Best Kdrama I've Watched

I've watched up to a total of 70+ dramas and I have to say that this must be my number 1. I kept watching ever since the drama premiered up until the last episode. And now that the drama ended, honestly, I feel slightly empty and I am not ready to move on. First of all, the best part of this drama is the character development. If you watch the interviews and press conferences they kept emphasizing that this drama should be a "human healing" drama. And truth be told, the healing journey of the characters were portrayed beautifully and was also wrapped up perfectly. And we could see the development not only in their personalities but in their relationship with each other as well. This goes to the second point of the interesting depths of the characters, particularly the main 3, Gangtae, Sangtae, and Moonyoung. Most Kdramas have 2D characters and they do not go in-depth towards the layers of the characters. However, this drama gave such fresh new characters, particularly for Munyeong and Sangtae. Munyeong is not the typical "weak, feminine" female character that a lot of kdrama characters have and she has so much more layers other than her "antisocial" personality. She also dresses very well. Sangtae is an autistic character and we also don't see this a lot in other dramas. This drama successfully brought onto the kdrama scene new characters and topics such as mental health that are rarely highlighted.
The second point is the emotional delivery. Throughout the drama, I felt like my heart was ripped apart and then mended and then ripped apart again. I honestly do not know how many times I have cried when watching it. I could feel the emotions of the characters and their pain and that is why it was very easy for me to cry along with them. Moreover, I found myself relating to their pains which makes it more emotionally engaging. I feel like the traumas and the pain these characters have would somewhat be relatable to most people.
The third point is the casting and the acting. I gave it a 10/10 because I sincerely could not imagine other actors taking the role of Gangtae, Sangtae, and Moonyoung. I don't think I have to say a lot about Kim Soo Hyun. He is a talented actor and very very handsome. Although in the beginning, his acting could be seen as rather flat, but as the drama goes on, we get to see why he didn't show many expressions and we also get to see more emotional delivery and dynamics in his acting. Seo Ye Ji is the perfect Ko Mun Yeong. I am honestly speechless with her portrayal of Ko Mun Yeong because she played her perfectly. Her expressions and how she delivers her lines successfully demonstrates Munyeong's bulldozer personality. She was also able to portray Munyeong's personal pains which made my heart break real bad. I feel like she really understands Ko Mun Yeong inside out and therefore she was able to play Munyeong flawlessly. Lastly, but definitely not the least, Oh Jung Se as Moon Sang Tae is just phenomenal. You just 100% believe that he is autistic and sometimes when I watch their behind the scenes or interviews I kind of get shocked that he is not really autistic. Even his small gestures with his fingers and his eyes really brought Sangtae to life.
When talking about casting, we have to take into consideration the chemistry between the actors. Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Ye Ji's chemistry is out of this world. I don't know if it is because they are great actors or if it's because they look alike that made their chemistry so phenomenal. They both were able to portray that they were really in love and makes you want to really root them that they actually are in real life. Honestly, they are also the ultimate visual couple. I really couldn't stop being in awe of their beauty when watching. Moreover, the chemistry between the three main actors was also amazing. You really could see that they are a genuine family.
Overall, every episode was perfect and beautiful. The director also was able to deliver aesthetic scenes which makes it enjoyable to watch. The OSTs are also beautiful, it gets stuck in my head but it's not on Spotify yet so I'm sad. The only one lacking point of this drama (SPOILER) is the lack of explanation of Munyeong's mom which I thought could be written better. But after analyzing it and after watching the best drama ending ever, I've settled with that it was not important. The explanation was not important for Munyeong because she just wants to forget her completely and thus maybe that is why we shouldn't be bothered either. Oh and honestly I think Jaesu kind of deserved better. He was so loyal but I feel like he was always taken for granted. I also gave the rewatch value 10/10 because even after 3 days since the finale, I am still rewatching clips and is already planning to rewatch it. OH and one of the best things should be the witty references to the previous episodes in ep 15 and 16 such as the deer and the saranghae part.

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A fantastic sequel with character-driven conflicts, never seen plot twists, and top tier chemistry.

Season two has a totally different vibe and focus from season one. If you’re looking for something similar to season one, a story packed with conflicts and climactic events, then season two might not necessarily be your cup of tea. On the other hand, if you’re a big fan of character-focused stories, then this one is for you.

The conflicts in season two mainly lie with the characters themselves. Season two started off with a very different Jang Uk, who chose to stay within his darkness, not having a great will to live as he aims to take the ice stone out to die. He is the most powerful man in Daeho but he doesn’t have any more will to right any wrongs or move on from his past. He didn’t want to face his past and still felt a great amount of guilt and pain. Up until he met Jin Buyeon who helped him see a little bit of light and hope and showed him that warmth is possible even during the coldest nights. As he gain his will to live, he also gained his will to right wrongs. The story focuses on the conflicts within himself and how he managed to end up choosing to do what is right again and live to fulfill his destiny. You also get to see him go back to his old self slowly throughout the season, with his gaze softening, him laughing more, and his clothes becoming lighter colored.

As for Naksu/Jin Buyeon, season two clearly showed how trauma or painful memories can really change who you are. Without her memories, she’s very bubbly and free spirited. She never had the chance to truly be herself but at the same time, she was also still trying to find who she truly is. Once she gained her memories, she still felt like she didn’t deserve to live. She acknowledges that she had done a lot of terrible things in the past during her conversation with Yul, but even Yul highlighted that it was all Jin Mu’s doing all along. Season two is her journey to finding her true self after being used by others her whole life. At the end, she chose not to train again to gain her Chwisu skills back because “it’s too much work” but at the same time I feel like it also shows how she’s completely leaving her Naksu assassin self behind for good. Initially I was also looking forward to having her show her Naksu assassin self again, but watching how the story unfolded, I’m glad she decided to leave it all behind.

Other characters also had their own self development journeys. In this season, we managed to see how far Go Won had come and how he’s trying to do what is right by working together with Jang Uk. While Yul’s conflict lies with his personal guilt with what happened with Naksu and even thinking about surrendering himself to death because of it. But in the end, everyone had grown out of their past and have dealt with their guilt and regrets.

Aside from the great focus on the characters, this season also had very good plot twists. The plot twists of Go Won working together with Jang Uk, the plot twist of Jin Bu Yeon being Jin Seol Ran, and the great plot twist of the three empty coffins which made everyone cry their eyes out. I love the finale as they made us cry but gave the characters the deserved happy endings.

Another great point was the parallels. We had so many great parallels to season one which definitely adds to the story line and the engagement of emotions.

The only thing that I feel like was lacking is how the “action”. I think it might be because it is only 10 episodes that the ending seemed less epic and too simple. Yes, we had the amazing plot twists but how Jin Mu died was not satisfying enough. It was kind of like “that’s it?”. And Jang Uk defeated the fire bird so easily even though everyone was so fearful of the catastrophic consequences it might’ve bring to the world.

All in all, I feel like the cast did a 10/10 job. Lee Jae Wook subtle expressions and Go Youn Jung perfect depiction of the multiple characters she had to portray was amazing. Also, this season is romance heavy and their chemistry also hard carried the story. I think if they didn’t have such great chemistry with one another, this show wouldn’t have been as successful. The main point of season two is also to point out that Jang Uk and Cho Yeong will find and love each other in whatever form. They love each other’s soul and just like light and shadow, they belong together and will continue to protect and support each other. Their love was also what made Jin Seol Ran decide to bring Yeong back to bring the shadow back to his light. It was also why Master Lee asked them to get married — to show the sky and Jin Seol Ran how strong their love is for one another.

Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow is a fantastic drama and is officially in my top three favorite drama of all time.

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I recently just finished this drama in a span of 3 days. I was never a big fan of dramas which is set during the ancient times, but I decided to give this a try. The overall plot of the story is very entertaining although there are some plot points that should have been more developed. For instance, Hae Soo's adaptation into the new foreign world she entered into was not developed well in the drama and thus it creates the impression that it is irrelevant and does not possess any crucial importance to the overall plot of the story. The plot line also follows the typical 'kingdom' drama plot lines such as the competition to become the crown prince and to take down the king. But it incorporates interesting plot points as well such as the abandonment of a child and sibling relationships.

To me the strength of this drama is the characters. There are many princes in the drama that have very distinct personalities with one another who have great chemistry as well. The relationships between the princes and the main character as well made the drama more enjoyable. Particularly, the chemistry between the leads were very good which is one of the main reasons why I did not stop watching this drama. The actors were perfectly chosen for the roles I believe as each and one of them were able to bring their characters personalities in such a believable way. Each of the prince has their own charms and a good background story that allows the audience to understand their characters a bit more in depth.

When talking about Scarlet Lovers, we can't avoid talking about the ending. (Spoiler alert) Many might hate the ending, but to me, the ending was the best part. It was so heartbreaking and unexpected that it creates an emotional scar within the audience that makes it memorable. As much as I want a happy ending, this ending gave the plot so much more excitement and emotional moments especially during the last 4 episodes. Although, deep inside I still feel upset with the fact that they did not end on the note that they meet each other again in the 'modern' world.

Overall it was a good and entertaining drama to watch. I would want to rewatch it but I believe it will take a few more months for me to forget all the plot points and emotions I have after watching this. Although it might be too dramatic for some, I still recommend for you to try and watch it.

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