visuals of the CGI is magnificent, absolutely stunning. The work put into this was definitely worth it!

Rewatch Value: You can rewatch it, though I'm not someone who genreally rewatches shows only rarely which is why I gave it an 8

Overall: Overall I give it a 9.5 because there were times where I was like WHY ARE YOU NOT SAYING ANYTHING and WHY ARE YOU SO LONG. Granted it did take me like two to weeks finish, when I usually only need a couple days to a week for such long shows but it dragged a bit for me and work came in between so yeah... two weeks... Shoudn't stop you from watching it though, this is not a marathon on "who watches the most shows in the least amount of time". Take as long as you need to watch a show, this is for entertainment only, after all it stops being enternainment if it becomes a chore and stressfull!

Edit: Typos, grammar, wording etc

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We have one of the Sweetest ML with a great character development. (2nd watch)

It is hard not to like Jang Uk. There are so many reasons to like the character, including that he was such a understanding person even to those who hurt him. The creators did a wonderful job picking the cast, especially, Lee Jae Wook who is too damn attractive and charming in all his roles. He was such a green flag in the first season and had great character development throughout it. Even though he started out a bit childish and lazy, he grew into his role and it was just amazing to watch. During my first watch, the story got a bit boring with the other characters but I still completed it. However, during the 2nd watch, I'm focusing on the scenes that include Jang Uk, Mu Deok, & Seo Yul.

Naksu, who soul shifted into Mu Deok's body, sometimes failed to convince that she used to be an Assassin who a lot of people were scared of. While she dropped the ball in some places, there were others that were very convincing. This includes all the crazy ticks she pulled to ensure that Jang Uk grew into his power. (For some reason, this time around, they reminded me of the Sae Roy and Yi-Seo from Itaeon Class, Yi-Seo and Mu Deok's character share similarities in the way they out of their way to ensure that their partners succeed no matter how it happens. Both Jang Uk & Sae Roy had to teach their partners about loyalty & care)

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Alchemy of Souls: The door opening for a new K-drama genre

I've been watching this drama since it started airing till the end, what attracted me to it was the fact that it's a fictional land that looks like a mix of Joseon and ancient china, beeing a new fan of historical C-dramas and a big fan of K-dramas for many years, I was happy to see this mixed style. The fact that it's "fictional" gave it freedom to creat a newlook for the characters, costums, hairstyles... that felt unuasual at first, but I got used to it and ended up loving it.
_Naksu's character was so badass in the first episode, the fighting scene was enough to sell the drama for me, the CGI is so cool too.
_Jang Ok's character is the type that I saw it a lot in animes, starts from the bottum and rises slowly while surprising the people who underestimated him.
_Jung SoMin did a wonderful job portraying different characters, she will be missed in the second season.
_I liked the comedy and romance even though there is an age gab between the two main leads, I didn't feel it at all, JSM looks younger than her age and LJW has a mature look, their chemistery was good.
_The few action scenes were so cool.
_Some character's scenes were not needed (definitely not the CP, he was really needed, one of my favorite supporting characters)
_The drama could have been shorter, it was moving too slow in some parts, the events from the final episode could have happend before that.
_The final episode was so cool and I'm happy about the cliffhanger at the end, how can we wait to December? I hope I'll still have interest in the drama by then, and that we will see more of this type of historical fantasy in K-dramas.

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alchemy of everything i didn't know i needed

i'm gonna be honest, i pushed off watching this for 3 or 4 months, because i was simply just not interested, like i did not think i was gonna like this. but then, as season 2's release date started to come closer, it slowly began taking over my tiktok and i was like "oh, wait - this seems sort of good" (aka, i didn't realize minhyun was in it before then, and my wannaone heart forces me to watch everything they do).

let's just say i binged all of season one in a little under 3 days (while doing an exam - it was hell to say the least), i just could not stop watching this for the life of me, so i sacrificed a shit ton of sleep, and powered through - and i am so happy that i did, because this serious is truly a masterpiece, i don't think i realized just how good of an actor jaewook is, when i watched extraordinary you, because i didn't vibe with that one very much - but jesus christ, he can act.

let's just say, that part of me is happy i put it off for so long, because i only had to wait a week for season 2, and i almost died - idk, how some of y'all waited MONTHS. but i salute your all - i am deeply impressed.

it was everything i didn't know i needed, and i loved every second.

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watched weekly as it aired

lets ignore the fact that this review is a week overdue...ANYWAYS. i started watching this drama when it first came out because one of my fav editors was also watching bc of the main lead (jung so-min) and i saw EVERYONE talking about it so i decided to see what it was about. what first drew me in was how POWERFUL the action scenes looked. I mean what convinced made me want to watch was the go youn-jung (nasksu) action scene in the beginning. I also felt like this was really different than what i usually watch and I liked that because it had everything I was looking for in a drama and it all just felt complete. I found all the plots interesting and throughout the show I was amazed at how well made the cgi and scenes were. Not to mention the actors are just as great and I recognized most of them and I was happy about that! Theres so much I want to say without writing a whole essay lmao. First: The plot. I feel like the comedy-action-historical-romance-fantasy genre blend was done great, tho i never really considered it a heavy historical drama like the others, also since its heavy on the fantasy. I genuinely fell in love with (most of) the characters, especially mudeok/naksu and jang uk. The backstory / character development for both of these characters is just INSANE and i disagree with everyone who says the two didn't have chemistry. Their romance was just not like the others!! Tho, I will say it feels (slightly) overwhelming at times having to keep up with so many relationships, romances, backstories, characters, etc. Overall the pacing was fairly good, even the ending wasn't that rushed (i think). The OST for this drama is definitely going to the top 5 of kdramas (Aching by Kassy has my heart). I just loved watching this drama every weekend and waiting for it to be the weekend during the weekday hehe. Lastly, the ending had me completely shocked, I was screaming, crying yelling thinking jang uk was killed by mudeok when she hadn't even realized. like damn that hit hard. BUT HE DIDNT DIE HAHA. Anyways, there's more I would say but i wouldn't be able to fit it all here but I seriously recommend everyone to watch this. 9.5/10

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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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