Twists and turns -
This was a great second part. I only have a couple complaints-1. why is there no merchandise showing like a cartoon style Go Won with his turtle! so cute!
and the other complaint.
I felt really robbed because we do not get to see Junk Uk’s reaction after the fire bird situation was resolved . I was so bummed by the flash forward that’s what makes this an 8 vrs a 10.
it was still fantastic but it could have been perfection!
I loved the costuming and color choices as well
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one of the best kdrama
whats not to love about this drama. i love all 30 episodes of this series. all of the cast are awesome. the castings are all spot on. i have re watch this drama a few times alreadg particularly part 2 because:1. i love fluffy and cutie naksu
2. dark jang uk is so so so handsome but cutie jang uk is adorable too
3. its short - 10 episodes makes the story compact and less fillers and straight to the point
4. most important it has happy ending for my jang uk- naksu/yeong couple ???
i'm aware some are divided and have issues on the casting for part 2, but to me in the end tjis is the story between jang uk and naksu - in all forms. it so endearing that jang uk will.fall in love with same soul every single time.
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A série entregou tudo que tinha pra entregar
não tenho defeitos pra alquimia das almas tudo foi se encaixando, por mais que eles tiveram que inventar algo pra substituir a outra atriz e tal, achei convicente e tudo foi encaixado valeu demais a pena assistir não me arrependo, amei o elenco ❤Was this review helpful to you?
Light and Shadow
Alchemy of Souls Part 2 (2023)Likes
1. I liked the chemistry between Jaewook and Youn Jung more than with Jung Somin. Mudeok and Jang Uk to me felt like Master-Student while Buyeon-Jang Uk felt like the real thing.
2. I missed the original Naksu shadow assassin (GYJ looked soooo different as Jin Bu Yeon - the hair, light eyebrows etc) so sometimes I had to stop and think if this was really the same actress or not. Cho Yeong's evolution from the young girl, the teenager that Seo Yul met, to Mudeok, Jin Buyeon and back to Yeong. Still a little bit confusing but I love that she will spend the rest of her life as Cho Yeong.
3. I also love how much Jang Uk has grown since part 1 episode 1, esp now that he is the most powerful mage in Daeho. You dont need to be the king to be the most powerful, as long as you do your job and your passion well.
4. Park Jin and Kim Dojoo are too funny!! I miss Danggu's blonde hair and he didnt get a lot of cute scenes with Choyeon. Of course Master Lee is always all knowing.
5. It's always hard to write a great ending for fantasy dramas so was very happy that this show ended with quite well!!
Dislikes
1. Lots of flashbacks that could have been skipped. I also didnt like that Go Won had many scenes that were unnecessary and the turtle squad, trying make the scene funny. Good thing the turtle actually had a purpose in the story.
2. Seo Yul and Soi's "relationship", and annoying Yun Ok (why is she in this drama?)
Overall part 1 and part 2 could have actually fit in 20 episodes if they removed some of the draggy parts at the start, but also ok that they separated part 2 to give time for people to get used to the new actress/character and the 3 yrs later part of the story.
Rating: 8.5/10
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Thank you for making up for the ending of Season 1 but…
…I’m not sure why this couldn’t have just been tacked on to the end of Season 1. Season 1 was 20 episodes, Season 2 was half that. It could have just been one complete season of 30 or so episodes, and it would have flowed just fine. But I guess they had to get our hopes up so that we would excitedly watch S2 and drive the Netflix ratings up?Anyways, now that the whole shebang is complete (I hope--though a next generation sequel might be interesting or a prequel, set 200 years before when the whole ice stone problem started), using my personal rating system of "loved," "liked," "meh," & "nah," this is a (one my rarely-given) “loved”. This is taking the two seasons together.
What I liked: That they figured out a way to make a happy ending for Naksu without her having to push someone else’s soul out of their body (well she sort of did that, but it was okay—just watch it if you need more explanation). I don’t think S2 was quite as good as S1 (which is why I wish it had not been a separate season, just the last ten episodes of one, single season), but it was satisfying. Evil lost, good won, Master Lee watched it all with a knowing smile.
What I did not like so much: I wish they would have given the Crown Prince a bit more depth of character, I really thought he’d been playing Jin Mu the whole time, but turns out he really wasn’t and seemingly made an arbitrary decision to go with the good side based on what appeared to be a trivial reason--but I'm glad he made the right decision in the end. I also wish they would have given a hint about who his queen would be and that it would be a smart, capable, and very sassy person :D. Mama Jin made me so angry with the way she treated Naksu. Even the assassin did not deserve that kind of treatment (e.g. being trapped in a room and then the plan to turn her into nothing more than a sow in a gestation crate—omg, those episodes before Jang Uk rescued her made my skin crawl). Matriarch Jin knew Naksu’s history and. sure, Naksu was the one who had killed her husband, he wasn’t exactly a stellar person in the first place since he was the reason beloved first daughter was drowned in the first place! And let’s not forget him deliberately placing a fake in the household with the intention of letting Jin Mu get control of the Jin treasury by soul-swapping the fake queen with Matriarch Jin. Anyways, any points of dislike of mine are minor irritations at best.
Should you watch this? I would recommend watching S1 & S2 as a complete season, which of course is possible because Netflix has them both. If you’re a fantasy person like I am, then I think you should watch it. Its well done. If you prefer hard, gritty reality then you won’t like it—or you could try stepping outside of your comfort zone and seeing what you think. (But I totally understand if you don’t want to because I don’t want to go outside my comfort zone, either, lol!). :D
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A segunda parte foi melhor, mas ninguém está preparado para escutar isso!
Alquimia das Almas vai me deixar com saudades!Eu não entendo tantas críticas que existe para a segunda parte desse Dorama épico. Só pela razão de trocarem a atriz? Perdão! Mas quem se incomodou com isso não entendeu o real conceito da história!
Não fazia nenhum sentido continuar com a mesma atriz, pois depois daquela tragedia teríamos que ter um novo foco. E Go Youn Jung fez um trabalho incrível, construindo uma personagem que já tinha estado em cena. Vi muitas críticas dizendo que havia mudado a persolidade da Nak-Su, mas quem fala essas bobagens não entendeu o real conceito. Nak Su no começo era uma assasina, movida apenas por uma vingança, ela foi lapidada para isso, não sabendo o que era amor, amizades, qualquer tipo de sentimentos. Ela foi construindo isso ao longo da primeira temporada, e quando ia ter seu conto de fadas, foi cruelmente usada. Quando começamos a segunda parte vemos uma Nak Su que havia perdido a memória, e consequentemente ela nunca carregou aquela personalidade assassina, seria como ela seria se toda aquela tragedia com o pai não tivesse ocorrido. É tanto que quando ela vai recuperando fragmentos de sua memória, suas personalidades vão se misturando. E isso só demonstra o excelente trabalho da Go Youn Jung ao lapidar em cena tudo isso.
Outra crítica que escutei muito foi o fato do Prota se apaixonar rapidamente, mesmo não sabendo que se tratava da alma do seu grande amor. GENTE, viver TRÊS ANOS NUM LUTO É RÁPIDO? Desculpa, mas esses comentários precisam ser estudados. E mesmo não sabendo que se tratava da Nak Su, ele foi se apaixonando justamente por elas terem traços semelhantes, e em relação a contextos que eles viveram na primeira parte. Aplausos para o excelente trabalho de Lee Jae Wook! Ele conseguiu captar a essência do personagens em todas as suas nuanças.
Os personagens secundários na segunda parte se tornaram ainda mais apaixonantes. E para mim a história foi muito bem desenvolvida, não tendo qualquer tipo de enrolação. O que não a tornou cansativa, mesmo sendo uma segunda parte.
Poderia ter uma terceira parte, que eu prontamente assistiria, kkkk.
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MUHAUAHAUHAUAH !
(reposting this from my feed, because my dumbass forgot to do that five months ago.)rewatched this show from start to finish again after about eight months after my first encounter with it…i knew it would take a lot of mental strength to get through the first season, considering how big of an impact season two had on me.
— apart from the fact that it is indeed *a bit* long, i resonated so much with go yoon-jung’s interpretation of such a complex, unpredictable & yet strangely loveable persona. jung so-min did amazingly, but it takes so much skill to approach a character that’s already been perceived as one, & turn it into something completely refreshing, & melancholic at the same time.
— reviewing season one as someone who knows the climax of these intertwined fates, was genuinely so much fun. the first part of this story isn’t focused as much on romance as it is on the root of the plot & the explanation of the world we found ourselves to be part of. seeing songrim, jeongjingak, the palace & so many more in a certain warm setting during the first twenty epsodes, & then meeting these spaces all over again—it truly felt like seeing them from a pair of different eyes. bu-yeon’s eyes…yeong’s? mud-eok’s? naksu’s?
— nonetheless, as much as the twisty drama held my attention—i quite literally yearned for the gift we get in the second part of the series. the world was abruptly paused for three years that followed a horrible, heart-wrenching outcome…and we were greeted back inside with naksu’s deer-like, childish & warm gaze.
— yes, she feels different than mud-eok, but i never perceived that as a bad thing. the man born under the king’s star needed a master, a pillar to lean on to as he grew & molded with his potential. but jang uk with the ice stone in his chest needed a partner, a lover, & a safe haven.
— the most important thing in this whole monologue is that her love for him remained the same throughout all numerous identities she shared. every name she had loved him the same. it never wavered, it was one thing never subject to change. if he never cared what her heart looked like on the outside, *why* do you?
anyhow, i loved this whole thing with my whole heart. from the ost, the cast, the chemistry, the visual appeal of it all, to the richness of the storyline & the most gut-wrenching romance known to man—this series made me happy. i’ll forever wish to get a better glimpse at who they came to be outside the ten episodes of the second season. yul? dan-gu & choyeon? maidservant kim’s pregnancy? the future of uk & naksu? i wanted more. i still want more.
— thanks for coming to my ted talk. ( i probably didn’t say half of what i wanted to…)
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Season 3 and 4? Why?
Season 2 was absolutely necessary as season 1 left the audience completely heartbroken for this pair of soul-mates. Leaving Uk behind to live out an eternity alone would have just been too cruel, especially considering he would be forever haunted by the wraiths, the residual spirits of the evil souls who greedily took part in soul shifting. As the evil Jin Mu, who never deserved to carry the revered family name, had not been served his just deserts, ha had to be eliminated.So, season 2 wrapped up all the loose ends left by the tragic ending of season 1. Season 3 and 4 would superfluous. What is left for Uk and Yeong/Bu Yong to do? Chase after the escaped relics? Anyway, two thumbs way up for wrapping things up with season 2. Even Maidservant Kim and Lord Park had their happily ever after, with a suggested bundle of joy of their own on the way.
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My heart is heavy but the show was fantastic
I finished this beautiful, stunning gem today and ... cried at like 10 in the morning because the last episode was so epic! I am so sad that I finished this show omg… This was such an excellent, beautiful treat. I cried, laughed, got mad, cheered, just felt all the emotions!! The show was fun and stunning to watch despite my favorite characters being in so much pain. The OST for this part was just as pretty as in the first, and the story was just *mindblown* (I am surprised I actually understood it all lmao). I just loved how intricate and complex it was, my god. I will miss these characters and their interactions, and I will miss Daeho Fortress because she was a true stunner…. What a show*insert a turtle emoji*.Was this review helpful to you?
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uk isn't the one, wake up
9/10 just for making naksu look weak and dependant on a man. she had so much potential and for WHAT. powerful naksu my beloved. like a get she shifted her soul into jin buyeon's body and all and the jin seolran was like "well hello there" and she's like all powerful and stuff, but i wanted to see more the real naksu, the real cho yeong.no but seriously we never really got to see her in a real fight, her being herself. i was really hoping for a heart-wrenching ending with some more drama. don't get me wrong, the fire bird was awesome, but i needed something more. like a dramatic naksu killing off uk for real this time. but i guess it's too much to ask for.
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a little sad but interesting too !
the second season is a little sad then 1st, NaXu died ( as we all tho) and it is not known whether she survived or not, but when it becomes clear that she seems to be alive but is in the body of another girl, then you will worry the whole series, whether her soul will remain in the body of Bo Young or not and for how long .. very surprised and I was glad that the end was happy and she survived, even though in the body of Jin Bo Young .. (according to the plot, the end does not seemed happy, often many cool dramas that, according to the idea, should have a happy ending turn out to be sad, but here everything is according to plan ahhha everything ended fine )it was very cute to watch how the maid Kim rushes around with Park Jin) I kept thinking she would choose teacher Lee but no, ahah she fell for the magician Park Jin) cute their relationship was ahha, of course he is dumb but what can she do lol
also liked that Seo Yul did not realize his nightmare with the NaXu .. let her live and even helped, probably because she saved him in the body of Bo Young , I guess ..
The topic of exchanging bodies and souls with Solram, Bo Young and Naxu is very confused .. I didn’t always understand who is who at the moment and in which body and whose soul finds lol
How did this magician Jimin pissed me off! and the fact that everyone in the palace obeyed him and the king and queen turned out to be corrupt and so wanted, on the one hand, a donut with shifters, and on the other, a new young body .. only one prince and his servants were adequate from that family ..
surprised that in the palace, many clans were obsessed with greed and wanted to take possession of the ice stone, while betraying other clans and even the prince! even the father went against his son and it was terrible! Of course, that scene was shown not so seriously, without any special spiritual experiences of the prince, but I think this is due to his character as a character ahhha
also thinking if Jimin's plan had succeeded he would not have helped the king with a new body but would have been a king himself
I was very surprised by the reaction of ChanUk when he was informed that the NaXu was probably no more, I thought it would break him according to the script, but he seemed to be ready and just doing his duty, although in his heart he must have been very hurt but he held on ..
I am glad that everyone has a happy ending..
NaXu and ChanUk are alive and together )) and even Maid Kim and Park Jin are expecting a baby ahha
great drama but I expected much episodes oops lol 20 or more ))
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