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Alchemy of Souls Season 2: Light and Shadow korean drama review
Completed
Alchemy of Souls Season 2: Light and Shadow
0 people found this review helpful
by ibisfeather
7 days ago
10 of 10 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 10
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 10.0
Rewatch Value 10.0

Great chemistry and brilliant acting by leads

Part 2 of the story of Jang Uk (JU) and Naksu/Mudeok (NM), not a second season, but with a three year time-jump in between, during which bad Lady Jin convinces Master Lee to revive the petrified body of Mudeok/Jin Bu-Yeon (eldest jin daughter). He warns her that the body will now really belong to Naksu's soul, that her actual daughter's soul is gone. She only wants the body to breed new heirs with divine powers so she doesnt care. Naksus soul pervades the body and changes its appearance (probably more than intended as Jung So Min wasnt the first choice to precede Go Yun Jung).

The lovers reverse roles in Pt2. How clever! The morose grumpy little master, NM, and her merry flirtatious student, JU, now become the morose grumpy husband and soul-shifter killer, JU, and his merry flirtatious little contract-wife, Naksu returned (Bu-Yeon in name only) in forced cohabitation! Once again she has lost her memories, and JU does not recognize her.

Great chemistry. He had to persuade her to become his master, he needed her to open his gate of energy and become a true mage; now she has to persuade him to marry her, she needs him to escape imprisonment by Lady Jin. Lots of fun.

The ice-stone storyline comes to a climax; 200 years ago the founder of Jinyowon, Jin Seol Ran, a powerful priestess, created it as a by product of a rain ritual during a period of extended drought. Her lover, the founder of Songrim, Jang Seo Gyeong, saved the ice-stone in Jinyowon, hoping to save her from death. Lady Jin begs JU's dad, Jang Gang to use it to revive a dead baby in her womb which he does, and who becomes her eldest and lost daughter Bu-Yeon. Jang Gang does not return the stone, he hides it in Lake Daeho. Bu-Yeon finfs it for her father and Jin Mu. They promptly toss her in the lake, and Jin Mu goes on an extended production of an army of wealthy soul-shifters. During which time our lovers meet. Fireworks!!

The ending is wonderful.

Oddly enough, the 40 hrs total would have equalled 53-ish Chinese-length episodes. There was some silly thought that somehow Korea was "plagiarizing" chinese culture, for pitys sake. So wrong in so many ways that it cant bear discussion. As all artists do, the Hong Sisters mine the materials they use from a variety of sources, and I would say that the general settings are reminiscient of Cdrama historico-fantasy. Not xianxia. Obviously like a thousand other pieces from a thousand other countries, wuxia/magic/martial arts...are we really going to complain?

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